Raven

From the creators of Children of the Stones. So good! Watch here.

Gaming

Found this unusual book the other day. I love books and records from the sixties like this, ones that use psychedelic iconography and McLuhan-speak to try to make the church sound cool for young people. And this one comes with two flexi-discs including a bizarre harpsichord/spoken word sound collage and a robot from the future named 'Ralph.'

Dennis Benson is a plugged-in, turned-on churchgoer who wants to take religious education out of the scrolls and into the electric age. The book offers role-playing games for youth groups and church meetings. There are games called 'Acid' and 'Magic Pill,' and a lot of them grapple with cultural difference in an age of television, drugs, and long hair. Some of them actually sound fun. One asks players to imagine a post-apocalyptic world splintered into groups of embattled survivors. Into each group enter two mute, possibly dangerous interlopers (i.e., hippies) seeking shelter. Do the groups decide to let them in or send them packing? What's the xian way?

How to Build Clocks and Watches

Byron G. Wels, How to Build Clocks and Watches (1971).

"One of the first things that younger protesters protest is the regimentation of time. They don't dig it. They'll either be at a place whenever you get there, or expect you to stick around until they make the scene. Don't rap about time, for it just doesn't groove."

J.M. Francino

Very rare private issue Spanish soundtrack oddity here. Crazy synth squalls give way to medieval Catalan folk refrains... meanwhile a disembodied female vocal melody floats over strange celestial kosmische electronics... before it all takes a turn toward a catchy bossa lounge set. All very weird and unsettling but very beautiful. J.M. Francino is a Spanish artist who made and scored a number of underground experimental films in the late 70s and early 80s. This album, released in 1986 on a micro-press, is a collection of four or five of those soundtracks. If you enjoy mp3s of hard-to-find records this will definitely be your thing. It's flawed of course but there are some really amazing alchemical moments here. Somewhere between Jodorowsky and Lard Free I reckon. Francino also has a very charming website which harks back to the early days of the internet. Some great pictures and memorabilia of the artist, who appears to be quite a Beatles fan among other things.

MÚSICA PER A PEL.LÍCULES

One Morning

Yohji Izawa and Canna Funakoshi, One Morning (1986)

Yohji Izawa is a graphic designer... He lives in Tokyo with a pet cat. The idea for One Morning came from Chieko Suemori, who suggested it to Yohji Izawa with the words 'Morning sunshine comes in through the small space under the door.'

Riddles of the Sphinx

Big thanks to Andrew for sharing this film with me. Stunning in every way... I can actually identify with some of these scenes of child care.

Promesses

Voir un peu la vie