Discuss the Musics Thread

[Russ]

Brian Eno is just so gosh darn quotable:

"There used to be two distinct cultural jobs. One of was them was called artist, and the other was called curator, and they used to be separate. But in the last 20 years or so they've completely merged and they now overlap completely. . . Artists like [Howie B and Spooky] are curating artists of a certain kind. It's a new kind of job that has become possible, technically, in last few years, but in fact existed conceptually for quite a long time before. There are people like Cage who were working with the idea that you could reshuffle other existing pieces of culture. But painters have been doing it for a long time. Music has caught up with what painting has been doing."

Lots of great stuff to check out in this link, Daniel.

[D_Davis]

Howie B - now there's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time.

[Russ]

Yeah, the article was from '96...

[D_Davis]

Yeah, the article was from '96...

Oh!



Looks good though. I'll definitely read it later.

I remember when Howie B was supposed to be the next big thing in music production. He put out a couple of decent solo albums, and did some good production, but I totally lost track of him.

[Ezee E]

I hate to say it, because all her songs before annoyed me, but these recent Britney Spears songs I keep hearing are strangely addictive. Pretty amazing production.

There, I said it.

Runs.

Fuck.

[MadMan]

Flight of the Concords' self titled CD doesn't contain some other awesome tracks that should be on there (namely their hilarious song mocking the LOTRs). But its still really good regardless, and has some quality gems.

I've already heard some songs from Interpol before, but actually their 2007 release, Our Love to Admire, was fairly rock solid. I'd like to get my hands on their other previous releases, and I dig them a lot.

Glad I didn't buy Employment, as its merely decent/solid at best. There's some good songs on there, but I'm curious if the Kaiser Chiefs' other CD is much better.

Haven't finished At War With the Mystics yet, but I'm halfway through and its psychedelic sweetness. The Flaming Lips could end up being a new favorite band just yet.

Latest Library Rentals:

*Meet the Eels-Essential Eels-Decided to check this out before I start to dive into their albums.
*The Compact King Crimson, King Crimson-Love In the Hall of the Crimson King to death. Never heard the other songs before, though.
*Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!, Godspeed You! Black Emperor-Whoa. Completely blew me away after listening to all of it last night. Not sure what the hell much of it means, or if there's a method to the madness, but I was surprised that I enjoyed an instrumental disc so much.

[D_Davis]

*The Compact King Crimson, King Crimson-Love In the Hall of the Crimson King to death. Never heard the other songs before, though.

I highly recommend Discipline and Three of a Perfect Pair - two awesome albums.

[MadMan]

I highly recommend Discipline and Three of a Perfect Pair - two awesome albums.

These will be added to my lengthy albums list. Thanks man.

[D_Davis]

These will be added to my lengthy albums list. Thanks man.

I've got roughly 30 KC albums, and those two are the ones I am constantly returning to.

[EvilShoe]

Fantastic news! New Broken Social Scene album on the way:
http://pitchfork.com/news/35350-brok...ording-new-lp/

You Forgot it in People is a personal fav.

[number8]

So you guys know Zack Kim? He's another YouTube celeb who's known for playing two guitars at the same time, really well. This is a rather great rendition of Cinema Paradiso's score.

He has a couple of original compositions, too, and they ain't half bad.

This Simpsons cover is probably the most impressive-sounding.

[D_Davis]

The Field's new one is great. In many ways, it reminds me of mid-period New Order, especially the track "Leave It." I can almost imagine Bernard Sumner singing on this.

[D_Davis]

Not sure how I feel about The Field's new one, now, after a few listens. While it's more ambitious than From Here We Go Sublime, it also lacks that album's directness. Sublime has a driving, propelling quality to it. The album begins and pushes you along; while listening to it I feel as though I am in a rushing river, totally at the mercy of the current. The new one is more meandering; it doesn't take me anywhere, and I am having a hard time paying attention to it. A couple of the tracks are great, but while listening to it I can't help but long for Sublime.

However, what is great is Bark Psychosis' Hex - wow. What a find! Thanks Derek. Who are these guys, and where do they get off by only releasing one studio album and a handful of EPs? What's their story? It's a damn crying shame that a band this talented isn't putting out albums on a regular basis. Is this their doing, or were they victims of the soulless industry? I need to know more.

[Acapelli]

hey davis, wanna describe to me what sidechain compression does in layman's terms? i've read that its used on the new phoenix album and i remember you mentioning it on the last page

[Derek]

Not sure how I feel about The Field's new one, now, after a few listens. While it's more ambitious than From Here We Go Sublime, it also lacks that album's directness. Sublime has a driving, propelling quality to it. The album begins and pushes you along; while listening to it I feel as though I am in a rushing river, totally at the mercy of the current. The new one is more meandering; it doesn't take me anywhere, and I am having a hard time paying attention to it. A couple of the tracks are great, but while listening to it I can't help but long for Sublime.

