Complaints Choir
Helsinki – In Finnish, there is an expression ‘Valituskuoro’. It means ‘Complaints Choir’, and is used to describe a lot of people complaining at the same time. Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen in Helsinki took it literally and started the first such choir, in which those with a grievance can come together to express it chorally. There are now Complaints Choirs in over twenty-five countries and a documentary film on the movement was premiered at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival in November (see film still above). Some of the niggles sung in the film include ‘Is war our only export? I have nothing to wear. I am out of food. I hate my condo association.’ View the trailer here. www.bit.ly/E6ogi

Une longue nuit pour Tom Johnson
Paris – Tom Johnson (see p. 40) really is an American in Paris, though he’s been there for twenty-six years. He’s relaunched his website to coincide with his seventieth birthday and in addition to his catalogue, he has posted a number of his other writings. If your French is good enough, you can read about ‘Une longue nuit pour Tom Johnson’, a special birthday concert held last September. www.tom.johnson.org

We don’t care about music anyway…
Tokyo – Cédric Dupire and Gaspard Kuentz’s new film, We Don’t Care About Music Anyway… (Shai Productions), presents snap shots of Tokyo’s underground scene combined with a commentary on conformist consumer society. Beginning with several of the film’s protagonists in scrapyards on the outskirts of the city, creating instruments and sounds with what other people would consider waste, they throw themselves headlong into discussions about music, life and politics – combined with a number of beautifully shot concerts, which range from cacophonous industrial noise to energetic no-wave. Features Otomo Yoshihide, Sakamoto Hiromichi, Yamakawa Fuyuki, Numb and Saidrum. www.bit.ly/3LbaHY  and www.studio-shaiprod.com

Radio Wandelweiser
Haan, Germany – Tom Johnson describes how the Wandelweiser group convinced the royalty collecting agency GEMA to pay royalties for their often silent music (see p. 40) Tune in and hear some shouting, a long, quiet drone sound and some occasional heaving breathing. www.timescraper.de

The kids are alright
St Albans, England – While we’re getting to grips with digital times (see p. 17), the average fourteen to twenty-four year old has 8,159 tracks in their digital music collection – about seventeen days of continuous music, according to a new study. www.bit.ly/28wcqQ

Deep into the sea
Little Gransden, England – The Scottish–English folk trio Lau are impressive on record, but dig deeper live (see p. 60). Here, they perform ‘Sea’, from their album, Live at the Bongo. www.bit.ly/4jX0f

Stillness is the move
Mount Equinox, Vermont – Huskies, llamas, rotating guitarists, white shawls and woolly jumpers? (see p. Directed by Matthew Lessner, the video of the Dirty Projectors’ song ‘Stillness is the Move’ (see p. 51) suggests that this may just be that mountain of ‘great longing’. www.bit.ly/yZ9ML