Almost as if by design – to make my late Best-of posting seem perfectly timed – Fleet Foxes performed this past weekend on SNL.
One could tell there was something special about the Seattle band even before their first proper album was released; the band presented a ‘taster course’ in the form of an EP in April of ’08. The Sun Giant EP’s title track revealed blankets of layered vocals that recalled Southern Californian 70s rock as an affectionate touchstone, without being a specifically locatable signature. ”English House” with its pastoral pop charms, also became a quick favorite.
The band’s self-titled LP reveals still more musical riches. One of the most memorable tracks, “White Winter Hymnal” revisions vocal harmonies a lá CSNY for a veritable choir of overdubs; this wall of voices is matched by a guitar solo that packs its own thunder. ”Blue Ridge Mountains” transports the Foxes’s chorused vocals into more rustic – alt-folk – musical territory.
“Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” and “Meadowlark” are more simply arranged – relying primarily on solo voice and acoustic guitar – but so eloquently sung as to be equally affecting.
For audio evidence of the band’s captivating live presence, Aquarium Drunkard has posted their 11-21-08 show in the Netherlands.
Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Petra Haden collaborates again with accordionist Miss Murgatroid on Hearts and Daggers, released on File Under Music (no relation to this blog). Haden possesses a chameleon-like versatility. She’s involved in various collaborations with members of her musical family, records as a solo artist, and has become something of a YouTube sensation for a cappella renditions of Journey and covering the Who.
Hearts and Daggers explores her interest in creating chamber pop that draws upon a variety of influences: Gypsy music, Celtic folk ballads, minimalism, and classical repertoire. All this is stirred into a pot with the aforementioned classic rock inflections and a cappella layered singing to create willfully eclectic, but eminently attractive material. Murgatroid’s penchant for long, sustained harmonies has the efficacious side effect of slowing down Haden’s lightning fast musical metabolism, allowing the songs to settle; taking more organic shapes despite their disparate starting points.
Georgia collective Venice is Sinking releases a new CD, Azar, on March 31. It recalls some of the best elements of 90s ambient post-rock while breathing fresh energy into the genre. Sunny vocal harmonies and eclectic instrumentation blending rock and orchestral instruments create an inviting surface. At core a quintet, they are abetted by some wonderful trumpet lines from guest Colin Jones on “Okay;” one of their finest songs to date, it glides alongside the aesthetics of Shrimp Boat and Sea and Cake.
Cooing vocal harmonies halo Daniel Lawson’s lead vocal on “Wetlands Dancehall,” an affecting update of 50s pop stylings and progressions. “Young Master Sunshine” has the convivial feel, duet vocals, and slowcore pacing of Low. That said, a soaring trumpet solo puts it safely away from the dangers of troping. Several instrumental vignettes show off the group’s ensemble interaction and gift for nuance. Karolyn Troupe sings lead on a pleasingly enigmatic, episodic, and proggy “Sun Belt.” “Iron Range” invites listeners to bask in soaring, dream pop sonics. “Charm City” closes Azar with a slowly unfolding, well-arranged valediction. One hopes to revisit their considerably charming music often.
This week has been focused on revising the paper I gave at IRCAM in December on Carter’s late concerti and reviewing a Carter centennial volume (as well as a bunch of other stuff) for Signal to Noise. But occasionally, one has to take a break from all-interval tetrachords and metric modulations. Chopin has been just the ticket, and Bridge Records has recently released two enjoyable Chopin recordings: one historic and one contemporary.
A 4-disc set (Bridge 9276 A/D) by Nadia Reisenberg (1904-1983) presents Chopin recordings from the 1940s and 50s, originally released on Westminster. It includes all of the Nocturnes, 56 Mazurkas, the Allegro de Concert, and the late Berceuse and Barcarolle. The pianist’s sense of line, particularly in the Nocturnes, is limpidly impeccable. Reisenberg’s recording of the Third Sonata, taken from a 1947 concert at Carnegie Hall, presents a different portrait of the artist; passionate, even tempestuous.
Hot Ticket tomorrow – Vassily Primakov
Russian pianist Vassily Primakov (b. 1979) brings brilliant technique and a similarly inspiring fire to his recording of Chopin’s Piano Concertos 1 &2 (Bridge 9278). He’s particularly impressive in the vivace movements of both works, in which runs are cleanly executed with a con brio fervor that that renews my interests in the concerti, of which I’ve heard some lukewarm performances in recent years. His rendition of the Romanze in the E-minor Concerto is quite touching as well.
Tomorrow at 2 PM, Primakov plays a recital at Weill Hall; a program consisting of Tchaikovsky – From “The Seasons” (op. 37b) and Grand Sonata (op. 37), Brahms Intermezzi (Op. 117), and Schumann’s Carnival. If his Chopin is any indication, this should be a memorable show!
