TV-SARJAT

Twin Peaks (1990-1991). Tunnuksen on säveltänyt mahtava Angelo Badalamenti.

Mullan alla (2001-2005)

Kylmä rinki (1997-2003). HUOM! Saattaa järkyttää herkimpiä katsojia.

Klaani (1999-2003). Meryl Cassie - The Dream Must Stay Alive. Klaani oli ihan ykkössarja aikanaan! Se kertoi siis maailmasta, jossa virus oli tappanut kaikki aikuiset ja jossa oli jäljellä enää pelkkiä teinejä (jännissä maskeissa). Nuoret olivat jakautuneet erilaisiin klikkeihin ja ryhmittymiin, sarjan pääosajoukkio asutti muuan ostoskeskusta. Kunpa tätä sarjaa saisi ostettua jostain... Kappale sinällään on vähän kökkelö (lievää nenä-ääntä?), mutta toimii nostalgiannälkään varsin mainiosti. Sen on muuten esittänyt sarjan päänaispahista Ebonya näytellyt Meryl Cassie.

ELOKUVAT

Titanic (1997). Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On. Tämä kappale ylsi muuten taannoin AOL- & Spinner.com-internet-yhtiöiden kriitikoiden "Huonoimmat kappaleet ikinä" -listan sijalle kymmenen. Olen niiiiiin eri mieltä, mutta se voi toisaalta johtua tunnesiteestäni tätä elokuvaa kohtaan.

Donnie Darko (2001) Gary Jules - Mad World

Unelmien sielunmessu (2000). Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet - Lux Aeterna

EI NÄIN

Flipper & Lopaka (2001) -piirretyn Suomi-tunnari. Aaaargrhrgrhgr. Onkohan osa Idols-kokelaista hankkinut taitonsa laulamalla näiden Agapio Racing Team -yhtiön dubbaamien kappaleiden päälle? Jos järkytyit, saatat ehkä haluta järkyttyä vielä lisää jonkun tekemän sivun, jolle on koottu näitä helmiä, avulla. Lapset ansaitsevat parempaa.

Salatut elämät (1999-) Tämä joskus ollut pastellijumputi oli järkyttävä verrattuna alkuperäisiinkin (löydät ne YouTubesta, jos haluat.)

Listahan voisi olla aika loputon, joten päätän sen tältä erää tähän. Yritän taas aktivoitua täällä blogistanian ihmemaassakin. Pysykäähän siis linjoilla? :)

Algunas veces sucede, el personaje sustituye al escritor, la marca al producto, el intérprete al compositor. Kronos Quartet es uno de esos casos, así en vez de escuchar un disco de música mexicana, escuchamos un disco del cuarteto californiano.

El estilo de Kronos Quartet, les ha valido la fama que tienen, tan es así que bastantes compositores contemporáneos escriben obras específicamente para ser interpretadas por ellos. Un disco donde los Kronos imprimieran su estilo a algunas piezas representativas de la música en nuestro país es, cuando menos para mí, bastante interesante y el resultado lo es… bueno en algunas piezas. Lo que sucede es lo siguiente (pura opinión personal ustedes escuchen y juzguen), me da la impresión que los integrantes del cuarteto piensan sobre México lo que la mayoría de los gringos piensan, que en nuestro país todo es fiesta y borrachera, que nada es serio y por eso las piezas se tocan de manera tan “juguetona”, cosa que se escucha bastante bien en El sinaloense y Mini Skirt pero que no me agrada tanto en El llorar, o Perfidia y que desciende hasta la aburrida y tonta Chavosuite que a mi gusto es una broma bastante mala.  Pero el tono burlón no se permea por completo en el disco, así los Kronos tienen que ponerse serios a la hora de tocar Sensemaya de Revueltas.  Sé que parece que el disco no me gusta, pero es lo contrario, el disco me agrada mucho, sólo que no superó las expectativas que tenía. Buscando en internet me di cuenta que a muchas personas les molesta el que no se hayan tomado la molestia de incluir información sobre las piezas y sus compositores y que en cambio hayan entregado un collage colorido de fotos en las páginas del “librito” que acompaña el disco.  A mi las fotos me gustan, pero es de entender que aquellos que disfrutan de alguna pieza en particular quieran conocer más de ella y su compositor, afortunadamente el internet es una gran ayuda con eso, además que entre las imágenes se encuentra la mejor foto que he visto de Juan García Esquivel.

Como resumen, un buen disco con altos y bajos, por mi parte sólo quitaría la infame Chavosuite para estar del todo contento con él.

Descárgalo

Dejemos el rock de los camellos y nos entregamos a una pieza de gran belleza. La obra la escuché en la película "The Man Who Cried". En general el soundtrack es fenomenal, pero ésta pieza encierra una tristeza y una melancolía que llevan a los sentimientos a la frontera de las percepciones. Cuando sientan esa necesidad de rescatar algún pesar muy hondo y quieran desahogarse con el de a lado, pongan esta pieza; o simplemente escúchenla por el llano placer de oír algo verdaderamente magistral.

Avedrio

Link

Tudo de bom... Tudo de bom...

Ingram Marshall

Fog Tropes/Gradual Requiem/Gambuh 1 (New Albion 1994)

http://www.sendspace.com/file/n6qugm

An American composer whose works have been performed by the Kronos Quartet and Andy Summers of the Police, Igram Marshall's compositions run the gamut from Balinese fluting/electronic hybrids to orchestral works that sound like they were recorded at the bottom of a well. This is high praise indeed since his best efforts stand up to works by Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams, Iannis Xenaxis and others who pushed the gilded envelope of classical music.

The first piece "Fog Tropes" was composed in 1979 at the request of performance artist Grace Ferguson. Marshall wanted to create a piece reminiscent of the fog-shrouded bays of San Francisco, so he went around the waterfront and made numerous field recordings of different fog horns. Now, the end result sounds nothing like the flatulent fiesta you'd expect after a piece based on fog horns. Marshall marries queasy drones, unsettlingly dissonant strings and the soothing, but authoritatize blare of the fog horn to create a noirish soundtrack to 3am on a lonely pier.

