Guns, Germs and Steel (Jared Diamond)
Fascinating, fantastic read. As usual, I'll offer the wikipedia page as a good source to handle most of the synopsis/ explanation. Various thoughts the book provoked…
• I really enjoyed the illustrative anecdotes or smaller historical points that Diamond makes… lots of fascinating stories I've never heard before, that helped illustrate his points now and then. Altogether it made for quite a list of things I'd love to read about further. For instance,
The Maori massacre of the Moriori people, Atahaulpa's capture, Charlie Savage, the British Empire's war with New Zealand's Maoris, the Phaistos Disk, the Chimbu tribe's rapid adaption to Western technology, New Zealand's musket wars, Japan's rejection of firearms, the fact that the prelude to the Franco-Prussian war essentially Created Germany, the Wills-Burke expedition, the astonishing isolation of Tasmania, the mysterious disappearance of the Norse colony on Greenland, the McGurrin vs. Taub typing contest in 1888, the extraordinary political fragmentation of New Guinea. Also, I bet the history of failed or forgotten inventions is absolutely fascinating.
• I found his explanation of the archaeological value of linguistics pretty fascinating… that we can trace the evolution of technology and society by what words are held in common by different branches of the same language family (for instance, very many Indo-European languages have a similar word for 'sheep,' implying that this word entered their vocabulary before they started to evolve and divide into different cultures). So the farther back a root word goes, we know that the ancient societies had use for these words- in the Indo-European example, they must have domesticated sheep a particularly long time ago. His other point about archaeological linguistics likewise fascinated me- that we can tell where languages originated, based on where they are most diversified (because this indicates that the language has been spoken there the longest, with the longest time to diverge.)
• His chapter about political organization was one of my favorites, and I'll probably reread it a few times. It's fascinating that gorillas and chimpanzees also live in bands… amazing to think that the earliest stages of our political evolution are, in fact, evolved from those relatives/ancestors. His explanation of the historic ways to justify or enforce a kleptocracy (p. 277) interested me. And the discussion of the underappreciated virtue of order, which centralized society brings- a way of strangers interacting without killing eachother- was pretty fascinating. Also I liked the point about the power of ideology or religion, to give people a reason to die to make the state stronger.
• A few of the facts are just astonishing… to think that the wheel was independently invented in Mesoamerica, and used for toys- and because of geographic barriers, this invention never diffused to the Andes and the llama, to give the Americas wheeled transport. Also, the fact that Madagascar, right off the coast of Africa, was colonized by Austronesians (and also, that Magagascar's animals, having evolved in long isolation, were incredibly distinctive, as if from another world). And that the environmental shift in South Africa- that the Mediterranean climate doesn't allow for the growth of the Bantu's summer rain crops- explains why their civilization did not reach the Cape, and why the British were able to secure their colonial foothold there… a truly astonishing example of environmental factors influencing the political pattern of history.
• He occasionally brings a logical perspective to things that I find really interesting and fresh- for instance, hunter-gathering vs farming was never a conscious choice, it's always about which option was more effective in the environment. Hunter-gatherers had no way of knowing what farming would lead to, they were just trying whichever strategy led best to survival.
• One of my absolute favorite sections was his discussion of, why Europe emerged as the world's master, rather than China or the Fertile Crescent, which shared in the ecological advantages of Eurasia, and were vastly more advanced than Europe for the vast majority of human history. His explanation for the Fertile Crescent- that they “committed ecological suicide” by maintaining food production and development at a rate that the environment could not maintain- is haunting and compelling, and perhaps a story of the world's future. His point about China- that the lack of geographic barriers led to earlier political unification, which allowed China to be ruled by a single despot- and thus, allow technological innovation to be stopped or reversed on the whim of very few people- was also pretty fascinating. So Europe and their culture of smaller states, competition, and innovation emerged because of the numerous geographic barriers which helped split the continent into countless rival cultures. The example of Columbus illustrated this nicely- that he was rejected by the Kings of several different states but eventually found a taker, whereas in China, one rejection would have been the end of it. Altogether I loved, loved his discussion of this subject and will definitely reread it.