Practicing Peace – a Celebration of the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sunday, January 18, 7:30 PM
The Purnell School, Pottersville, NJ
Program notes- Objective Art during Unsettling Times
It is often said of Stravinsky that his music studiously avoids overt autobiographical references in favor of an artistic detachment. This is really a half-truth. Stravinsky relates much of his personal experience through music, but often transmits these scraps of biography in codes and ciphers so that the listener must dig beneath the surface to find them.
Although it was composed in the midst of both World War I and the Russian Revolution, The Soldier’s Tale (1918) makes no direct mention of either of these events. Instead, Stravinsky chose (in collaboration with librettist Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz) to base the work on stories of forced conscription from another conflict – the Russo-Turkish War of the 19th Century. Ramuz and Stravinsky used these stories, particularly the idea of Rekrutskya songs (the laments of wives and girlfriends abandoned as a result of the conscription), as a means to express some of the turmoil and hardship of World War I, without having to specifically comment on current events. They further refined their libretto so that it would not even mention the Russo-Turkish conflict directly – allowing Soldier’s Tale to be applicable to any nations at war.
The universal character of the piece is further supported by its resemblance to and reliance upon two archetypal stories from Western Literature: the Faust story (the Soldier vying with the Devil for a violin which represents his soul) and the Myth of Orpheus (the Soldier looking back for his princess, only to become the Devil’s prisoner once again).
The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that
recognizes the dignity and worth of all of God’s children. The only
normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that allows judgment to
run down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy of brotherhood, the normalcy of true peace, the normalcy of justice.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., 1965
Darren Gage’s work normalcy (2001) is inspired by a more recent conflagration- the tragedy of September 11, 2001. The piece was written for the same instrumentation as The Soldier’s Tale (an unusual ensemble consisting of clarinet, bassoon, cornet, trombone, violin, bass, and percussion), but the similarity between the two works does not end there. As in the Stravinsky piece, in normalcy we see an attempt to frame the emotional impact of current events in music, but in a similarly detached fashion.
Rather than creating a work that is overtly programmatic, Gage chooses instead to subtly embed a cipher in the work, the ordered pitch class set 9-1-1-2-0-0-1, a musical representation of the now infamous date, which serves as a kind of ostinato throughout. The search for ‘normalcy’ is further characterized by the juxtaposition of the a-c minor third and the a-c# major third as a kind of chiaroscuro (light-dark) effect. The use of both the ostinato and thirds causes this piece to have a more regular cycling of pitch material than much of Gage’s other, more chromatic, concert music, which is instead concerned with extensions of the twelve-tone system. As such, the subliminal use of the date as an organizing factor in normalcy has a profound effect on the overall sound of the piece.
Despite the temporal distance between the events of 9/11 and today, many still struggle to return to a sense of everyday life. Bad news has been abundant of late, both domestically and internationally, and it is easy to feel a sense of dislocation and dispiritedness as a result. normalcy depicts this struggle through its reiteration of thirds, with their diatonic minor-major key implications. On the cusp of Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration, one may hear this dichotomy as a commingling of hopeful anticipation with an awareness of the damage wrought during the past eight years; an acknowledgment of our continued need for healing.
We are reminded of this duality of hopeful anticipation and needed prayers for healing in the songs we hear tonight as well. “I, Too” is a setting by Margaret Bonds of a poem by Langston Hughes (Westfield, New Jersey), one of the most eloquent voices for racial equality among poets during the mid-Twentieth century. “Old Man River” was a staple of Paul Robeson’s; Robeson (born Princeton, New Jersey) was a dedicated advocated for peace, tolerance, and racial equality. He used music as a powerful yet peaceful weapon against tyranny and oppression. It’s taken from the 1927 Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein Broadway musical Showboat; a work that was groundbreaking in its time for dealing with racism frankly and compassionately in a genre previously known for insensitive portrayals. “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and “Down by the Riverside” are beloved spirituals, identified both with the rich African-American musical repertoire and with the civil rights struggle of the 1960s.
The words of Dr. King quoted above indicate that the quest for a more equitable version of normalcy has been a long one, and will require continued vigilance. But on the eve of an historic inaugural, it is in the spirit of hope and healing, with renewed commitment to a peaceful pursuit of freedom, that we commemorate Dr. King’s legacy today, with sober reflections and joyful songs.