The other two pieces "Gradual Requiem" and "Gambuh 1" have supposedly been altered to fit the theme of the opener. In particular, Gradual Requiem is an especially claustrophobic listen as the flutes become increasingly overdubbed and more intense until it resembles one of Jon Hassell's "Fourth World" multi-culti nightmares. Then, the insanity gently wanes and gives way to the most angelic mandolin playing this side of Heaven or Nashville.

Listen deeply and hear groundbreaking sounds; Listen shallowly and you have a majestic soundtrack to your morning crossword. Have a fucking crumpet while you're at it. Fog Tropes offers as much as you are willing to give.

Philip glass is a major inflence of mine and I thought I would share a few pieces of his that I love.

Note : These next few ones are all written for strings. not that I don't enjoy his piano work, but I didn't want to post pieces from all over his catalog.

1. String Quartet No. 5 - third movement (performed by Kronos Quartet) [audio http://www.intensivecareband.com/phil/kronos3.mp3]

2. Symphony #3, movement 2 (performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra) [audio http://www.intensivecareband.com/phil/sy3m2.mp3]

3. Symphony #3, movement 3 (performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra) [audio http://www.intensivecareband.com/phil/sy3m3.mp3]

Ayer en la madrugada me enteré que el famosisimo cuarteto de cuerdas "Kronos Quartet" (AKA: los encargados de hacer el soundtrack de Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, etc) tienen un disco donde hacen homenaje a la música y tradiciones folklóricas mexicanas. Este disco llamado "Nuevo" presenta covers de varios artistas mexicanos, representantes del folklore mexicano como Agustín Lara y Alberto Domínguez, obvio con el arreglo del cuarteto o de otros. Este disco me llamó la atención por su temática, pues me mama el folklore mexicano aplicado en otros estilos musicales. A continuación hago review en orden de las canciones del disco, aunque omito creo que dos:

El disco empieza con El Sinaloense, una canción que se escucha como si estuvieramos oyendo música de una de esas viejas consolas que parecian muebles elegantes, o algun otro aparato de peor calidad. Al principio esta canción asusta por la calidad de audio que tiene, pero después te das cuenta que logró hacer un buen intro a este disco. El final tiene un sonido de plaza de méxico, con la clásica grabación de un curandero recomendando ungüentos para el dolor de espalda, el calambre y la torcedura. La calidad de audio antiguo se queda atras, y el cuarteto empieza con un cover de Agustín Lara. Elegancia, como de salón de baile de méxico en la revolución. Al puritito estilo de Kronos Quartet, pero con la melodía de Se Me Hizo Fácil. Después empieza Mini Skirt. Esta canción como que se me hace de mais de esos del méxico viejo (AKA 1960) pero a la vez como de mais elegantes, pues hay partes donde parece como orquestra a la hollywood viejito.

El llorar es un tradicional son huasteco, donde de invitado tienen al maestro (aunque se ardan) Alejando Flores, un violinista que toca huapango y otros ritmos folkloricos con Café Tacvba y otras bandas. Se escucha el clásico canto del son huasteco, pero el violín no fue lo que esperaba, esperaba más arreglos asi estilo "Ojalá llueva Café" o "Las flores" pero en fin, hacen un buen trabajo en esta pieza. El siguiente cover, es del autor Alberto Domínguez. Esta canción se me hizo bastante especial por que segun unas fuentes, Kronos Quartet encontró a uno de esos viejitos que piden limosna en las plazas tocando con hojas de plantas o pasto. Lo incluyen de una manera genial, pues es no sé , extraño, un viejo de esos que tocan plantas o pedazos de pasto acompañado de un cuarteto de cuerdas al ritmo de Perfidia, se escucha muy cool.

Otra vez un sonido ambiental de México, seguido de la pieza en sí, que es como de un méxico prehispanico. Sensemaya presenta un ambiente como de suspenso, podría jurar que es el soundtrack de una película de mayas viejita o algo así, donde la historia se cuenta sin dialogos, al puro estilo mudo. Se escuchan tambores y demás instrumentos que hacen el ambiente más "salvaje".

En K'In Sventa Ch'Ul Me'Tik Kwadulupe se meten con la tradicional y muy mexicana creencia de la virgen de Guadalupe. Se escucha una melodía triste acompañada de marimba. En la pieza se escuchan voces de mujeres rezando en alguna lengua que no tengo puta idea cuál sea, pero que obvio es lengua mexicana, acompañados de guitarra acústica y un sonido haciendo el ambiente bastante agradable y relajante. Llega un momento donde los rezos son el enfoque principal, hasta que son rotos por un violín y una marimba bastante agradables, es una de mis piezas favoritas de este disco.

Tabu es una pieza con buen ritmo, estilo salón de baile de esos antiguos, como si se tratara del mismisimo bar Cumbala (referencia: La Maldita Vecindad), donde se puede imaginar una noche bastante agitada con muchas parejas bailando en la pista. Cutro Milpas empieza con un violín calmado, y poco a poco agrega más instrumentos hasta el final donde se incluye una de esas cajas de música que hasta hoy en día pueden ser vistas en el centro historico de méxico, tocadas por gente uniformada pidiendo cooperación.

Chavosuite es un suite de todos los temas de las series donde ha aparecido Roberto Gómez Bolaños, como El Chavo del 8, El chapulín colorado, etc. Yo nunca fui muy fan de estas series, pero reconozco su valor cultural aquí en méxico, pues marcó una época con todas esas series que son famosas hasta hoy en día. Las piezas, a pesar de que las originales pues se me hacen bastante arbitrarias, me gustaron bastante por el modo en que el cuarteto las ejecuta, es bastante interesante esta canción.

En Nacho Verduzco se escucha un ritmo norteño, con el clásico ritmo duranguense que jamás cambia. Se oye un acordeón y un violín percudido, al mero estilo de música de feria de pueblos mexicanos. 12/12 es una canción compuesta por Café Tacvba, donde inician con música de danza prehispánica, para después seguir con guitarra acústica y todos los instrumentos del cuarteto. Esta pieza es bastante calmada y la más larga de todas, donde a veces meten música de danza folklorica con tamborcitos loleros y flautas prehispánicas. Después llega un momento donde le meten un poquito de música electrónica y un sonido muy a la Revés/Yo soy, disco instrumental de Café Tacvba.

