John P. Hastings: News

Updates and concerts

2008-10-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

To Whom It May Concern,

A concert will be happening Dec. 7th, 2008 at www.thewulf.org featuring works by James Tenney, La Monte Young, c.t. anderson and John P. Hastings. Entitled Drones & Scones the concert will feature new works, old works and generally be a lovely Sunday afternoon in late autumn.

I also was involved in 2008 SoundWalk (www.soundwalk.org) that took place in Long Beach, CA on Sept. 20th. I had a piece titled Sonic Spiral. A good time was had by all.

Glenn Branca

2008-01-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

For the past few months I have been discovering the music and aesthetic of Glenn Branca. He is a New York based composer that rose to prominence on the strengths of his guitar symphonies which he began composing in the late 1970's. The idea of massed guitars struck a chord with me as well as Branca's reliance on the overtone series which I have been studying in school. Simply put the overtone series captures the notes that are most natural or simple to a particular struck note. These overtones are most easily seen as the harmonics on a guitar string. Branca was able to use this idea to create massive guitar works that ring with power and also have strange yet oddly compelling sound.
Two works of his that I have been most interested in thus far are his Symphony No. 3 and his Symphony No. 6 (Devil Choirs at the Gates of Heaven). These of course are not symphonies in the traditional sense though he does break the parts into movements. The score doesn't really progress or development but the sound does tend to increase and create more and more vibrations. These really should be heard live and loud and the CD medium probably loses a sense of this power. One of the last works Branca has completed is his Symphony No. 13 Hallucination City for 100 guitars.

A few other things that have tickled my fancy:
Stimmung by the late composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. This piece consists of just 6 vocalists and a very interesting score. It is very hypnotic and beautiful. Again this work is based on the overtone series, specifically one Bb9 chord. What Stockhausen is able to do with this simple material is astounding. Highly recommended.

Threnody by Pederecki. An amazing graphic score achieves some very haunting results. The Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has been name-checking this one pretty frequently as of late.

Four Organs by Steve Reich. A strange piece for Reich, it fuses his phasing ideas with the process music. The organs build up one huge chord over the course of 15 - 20 minutes. Fairly static but still an interesting early work of Reich's.

The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld. A classic of ambient dance music. Standard for the inevitable long come down.

!!!, Arcade Fire & LCD Soundsystem, etc.

2007-09-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Arcade Fire / LCD Soundsystem tour made it's way to the Hollywood Bowl Thurs. Sept 20th and I have to say it was a magical night. That definitely gets bandied around too much, but on this night everything came together. We arrived and LCD had already started. They were finishing up their opening song and we quickly moved into the aisles to start dancing. It's hard to do this in a seated venue with security all around but we did manage it. The sound was great, the biggest problem being that too many Arcade Fire fans didn't want to shake it. LCD went through great versions of Tribulations, Yeah and North American Scum. It was a great show, James Murphy moving expertly to cowbell when the moment needed it and generally working the crowd up.
I went to the show mostly to see LCD Soundsystem. I had seen Arcade Fire before and considered them way too precious to actually put on more than a hipster, sit down and don't move concert. They started off poorly with the opening track on the new album Neon Bible. Black Mirror sounded muddy and vacuous. I figured that the rest of the show would progress that way. I was wrong. There were moments of transcendence as when they played songs off of their first album Funeral. Haiti came off like an old Talking Head's song with the bass line and beat to prove it. Power Out was another anthemic rocker and the closer Rebellion (Lies) was simply sublime. Los Angeles was bracing for it's first winter storm and seeing the clouds roll in overheard was a perfect natural accompaniment to what was happening on stage.

!!! played last night with the Field at the Avalon. The Field played laptop working new remixes of his album From Here We Go Sublime as well as new songs. It was a perfect opening for !!!, setting the tone for what was to come.
!!! simply brought the pain. They stretched and pulled their songs, mostly from their last album Myth Takes. The biggest highlight was the song Bend Over Beethoven. For me it's one of the weaker tracks on the album. Live they transformed it into a dance floor rave-up which changed significant parts of the song. Another highlight was Heart of Hearts in which the subdued atmosphere of it brought it into even greater heights when they ripped it open. All in all a great set. The biggest drawback was the fact that there was no encore and they played nothing from their previous album Louden Up Now. Too bad, I think everyone needed a little Pardon My Freedom.

The only recent purchase to report is a vinyl copy of Arnold Schoenberg's Transfigured Night. This probably one of the last romantic - type pieces, written in 1895. It's very different from Schoenberg's later dodecaphonic work. The swelling strings will probably relate to some listeners as cinematic, but the interior logic that Schoenberg sets up in the piece is not to be missed. He musified (not a word) every line of a poem about two lovers with assorted recurring motifs. It's amazing that he put so much effort into what most listeners will not even notice. But it was obviously very useful to him and created what amounts to a quasi modern classic.

Summer 2007

2007-09-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Just got through the worst heatwave I have had out here in L.A. Can't complain really, this used to be the everyday thing back on the East Coast during the summer.

Since I live so close to Amoeba and another great record / bookshop (Counterpoint) have been able to get a bunch of classical LP's for cheap. It's nice knowing that even when I have no money I can still pick up a masterpiece in pristine condition. The good thing about most classical LP's is that the owners took very good care of them.

I don't think I really have to expound much on some of these classics.

The Rite of Spring - Stravinsky: conducted by Pierre Boulez (Nonesuch)

Symphony No. 9 - Schubert: conducted by James Levine (DG)
I got into Schubert a little bit this summer, especially his String Quintet and this his last symphony subtitled 'The Great'.

Violin Concerto - Sibelius: conducted by Eugene Ormandy (Columbia)
Finally got this, Sibelius' only violin concerto. Very lyrical and romantic.

Stabat Mater - Palestrina (Argo)
Palestrina was a Renaissance composer, probably writing the pinnacle of that era's music. The music is amazingly moving and fresh, even today.

Etudes for Piano - Claude Debussy: Piano by Paul Jacobs (Nonesuch)
Very complex and thoroughly modern piano works. Not at all like Claire de Lune.

