Mogwai - A Rough Guide

   According to Wikipedia:
   "Mogwai are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The
   band typically compose lengthy guitar-based instrumental pieces that
   feature dynamic contrast, melodic bass guitar lines, and heavy use of
   distortion and effects. The band is named after the creatures from the
   film Gremlins, although guitarist Stuart Braithwaite comments that 'it
   has no significant meaning and we always intended on getting a better
   one, but like a lot of other things we never got round to it'. 'Mogwai'
   means 'evil spirit' or 'devil' in Cantonese."
     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogwai>

   I started listening to Mogwai after reading that the band was similar in
   style to Sigur Rós (featured in an earlier rough guide).  Mogwai's music
   ranges from slow, majestic pieces to harder-edged, rock-out tracks.  The
   band's album and track titles may appear morbid, but I think this is
   largely tongue-in-cheek.

   The band's official website:
     <http://www.mogwai.co.uk/>

   The links in the guide below are to YouTube movies.  If the links are
   blocked, try searching for tracks on SoundCloud:
     <http://soundcloud.com/search?q%5bfulltext%5d=mogwai>

   Now, the "rough guide" ...

   1. "Summer"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj9ckk-Wxls>
   This is one of the band's early singles.  It was later re-recorded for
   the band's first studio album.  A notable difference between this and
   the album version is the use of a glockenspiel to play the melody line.
   This makes for a more dynamic contrast with the heavily distorted
   guitars that crash in at various points in the song.  The original
   version is available on a compilation of early singles and b-sides,
   called "Ten Rapid".

   2. "Tracy"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opn8riUNygM>
   After a couple of singles and EPs, the band's debut album "Mogwai Young
   Team" was released in 1997.  It gained many favourable reviews.  "Tracy"
   is a great example of a dreamy instrumental soundscape that is typical
   of the band's repertoire.  It starts softly, gradually building in
   intensity towards the middle, before receding back into the distance.
   The song is bookended with excerpts from phone conversations between
   band members.  This is not an official video.

   Other highlights from the debut album include the short piano piece
   "Radar Maker", and the sprawling epics "Like Herod" and "Mogwai Fear
   Satan".

   The band's second album, "Come On Die Young" was released in 1999.  It
   wasn't that well received by critics.  I haven't listened to the whole
   album, so I can't comment.  Interestingly, one track, "Cody", actually
   has normal-sounding lyrics.

   3. "Sine Wave"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxkB_SMPFkY>
   In 2001 the band's third studio album, "Rock Action" was released.  This
   is the opening track.  Various instruments are used, including a spacey
   synth, glockenspiel, heavily distorted percussion (I think) and vocals.
   Lots of weird and wonderful sonic textures.

   4. "Dial: Revenge"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efUTCMd9Do8>
   This track has Welsh vocals, written and sung by Gruff Rhys of Super
   Furry Animals.  This is a video of a live version.

   Possibly in response to the "play by numbers" criticism of the previous
   album, the overall sound was more experimental on "Rock Action".  Other
   highlights include "Take Me Somewhere Nice" and "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong",
   which both feature lush string and horn arrangements.

   5. "Hunted By A Freak"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgIp5gqo40s>
   The band's fourth album, "Happy Songs for Happy People", was released in
   2003.  This is the official video of the great opening track.  I like
   the use of the cello in the middle.  Don't take the opening titles on
   the video seriously.  This is just the band's black humour, and is
   possibly an homage to "Happy Tree Friends" cartoons.

   6. "Ratts Of The Capital"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnsid5xVWzU>
   This is the album's epic centrepiece.  It has the band's characteristic
   slow-build, intense middle-section and gradual fade-out style.  But it
   still manages to sound fresh thanks to the use of different sounds and
   textures.

   7. "I Know You Are, But What Am I?"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0dORHW9Cg4>
   The minimalist piano that underpins the song reminds me a little of the
   "dripping" piano line from Chopin's "Raindrop" prelude, albeit greatly
   slowed down.

   Other highlights from the album include ominous-sounding "Kids Will Be
   Skeletons", and "Golden Porsche" with its mellow piano and bass.
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iKOTYb9Yqo>

   8. "Auto Rock"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zei_wnNZ1mo>
   This track opens the band's fifth studio album, "Mr Beast", released in
   2006.  It used the trademark Mogwai structure, this time using a piano
   riff to provide the main melody line.  Apparently the song has been used
   in TV's Top Gear.

   9. "Friend Of The Night"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC_3alnTE9g>
   This was the only single released from "Mr Beast".  Another piano-
   centric piece.  The band was starting to get noticed commercially, this
   track being the band's first UK Top 40 single.  I don't know what's
   going on in the video, something to do with vampires maybe, but the song
   is great.

   Another piano-based highlight is "Team Handed".  Other standout tracks
   on the album, like "Glasgow Mega-Snake", and "We're No Here", have a
   more raucous edge thanks to the use of distorted guitars.