• There were certain aspects of the story that I thought were pretty interesting that I wanted to hear more about- like, one of the key points is the diffusion of food production and technology, but I would be interested in hearing more about those interactions- the human stories of diffusion, and of trade, and conquest. Maybe the written record simply doesn't exist. But these interactions with different cultures, I really find fascinating. The scientific explanations are truly fascinating, but, since my interests lie more with human history, I absolutely loved whenever he touched on crucial or surprising experiences in human cultural history, and would like to read a book that spends a little more time examining the titular proximate factors.
Friday, July 31, 2009
album #68
the freewheelin' bob dylan (bob dylan)
My initial reaction was a real sense of disappointment and vague dislike for this album- so slow, so unnecessarily twangy, not nearly as melodically graceful as I expected. And Blonde on Blonde is still my favorite, and I don't know if I'd rank this one above or below Highway 61 Revisited. But anyway, after enough listens, this album finally started to turn away from dislikable and towards admirable, and even a little lovely, if not quite my style.
It definitely sounds like one of those iconic '60s protest folk records. Several of the tracks, lyrically, touch on those protest themes. Some of my favorite songs- "Girl from the North Country" is sweetly contemplative, a little sad, in a perfectly iconic, soundtrack sense. "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," lyrically is one of the most startling and interesting tracks, with a nice, darkly twangy tune. "Oxford Town" is a startling song about racism in the South… truly astonishing- not only a sad and fascinating song, but also a strange historical relic- it's crazy to think of Dylan's music taking place in the same world, at the same time, as the chaotic cruelties of Southern oppression. "Corrina, Corrina" is not a Dylan original, but it's still lovely and I like his version.
I don't think I'd go out of my way to listen to this record again, but it truly did grow on me. A nice, occasionally lovely, acoustic style, and a lot of interesting lyrics and lyrical, historical themes.
My initial reaction was a real sense of disappointment and vague dislike for this album- so slow, so unnecessarily twangy, not nearly as melodically graceful as I expected. And Blonde on Blonde is still my favorite, and I don't know if I'd rank this one above or below Highway 61 Revisited. But anyway, after enough listens, this album finally started to turn away from dislikable and towards admirable, and even a little lovely, if not quite my style.
It definitely sounds like one of those iconic '60s protest folk records. Several of the tracks, lyrically, touch on those protest themes. Some of my favorite songs- "Girl from the North Country" is sweetly contemplative, a little sad, in a perfectly iconic, soundtrack sense. "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," lyrically is one of the most startling and interesting tracks, with a nice, darkly twangy tune. "Oxford Town" is a startling song about racism in the South… truly astonishing- not only a sad and fascinating song, but also a strange historical relic- it's crazy to think of Dylan's music taking place in the same world, at the same time, as the chaotic cruelties of Southern oppression. "Corrina, Corrina" is not a Dylan original, but it's still lovely and I like his version.
I don't think I'd go out of my way to listen to this record again, but it truly did grow on me. A nice, occasionally lovely, acoustic style, and a lot of interesting lyrics and lyrical, historical themes.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
album #67
bitte orca (dirty projecters)
This album is rich with a frantic energy. A squealy, squeaky, energetic art pop tone. High pitched guitars, high pitched vocals. Jagged, rocky, and light, delightfully strange. This certainly feels like an album- the individual songs are all right, but the whole is really quite satisfying and fun.
Some of the individual standouts… “Cannibal Resource” builds its energy nicely, capturing this fascinating intersection of steady and crazy- plus it's catchy as hell. “Stillness is the Move” has a very cool sound- vaguely eastern, driven by great female vocals. It's a cool, strange sound. “Useful Chamber” is the song of the album- not necessarily the best, but the most definitive. It grows and branches off in surprising directions- it feels like 3 or 4 songs chopped and pieced together, with that energetic and ultimately awesome titular chant. “No Intention” is one of my favorites, I love the bright tangle of the guitar. And “Remade Horizon” has these imposing, frantic echoing background vocals that I really love. That seems to be one of the defining characteristics of this group- they play vocals off of eachother in frantic, exciting, strange ways.
I didn't always like Dave Longstreth's voice- vaguely squealy and whimpering in this gratingly 'indie-rock' cliche way. But overall I really liked the key elements of this album- the bright guitars, the gorgeous, perfectly strange background vocals, the overall tone of energy and experimentation. Good stuff.
This album is rich with a frantic energy. A squealy, squeaky, energetic art pop tone. High pitched guitars, high pitched vocals. Jagged, rocky, and light, delightfully strange. This certainly feels like an album- the individual songs are all right, but the whole is really quite satisfying and fun.
