HOW TO ARRANGE YOUR MUSIC AND BOOKS OR ANYTH I NG THAT YOU S E E FIT.
How to Arrange Your Music and Books. OR ANYTH I N G THAT YOU S E E FIT PRODUCTION DESIGN
M EGAN SAWA
MUSIC REVIEWS
AMAZON.COM S POTI FY.COM
EXCERPT
B R I E F NOTE S ON TH E ART OF AR RANG I NG ON E’S BOOKS BY G EORG E S PE R EC
Preface H OW TO R EAD TH I S B OOK. As an assignment for my Advanced Typeography class, I was given the task to create a book using provided text and found text. So that’s exactly what this book will be. I have included an excerpt from Georges Perec’s Brief Notes on the Art of Arranging One’s
Books. Included in this book is the art of how I like to arrange something very special to me: my music. I myself still collect music on compact disks. Over time I’ve discovered that the best way for me to arrange by music is alphabetically by artist, then by album name.
ON THE LEFT FACING PAGES you will see my top
26 favorite bands listed in
alphebetical order from A-Z. Also I have chosen which album I believe to be the best by each of these artists. You will see a short bio for each artist and album, as well as a 4-5 star Amazon review from a random consumer who I think describes each album the best. I hope that through this book readers will discover some new artists or find out something that they didn’t know about an existing artist.
ON THE RIGHT FACING PAGES you will see Perec’s writing, describing what he calls “The Art of Arranging One’s Books. “ Hopefully readers can take notes from both of these and find out a unique way to arrange something valuable to them. Enjoy.
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Every library1 answers a twofold need, WHICH IS OFTEN ALSO A TWOFOLD OBSESSION: That of conserving certain objects (books) and that of organizing them in certain ways. One of my friends had the idea one day of stopping his library at 361 books. The plan was as follows: having attained, by addition or subtraction, and starting from a given number n of books, the number K = 361, deemed as correspo nding to a library, if not an ideal then at least a sufficient library, he would undertake to acquire on a permanent basis a new book X only after having eliminated (by giving away, throwing out, selling or any other appropriate means) an old book Z, so that the total number K of works should remain constant and equal to 361: K + X >361> K - Z.
As it evolved this seductive scheme came up against predictable obstacles for which the unavoidable solutions were found. First, a volume was to be seen as counting as one (1) book even if it contained three (3) novels (or collections of poems, essays, etc.); from which it was deduced that three (3) or four (4) or n (n) novels by the same author counted (implicitly) as one (1) volume by that author, as fragments not yet brought together but ineluctably bringable together in a Collected Works.
Whence it was adjudged that this or that recently acquired novel by this or that English- language novelist of the second half of the nineteenth century could not logically count as a new work X but as a work Z belonging to a series under construction: the set T of all the novels written by the aforesaid novelist (and God knows there are some!). This didn’t alter the original scheme in any way at all: only instead of talking about 361 books, it was decided that the sufficient library was ideally to be made up of 361 authors, whether they had written a slender opuscule or enough to fill a truck.
1. A library I call a sum of books constituted by a non-professional reader for his own pleasure and daily use. This excludes the collections of bibliophiles and fine bindings by the yard, but also the majority of specialized libraries (those in universities, for example) whose particular problems match those of public libraries.
2
alt-J∆
An Awesome Wave
alt-J∆’s name takes a little explaining. Pronounced
From the vocalist’s high soul cry and the
“alt-J”, the delta sign is created when you hold down the
percussionist’s refusal to drum with cymbals (he started
alt key on your computer keyboard and punch ‘J’ on a Mac
with saucepans because he couldn’t fit a full drum kit in
computer. The symbol has a deeper meaning for the band,
the bedroom where the band first practiced), to the sparse
as guitarist/bassist Gwil Sainsbury notes, “in mathematical
guitars and the bassist’s delicate key clunks on songs like
equations it’s used to show change,” and the band’s
‘Bloodflood’, a neat sound-bite for ∆’s music is yet to be
relatively new name came at a turning point in their lives.
coined, and perhaps never will be. And by challenging what constitutes folk, hip hop, indie and pop music, the band found themselves in the studio at the beginning of 2012 recording their debut album An Awesome Wave.
alt-J∆ could be categorized as indie, but that doesn’t seem fair. The experimental sound that this quartet created for An Awesome Wave is smooth and satisfying but not dominating to ward off the normal crowd. Expansive instrumentation and distinctive vocals will envelop you. From the opening track with use of piano and synthesizer you may try to find familiarity, but the following short a cappella intermission will throw that directly out the window. An Awesome Wave is easily one of the best albums of the year. What really sucked me in was the way everything flowed incredibly well from track to track--each so different and refreshing that you won’t find yourself skipping back and forth to your favorites the first few times through. - Christopher Silbernagel
Beach House Bloom Despite its summery name, Beach House creates music that is dark, dreamy, and alluringly hypnotic.
The many layers of Bloom are uncomplicated and meticulously constructed to ensure there is no waste.
Bloom is the fourth full length album by Baltimore-
Bloom was recorded in 2011 at Sonic Ranch Studios in
based Beach House. It builds on 2010s Teen Dream to
Tornillo, TX and mixed at Electric Lady in NYC. The band
further develop their distinctive sound yet stands apart as
co-produced the record with Chris Coady.
a new piece of work. Bloom is meant to be experienced as an album, a singular, unified vision of the world.