Third Symphony - Aaron Copland: conducted by Leonard Bernstein (Columbia)

String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 - Elliott Carter (Nonesuch)
Revelatory works by this hard to decipher American composer.

A Solo Requiem - Milton Babbitt / Haiku Settings - Mel Powell (Nonesuch)
Mel Powell was a long time teacher at CalArts and one of its leading lights.

Chariots of Fire - Vangelis (Polydor)
Not quite classical but indeed classic.

A few non-LP purchases also occurred. Sometimes you just have to buy on CD.

Different Trains / Electric Counterpoint - Steve Reich (Nonesuch)
I really got this album for the Electric Counterpoint composition in which Reich has upwards on 10 guitars and 2 basses being used. It's a very dense and at times beautiful woven tapestry of guitars. It does become a bit static in places though. The kind of thing I will refine in my own piece for multiple electric guitars.

Mirrored - Battles (Warp)
A great album. Powerful drums courtesy of John Stanier (formerly of Helmet) and various other members of math-rock bands (A subset of rock music that values complexity and musicianship). Many rhythmic surprises and almost kraut rock grooves from the guitars. The treated vocals are an odd and at times endearing part of the music. My personal fave track is Tonto, where the rhythm gradually slows down to a crawl by the end.

Liars - Liars (Mute)
Another compelling album from Liars. Not as effective as Drum's Not Dead, but more immediately gratifying. The first four songs show the band venturing in all different directions but each of them enjoyable. The second track, Houseclouds, probably gets the nod as the best on the album, with it's tinny drum track and great keyboard melodies.

Also took my first trip to the Hollywood Bowl recently. What an amazing place, and probably one of the best spots to see live music. We saw Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conducted by the great Michael Tilson Thomas. The acoustics weren't great, but we were fairly far from the stage. Great spot though to enjoy a picnic and the beautiful setting with music.

The Further Update

2007-06-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

Just rounding up a few things that were added to the collection in the last couple months. Thanks to the NYC boys for hooking me up with a nice bunch of new CDs as well. Greatly appreciated.

Deerhunter - Cryptograms
Droning rock in the vein of Neu! Cryptic vocals and swirling guitars. A heady listen.

Menomena - Friend and Foe
Three dudes from Portland, OR who create beautiful little songs. Highly recommended.

Hot Chip - The Warning
Being a big fan of the DFA label I was very interested in this. Though I was not initially taken with it, the beats are slowly growing on me.

Glenn Gould - The Complete Goldberg Variations
This CD set contains both of Gould's performances of Bach's much touted work, one in 1955 the other in 1981, right before his death. This is most have for anyone who likes music. The work is sublime and Gould's playing just reinforces that.

Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
The new Bloc Party album shows the band stretching out a bit. Besides the long and boring song 'Uniform' the album is consistently good, and you can't beat the guilty pleasure, 'I Still Remember', a great unrequited love song that old Coldplays Coldplay.

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Follow-up to their debut. The first single 'North American Scum' is brilliant, as is 'All My Friends'. They haven't reached the highs of their early single 'Yeah' but still is a most listen.

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
Cool, icy ambient techno from the German Kompakt label. A great late night listen, with melodic samples floating in and out of the mix.

I also had the opportunity to see the group Partch play, appropriately enough, music by Harry Partch at Redcat in Los Angeles. I had never seen or heard any music by Partch but I was very excited to see it. He is most known for writing microtonal music (notes between the notes in the equal tempered system) on instruments of his own devising. The music sounded strange on first listen but over the course the program you begin to get used to his system. The instruments, including a bass marimba-type instrument, were beautiful and sounded great. The program consisted of road music suites that Partch had composed, with lyrics and singing from the cast. The highlight of the evening for me was a setting of a Bibilical Psalm that Partch set for two string viola and intoning voice titled 'By the Rivers of Babylon'. The unearthly nature of the sound that was produced by the voice and voila can not be overstated. A wondrous moment .

Spring '07 roundup

2007-04-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Many, many things have drifted through my transom recently, too many to really get in depth with. So just brief outlines of what I have been listening to.

Gorecki - String Quartets, 1 & 2
From the composer of the beautiful Symphony No. 3, "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs". Quartet is a very minimal affair using much silence.

Wendy Carlos - Sonic Seasonings
Best known for the Switched on Bach series, Carlos was one of the first electronic musicians. On this 1972 release she predates Brian Eno by a few years in composing an ambient album whose concept is the four seasons. Unfortunately I don't think it works completely but is an interesting experience especially given its time period.

!!! - Myth Takes
An album I have been waiting years for. Not a perfect album but when these guys hit it right, it just kills. Stand out tracks include "Must Be the Moon", "Heart of Hearts", the titles track and "All My Heroes are Weirdos". Recommended for anyone who likes their beats fast and dirty.

The Good, the Bad, and the Queen
Damon Albarn's new band, including members of the Verve, the Clash and Fela Kuti leads one to believe that this album will just cook. The take the opposite tack and come up with a very dour, melancholy set of songs. Much of it relates to the current war in Iraq and how people are struggling along in this day and age. Though not uplifting by any means the songs are off-the-cuff and that gives it a great feel

Erik Satie - Gymnopedies
Piano works from this great late 19th and early 20th century French composer. He clearly took a different direction than the Wagnerian bombast that was happening in his milieu and created these delicate miniature works. Eno calls these proto-ambient works, as they were meant to accompany conversation and drinks in the Parisian salons of the day. These are short melodic works which also reward a detailed listen as much as they can be thought of as background music.

Black Dice - Broken Ear Record
The 2005 release from Brooklyn's masters of sonic mayhem. Another sterling collection of tracks. The sound is a little rough on the edges but tracks such as "Snarly Yow" and "Smiling Off" show the band using beats and electronics in very appetizing ways.

