Benjamin Hoff: The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet

Hello there,

This is a brief review of two books: The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet, both by Benjamin Hoff. I got them in a nice one volume edition.

The Tao of Pooh is an absolutely charming, simple application of Winnie the Pooh (described as The Uncarved Block) and the other famous A.A. Milne characters to the central tenets of Taoism. Not being a Taoist or knowing anything about Taoism I cannot say how accurate Hoff's book is, all I can say is that it is a beatiful, easy read that I would recommend to anyone.

The Te of Piglet is a bit of a rant against the perils of *not* following the way of Tao. And as such loses most of the charm of the other book. Though I'm glad to say Piglet comes out of it well enough in the end :) I would suggest giving this book a miss, but if you read The Tao of Pooh, you may feel obliged to read this just like I did, regardless of reviews :)

Hope this helps anyone wondering whether or not to read these :)
Good luck,
Jim.

William Dalrymple: The Age of Kali

Hi,

Through work recently I got to visit India for a couple of weeks. For the first time I got a bit of an understanding of what people mean when they talk about the 'contradictions' of the place. A huge mall right next door to a shanty town. Lovely, friendly people and then the caste system. Cows wondering along in the middle of a 3 lane highway :) Lots of memories from such a short visit.

While there I bought The Age of Kali by William Dalrymple to pass the time while also hoping to gain a little understanding of everything going on around me. And it is a brilliant read. It is a series of essays the author wrote over a few years in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. An often dark and disturbing book (it is not a romantic view of India), it still manages to convey the beauty of the place, along with the friendliness and (frustrating to a European eye) contradictions of the people. The depth of knowledge Dalrymple has on each subject he writes about is astonishing, and never boring, and reflects an obvious deep love and respect for the subcontinent. I recommend this book unreservedly. After reading this I fully intend reading more of William Dalrymple's work and have just ordered Nine Lives, will report back here when I've read it :)

Slán go fóil, Jim.

Artist For Today: Michael Nyman

I am a huge fan of Michael Nyman's soundtracks. Some more than others I have to admit, so here's a rundown of those I have in my collection, in order of preference.

The Piano
If you are going to get any album of Michael Nyman's this is the place to start. A hauntingly beautiful, evocative score, it has been my choice of hangover music since I first discovered it :) He captures so much emotion in this music that it is almost overwhelming. This album would be my number one desert island disc.

Gattaca
This soundtrack comes a very close second. Once again, a haunting, minimalist score, chilling at times to reflect the sanitised world the movie inhabits. But romantic and beautifully heart tugging :) As with most of Nyman's music, it is so easy just to immerse yourself in it.

Wonderland
And in joint second with Gattaca, comes this wonderful score - of which I have never actually seen the film, which might give some idea how good this music is to stand alone. Sensitive, simple, intense, I am repeating myself in each of these reviews I'm afraid, but Nyman's ability to stir up emotions with his music is just unsurpassed. This soundtrack relies a lot more on strings (the previous two concentrating more on piano) and, well, I'm a sucker for strings done so beautifully :) For many people this is actually Nyman's career highlight.

The Claim
In third place, a score for a film that, once again, I have not seen! This score at times feels more expansive that the previous three, as if we have gone outdoors. I don't know if this makes any sense, purely a personal feeling :) Maybe the music is a little more outward looking. But like the previous three, it still conveys emotions tenderly and simply, but without touching me *quite* as deeply as the previous scores. That said it is *still* a beautiful, emotive score, just not quite at the level of the previous three - for me anyway :)

The End of the Affair
This is the last of this particular style of Nyman soundtrack that I own. Melancholic, romantic music again in a beautiful, relaxed, simple style and pace. All these scores have almost an ambient feel. Similar to the previous score, I really like this album, but it does not (for me) reach quite the heights of the previous soundtracks.

The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover
This is a slightly disturbing, eclectic, dark and lovely soundtrack that demands a totally different mood and more effort from the listener than the previously listed scores. I would like to associate the music with the film, unfortunately it has been many years since I saw it, so I have no real recollection (other than that it was a *strange* movie, and I kinda liked it) of what it is Nyman's score is describing. And unlike the previous scores I list here, this score I think would benefit from that extra little bit of input :) All that said, this is still a worthy addition to any Nyman collection!

A Zed & Two Noughts
Almost everything I mentioned about the previous score, I could say about this one. A disturbing, strange score, best described by a reviewer (on that amazon link) who said 'demented fairground music gone wrong'. I might not go that far :) but it certainly requires effort on the part of the listener; that said, this effort *will* be rewarded, and once again a lovely piece of music will emerge!

As I find more of his soundtracks, I will add them in here.
Slán! Jim.

Hmmm ... Updated 02 November 2009: Wonderland has moved up to joint number 1 with The Piano - it really is a *lovely* soundtrack :)

Albums For Today: Sasha & John Digweed Northern Exposure Series

Hello :)

Just cúpla opinions on Sasha & John Digweed's Northern Exposure mix series.

