Goodies have been arriving in our mail box at an unusually high rate recently. Below is a list of interesting sound works from the critic, poet, avant-garde composer Ingvar Loco Nordin:

Korean Glass. Nicely done chime playing (glass?) accompanied by a South Korean talk radio broadcast at the end. This grounds the rather son-like chimes in the current political situation, especially if one doesn’t know what the broadcasters are saying. I’ll have one of my Korean students give it a listen and report back.

Brain Waves! Our favorite red-haired, sound poet/shamaness Hebriana Alainentalo mixes it up with Ingvar Loco Nordin with some out-of-this-world vocals.

Lagboekeri Volume One. Ingvar Loco Nordin takes us on a voyage through an aural landscape worthy of Rimbaud’s “Drunken Boat.” The cover of this CD shows the young Ingvar Loco Nordin sitting at the head of his class totally aware of his visionary powers.

We will consider Nordin’s Monster Drownage and what could be his masterwork—Erez—in a future posting.

Ingvar Loco Nordin is one of the most responsive critics of new sounds on the Internet. Visit his great website for more information. Click here.

Book Goodies From West House

Our cup runneth over! The mail brought us Dark Wires by Zoe Skoulding and Ian Davidson offering such interesting language as:

something got under my skin maybe
a few short barbs breaking out into tissue
thin layers blistered like coral in the
sting of salt water I was worn to the bone

or the writing body writes the holes are new
the new blood thick with tension
a head of weapons scored with patterns
on the surface none of them intended

as shapes appear a simple line seeking
complexity shape of a heart crossed
through with arrows in flight the target
still in question I crossed the line of fire

***

(”Skin and Bone”)

Nineteen Nights in San Francisco(West House & Cherry on the Top Press) offers Christine Kennedy’s verbal collages and fantastic visual riffs on listings in Fodor’s California’s Bed & Breakfasts, and is a meditation on Joseph Cornell as well.

It Means Nothing to Me by Geraldine Monk & David Annwn is a Tom & Jerry chase through form & language, language & form to a grand chorus of “It Means Nothing to Me” appearing over and over like a laughing trombone when Tom hits the skids and Jerry escapes Tom’s fry-pan once again. This collaboration screams to be performed and we suggest a CD version be created pronto! Love it.

Notes from the Scriptorium by Alan Halsey (Gargoyle Edition), is one of my favorites, not only because of the writing, but because of the tooth of the creamy paper and the choice of type—a treat to the eye. Here’s an example of the complexity that Alan attains, with a tip of the hat to the past:

As well spawn danger as destroy known script
remarked Aeneas. May all your phoenicians be phonemes
and your photoglyphs have faces you can name.
His Troy as was but read ‘wars’ and what will be.

***

One may buy the lot for 10 Pounds by ordering directly via West House’s website: here. Or order same through Small Press Distribution.

Ahadada Books also carries a full line of West House publications, click here to check ‘em out.

An untitled xerox pamphlet from Chris Brownsword perhaps titled “all poems by chris brownsword” with a face hidden behind ten fingers accompanied the West House mailing. Some of the writing reminds me a bit of Larry Eigner’s . Connect with Chris at sbrownsword[at]hotmail.com. for more information.