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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]NT - Not
DoNT (self-released)
The group recently sent me a rockin’ five-song demo, and in describing their sound, the words “heavy,” “funky,” and “post punk” were used, and that’s pretty right on. Listening to the track “Not,” I think I’d be more likely to call it “sludgy stoner grooves,” but I definitely get what they’re going for with that description. The bass has some of the best heavy fuzz tone I’ve heard in a long time. You can download or stream the full demo on their MySpace.
I think their name has something to do with Windows.
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Billy Green - Race
Stone Original Soundtrack (Finders Keepers)
Stone, a classic Ozploitation film in the biker genre, paved the way for movies like Mad Max, but the big deal with the movie is definitely the soundtrack.
I was pretty excited to find out “electronic swamp-funk” was a thing, and if the record had been entirely fitting of that description, I would still have been thrilled with it. But you’ll find so many different styles of sound on this album, from hard psychedelic rock to experimental electronic compositions, and each of them are executed brilliantly. The extensive liner notes - which I’ve noticed is something of a calling card of Finders Keepers releases - describe the music as “the kind of soundtrack that makes you wish you could see the film but it’ll probably never happen.” I’d be willing to bet that’s right on, but the amount of information found in the booklet packaged with the CD might be more interesting than what you’d actually find on the film, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
The record opens with a dark noise experiment, “Eco Blue / Toadstrip,” an unlikely pairing of the Moog and the didgeridoo. Following that is “Race,” retaining much of the strange noise of the previous cut, but throwing an acid-funk base underneath it, creating a sweet transitional pathway from the sound effects of the opening piece into the heavy psychedelic rock of the later parts of the record.
It’s not often that I can recommend fans of Raymond Scott and Soft Machine check out the same album, but this is it. So do it already!
Stone Theatrical Trailer
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Datus - Stavrogin
Masc, Fem, Neut (Limbic Systems)
Datus, a four-piece project based out of Brooklyn, dropped three new EP’s on WMUA this week, and since their arrival in my possession, they’ve not left my “Now Playing” list for even a second.
Each disc has its own particular feel to it. The fuzzed-out, effected basslines on ”Ipsum” and the gnarly, distorted, instrumental duet on “Stavrogin” exude the power that becomes a defining characteristic of Masc. Fem features the voices of the female members of the group prominently, and at times the EP feels almost like a lost Portishead record.
While Masc and Fem might be a bit easy to place due to their titles, Neut is a bit tougher to pin down. I think the best I can do in describing it is to tell you that it’s weirder. My favorite cut on this disc, “Ice Haven,” contains a sort of droning texture, and some crunchy sax, two things of which I’ve grown quite fond. The first two tracks are out, but the last two are much easier to handle … this one’s got range.
You can find all three EP’s streaming right at Datus’ website, so I don’t know why you’re not there right now.
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Wayne Horvitz at the Northampton Center for the Arts
A World of Piano, February 12, 2010
(photo lifted from Horvitz’ website. Hope he doesn’t mind.)
At Friday night‘s A World of Piano performance, Wayne Horvitz utilized a wide array of electronics and unusual objects in order to effect the sound of his piano, creating an interesting and unique sound from the otherwise familiar instrument.
A heavy assortment of echo, delay, and looping pedals often created atmospheric oscillations, frequently through no more than the plucking of a few strings inside the piano. The first piece of the night employed great contrast and dynamics; harsh grating sounds were left to echo, before melting away, letting the soft, cautious tiptoeing notes be set up for another attack by the previous noise, continuing a cycle of stress and momentary relaxation.
Horvitz did not rely too heavily on electronics, however, as many of the compositions were just the natural sound of the piano, like “In One Time and Another,” a piece making use of a healthy amount of dissonance, and ending with a quote of “Home, Sweet Home.”
Following this more “acoustic” piece, Horvitz performed what he called a “duet with [his] iPod,” which emitted a simple piece of percussion, allowing him to explore time in a more interesting manner than is usually available to a solo performer.
