“Rest of Asia” polling results and Jamie Uhler’s musical lead-ins to HorrorFest on Monday Morning Diary (September 26)

 

by Sam Juliano

Jamie Uhler declares:   With us right on the doorstep of the Halloween season in October, I thought this year would be fun to prime the pump and build anticipation towards Horror movies by getting into another seasonal treat, the Autumnal Record. Thus over the next 9 days I’ll be offering some of my favorite LPs that give a decidedly Fall vibe (while not, um, offering any Mark E. Smith Fall records, at least this year!). As always these are discussion starters not enders, all these albums are available across most streaming sites and YouTube. Happy listening!

September 24 Richard & Linda Thompson – Shoot Out the Lights (1982) and Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend (1991)

I don’t necessarily think autumn is the time to throw in the towel on romantic or personal relationships, but when reflecting on the dying of the nicest days of the year, it’s hard not to dread the freezing temperatures that keep us confined to isolation indoors, especially for those of us that inhabit harsh weather climates. Any contemplation along these lines will surely lead one to Richard and Linda Thompson’s breakup record, the dismally bleak, but impeccable performed Shoot Out the Lights. Its cover begins the saga, Richard seated on the floor alone in a saturated, orange lit room under a portrait photo representation of his soon to be ex-wife Linda. The songs contained inside are no less depressive, the duo trade lead vocal duties back and forth track to track, as if to telegraph each of their own personal reasons for needed to end the marriage, the other being relegated to backup duty as if to say they both respect the decisions and the performer of them, just as they know that these are loves that will not be soon forgotten (if ever). The songs are then complex and warm in the coldest way possible, a couple known by fans as great artists who make great records at whatever the cost to their own personal hardships. Rediscovering this LP in the last year had more or less often stopped me in my tracks when its introspection swell about my apartment; ‘Walking on a Wire’ is Linda pleading for help as Richard’s sinewy guitar weaves through her, a favor he returns to her in ‘Man in Need’. ‘Shoot out the Lights’ is Richard’s great guitar epic on the album—he’s a truly special guitarist—the stereo mix allowing him to double his efforts in an orchestra of echo, a gunslinger anthem for creating darkness to abscond into. Elsewhere songs like ‘Just the Motion’ and ‘Wall of Death’ offer slowed aching sadness, becoming near Folk anthems for demise, a startlingly statement for a genre used to making such call and response pleas for righteous political action.

Matthew Sweet’s 1991 heartbreak opus Girlfriend, meanwhile, gains its power from not having the Linda to Richard (or Richard to Linda) opposite, instead beginning on his own, openly wondering just where (and how) he’s going to live post-breakup (‘Divine Intervention’). As an opener it’s great, calling into question God’s role in heartbreak and loss, roaring with noisy guitar breaks and echoed harmonies. He keeps most of the tunes in an amped up, heavy alternative guitar power Pop style where he sees love lost, but also what love could be; writing as many odes to what he hopes to have (the title track, ‘Girlfriend’), or, in the case of ‘Winona’, a track for actress Winona Ryder, what his wildest dreams in love could accomplish (see also ‘Looking at the Sun’). In the end it’s a wonderful record, and draped with its iconic cover—Tuesday Weld wrapped in chic ’60’s shawl coat faux-fur—a near perfect Americanized version of the coming nostalgic BritPop movement. Or, it’s just that idea of Power Pop Emo that Weezer would fully employ from Pinkerton until Maladroit, their last good record (‘Evangeline’ is the closest to this point, but ‘Does She Talk?’, and ‘Your Sweet Voice’s softness is as well).

Yeah, my parents were massive Paul Simon fans, almost more than Simon & Garfunkel so I knew most of his best solo LPs virtually by heart by like 12 years of age (my favorite is There Goes Rhymin’ Simon which I actually bought for a friend recently who, like you, became a father recently and I think so many of the songs are about that). So, while I know Simon & Garfunkel really well I’ve long almost… taken them for granted in a way. For some reason, this most recent listened the title track here blew me away to a level I never had felt though I’ve long felt it’s easily a masterpiece. I mean, I did by huge vintage Cerwin Vega speakers last year so maybe just the hugeness/volume I played it at opened it up. It’s like those Spector Righteous Brothers singles, there like… epic quiet songs. Whispered bombastic? A really interesting aesthetic.