Received this press release from Gina over at Anti:
Today, we are especially happy to bring you “People Got A Lotta Nerve,” the first single from Neko Case‘s forthcoming album Middle Cyclone (out March 3), because for every blog that reposts the song and/or iLike user who adds it to their profile, Neko Caseand ANTI- will make a cash donation to Best Friends Animal Society.The promotion will run from January 13 to February 3, 2009. Five dollars will be donated for every blog post and one dollar for every user of iLike that adds the song to his/her profile. Find instructions for reposting here.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009, Best Friends Animal Society is one of America’s foremost animal rescue organizations. Founded in 1984, Best Friends advances nationwide animal welfare initiatives by working with shelter and rescue groups around the country. On any given day Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the nation’s largest facility for abused, abandoned and special needs companion animals located in southwestern Utah, is home to approximately 2,000 dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds, and other animals. The society also publishes Best Friends magazine, the nation’s largest general interest, pet-related magazine with approximately 300,000 subscribers. For more information, visit www.bestfriends.org.
Tunes: some composers – Mozart, Schubert, Berlin, Gershwin, McCartney, Wilson, Pollard – grace us with them abundantly. They may make it sound easy, but the artists above (and, of course, several others) are a rare breed; they seem to be able to capture the perpetually memorable in a single melodic gesture. A.C. Newman, whose day-job is with power-pop super group the New Pornographers, is another of these elegant tunesmiths. Whether his songwriting is in service of group projects with the aforementioned band-mates or for solo work, it is nearly always immediately striking and eminently durable fare.
His latest for Matador, Get Guilty, is a case in point. Song after song, the tunes keep coming, buoying three and four minute marvels – “There are Maybe Ten or Twelve,” “Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer,” and “Submarines of Stockholm,” to name a few – with a graceful exuberance.
Emiliana Torrini’s voice bears more than a passing resemblance to fellow Icelandic singer Björk’s instrument; particularly in full throttle in its upper register. It’s not surprising that Torrini substituted for Björk in the soundtrack for TheTwo Towers. And while comparisons between the two artists needn’t end at vocal signatures – they both have explored electronica in their arrangements for instance – Torrini has carved out a distinct musical identity for herself.
Her latest CD, Me and Armini, reintroduces a vigorous mixture of electronic elements and robust rhythms; materials she downplayed in her previous album, the stripped-down Fisherman’s Woman. But her voice more often serves as a calming force buffeted by these walls of sound – witness her captivating, understatedly cool delivery amidst the rocking accompaniment of “Gun.” The title track employs zesty reggae rhythms alongside a sultry vocal. Torrini returns to a primarily acoustic palette for “Big Jumps,” a catchy alt-pop single with a vocalize hook that dares you to not sing along.
Antony and the Johnsons
Another World
Secretly Canadian CD EP
EPs are multifaceted characters in the digital distribution era. No longer bound by the relatively prescribed lengths of formats such as CD or, in another era, 45s, artists are using the EP as a way to provide ‘all killer, no filler’ in their releases. More content-rich than a single and more unified in conception than their full length counterparts, artists such as Joseph Arthur and Fleet Foxes have used EPs to get their music out into world with great speed and, of late, concomitant buzz. In the current global recession, their pint-size price at Amazon and other vendors is certainly welcome by consumers willing to be satiated by a taster course.
Another World, a late ’08 release from Antony and the Johnsons, could be seen as a teaser for their forthcoming Secretly Canadian full length Crying Light(out 1/20). But it’s also an intriguing release all by itself, pushing at the boundaries of Antony’s soulful vocals and searching polystylism. “Another World” and “Sing for Me” are emotively sung piano ballads that are kindred spirits to songs from Antony’s 2005 release I am a Bird Now; The harmonically questing “Crackagen” seems ripe for reinterpretation by Brad Mehldau, Christopher O’Riley or the Bad Plus.
“Shake That Devil” is more experimental. In an extended verse, Antony sings incantatory melismas over a droning accompaniment, only to eventually join forces with a raucous saxophone and hot rhythm section for a bluesy rabblerousing chorus. The closer, “Hope Mountain,” finds adopts a winningly lyrical tune that is embellished by piano interludes and honeycombs of overdubbed vocals. If the songs here are indicative of the forthcoming long-player’s reach, it should be most impressive!
Copper Press Supplemental issue #7 is up on their website; one can view the virtual issue there or download it as a PDF. Design-centric and stylistically catholic, I’ve long been a reader and contributor to CP both online and in print. I wrote my first feature for them in 2001, an article on Joe Maneri for Issue #9 of the print edition.
Editor/publisher Steve Brydges interviews me in the supplemental about my December trip to Paris, covering Elliott Carter’s centenary, and my recent appearance on NPR. I’m currently at work on several pieces for the next issue of the magazine, which should be along in the spring.
Entries (RSS)