Chaiten Spectacular!

On the 3rd May, the Chaiten volcano erupted in spectacular fashion, 800 miles south of Santiago in Chile. The photographs below were captured at night as the volcano did its thing amid a thunderstorm.

About a year ago, the volcano erupted for the first time in what was believed to be around 9,000 years. Evacuations of the neighbouring town of Chaiten have since been a regular occurrence as the volcano proceeds through its new eruptive phase.






by Max Drake
(Freelance writer and artist for GritFX.)

Decoy’s Completely Biased Non-Definitive Guide To Music

Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996)

Tortoise deserve a genre named after them. It would at least make things easier for the unimaginative fools (like me) who write about music. Then I could just say: ‘In 1996, Chicago band Tortoise released this landmark album of Tortoise music that took Tortoise in a new direction and changed the way people would think about Tortoise forever. Only Tortoise can play Tortoise the way Tortoise was meant to played.’ It wouldn’t make much sense, but it would be so much easier. Post-rock, Prog-rock, Alternative, Experimental, Electronica, Jazz, Krautrock…none of these terms really seemed to sum them up, even though there were undeniable elements of all those things in their music. The opening song “Djed” was an epic 20-minute long soundscape that evolved - much like humankind - out of the static slime, and grumbled along the ground on bass fins until it merged with the drums and took its first steps on Neu! legs. Then things were happening. By five minutes in, you were compelled to see where this new species of music was going. And it certainly is a journey of an album. A free-flowing wordless trek through the primordial ooze of avant-garde music, from John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen, to Can and Faust, to Fripp & Eno, to Neil Young and the future Wilco, to Radiohead and Godspeed You Black Emperor! This sounded like something that was there in the background of all that music. Rubbing stones and sticks together, searching for that fresh spark. “Glass Museum” is a journeying raft on rough waves of slow-motion ocean, sailing off to find new land, and document the various species of life found there. “A Survey” makes camp in the darkness of unmapped forests and braves the night, while “Along the Banks of Rivers” finally heads for home with renewed perspectives, somewhat philosophical now of the fates (and double-edged prizes) that await those who venture into the unknown.

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Martina Topley-Bird - The Blue God (2008)

After hearing about 45 seconds of the opening track “Phoenix”, I was sold. If this song had Thom Yorke vocals you could tell people it was a song Radiohead forgot to put on the In Rainbows bonus disc. Or if Portishead hadn’t finally brought out their long awaited Third album, this would still have quenched our trip-hop/downtempo thirst. Although, The Blue God reminds me more of Dummy-era Portishead. So maybe if you spliced 2007 Radiohead DNA with 1994 Portishead DNA, you might end up with an album sounding a little bit like The Blue God. Who knows? I get carried away with nonsense. In 1996 Martina Topley-Bird guested vocals on Tricky’s acclaimed albums Nearly God and Pre-Millennium Tension, and released her debut solo album Quixotic in 2003. Her voice would suit many genres; she could be a pop singer, a jazz singer, a lounge singer, a blues singer, because all these styles somehow leak out in her tones. This is a great album to slap on if you’ve got friends coming around for drinks. This is a great album to slap on late at night and play poker to. This is a great album to slap on while you chop the veggies for dinner. This is a great album to slap on if you like Massive Attack or Air or Fat Freddy’s Drop or Thievery Corporation. This is great if you like a cocktail mix of sweet lullabies and smooth melodious lines with a twist of dark moodiness for atmosphere. I’m amazed this hasn’t become a far bigger album, because I think she has mass appeal, and is instantly likeable for the right kind of fans. But I also like the fact this album is sneaky, and working its mojo slowly. It’s not a ham-fisted album that is leaping down ears trying to impress anyone. It’s an album that is quietly sophisticated, and patient, and waiting to be heard some night when the proper forces align. Perhaps when the moon is full, illuminating the right moment like a blue god.