   10. "Batcat"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMDCM5OAOaE>
   This quasi-metal workout was the first single from the band's sixth
   album, "The Hawk Is Howling", released in 2008.  The official video is a
   bit scary too.

   11. "Danphe And The Brain"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xII7ku6t3uQ>
   A softer, more melodic piece from "The Hawk Is Howling".

   Other highlights include the wonderfully titled "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm
   Dead" and "The Sun Smells Too Loud" (I want to sneak in a reference to
   synesthesia into this guide).  "Scotland's Shame" is another
   characteristic slow-building epic.

   Mogwai released its first official live album, "Special Moves", in 2010.
   Check out the mogwaiTV YouTube Channel for excerpts from the
   accompanying tour film:
     <http://www.youtube.com/user/mogwaiTV?blend=5&ob=5>

   12. "Mexican Grand Prix"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jv64uhCIrU>
   Mogwai's seventh studio album, "Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will"
   was released in 2011.  This single is one of the very rare Mogwai tracks
   to feature vocals.  As such, it sounds more like a typical rock song,
   reminiscent of late era Primal Scream.

   13. "San Pedro"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVNYm9Qncyc>
   Another great rocking instrumental.

   14. "Death Rays"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amvD_7i3SH4>
   This spine-tingling track is built around a great organ melody.

   Overall, another solid effort.  Other strong tracks include "White
   Noise", "Letters to the Metro" and "Too Raging to Cheers".

Assorted Maps and Modes of Transport

   1. "Points of Departure"
     <http://www.ge.com/thegeshow/future-flight/points-of-departure.html>
   A nice mashup of airports and geo-located photos.  Pick from 6,000
   popular and obscure airports, from preset lists, by entering airport
   codes or the random option.

   2. "Rorschmap"
     <http://rorschmap.com/>
   Another Google Maps mashup, this one creates a kaleidoscopic effect.
   More info at:
     <http://booktwo.org/notebook/rorschmap/>

   3. "Postcards from Google Earth, Bridges"
     <http://clementvalla.com/index.php?/work/bridges/>
   The distorted wonders of Google Earth.

   4. "Visualizing The Traffic Of Rome, Paris, And Tel Aviv"
     <http://www.fastcompany.com/1769694/visualizing-the-traffic-
        of-rome-paris-and-tel-aviv>

   5. "The World's 18 Strangest Elevators"
     <http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/gonzo/
        worlds-18-strangest-elevators>

   6. "10 Modes of Transportation that Never Got Into Gear"
     <http://www.neatorama.com/2011/03/24/10-modes-of-transportation-
        that-never-got-into-gear/>

   7. "Future Thinking from the Past: Pneumatic Tube Transport Systems"
     <http://www.core77.com/blog/transportation/future_thinking_from_
        the_past_pneumatic_tube_transport_systems_20006.asp>

   8. "Photo Collection: German Futurist Predictions"
     <http://history.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/07/13/funny-pictures-
        history-german-futurist-predictions/>

Mini-Reviews of Books Read, July 2011

   Mini-reviews of books I read last month.  My fiction recommendation is
   without hesitation "To Kill a Mockingbird".  My non-fiction pick is
   "Flow".  I'll probably explore the concept of flow further by reading
   books about its application, and writing about specific examples.


   1. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
     <http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird/dp/0061205699>

   You probably know that this is a novel about racial injustice and
   prejudice set in Alabama in the mid 1930s.  I'd put off reading it,
   thinking it might be too preachy.  But I needn't have worried.  Written
   from the relatively innocent viewpoint of a young girl, the concepts of
   racial segregation, class hierarchies and general prejudice come across
   as rather puzzling to her.

   In the first half of the novel we're given a description of the simple,
   almost idyllic lives of the narrator, the young tomboyish Jean Louise
   Finch ("Scout"), her older brother Jeremy ("Jem"), and their summer-time
   friend "Dill".  Scout's father is Atticus Finch, a widower and middle-
   aged lawyer.  We are introduced to the attitudes and customs of the good
   people of Maycomb, Alabama.  While Scout is an avid reader, she doesn't
   like school much.  She's fearless, but even she's wary of their
   mysterious and reclusive neighbour, Boo Radley.  The court case that
   brings the race issue to a head doesn't happen until the second half of
   the novel.

   For a more detailed analysis of the plot and themes, see Wikipedia:
     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird>

   You can read many of the over 2000 generally effusive reviews on Amazon.
   I can only add that this novel is indeed worthy of the labels "classic"
   and "must read".


   2. "La gente" ("People") by Vincenzo Cerami
     <http://www.amazon.it/gente/dp/8804581034>

   This is an interesting collection of short stories about the lives of
   various people.  Each self-contained vignette is set in Italy, at
   different times during the post-war period.  The characters experience
   the growing pains of Italian society.

