Tag Archive for 'music'Page 5 of 7

What I'm Hearing, Vol. 1

published
on April 22, 2008
by
ACtual
in artist/album reviews, genres, and music
. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

How do you organize yourself and your music listening when you add somewhere between 50 and 150 songs, MixMatchMusic style, to your collection every month? That was the issue confronting me at the beginning of this year as I reflected on 2007 and saw that sometimes my iPod updates and music purchases (yes, I still purchase music) were erratic and not organized to the best possible use. With that in mind, I concocted a new system this year. As I add songs throughout a month to the library, they stay there. At the end of the month, I organize several playlists…album specific lists that are titled “A: Artist-Album,” and an overall update titled “A: Month Update” that includes all songs added since the last update. Then, at some point during the month, the new playlists go onto the iPod, and the old ones are retitled “B:” which keeps the newest stuff at the top of the playlist while also retaining the older updates further down the line.

As it isn’t always possible to do an album review for every one I pick up, and I get some amazing music in the course of a month, I’ve decided it might be beneficial and fun for all if I start a monthly post, “What I’m Hearing,” glossing over and talking about some of the music I’ve been listening to that’s good for your ears. With that in mind, here’s some information about the April iPod Update…

First, I should start by saying that the 80s revival that has been bubbling up for a while now is most decidedly here. I’ve noticed, for the past 8 months or so, a steady and heavy influence of 80s synths, drums and instrumentation coming back to the music scene. And in the past 4 months, I’ve heard an increasing number of groups picking up different styles from the 80s and tweaking them just enough to retain that wistful electronic feel of some of the better songs of the era while omitting some of the more foolish and unlistenable aspects of the original genre.

The Beatles, Let It Be: Sure, it’s an old album, and granted most people think of The Beatles now as that quaint collection they have in their library but rarely get into anymore, but delving back into this late album of the most influential band in history (yes, you read that right), offers quite a few gems that have matured over the years. For a while I thought of Let It Be as the weaker younger brother of the other albums, notably Revolver, Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. But hearing these original songs again after so many remakes of most of them (see the I Am Sam soundtrack, Pleasantville soundtrack and others) gives them a fresh perspective. The simplicity of the songwriting meshes perfectly with a group obviously quite comfortable with their musical abilities at this point in their careers. Don’t Sleep On: “I Me Mine,” “Dig a Pony,” and “Two of Us.”

The Helio Sequence, Keep Your Eyes Ahead: This group out of Oregon weaves an electronic feel into songs that delve into Indie and singer/songwriter varieties. On their fourth album, following the near destruction of the lead singer’s vocal chords which prompted him to take time off recording and re-teach himself to sing, the group brings a number of simple and melancholy songs in the style of Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan interspersed with slightly heavier sounds that would have been right at home on the FM airwaves of the mid-80s. Don’t Sleep On: “Hallelujah,” “Broken Afternoon,” and “The Captive Mind.”

Groove Armada, Soundboy Rock: Andy Cato and Tom Findlay sure like to keep us waiting. Released last year, Soundboy Rock was the first full album since 2002’s LoveBox. What I find interesting about dance music, especially full out dance records like this one, is the lag time sometimes associated with it. It’s not like a pop, rap or rock album that hits the radio airwaves, goes viral, makes the summer BBQ playlists and then disappears. More often, solo tracks will gradually seep through the cracks, slowly filtering from listener to listener. While I can’t say I’m a fan of this entire album, some of the songs are just pure energy. Don’t Sleep On: “Soundboy Rock,” “The Things That We Could Share,” and “Love Sweet Sound.”

M83, Saturdays=Youth: For M83’s 5th album, the soundscapes and emotionally taxing lyrics are as blunt as ever. Drifting piano melodies reminiscent of NIN’s Fragile album, eerie synth work that could support the Blade Runner or Risky Business soundtracks and sometimes wailing guitars provide the backdrop for the spoken and lightly sung lyrics of this shoegazing style album. While it’s out there enough to sound fresh, the songs are unmistakably M83, which I wouldn’t recommend for long drives after dark. Don’t Sleep On: “Couleurs,” “We Own the Sky,” and “You Appearing.”

