Scott here,
Thought I’d take a sec to write about some things I’ve seen and done that have been exciting in the last couple months.
I just had the pleasure of going to see a bunch of films last week at IndieLisboa, and the quality of them throughout was incredible. It was a super inspiring week and I must insist that for those of you who are not already aware of how tight and incredible this festival is, you should keep tabs on it, and opportunity provided, attend. I was specifically impressed by the baseline quality of the films in the national competition programs, there is something in the water here, every film I saw was very much art first, with a capital A.
There were so many good ones but let me leave this trailer for Bruno Abib’s Morto Em Augusto, my favourite of the week:
I really can’t wait to see what Bruno does next!
So not festival related, just good ol’Criterion Channel related, but has anyone seen Chantal Ackerman’s Golden Eighties? I try not to mention every good film I’ve seen when I’m online, but if I ask 5-ish people if they’ve seen something and they say they haven’t, it feels worthy and not cringey to ‘share’.
With that in mind, may I recommend Golden Eighties? I’ve been on a musicals binge for a couple months, after spending most of my life not … getting them. I’m almost happy about it because now I have a whole world to discover. I’ve seen and listened to a couple great ones lately, but my favourite so far is Golden Eighties. The whole thing takes place in a shopping mall in Belgium in the mid-eighties. It deals with love, sex and capitalism with blunt force with an ocean of subtext floating just underneath. It moves like an allegory, dialogue is obtuse, each line said loud and without much subtlety, leaving the visual language to be more plural. The music was so lovely, it seesaws effortlessly easily between ‘funny’ 80’s montage rock to some heartbreaking chanson.
Start at about 3:20 in this video to hear a great example of the former here, but watch the whole clip for a sort of thesis statement that speaks to the music found throughout:
Last and certainly not least, Uh Huh the band that founded and runs the label I release my solo records on, Telephone Explosion, put out a record recently. I was so honoured when they asked *me* to compose a string arrangement for one of the songs on it. The song’s called Reciprocate, check it out here:
You all have $p0tify, yeah? If not, the song is on your streamer, do check it out!
I learned a lot during my time at the CFC’s Slaight Family Music Lab, but the most exciting, dynamic and DIFFICULT bootcamp I did there was the ORCH 1 and ORCH 2 courses they offered us. Two 8-12 week courses culminating in a piece we’d written for a 13-piece ensemble being recorded and played live in a swanky studio session. The pressure was immense! But fresh off of that intensity, Uh Huh asked me to arrange a string piece that looked to Arthur Verocai and a couple other Brazilian greats for their track, and I was so ready.
Uh Huh, FKA Teenanger, do this special thing where they work to make sublime mundane Ontarian experiences . . . that’s always been my read anyways, and there is only a tiny handful of people who do it, It’s a tough job, and they do it so, so well.
I don’t want to keep you too long , so I’ll end this transmission with a couple honourable mentions on my rocky and rewarding journey through show tunes:
Philemon is conceptually and historically very heavy, but worth the slog. Bonus points for this gorgeous super VHS-y PBS performance from the 70s - and look how gorgeous the design of the credits is. I’ve really enjoyed a handful of the Harvey Schmidt/Tom Jones musicals.
This opening track from Runaways is giving me Miles Davis’ On The Corner, which come to think of it is the comparison I make to anything sort of brimming with kinetic energy. Some of the most profoundly depressing songs I’ve heard in the last couple months were found on the remainder of this cast recording, so . . . beware I guess.
This piece is the first appearance of the theme from 110 in the Shade, which is one of the best melodies I’ve heard in recent memory, its appearance in different keys and arrangements throughout the rest of the musical is killer too.
Thanks for listening. Please write me with your fave musicals, like I said, I’m new here!
Talk soon,
Scott