Complex and challenging music definitely has its appeal, but there’s also nothing quite like the tried-and-true harmonies, syrupy melodies, and infectiously simple rhythms of pop music. Beach House is pop music at its best. It’s pop music that exists outside the realm of the derivative, manufactured, dime-a-dozen tunes that the music industry churns out like clockwork for sales. It’s pop music made by independent musicians whose only focus is the music, not the image attached to it. And the music on display here is absolutely lovely. This is some of the dreamiest, velvety, supple, and (most importantly) catchy pop music I’ve heard in awhile. The entire album is just so rock-solid. Every track has its own clear identity and personality but they all speak the same ethereal language, making for a simultaneously diverse and cohesive listening experience. Overall just a really fun, inviting, and infectious dream pop album with consistently excellent songwriting. - Charles Camp
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This modification proved effective over several years. But it soon became apparent that certain works - romances of chivalry, for example - had no author or else had several authors, and that certain authors - the Dadaists, for example - could not be kept separate from one another without automatically losing 80 to 90 per cent of what made them interesting. The idea was thus reached of a library restricted to 361 subjects - the term is vague but the groups it covers are vague also at times - and up until now that limitation has been strictly observed.
So then, one of the chief problems encountered by the man who keeps the books he has read or promises himself that he will one day read is that of the increase in his library. Not everyone has the good fortune to be Captain Nemo: ‘...the world ended for me the day my Nautilus dived for the first time beneath the waves. On that day I bought
But for us, who continue to have to do with a
my last volumes, my last pamphlets, my last newspapers,
human race that insists on thinking, writing and above
and since that time I would like to believe that mankind has
all publishing, the increasing size of our libraries tends to
neither thought nor written.’
become the one real problem. For it’s not too difficult, very
Captain Nemo’s 12,000 volumes, uniformly bound,
obviously, to keep ten or twenty or let’s say even a hundred
were thus classified once and for all, and all the more
books; but once you start to have 361, or a thousand, or
simply because the classification, as is made clear to us,
three thousand, and especially when the total starts to
was uncertain, at least from the language point of view (a
increase every day or thereabouts, the problem arises, first
detail which does not at all concern the art of arranging a
of all of arranging all these books somewhere and then
library but is meant simply to remind us that Captain Nemo
of being able to lay your hand on them one day when, for
spoke all languages indiscriminately).
whatever reason, you either want or need to read them at last or even to reread them.
Thus, the problem of a library is shown to be twofold: A P R O B L E M O F S PA C E FIRST OF ALL, THEN A P R O B L E M O F O R D E R. 4
Citizen Cope The Rainwater LP
Citizen Cope offers the clearest distillation yet of his
Since making his official debut, Cope had released
distinct musical approach, a laidback gumbo of acoustic
three fine albums on three different labels, an experience
blues, singer/songwriter rock ‘n’ roll and deep soul
which proved frustrating, to say the very least. Having
grooves. Born Clarence Greenwood, but known to friends
been through the industry mill, this time Greenwood was
and fans as simply “Cope,” the Brooklyn-based artist has
determined to take the bull by the horns and release the
crafted an album redolent of such classic tunesmiths
album himself.
as Randy Newman and Stevie Wonder – both major
“A lot of labels wanted to put it out,” he explains, “but I
touchstones for his emotively penned songs. As such,
kept hearing things like ‘Retail’s gonna need you to do this’
it’s virtually impossible to put a finger on Citizen Cope’s
or ‘The artwork has to be like this.’ I don’t want to be led into
idiosyncratically inimitable sound.
those confines anymore. I want to be able to do it my own
“The only way to explain my music is to say you gotta
way. Being able to operate efficiently, not having to move
listen to it,” Greenwood says. “I don’t think there is any easy
buildings to do anything, just seems so basic for any artistic
description of it. Somebody once said something about
endeavor.” -Greg Prato
‘urban folk,’ which I wasn’t mad at.”
With a style that defies classification, Citizen Cope hits another out of the park. I don’t know how this man is not a household name, but this one makes him for four for four. There is no better storyteller in music. - Mark A. Gattica
Daughter If You Leave
Daughter is vocalist/guitarist Elena Tonra, electric
Less of a statement of intent, these ten songs are
guitarist Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguilella. They
more of a snapshot of a year in Daughter’s short life.
came together in late 2010, and have watched their star
Lyrically, Elena explores the depths of her psyche to reveal
gently rise, collecting fans one-by-one as their demo
her innermost thoughts, finding comfort in expounding
tracks started to spread amongst enthusiastic friends and
those internal demons. If You Leave is a bold move for an
bloggers online.
act still in its infancy, displaying a maturity that belies their youth. - Heather Phares
Debut album from an English band - gentle, beautiful & brooding, expansive & explosive celestial soft-core electronic swoon-pop, powered by heart-grippingly fragile female vocals that sometimes seem to carry an extraordinary emotional weight. Both lyrics and music take occasional dark turns, adding a sort of drama and slow-building, passionate tension as they ebb and flow from sensual resignation to a determined, almost fierce, strength. This one feels like a grower; a subtly potent squeeze of eerie, dark beauty. - Charlie Quaker
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1 Of Space 1.1 GENERALITIES
Books are not dispersed but assembled. Just as we put all the pots of jam into a jam cupboard, so we put all our books into the same place, or into several same places. Even though we want to keep them, we might pile our books away into trunks, put them in the cellar or the attic, or in the bottoms of wardrobes, but we generally prefer them to be visible. In practice, books are most often arranged one beside the other, along a wall or division, on rectilinear supports, parallel with one another, neither too deep nor too far apart.
Books are arranged - usually - standing on end and in such a way that the title printed on the sine of the work can be seen (sometimes, as in bookshop windows, the cover of the books is displayed, but it is unusual, proscribed and nearly always considered shocking to have only the edge of the book on show).