Ligeti: Atmospheres and more

2007-02-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

Being at music school at CalArts means getting my mind blown on a daily basis. I am consistently amazed at the talent of the school as well all the new sounds I am hearing on my own. Most recently the most stunning thing I have heard is Gyorgy Ligeti's 'Atmospheres.' This might be familiar to many people from the Stanley Kubrick movie '2001: A Space Odyssey' but to hear it fully, with utmost concentration is to be awed at its power. Ligeti didn't concern himself with melody, rhythm or even harmony is the traditional sense. The sound is really an exploration of orchestral timbre, or more basically the sound is the sound itself. Ligeti reaches for all kinds of different sounds that are available to the orchestra and in doing so, opens up a sonic palette for everyone to experience. Even though it was composed in 1961, I can probably say this is one piece of music that will never go out of date.

I have also been concerning myself with a fair amount of computer / electronic music as of late. I recently came upon Morton Subotnick's famous electronic work, 'Silver Apples of the Moon.' This was one of the first large scale electronic works from 1967. Utilizing a modular synthesizer similar to a Moog, Subotnick weaves a dense web of clicks, sweeps, boops and whatever other onomatopoeic words you want to throw at it. Its a fascinating listen, but it suffers from being fairly academic in nature. Another interesting piece is the 'Poeme Electronique' by Edgar Varese from 1957. This was the first famous piece created under the musique concrete rubrick. In this 8 minute work, Varese creates a sonic piece using pre-recorded sounds, cut and spliced and put back together in a highly intriguing order. This really was proto-sampling. Other computer music finds include Barry Schrader's 'Lost Atlantis' which is very similar in execution to the Morton Subotnick work. The work was written in 1977 and is fairly long, 40 minutes. It has a loose story line dealing with the mythical world of Atlantis. It is broken down into 6 tracks totalling 10 movements and they each deal with a part of the story. I find it more logical than the Subotnick work as there seems to be a clear direction for the music. It is also highly listenable and does a very good job of pulling the listener into its sound world.

For the more notated music, I checked out Arvo Part and Peteris Vasks. I have heard Part's works over the years and I recently picked up his 'Fratres'. It has very beautiful, lyrical string writing. What I found to be even more exciting though is the 'Cantible for Strings' by Vasks. I had the opputunity to see this compose speak at school and I very much liked his work and this work in particular. I had not heard his name before, but he seems to be fairly popular in Europe and Eastern Europe in particular as he is Latvian. He composed under Soviet rule for much of his life and he talked about this in our composition class. He stressed that he would write much of his music as instrumental as the censors couldn't censor the music, just the words. The 'Cantible for String' is a stirring work, it reminded me of Gorecki's Third Symphony as they are both written for strings and have this undercurrent of hope running through them. For anyone who likes beautiful string writing I would urge them to seek this composer out.

Best of 2006

2006-12-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

I'll just make this easy for myself and post an email I sent around to a few people.

Tops of the not-so-Pops:

Keith Fullerton Whitman: Lisbon
Live laptop concert at a gallery in Portugal. One single track that lasts 40 min. Nice use of time and ambience.

Liars: Drum's Not Dead
A group of free thinkers at the height of their powers. Surprisingly listenable and tuneful. Just might take a little getting used to.

TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain
I listened to this so much that I wore it out and can't listen to it anymore. Incredible production and the best vocals in all of indie rock.

LCD Soundsystem: 45:33
The dance/rock symphony we've all been waiting for.

The DFA: Remixes Vol. 1
More four on the floor greatness from the DFA. The Gorillaz remix is unstoppable.

Honorable Mentions:

Secret Machines: Ten Silver Drops
Contains perhaps the greatest song title ever, 'Alone, Jealous and Stoned.' Cosmic rock with extremely catchy hooks.

Tim Hecker: Harmony in Ultraviolet
Ambient and abstract guitar beauty.

Eliane Radigue: Trilogie de la Mort
The only 'academic' composer I will subject anyone on this list to. Immense use of space and time to create a meditative environment.

A couple things I looking forward to next year are the Shins album as well as the new !!! which will probably blow all our asses out.

Update

2006-11-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I posted. Grad school has certainly taken its toll on my having free time. But luckily I have listening to alot of cool new music. That is the perk of going to a music school.
First off, in the rock and roll vein I have been listening to the new TV on the Radio album, 'Return to Cookie Mountain' as well as the new Rapture release, 'Pieces of the People We Love'. The Rapture have changed their sound very slightly between this one and the previous album, 'Echoes'. I think this has mostly to do with the fact that they are no longer produced by the DFA who gave them more of a gritty sensibility. The new album is much cleaner, which I think makes them lose some of their immediacy. The songs though are for the most part fairly strong, including 'The Devil', 'Get Myself Into It' and 'Down for So Long'. One big problem though is the inanity of the lyrics. Though with this being such a dance album, they can be forgiven this.

The new TVOTR is simply amazing. The production by bandmember Andrew Sitek is very dense and extremely exotic for your typical rock band. However, though are not your typical rock band. Most of the songs are very drone based, with a limited number of chords and changes throughout the song. So the way they keep interest is to keep expanding on the arrangements of the songs. The song 'Province', which has guest vocals by David Bowie, goes through a verse and chorus before a sampled or looped piano phrase arrives. It completely transforms the harmonic content of the song. Its fascinating that something so simple can do that. Other songs like 'Playhouses' and the single 'Wolf Like Me' show the more rockin' side of the band. But its the songs like 'A Method' and 'Let the Devil In' where the band strips the production so far back that only the skeleton of a song remains. With these songs, mostly based on vocals and percussion, TVOTR prove how compelling they are. This is probably the album of the year thus far and I urge anyone to listen to this.

Another recent purchase is the Keith Fullerton Whitman album, 'Multiples'. This almost a companion piece to an album of his that I previously reviewed, 'Playthroughs'. The concept for this recording is almost a history of electronic music in the last half century. So Whitman uses a variety of archaic music making devices, such as the Buchla box, to compose new music. Conceptually its an interesting proposition but the music is not as compelling as some of his other works. Still an interesting listen for fans of electronic music.

