(no subject)

[thejunipertree]

Fuck.

Diamanda Galas' "Vena Cava" is probably NOT the thing I should be listening to right now.

I never realized what it was actually about, before.

This hurts.

Bad.

The funny thing is, I brought all of my Diamanda CDs into work today as a celebration of the fact that my ex-husband, the Cheshire Cat, bought me a ticket for my birthday to see Galas at the TLA on October 11th. Every other time she's performed in Philadelphia, I've missed her and that fact has always made me extremely petulant.

So, I carted up all my CDs by her and brought them into work. Due to the nature of her work, I couldn't play them very loud because I know it would have bothered my boss (my office adjoins hers). The music loses a lot of its power when it's turned down low and you miss quite a bit, especially when she gets into her practically subsonic whispering.

I'd been saving "Vena Cava" for the end of the day, when Miss Angel had left. Now, sitting here alone and attempting to get some work done, I can play it as loud as I like.

And truly listen to what's being broadcast.

Pain. Brutality. Truth. Anger. Sadness. Joy. Denial. Regret. Isolation. Disorientation. Beauty. Insanity. Vulnerability.

I'm only on track #4 (none of them have names). I don't think I can handle the rest of this album right now.

Comments

[edwards.livejournal.com]

According to her website, Plague Mass has been in development since 1984 - I take this to mean that it was first written or performed in 1984, so whilst the recording was made in 1991, the material is much older.

I'm not suggesting that the cause is less important, merely that I am cynical about the motivation of some people (NOT Diamanda by any means) to get involved when that involvement earns them and not necessarily the cause, any publicity. I'm not even suggesting that people supporting the cause are just sheep, just some.

What I am wary of with Diamanda and people who discuss her music elsewhere is the concept of her as an elitist taste; hence the remark about 'rarely played'. I've played Vena Cava more than many of the albums I own by artists I know I like; I've listened to it more than Bloodflowers, more than Captain Beefheart, more than Supe.. actually, I only bought Supertramp for The Logical Song *shame*.

I don't want an album you think that I, an uneducated peasant, will enjoy. I want Plague Mass because it's supposed to be Diamanda's most intense work, I want to actually feel something from the music. I want the same thrill up my spine that I got from listening to early prog, or even the same sadness I felt listening to War of the Worlds when I was a kid. It's trivial, but I haven't been made to think by any modern music and in many ways I've blocked out the minority acts that should challenge me.

I don't trust journalists. If she's forcing it down their throats, great. I can't help mistrusting them and assuming that in fact, they haven't listened to the CD, have read the PR pack, and don't actually have an opinion about her work.

[meetzemonsta.livejournal.com]

I don't want an album you think that I, an uneducated peasant, will enjoy.

I don't have the time or the energy at this moment to address any of the other things you've said (as I'm at work and dealing with myriad personal issues at the same time), however I will say this: "The Sporting Life" is my absolute favourite album that Galas has ever put out. I love all of her work, but that is the one I love the most. It's the first album that I recommend to every single person who asks me what I think is good by Diamanda Galas.

I wasn't snarking at you with that recommendation. I was suggesting something I figured you might enjoy on the basis that it's more intricate musically and less 'activist'.

[edwards.livejournal.com]

I was snarking at myself with the uneducated peasant remark, but when googling I hadn't read that many favourable reviews of "The Sporting Life" - not that I'd particularly base my opinion on reviews, but it seemed to be quite weighted towards people considering it a poor album - though I couldn't get the context they were reviewing it in, whether they'd bought it as jazz fans and hated Diamanda's voice (Amazon has "like a cat being beaten to death with another cat" in one review) or if they were Diamanda fans and found it too tame (in which case I'd suspect they were just fans for the sake of liking someone extreme).

Extreme Music. The latest Pepsi-Max inspired sport - listen to Diamanda on a 5000W stereo then switch to Salt 'n' Pepa's Greatest Hits before finishing with Isao Tomita, backwards, mixed with R Kelly.

Like everything, I'll try it. "Less activism" isn't actually that important to me in the music as long as it's good.