Bueno ese fue mi punto de vista de "Nuevo". A continuación les dejo dos links, donde encontrarán la primer parte del disco y la segunda respectivamente. Recuerden que estos archivos que les proporsiono deberán ser eliminados tras 24hrs a menos que compren el material original (!). Además estos links caducarán al cumplirse 100 descargas o 7 días de antiguedad a partir de la fecha que tiene este post.

-DESCARGA PT.I-
-DESCARGA PT.II-
PASSWORD: LaMuerteChiquita

Later.

Sigue el Tarantwitter

Vincenzo invited me over for dinner after my good friend Francisco described my elation when I discovered this incredible, albeit distant, connection with the Kronos Quartet. Just a few minutes before I was due to leave for dinner, I frantically scavenged the house, desperately seeking an object on which he could put his John Hancock. What would be most memorable? My violin case? My metronome? My beaten part of Astor Piazzolla's Kronos-Quartet-dedicated "Four, For Tango"?

Alas, I did not find an object worthy of such a prodigious autograph. But I did shake the hand that bowed the glorious cello parts of the last few years of the Kronos Quartet's work. And I did get a picture with the famed Jeff Zeigler (even though I am not particularly fond of my bizarre formation of bangs in this picture...). They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Is that equivalent to a thousand autographs?

It took me an hour or so to get comfortable with the idea that I was talking to Jeff Zeigler. The Jeff Zeigler. But by the time we sat down to a wonderfully delicious home-cooked meal, Jeff Zeigler went from an untouchable celebrity to an awesomely cool guy: sweet caring, and bloody brilliant.

It makes me sad to say that this was the first time I had ever seen the Kronos Quartet (or a subset of the Kronos Quartet) in person. I have never been to a Kronos Quartet concert--I have only admired their work through the distant media of the internet. Again and again I have clicked "replay" to marvel at recordings posted on YouTube. Ahh, the Kronos Quartet. Why art thou so amazing?

After standing in awe before Jeff Zeigler, posing with him for a fabulous photo, and marking my calendar for his next performance, I still remember my first exposure to the glory of the Kronos Quartet. My quartet and I crowded ourselves around the speakers of my desktop and listened to their recording of "Four, For Tango." It became the first piece we performed as the Amani String Quartet. We never got a fancy stage, let alone a magnificent audience of Kronos Quartet fans, but we had fun. Cool piece, I'd say. And I am not usually one for music written after the death of Brahms. Unless of course, it's performed by the Kronos Quartet.

Branca hasn’t even visited Seattle in 20 years, when he played to an audience of about 100.

No mean feat, as it’s nearly impossible there to get a tenth of that number into one place for anything unhyped, even for five minutes, unless by accident or there’s already a line around the block, let alone the 10 minutes it takes to perform Branca’s Light Field (in Consonance) as arranged for string quartet and premiered for the West Coast on April 29, 2006, by Kronos at the Moore, on 2nd Ave. My first time with live Branca.

It was the last piece of the first half of the program, following a cool new work by Jim Thirlwell, Nomotophobis; a gimmicky, dated tape piece called Cercle du Nord III by Derek Charke; a generic-sounding raga by Ram Narayan; and an Iraqi folk song, “Oh Mother, the Handsome Man Tortures Me,” which was enjoyable enough, from what I remember—the audience, at least, supplied the right amount of politically correct applause.

Because a Glenn Branca piece closed the first half of the program, I expected a wilder response. You know, loud clapping, some whistles, maybe even a standing ovation. Instead, the listeners—an odd mix of middle-aged squares and sheepish hipsters, in other words, pretty much the definition of the Northwest demographic—just wanted to shove down the ramp, belly to the bar, and push outside to light up, during the intermission, as there’s no smoking allowed in public indoor spaces anymore, in this neo-puritan culture.

Branca himself continues to be an unabashed smoker.

Anyway, Branca’s was by far the oldest work here to be performed. It dates from 1980, was released in 1981 on The Ascension, and originally had rock instrumentation, as does much of Branca’s music. The Iraqi song may be legendary, and the Azerbaijani mugams reimagined in the second half of the program by Rahman Asadollahi positively ancient, so they don’t count.

Branca’s was the most challenging work here, too. Kronos might've ushered Asadollahi and his drummer, dressed in native costume, onto the stage—still occupying their roles as commissars of cultural custodialism. But Branca, not physically present, unlike many of Kronos’s guests, represented a far more compelling instantiation of the vernacular as refracted through compositional and performative rigor.

Yeah, that was a bunch of big, long words. But the music said it all.

The immediate quick pickin’ demanded of the guitarists in the original arrangement obviously presented a challenge even to the he-men of Kronos, who are known for their stamina. They premiered Morton Feldman’s five-hour-long second String Quartet (he wrote it for them), after all, but this was back when there was still a woman in the group. They scratched Branca’s piece to such a degree—and I mean that in a good way—it seemed few people in the audience knew of its provenance in rock, or more of its members would’ve hooted for it in the same way they did for the Thirlwell and Sigur Rós.

Branca has the strings play a series of repetitive, antiphonal runs, setting up drones and overtones, while modulating slowly, almost contrapuntally, before breaking down into more delicate though more syncopated hocketing, and then rise again to a complexly modulated peroration.

The drumming in the original serves a similarly spatial function. As with much minimalist music, the pulse anchors the meter. In Branca’s work, the drums also play decidedly off the beat, such that they sound as though they’re coming from another performance, even another part of town, creating an environmental effect comparable to that of walking, say, the length of Broadway on a Saturday afternoon, when you hear any number of sounds and forms of music from all directions, and you’re welcome to assemble them, imaginatively, in any way you like. Branca’s repetitions, in turn, even when played on two violins, viola, and cello, become percussive. He learned a lesson from minimalism, to blur foreground and background, despite having the lines move at two distinct tempos, and has made the technique his own.

Rock has been described as the folk music of the United States. If that’s the case, Branca’s music derives, in part, from sources far older than any of us, but bent sharply enough through punk and noise to make the music normally thought of as folk seem to be a bit of a put-on. Which is why, for me, even though Branca wasn’t there, he stole the show from the foreign-born folk accordionist, who supposedly was the star attraction of the evening.

Va las mai jos un mic video cu piesa "Travelling Birds" a islandezilor de la Sigúr Ros interpretata de Kronos Q. A sunat de un milion de ori mai bine in fata scenei.