   Many of the stories are enjoyable, with several having ironic twists.
   For example, a painter has a strange condition where bright light makes
   him sick.  He spends his days indoors and underground, venturing
   outdoors only before dawn or after dusk.  His black and white paintings
   earn him some financial independence.  Then one day his sensitivity to
   daylight goes away, and he begins to appreciate colour.  He starts
   painting more vivid and colourful scenes, but these no longer interest
   his patrons.

   Cerami also writes screenplays, such as "Life is Beautiful", which he
   cowrote with Roberto Benigni.


   3. "Practical Wisdom" by Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe
     <http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Wisdom/dp/1594487839>

   The authors of this book aim to promote the idea that the world would be
   a better place if everyone exercised "practical wisdom".  This is an
   ancient ideal from Aristotle which seems to have fallen out of favour
   these days.  Instead, we seem to have advocates of two extremes: no-
   rules anarchy (free-market theory, everything open); and explicit and
   inflexible rules for everyone with no exceptions.  The authors suggest
   that incentives and rules have their place, but we need to take a
   pragmatic approach to enforcement.  As per the book's subtitle, it's
   about learning "the right way to do the right thing", one person at a
   time if necessary.

   The book quotes research and cites many individual cases that support
   the notion that a new approach is needed to achieve positive results in
   such important fields as education, justice, medicine and business.
   Rigid rules can be as damaging as no rules at all, especially if they
   remove discretion, or reduce engagement and purpose.  The recent turmoil
   in financial markets demonstrate how incentivised organisations and
   individuals can severely damage the systems they were meant to serve.

   If you can't find time to read the book, you can watch a recent TED talk
   by Schwartz, "Using our practical wisdom":
    <http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_using_our_practical_wisdom.html>


   4. "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
    <http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience/dp/0061339202>

   Years ago I remember an sportsman saying he was "in the zone" when he
   was playing well.  Other people have described being in the zone when
   writing, programming, playing music and even cooking.  These are also
   examples of "flow".  If you have the necessary skill to do well at an
   activity that is challenging, requires concentration and provides quick
   feedback, then you can achieve flow.  You lose awareness of not only the
   sense of time, but even your own ego.

   Money and status may provide short term happiness.  But multiple studies
   show that the returns start diminishing rapidly after a surprisingly low
   threshold.  What matters for long term happiness is the development of a
   personal sense of purpose.  Flow experiences have been shown to
   contribute to this.  "A person who rarely gets bored, who does not
   constantly need a favorable external environment to enjoy the moment,
   has passed the test for having achieved a creative life."  (p171)

   This may sound like a self-help book.  It is not.  While the book does
   describes the requirements and elements of flow in great detail, it
   can't tell you personally how to attain flow.  Everyone is different,
   and what may be a flow activity for one person may be unbearable for
   someone else.  Note also that flow should not to be confused with
   hedonism.  Some personal control must be maintained.

   The Zen-like nature of flow may lead some critics to dismiss flow as
   some kind of secular pseudo-religion.  While there can be some spiritual
   aspects to flow, and it may share some wisdom from various religions,
   the theory itself is based on empirical research.  The author cites many
   research studies where people have been able to achieve flow or "optimal
   experience".  Activities studied range from obvious fields like sport,
   arts, sciences and medicine, to the mundane.  A septuagenarian women
   living in the harsh Italian Alps, working sixteen-hour days on her
   little farm, considers everything she does enjoyable.

   The concept of flow really resonated with me.  It coincides with what
   I've experienced myself, both in work and everyday life.  A simple and
   obvious personal example is reading.  When I'm reading something
   interesting and challenging enough, I'm fully engaged.  Time flies.
   When I try reading something too challenging, as was the case when I
   started reading Italian novels, the struggle made progress difficult
   and enjoyment suffered.  With practice my Italian comprehension
   improved, and reading Italian became as satisfying as reading English.

   For the time-challenged, read the Wikipedia article on flow:
     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_%28psychology%29>

   Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has also given a TED talk on flow:
     <http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html>


   5. "The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time"
      by David L. Ulin
     <http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Art-Reading/dp/1570616701>

   This short book is essentially an extended essay about the role of books
   and reading in the present and near future.  The author, a former book
   review editor, fears that book reading is under threat in a distracted
   age of short attention spans.  As a result, individuals and society as
   a whole will miss out on the many benefits of reading.

   Throughout the book the author reveals his personal reading experiences
   and development.  He mentions various books and authors, some well known
   and others obscure.  He covers the joys and frustrations rereading "The
   Great Gatsby" at the same time his son is studying it for school.

   He admits that reading can be seen as anti-social, but maintains that it
   is an important part of a balanced and reflective perspective on life.
   While he is wary of the trend from the printed word to electronic
   formats, he doesn't condemn this change.  In fact, he sees opportunities
   where technology can enhance the reading experience.  Providing we can
   get past the distractions.