Plutonic Rainbows

Albums Of 2016

December 15, 2016

There was lots of great music this year. A few discoveries came (as always) from the electronic music forum, We Are The Music Makers. These guys are passionate and very informative.

Below are the albums I enjoyed this year.

  • Odd Nosdam - Sisters
  • Sandra - The Long Play
  • Patrick Cowley & Candida Royalle - Candida Cosmica
  • 1991 - No More Dreams
  • Ulrich Schnauss - No Further Ahead Than Today
  • Suzanne Ciani - Lixiviation (1969-1985)
  • Delia Derbyshire & Elsa Stansfield - Circle Of Light
  • Blue Oyster Cult - Mirrors
  • Peter Bardens - Write My Name In The Dust
  • Phenomena - Phenomena
  • Casino Versus Japan - Frozen Geometry
  • 36 - The Infinity Room
  • Pet Shop Boys - Super
  • A Guy Called Gerald - Black Secret Technology
  • Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Bang
  • Laura Branigan - Self Control
  • The Caretaker - Everywhere At The End Of Time
  • Def Leppard - Pyromania
  • Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair
  • John Carpenter - Lost Themes II
  • Rick Wakeman - Rhapsodies
  • Vangelis - Rosetta
  • The Art Of Noise - Into Battle With The Art Of Noise
  • Philip Bailey - Chinese Wall
  • Propaganda - Noise And Girls Come Out To Play
  • David Bedford - Star's End
  • Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Crush
  • Borden, Ferraro, Godin, Halo & Lopatin - FRKWYS Vol 7
  • The Future Sound Of London - Environments 6.5 & 6.0
  • Yello - Toy
  • Journey - Raised On Radio
  • Biosphere - Departed Glories
  • Lustmord - Dark Matter
  • Phono Ghosts - Solar Dream Reel
  • Daryl Hall & John Oates - Big Bam Boom
  • Ian William Craig - Meaning Turns To Whispers
  • Pye Corner Audio - Stasis
  • Devon Folklore Tapes - The Lost Village Of Clicket
  • Broken Lift - Maximum Comfort
  • Bernard Herrman - Mysterious Island
  • Laurie Anderson - The Heart Of A Dog
  • Basil Poledouris - Conan The Barbarian
  • Pino Donnagio - Dressed To Kill
  • Maurice Jarre - Julia And Julia
  • The Human League - Crash
  • Disconcious - Hologram Plaza
  • Paul Giovani - The Wicker Man
  • Cliff Martinez - Drive
  • Maurice Jarre - No Way Out
  • Odd Nosdam - More Lost Haunted Remains
  • Mark Isham - The Beast
  • Howard Jones - Human's Lib
  • Aphex Twin - Cheetah EP
  • Pino Donnagio - Don't Look Now
  • Ennio Morricone - State Of Grace
  • The Northern Lights - City Of Angels
  • 36 - Seconds And Forever
  • Fabio Frizzi - The Beyond
  • Howard Shore - Dead Ringers
  • Circles - Structures (1985-1989)
  • Odd Nosdam - Trish
  • Sand Circles - Motor City
  • Jerry Goldsmith - Poltergeist
  • Vince Clarke & Paul Hartnoll - 2Square
  • Plaid - The Digging Remedy
  • Maurice Jarre - After Dark, My Sweet
  • Pye Corner & Dalhous - Run For The Shadows EP
  • Belbury Poly - New Ways Out
  • Nile Rodgers - B Movie Matinee
  • Wham - Make It Big
  • Eighth Wonder - Fearless
  • Steve Hauschildt - Strands
  • Donna Summer - Donna Summer
  • Sandra - Into A Secret Land
  • Paul Williams - Aquarius
  • Duran Duran - The Wedding Album
  • Enigma - The Fall Of A Rebel Angel
  • Sangam - You Forget This
  • The Orb - COW/Chill Out, World
  • Anodyne - Nothing Lasts
  • Winter Sleep - Dreams
  • Brad Fiedel - Let's Get Harry
  • Lone - Levitate
  • Alan Silvestri - Shattered
  • Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
  • Paul Simon - Stranger To Stranger
  • Heruco S - For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
  • Metallica - Master Of Puppets
  • Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene 3

T.E.D Klein - Dark Gods

December 14, 2016

This collection from 1985 is one of the best books I have read in recent years. It features four tales that have a meticulous construction and subtle use of horror.

Critic S.T Joshi:

In close to 25 years of writing Klein has only two books and a handful of scattered tales to his credit, and yet his achievement towers gigantically over that of his more prolific contemporaries.

I totally recommend finding a copy if you can.

The Ninth Configuration

December 12, 2016

I recently watched the Blu-ray edition of William Peter Blatty's 'The Ninth Configuration'. It's a very strange and somewhat disturbing experience. Recommended.

Mark Kermode spoke about it a few years ago. [^n]

a breathtaking cocktail of philosophy, eye-popping visuals, jaw-dropping pretentiousness, rib-tickling humour and heart-stopping action. From exotically hallucinogenic visions of a lunar crucifixion to the claustrophobic realism of a bar-room brawl, via such twisted vignettes as Robert Loggia karaoking to Al Jolson and Moses Gunn in Superman drag, Blatty directs like a man with no understanding of, or interest in, the supposed limits of mainstream movie-making. The result is a work of matchless madness which divides audiences as spectacularly as the waves of the Red Sea, a cult classic that continues to provoke either apostolic devotion or baffled dismissal 20 years on.

There is also a book available here.

[^n]: Reviewed by Mark Kermode, British Film Institute - Sight and Sound, July 1999 issue

Return To Ommadawn - Update

December 10, 2016

Mike Oldfield's follow-up to 1975's Ommadawn will have a release on January 20th. It will be his twenty-sixth studio album. As well as CD and vinyl editions, there will also be a CD+DVD edition which features a 5.1 surround mix.

Pre-order from Amazon Compact Disc and Vinyl.

Mike Oldfield - Return To Ommadawn

December 07, 2016

Multi-instrumentalist returns to his classic 1975 album that paved the way for the ethnic and pastoral electronica that became so fashionable during the 1980s.

You can pre-order from the official store here.