September 23 Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) and Jackson C. Frank – Jackson C. Frank (1965)

Though I opened yesterday with perhaps my favorite LP within this specialized offering, today I begin with the album that most seem to instantly recognize as ‘the Autumnal record’, the last Simon & Garfunkel record, Bridge Over Troubled Water. It not only gives perhaps the track most associate with the season (‘The Only Living Boy in New York’) but also arrives as one of the Sixties most iconic, celebrated and heartfelt bands was breaking up. In short, it not only seemed to usher in seasonal change but also generational cultural change, arriving in January 1970 to officially close out the decade. Immediately, on first dropping the needle, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ arrives, Art Garfunkel pleading over an expertly written Simon ode. It aches, and, pairing it with today’s second pick, just breaks your heart in half (plus, in my estimation it’s one of rock’s greatest productions, its aural treats reward a curious listener). By the time side 1 closes with a traditional Peruvian song (‘El Condor Pasa (If I Could)’), the bouncy heartbreak of ‘Cecilia’ that’s also apparently about a four-legged friend, the Everly Brothers inflected ‘Keep the Customer Satisfied’ (to these ears the albums more underrated cut) and ‘So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright’, the duo has nearly achieved their prior masterwork, Bookends (1968). Side 2 is similarly brilliant offering the best reasons for inclusion under a ‘Autumnal records’ moniker (‘The Boxer’ and the aforementioned ‘The Only Living Boy in New York’) alongside ‘Baby Driver’ which foreshadows Paul Simon’s later solo triumph, ‘Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard’. As a swan song LP it’s tremendous, only perhaps dinged because it’s just that, and we wish the duo had several more releases together. 

Today it gets paired with the sole Jackson C. Frank LP for symbolic and personal reasons. It’s a near obvious fit—stylistically it’s also a New York City bred Folk LP and it just so happened to be produced by Paul Simon. But if the earlier record offers ‘The Only Living Boy in New York’ as its monumental effort for Autumn, I thought it a title that could nearly describe the singularly special but overwhelming sad fate of Jackson C. Frank. He was an isolated figure, not wholly sure on his talents, and after his self-titled debut did little in terms of sales, a trip to England was planned as the record was better received there. His mental state began to unravel—already a tenuous, fragile thing after he’d experienced a childhood fire killing several of his classmates that also physically wounded him—and as he returned home to upstate New York saw benefits dry up that were paying for his psychological care. Over the years any attempt to resurrect his career was fraught with increased trouble and deeper and deeper depression. He married, lost a son, and checked in and out of mental hospitals. By the 80’s he was living with his parents, but when he attempted a return to New York City to find Paul Simon and resurrect his career additional bad luck happened. He couldn’t find a sole who knew him and became homeless, then a happenstance tragedy occurred—he was shot by kids indiscriminately firing off a pellet gun and lost one eye—and by the end of the ’90’s he was again wayward, homeless and lost. He’d die of cardiac attention and pneumonia at 56 in early 1999 without ever being really celebrated or recording much again. Truly one of rock music’s sad fates, his sole released musical output in his lifetime a magisterial debut recorded when he was just 21 years of age. Jackson C. Frank is a wonderful record, leading off with perhaps his greatest work, ‘Blues Run the Game’ an epic tale of his life that far, that would, more or less, describe its entirety as well. It’s troubled with deeply personal, fatalistic lines, “me and room service/well we’re living a life of sin”, “when I’m not sleepin’/Well you know you’ll find me crying” and he ends it with a dark foreshadowing, 

Maybe tomorrow honey

Somewhere down the line

I’ll wake up older

So much older mama

I’ll wake up older

And I’ll just stop all my trying 

Elsewhere he sings of social justice (Medgar Ever’s in ‘Don’t Look Back’ which rivals Dylan’s ‘Only a Pawn in Their Game’), isolation (‘Yellow Walls’, ‘I Want to Be Alone (Dialogue)’, ‘You Never Wanted Me’), the emotional and physical toil of the changing of the seasons (‘Milk and Honey’, ‘The Visit’), the mysteries of life and death (‘Just Like Anything’, one of the album’s standout tracks), and faith (‘Prima Donna of Swans’) often in a bouncing, almost optimistic musical direction. He’s righteous just as he’s extremely fatalistic, and I can’t think of a better Folk album in its greatest period of commercial appeal. There are some just as good but no one tops Jackson C. Frank’s only album, an essential listen.  

With us right on the doorstep of the Halloween season in October, I thought this year would be fun to prime the pump and build anticipation towards Horror movies by getting into another seasonal treat, the Autumnal Record. Thus over the next 9 days I’ll be offering some of my favorite LPs that give a decidedly Fall vibe (while not, um, offering any Mark E. Smith Fall records, at least this year!). As always these are discussion starters not enders, all these albums are available across most streaming sites and YouTube. Happy listening!

REST OF ASIA FINAL RESULTS!!!!!