American Princes, Other People: Sometimes, fantastic bands don’t always show up when and how you expect. This group managed to get 3 albums out before I heard of them. While that makes it impossible to compare Other People to their previous work, what you can compare it to is the rest of the current musical landscape. American Princes does an almost unbelievable job of mixing sounds and genres from Police to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bravery to U2, Reggae to easy pop, this album covers it all in a spectrum that allows every song to create a different feeling. An incredible album all the way through with a great depth of lyrical emotion and musical intensity. Don’t Sleep On: “Real Love,” “Wasted Year,” “Watch As They Go,” and “Son of California.”

Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours: Australian Cut Copy’s sophomore release is a show-stopper, and in my mind, Other People and In Ghost Colours rule the roost of this particular iPod update. This album has it all, from instrumental wall-of-sound interludes to full out 80s new wave dance songs. The ambient chill sounds of some tracks help to artfully balance the bursting energy of others. This group is an excellent example of what can come of taking the best portions of 80s music and stripping away the garbage. Don’t Sleep On: “Strangers in the Wind,” “Hearts on Fire,” and “Far Away.”

March Madness is for Everyone: Rockers, Obama, Nerds, and You!

published
on March 21, 2008
by
Sandra
in culture, music, and nerd
. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Now that March Madness is upon us, let’s all join in on the chaos, shall we? Hey, even Obama is doing it. But what if you like the excitement but aren’t particularly enthused about basketball? There are bound to be some alternatives out there…

For example, Philly’s Rock Station, 94WYSP, is hosting “Rock Madness”. There are 64 bands. You fill out your own bracket and should you pick correctly, you win a 42″ HDTV. Of course, the catch is you have to live in the greater Philadelphia area, as per the official rules.

Or, let’s adress another demographic: the nerds. Though not typically huge sports fans, why not let the geeky types join in…but with their own unique approach. A somewhat more mathematical one, let’s say? Check out Owen’s Photolog, in which he predicts – by way of a “bracket-generating algorithm that uses the seeds to generate weights for a random function” – that Kansas will win.

Finally, for the theater-lovers out there, March also means the beginning of Broadway season. Anybody else surprised to see Terrence Howard starring on Broadway? Makes sense though, I guess. The guy blew me away with his acting and singing in Hustle and Flow. I’m sure he’ll kill it.

So whatever your passion this month – be it basketball, music, or otherwise – join the madness. In whichever way you see fit.

The Odd Couple

published
on March 19, 2008
by
ACtual
in artist/album reviews, genres, and music
. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

the Odd Couple Cover ArtIn 2006, St. Elsewhere, an album of collaboration between producer Danger Mouse (The Grey Album, Ghetto Pop Life) and rapper Cee-Lo Green (…is the Soul Machine) dropped and instantaneously brought a variety of new mixmatched sounds to the hip-hop industry. The album covered Funk, Soul, R&B, Hip-Hop, Lounge and Electro in equal parts, never hesitating to throw them together and see what came out. This excellent album was an instant hit and spawned the ridiculously popular “Crazy” which began popping up anywhere you could find music. Following the success of the album, the DJ Sound Advice put his own re-mix spin on the tracks by releasing, for free download, Gnarls Biggie, an album comprised of mash-ups between Gnarls Barkley tracks and Notorious B.I.G. vocal tracks. Yesterday, weeks ahead of the scheduled April release date, St. Elsewhere officially became the freshman offering from Gnarls Barkley as they released their sophomore album, The Odd Couple.

Clocking in at 13 tracks and a brief 39 minutes, The Odd Couple finds Danger and Cee-Lo picking up right where their off-beat and stylistically vibrant and diverse St. Elsewhere left off. “Charity Case” opens the album with the funk baseline and oldies feel made popular by Andre 3000’s “Hey Ya.” The female backing vocals and bell chimes help keep Cee-Lo grounded in the track, and the moving rhythm and hand claps help the head keep nodding. Two days ago, when I watched the season finale of AMC‘s show Breaking Bad, I thought the song they ended the episode to was a fantastic one. It was haunting, mixing a Western and Soul feel with slow and emotionally infused lyrics reminiscent of Bill Withers vocals. Now imagine my surprise when I get to track two and that song turns out to be “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul.”

“Going On” refreshes the upbeat and clap-happy sounds of the first album, bringing about the feeling that a few more “Crazy”-like songs aren’t too far away. Cee-Lo works over organ samples and a beating drum tempo before Danger Mouse turns the last minute into a atmospheric piece of a more sinister nature complete with fuzzed out electronic influence. Track 4 brings out “Run (I’m a Natural Disaster)”, the first single from the album. The single makes it clear that Gnarls is going to try to capitalize on the retro-as-new feeling that made “Crazy” and “Smiley Faces” so popular. The song kicks off with a moving shout and response chorus of sampled children’s voices that breaks up into Cee-Lo’s manically paced lyrics. Once again, Danger’s production skills take over the last minute of the song as he starts mixing more of Cee-Lo’s singing over the party sound he’s created with the clapping and instrumentation.