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Eastern Conference Champions Ameritown
Punk-pop, pure pop, and a wry sense of humor all
Vocalist Josh Ostrander and drummer Greg Lyons
meet in the sound of Eastern Conference Champions, a
spent 2004 with menial day jobs while working on new
three-man band from Bucks, County Pennsylvania with a
music at night. Two years later they were ready to take
serious alt-rock pedigree.
their music to the people and found old friend, bassist Vern Zaborowski, adding a rough edge and helping finish the debut EP. - David Jeffries
Ameritown is full of niccotine-like, addicting tunes. Basically, these songs rock. Consider it the years most beautiful/gritty American rock album. With it’s epic choruses and breakdowns coupled with stripped down, sometimes delicate verses, these songs will get you singing aloud in the car, no doubt. Producer Owen Morris said it best “ECC sounds like no one f*cking else.” What you do hear is original American rock. No two songs sound the same on the record and that is clearly evident from opener “the Box” to closer “Hollywood.” The only problems I have with the album is that some of the songs from their EP, did not make the cut. An amazing album and one that more people than not will be talking about soon enough. - Phil, PA
Foo Fighters The Colour and The Shape
When Foo Fighters released a debut album written
Foo Fighters’ sound gelled into a recognizable
and recorded entirely by leader Dave Grohl -- at that point
signature built upon the heavy, melodic, loud-quiet-
known only as the powerhouse drummer for Nirvana -- in
loud template of the Pixies and Nirvana, the modern
the summer of 1995, few would have guessed that the
rock anchored by a love of classic guitar rock. It was
group would wind up as the one band to survive the ‘90’s
commericial without pandering, creatively restless without
alt-rock explosion unscathed.
being alienating, a sound with wide appeal delivered by a
The Foos steadily racked up success after success, filling up stadiums around the world while staying on top of
band that was happy to tour and record the way bands did back in the ‘70s. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
the charts all the way into the second decade of the new millennium.
The band truly come into their own on this album with assistance from producer Gil Norton. The dynamics on this album are off-the-wall, from the quiet intro of “Doll” ripping into the full-on rock-out that is “Monkey Wrench” to ballads like “Walking After You” and “February Stars” which verge on being, for lack of a better term, pretty. Perhaps the album’s penultimate song, “Everlong,” is a song that is worth purchasing the album for alone. Easily one of the Foos’ grandest achievements, it’s an emotionally charged ballad that finds Grohl at his most stripped and vulnerable, which says a lot, seeing as how this is an album that, in and of itself, is based on the dissolution of his own marriage. As one of the few alternative rock albums in its time that hasn’t become dated, The Colour and the Shape has more than earned its rightful place as a bonafide modern classic and the moment that Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters name stepped out of Kurt Cobain’s shadow. It is, hands down, one of the best rock records of the 90’s and no collection could be complete without it. Not a single song is bad, not a single note is wasted. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself putting it on repeat more often than not. - A. Estes
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1.1 In current room layouts, the library is known as an ‘area’ for books. This, most often, is a module belonging as a whole to the ‘living-room’, which likewise contains a: èè drop-leaf drinks cabinet èè drop-leaf writing desk èè two-door dresser èè hi-fi unit èè television console èè slide projector èè display cabinet èè etc. and is offered in catalogues adorned with a few false bindings. In practice books can be assembled just about anywhere.
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Girls
Father, Son, Holy Ghost With a common love of drugs and music, singer
Father, Son, Holy Ghost would prove to be
Christopher Owens and bassist started making music
their best swan song, however, Owens announced
together and eventually earned a deal with Matador’s
he was leaving Girls for personal reasons, resulting
label True Panther Sounds. Their first album received rave
in the group disbanding in the summer of 2012.
reviews and was named one of the ten best albums of
- Jason Lymangrover
2009 by Spin, Rolling Stone, and Pitchfork. Holy Ghost is an adventure inside a rock ‘n’ roll Bizarro World. The tightly wound, gritty, almost claustrophobic sensation that permeates Holy Ghost comes from Girls’ intentional choice to record it in a small, concrete studio in the heart of the Tenderloin. The band takes pop roots and branches them out, sometimes elevating them to heavy-metal heights and acid-rock lengths. At other times, the music settles into hypnotic, lo-fi splendor, with lead singer Owens mumbling his lines in a drug-addled manner. The bulk of the songs are backed by a three-piece gospel choir, a key ingredient that unifies the frantic mix. –K.D. Kelly
Haim Days Are Gone It wasn’t until 2012 that Haim’s star quickly began
They became the first female group to win the
to rise. A successful show at Texas music festival South
influential BBC Sound of 2013 award. Following the
by Southwest landed them a record deal with Polydor in
award, Haim went on to make 2013 their own with
the U.K. Their polished mixture of rock, ‘80’s synth pop,
sold-out headlining shows and a festival appearance on
and 90’s R&B influences, such as Destiny’s Child, garnered
Glastonbury’s main stage. - Scott Kerr
attention from blogs and music critics alike. These three sisters from Southern California are straight up musicians! They write and play everything themselves, and it is crazy how talented they are. Expect percussion-driven pop rock, a lot of which sounds like it could be from the 80s thanks to the use of the synth. I find myself choosing a new favorite song every time I listen to Days Are Gone. The point is, do yourself a favor and buy this album today! - Natalie Basile
Incubus Morning View Incubus became one of the most popular alt-metal
Incubus expanded their audience by playing Moby’s
bands of the new millennium, setting themselves apart
Arena. They released Morning View during the fall of
from a crowded field with a tireless touring ethic and a
2001. It entered the charts at number two, confirming that
broad music palette. They had amassed enough of a
Incubus has diligently worked themselves into stardom.