Some of the individual standouts… “Cannibal Resource” builds its energy nicely, capturing this fascinating intersection of steady and crazy- plus it's catchy as hell. “Stillness is the Move” has a very cool sound- vaguely eastern, driven by great female vocals. It's a cool, strange sound. “Useful Chamber” is the song of the album- not necessarily the best, but the most definitive. It grows and branches off in surprising directions- it feels like 3 or 4 songs chopped and pieced together, with that energetic and ultimately awesome titular chant. “No Intention” is one of my favorites, I love the bright tangle of the guitar. And “Remade Horizon” has these imposing, frantic echoing background vocals that I really love. That seems to be one of the defining characteristics of this group- they play vocals off of eachother in frantic, exciting, strange ways.
I didn't always like Dave Longstreth's voice- vaguely squealy and whimpering in this gratingly 'indie-rock' cliche way. But overall I really liked the key elements of this album- the bright guitars, the gorgeous, perfectly strange background vocals, the overall tone of energy and experimentation. Good stuff.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
album #66
lon gisland (beirut)
I absolutely love this EP. It's one big, dreamy, eastern European waltz. A romantic wash and swell of eclectic instruments- ukulele, trumpet, accordion, Zach Condon's low voice, and more. Every single song is beautiful and fresh. Each song is carried by its own perfect brass hook, and each conveys a separate angle of this general mood- this vintage, romantic dreaminess, gently touched by a quiet weariness. “Elephant Gun,” “Scenic World,” “Carousels”- these are three perfect songs, each better than the last. Plus the fun instrumental “My Family's Role in the World Revolution” and “The Long Island Sound,” essentially a reprisal of “Elephant Gun.”
This is a perfect demonstration of everything I love about Beirut. 16 minutes of purely the best, no filler.
I absolutely love this EP. It's one big, dreamy, eastern European waltz. A romantic wash and swell of eclectic instruments- ukulele, trumpet, accordion, Zach Condon's low voice, and more. Every single song is beautiful and fresh. Each song is carried by its own perfect brass hook, and each conveys a separate angle of this general mood- this vintage, romantic dreaminess, gently touched by a quiet weariness. “Elephant Gun,” “Scenic World,” “Carousels”- these are three perfect songs, each better than the last. Plus the fun instrumental “My Family's Role in the World Revolution” and “The Long Island Sound,” essentially a reprisal of “Elephant Gun.”
This is a perfect demonstration of everything I love about Beirut. 16 minutes of purely the best, no filler.
Monday, July 27, 2009
album #65
veckatimest (grizzly bear)
For the most part this is a rainy day album… there's a quiet vibe of melancholy running throughout, in the lyrics and the melodies. On the surface it's a little bit dull and meandering, but the music gets better with close listening. The music is layered beautifully, especially the raw echo of the guitar and the glowing background vocals. It reminds me almost of the Beach Boys- nice, understated melody brought to life by excellent production.
“Two Weeks” is a masterpiece- beautiful pop bounce to that one. A pattern I've experienced again and again this year, I'll hear the song that makes me want to hear the album, and still love that song but find the rest of the album a little less satisfying- though still good. “Two Weeks” does hint, however, at what the rest of it will be… underneath that bounce, there's a lowness and a sadness to the lyrics. Of course, there are other songs that are pretty strong and lovely, but nothing matches my love for the big single. “Fine For Now” takes a nice bluesy sound and sparks it with this gorgeous, clanging guitar riff- reminds me of Destroyer, the way they can take a bluesy, rambling song and take it to a higher place with one banging guitar sound. “Ready, Able” has a beauty to it that I really like a lot, it's probably my third favorite overall. “While You Wait For the Others” is an exciting, dramatic one, with these cascading background vocals I really love. “I Live With You” is not one of my favorites but I found it startling lyrically, in a pretty interesting way, and also it reminded me of Neon Bible. And the album opens and closes very well, it's very much a unified piece… entering on the exciting, dramatic surge of “Southern Point” and closing on the poignantly delicate “Foreground.”
Hm, I really didn't expect to write that much about this record, but like I said, the music really grows on close listening. Lots of beauty, lots of interesting stuff going on. For pure melodic joy, the rest of the record fades in the glow of “Two Weeks,” but as a well crafted, complete work, it's really pretty good the whole way through.