The raw emotional happiness of “Run” gives way quickly to a much more somber and dark “Would Be Killer.” Here, Cee-Lo moves slowly over a beat laced with background ambient sounds and record slips which help the entire song feel a bit like vinyl being played backwards on an old 45. He fluctuates into higher ranges in certain parts, yet never feels out of place, which continues to be one of the most surprising and reliable portions of his music…even when he takes his vocals to an extreme, it never feels lost or out of place. “Open Book” kicks off with a frenetic and off-syncopated beat complete with bird sounds and strings in the background. The chorus for this song devolves considerably with Cee-Lo’s screaming tone pushed to the background of the music as a more wall of sound approach engulfs the track. Here though, it feels less like the two are having a good time with the music as it does on other tracks, and a bit more forced, as if they’re getting intentionally darker just to see what it feels like. For this reason, it’s a relief when the more playful Barkley re-emerges on “Whatever,” a track that reminds me of the “Liar Liar” remix in the card scene from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The slower beat provides a nice contrast to some of the previous songs, and the use of Cee-Lo as the chorus vocals show that sometimes things can be intentionally ugly and still work musically within a broader tapestry.

“Surprise” finds Cee-Lo lamenting his lack of a soul mate. An acoustic guitar added on this track softens the sound a bit from the all electronic cuts on the album, but it’s a bit disheartening to hear Danger once again fall back onto the hand claps. The hand clap sound is certainly big right now in popular music, but Danger is capable of more, and when he uses it on the majority of tracks on the album, it becomes hard to ignore as a staple of his beats. This constant hand clapping, while used in very different songs for different purposes, still comes off feeling forced at the end, and a bit disappointing that Danger doesn’t mess around with background sounds that could be used to replace the hand clap on certain songs. But the bigger surprise about “Surprise” is when it’s followed by an electronically backed love ballad of sorts in “No Time Soon.” The music for this song sounds like Danger took some influence from Nine Inch Nails as the heavy machinery feel provides the backdrop for a more melodic approach over the top.

“She Knows” finds the duo slowing down a bit with a lo-fi sound that could be the Price is Right theme song on quaaludes. The 70s airy melodies and simple, slower beat take the pace of the album down a notch while providing it with an even more pronounced retro sounds. “Blind Mary” demonstrates the diversity of this tandem. While the majority of the album skips over various genres, the end results are still directly tied to Gnarls Barkley with the style of retro bordering on hip-hop. On “Blind Mary,” the exploration of tampering with genres starts with an almost carnival-like sound before slipping into an easy going, foot tapping Indie Rock exploration. The end result is a lighthearted jaunt where Cee-Lo’s distinct voice and Danger’s cohesive production (featuring, again, unfortunately, more hand clapping) produce a unique sound that could be featured on a variety of radio stations.

“Neighbors” again keeps the tempo slow and features Cee-Lo’s lyrics with a good deal of distortion on the chorus. The easy hip-hop beat, combined with layers of electronic melody and bass funk create an interesting sound, and Danger keeps it together with a variety of vocal samples interlaced. The album comes to a close with “A Little Better,” a song that starts slowly using vinyl pops with a simple bass line and Cee-Lo talking about past moments in his life and his shortcomings. The drop step of the drums on the chorus, combined with a stair-step bass part and Cee-Lo singing in a soulful and at times gospel-like voice create a very easy song to listen to, fading out towards the end with a series of thank yous.

For any fan of St. Elsewhere, I can’t imagine a better follow up attempt by Gnarls Barkley. While it lacks a song that feels to me as unavoidably popular as “Crazy” was, it has some definite hits on it, and you can never tell what kind of radio and club airplay any of these songs will get if they get a remix makeover from some other DJ. Above all though, the album does a fantastic job at never becoming stagnant. Aside from the hand claps, Danger never relies too heavily on any one genre or production style, and Cee-Lo never lets his rap background influence him to a degree that would detract from the rest of his work. Furthermore, with not a single track clocking in over the 4 minute mark, the songs leave you wanting a bit more as opposed to having you looking for the skip track button. For the latest in the MixMatch style and the artful collaboration of artists and genres, look no further than The Odd Couple.