Mic CV: De-a lungul carierei lor, Kronos Quartet au avut multe colaborari cu “parintele minimalismului” Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Sigur Rós, Nine Inch Nails sau Amon Tobin. Kronos Quartet au aparut live alaturi de Allen Ginsberg, Zakir Hussain, Björk, Tom Waits sau David Bowie si au contribuit la albumele unor trupe sau muzicieni ca Faith No More, Dave Matthews, Nelly Furtado sau Rokia Traoré.
Muzica cvartetului Kronos a fost folosita in filme ca Requiem For A Dream, The Fountain, Heat, 21 Grams sau True Stories.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND
"Vampire Weekend"
Vampire Weekend / XL Recordings 2008
>>3<<<
www

Aż zacząłem się niepokoić z powodu braku następców Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Ale jeśli Vampire Weekend - kolejni modni i eleganccy nowojorczycy nawiązujący do lat 80. - będą się wypalać tak szybko, to nie starczy nawet na półtorej płyty. Ktoś to nieźle skomentował na RYM: "Po kolejnym przesłuchaniu doszedłem do wniosku, że nie są tak dobrzy jak Vampire Weekend". Nie ulega wątpliwości: szyte jest to-to bardzo grubymi nićmi. Lepiej kupić "Graceland" Paula Simona, lepiej kupić "Remain in Light" Talking Heads. Ucho mają chłopaki niezłe i pamięć niezgorszą, gorzej z wyobraźnią i tak zwanym "wkładem własnym". W dodatku nic nie poradzę na to, że po piątym przesłuchaniu niektóre fragmenty tej króciutkiej (o, czy już mówiłem, że to jedna z zalet?) płyty stają się po prostu nieznośne. Najlepsze numery: "One (Blake's Got a New Face)" i "Oxford Comma" - bo lubię jak ich wokalista robi to coś, co w Tyrolu nazwaliby jodłowaniem. Niektórzy próbują ten album analizować. Ale po co analizować, gdy się nie chce słuchać? Ciekawe, lecz głupawe.

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CHAUCHAT
"Upon Thousands"
Yer Bird 2008
>>>>5<
Yer Bird

Też lata 80., ale jakie inne... Sonic Youth, Dinosaur jr., nawet trochę Red House Painters. Nie ma tej lekkości i egzotyki co VW, za to o ileż większy ciężar gatunkowy. No i solidność, nienachalna melodyjność w dobrym amerykańskim stylu. Teraz już mnie nie dziwi, że grają tyle lat - bo Chauchat to wcale nie atrakcja jednego sezonu, o nie. Charakterystyczny głos jęczącego wokalisty może trochę przeszkadzać co wrażliwszym (emocjonalny jest po prostu niejaki Tyler Whitney - trochę casus Band of Horses), a płyta nastręczać problemów z zakupem (nie ma nawet na Amazonie), ale proponuję słuchać wielokrotnie, bo apetyt rośnie w miarę. Chyba że ktoś od razu posłucha "I Grew Up in the Shadow of Your Death Drive" - znam reakcje natychmiastowego olśnienia po przesłuchaniu tego numeru, wciąż jednym z najlepszych, jakie słyszałem w tym roku. Przy rozsądnym przeliczniku dolarowym zakup tej płyty wraz z przesyłką to jakieś 35 złotych, więc nie zastanawiałbym się długo. I bez żadnych złudzeń - gdy piszę te słowa, w EMPiK-u za identyczne pieniądze proponują "Karaoke z Bebe Lilly".

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NEW YORK CRASNALS
"Faces and Noises We Can Make"
Kuka Records 2008
>2<<<<
www

Grudniowa płyta, która dotarła do mnie późno - długo po kompilacji w hołdzie Joy Division, która pokazywała możliwości New York Crasnals w ograniczonym zakresie. Wiemy z niej, że grają równo i mrocznie. To już coś. Recenzje krzyczą, że post-rock. Post-rock to może i jest, ale grany ciężko, na modłę grunge'u i ponuro na modłę właśnie Joy Division. Czyli polska specjalność. Każdy miał w życiu zespół licealny, przynajmniej każdy, kto zaliczył liceum. Jedne były lepsze, inne gorsze, ale żeby z najlepszego nawet zespołu licealnego wyszedł świetny zespół rockowy tak po prostu trzeba tego czegoś: determinacji, siły, własnego języka i ewolucji. Po prostu niektóre licealne zespoły nigdy nie ewoluują. Krasnalom życzę jak najlepiej, ale w przeciwieństwie do Vampire Weekend powinni słuchać znacznie więcej niż w tej chwili słuchają. I od dziś nie dotykać płyt zespołu Coma.

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KRONOS QUARTET and WU-MAN
"Terry Riley: The Cusp of Magic"
Nonesuch 2008
>>>4<<
Kronos Quartet

Najlepiej wypromowany kwartet klasyczny wśród fanów rocka i najważniejszy kompozytor minimalistyczny dla fanów rocka. Do tego grająca na pipie (to taki, hm, instrument - gdyby ktoś nie wiedział) Chinka Wu Man, czyli odrobina egzotyki. W sumie gładkie wejście w świat muzyki współczesnej, gdyby ktoś miał na to ochotę. I wejście zwodnicze, bo to niemalże płyta dziecięca: egzotyczne melodie, pozytywkowe motywy, stosunkowo łatwe harmonie, nawet bęben basowy uderza tu (napędzany nogą jednego z członków kwartetu, jak widać na zdjęciu we wkładce), całkiem zresztą miarowo. Nie jest to wprawdzie house'owe 4/4, a sam podkład to dużo wyżej niż "Buddha-Bar" (jest za to utwór "Buddha's Bedroom", zresztą najciekawszy w zestawieniu), nie wystraszy znajomych zaproszonych na kolację, ale ciągle intrygujące. Może się podobać - to w tym wypadku chyba najlepsze określenie dla tej sympatycznej płyty. Tyle że słyszałem już lepsze utwory Rileya. I lepsze płyty Kronos Quartet.