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Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (1985)

For me, and many a prog-rock aficionado the world over, Kate Bush was/is the ‘Cult Queen of Cool’ who became the unofficial premiere female artist in a very male-dominated genre. I know she was having success in the Pop sphere. From her first acclaimed album The Kick Inside (1978) with the single “Wuthering Heights” she was the crazy-dancing doyen of baroque-pop. But she was always an acquired taste. Some people couldn’t stand her. And this designation made us Prog-fans claim her even more. She seemed like one of us. Nerdy, literate, obsessive, out-of-step. And Kate seemed to celebrate her ‘otherness’. She went about making her own unique music, album after album. With Hounds of Love she brought her signature theatricality into a more modern context, utilising the technology of the time to help animate her vision in a broader setting. And it’s a (another) masterpiece. From the opening hit, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”, we’re reminded this is a fearless artist who combines melody, rhythm and structure masterfully, and then matches it with ambitious concepts to achieve maximum results. Her vocal performances are brilliant, and the lyrics thoughtful & crafted, as usual. Only Kate Bush could/would write a song like “Cloudbusting” - sung from the perspective of (radical psychologist/inventor) Wilhelm Reich’s son, who watches his father in awe, and mourns his father’s imprisonment (never to see him again), inspiring him to tell his father’s story. And the second half of the album is a suite of songs that comprise a mini concept album about a woman lost and drowning in freezing waters. The song “And Dream of Sheep” is worth particular mention, coz it’s one of Kate’s most beautiful compositions. The sadness in the melody is heartbreaking, and the lyrics paint an image of calm release and dignified escape from suffering: “If they find me racing white horses/ They'll not take me for a buoy/ Let me be weak/ Let me sleep/ And dream of sheep”. The fear of dying is sublimated into a simple wish: “I can’t keep my eyes open/ Wish I had my radio/ I’d tune into some friendly voices/ Talking about stupid things/ I can’t be left to my imagination”. The remainder of the album is a swirling watery diorama filled with cut-up sounds, choppy rhythms and ambient chimes that play out like someone’s life flashing before their crying eyes. A great uncompromising album from a great unconventional artist.


By Decoy Spoon

If you want to hear/see any of the music reviewed by Decoy, visit the GritHouse – the GritFX YouTube Channel – and check out Decoy’s Playlist of music videos.

Our Latest GritCOMPETITION WINNER!!!

Jim - aka "The Movie Whore" was pulled from our 'Barrel of Grit' and is the latest GritFX winner - congratulations Jim!

He won a FREE GritFX T-Shirt of his choosing... I hope to get a photo of him to share with you all!

Check out "The Movie Whore" Blog today...


*****

Our Next Competition...
"Guess the number of Jelly Beans in the Jar"


Details on how to enter will be posted early January 2009. Until then, if you haven't become a member of the GritBlog – go do so now! (only GritBLOG community members and GritFX Facebook Page fans can enter the GritFX competitions.)

*****

One last word from me - THANK YOU AGAIN TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WHO IS A GritBLOG READER!

Cheers,
Manz
On behalf of the GritFX Team!

When you have nothing to say - let images do the talking...

It's been a very busy week for most of the GritFX team... and I can't believe that it's almost a week between posts!

Well... Wadrick chose not to work this week - that guy walks to his own beat... but will probably have more film reviews up tomorrow.

Max has been caugth up in the US election - which he chooses not to write about... even though I would consider some political pieces "weird stuff"! There's always something odd around - so I'm sure he'll be posting again soon.

As for me - not much to say other than I've been totally addicted to scanning in old images that date BDC (Before Digital Cameras) and sharing them on facebook.

This first collection "On the Road" is a selection of black & white images taken by myself and Dave on the road in NSW, Australia... Coastal + Country Roads.

Feeling displaced...


Where's Wadrick?


Abandoned train line...


Redundant...


Quiet country road... this is me...


Passenger seat perspective...


Lighting strikes!


Isolation is bliss...


Icy Cold!


