Footprints on the Moon (1975) has some stylish moments and a few amazing images to offer, but not much else. It’s not terrible, not terribly exciting either. I prefer something like Messiah of Evil, which doubles down on the weirdness.
I can’t vouch for everything by Bruno Mattei because like most Italian exploitation directors of a certain era, he made tons of films in various genres. The few I’ve seen are sweet little treats, though I can see why he is not as recognized as Fulci, et al. Ludicrous. Hilariously bad. This Robocop/Predator mashup features a lot of walking and stalking in the jungle to pad out screen time. Comical beep-boop-akakakak sound effects from our metal predator. They use about 200 rounds to kill one sniper–who was–spoiler alert–already dead!
Nerd city. Bass pictures, history, and dorky jokes. I loved it! A birthday present from my wife. I devoured it in part of an afternoon, but it’s also a beautiful reference. Gorgeous pictures of the recognizable and the one-of-a-kind.
Tony Williams changed drumming. I’m not the biggest fusion fan, so I’ve been late to hear Lifetime. I loved this one. Art songs meet jazz meet psych rock. I’ve heard many say they hate his singing, but it reminded me of Robert Wyatt’s approach for some reason and I like it.
Suzanne Ciani live on the Buchla in 2019! A Sonic Womb is a performance from the Lapsus Festival in Barcelona. The version I have allows you to hear the performance in multiple tracks or as a single one. She’s a true pioneer in electronic music, sound design, etc. I love her documentary film scores.
Taylor has been setting up free improv shows in Birmingham and I try to get to every one I can. This record is a tribute to Davey Williams, an artist missed in town and around the world. One of the great things about Taylor, besides his persistence and patience in booking these shows, is his sense of humor, which certainly connects him to Davey’s legacy.
Cinema Blue is also an improvised record featuring the same personnel as above. Gorgeous cover by Turner Williams, Jr.
My kids got a kick out of the bird calls.
A new Musicalia playlist for those interested. Get sad with RayonBase. Get pumped with Mandy, Indiana. Bliss out with Kali Malone.
Stephen McClurg 