Michael-Bradley's Picks

1. Hella - The D. Ekan/Biblical Violence

Welcome to Hella (You're Gonna Live!). This is one of my favorite bands of all time. They're just the best. It took me about a year of listening to them though to begin liking or comprehending them though. At first it will sound like total chaos to you-guaranteed. It takes a bunch of listens to understand what exactly you're hearing. I would characterize it as a brutal version of math rock. This is the first song off their first full length (Hold Your Horse Is). Just a guitarist and a drummer. The drummer, Zach HIll, is probably the sickest drummer alive. He just kills it. I love it. For those who don't think they could actually play like that in real life, think again: Hella on YouTube.

2. The Plugz - El Claro y La Cruz

I wrote about these guys in my first blog ever, and noticed it was catching some views of late. Again one of my favorite early LA Punk Bands. This song is probably where they mixed their punk and latino styled best. I first heard this off the Repo Man soundtrack.

3. Butthole Surfers - Cherub

I just bought an original pressing of this vinyl (Psychic....Powerless...Another Man's Sac) last week at Amoeba. I want to write about these guys soon so I won't get into too much detail. Probably best known for their hit single Pepper from the 90's, they started off as a completely drugged out punk band in the early 80's out of San Antonio. Psychedelia and punk rarely join forces so the results are pretty interesting. This one in particular is a real psych rocker.

Jonathan's Picks

1. Heavy D. & The Boyz - Now That We Found Love

Earlier this week I pretty much savaged longtime Hip Hop/R&B producer Teddy Riley in my review of Snoop Dogg's new album. While I stand by my negative opinions of Riley's recent work, the same cannot be said about his past productions. Bobby Brown, Guy, New Kids on the Block, Michael Jackson, and of course, Blackstreet all benefited from Riley's R&B expertise. But that was 20 years ago. And while many people may remember Teddy Riley for "My Prerogative" and "No Diggity," few know of his hand in Heavy D. & the Boyz' 1991 classic single, "Now That We Found Love." Now you do.

2. Tupac Shakur - Heartz of Men

In my review I wasn't exactly easy on DJ Quik either, the third member of the newly formed production team QDT (Quik, Dogg, & Teddy). But like Teddy Riley, Quik still deserves props for much of his early production work. And though he found his niche in gangsta rap rather than pop music, Quik turned out serious beats for both 'Pac and Snoop Dogg a few long minutes ago, as well as one of the funkiest hip hop songs (and videos) ever, "Break Bread," by Flexxarally & AMG. To me, "Heartz of Men" is a perpetually underrated Tupac track, not often mentioned among his best work. And a big part of what makes it great is DJ Quik's sick beat. Just try not to move your head once 'Pac hits his stride on this one.....It's impossible. This is just hip hop.

3. Beyoncé - Beautiful Nightmare (Advance)

I mentioned this song a couple of weeks ago while talking about the increased used of prominent synth sounds in American hip hop and R&B, which I think is a great thing. Now technically this new Beyoncé track hasn't been released yet -- only leaked to a few places -- but word is that "Beautiful Nightmare" will serve as the first single from B's upcoming album. While it has been reported that Timbaland has agreed to do much of the production for the new album, Freemasons, top-shelf dance producers from the UK, have also signed on to the project. (More synths). All that aside, there is still some controversy surrounding the production of this particular track, with some sources crediting Polow da Don and others crediting Jim Jonsin. Given the synthy baseline and the fact that the track was mysteriously leaked, it sounds like Polow to me. But either way, the track's still hot and a good indication of what's to come from Beyoncé.

roswellmueller's Picks

1. The Microphones - The Glow, Pt. 2

Its album's title track, it seems fitting that The Glow, Pt. 2 somehow manages to touch on so many of the places explored throughout the album, unfolding like a preview for sounds to come. As usual, Phil Elvrum's use of lo-fi recording ads elements of both intimacy and fierce intensity. If you haven't heard of the Microphones, I can't recommend this album highly enough - a true favorite.

2. Philip Glass, Performed by the Kronos Quartet - String Quartet no. 5, V

Whenever I try and convince people that classical composition has more to offer than ridged baroque structure I play them this track from a collection of Philip Glass' string quartet's. I don't expect to change too many minds, but this is an amazing piece of musicianship and composition.

Carman's Picks

1. Noah Howard Quartet - Apotheosis

ESP-Disk was a label founded in 1966 with the intention of releasing Esperanto-based music. However, by their second release, The Albert Ayler Trio's superb Spiritual Unity, they had already branched out into improvisational jazz and there was no turning back. One of the 45 gems from their first 18 months in existence was by a then-unknown saxophonist named Noah Howard who at the age of 23 recorded his first album as a bandleader with 1966's Noah Howard Quartet. According to the liner notes of one of his earliest records, Howard was among the "first generation of post-Ornette Coleman saxophonists," having been inspired by the reinvention of the genre that Coleman brought. Like most American free jazz musicians, Howard would defect to Europe where they were welcomed with open arms and continue recording (still to this day!), but my favorite record of his remains his debut. The collective gusto and intensity that both Howard and trumpeter Ric Colbeck play with on this record is unparalleled by any other woodwind/brass tandem I've ever heard.

2. Jackie McLean & The Cosmic Brotherhood - New York Calling

Like Howard above, McLean was welcomed in Europe by the Danish label SteepleChase when he was released by Blue Note, for whom he released almost a decades worth of material. Through SteepleChase he released more albums through the 70s with his new group The Cosmic Brotherhood. The year 1974 saw the release of New York Calling, an ode to his bustling hometown. McLean's saxophone is obviously the main thrust of this song that captures the energy of the city, but I always found the performance of pianist Billy Gault to be the highlight of the song as it recalls the meticulous arrangements of George Gershwin, a man who also perfectly captured the spirit of The Big Apple.

3. John Cale - Child's Christmas in Whales

It's so unfair to me that Lou Reed was always hailed as the genius behind the Velvets when plenty of credit should also go to Cale. Cale's post-VU resume is certainly stronger than Lou Reed's, with production credits including The Stooges, Patti Smith's Horses, and most of The Modern Lovers along a string of solid and experimental solo albums that Lou Reed can't even hold a candle to (sorry, but Transformer is waaaaay overrated). This gem opens Cale's excellent Paris 1919, and right away it showcases the pomp and flowery string arrangements by Cale and his erudite brand of songwriting that make Paris such a wonder.