following by 1998 to land a slot on that summer’s Ozzfest
The band naturally toured heavily in support – this time as
tour, and they rounded out the year with a stint on Korn’s
a headliner. - Steve Huey
inaugural Family Values tour. The most innovative band in modern rock does it again - in a different way! Jose’s drum beats are original. It goes without saying that Brandon Boyd’s piercing yet pure vocals will leave you in melody heaven, especially since the lyrics are honest and thoughful. The real deal here is DJ Kilmore’s texture from the turntables, taking their music’s spacy atmosphere to a higher level and leaving the listener in a different world. It’s hard to label Incubus as any form of rock or maybe even “rock” - period. -Chris from Atlanta, GA.
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1.2 ROOMS WHERE BOOKS MAY BE PUT. èè in the entrance hall èè in the sitting room èè in the bedroom(s) èè in the bog Generally speaking, one kind of book is put in the room you cook in, the ones known as ‘cookery books’. It is extremely rare to find books in a bathroom, even though for many people this is a favourite place to read in. The surrounding humidity is unanimously considered a prime enemy of the conservation of printed texts. At the most, you may find in a bathroom a medicine cupboard and in the medicine cupboard a small work entitled What to do before the doctor gets there.
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Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience Justin Timberlake may be the quintessential pop
Justin stepped away from the band just as its
star of the new millennium, a star who jumped from
popularity crested, releasing his first solo album in 2002.
platform to platform on his way to establishing himself
After reaching this pop peak, he decided to pursue
as something bigger than a star: he was a self-sustained
other venture, choosing to concentrate on acting and
empire. Timberlake began his rise as a TV star, performing
entrepreneurship. The 20/20 Experience debuted as
on The New Mickey Mouse Club as a child in the 90’s, but
number one on the billboard 200 and eventually went
he earned his superstardom as one of the frontmen for
platinum. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
*NSYNC, the most popular boy band of the turn of the millennium.
Timberlake’s new album is different for a pop album in that a majority of the songs contain quite varied passages and are over five minutes long. The album is 70 minutes long and it contains ten tracks, and each song is its own rollercoaster, weaving different rhythms into a cohesive “experience.” It almost feels like a double album because of the expansiveness of the content. Timberlake takes us on a ride, and it’s awesome. There’s no one genre I feel like I can pin him in. He goes everywhere using elements from classic soul to indie experimental to hitting on the classic Timberlake sound we’re used to. The thing is, each one of these different Timberlakes that we see is nothing short of brilliant. The dude is a current music genius. - Zach Mehrbach
Kid Cudi Man on the Moon: End of the Day
Kid Cudi is a Brooklyn-based rapper from Cleveland
Cudi released his conceptual debut album Man
who’s career took off after he became affiliated with
on the Moon: End of the Day, in the summer of 2009.
label Fool’s Gold. Cudi began to receive increasing press
- Jason Birchmeier
attention, including a nod from Rolling Stone, which touted him among the magazine’s Top Five best indie hip-hop artists of 2008.
Kid Cudi has truly arrived with his debut album Man on The Moon: The End Of Day. Much weight was being put on his shoulders to not only become the next hip hop star but also to push the genre forward into boundaries it had never been.Well I’m here to tell you that Kid Cudi has definitely delivered. This album is everything a fan of hip hop and music in general could want. This album is different sonically as well. The sparse production, never overproduced, the use of silence and space. The tracks are sequenced into 5 Acts to give the listener a feeling of a story being told but succeeds in creating a certain atmosphere that is unmatched. That feeling is dark, moody, deep, futuristic and unique. It’s hard to exactly say why this album is so good but it really literally is GENIUS. Kid Cudi also has great lyrics. Some people may not feel his lyrics because they only pay attention to technique but he drops lyrics for the mind about life, feelings, emotions etc that grown people can relate to. The album is very mature and wise beyond his years. Kid Cudi combines a unique flow and delivery with a semi-singing/talking approach that works extremely well for him. I HIGHLY recommend this album as it is undoubtedly and easily one of the great albums of the year. Standing Ovation. Instant Classic. - Enlightened, Atlanta GA
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1.3 PLACES IN A ROOM WHERE BOOKS MAY BE ARRANGED. èè on the shelves of fireplaces or over radiators (it may be thought, even so, that heat may, in the long run, prove somewhat harmful) èè between two windows èè in the embrasure of an unused door èè on the steps of a library ladder, making this unusable (very chic) èè underneath a window èè on a piece of furniture set at an angle and dividing the room into two (very chic, creates an even better effect with a few pot plants.
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Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy
Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It
Released in the spring of 1973, Houses of the Holy
wasn’t just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues
continued the band’s musical experimentation, featuring
-- it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and
touches of funk and reggae among their trademark rock
a variety of other genres (most notably world music and
and folk. The success of Houses of the Holy set the stage
British folk) -- into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique.
for a record-breaking American tour. Throughout their
They rarely gave interviews, since the music press
1973 tour, Led Zeppelin broke box-office records -- most
detested the band. Consequently, the only connection
of which were previously held by the Beatles -- across
the audience had with the band was through the records
America. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
and the concerts. More than any other band, Led Zeppelin established the concept of album-oriented rock, refusing to release popular songs from their albums as singles. In doing so, they established the dominant format for heavy metal, as well as the genre’s actual sound.