I hear you as it's a completely different beast than Sublime. This one is looser and more sprawling, but while it lacks the tightness of the last album, it's more adventurous and a bit more open to letting songs head in different directions. I love both, but for different reasons.

However, what is great is Bark Psychosis' Hex - wow. What a find! Thanks Derek. Who are these guys, and where do they get off by only releasing one studio album and a handful of EPs? What's their story? It's a damn crying shame that a band this talented isn't putting out albums on a regular basis. Is this their doing, or were they victims of the soulless industry? I need to know more.

Amazing, isn't it? One of my favorite post-rock albums. You should check out Codename: Dustsucker which is also great, even if it's a step down. I need to get around to their EPs as I've read they have some gems there as well.

As for the band's background:

At the peak of their powers, Bark Psychosis entered the studio in November 1992 to begin work on Hex, their long-awaited full-length debut. In sum, the LP took over a year to complete, forcing the group to the brink of emotional and financial collapse. Upon the record's completion, a tour was planned in support of the single "A Street Scene," but then Ling exited.

Even as Hex appeared to massive critical acclaim -- Reynolds' review of the album marked the first mention of the post-rock label, a tag later attached to similarly uncategorizable bands like Tortoise -- Bark Psychosis was essentially dissolved, although one final single, the techno-inspired "Blue," was issued by the end of 1994. The group officially disbanded in 1997; two posthumous retrospectives, 1994's Independency and 1997's Game Over, summed up their EPs and singles. In the wake of Bark Psychosis' demise, Sutton and Gish plunged fully into the realm of drum'n'bass, recording under the name Boymerang. By the time Regal issued 1997's Balance of the Force, Boymerang was a solo outlet for Sutton. In 1999, Sutton began working on another Bark Psychosis album, with extensive help from former Talk Talk drummer and Boymerang contributor Lee Harris. That album, entitled Codename: Dustsucker, was set for release through Fire in March of 2004.

[D_Davis]

hey davis, wanna describe to me what sidechain compression does in layman's terms? i've read that its used on the new phoenix album and i remember you mentioning it on the last page

Here is a link I posted in B's mix thread:

How to sound like The Field (aka, a video guide to sidechain compression):

http://www.vimeo.com/3084166

(of course, you'll still need the insane amounts of creativity and know the minimalist aesthetic like the back of your hand...but it's a start.)

It's a short video and gives you the basic idea.

It's basically using the punch of the kick drum to compress the sound of a lead part - usually a keyboard pad - so that the pad pulses in rhythm with the kick. The punch of the kick cuts off the pad. Daft Punk, Justice, and The Field use it extensively. It's basically the sound of French house.

[Milky Joe]

new Circulatory System leaked. fuck. yes.

[Acapelli]

Here is a link I posted in B's mix thread

ha, i knew you had posted something like that, but i was looking in the discuss the musics thread

[bac0n]

Here is a link I posted in B's mix thread:

It's a short video and gives you the basic idea.

It's basically using the punch of the kick drum to compress the sound of a lead part - usually a keyboard pad - so that the pad pulses in rhythm with the kick. The punch of the kick cuts off the pad. Daft Punk, Justice, and The Field use it extensively. It's basically the sound of French house.

It also was the effect du jour in prog trance for awhile, probably still is. I am a fan of sidechain compression, but I will typically drop out the kick-drum when I do so, so as to make the pulsing effect stand out more.

[

Show Spoiler

Or rather, that's what I was doing when I was making music, which I haven't done any of for over half a year now.

]

[D_Davis]

[

Show Spoiler

Or rather, that's what I was doing when I was making music, which I haven't done any of for over half a year now.

]

That's alright B - I took about a 3 year break not too long ago.

You'll be drawn back in.

[bac0n]

That's alright B - I took about a 3 year break not too long ago.

You'll be drawn back in.

I hope to, but I have a much more important project I'm working on at the moment - my two girls

[D_Davis]

I hope to, but I have a much more important project I'm working on at the moment - my two girls

Just wait until they're old enough to join in the fun.

[bac0n]

Just wait until they're old enough to join in the fun.

I've been sampling them since about the day they were born, so in a way, they already are

[Sven]

Whoa, check it out!

[Thirdmango]

I went on a mini-road trip yesterday in part to listen to music I had never listened to before. The ones that I really liked were "Afro Elements" and "The Biddu Orchestra".