Jacob Kirkegaard, Labyrinthitis (Touch)

“There are different types of “otoacoustic emissions” (OAEs): some are caused by random oscillations of the hair cells an arise spontaneously, others can be purposefully evoked by a specific acoustic stimulus that is sent into the ear from outside. When the ear is stimulated simultaneously with two pure tones at a frequency of f1 and f2, and if f1 and f2 are at a ratio of 1:1.2.this stimulation will create a distortion effect in the cochlea. The ear itself will generate a third tone at frequency f3, a so-called distortion product otoacoustic emission or DPOAE. (As DPOAEs will occur only when f1 and f2 are at a ratio of 1:1.2, the resulting f3 can always be calculated from the frequencies of the two tones that evoked it: f3=2f1-f2. Thus DPOAEs will also always be at a deeper frequency than their stimuli)”.

Arve Henriksen, Cartography (ECM)

I must confess I was a little worried when I found out that Arve Henriksen had moved from Rune Grammofon to ECM. And not just because it would mean his new album would be without sleeve design by the peerless Kim Hiorthøy. I was concerned that some of his music’s quirky protrusions would be smoothed down and given a glossy sheen. As it turns out, while the blistering Deathprod-inspired drones of his last on Rune Grammofon have been ditched, Henriksen has a wealth of new ideas to make Cartography an absolutely compelling listen.

Not Applicable Artists, Appliances #8 at Cafe Oto, 21/11/08

Cafe Oto’s reputation as London’s hub for experimental creativity is enhanced further by the relocation of Not Applicable’s Appliances events from their previous home, a scooter/coffee shop in Waterloo. Taking advantage of their new, comparatively vast and uncluttered space, they devoted this night to the visual arts, installing a large screen for a selection of short films and live soundtracks. In the hands of others, this night could have been one-paced and po-faced; with the Not Applicable collective in charge, this was – perhaps inevitably – extremely varied and throughly entertaining.

Murcof and Oren Marshall, The Purcell Room, 20/11/08

The one and only gig I’ve attended as part of this year’s London Jazz Festival, and while Murcof would win a medal for Mexico in the 400m genre-straddle, he has hitherto never been at the jazz races. Tonight wasn’t to change that (although the fact that he is currently featuring on an album on Blue Note by Erik Truffaz just might). He really does likes to mach schau though, does Murcof; last time out it was a (stunning) gig in the planetarium; this time around, for the performance of an as-yet-unrecorded new suite, he added a violin/cello/trombone trio to the lineup and recruited someone to provide some tasty visuals.

Xela, In Bocca Al Lupo (Type)

To be honest, I’ve never been into horror films; the idea of watching something in order to make myself scared is as far away from my idea of pleasure as it is possible to get. And besides, if I wanted to be truly horrified, all I’d have to do would be to proof-read one of my own reviews. Yikes. Xela, on the other hand, is an afficionado of the form. After 2006’s Argento/Lenzi inspired The Dead Sea he has returned to the genre for his new album, In Bocca Al Lupo.

Dark Captain Light Captain, Miracle Kicker (Loaf Recordings)

“We hate it when our friends become successful” sang Morrissey, but as far as I can tell, he hated everything, the flower-waggling fop. Seasides. Sundays. Sex. Foreigners. However, walking into the Rough Trade shop on Brick Lane the other week and seeing a whole rack devoted to the new album by my dear friends Dark Captain Light Captain filled me with an inordinate sense of pride.

Drifting And Tilting: The Songs Of Scott Walker, The Barbican, 14/11/08

Last things first: it was great to finally meet Colin (from Eleventh Volume / Hard Format) after the show, and if by the time you read this he has posted a review, I humbly suggest you both start and finish there. The fact I had time to enjoy a couple of post-match drinks with him was partly due to the brevity of this performance in the Barbican’s Theatre: it was all over after little more than an hour. But what an hour it had been.

Lithops, Ye Viols! (Thrill Jockey)

Lithops, so wikipedia tells me, are flowers which look like stones, existing on the boundary between warm and cold, between beautiful and brick. Lithops is also the side project of Jan St Werner, of Mouse On Mars, a band who hold a special place in my heart, being the first band I saw live after moving to London eleven years ago. Sometimes it feels like I’ve hardly had a night off since.

Hokaben Festival, 93 Feet East, 7th to 9th November 2008

With a line-up that looked like an excerpt from Roger Mellys’ Profanisaurus, the Hokaben Festival installed itself into the heart of London’s Bangla City for three days of noise, mayhem and, obviously, curry. Do sing along: jalfrezi, frezi, frezi, frezi nights!

Remember Remember, Remember Remember; James Orr Complex, Con Favo (both Rock Action)

I just about remembered to get this post up on the fifth of November, but what with all that gunpowder, treason and plotting, i just plain forgot. Sorry. Governments don’t bring down themselves, you know (although the current UK government is trying its damnedest to achieve just that). Anyway, I’m finding that while I may have become less interested in the output of Mogwai themselves in recent years, I am increasingly intrigued by their Rock Action record label. They have couple of new releases out this month, including one by Graeme Ronald’s Remember Remember collective may be the best thing to emanate from that general direction yet.