How do you review a rock classic?! There’s a reason they call led Zep the gods of rock just listen to the Houses of the Holy. All the songs sound different but somehow flow together nice. All kind of different styles, rock, blues, folk, disco, blue grass sometimes in the same song. Some much talent and just so original. We really need this in rock now a days. It’s almost forty years old but still sounds fresh as it ever did. An amazing album by an amazing band! - Josh Bosely
Merchandise Children of Desire Children of Desire, the second LP from Florida’s
The guitars throw off shards of white light, organs
Merchandise, is another stunning collection of classic-
swirl, drums ring with reverb, and vocalist Carson Cox has a
feeling post-punk that’s both beautifully, viscously barbed
lovely, soft baritone that swoons and wails in the emotional
and delicately melancholic.
palette that Morrissey once ruled. Every song here is to be savored, and you might want to get in on these guys before they come the Next Big(ger) Thing. - iTunes Editor’s Notes
I heard this album for the first time earlier this year, and I played it consistently on a loop for about three weeks. It’s that catchy and awesome. You too will be hooked when you hear this band, buy it now! It’s like crawling into a warm 80’s nostalgic kick until you realize that what they do with the sounds they make is completely modern. Good music! -pthomie87
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1.4 THINGS THAT AREN’T BOOKS BUT ARE OFTEN MET WITH IN LIBRARIES èè photographs in gilded brass frames èè small engravings èè pen and ink drawings èè dried flowers in stemmed glasses èè matchbox-holders containing, or not, chemical matches (dangerous) èè lead soldiers èè a photograph of Ernest Renan in his stufy at the College de France èè postcards, dolls’ eyes, tins èè packets of salt, pepper, and mustard from Lufthansa èè letter-scales, picture hooks, marbles, pipe-cleaners èè scale models of vintage cars èè multicolored pebbles and gravel èè ex-votos, springs.
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Nirvana Nevermind Prior to Nirvana, alternative music was cosigned
Nirvana popularized punk, post-punk, and indie
to specialty sections of record stores, and major labels
rock, unintentionally bringing them into the American
considered it to be, at the very most, a tax write-off. After
mainstream like no other band to date. While Nirvana’s
the band’s second album, 1991’s Nevermind, nothing was
ideology was indie rock and their melodies were pop, the
ever quite the same, for better and for worse.
sonic rush of their records and live shows merged postindustrial white noise with heavy metal grind. And that’s what made the group an unprecedented multi-platinum sensation. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato
Nirvana’s Nevermind sounds so cliche and overplayed today because a million and one bands have ripped off their innovative sound that molded grunge and rock music for the better. Nirvana was a band who were great at what they did, needing only their honesty and emotion to get them across. Kurt Cobain’s guitar work, as stated, was not complex, but was interesting, new, innovative, creative, and original, as he was one of the first artists to begin using the rhythm guitar to lead the melody without the choppy leads of 80’s hair metal. Throughout the entire recording his technique stays true to form, using original flowing riffs to carry the song when he does use his instrument as a lead. In equal impressiveness alongside his guitar skill are Cobain’s lyrics and his vocal stylings, which always have an underwritten sense of urgency and need in them, supporting the hurt heard in his voice. Chris Novoselic’s bass lines are upbeat, catchy, and just as sincere as Kurt’s guitar playing, his instrument carrying a melody all of its own instead of just following the bass drum and staying in the background. Alongside him on the rhythm is Dave Grohl. His drumming is solid and top notch on Nevermind, showing him at his best on the instrument he shines with. - A Customer
Oasis (What’s the Story) Morning Glory
Oasis shot from obscurity to stardom in 1994,
Upon its release their second album, (What’s the
becoming one of Britain’s most popular and critically
Story) Morning Glory, shot to number one in England,
acclaimed bands of the decade in the process. They were
becoming the fastest-selling album in the U.K. since
responsible for returning British guitar pop to the top of
Michael Jackson’s Bad. Over the course of 1996, (What’s
the charts. Led by guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher, the
the Story) Morning Glory became the second-biggest
Manchester quintet adopted the rough thuggish image of
British album in history. It also became a Top 10 success
the Stones and the Who, crossed it with the “Beatlesque”
in America, where it reached quintuple platinum status.
melodies and hooks, injected distinctly British lyrical
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine
themes and song structures like the Jam and the Kinks, and tied it all together with a massive guitar roar as well as a defiant sneer that drew equally from the Sex Pistols’ rebelliousness and the Stone Roses’ cocksure arrogance.
A weirdly oldschool tenderly savagely brilliant compilation, full of sound and fury, signifying much. It’s hard, fast paced rock laced with the courtliness and poetical humility of a medieval troubador. Punk with roots and it reaches down like the roots of an ancient cypress, comprehensive, plaintive, and eternal. It’s youth looking back with wonder, restraint, and yes, a little anger. The power of the amplified music is overpowered by the quiet fury, surrender, and sensitivity of this biographical odyssey in sound. Reminds me of the British royalty of old, combined with a hefty dose of the British invasion rockers (good poets borrow, great poets steal!), and a covering of modern punk rock. - T Mayhew
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2 Of Order
A library that is not arranged becomes disarranged: this is the example I was given to try and get me to
Opposed to this apologia for a sympathetic disorder
understand what entropy was and which I have several
is the small-minded temptation towards an individual
times verified experimentally.
bureaucracy: one thing for each place and each place for
Disorder in a library is not serious in itself; it ranks
its one thing, and vice versa. Between these two tensions,
with ‘Which drawer did I put my socks in?’. We always think
one which sets a premium on letting things be, on a good-
we shall know instinctively where we have put such and
natured anarchy, the other that exalts the virtues of the
such a book. And even if we don’t know, it will never be
tabula rasa, the cold efficiency of the great arranging, one
difficult to go rapidly along all the shelves.
always ends by trying to set one’s books in order. This is a trying, depressing operation, but one liable to produce pleasant surprises, such as coming upon a book you had forgotten because you could no longer see it and which, putting off until tomorrow what you won’t do today, you finally re-devour lying face down on you bed.