Detour...

Ursus Arctos Horribilis

The Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) can be found in Alaska, western Canada and northwestern USA from Washington to Wyoming. Eight feet tall on their hind legs and weighing up to 1,500 pounds, the Grizzly is a formidable animal to meet in the forest. So what do you do if you happen to come face to face with these majestic beasts?

Unlike smaller black bears, an adult Grizzly is too large to climb a tree successfully to escape danger. They will more often than not stand their ground. If cubs are nearby, a female Grizzly will defend them to the death and this is the most common cause of human fatality. However, a big Grizz will normally avoid contact with people.

If you’re camping, make sure you keep a clean campsite. Don’t leave food scraps lying around as this will surely attract a Grizz, and once the bear has arrived, he’ll soon realise there is nice fresh meat in the form of you inside the tent. Hanging food or scraps from trees at a height unattainable for a bear is one way of keeping your campsite safe, but the best way would be to seal scraps and food in plastic bags, and preferably inside hard, sealable containers.

If you come face to face with a mighty Grizz, it is imperative to not make eye contact. The temptation to gaze on these wonderful creatures may be strong, but the Grizz will take it as a sign of aggression. As the bear will normally go straight for the head, staring at a Grizz could mean adios cranium. Never run from a Grizz – they can run faster than you whether uphill or down, and nothing will make you soil your shorts faster than being chased by a roaring Grizzly.

So lay prone if face to face with a Grizzly. Put your face down in the dirt with your hands gripped around your neck. Spread your legs – this will make it harder for the bear to flip you over, even though leaving the testicles exposed will be a tough ask for a guy. Once the Grizzly has determined you are not a threat, it will normally take off and leave you whimpering on the forest floor.

Be responsible when in Grizzly country – make noise when travelling and remember to follow Rangers’ advice. If food is left at a campsite and a bear is enticed, it will often return to look for more. The bear can then become a threat to campers and Rangers may be forced to kill it. Remember that you are in their environment, so display respect at all times.

by Dave
(Dave is a senior designer and partner at GritFX.)

MINDBOGGLING CROP CIRCLE

Mathematicians were confounded after a crop circle formation was discovered in a barley field near Barbury Castle in Wiltshire, England on the 1st June 2008. The circle is, apparently, a coded image representing the first ten digits of pi.


Measuring 285 feet in diameter, the formation had experts and enthusiasts perplexed until it was eventually identified by retired astrophysicist, Mike Reed.

Maths codes and geometric patterns have long been important factors in crop circle formations – the most famous of which was a formation in a field near Stonehenge some 12 years ago which depicted a complex set of fractals known as The Julia Set.

Yet despite the abundance of crop circle formations each year, their occurrence is rarely mentioned in the mainstream media, if at all. Most people still consider the crop circle phenomenon a hoax, regarding as proof the infamous TV demonstration many years ago of a circle being formed by a couple of guys with some rope and board. However, as most crop circle researchers attest, the most intricate geometric and mathematical formations (such as the recent pi formation in Wiltshire) would be impossible to create with such precise detail and on such a scale.

Other factors which should not be dismissed include the magnetic energy often recorded in the centre of crop circles and the biological changes that occur in the affected crops. These and many other factors cannot be explained by the ‘rope and board’ theory.

So what the hell are they? Who or what causes the formations to appear? Many theories have been extrapolated regarding crop circles, from electromagnetic fields to extraterrestrial meddling. Perhaps it is beam weaponry technology – maybe some bored NASA geeks using orbiting satellites fitted with invisible beam weapons are making their ‘hoax marks’ on the Earth’s surface.

Then again, maybe the extraterrestrial theory is more plausible.

by Max Drake


(Max Drake is a freelance designer for GritFX. Max has an interest in all things weird and will have weekly posts on this blog.)

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For more on the crop circle phenomenon, including a more intricate explanation of the 1st June Wilshire formation, visit http://www.cropcircleconnector.com