For the most part this is a rainy day album… there's a quiet vibe of melancholy running throughout, in the lyrics and the melodies. On the surface it's a little bit dull and meandering, but the music gets better with close listening. The music is layered beautifully, especially the raw echo of the guitar and the glowing background vocals. It reminds me almost of the Beach Boys- nice, understated melody brought to life by excellent production.
“Two Weeks” is a masterpiece- beautiful pop bounce to that one. A pattern I've experienced again and again this year, I'll hear the song that makes me want to hear the album, and still love that song but find the rest of the album a little less satisfying- though still good. “Two Weeks” does hint, however, at what the rest of it will be… underneath that bounce, there's a lowness and a sadness to the lyrics. Of course, there are other songs that are pretty strong and lovely, but nothing matches my love for the big single. “Fine For Now” takes a nice bluesy sound and sparks it with this gorgeous, clanging guitar riff- reminds me of Destroyer, the way they can take a bluesy, rambling song and take it to a higher place with one banging guitar sound. “Ready, Able” has a beauty to it that I really like a lot, it's probably my third favorite overall. “While You Wait For the Others” is an exciting, dramatic one, with these cascading background vocals I really love. “I Live With You” is not one of my favorites but I found it startling lyrically, in a pretty interesting way, and also it reminded me of Neon Bible. And the album opens and closes very well, it's very much a unified piece… entering on the exciting, dramatic surge of “Southern Point” and closing on the poignantly delicate “Foreground.”
Hm, I really didn't expect to write that much about this record, but like I said, the music really grows on close listening. Lots of beauty, lots of interesting stuff going on. For pure melodic joy, the rest of the record fades in the glow of “Two Weeks,” but as a well crafted, complete work, it's really pretty good the whole way through.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
album #64
marry me (st. vincent)
I really liked this album. St. Vincent is very much a nighttime musician- I feel like this album takes me to my car at night. I like her voice, the way she combines rock and classical instruments, the tone. She writes intimately… except for a few songs that seem like fantasies, most of her songs address just one other person- she often speaks to “you.”
“Now Now” and “Human Racing” are classics that I've loved for years. One of the songs I haven't heard before that I really liked is “Marry Me,” so intimate, sweet and mischevious. “All My Stars” and “Land Mines” are both particularly lovely, suitelike songs that really grow and swell in ways that I really enjoy. And “What Me Worry?' closes the album on a charming, vintage note.
This album had a very European vibe- the romance of it, the way the instruments played with eachother… it felt like an elegant Bohemian fantasy now and then. I liked Actor a little more- it seemed more complex and ambitious to me- but that's perfectly acceptable because Marry Me came first. It's growth!
I really liked this album. St. Vincent is very much a nighttime musician- I feel like this album takes me to my car at night. I like her voice, the way she combines rock and classical instruments, the tone. She writes intimately… except for a few songs that seem like fantasies, most of her songs address just one other person- she often speaks to “you.”
“Now Now” and “Human Racing” are classics that I've loved for years. One of the songs I haven't heard before that I really liked is “Marry Me,” so intimate, sweet and mischevious. “All My Stars” and “Land Mines” are both particularly lovely, suitelike songs that really grow and swell in ways that I really enjoy. And “What Me Worry?' closes the album on a charming, vintage note.
This album had a very European vibe- the romance of it, the way the instruments played with eachother… it felt like an elegant Bohemian fantasy now and then. I liked Actor a little more- it seemed more complex and ambitious to me- but that's perfectly acceptable because Marry Me came first. It's growth!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
album #63
actor (st. vincent)
I liked this album so, so much. I love St. Vincent. Annie's voice is beautiful, the lyrics are intriguing, and the music is really fantastic- a fusion of sweet fairy-tale strings and woodwinds and heavier, darker instruments. It's not just the instruments, but the overall tone as well, that fuses and surprises at the intersections of sweet and dark. I've read some about her making of the album- the influence of Disney films, trying to score some of her favorite scenes, and building songs from the beautiful orchestral fragments she came up with… and that's basically the effect of the album.