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Pearl Jam Ten Pearl Jam rose to become the most popular
On their spring 1994 American tour, the band
American rock & roll band of the ‘90s. The band recorded
decided not to play the conventional stadiums, choosing
their debut album Ten in the beginning of 1991. Pearl
to play smaller arenas. Pearl Jam cancelled their 1994
Jam fused the riff-heavy stadium rock of the ‘70s with the
summer tour, claiming they couldn’t keep ticket prices
grit and anger of ‘80s post-punk, without ever neglecting
below 20 dollars because Ticketmaster was pressuring
hooks and choruses. Despite their status as rock & rolls
promoters to charge a higher price. The band went on to
superstars, the band refused to succumb to the accepted
produce eight more albums and continue their success
conventions of the music industry. The group refused to
even into today. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
release any videos or singles from their second album, another platinum success, debuting at number one and selling nearly a million copies in its first week of release.
This is the greatest album I’ve ever owned. It’s something you can’t put your finger on, but every single song brings about some kind of powerful emotion that just can’t be evoked by anything else. Somehow they managed to stumble upon a perfect formula (spaced-out guitars that sound heavy and soothing at the same time + hyperactive drumming + funkyass basslines + of course, Eddie’s voice which manages to be guttural and beautiful at the same time). The tempos are deliberate yet driving. Every single guitar solo on this album sizzles. - Compulsive-Destrictive Tendancies
Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf One of the year’s most eagerly anticipated hard rock
The band went on to release four more albums and
albums, Songs for the Deaf was issued in August 2002
continue to tour into today. They are currently signed to
and was preceded by a tour that saw bassist Nick Oliveri
Matador and released their most recent album ...Like
and singer/guitarist Josh Homme joined by drummer
Clockwork in 2013. - Jason Ankeny and Greg Prato
Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, vocalist Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen of A Perfect Circle.
Queens of the Stone Age are a blessing of modern rock and roll. They possess an extremely tight-knit sound that mixes melody with thrash at free will. The guitars often come in spurts, and meanwhile, guest drummer Dave Grohl clicks away on drums with abandon and precision. The cryptic guitars and eerie vibe to the songs all hearken back to a heavy metal age. At times speed metal, at times heavy pop, at times dark metal, Queens of the Stone Age can’t be pinned down to any one sound. The last great tune, “Mosquito Song,” is even driven by a Spanish guitar sound that turns operatic, a perfect closing tune for a perfect album. - Sal Nudo
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2.1 WAYS OF ARRANGING BOOKS èè ordered alphabetically èè ordered by continent or country èè ordered by colour èè ordered by date of acquisition èè ordered by date of publication èè ordered by format èè ordered by genre èè ordered by major periods of literary history èè ordered by language èè ordered by priority for future reading èè ordered by binding èè ordered by series.
Of Order 18
The Rocket Summer Life Will Write the Words The pride of Colleyville, Texas, Bryce Avary recorded
By the time he released his first full length album
and released two intial EP’s before taking The Rocket
in 2005 and by that time The Rocket Summer had
Summer to stages worldwide. A gifted songwriter and
gained a reputation not only for Avary’s multi-threat talent
musician, Avary plays every instrument heard on his albums.
in the studio, but for his band’s energetic live shows. - Johnny Loftus
I am a big fan of The Rocket Summer and got the album the day of release. Bryce continues to impress with his musicianship and songwriting skills. This album once again is fantastic from start to finish with songs about faith, love and out struggles with the world. My family also caught his live show in Scottsdale in support of this album and TRS was a great live act. Do not hesitate to buy this album or see TRS live; you won’t be disappointed. - Elizabeth Trujillo
The Strokes Is This It Barely in their twenties by the time their debut
This is It and the Strokes were lauded in many ways,
album, Is This It, arrived in 2001. The Strokes’ acclaim
including the 2001 NME Carling Awards for Best New Act,
reached the U.K. and grew to massive proportions over
Band of the Year, and Album of the Year. - Heather Phares
the course of the year. The group’s popularity continued to snowball in the U.K., with a side-stage slot at the NME Carling Weekender changed to a main-stage performance for fear of people trampling each other to see the band.
The Strokes are a great rock ‘n’ roll band that knows how to pay homage to their forefathers musically. The Strokes’ sound uses a very simple, churning chord structure that is so rarely found in this day and age. It is this, along with Julian Casablanca’s emotional sing/speak vocals, that makes The Strokes such a stand out band. To compliment their old is new again sound, they have a great collection of songs here. Is This It is a most enjoyable experience for educated music lovers everywhere and with the success of their second CD, it seems The Strokes will not be forgotten any time soon. - Brian Conrad
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None of these classifications is satisfactory by
This may be a book recently acquired and not yet
itself. In practice, every library is ordered starting from
read, or else a book recently read that you don’t quite know
a combination of these modes of classification, whose
where to place and which you have promised yourself
relative weighting, resistance to change, obsolescence and
you will put away on the occasion of a forth-coming
persistence give every library a unique personality.
