Stars of the Lid

SMM: Context

Record Review: Ghostly International’s SMM: Context

SMM: ContextV/A: SMM: Context (Ghostly International, 3/1/11)

Christina Vantzou: “11 Generations of My Fathers”

[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/11-Generations-Of-My-Fathers.mp3|titles=Christina Vantzou: “Generations Of My Fathers”]

In most cases, if the typical, well-respected independent label were to take a risk in compiling an ambient-heavy compilation with artists who were mostly unknown outside their respective hyper-insulated circles, most fans of that label would probably skip the compilation without much thought.

But then there is Ghostly International, a Ann Arbor, Michigan-based label with an eclectic roster comprising Matthew Dear, Loscil, Shigeto, and Dabrye, among others. For its new compilation record, Ghostly chose to dust off SMM, an offshoot of the label created back in 1994, to present a refined aesthetic within a particular — to borrow from the compilation’s title — Context.

Morrow vs. Hajduch

Morrow vs. Hajduch: Keith Kenniff’s The Last Survivor soundtrack

Scott Morrow is ALARM’s music editor. Patrick Hajduch is a very important lawyer. Each week they debate the merits of a different album.

Keith Kenniff: The Last Survivor soundtrackKeith Kenniff: The Last Survivor (Fake Four / Circle Into Square, 10/19/10)

Morrow: Screened at different independent film festivals earlier this spring and summer, The Last Survivor is a documentary film about the lives of four genocide survivors — one each from the Holocaust, Rawanda, Darfur, and Congo.  Its goal is to spread awareness of atrocities around the globe but also to inspire action and get genocide survivors involved in peace movements.

The film has won a handful of awards, including best documentary at the Oxford Film Festival, and it’s still presenting its survivors’ powerful stories around the country — notably with its first university screening at NYU in late October.

The Last Survivor Trailer from The Last Survivor on Vimeo.