Everything on the album is either good or great, nothing disappoints. The great tracks… “The Strangers” opens the album with the perfect chemistry of Disney swell and subtle darkness. “Laughing with a Mouth Full of Blood” is sweetly whimsical. “Marrow” is one of the darker, more intense songs and really captures that Disney/darkness duality perfectly… it opens with these beautiful, birdlike flutes, and later this sound recurs with a heavy guitar beat, in a way that I really love. “The Party” alternates between a nice, subdued piano jam and this beautiful refrain. My only complaint- having heard this live, I loved the acapella fade-out, the album version seems a little overproduced when it should be soaring. Speaking of soaring… “Just The Same But Brand New” might be my favorite track. It makes me feel like Iike I'm seeing the stars at night for the first time, millions of them, in a wide open field.
Simply a beautiful, fantastic, compellingly layered album.
I liked this album so, so much. I love St. Vincent. Annie's voice is beautiful, the lyrics are intriguing, and the music is really fantastic- a fusion of sweet fairy-tale strings and woodwinds and heavier, darker instruments. It's not just the instruments, but the overall tone as well, that fuses and surprises at the intersections of sweet and dark. I've read some about her making of the album- the influence of Disney films, trying to score some of her favorite scenes, and building songs from the beautiful orchestral fragments she came up with… and that's basically the effect of the album.
Everything on the album is either good or great, nothing disappoints. The great tracks… “The Strangers” opens the album with the perfect chemistry of Disney swell and subtle darkness. “Laughing with a Mouth Full of Blood” is sweetly whimsical. “Marrow” is one of the darker, more intense songs and really captures that Disney/darkness duality perfectly… it opens with these beautiful, birdlike flutes, and later this sound recurs with a heavy guitar beat, in a way that I really love. “The Party” alternates between a nice, subdued piano jam and this beautiful refrain. My only complaint- having heard this live, I loved the acapella fade-out, the album version seems a little overproduced when it should be soaring. Speaking of soaring… “Just The Same But Brand New” might be my favorite track. It makes me feel like Iike I'm seeing the stars at night for the first time, millions of them, in a wide open field.
Simply a beautiful, fantastic, compellingly layered album.
Monday, July 20, 2009
album #62
everything that happens will happen today (david byrne and brian eno)
I've been away from the music reviews for about a month now; computer trauma and the general sag of summer kept me away. But I'm gonna work my way back into doing this as a regular part of my week. I'm not gonna write too much about this record because I'm still working the rust out. Anyway…
Generally this was a pleasant record. I maybe listened to it too much, got a little bit sick of it- I find it a little sing-songy in an annoying way, on some tracks. Generally I really enjoyed Byrne's voice and how it interacts with Eno's music. It's also interesting to consider these as separate entities- like, as music that Byrne was given, to write/sing whatever he wanted over it. As Byrne says, there's an interesting vibe of electronic gospel to it- these synthetic compositions with glowing choral arrangements.
“Strange Overtones” is the clear winner- a really beautiful song with a hint of darkness to it, generally just a great, funky sound. Before I heard this album, I remember hearing a song in the theatre that I thought- damn! I Need to find that song!- and I was pretty sure it was from this album, and in retrospect I'm fairly certain it was this song. Other good ones were “Wanted for Life,” which has a really cool attitude to it, and “The Lighthouse,” which really sounds like some sort of prayer from the future.
I've been away from the music reviews for about a month now; computer trauma and the general sag of summer kept me away. But I'm gonna work my way back into doing this as a regular part of my week. I'm not gonna write too much about this record because I'm still working the rust out. Anyway…
Generally this was a pleasant record. I maybe listened to it too much, got a little bit sick of it- I find it a little sing-songy in an annoying way, on some tracks. Generally I really enjoyed Byrne's voice and how it interacts with Eno's music. It's also interesting to consider these as separate entities- like, as music that Byrne was given, to write/sing whatever he wanted over it. As Byrne says, there's an interesting vibe of electronic gospel to it- these synthetic compositions with glowing choral arrangements.
“Strange Overtones” is the clear winner- a really beautiful song with a hint of darkness to it, generally just a great, funky sound. Before I heard this album, I remember hearing a song in the theatre that I thought- damn! I Need to find that song!- and I was pretty sure it was from this album, and in retrospect I'm fairly certain it was this song. Other good ones were “Wanted for Life,” which has a really cool attitude to it, and “The Lighthouse,” which really sounds like some sort of prayer from the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)