‘great arranging’, or else a book whose reading has been
We should first of all distinguish stable classifications
interrupted and that you don’t want to classify before
from provisional ones. Stable classifications are those
taking it up again and finishing it, or else a book you have
which, in principle, you continue to respect; provisional
used constantly over a given period, or else a book you
classifications are those supposed to last only a few days,
have taken down to look up a piece of information or a
the time it takes for a book to discover, or rediscover, its
reference and which you haven’t yet put back in its place,
definitive place.
or else a book that you can’t put back in its rightful place because it doesn’t belong to you and you’ve several times promised to give it back, etc.
In my own case, nearly three-quarters of my books have never really been classified. Those that are not arranged in a definitively provisional way are arranged in a provisionally definitive way, as at the OuLiPo. Meanwhile, I move them from one room to another, one shelf to another, one pile to another, and may spend three hours looking for a book without finding it but sometimes having the satisfaction of coming upon six or seven others which serve my purpose just as well.
Of Order 20
Tegan and Sara The Con Twin sisters Tegan and Sara first burst onto the
Tegan and Sara derived their music interests from
Canadian music scene in 1998, when they earned the
their parents and began playing piano at age 8, and in their
highest score in history at Calgary’s “Garage Warz”
teens they were skanking around in their own punk bands.
competition; their quick rise didn’t stop, for their melodic
By their fourth album they were eventually more interested
acoustics and charming stage personas led to a record
in exploring pop and indie rock, so they came out with The
deal with Neil Young’s Vapor Records in April 2000.
Con. - Mackenzie Wilson
I love the music of Tegan and Sara.At last, their lyrical depth and subtlety, searing honesty and absolute refusal to settle for simplistic cliché when discussing matters of the heart is fully expressed in multi-layered, sophisticated, inspired and beautifully produced music, and in subtle, fully committed and expressive vocal performances. This is an exciting and beautifully crafted album which defies any kind of easy description or facile summary. It fully deserves your time and attention. Listen to them, and if you don’t already, you will learn to love them too. - deepbluesky
Underøath Define the Great Line Since their inception, Florida’s Underøath have evolved from a run-of-the-mill Christian metalcore band into a fluid, dynamic, and energized rock group that adeptly blends emotive melody, charged punk rock rhythms, and a chunky, engaging bottom end.
Define the Great Line was a heavy, emotional album that sold close to 100,000 copies in just its first week of release and was certified gold by the year’s end. - Ryan J. Downey
The cult following the band brings about with their energetic belligerence is anything but unstoppable. Now that Define The Great Line is in my hands, I’ve no doubt that this album powerfully redefines Underøath (excuse the pun). Define The Great Line is a screamy, messy, and violent record that’s vigorous and exciting. - A. Martin
Valleys
Sometimes Water Kills People Though they had been collaborating on music
They follower up the album with a couple of EP’s as
together for a while, the Montreal-based duo, Valleys,
they played gigs and honed their sound. The band launched
made their debut with 2009’s Sometimes Water Kills
a North American tour in 2013. - Ryan J. Downey
People. Multi-instrumentalists Matilda Perks and Marc St. Louis both write and sing, crafting dreamily atmospheric electronic pop with guitars that’s filled with melancholy emotion, but is also unfailingly melodic and sweet.
If the title of this Montreal duo’s debut is any indication of the moods contained therein, this is probably not the album to spin at your next cocktail party or day at the beach. Valleys specializes in a ghostly and frequently unsettling blend of psychedelic folk and hazy dream pop. It’s a chilling and startling listen, even if the amplifiers never do get cranked up to ten. If misery loves company, then cozying up to this record might feel like just the remedy for your ills. Hopefully you’re not too bummed out though; while this is undoubtedly beautiful music, it’s also pretty damn bleak. - Adam Costa
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2.2 BOOKS VERY EASY TO ARRANGE. èè The big Jules Vernes in the red binding èè very large books, very small ones èè Baedekers èè rare books or ones presumed to be so èè hardbacks, volumes in the Pleiade collection èè the Presence du Futur series èè novels published by the Editions de Minuit èè collections, journals of which you possess at least three issues èè etc.
2.3 BOOKS NOT TOO DIFFICULT TO ARRANGE.
èè Books on the cinema, whether essays on directors, albums of movie stars or shooting scripts èè South American novels èè ethnology, psychoanalysis èè cookery books (see above) èè directories (next to the phone) èè German Romantics èè books in the Que Sais-je? series (the problem being whether to arrange them all together or with the discipline they deal with) èè etc.
Of Order 22
The White Stripes White Blood Cells
The White Stripes formed on Bastille Day in 1997,
It was 2001’s White Blood Cells that establisged
aiming to create simple, vigorous rock &roll with little more
the White Stripes as forerunners of the garage rock revival.
than Meg White’s percussion and Jack White’s guitar-
The White Stripes appeared on Late Night with David
and-vocal attack. Meg’s drumming was deliberate and
Letterman and the MTV Movie Awards; meanwhile, their
straightforward, while Jack’s formidable guitar skills paid
music was profiled in such publications as Time, The New
homage to garage rock, blues, and punk.