1.      Memories of Murder (Bong Joon-ho, 2003; South Korea) – 120

2.      The Housemaid (Kim Ki-young, 1960; South Korea) – 115

3.      Poetry (Lee Chang-dong, 2010; South Korea) – 106

4.      Burning (Lee Chang-dong, 2018; South Korea) – 104

5.      Parasite (Bong Joon-ho, 2019; South Korea) – 92

6.      Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2005; Thailand) – 91

7.      Himalaya (Eric Valli, 1999; Nepal) – 83

8.      Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…and Spring (Kim Ki-duk, 2003; South Korea) – 81

9.      The Scent of Green Papaya (Tran Anh Hung, 1994; Vietnam) – 77

10.  Mother (Bong Joon-ho, 2009; South Korea) – 75

11.  Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2005; Thailand) – 75

12.  Oldboy (Park Chan-wook, 2003; South Korea) – 68

13.  Cemetery of Splendor (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2015; Thailand) – 60

14.  Insiang (Lino Brocka, 1976; Philippines) – 50

15.  Manila in the Claws of Light (Lino Brocka, 1975; Philippines) – 49

16.  Melancholia (Lav Diaz, 2008; Philippines) – 48

17.  The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook, 2016; South Korea) – 43

18.  Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong, 2007; South Korea) – 41

19.  Christmas in August (Jin-ho Hur, 1998; South Korea) – 40

20.  The Story of the Weeping Camel (Byambasuren Davaa & Luigi Falorni, 2003; Mongolia) – 40

21.  Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (Kang Je-gyu, 2004; South Korea) – 40

22.  Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (Bae Yong-kyun, 1993; South Korea) – 40

23.  The Little Girl from Hanoi (Hai Ninh, 1974; Vietnam) – 39

24.  I Saw the Devil (Kim Jee-woon, 2010; South Korea) – 39

25.  The King and the Clown (Lee Joon-ik, 2005; South Korea) – 39

26.  Right Now, Wrong Then (Hong Sang-soo, 2015; South Korea) – 38

27.  Peppermint Candy (Lee Chang-dong, 1999; South Korea) – 36

28.  When the Tenth Month Comes (Dang Nhat Minh, 1984; Vietnam) – 29

29.  Chocolate (Prachya Pinkaew, 2008; Thailand) – 28

30.  From What Is Before (Lav Diaz, 2014; Philippines) – 28

31.  Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006; Thailand) – 27

32.  Cyclo (Tran Anh Hung, 1996; Vietnam)– 26

33.  The Host (Bong Joon-ho, 2006; South Korea) – 25

34.  On the Beach at Night Alone (Hong Sang-soo, 2017; South Korea) – 25

35.  Evolution of a Filipino Family (Lav Diaz, 2004; Philippines) – 24

36.  Snowpiercer (Bong Joon-ho, 2013; South Korea) – 24

37.  3-Iron (Kim Ki-duk, 2004; South Korea) – 23

38.  I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (Tsai Ming-liang, 2006; Malaysia) – 21

39.  Lady Vengeance (Park Chan-wook, 2005; South Korea) – 21

40.  Take Care of My Cat (Jeon Jae-eun, 2001; South Korea) – 21

41.  Tirador / Slingshot (Brillante Mendoza, 2007; Philippines) – 21

42.  Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Park Chan-wook, 2002; South Korea) – 20

43.  A Tale of Two Sisters (Kim Jee-woon, 2003; South Korea) – 20

44.  Tears of the Black Tiger (Wisit Sasanatieng, 2000; Thailand) – 20

45.  Thirst (Park Chan-wook, 2009; South Korea) – 20

46.  The Vertical Ray of the Sun / At the Height of Summer (Tran Anh Hung, 2000; Vietnam) – 19

47.  ILO ILO (Anthony Chen, 2013; Singapore) – 19

48.  The Raid: Redemption (Gareth Evans, 2011; Indonesia) – 19

49.  Century of Birthing (Lav Diaz, 2011; Philippines) – 18

50.  Serbis / Service (Brillante Mendoza, 2008; Philippines) – 18

51.  The Wailing (Na Hong-jin, 2016; South Korea) – 18

52.  The Cave of the Yellow Dog (Byambasuren Davaa, 2005; Mongolia) – 16

53.  Chunhyang (Im Kwon-taek, 2000; South Korea) – 16

54.  Himala / Miracle (Ishmael Bernal, 1982; Philippines) – 16

55.  Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Pawo Choyning Dorji, 2019; Bhutan) – 16