First post in Los Angeles

2006-09-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

After a cross country move, I am finally ready to write about some new music. First up is Scott Walker's latest, 'The Drift' and (the London) Suede's 'Sci-fi Lullabies'. Scott Walker is one of those lesser-known '60's artists who is being consistently rediscovered. 'The Drift' is his most release, from earlier this year. Having heard none of his famed '60's and early '70's output, I had nothing to go on except for his reputation. The album is a very strange and difficult listen. The production is very dark and gritty, and Walker's melodic sense is interesting to say the least. Not pop oriented in the slightest, this album will be tough to take out to listen to except for the very darkest and rainiest days.

Suede's 'Sci-fi Lullabies' is a collection of their b-sides from the beginning of the band to their later rebirth in the late '90's. The real draw for me was having the b-sides to the early singles and first two albums when they were with their original guitar player, Bernard Butler. Butler is a wonderfully fluid and melodic guitar player, and I believe the band suffered when he left. The tracks that he appears on are amazing and certainly rival his work on both their self-titled debut and the classic, under-appreciated second album, 'Dog Man Star'. I would recommend these to any fan of British rock, especially of the David Bowie, Blur ilk.

I also listened to Steve Reich's collection of his early music, including the pieces 'Clapping Music', 'Piano Phase' and the tape pieces 'Come Out' and 'It's Gonna Rain.' I personally like the instrumental phase pieces more as they have a melodic and rhythmic lines. The tape pieces though are very interesting and as he phases two tape players in and out of synch it does create its own kind of music. Considering that Reich did this in the early '60's, it shows just how forward thinking he was in terms of using samples and found sounds to create sound works. Another early adopter to music technology is Morton Subotnick and his two early electronic music pieces, 'Sidewinder' and 'Early Spring'. Both of these pieces display Subotnick's use of analog synthesizer technology and tape machines to create sound sculptures. Both of the pieces are very compelling to listen and put the listener into a completely realized artificial soundscape.

Other new listens include Michael Brooks and his first solo album (recorded with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois) 'Hybrid'. Brooks is the inventor of the Infinite Guitar, which creates endless sustain on held notes. This was used to popular effect by the Edge on the U2 song 'With or Without You.' 'Hybrid' is a very beautiful, slow-moving ambient album. Eno adds world music touches with African percussion and Eastern string instruments as well. Its a lovely late night listen.

Two other purchases include Randy Newman's 'Trouble in Paradise', which includes the classic, 'I Love L.A.' Something I had to purchase when I came out here. The other Los Angeles centric album I got was Los Lobos 'How Will the Wolf Survive?' This is an album which veers all over the place in terms of the styles they hit. '50's style rock, traditional Mexican music, ballads and more modern rock and roll all coalesce on their debut album. Its short (a little over 30 minutes) but its a great listen.

TV on the Radio, Buena Vista Social Club, Sonic Youth (Sister), Gorecki (Three Pieces in Old Style), Xenakis (La Legende d’Eer)

2006-07-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

I don’t know why I put off buying the debut from TV on the Radio for so long. ‘Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes’ is a great, original sounding record. Each song is a sonic sculpture, incorporating various disparate samples, horns, percussion and guitar. It has been mentioned before, but the album does radiate a Peter Gabriel / World Music vibe. I would call it an American version of world music, with all the technology and modern 21st century life being exposed to their base elements. The heart of the band is the vocals of Tunde Adebimpe and the guitarist Kyp Malone. Adebimpe is a force and added with the vocals of Malone they create a warm huge sound that encircles the music. Probably the finest song on the album is ‘Ambulance’ which is strictly acappella. Another favorite is ‘Poppy’ which starts with a great guitar riff and slowly adds more and more sampled drums to the mix. Midway through it breaks down to another great acappella section.

Two modern composers, Gorecki and Xenakis, also made their way into my collection. Henryk Gorecki is most famously known for his Symphony No. 3 ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’, which sold over a million copies when it was re-released on Nonesuch in the early 1990s. He is also known for ‘Three Pieces in the Old Style’ which was his break away from avant-garde tutelage in the 1960s and showed the way forward for his composition style. The pieces may seem deceptively simple, but this of course is what he was going for.

Iannis Xenakis is a modern composer known for both his ‘traditional’ music writing as well as his creation of solely electronic works. For this release, on the impressive Mode Records (which is re-releasing many recordings from modern composers that went out of print, or where never in print), ‘La Legende d’Eer’ showcases the soundscape that Xenakis created for an installation piece honoring the opening of the Pompidou Center in Paris. The installation was a structure created out of fabric with intense lighting design and 8 channels of sound inside. Apparently it was a sight to behold. Unfortunately there is nothing left of the piece except for the music. It is a strange piece with no obvious musical progressions, notes, chords, etc. I have a feeling that the piece taken in conjunction with the lights and the architecture was awe-inspiring. The music is impressive by itself, but sounds like it needs its accompaniment.

Other recent listens include ‘Sister’ by Sonic Youth and the Buena Vista Social Club album. Still digesting the Sonic Youth, it’s the album that came out before their classic ‘Daydream Nation’. It’s not as huge as that album, but the guitar sounds are very interesting. And it actually has some pop song structures with the opening song ‘Schizophrenia’ being particularly melodic.
As for the Buena Vista Social Club album, if you haven’t seen the movie that this is based on, you must. It shows music in its purest form, singular talents coming together to create a wonderful whole. The album shows these long lost musicians still tied to one another through the old music of Cuba.

Liars 'Drum's Not Dead' & Keith Fullerton Whitman

2006-05-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

The new Liars album 'Drums Not Dead' is probably one of the top releases so far this year. A throughly engrossing listening experience, Liars use everything, including the kitchen sink I think, to record and perform on this album. The guitars are de-tuned, yielding shimmering cascades of sound, and the drums and vocals are all put through a wide range of filters and effects pedals. The songs, mostly drone based melodically, use drums and rhythms in very uncoventional ways. There is even a surprising plaintive melody found on the last song, 'The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack' the ends the album beautifully.

