Plutonic Rainbows

Today is Epiphany. It also makes me think about this excellent track from the 1991 David Sylvian & Russell Mills collaboration - Ember Glance: The Permanence Of Memory. I particularly have always loved the spoken word samples on this, especially that of Irish Poet, Seamus Heaney, whose words are lifted from A Northern Hoard.

I should to spend some time this weekend going back over the first seven sessions as I find it has become very complex quite quickly - at least for me.

formatter = "%r %r %r %r"

print formatter % (1, 2, 3, 4)
print formatter % ("one", "two", "three", "four")
print formatter % (True, False, False, True)
print formatter % (formatter, formatter, formatter, formatter)
print formatter % (
    "I had this thing.",
    "That you could type up right.",
    "But it didn't sing.",
    "So I said goodnight."
)

Central Processing Unit announced another new album, Alph4 from Maelstrom. It's also available on a limited 12 inch. It comes out on 16th February.

• Followed exercise six, creating multiple strings and text in Python.
• Two hours of written Japanese

Today I learnt that you need to use single quotes when inserting text (that you have not declared as variables) into strings.

print "Mary had a little lamb.
print "Its fleece was white as %s." % 'snow' (not a variable - so I use single quotes)

• I tried to follow a tutorial on how to write variables into strings. I also made conversions from imperial to metric values.
• Studied Japanese for two hours.
• Went walking in the woods.
• Some more Japanese for an hour.
• Took photos of decorations and the outside lights.

The main thing for today is writing variables to strings.

name = Gail
print "%s is a good girl." % name

• Worked through a Python introduction, explaining simple math, the Print command and basics of variables. Built a simple monthly payment calculator.
• Wrote two thousand words for writing project
• Went through kanji cards.

I am learning Python this year.

• Harlan Ellison - Angry Candy
• Carl Sagan - Cosmos
• M.R James - Ghost Stories Of An Antiquary
• Donna Tartt - The Goldfinch

Looking to the year ahead, I am going to try and post more on books and films as well as music. Hopefully there will be some great new things coming in 2018.

Best wishes to you for the new year.

In previous years, I've posted fairly long lists but I think I'll keep it short this time. There were others but these in particular are great albums that kept me spooked or blissed out.

• Claude Speeed - Infinity Ultra
• William Basinski - A Shadow in Time
• Niggas With Guitars - Ethnic Frenzy
• Ossining - I Will Be Missed
• Danny Wolfers - Swan Song of the Skunkape
• Aaron Dilloway - The Gag File
• Nadia Struiwigh - Lenticular
• Huerco S. For Those Who You Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
• Pessimist - Pessimist
• Phil Struck - QTT5
• The Hardy Tree - Through Passages Of Time
• Alessandro Cortini - AVANTI
• Sky H1 - Motion
• Konx-om-Pax - Caramel
• Depeche Mode - Spirit
• Martial Canterel - Lost At Sea
• Ciaran Byrne - Galtrim
• Broken Lift - Kosmosu
• The Focus Group - Stop-Motion Happening
• Gatekeeper - Optimus Maximus
• Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch - Blade Runner 2049
• Naaahhh - Themes

The last albums of 2017 I've heard are Bheal by Ian Martin, Where Things Are Hollow by Pye Corner Audio and Other Infinities by Claude Speeed.

Bheal is an album of dark, dense and somewhat disturbing electronics. There is an undeniable tense quality to many of the tracks. Clearly aimed at listeners who want to be unsettled by their listening experiences.

Claude Speeed follows on from Infinity Ultra earlier this year with Other Infinities - a selection of pieces that did not make it onto that album. This new release has some catchy hooks such as on Invocation of the Spirit of RUSSIA. In truth, a lot of these pieces feel like demos and offcuts of varying quality and it's not too difficult to see why they didn't fit with the previous album. However, they are still curious pieces in their own way and worth a listen.

Where Things Are Hollow sees Pye Corner Audio setting out over four tracks of sequencer driven goodness. As usual, there are hints of John Carpenter and much of it has a film soundtrack quality.