I think many of us can agree that one of the best ways to pass time on long trips is to listen to music. Since I bought my first Mp3 player, I have used it on every trip I've gone on. My family travels rather often, so I get the chance to use it at least a couple times per year. I had never given any thought to the two being linked. However, recently I have noticed a trend involving music and travel.
When I recall a trip to a place that I had never been to before and have not returned since, I remember the music I listened to on the way to, at, and on the way back home from the destination. It's interesting, and in a way, it improves the memory, making it a fonder one because of the soundtrack accompanying it. It's a really intriguing idea. Here are a few personal examples from my travels.
Upper Peninsula of Michigan - Meddle, Pink Floyd
In August of 2007, my family took a short vacation up north through Michigan, looking around in Canada for a couple hours, as well. After visiting Sault Ste. Marie, we ventured west in the U.P. toward the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum near Lake Superior. The museum had a continuous loop of music, one song of which was "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," by Gordon Lightfoot. But while that song really stuck with my memories from that trip, I also recall the Pink Floyd album Meddle. Specifically, I remember listening to "Fearless" as we drove along in the wooded area bordering the lake and stopped to look at a lighthouse. I especially remember the echoing soccer chant at the close of the song. Nowadays, Meddle isn't really one of my favorites, but it is etched in my memory from that trip to the U.P.
Charleston, South Carolina - "Moonchariot," Elvenking
There are times when I find a song I really like, and I just listen to it again and again. On a trip to Charleston, South Carolina, during Spring Break this year, that song was "Moonchariot" by Elvenking. We spent our time visiting the Yorktown aircraft carrier (known as "The Fighting Lady") and Fort Sumter (which now has an ugly museum on it within its walls... it's nothing like the original fort, and there isn't much to do there). Anyway, when we had some downtime, I kept playing "Moonchariot" over and over. It wasn't too folksy, and it wasn't too metal. That's a formula for success for a folk metal song. If you feel like listening, go right ahead, but to be honest, I doubt you will like it.
Clarksdale, Mississippi - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Flaming Lips
Last summer, I began working on my school's 40 service hours requirement. My dad, my brother, and I went south with a Habitat for Humanity group to help with house construction. At the time, I had just acquired The Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. You must understand that on a Habitat for Humanity trip, there isn't much privacy at the place where everyone stays. We had twenty on our trip, so it wasn't easy to find a quiet space. I wasn't irritated by this, but when I felt like closing everyone out, I went onto my top bunk in the male bedroom (five sets of bunk beds), and listened to Yoshimi. I couldn't get over the clarity and creativity of the album, and to this day, when I hear the album, I think of being on that top bunk and soaking it all in for the first time. My favorite song was probably "In the Morning of the Magicians," a very mellow track.
Boston, Massachusetts - Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin
I love Led Zeppelin. Let there be no question about it. However, an album I had never really paid attention to was Houses of the Holy. I liked "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Ocean," of course, but I had never been too strong on "No Quarter," "The Crunge," or "The Rain Song." Well, we went to Boston over Columbus Day weekend this fall, and the night before we would fly back home, we stayed with a couple of my parents' friends. Before I went to sleep, I decided to listen to Houses on a whim. I had expected to listen to a little bit and then fall asleep, but I wound up listening to the entire album. I discovered "No Quarter" was subtly brilliant, that "The Crunge" was not as intolerably annoying as I had believed, and that "The Rain Song" was, in fact, a masterpiece. Now, when I listen to those tracks, I remember the feelings of revelation I had that night, realizing that Zep's fifth album was not as mediocre as I had previously believed.
Music being tied to memories is a very fascinating idea. I think the reason it occurs on vacations is because you are experiencing a new place. Whereas you may listen to hours of music at your computer, you won't remember the songs you heard after a couple days (at the most) because you listen to music there all the time. When you're in a new place for the first time, you absorb everything, and that includes the tunes playing in your ears. I'm sure there are other situations where music becomes part of a memory, but I can definitely testify to it occuring on vacations.
Have any of you experienced this phenomenon?
Showing posts with label Pink Floyd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pink Floyd. Show all posts
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Resourcefulness. Hop on the shopping cart bandwagon.
Rock has been around the block a few times in the past half century. It seems almost like every pop hook, guitar riff, and chord progression has been used a thousand times before. When artists come up with a great new melody, there's always a nagging doubt as to whether or not someone else has used it already.
So how do artists today deal with this kind of uncertainty? They get creative. Probably the best example of this in the modern day scene is Iron & Wine. Less known by his real name, Sam Beam, I&W made his name down in Florida by sharing his extremely lo-fi recordings of his plucking and whisper-singing, coupled with the great array of sounds intertwined. Take a listen to his newest album, The Shepherd's Dog. Then take about 5 more listens, and I guarantee you'll find new things each time that you didn't before.
Bands with this kind of theory layer their music with so many different instruments and every day objects that it becomes a journey to spin their album and pull out all the sounds. When used correctly, it has the ability to make the music tremendously enjoyable.