Keith Fullerton Whitman is a laptop pioneer whose most recent release 'Lisbon' is the first thing I have heard by him. It consists of one 40 minute long track that was recorded live in Lisbon. It is another beautiful listening experience. The tracks builds from soft drones and gathers static and noise as it moves forward. The noise never becomes overbearing and only adds to the momentum of the track. Along with this CD I purchased one of his previous album 'Playthroughs' which is another chill listen. One track in particular struck me, 'Feedback Zwei', consisting of guitar feedback filtered and fed through his laptop. This is something I have become interested in and would like to expand on it.

A album I have been playing alot is the new Secret Machines, 'Ten Silver Drops.' Though it only consists of 8 songs, many of them are already classics (at least to me). The opener 'Alone, Jealous and Stoned' has to be one of the best titles for a break up song and the song itself doesn't disappoint. It starts with soft piano chords and big drums before it finally breaks open half way through. 'Faded Lines' has an awesome guitar lick, and the final song '1,000 Seconds' ends the album on a high note. Along the way, 'Daddy's in the Doldrums' showcases drummer Josh Garza's bombastic drums and a bluesy bass and guitar line.

Two DFA releases that I picked up: the Juan Maclean 'Less Than Human' and the DFA's 'The DFA Remixes Chapter One'. 'Less Than Human' is definitely the more cold side of the DFA catalog, with less live drums and a more digital sound. However, that does not stop it from being a great dance record. "Give Me Every Little Thing' has a great chant (courtesy of James Murphy) and icy beats. 'The DFA Remixes' show the DFA / LCD Soundsystem template transferred to other artists. They take a song like 'Dare' by Gorillaz or 'Mars, Arizona' and turn it into a 10 - 12 minute acid workout that keeps building up steam as it moves along. If you like to dance, this is a perfect CD. The version of 'Dance to the Underground' by Radio 4 sounds almost nothing like the original and is none the worse for it. The vocals are completely cut out and the even add a saxophone part to the mix. Amazing. Highly recommended.

A few other recent purchases:

Flaming Lips, 'At War with the Mystics': Not as bad as I thought it was going to be, 'The W.A.N.D.' and 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song' are definitely keepers.

Theolonius Monk Quartet with John Coltrane, 'At Carnegie Hall'. This is great discovered jazz find of the new millenium and it doesn't disappoint. While short, the sound is incredible and hearing Monk's broken cluster of piano notes along with Coltrane's beautiful melodic playing show two masters at work.

Bruce Springsteen, 'Born to Run, 30th Anniversary Edition'. Thanks to Hank and Johnny for this. Can't say much about the music, its pretty classic. Of course one thing that as always grated on me is the sax. Too much sax! That being said it does work out in spots, like Jungleland. The boxset also comes with a live show from the era that I have yet to see, and also a DVD covering the making of 'Born to Run' that is not to be missed. One can see and hear the sweat and toil that went into creating the album. These guys worked for it! It is eye opening to see a band approach the music with such a workmanlike attitude to their craft.

Fela Kuti finally discovered

2006-04-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

A few new recordings to report. I finally bought an album by the famed originator of the 'Afro-beat', Fela Kuti. Fela's music could be described as a cross between James Brown and Miles Davis' 70s fusion excursions. Leading of band of upwards of 20 people, the music locks into an unending groove that can continue from 10 to 25 minutes at a stretch. The CD I purchased contains two albums on one CD, 'Opposite People' and 'Sorrow Tears and Blood'. The music is hypnotic and amazing. You can not help but groove and dance. For anyone who likes dance music and more modern versions such as recordings off the DFA label, this will appeal to you big time. Highly recommended.

Contining with the African theme, I also got the first international release by the recently departed Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure. The album came out in 1988 and it is mostly solo recordings of Toure singing accompanied by his guitar though he recorded some percussion instruments as well. Very different than the Fela things, it has much more of an American blues feel. Toure was probably the first to claim that the blues orginated in West Africa. With his recordings you can see why. There is certainly a similar feeling of melancholy and hope that comes through in his music.

I finally got a recording by the Secret Machines, 'The Road Leads Where Its Led' US EP. I have a burned copy of their first full length, so I figured I owed them some bucks. The EP is interesting as it contains various cover songs as well as one unreleased original. The two best are the Dylan cover 'Girl from the North Country' and the Harmonia tune 'Immer Wieder.' Harmonia is one of my faves, being a krautrock supergroup of sorts from the 70s. They were comprised of members from Cluster and Neu!. On that track, Secret Machines show their influence most noticeably, but if it will introduce some new fans to the great music of 70s Krautrock than I am all for it.

And speaking of great music from the 70s, the seminal debut album from This Heat (self-titled) was just re-released. I had been curious about this group for a while but was unable to purchase as the album has been out of print for over 10 years. Finally seeing re-release on the group's own label, it shows both a culmination and nascent beginning of sampling culture and avant-rock tendencies. Probably by favorite track is '24 Track Loop' which is a sonic collage consisting of looped drums beats, found sound and organ drones. The whole album though is a great listening experience. Some tracks are live takes of bass, guitar and drums, others are sampled collages, some seem like rehearsal tapes that were edited together. It is thrilling to hear a band being completely creative in putting together an album or collection of music.

On March 19th I saw Nicolas Collins & Peter Cusack perform together. Collins plays a electronics via his trumpet and Cusack plays an acoutic guitar that is also attached to his laptop. The music was very freeform and quiet. The most interesting part of the evening was Cusack playing field recordings that he had gathered from throughout the world. The most interesting was a recording he had made of oil fields in what I believe was Turkmenistan. The sounds were very rhythmic due to the repetitions of the oil rigs, but very mysterious because of the otherworldy sounds they produced.

March 31st was the Flaming Lips show at Webster Hall. It started out great with balloons and amazing introduction music. Unfortunately they could not sustain that through the whole show. And playing many new songs made it hard for the audience to get very much into it. The best new song I heard was 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song'.