Yorker, and Entertainment Weekly. - Andrew Leahey
The White Stripes have blossomed into a pair of musicians who care about what matters- the simplicity of life, the magic of music, and the energy of rock ‘n’ roll. The White Stripes are magical in their own way. Their combination of blues and rock is just perfect for the raw energy they deliver. Their music is fascinated with life, and all aspects of it. From the purity of new love to the ferocity of a relationship gone bad, the White Stripes have a knack for understanding the inner workings of how we react to all aspects of love. As a duo, Jack and Meg White are outstanding. Jack’s wails of passion express a devotion not only to the subject of the song, but to the music as a whole. The energy of the lyrics would be dead without the same power in the instrumentation. The White Stripes have it. Jack rips chord after chord out of his unsuspecting victims and Meg pounds mercilessly on her drum set. Of course, there are songs where such tenacity is not required. In these hushed gems, Jack and Meg remain just as superior as musical counterparts. Jack’s soothing guitars matched with Meg’s tapping beat are just as relaxing as their other songs are electrifying. - N. Adler
The xx Coexist Atmospheric English indie pop group, the xx, formed
They xx released their first LP in July of that year
in London in 2008 around the talents of Romy Madley
in the U.K. During 2010, the live dates only continued,
Croft, Oliver Sim, Baria Qureshi, and Jamie Smith, when
including spots at several high-profile summer festivals,
the band members were still in high school. Captivating
and in September, their album won Britain’s coveted
and cool, the group cites influences that run the gamut
Mercury Prize. They released their second album, Coexist,
from R&B to classic alternative rock. Built around the dual
in September 2012. - James Christopher Monger
vocals of Croft and Sim, the group’s signature brand of moody, soulful indie rock first appeared on the public radar in early 2009.
This is an awesome album....seems to tell a story from beginning to end. It’s very thinly instrumented as is The XX’s typical style, but it really works for them. The lead singers trade off parts with ease to create an almost ethereal quality to the music. It almost puts me in a trance to listen to it...it’s not relaxing exactly, but it definitely gets me in a sedate state of mind. - R.R.H.
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2.4 BOOKS JUST ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE TO ARRANGE. The rest: for example, èè journals of which you possess only a single issue è è or else La Campagne de 1812 en Russia by Clausewitz èè translated from the German by M. Begouen èè Captain Commandant in the 31st Dragoons èè Passed Staff College, with one map èè Paris, Librairie Militaire R. Chapelot et Cie, 1900 or else, fascicule 6 of Volume 91 (November 1976) of the Proceedings of the Modern Language Association of America (PMLA) giving the programme for the 666 working sessions of the annual congress of the said Association.
2.5 Like the librarians of Babel in Borges’s story, who are looking for the book that will provide them with the key to all the others, we oscillate between the illusion of perfection and the vertigo of the unattainable. In the name of completeness, we would like to believe that a unique
It’s possible also that both are decoys, illusions
order exists that would enable us to accede in knowledge
intended to disguise the erosion of both books and
all in one go; in the name of the unattainable, we would like
systems. It is no bad thing in any case that between the two
to think that order and disorder are in fact the same word,
our bookshelves should serve from time to time as joggers
denoting pure chance.
of the memory, as cat-rests and as lumber-rooms.
Of Order 24
Yeah Yeah Yeahs It’s Blitz New York’s art punk trio the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are
Fever to Tell was released in 2003, boasting a
compromised of singer Karen O, guitarist Nicolas Zinner,
cleaner and more eclectic songwriting than their EPs, the
and drummer Brian Chase. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs wrote a
album continued their critical acclaim and also won them a
slew of songs at their first rehearsal and soon wound up
fair amount of commercial success. Fever to Tell reached
supporting the Strokes and the White Stripes, earning a
gold status that year. - Heather Phares
significant buzz for their arty yet sexy take on garage punk.
This band is the best thing to happen to rock music in years and this CD is perfect. The band is absolutely raw, but Karen O goes beyond that to perform like a creature possessed. This may not be their live show, but she has the gift of letting go and exposing herself completely, beyond anyone in memory. The New York Times calling it best rock CD of 2003, and I thought they were dead right. There are complaints that it’s only 37 minutes long; that’s true, but it’s a great 37 minutes! Some liked their EP better; I did too at first, but this is hardly a letdown. Another reviewer had it right when they said to buy this and be part of music history - I think Karen O is going to be one of the great voices in rock history, and that this band is going to prove be the vehicle that presented her best. - A Customer
Frank Zappa Apostrophe (‘) Composer, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Frank
Nominally, he was a popular musician, but his
Zappa was a singular musical figure during a performing
recordings rarely earned significant airplay or sales, yet he
and recording career that lasted from the 1960s to the
was able to gain control of his recorded work and issue
‘90s. His disparate influences included doo wop music and
it successfully through his own labels while also touring
avant-garde classical music; although he led groups that
internationally. Zappa was an iconoclastic defender of the
could be called rock & roll bands for much of his career, he
freest possible expression of ideas. And most of all, he
used them to create a hybrid style that bordered on jazz and
was a composer far more ambitious than any other rock
complicated, modern serious music. As if his music were
musician of his time and most classical musicians, as well.
not challenging enough, he overlay it with highly satirical
– William Ruhlmann
and sometimes abstract humorous lyrics and song titles that marked him as coming out of a provocative literary tradition that included Beat poets and edgy comedians.
Zappa took a compositional turn with this album. This album has a definitive main thread, even though it features four different drummers and four different bass players, because it’s very bluesy. Even if the songs aren’t played with typical blues progressions, there’s a bluesy feeling pretty much throughout, which mainly the guitar solos lend. But there’s more than a feeling of blues to this album; the songs are complex to an unusual (yet not extreme) degree, but make sense, and are very well performed. Apostrophe (‘) is, in a way, an album in a genre of it’s own - mainly for the highly individual compositions but also much because of its feeling of soul and gospel. Many think that “Stink-Foot” is not a highlight, and while I understand that point of view (since it fills a fifth of this 32-minute album and doesn’t have a compositional quality like the other songs) I still find it highly entertaining and needed because of its groove. Don’t let the length of the album scare you, by the way - the material on it is worth the money. - Patrik Lemberg
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