So, now that band is over I have free time again. And a lot of that has gone into finding new music. I've got a list of like fifty songs at this point that are all going to make it up here sometime or another. I've also started to find more variety than just progressive rock; there is, after all, music in other genres that is still "progressive" in the sense that it breaks new ground in musical expression. Here are the selections for this post:
Spell of the Gypsies -- Buckethead
This is a really nice, simple, acoustic guitar sound poem. The dynamics and tempo vary just enough to give the music a life of its own -- you can almost hear the song itself breathing.
Enter -- Russian Circles
This is another completely instrumental work, like the first, but the timbre is completely different -- this utilizes a fully instrumented rock band. The complex structure of the song takes your mind on a journey. Russian Circles doesn't hesitate to use dissonance where appropriate either.
Fortune Days -- The Glitch Mob
Unlike most techno tracks, this work takes on a very theatrical feel. It almost feels as if you're riding into a battle of some kind. I'm not sure what causes it, but I like it. it's exactly the kind of innovation I'm looking for.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Return from a pilgrimage
Bad news: it's been way longer between posts than I intended.
Good news: I've found a boatload of new, exciting music. I went on a musical journey (no pun intended) and ended up exploring several genres deeper than I ever have before. I've had trouble deciding what to put on here and what to archive for future use. But I think I've narrowed it down to three for this post. Each one was unknown to me a month ago, but thanks to two wonderful things -- Youtube's playlists and Pandora -- I've found these fantastically creative bands.
Riverside - "Before"
Such a hauntingly beautiful song . . . . The chord progression, so simple (the same two chords for most of the first two and a half minutes) adds to the melancholy feel, with airy, distant vocals completing the picture. The arrangement ebbs and flows, swelling and subsiding in intensity with the emotional train of the piece, carrying the listeners emotions seamlessly along with it.
Have Nots - "Poisoned Antidote"
This band, not to be confused with The Have Nots or the Havenots, is relatively unknown (the youtube video only has 1,200 views . . . !) but undeservedly so. This was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm grateful for the referral -- it has added to my experience another excellent song. I'm not sure what does it for me, the ska/punk fusion, the unique (for a punk song) chord progression, or the subtle keyboard in the final choruses, but this song sticks in my mind as one of the finer pieces to be produced by a punk band.
The Flower Kings - "Train to Nowhere"
This song is a perfect illustration of the way music can touch one's heart. The music and the lyrics are both wonderfully written to portray the horrible sadness that is the Holocaust in a touching tribute to those lost in the most heinous crime in history.
Good news: I've found a boatload of new, exciting music. I went on a musical journey (no pun intended) and ended up exploring several genres deeper than I ever have before. I've had trouble deciding what to put on here and what to archive for future use. But I think I've narrowed it down to three for this post. Each one was unknown to me a month ago, but thanks to two wonderful things -- Youtube's playlists and Pandora -- I've found these fantastically creative bands.
Riverside - "Before"
Such a hauntingly beautiful song . . . . The chord progression, so simple (the same two chords for most of the first two and a half minutes) adds to the melancholy feel, with airy, distant vocals completing the picture. The arrangement ebbs and flows, swelling and subsiding in intensity with the emotional train of the piece, carrying the listeners emotions seamlessly along with it.
Have Nots - "Poisoned Antidote"
This band, not to be confused with The Have Nots or the Havenots, is relatively unknown (the youtube video only has 1,200 views . . . !) but undeservedly so. This was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm grateful for the referral -- it has added to my experience another excellent song. I'm not sure what does it for me, the ska/punk fusion, the unique (for a punk song) chord progression, or the subtle keyboard in the final choruses, but this song sticks in my mind as one of the finer pieces to be produced by a punk band.
The Flower Kings - "Train to Nowhere"
This song is a perfect illustration of the way music can touch one's heart. The music and the lyrics are both wonderfully written to portray the horrible sadness that is the Holocaust in a touching tribute to those lost in the most heinous crime in history.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
First post! This is what it's all about.
So, I listen to a lot of music. So what? Tons of people do. I doubt, though, that tons of people listen to the music that I do. That's why I'm starting this blog, to (hopefully) get people interested in music they may never have tried otherwise. And don't worry, I'm not doing this as part of the whole pop-versus-indie war or whatever. Any music can be good, so long as it's creative and expressive. This is a place to highlight songs that are both of those things. Maybe you've heard of them, maybe you haven't. Hopefully it's some of both. I want this to be like a conversation -- I'm writing this to share cool new music with you, the reader, but I also want to hear what you like and what you want me to get into. So yeah. Lemme kick this off with a few songs that I recently ran across.
Veneno Para Las Hadas, by Steven Wilson:
Okay, first thing you should know about me is that I am obsessed with Steven Wilson (and his band, Porcupine Tree). I am going to put lots of his stuff on here because he is a genius. 'Nuff said. Anyways, this particular piece is six minutes of pure beauty. The synthesizer floats effortlessly in the air, lending its beauty to everything around it. Wilson's vocals are soothing and gentle, as if he's whispering in your ear. The piece is tied together by a soft but tireless bass pounding a steady eighth note rhythm throughout the song.
Malaguena, Traditional Flamenco
Of all of the Spanish guitar songs out there, this is the one you've most likely heard of. It makes a good introduction to the wonderful world of classical Spanish guitar though. The music is enchantingly difficult, requiring the performer to play both melody and accompaniment.
Six Little Pieces, Op. 19, by Arnold Schoenberg
*Note: I chose this spelling due to my inability to figure out how to type an umlaut. Please tell me if you know how.
This is a foray into the truly experimental side of music. See, Schoenberg doesn't really care a whole lot about staying in a particular key. The result is music that can seem, especially at first, extraordinarily dissonant. With repeated listens and an open mind, however, these unusual works take on a strange, ethereal beauty all their own.
Those are my three for the day. Thanks for checking this out, and I hope you enjoy these pieces. I'll post an update when I find some more new music worth writing about (and time in which to write about it).
Veneno Para Las Hadas, by Steven Wilson:
Okay, first thing you should know about me is that I am obsessed with Steven Wilson (and his band, Porcupine Tree). I am going to put lots of his stuff on here because he is a genius. 'Nuff said. Anyways, this particular piece is six minutes of pure beauty. The synthesizer floats effortlessly in the air, lending its beauty to everything around it. Wilson's vocals are soothing and gentle, as if he's whispering in your ear. The piece is tied together by a soft but tireless bass pounding a steady eighth note rhythm throughout the song.
Malaguena, Traditional Flamenco
Of all of the Spanish guitar songs out there, this is the one you've most likely heard of. It makes a good introduction to the wonderful world of classical Spanish guitar though. The music is enchantingly difficult, requiring the performer to play both melody and accompaniment.
Six Little Pieces, Op. 19, by Arnold Schoenberg
*Note: I chose this spelling due to my inability to figure out how to type an umlaut. Please tell me if you know how.
This is a foray into the truly experimental side of music. See, Schoenberg doesn't really care a whole lot about staying in a particular key. The result is music that can seem, especially at first, extraordinarily dissonant. With repeated listens and an open mind, however, these unusual works take on a strange, ethereal beauty all their own.
Those are my three for the day. Thanks for checking this out, and I hope you enjoy these pieces. I'll post an update when I find some more new music worth writing about (and time in which to write about it).
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