56.  Okja (Bong Joon-ho, 2017; South Korea) – 16

57.  Opera Jawa / Javanese Opera (Garin Nugroho, 2006; Indonesia)– 16

58.  S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (Rithy Panh, 2003; Cambodia) – 16

59.  Barking Dogs Never Bite (Bong Joon-ho, 2000; South Korea) – 15

60.  A Day Off (Lee Man-hee, 1968; South Korea) – 14

61.  Sepet / Chinese Eye (Yasmin Ahmad, 2004; Malaysia) – 14

62.  Silip / Daughters of Eve (Elwood Preez, 1985; Philippines) – 14

63.  Train to Busan (Yeon Sang-ho, 2016; South Korea) – 14

64.  Made in Bangladesh (Rubaiyat Hossain, 2019; Bangladesh) – 13

65.  Metro Manila (Sean Ellis, 2013; Philippines) – 13

66.  Tuya’s Marriage (Quan’an Wang, 2006; Mongolia) – 13

67.  The Missing Picture (Rithy Panh, 2013; Cambodia) – 12

68.  Autohystoria (Raya Martin, 2007; Philippines) – 11

69.  Bayan Ko: My Own Country (Lino Brocka, 1984; Philippines) – 11

70.  The Queen of Black Magic (Kimo Stamboel, 2019; Indonesia) – 11

71.  Be With Me (Eric Khoo, 2005; Singapore) – 10

72.  Independencia (Raya Martin, 2009; Philippines) – 10

73.  Kisapmata / In the Wink of an Eye (Mike De Leon, 1981; Philippines) – 10

74.  Oasis (Lee Chang-dong, 2002; South Korea) – 10

75.  Between Two Worlds (Vimukthi Jayasundara, 2009; Sri Lanka) – 9

76.  A Bittersweet Life (Kim Jee-woon, 2005; South Korea) – 9

77.  The Admiral: Roaring Currents (Kim Han-min, 2014; South Korea) – 8

78.  An Affair (Ishmael Bernal, 1982; Philippines) – 8

79.  After the Curfew (Usmar Ismail, 1954; Indonesia) – 8

80.  Bang Rajan / Legend of the Village Warriors (Tanit Jitnukul, 2000; Thailand) – 8

81.  Black Hair (Lee Man-hee, 1964; South Korea) – 8

82.  Blessings of the Land (Manuel Silos, 1959; Philippines) – 8

83.  Butterfly and Flowers (Euthana Mukdasanit, 1985; Thailand) – 8

84.  Changes in the Village (Lester James Peries, 1963; Sri Lanka) – 8

85.  The Chaser (Na Hong-jin, 2008; South Korea) – 8

86.  The Coachman (Kang Dae-jin, 1961; South Korea) – 8

87.  Dead Time: Kala (Joko Anwar, 2007; Indonesia) – 8

88.  The Day He Arrives (Hong Sang-soo, 2011; South Korea) – 8

89.  Death in the Land of Encantos (Lav Diaz, 2007; Philippines) – 8

90.  Gold, Silver, Death (Peque Gallaga, 1982; Philippines) – 8

91.  Grass (Hong Sang-soo, 2018; South Korea) – 8

92.  The History of Ha (Lav Diaz, 2021; Philippines) – 8

93.  A Hometown in Heart (Yoon Yong-gyu, 1949; South Korea) – 8

94.  In Front of Your Face (Hong Sang-soo, 2021; South Korea) – 8

95.  Joint Security Area (Park Chan-wook, 2000; South Korea) – 8

96.  Kinatay / The Execution of P (Brillante Mendoza, 2009; Philippines) – 8

97.  Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2021; Thailand) – 8

98.  Mukhsin (Yasmin Ahmad, 2006; Malaysia) – 8

99.  My Mother and Her Guest (Shin Sang-ok, 1961; South Korea) – 8

100.                      Pieta (Kim Ki-duk, 2012; South Korea) – 8

101.                      The Power of Kangwon Province (Hong Sang-soo, 1998; South Korea) – 8

102.                      The Raid 2 (Gareth Evans, 2014; Indonesia) – 8

103.                      Ramen Shop (Eric Khoo, 2018; Singapore) – 8

104.                      The Rocket (Kim Mordaunt, 2013; Laos) – 8

105.                      Sopyonje (Im Kwon-taek, 1993; South Korea) – 8

106.                      Taxi Driver: Citizen I (Chatrichalerm Yukol, 1977; Thailand) – 8

107.                      Tharlo (Pema Tseden, 2015; Tibet) – 8

108.                      Three Years Without God (Mario O’Hara, 1976; Philippines) – 8

109.                      Weighed But Found Wanting (Lino Brocka, 1974; Philippines) – 8

110.                      The White Silk Dress (Luu Huynh, 2006; Vietnam) – 8

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