Much better was the April 4th Gorillaz concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Though we had seats all the way on the Upper Mezzanine, very stage left, we had a great view of the orchestra that Damon Albarn had produced for the show. He had a string section, 5 backup singers, a percussionist, drummer, D.J., bassist, two guitarists, a keyboard player and Albarn himself on piano. They played the whole of 'Demon Days' straight through, including live appearances from each of the guests on the record: Ike Turner, Neneh Cherry, Shaun Ryder, etc. Some moments were better than others but the highs were high indeed. 'Dirty Harry' brought out a youth choir who were cheering, dancing and singing along. It was hard not to get caught up in it, and the crowd sprung to their feet. Another great moment was Shaun Ryder coming out to sing 'DARE'. One of the best songs on the album, it was worth it just to see if Ryder was going to be able to sing in time, and he was very close to falling out completely. It was funny to see Albarn watch him the whole time, probably to see what Ryder would do. A great show even it was overpriced (last time I spent $80 on show, U2, I swore I would never do it again).

Nishat Khan at Zankel Hall 3/10/06

2006-03-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

This was the first professional sitar performance I have seen. I had once seen a Westerner give a recital and though he had 20 years experience that does not even scratch the surface of knowledge that one must have to be proficient on this instrument. Nishat Khan on the other hand has been playing for his whole life (over 50 years) and the sitar has been in his family for over 8 generations, or roughly 400 years. In fact they are purveyors of a certain type of playing that imitates the human voice.
Khan opened the performance with a special raga that is meant for beautiful moonlit nights. That whole day was beautiful, probably the handful of beautiful days that occur in New York City in a given year, so Khan's pick was perfect. I had never thought much about the nuances of sitar playing but Khan was supremely versatile, playing both slow, emotive lines and then creating incredibly fast runs up and down the fret board that beggared belief. In every facet of his playing he was flawless, never a bum note or anything less than utter conviction for very thing he played. It was inspiring to see it.
When the table player, Abhuit Banerjee, began playing this loosened up the proceedings and he and Khan were to jam in an almost jazz-like fashion at points. Head nods, and eye contact was definitely used as they syncopated certain down beats and false endings. I had thought North Indian classical music was more structured. I had a feeling that they might have been showing off for the American crowd. That and the fact that Khan explained to the crowd about Indian music are my only quibbles. I wish they would have let the music speak for themselves. But still it was an extraordinary performance and leads me to want to travel to India to see performances firsthand.

Keeping Up

2006-02-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

Musical adventures have been few and far between (with the notable exception of musical collective currently going by the name Lipstic). But a recent drive through the central coast of California inspired a recent spreeding spree.

Tom Verlaine: Warm and Cool
This is re-release of a 1990 instrumental album featuring guitar, bass and drums. Very simple, and Verlaine uses his guitar perfectly, creating late night, noir-ish jams.

Lyle Lovett: Joshua Judges Ruth
Probably my favorite singer/songwriter. This album is definitely more upfront emotionally than his early twisted and surreal lyrics. Has some good songs but seems a little long with a song or two too many about bad girlfriends.

Beck: Midnight Vultures
This is first Beck album I have bought, but also the one I have listened to the most from when it had first come out. Has some classic songs like "Debra" and "Nicotine and Gravy."

Super Furry Animals: Love Kraft
I have become a big fan of theirs through the last few years. Also ambitious with Beatles-esque command of melody and humor. Still getting used to this but I like it. It is a bit more mellow and hazy then their last album.

Yaz: Upstairs at Eric's
I have been wearing this CD out it is so awesome. Once you hear it, you will recognize so many hits like "Situation", "Only You" and "Don't Go." Has such a good beat and feel. It goes deeper though with other cuts. Highly recommended.

Various Artists: Future Retro
My lovely wife wanted to pick this up. It is tracks from the '80's remixed by current DJs. Pretty fun, but the remixes seem to be only as good as the song is. Of course the remix of Yaz's "Situation" is awesome as is a remix of the great Echo & the Bunnymen single, "Lips Like Sugar."

Terry Riley: A Rainbow in Curved Air
I bought this with a Xmas gift certificate from my cousin (thanks Margy). The album consists of two extended pieces with all sounds played by the early minimalist composer Terry Riley. It sounds much like a Indian raga with a drone and several soloing instruments, all electronically generated. A very hypnotic 20 minutes that was recorded in 1969.

Last of 2005

2006-01-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

A few CD gifts to report:
Ron Sexsmith: Blue Boy
My Morning Jacket: Z
Broken Social Scene: s/t
Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (bought this one for myself)
Tubeway Army: Replicas (Gary Numan's first band)

The new My Morning Jacket album is certainly compelling, with the first 5 songs sounding damn near perfect. The opening song, 'Wordless Chorus' has lead singer Jim James riffing away with his drawling wail. 'Gideon' has the band basically rocking a third chord outro for the whole of the three minute song. A great move, the listener is instantly fist pumping. 'Off the Record', the lead single, has the band in a reggae-like guitar groove, leading to an atmospheric ending. Its like you've heard all of this before, but somehow they breathe life back into the cliches.

The Broken Social Scene album is fairly strange with some very interesting production ideas. It is very very dense; I guess that goes with the territory when you have 14 or so musicians in the band. Stand out tracks are 'Ibi Dreams of Pavement', '7/4 Shoreline'. 'SuperConnected' and the final epic (9 minutes) close, 'It's All Gonna Break'.

I was also able to catch Lataetia Sonami while I was in Chicago at the beginning of December. She is a sound artist who developed her own device, called 'The Lady's Glove', in which she controls sounds, light and anything else for that matter, through a movement sensitive glove. The sounds are housed in a laptop, but her slightest movements trigger the sounds: wiggling her fingers one way produces a hum, moving her wrist another produces a light. It was an interesting show, almost performance art or a kind of dance theater. She also used her samples of her voice during one piece while also speaking, a very eerie effect.

LCD Soundsystem and Lightening Bolt

2005-11-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

Just saw LCD Soundsystem at Nokia Theater the night before Thanksgiving (11/23/2005) in Times Square. Fun show, but I still prefer the CD. Though they did a great 25 minute jam of 'Yeah'. Some of the songs didn't come off well live, especially those off the new music CD of the recent album. Tribulations was good, very synthed out.