Volume 1

This is rightly recognised as a classic. Absolutely superb. Beautiful, mellow, seamless trance mix that hasn't aged a bit in 12 years. Flawless. Not much more to say really. It's hard to find, but if you can find it - get it! For me, this is the cream of the crop, the next volumes in the series, though fine in their own right, fall just short of this one. Though this may be because it was it was the first I heard many moons ago :)

Volume 2 (West Coast Edition)
Volume 2 (East Coast Edition)

I just love Sasha & Digweed's ability to select and mix tracks, and it is showcased once again here :) ! Two seamless mixes, with more of a dance feel than Volume 1. Lovely late night driving music, though not quite reaching the standard of tracks that appeared on Volume 1.

Volume 3 (Expeditions)

I like this mix, but I do find that there are a few moments where things seem a little ... flat I suppose is the best word. Maybe it is because it is just a different, more spacey ambient sort of mix. That said - there are moods where this fits nicely, right now being one :)

As you might guess, my preferences would run Volume 1, 2 and 3 in that order.

Slán, Jim.

Bad Science, by Ben Goldacre

Howdy reader,

I have just finished reading this book. And it is a cracking, stimulating, depressing and also funny book. Ben Goldacre tackles big pharma, vitamin pill manufacturers (I had no idea how huge this industry is), MMR and MRSA controversies, anti-oxidant truths and a whole plethora of misinformation we are fed by journalists in search of the big headline. All written in a very friendly, readable style.

He explains how research should work and gives the reader the lowdown on thinking in terms of evidence based medicine. He explains how to recognise when a 'sciencey' newspaper article really is just bullshit. And it really does make you view these articles in a totally new (and unfortunately cynical) light. I say cynical because the quality of science journalism since reading this book really does seem to be of a desperately low standard.

Many of the examples he uses are funny, but I actually found it depressing to see how successful big pharma/the multibillion dollar vitamin pill industry/journalists are in manipulating research data to sell their drugs/pills/newspapers.

So this really is a marvellously interesting read. Fair play to him for his efforts in debunking these news stories and explaining to us how we can debunk them ourselves in the future.

So I highly recommend this to you. Go for it.

Cheers,
Jim.

p.s. The Bad Science web site is always worth a read.

Artist For Today: The Jimmy Cake

Howdy,

I have liked Irish band The Jimmy Cake since I came across Brains. A slow burning, gentle, experimental instrumental album, which could probably slide into the post rock genre if one felt like labelling it. The (usually 9 piece) band play instruments varying from accordion, clarinet, glockenspiel, tenor sax, banjo, and found percussion as well as straight-up guitars, drums and bass. Verging on ambient at times, this is a cracking album, very hard to find but well worth the search.

Their next album Dublin Gone Everybody Dead was louder, heavier, darker and (for want of a better word) angrier. Many folks seem to prefer it over its predecessor. I say each to his own, it's a good album in its own right, but I prefer the more laid back tone of Brains.

But now to the reason i thought I would write this: their new album Spectre & Crown. I am listening to this as I write. And it really is a step up from what came before. A beautiful, melancholic, epic album, with beautiful, powerful melodies. Influences vary from classical to hints of pop brass to jazz - actually at times the band that springs to mind while listening to this album is Jaga Jazzist (an excellent band I will have to write a review on soon).

Anyways, I'm not much of a writer really, suffice it so say Spectre & Crown would be a lovely addition to any music collection. Very Good indeed. And as another reviewer pointed out - it would also make an excellent name for a pub :)

Cheers, Jim.

Carna, Connemara and Saint Mac Dara

Hi,

I wanted to write this as there just isn't a whole lot of information on the subject of Féile Mhic Dara.

My wife is from the town of Carna in Connemara in the west of Ireland. Connemara is a beautiful, remote area, not good for farming, so it never boasted much of a population, and due to it's remoteness, the English never quite managed to take it over. A good portion of the people here speak Irish as a native tongue. It boasts a beautiful coastline and rugged, stony, boggy countryside with climbable mountains which reveal spectacular views.

Mac Dara's Island - a small island off the coast of Carna - was home in the sixth century to St. Mac Dara, Connemara's most respected saint. He built a one-room chapel here, with a dirt floor, walls of huge stones and a steep stone roof. In 1975 the church was restored and today it is considered one of the finest early Christian oratories in Ireland. It is unique in the archaeological record because of the architectural features of its roof.

Féile Mhic Dara is held annually on the 16th of July in Carna. A long tradition of pilgrimage to the church on the island exists on this day for Mass and celebration (people also take picnics and go for strolls around the island if the weather is good). The local fishermen give of their time and their boats by ferrying people out to the island in the morning and back in the afternoon. Others make their way out by canoe, currach and hooker. Afterwards there is a regatta for Galway Hooker's and also Currach racing.

A lovely tradition dates back to the seventeenth century whereby sailors off the Connemara coast show their reverence for their patron saint, Mac Dara, by dipping their sails three times when passing the island.

Irish music plays a big part on the pier as one leaves and returns, and later on that evening in the pubs of Carna. All in all, a truly, truly memorable event :) !!

In 2005 I took these photos of the day, hopefully they might give some inkling of the flavour of things :)

Slán go fóil, Jim.