‘who is this that comes out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense...’

horsemouth is hiding out at his parent’s house in the countryside. outside it is misty and rainy and grey. last night on tv far from the madding crowd (the john schlesinger one, cinematography by nicholas roeg, soundtrack by richard rodney bennett.

bennett used traditional folk songs (trevor lucas and isla cameron provide the vocals on a trio of folk songs in various scenes throughout the film) though he had in fact studied at the royal college of music with cornelius cardew (online someone is wrestling with cardew's treatise), attended darmstadt and studied under pierre boulez (as well as playing jazz paino). the soundtrack uses 12 tone technique (but sounds remarkably tuneful for all that).


the freya stark (the coast of incense: autobiography 1933-39) goes well - horsemouth can compare the autobiography (mostly assembled out of letters home) with the more polished travel books. 

horsemouth has compiled his books read, gigs attended, films watched list for 2018
(a little early).

in the books he notices 3 st.petersbergers of roughly the same era (blok, gogol, benois), in the films three time-loop films and a series - source code, dead the ends, the grudge (remake), 12 monkeys (series).  in the books two enjoyable horrors aylmer vance: ghost-seer - alice and claude askew, and the beetle - richard marsh (which outsold dracula at the time). no great theoretical efforts this year (in fact horsemouth overall is reading and watching less).

gig of the year - lankum, but honourable mentions for gwenifer raymond, stick in the wheel, V4V at the end of the year, alison mcdonnell and triple negative at the start.