Download this week's Friday Writers' Bloc Playlist HERE

Of course, the most frustrating portion of these festivals is the opportunity to see a wide variety and assortment of acts, and then never hearing their music or their collaborations again. In recent years, Bridge School has started recording and releasing acts by the artists, but it seems to me that in this day of high quality live recording and digital distribution, it shouldn't be that difficult to release an entire live set from one of these festivals a few days after it ends.

For the charitable festivals (Outside Lands/Bridge School), this can increase the revenue poured into the cause, and for artist-centered festivals, it can help increase their revenue from the show. But really, it's the unique collaborations that happen on stage between dissimilar artists that are usually the highlights of these shows. Tom Waits performing with the Kronos Quartet at Bridge School, Tom Petty sharing the stage with Neil Young. These are musical moments that are incredibly memorable to the audience ("Man, you should have been there when X and Z performed together!") but retaining the way it sounded in your mind is much more difficult over time.

Now, with the line-up at this year's Lollapalooza, featuring distribution revolutionaries Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead, odd couple Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, Broken Social Scene, G. Love and Special Sauce and the rapidly diversifying Kanye West, the potential combinations are endless. How about Trent and Thom settling their digital download dispute through a mash-up of "Hurt" and "Idioteque?" Or Kanye and Barkley going "Crazy" over "Diamonds From Sierra Leone?"

Well, in an idea that sounds like it came straight from the MixMatchMusic garage, Farrell has announced that he will be attempting to collaborate with the Empire that is Apple and iTunes to release iTunes-only music from the festival in digital formats that could include on-stage collaborations followed up with studio releases of those collaborations for download. Whether Farrell is actually focusing on the release of the live performances isn't too clear, but he talks openly about his idea of having bands who have performed on stage together at the concert working through the internet and various worldwide recording studios to put the songs together in a more polished format.

The talk of all of these artists coming together in music in some way gets my pulse racing. One can only hope now that Farrell doesn't stop short. Sure, the idea of studio versions of these collaborations is very cool, but he should well know that with a festival like this, fans would love to get their hands on copies of the entire live set, and will certainly want to download the various combinations of these artists. All that's left is to let Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails debate over which file format the songs should be available in to download.

I don't really feel like braving the wind (and now I will imagine that is truly catastrophic wind, even if it is not) so I think we will just hang around here today. I am so tired. Maybe I will have a nap! A nap? I cannot wait (but I must).

So I noticed that my blog is getting a decent amount of hits. This makes me happy! Mostly lurkers, I imagine- but that does not bother me. I will, however, be updating my blogroll today so: if you want to be listed just leave a comment!

And do this! Answer some questions in the comments. It will be fun!! I want to be amused by other people's answers today. My son is preoccupied with small boy business and I am really not in the mood to do housewife-y stuff all day. Indulge me! Take a minute and do my list-y thing!

I will go first (and bore people with things they already know about me).

If you don't give me any answers then you are no fun!!!

Favorite day of the year: Halloween! But I am not goth, right? I just love fall and dressing up and walking around in the dark!

Favorite song TODAY: Kronos Quartet- White Man Sleeps #1 (From White Man Sleeps). I just listened to it a few minutes ago and noted that it made sense with today, the wind... it gets this slot today.

Favorite food: sweet curry. I wish I could say spicy, but I can't. This is like a metaphor for my life, you know? I wish I could say I was spicy rather than sweet.

Last movie watched: "The Devil and Daniel Webster" or "The Shortcut to Happiness" and, uhm, this says nothing about me. Nothing. I saw it and watched it and it was something to do.

Book currently reading: "The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon", Richard Zimler. I am about 20 pages in.

Something you plan to do today: Clean a few drawers. Stir fry a little tofu and cabbage. It is going to be an exciting day!

Something you regret today: Two cups of coffee.

Three guilty pleasures you are willing to share (this is the fun one):

-Greasy, cheap, chinese food. I eat it like twice a year, but the guilt and the pleasure is there every second of the experience

-Listening to Smashing Pumpkins "Bodies" when I am alone in the car and remembering what it was like to be 19. I do this and now the world knows!!! When my husband talks about bands, well that band, I act like I give him a sort of judgmental lack of feedback.

-1.00 nail polish in garish colors from the grocery store/drug store. I keep it in a separate bag in the bathroom and wear it in crazy rotations in the summer. I keep a few pricier bottles in the cabinet AS IF I AM A PERSON WHO CARES.
So there... my answers... come on!! I know you want to!!!!!!

Pentru Lenny, the magic happens pe Stadionul Controceni in 26 iulie 2008. Inca nu se stie cat vor costa biletele insa na.. Le poti cumpara de unde le cumperi de obicei: magazinele Diverta si www.myticket.ro.

Kylie vine nitel mai repede, in 17 mai, tot pe Stadionul Cotroceni. Si ca sa vezi, tot de la Diverta si myticket.ro poti sa-ti iei bilete. Se promoveaza astia de la Diverta cu concertele astea de n-ai treaba. Ca s-o vezi pe Kylie mai de la departare tre' sa dai 70 RON ceea ce e ok. Mai departe, pretul urca la 95 RON, inca doable as zice, dar sa te tii: urca in continuare la 130 (woah), 200 (double woah) siiii.. 400 RON (asta-i deja de omg). Na. Ce tre sa mai stii despre concertul lui Kylie in afara faptului ca daca vrei s-o vezi de aproape tre sa mori de foame o luna? Hm. Cred ca nimic. :D

Asa ca sa trecem la Iron Maiden. Not much of a fan, dar ce conteaza? Nenicii astia vin cel mai tarziu, in 4 august, tot pe Stadionul Cotroceni. Doamne Doamne, ce loc popular. De unde iti iei bilet? Hai ca stii si fara sa iti zic eu. Di... di... Diverta! si myticket.ro bineinteles. Ei te lasa sa-i vezi putiiiin mai ieftin, biletele urcand de la 50 RON, trecand aaaall the way prin 75 , 130, 180 si oprindu-se la lucky number 240 RON. Nu-i moca, dar macar nu-i 400.

In fine. Now that we got that out of the way, putin mai aproape e Laurent Garnier care vine in 9 februarie in Studio Martin. Hei. Acolo am avut noi balu' bobocilor la facultate. Yay. :D

Si tot destul de aproape sunt Kronos Quartet, in 11 mai 2008. Unde? La Stadionul Cotroceni ! Nu. Glumesc. :P Ei vin la Sala Radio. Nici aici nu stiu sa-ti spun cat costa, dar in caz ca-ti suna cunoscut numele si nu stii de unde sa-i iei, o sa-ti spun eu. Requiem for a dream, baby, Requiem for a dream. Ei au pus in practica ce-a gandit Clint Mansell. Na. Ce altceva sa-ti zic.

