2023 marks 35 years since the loss of Canadian experimental musician Bruce Haack, so he’s being commemorated in the latest release from the archives of Shimmy-Disc with a reissue of 1974’s weird, whimsical and wonderful Captain Entropy – to sum up, it’s music aimed at children which can be enjoyed by anyone, originally composed by Haack as ‘a participation journey for elementary and high-school people — through the soul of spaceship earth — from principles of thermodynamics to folks like the American eagle.’
The album’s being reissued tomorrow, so here’s a look at a new video for its focus track ‘Army Ants in Your Pants’, described by Haack way back as ‘a chance to belly dance while you learn some pretty heavy things about the social structure and group communications of certain insects. Very funny!” It joins previously released singles ‘Music’ and ‘Mallangong’, and not only is its parent record being pressed to vinyl, the download card includes 20 minutes of previously unreleased material.
Here’s Shimmy-Disc founder Kramer on Haack’s influence: “Haack was the consummate musician, but he was a composer first and foremost, and Shimmy-Disc is proud to partner with his estate in spreading the word about the sounds and visions of his life’s work. This reissue LP is only the beginning. Captain Entropy is no ‘novelty’ release made solely for kids. This record, like everything else Bruce Haack ever created, is for Everyone.’
Check out the video below:
