A Sweeping Curve of Sound

Writer and Techgnostic Erik Davis (author of an excellently esoteric book concerning Led Zeppelin’s “IV”) weighs in on the recent Led Zeppelin reunion show, and what exactly the band was invoking that night.

“While the Zeppelin reunion show was indeed an invocation, what was really being invoked was not the devil but, well, the entertainment juggernaut that is Led Zeppelin. Market-wise, their live appearance was as well-timed as a bonfire on solstice: the band recently released their “new” Mothership collection, featuring barely a hair’s difference from their last new double-CD collection; there’s also a redux of the still-wack The Song Remains of Same. In October, the behemoths gave into the digital regime and agreed to offer up their catalog online—an agreement that brought them an increased royalty rate from their distributor Warner Music Group, who also negotiated to oversee their copyrights. (Sharks!) I just saw The Golden Compass, and was treated with a Verizon ad for Zeppelin downloads before the film—a movie that, now that I think of it, also features a airship beefed up with metallurgic technology. When I finally played the bootleg backwards, I distinctly heard the following during the awesome rendition of “Kashmir”: buyyy led seppelyn ringtonezz… “

Capitalism devours all, even Crowley-obsessed legendary bands it seems. But despite that, Davis is still a true believer.

“Feeding off this show at one remove, I was forced to recognize that I was still a believer, that live performance on a global stage can recall and retain something like majesty in our hypermediated age. Call it presence, if you will, or a piper’s call. I just know I wish I had been there.”

It remains to be seen if Led Zeppelin will continue to hold on to their legendary legacy in our digital age, will the sigil magick conducted in the sixties and seventies hold out?

Jimmy Page talks sigil magick with Guitar World magazine, and credits Led Zeppelin’s huge successes with the “alchemical process” of magick.

“You mean talismanic magick? Yes, I knew what I was doing. There’s no point in saying about it, because the more you discuss it, the more eccentric you appear to be. But the facts is - as far as I was concerned - it was working, so I used it. But it’s really no different then people who wear ribbons around their wrists: it’s a talismanic approach to something. Well let me amend that: it’s not exactly the same thing, but it is in the same realm. I’ll leave this subject by saying the four musical elements of Led Zeppelin making a fifth is magick into itself. That’s the alchemical process,”

Technoccult finds the bizarre Christian hate-site “God Hates Goths”.

“So let’s be straight here. Goths are the lowest form of human trash that has ever crawled upon this good clean earth. ‘Garbage people’ I call them, and I can assure you that is what they are. Freaks who worship the Devil, who take drugs and molest children, who have pre-marrital sex, who whore themselves, who are obsessed with Vampirism, and abuse handicapped kids, who promote cross-dressing and underaged homosexuality, who behave like wild violent animals that need to be put down, who cut themselves and try to get others to self harm, degrade themselves and attempt suicide and think it is acceptable behaviour.”

Pitchfork clues us in on the lunar-themed new album from A Silver Mt. Zion (coming in March).

Allow me, if I may, to blow your mind just a smidge: 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons, the forthcoming LP from Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, doesn’t start with Track 1 like, uh, every other album ever. No, 13 Blues begins at Track 13, fittingly. (The first 12 tracks are brief continuous drones.) An unlucky omen from the post-rockers, or just a way to confuse the heck out of your iPod? You’ll find out March 25, when Constellation Records releases the album on CD and 180- gram double-LP.

Finally, you want to hear some brand-new Portishead? Here is some recent live footage:

Can’t wait for the new album!