A! Mai avem Camouflage in 19 ianuarie la Casa de Cultura Preoteasa. They come cheap. 50 RON daca-ti iei din timp. Daca te trezesti in ziua in cauza, va trebui sa scoti din buzunar 60 RON. Da' tot e ok.

Asta ca sa nu mai zic de Live From Buena Vista - The Havana Lounge in 10 februarie la Sala Palatului. Aici se reunesc cei mai smecheri oameni din muzica traditionala cubaneza, toti membri ai orchestrelor Afro-Cuban All Stars, Buena Vista Social Club, Sierra Maestra si Tropicana. Talk about diversity.

Nici nu a inceput 2008 si deja avem 7 concerte pe 'playlist'. Asta ca sa nu mai zic ca vine B'estFest (Asa-i zice mai nou B'estival-ului, ca sa se evite eventualele confuzii ce s-ar putea face intre dansul si alte variatii europene pe-aceeasi tema.). Si Coke Live. Si Delta Music Fest. Asta in caz ca se mai tin. Oricum, se anunta a fi un an destul de fain din perspectiva concertelor, so what can i say. Party on.

The Kronos Quartet offer an audio player at their website that allows interested parties to listen to some of the new releases in full. Featured audio tracks include:

Another Version of the Truth- Nine Inch Nails,Kronos Quartet, and Enrique Gonzalez Muller

Lost in the Harbor - Live with Tom Waits

Flugufrelsarinn -- Sigur Ros

String Quartet No. 5, Mvt. III--Philip Glass

And I am doing everything in my power to keep a diamond in my mind.

As for the mixing and matching…take multiple well-known and wealthy musical artists. Sprinkle in some lesser known artists that deserve some spotlight. The resulting line-up always covers an incredible spectrum of genres, and as a result, brings in one of the most diverse and eclectic concert going crowds you might ever see. Then, you make all of the artists, even those known for rocking hard, switch to acoustic for the event. Finally, you have all of these musicians and music fans coming together to support and donate to children that, for the most part, they could never imagine being in the shoes of.

So just how diverse are the musicians? This year’s show featured Regina Spektor, Tegan and Sara, My Morning Jacket, John Mayer, Tom Waits with the Kronos Quartet, Neil Young, Jerry Lee Lewis and Metallica. Yes, Metallica, at an acoustic show.

I missed Regina Spektor's set.

But we’re there in time for Tegan and Sara, which was one of the groups I was interested in seeing. Virtual nobodies before and now starting to bud on the national music scene, Tegan and Sara is one of those groups that got sprinkled into the Bridge School Benefit of 2000, which is where I first heard of them. Scared little children on a stage, they still put on a duo acoustic set that prompted me to download their music and get into them. Now, 7 years later, here we both were at completely different parts in our lives. I’m in the middle of telling some people, “I saw them for the first time when they played Bridge School,” when they tell the crowd, “the first time we came here, it was for Bridge School and we were 19.” It was nice to see them make their Bridge School return, now quite a bit more mature, with a band backing them, and a second cd to draw music from. They bicker on stage a bit, but I believe they do this to entertain the audience, although, sometimes it’s a bit embarrassing as you end up feeling that you’ve walked into a private family meeting. The highlights of their set are “I was 19,” “Like O, Like H,” and “Back In Your Head.”

Eddie Vedder and Flea were supposed to play after Tegan and Sara, but due to personal problems of Vedder’s, they had to cancel and were replaced by My Morning Jacket. I have never heard of this group before, and if the set they put together yesterday was any indication, I never want to again.

John Mayer, at least in my personal opinion, falls into that annoying category of singer/songwriters that succeed due to mass marketing, cheesy songs, romantic expectations and a sound simple enough that the general public goes, “oooh, this is really good!” Someone tried to compare Mayer with Dave Matthews at one point, and I almost threw that someone off a balcony. The lyrical depth isn’t even close. The guy that sings the “Had a Bad Day” song, John Mayer and Jack Johnson should get together to form a pop sensation super band in which all 102 songs of their catalogue sound vaguely similar and they go quadruple platinum because of how easily digestible their music is to the public. But hey…that’s just my opinion, right?

For the set, it’s Mayer and two other guitarists. Mayer comes out trying to act very relaxed and nonchalant, sits down on a stool, gives a raspy “How you doing out there?” to his female admirers, and proceeds with a set that sounds like a frat boy playing guitar in the middle of campus hoping to get noticed, if not laid. He pulls out the same raspy voice on the majority of his vocals, I can’t tell the difference between the songs other than slight tempo changes, and while they try to disguise it with tricky camera work, every guitar solo of even remote musical complexity is done not by Mayer, but by one of the other two guys on the stage with him. I’m about to give up the set as a complete washout when he closes it by covering “Free Fallin.” It’s a nice touch, but he comes dangerously close to screwing this hallowed classic up by failing to sing the chorus with anything remotely resembling Petty’s range and energy. If you ever want to listen to John Mayer, I suggest going down to your local campus and looking for a guy playing guitar…he may not be as well known, but hey, he could be the next John Mayer, and if not, he’s certainly more affordable to see in concert.

Following Mayer we have Neil Young. First off, you can’t say anything negative about his set because he puts on the event, his songs are as old as the Amphitheater itself, and he’s always Neil. You can’t say much positive though because bands have a tendency to lose their effect after multiple shows. Neil plays at every Bridge School, so I think I’ve probably seen him 8 or 9 times now. He’s solid, and you have to give him one thing…he’s extremely consistent. The only thing he didn’t break out last night was the big stand-up organ I’ve seen him use from time to time, but this is probably due to the fact that he usually closes the show and this time went in the middle of the sets. I don’t recognize any of the songs, but at the end he tells the crowd that it’s mostly new material and he doesn’t expect anyone to have recognized any of it.