Also just got the new Lightening Bolt album: 'Hypermagic Mountain'. Haven't heard any of their albums before, but I will recommend this if you like heavy hitting music. Sounds like Slayer if they were only a bass and drums duo. Best song title of the year: 'Riffwraiths'.

Earl Howard and soNu: Merkin Hall 11/10/2005

2005-11-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

Saw this performance at a space I had never been to (or heard of) near Lincoln Center.
It consisted or Earl Howard, west coast music "shaman" and a new music group consisting of female voice, percussion, electronics and woodwinds. Howard provided saxophone and synthesizer, and a guest vocalist, Thomas Buckner, completed the group.

Most of the compositions were freely improvised inside set parameters. As one can imagine, it was not a linear, easy to recognize listen. The vocalists stretched the vocals from singing to talking, muttering to just plain making strange sounds with their mouths. The percussionist did not play a beat but instead created a variety of different sounds using the full range of items at his disposable (including a can of hairspray). The most interesting part of the performance was how the players fed off each other and kept in constant eye contact. The were hyper-aware of the music they were playing.

Overall, the sounds itself weren't that exciting, but the ideas behind it were. The standard problem: executing your conception.

New Strategy

2005-11-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

Considering I can't even keep up with the new CDs / LPs that I buy and the shows that I go to, its time to come up with something different. I am going to post every thing I buy / go to but am only going to go in depth into those certain things that I feel really strongly about. For instance, the CD single that !!! put out way early in the summer of 2005 that I should have blogged about so some people could have picked it up. If you haven't gotten it (Take Ecstasy With Me (Magnetic Fields cover) b/w Get Up (Nate Dogg cover) you really have to check it out. It departs from their last album in that the Take Ecstasy With Me is a uber-pop song, but done with their inimitable blend of ringing guitars, stuttering drums beats and heavy basslines. The Nate Dogg song displays a great version of the tune with production flourishes that shine on the extended jam ending. If you haven't heard these two songs, download them for cheap or pick it up.

Recent purchases:
Phil Niblock - Young Person's Guide to Phil Niblock (droney, phase shifting acoustic instruments played live against tape. Very eerie sounds and tones are produced)
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom - Days of Mars (great instrumental electronic drone / raga music that can freak people out in the morning)
Sigur Ros - Takk... (probably their most beautiful album; so soft and warm)
The La's - The La's (great jangle pop; much deeper than their hit "There She Goes")
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Peter Gabriel - Security (the 4th album; I really love how he blends synthesizers with "world beats" into an atmospheric whole)

Recent concerts:
Gyorgy Ligeti's complete piano etudes performed by Christopher Taylor (Miller Theater 10/29) The performance was amazing; I knew these pieces were difficult, but seeing Taylor's hands move around the keyboard excited the whole crowd. Some etudes were almost impressionistic, close to Debussy and even Gershwin, while others had Taylor blocking certain keys in a scale with one had while the other played some of the notes. This created a very strange rhythmic effect but still one that was highly enjoyable to listen to.

Getting behind again

2005-09-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

I've got a fair backlog of CDs that I still need to get through. Here are the recent (last three months) of music purchases:

Steve Reich: Desert Music
!!!: Take Ectasy With Me b/w Get Up
Henryk Gorecki: Symphony No. 3
Thomas Ades: Asyla and other works
Cluster: Zuckerzeit
Kraftwerk: Minimum-Maximum
White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan
Coldplay: X&Y
Gorillaz: Demon Dayz
Kraftwerk: Electric Cafe
Four Tet: Everything Ecstatic
Prince: Dirty Mind
Death Cab for Cutie: Plans
Elliott Smith: s/t (Kill Rock Star debut)

So yeah, fair amount of things to get through. Next up will be Stephen Malkmus' Face the Truth which is still hanging around from the beginning of the summer, as well as the Kooyanisqatsi live performance.

Jóhann Jóhannsson: Virthulegu forsetar

2005-09-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

The great Touch label, home to Fennesz among others, released this ambient orchestral work in 2004. I first heard this supremely mediative work on NPR in New York, and quickly researched their website to find the name of the exact piece and its composer.

The work consists of three 15 and one 20 minute movements played by a brass section, percussion, electronics, organs and piano. It basically consists of a brass motif that appears in various inversions and tempi throughout the work. It opens with this motif, which sounds muchlike the opening to Strauss’ Thus Sprach Zarathustra (famously used in the opening to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey). As it reappears and is reconfigured, the motif becomes almost glacial; time slows down.

The piece as a whole revels in its stasis. After the opening, the piece gradually slows down as organs and electronic noise fill in the space that is left by the brass. The returning occurences of the brass motif bring the listener back to the majestic nature of the track; akin to reaching various peaks after descending the valleys of silence and ambience.

Though the work is over an hour in length, the repititious nature of it puts the in almost a state of hypnosis where the feeling of grandeur is overpowering.

Spoon: Gimme Fiction

2005-09-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Spoon is a band that conflicts me. I love their spare instrumentation, inspired minimalist production flourishes and short, pointed songs. These are all things which normally I gravitate toward. However, I do not love Spoon. I very much admire them but still can’t bring myself to being a huge fan. It seems that perhaps they sound too distant, too unemotionally connected to the songs.

The latest album “Gimme Fiction” continues on the track that they established with “Girls Can’t Tell” and “Kill the Moonlight”: dark minor key songs and up tempo, just missed the Top 40 pop tunes. “Beast and Dragon, Adored” contains both of those ideas; it opens the album with a classic Spoon minor key melody and simple drum pattern. It is interesting to hear how Britt Daniels twists the melody along with the chords to finally arrive at the major key change in the chorus. From this song springs forth the rest of the album; even name checking some of the other songs.

The best song on the album is “I Turn My Camera On”, a pseudo-funk sang in a Prince-like falsetto. The simple drum beat and guitar riff is augmented by a single repeated piano note and backup vocals that course and surge around the main vocal line. Near the end a distorted guitar sound adds to the ominous nature of the track. However, the sum does not quite equal all the distinct parts of the song. Perhaps it’s the circular nature of the song which ends up not anywhere further than where it started.

