How Does One Simply Listen to Blemish?

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How Does One Simply Listen to Blemish?

Postby Gabzi Nemo on Sat Nov 26, 2022 11:24 am

In the months following my abdication from the forum, I have lived the simple life. Plucking the slender strings of a banjo while on a solemn journey through eastern Appalachia. However, in my time away, the old dream began to whisper to me. The dream to be a pretentious hick.

Now, most people aspire to either be a hick or to be pretentious, but the melding of the two is seldom seen. The dancing of galaxies, space, and time has told me that I am to be the One. The Premier Pretentious Hick, or the Elusive Hill Yuppie. Then, I am reminded my cataclysmic failure… that the very sight of Blemish resurrects the normie deep within my soul. It’s mere mention, like the whispers of death itself, aggravates my heart to the point where I’m not sure whether to run or cry and accept my fate.

How does one simply listen to Blemish? Is there a certain path of Sylvian albums that will let me hike up the mountain of pretention rather than trying to leap to its peak in a single bound?
{Insert life-changing mantra here}
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Re: How Does One Simply Listen to Blemish?

Postby Six One Cynic on Thu Jan 12, 2023 8:38 pm

As a musician myself it was the first album I'd heard that didn't have beefed up beats but still attracted me. His voice over the synth drones was totally unique 20 years ago when it came out. Perhaps you're used to more 'danceable' styles of music (which is absolutely fine btw)
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Re: How Does One Simply Listen to Blemish?

Postby Tin Bird on Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:49 am

I would apply this question more to Manafon myself. I actually quite like(d) Blemish. I think A Fire in the Forest is literally one of DS's greatest tracks off of any album. That said, I do usually skip over the Dereck Bailey pieces unless I'm in the mood for discordance.
I found Manafon even more difficult mainly due to its despondent tone. Unless I am feeling really low myself, the turgid pace and depressing vernacular really push me away. I have/had no issue w DS making the album. I applauded his attempt to improvise and change. I simply just don't care for the pallet and overall feel of the album. Like Blemish, however, I do have one track (Snow White in Appalachia) that I quite like from the album. That one works for me. When it first came out, I liked Small Metal Gods. But, when I listen to it now I almost have to laugh at how cliche' it is with the depressing overall vibe, withdrawn barley audible sounds, and low moaned lyrics. Anyone that listens to that track frequently and actually enjoys it, I would worry about their mental health. I've always thought that was what that track was meant to be...not to be weird or make fun of it...but it always sounded like a suicide note to me. Stark, bitter, resentful, and resigned. Anyway...my one cent...
When I cannot sing my heart...I can only speak my mind...
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Re: How Does One Simply Listen to Blemish?

Postby Kev in P.B. on Fri Mar 24, 2023 1:35 am

Not knowing the contents of anyone's psyche and soul, I would not make an assumption of an artist's pretentiousness, (re:blemish) or " how (in the case of manafon) cliche' it is with the depressing overall vibe", because both albums in their own respective ways resonate w/me. To me they are in many ways similar to the sentiment in Blues and some (predominately old) country music. And Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares . Listening to (any of) them, I hear another soul in the world in pain, and it reminds me that all/most of Us have endured similar feelings, so the world is a bit less...sad/painful/gross..(or all the aforementioned together).

I loved Derek Bailey's guitar work on Blemish. Combined with voice and the lyrics (and the meanings I divined from them), to me they gave the album cohesion and were psubtly moving. Not in a necessarily sad way, but more like someone giving the middle finger to the World and saying " My head is bloody, but unbowed" (thank you W.E.H.).

Manafon is difficult to grasp at times, but the sentiment is similar to Blemish. And I like challenges. Listening to Small Metal Gods" is a person saying "yeah, you've got me in a difficult place, but I am taking charge now". That makes me smile, not feel "resentful" or "resigned". Who doesn't need that in these difficult times ?

So , at the risk of sounding facile or "cute" : how does one listen to Blemish ? Hit the play button.
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Re: How Does One Simply Listen to Blemish?

Postby Tin Bird on Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:40 pm

I agree with what you said here: Manafon is difficult to grasp at times, but the sentiment is similar to Blemish. And I like challenges. Listening to Small Metal Gods" is a person saying "yeah, you've got me in a difficult place, but I am taking charge now". That makes me smile, not feel "resentful" or "resigned". Who doesn't need that in these difficult times ?

However, it always felt to me like Small Metal Gods was less of a "taking charge" and more of a tantrum. Throwing stuff away, feeling sorry for himself...etc. I agree also with the idea of tackling music that is a challenge. The Associates and/or Scott Walker come to mind...but I still have to be in the mood for them. When I am, they are all delightful for sure.
I know in some avant circles Derek Bailey was revered but I simply don't enjoy listening to his playing. The frenetic randomness actually makes me feel anxious and uncomfortable. Not traits I look for in my tunes. To each his own. 8)
When I cannot sing my heart...I can only speak my mind...
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Re: How Does One Simply Listen to Blemish?

Postby javier on Thu May 11, 2023 11:02 pm

Personally I find Manafon far more interesting - and listenable - than Blemish. The moods are more rich and nuanced, the vocals more resonant, the album more cohesive. Manafon seems to improve with age, whereas Blemish becomes ever more unappealing.

I won't say it's just the Derek Bailey tracks which play a part in that, although I do always avoid them. To me they're unequivocally the absolute nadir of David's output. Even the more "musical" tracks on Blemish (Late Night Shopping, Fire in the Forest) I find dull and monotonous. And the scattered range of styles on the album means that there's no single mood I can be in which makes me want to listen to it. The sole rewarding track for me is the title track.

In contrast Manafon has a distinct and cohesive atmosphere which - although admittedly not often (and Derek Bailey aside) - captures and rewards my mood. I think of Blemish as an unsuccessful experiment, but Manafon as an accomplished work.

So to answer the original post, I can't offer a way in to Blemish. I too have never found one. To me the notion of pretentiousness is beside the point. I just think it's a substandard album.
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