Next up is one of the primary reasons I bought tickets for this Bridge School, and the performance of Tom Waits and the Kronos Quartet delivers. For those of you who don’t know the Kronos Quartet, they’re the group that performed Clint Mansell’s arrangements for Darren Arronofsky’s movie Requiem for a Dream based on Hubert Selby’s book. But when you mix a legendary, eccentric and out there rocker like Tom Waits with an incredibly proficient and polished string quartet like Kronos, the outcome is something spectacular. I’d almost want to dub this Chamber Rock. They come out and open with the theme song from HBO’s The Wire, which is stellar. He also plays some old time blues songs with the Quartet behind him straying into some dark and menacing arrangements. He plays a variety of songs with completely different sounds. One sounds like a Gotan tango song laced with arsenic, and one takes on the style of a macabre show tune. There aren’t a whole lot of succinct words to describe this performance, but it was one of the more interesting musical collaborations I’ve seen and ranked right up there with last year’s Trent Reznor/string quartet performance (although Trent didn’t use Kronos, so he loses some points there). After Waits leaves, I feel like the energy in the place is knocked up a few notches, and I’m wondering if they can bring him out for another set.

Jerry Lee Lewis is one of the other main reasons I bought tickets for this show. He’s one of the few truly incredible icons and musical prodigies that I had yet to see in concert. He comes out with a slower walk, a pair of glasses, long hair slicked back off his forehead and sits down at the piano. Now, he’s older, so you can tell his fingers can’t take the speed and ferocity he used to be known for, but he’s still a master musician. He comes out playing old hits and most everyone in the audience is moving with him. He at points lapses into a deep Southern twang, and almost consistently refers to himself in songs as “Jerry Lee.” He can’t dance at the piano like he used to, but the voice in his songs and the way he attacks the piano give you a clear idea of who he used to be as a performer, and just how much, even this late in life, is still there for him. His set is remarkable, and in conjunction with Tom Waits and the Kronos Quartet, the price of the ticket is well justified. The highlights of his set include “Roll Over Beethoven,” “You Win Again” (Hank Williams cover), “Your Cheating Heart,” “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On.”

After Lewis finishes up, Metallica comes out to close the show. They, like Tegan and Sara, have made two Bridge School appearances, and I’ve been lucky enough to be at both. They came out and played 5 covers and 3 originals. Thanks to KFer (not KFed!) for the info…They started with “I Just Want to Celebrate” (ironically used in the final episode of 6 Feet Under, making this an evening where two tracks from HBO series were played) then played Nazareth’s “Please Don’t Judas Me.” Personally, I found it excellent and amazing when they covered Garbage’s “I’m Only Happy When It Rains,” right before Dire Straits’ “Brothers in Arms.” Following this, they went into “Disposable Heroes,” “All Within My Hands,” and Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” before closing their set and the show with “Nothing Else Matters.”

All in all, it wasn’t the most impressive Bridge line-up I’ve ever seen…My Morning Jacket and John Mayer could have definitely been left off the guest list. But seeing Metallica acoustically, Jerry Lee Lewis for the first time and the unreal performance of Tom Waits and the Kronos Quartet made this a very successful, diverse and memorable Bridge School Benefit. See y’all next year.

My friendship with Nigel took place before ipods were as ubiquitous as they are today, but I would be shocked if he does not own one. Back in our college days, he jerry-rigged an ingenious Rube Goldberg-esque device that connected a random number generator to my cd player, his tape deck, turntable, a wax cylinder that we found and the piano rolls for the player piano that we purchased together.*

On the rare occasions this device worked, we were able to play random selections from our collections of music and spoken word recordings. Great fun! More often than not, however, it just caused a big mess. I'll never forget the time the plumber returned to fix our persistant toilet problems and tripped over this contraption. He let out a perfect Cockney "Oy! What's all this then!"** and graciously accepted our apologies.

Anyway, enough woolgathering, on with the meme!

Directions: If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

1. Open your mp3 library
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press Play.
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the Next button.
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool.
7. Don’t skip songs.

My Movie:

1. Opening credits: Digital / Elliot Sharp ; Kronos Quartet
2. Waking up: Hear My Train A-Comin' / Jimi Hendrix
3. First day of school: Fugue no. 21 in B-flat Major, WTC Book I / J. S. Bach ; Boris Berman ***
4. Fight song: Bloodsport for all (seriously, this was completely random!) / Carter, the Unstoppable Sex Machine
5. Breaking up: Snake Hair Dun / David Torn, Mick Karn, Terry Bozzio****
6. Happiness: Tot nog Toe / Fanfare Sint Juttemis
7. Life’s okay: With This Love (Passion Soundtrack) / Peter Gabriel
8. Mental breakdown: Can't Roll Back / Strategy
9. Driving: Sonata in A Major, Wq. 70, no. 1. Allegro / C.P.E. Bach
10. Flashback: Walky-talky / Harmonia
11. Getting back together: Finger Lickin Good / Beastie Boys
12. Wedding song: Under the Milky Way / Amasa
13. Birth of first child: Fur Elise / Ludwig van Beethoven ; Takeshi Terauchi & the Bunnies *****
14. Final battle scene: galaxy nine / Okay Temiz
15. Death scene: Five Fugues from Atlanta. No. 1 / Michael Maier
16. Funeral song: Take Five / Oziie Hall
17. End credits: Nobodies Fool / Nina Gordon

What fun! We'll be back to the moroseness next post. In the meantime I tag:

Nina & Kiki, Phoebe & Jinx, Sol, Junie, Anenome

* Come to think of it, Nigel never payed me for his half of the piano. And he still has the piano!

** Our plumber was not in fact British, but Japanese American with an interesting accent combining hints of California surfer and Bostonian blue-blood.

*** The Wohltemperierte Klavier is Sol's favorite workout music. At least it was during the short period of time when I would try to excersize with him. I couldn't keep up with him!

**** Nigel once said that I resemble Terry Bozzio. No one else agreed. I don't think I look like him at all.

***** Thank you so much Junie for introducing me to this wonderful guitarist and his fascinating renditions of classical melodies.

Somewhere in the liner notes it describes the album as "restless." To me it sounds anxious and beautiful, each minimal resolution the tincture of a growing malaise. Only to subside, as it will, in a dark forboding. Whose resolution--well, just listen to it.

I don't know if there is another modern composer as important (to me) as Gorecki. His dissonant harmonics prove a shallow grave, sincere comfort to a world without end.