Throughout the night, Horvitz would drop several objects into the belly of the piano, like paper, his wallet, two music boxes, and a harmonica (which he also played). Some of the most interesting effects were achieved through the looping and timbre modification of these objects, particularly the music boxes.
Horvitz’ style reflected an ability to let just a few notes hang for longer than might be expected, in order to allow the full effect of the sound be absorbed. The minimalist experimentation of Horvitz is definitely something to admire, and it’s clear the man has a deep understanding of the relations one can create in sound.
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I don’t know what this is, but I like Dead Meadow, so I guess I’m down.
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Ken Nordine's "Word Jazz" podcast →
There’re only four episodes, and the website hasn’t been updated since 2006, but each of those four episodes is trippy and awesome. Those interested in metaphysics, musical exploration, and mushrooms should definitely check this out.
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Growlers - Heehaw Stomp
Are You In or Out? (Everloving Records)
Since I started this blog, I’ve reviewed a few psychedelic-country-garage-pop/rock groups, and most of them have been a little boring, honestly. Lots of organs with tremolo, reverbed vocals, and jangly guitars, but with no real substance. Growlers succeed where these bands fail. Their new record, Are You In Or Out?, is full of sweet lines, awesome hooks, great lyrics … I almost forgot what the point of this stuff was, but they really took me back by doing the 60’s thing well.
I get the idea that these guys like to enjoy themselves; there are several short (17- to 77-second) tracks that show off a sense of humor, while still being kind of catchy, even with barely any time to get caught. Their MySpace has some neato animated GIF’s:
The best tracks, in my opinion, are “Tijuana,” which is a drippy-guitar surf slow-jam; “Wet Dreams,” which is about what you think it’s about; and “Wandering Eyes,” which does that sitar-psych thing, but in a manner which I actually find interesting. My favorite, though, is “Heehaw Stomp,” which has such an amazing vocal hook, I can’t get past it yet (see the top of this piece).
I guess my only complaint is that, every time I read “Growlers,” I can’t help but realize they were so close to “Growlithes.”
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Reflections on The Music Instinct
I just watched The Music Instinct: Science & Song, a PBS documentary on how and why music effects humans. It covered a wide array of topics involving several areas of science, and I found it quite interesting overall, but a few key topics stuck out to me.
First, Brian Greene, string theory physicist (who you might remember from the Nova special on that subject), mentioned that, in string theory, the idea is that the basic constituent parts of all matter are vibrating strings. He explained earlier in the doc that basically all sound is vibration; it’s the airwaves picked up and processed by your brain. So, as he says, a way we can think about music is … everything. Everything is vibrating, everything is making sound. It’s all music. I like this definition of music; it includes everything interesting one can imagine describing as music (and, pretty much everything else).
It seems to me that one can process music through several senses, but there’s a uniqueness to music that, to me, seems to be more than just sound or touch. You can’t explain the sensation of music as simply a type of sound we hear, or vibration we feel. Those are of course aspects of music, but the way in which we accept and process it seems to cause more of a psychological effect than sound, or touch, or a synthesis of the two. I think of it as another sense all of itself. But I suppose this is based in no fact; it’s just the way I think about it.
The second idea that resonated with me was the idea a few of the speakers backed up near the end of the program, that music is a way to connect people. This seems to make sense, intuitively; anyone who’s been to a show where the audience really connected can see how this might work. Take a look at this video, which you might remember from a post earlier this week:
Watch how the crowd reacts to the starts and stops in the music. I think it’s clear that music connects people. The problem, I think, with a lot of pop music, is that it’s an empty connection. Most of the music that seems to connect to so many people does nothing with that relationship. There are so many things one can do with music that can stimulate people, but much of contemporary pop music attempts nothing. It can be political, social, comedic, or simply musically exploratory, but something should be done with this power. Use it for good, shit, use it for evil, but use it for something. I can’t take this music that stagnates.