Feel Good Fusion

published
on March 11, 2008
by
ACtual
in concert reviews, culture, dance, genres, interview, music, and video
. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Feel Good Fusion
While a lot of the conversations around here center around evolving and mixmatching music, and the resulting sounds, an important aspect of the MixMatch culture centers around combinations of various media methods and the resulting entertainment. Down in Los Angeles, DJ Denkym (Denny Kim) has created just this type of event in his once (but soon to be twice) monthly event, Feel Good Fusion (http://losangeles.going.com/feelgoodfusion) A few months ago while I was down in LA, I met up with DJ Denkym, a former roommate and colleague from USC and KSCR, for his first Feel Good Fusion event. Denkym worked as Hip-Hop director while consistently honing his craft as a DJ. While a large portion of his influence is rooted in hip-hop, his love for numerous cultures and musical styles is a cornerstone of his mixing. The idea behind Feel Good Fusion is based in the notion of bringing together mixing, free-styling, painting, sculpture, dancing and other performance art into the same place to celebrate the combinations that are created when these cultures and mediums intertwine.

At the inaugural show, the turnout was great. Everyone in attendance was genuinely glad to be there, and the vibe was stellar. From outstanding turntable work to interesting MCs to the collaborative painting shown below, the connection between art and music was greatly pronounced, and everyone there was into the crafts. These two artists worked on separate canvases throughout the evenings, bringing their creation together at the end of the night: FGF Art

The next Feel Good Fusion event is at the end of this month, the 28th of March (and every last Friday of the month), and the cast is expanding steadily. Along with resident drummer Muraoka, Zach and Greg mixing videos, and Shokase, Matter and Seano joining Denkym on the turntables, artists Will Hsu, Bzarro, Nice Penguins and DPD will be on hand. But now there’s more mixmatch than just the art and the djs to go see…at the next Feel Good Fusion, very special guests Paul Dateh and Inka One, known for their Hip-Hop Violin performances, will be throwing down. These two have been going nuts on YouTube (over 1,000,000 views), and have steadily been increasing their performances around the area. Inka One on the turntables, Paul Dateh on the violin, these two will be doing a full 20 minute set.

In anticipation of this month’s event, and spreading the word about future events, I asked Denkym what the initial idea was behind Fusion, who he worked on it with and what the overall philosophy behind the event was. This is what he had to say:

“The idea for Feel Good Fusion materialized when I was given the opportunity to throw a monthly event in Pasadena at the Terrace on November 30, 2007. The opportunity could not have come at a better time – as I was transitioning into a new full-time job that was causing me to step down from living the full-time DJ life. At the time, I was sick and tired of the club scene in Los Angeles and very uninspired as to what I was doing with my music and DJ career. Simply put, making my money as a DJ was no longer a FUN thing for me, but merely another job to perform so that I could get paid. I was caught in the paper chase and I was failing to fulfill my needs as a music connoisseur / social catalyst.

With the new job, I wasn’t really hurting for money, and so I was free to choose my DJ gigs based on how much I would enjoy spinning it as opposed to how much I would get paid for providing a service. It’s weird to say, but it felt GREAT turning down the high-paying DJ gigs that required me to play mindless music for crowds that I really had no connection with. That shift in mentality was what sparked the concept for Feel Good Fusion. The musical mission became very clear at that moment….DJ because I love DJing, play the music that I want to play, and of course…FEEL GOOD about it!

As I was searching for nightlife events at which the music was dictated by the DJ’s persona and not by the pop-hungry crowd, I was randomly approached by Joseph Lee (owner of the Terrace) to start a monthly event at his venue. He had seen my myspace and was impressed by the diversity of music in my mixes. He was willing to give me a night with full creative control just as long as I filled the venue and bar with people. I jumped at the opportunity for several reasons…1) The venue is in my hometown…PASADENA! 2) I can play whatever I want 3) I needed a challenge – Keep in mind, I have NEVER organized an event on my own!

With the opportunity at hand, I decided to reach out to my network of fellow DJ’s, VJ’s, musicians, producers, artists, bboys, bgirls, and emcees that I’ve met over the years to see how I could get them involved with the event. “Just be YOU and come out to Feel Good!” I would tell them. A few blunts later, I decided to fuse everything together into what formally became the FEEL GOOD FUSION – A Tasty Blend of Music & Art. It’s a full out Audio & Visual presentation of Hip-Hop culture, Music, Art, Life, and Feel Good Vibes!!