“Sister Jack” is a bouncy, lithe song whose long-run guitar chords seem to push the song higher and higher. Definitely the most “pop” moment on the record and easily the most instant hummable song they have yet recorded.

Songs like “The Delicate Place” and “They Never Got You” show the more austere, Spartan side of the band. Even though the melody lines of both songs are lacking, they both have this almost bitter quality that demands a repeat listens. And this again is that quality that continues to draw me toward this band, the mysterious atmosphere of the music coupled with great production.

Oneida: The Wedding

2005-08-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

A great, underrated band that deserves to be on more people’s radars. They had me hooked after I heard the track “Sheets of Easter” on one their previous albums. Consisting of one heavy, heavy riff repeated for 16 minutes and a few drums fills and a quick chord change, this song took psych / kraut rock into a totally new realm.

With their new album, they add new sounds and genres to their sound. Only a few songs show the bluesy, stoner sound that their previous albums displayed. In fact the best songs on the album are when they get the furthest away from their “sound”. “The Eiger” opens the album with just a string quartet and vocals, evoking nicely the Germanic theme of the track. “High Life” goes even further into the pop vein and includes such Brooklyn centric lyrics as pissing in Prospect Park. An electronic music-box sets the melodic sheen of the track and strings appear at the end as a perfect uplift to the music. “Run Through My Hair” is an acoustic ditty with a very brittle sounding guitar/mandolin instrument. The angular nature of the picking coupled with the oddly tracked double vocal, giving the song an unsettling quality.

The second half of the album tends toward the dark and dour. This narrows the wide-ranging eclecticism of the opening and brings down the album. Tracks like “Leaves” and “The Beginning is Nigh” don’t offer many new ideas beyond fuzzy guitars and slow tempos. The album ends nicely though on “August Morning Haze”, which finds the band back where it started on the album. Dissonant electric guitars blend with pizzicato strings and light percussion, leading to a melodic chorus. A serene, pastoral way to end a promising album that unfortunately leaves one wanting more eclecticism from the band.

The Mars Volta: Frances the Mute

2005-08-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

On their second full length, the Mars Volta both expand and contract their wide swinging music jams and soundscapes. Only 5 different tracks are listed, with 3 of these are further broken down into sections. And at 76 minutes one would think that the CD is full of extended multi suite pieces, ala a 1970s Rush album. However, close to 30 minutes of the CD are filled with the aforementioned soundscapes. Though compelling listening, and lending a nice flow to the album as a whole, it really shows that the Mars Volta only created two 7 minute songs, one at 5 min and one weighing in at 3 minutes (“The Widow”). Songs either begin or end with the soundscapes or, like “L’Via l’Viaquez” with a loop of the piano progression. “Miranda…” also ends this way, with trumpets and guitars stretching the melody. The one exception is the final song, “Cassandra Gemini”, which clocks in at over 30 minutes, consists of more music than noise. However, the atmospheric “free” section lets them stretch the song out, lending a live quality to the track.

Despite the shortage of separate songs, the Mars Volta definitely display their musical prowess as well as the inventiveness that characterized their first full-length. The opening track, “Cygus…” sets the tone an acoustic opening leading to a jazz-rock free-for-all. Guitar riffs lead the band through an intense workout. Things slow down with the acoustic guitar / string driven “The Widow”. “L’Via l’Viaquez” shows the schizophrenic nature of the band in high relief, as the song alternates between driving rock and a latin-tinged big band slow-jam. With many of the lyrics in Spanish, the Mars Volta display a lyrical exoticism to match their music.

An interesting, if not exactly compelling listen; I would push them to compose more and jam less.

OutHud: Album reviews - S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D., Let Us Never Speak of It Again; Live Review: Bowery Ballroom, April 23rd

2005-06-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

Another addition to the NYC indie-dance scene, OutHud blew me away with both their recorded output and its live show. After becoming a huge fan of their brother band !!!, I wanted to hear what more OutHud could bring to the table. Though both groups utilize the four on the floor disco beat, OutHud’s compositions skew toward extended instrumental pieces that use cello and more robust keyboard and dub-like production flourishes. They are less focuses on the aggressive political statements that !!! propagate, but the twisting, rapidly morphing textures of their songs display their own brand of musical dexterity and power.

On their first album, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D., OutHud manages in two extended tracks to show originality and daring. “Dad, There’s a Little Phrase Called Too Much Information” opens with a crushing distorted sound which soon gives way to the delayed, treated guitar of Tyler Pope. The track ebbs and flows beautifully. Even better is “The L Train is a Swell Train…” which builds into a late inning breakdown featuring acoustic guitar and plucked cello strings.

Their second album and most recent album, Let Us Never Speak of It Again, puts the vocals of the two female member of OutHud on display. Phyllis Forbes and Molly Schnick are no longer content with playing keyboards and cello respectively, but add shouted and chanted lyrics to the songs with great effect. The first single from the album, “One Life to Leave” showcases the vocals admirably. They are added like another percussive instrument, with syncopations, doublings and other productions techniques. Again though, the best numbers are the long form instrumental tracks. Both “The Song So Good They Named It Thrice” and “Dear Mr. Bush...” show them building on the labyrinthine passages from the first album. Gone are all semblances of real drums and just drum machines and samples remain with the treated guitars, keyboards and cellos. Much more complex than the first album, the pieces fuse together a progressive rock bent with dance floor acumen.

The live show was an altogether revelatory experience. Using the energy of punk music and tying it with the unhinged spirit of a rave, OutHud proceeded to extend the high energy songs into long form techno jams. Overseeing the proceedings was master mixer and band member Justin Van Der Volgen. He set up at the back of the stage where the drummer would usually be But instead of a traditional trap set, Van Der Volgen had a table stacked with samplers, mixing boards and all sorts of outboard effects. Once the band went through a track such as their set closer, “Dad, There’s a Little Phrase Called Too Much Information”, Van der Volgen would run rampant with his bag of tricks, turning the Bowery Ballroom into a psychedelic Ibiza club. A great show displaying impeccable musicianship all around as well unbounded creativity.