Professor Haim Tabakman, Wesleyan’s Jewish Israel Distinguished Visiting Scholar, is counted amongst Israel’s ever-growing collection of highly talented filmmakers. He made his mark with the widely acclaimed 2009 drama, “Eyes Wide Open,” two years before he last taught at Wesleyan. This semester, he is teaching the fantastically interdisciplinary Revival of Israeli Cinema class. Below are snippets of his varied music library.

 

Aris San, “Bum Pam”

“Recommendation on behalf my son. It’s really joyous.”

 

Boom Pam, famous for “Alakazam”

“Great Israeli indie band. They incorporate all music: Balkan base beats, Greek influences, and Arabic influences, all in the mix.”

 

Pere Ubu, “Final Solution”

“Everything by their front-man, David Thomas, is prolific.”

 

The Melvins, “Houdini”

“It’s quite noisy, but it’s quite relaxing. They’re heavier. Their drummer, [Dale] Crover, was also the drummer for Nirvana’s first album.”

 

King Crimson, “Starless”

“Really powerful [piece] from the last album before they broke up.”

 

King Crimson, “Discipline”

“Totally different sound. Kind of an ’80s sound [and] very complex songs.”

 

The Day, “August & September”

“Very fixed sound, very complex lyrics. Very romantic and dark, kind of late dark ’80s [with] some jazzy influences.”

 

Neil Young, “On the Beach”

“My personal favorite Neil Young album—very personal. Almost heartbreaking to hear some of the lyrics.”