On a Feel Good Fusion night, expect to see:
Dope DJ’s rocking on 4 turntables, VJ’s broadcasting visuals on 6 screens, a live drummer keepin time, live paintings and Mixed Media creations, Bboy/Bgirl circles, open mic sessions (strictly Freestyles only!), scratch sessions, special performances TBA every month, SMILES, and lovely bartenders.

Since the first show in November, Feel Good Fusion has grown immensely and I only expect it to get bigger and bigger! My goal is to pack the place with 500+ people who are looking to feel good on a Friday night by the early Summer. It’s only once a month now, but starting in May or June, we will be operating twice a month. I have plans to book lots of ‘next level’ acts and spread the Feel Good Vibes to Los Angeles and beyond in the near future. A perfect example of a ‘next level’ act would be the guest performers for the March 28th show. Paul Dateh & Inka One will be performing a special Hip-Hop Violin & DJ collaboration set that is not to be missed. They have over a million hits on Youtube for their 5 minute segment, and you can expect to see a full blown 20 minute set in March. Don’t sleep on this one!

The amount of support and positive feedback that I’ve received has been amazing, and I want to thank the whole Feel Good Fusion team and regular patrons for making the Feel Good Fusion the dopest event in Pasadena!!!! For booking information: email djdenkym@gmail.com or goto www.myspace.com/denkym”

So there it is for all you Los Angeles folks looking for a way to support the mixed media arts scene and feed your inner hip-hop hunger. The Feel Good Fusion event is one that seeks to bring together a vast and diverse crew of artists and musicians to help fuel the integration of styles, cultures and mediums. It’s not only a great night out, but another step in the continuing journey to view music and art in expanding, collaborative and evolutionary ways.

Privacy is Obsolete

published
on February 20, 2008
by
LJHarb
in culture, music, and technology
. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

We live in a society that is entirely public. Privacy is a thing of the past. (see the Anonymity Experiment) Advertisers and marketers know your shopping habits, your drug prescriptions, your political, religious, and professional sport affiliations. Facebook’s Beacon is only the scapegoat of what any advertiser is frothing at the mouth to implement. The clerks at your grocery store or the people that run the gas station or the car wash are just as likely to steal your credit card number and identity as a random hacker over the internet or some dude scavenging your bills out of your trash can. Anything that can be reproduced digitally will, inevitably and rapidly, end up being illegally distributed over the internet, either for profit, or just for fun.

So why are people still paranoid about privacy and piracy? Fear is only useful when it helps us prevent harm. What’s the point of being afraid of getting salmonella? I don’t need to be afraid of it anymore, I’m just careful around raw food. Loss of privacy is inevitable – you can not prevent it. All you can do is slow it down. I have my cell phone number on my Facebook profile. Yes, I limited my privacy settings so only my virtual “friends” can see it – but if I really didn’t want my cell phone number getting out, I wouldn’t be an IDIOT and put it on the internet. Honestly: how many of you really have a true expectation of privacy when you put any information on the internet? Why be afraid anymore? If you want it private, keep it in your head – nothing else is private. Deal with it.

I’ve talked to a lot of musicians lately, and a lot of them are concerned about their music being pirated. My immediate reaction is always, why? Things are only stolen because they have value. If somebody is stealing your music, it’s because they want it – you don’t suck. That’s wonderful! People want your art! Why would you want to limit your audience? Share the beauty that humans produce with humanity – privacy is selfish.

Let’s say some local aspiring rapper steals your beat and uses it as a hook in his rap song. Maybe a thousand people hear it – maybe it’s only a mediocre song. Perhaps he earned a few hundred bucks from it. Sure, you should be owed some percentage, since he used your intellectual property. But do you really care about (likely no more than) $50 from some local nobody artist? Get a day job if you need $50. However, let’s say some artist steals your beat, and his song turns into the next “Soulja Boy.” Now he’s got millions – and here’s where you might be thinking, “See? He stole my music and now I lost out on all that revenue!”

Our society may be public, but we’re also litigious to a ridiculous extreme. If you can prove that it’s your music – for example, by widely distributing it for free through a medium that can vouch for you – then you’ll win the case, and that rich thief will settle out of court with you for a tidy sum. If you’re crafty enough, you’ll get him to publicly credit you. All of a sudden, you’re rich and famous, because somebody else stole your music. When Kanye and Timbaland come knocking at your door to sample some more of your beats, don’t forget to thank internet piracy.