It isn't hard to look back in time and find the forefather of this technique. Pink Floyd pioneered this movement, utilizing airplanes, screams, cash registers, cuckoo clocks, spoken voices, children's choirs, and countless others to buffer tracks from Pink Floyd's extensive discography. How they were able to stay so far ahead of the times and still top the vast majority of contemporary acts is as far beyond me as that other side of the moon.
Smaller bands today have brought in this style and created a nice little niche for them in the scene. Arizona band What Laura Says essentially takes it, crafts it and molds it into their own genre of folk/blues/jazz/rock/alternative/too-many-genres-to-count reminiscent of querk-heroes Animal Collective. Lyrically, this band is far from as fluent as the aforementioned bands, but their debut album is a far cry from anything in the norm. The record sounds like a compilation; Each song sounds like it's from a different band. They change from every genre to style to up-the-sleeve trick with ease from song to song. The querkiness factor is enough to sit down and listen through it all with a perpetual smile.
Even when done subtly, such as the rolling of a film at the beginning and closing of a song, this layering can make all the difference. It makes Faded Paper Figures' "B Film" sound infinitely better. With mature lyrics that reflect the modern turn of music, the clicking beat and flim scrolls turn this into one to remember. Likewise, a tiny indie band from Germany that (surprisingly) no label will sign uses the film scroll. Museum, as they are called, call forth lyrics that would make Roger Waters proud. Many of Museum's sounds appear to be digitally edited instead of scrounged from the crawl space, but they break their music from the zombie pack regardless. It's a wonder why they haven't been picked up yet.
Let's face it. The guitar/bass/drum/vocal combination has been all but exhausted. These days, it takes an extraordinary voice or highly experienced, talent-laden instrumentalists to excel with this now-bland combination. This is why the keyboard and violin are speedily picking up momentum. This is why generic rock is slowing down, and it doesn't help dying major label record sales. With this new generation of small-scale local talents, you have to be bringing everything to the table to avoid the stereotypical pop hooks that attract teenage girls like flies and push away sophisticated listeners like lepers. Bands like Iron & Wine, What Laura Says, Faded Paper Figures, and Museum are doing that, sometimes literally.
So how do artists today deal with this kind of uncertainty? They get creative. Probably the best example of this in the modern day scene is Iron & Wine. Less known by his real name, Sam Beam, I&W made his name down in Florida by sharing his extremely lo-fi recordings of his plucking and whisper-singing, coupled with the great array of sounds intertwined. Take a listen to his newest album, The Shepherd's Dog. Then take about 5 more listens, and I guarantee you'll find new things each time that you didn't before.
Bands with this kind of theory layer their music with so many different instruments and every day objects that it becomes a journey to spin their album and pull out all the sounds. When used correctly, it has the ability to make the music tremendously enjoyable.
It isn't hard to look back in time and find the forefather of this technique. Pink Floyd pioneered this movement, utilizing airplanes, screams, cash registers, cuckoo clocks, spoken voices, children's choirs, and countless others to buffer tracks from Pink Floyd's extensive discography. How they were able to stay so far ahead of the times and still top the vast majority of contemporary acts is as far beyond me as that other side of the moon.
Smaller bands today have brought in this style and created a nice little niche for them in the scene. Arizona band What Laura Says essentially takes it, crafts it and molds it into their own genre of folk/blues/jazz/rock/alternative/too-many-genres-to-count reminiscent of querk-heroes Animal Collective. Lyrically, this band is far from as fluent as the aforementioned bands, but their debut album is a far cry from anything in the norm. The record sounds like a compilation; Each song sounds like it's from a different band. They change from every genre to style to up-the-sleeve trick with ease from song to song. The querkiness factor is enough to sit down and listen through it all with a perpetual smile.
Even when done subtly, such as the rolling of a film at the beginning and closing of a song, this layering can make all the difference. It makes Faded Paper Figures' "B Film" sound infinitely better. With mature lyrics that reflect the modern turn of music, the clicking beat and flim scrolls turn this into one to remember. Likewise, a tiny indie band from Germany that (surprisingly) no label will sign uses the film scroll. Museum, as they are called, call forth lyrics that would make Roger Waters proud. Many of Museum's sounds appear to be digitally edited instead of scrounged from the crawl space, but they break their music from the zombie pack regardless. It's a wonder why they haven't been picked up yet.
Let's face it. The guitar/bass/drum/vocal combination has been all but exhausted. These days, it takes an extraordinary voice or highly experienced, talent-laden instrumentalists to excel with this now-bland combination. This is why the keyboard and violin are speedily picking up momentum. This is why generic rock is slowing down, and it doesn't help dying major label record sales. With this new generation of small-scale local talents, you have to be bringing everything to the table to avoid the stereotypical pop hooks that attract teenage girls like flies and push away sophisticated listeners like lepers. Bands like Iron & Wine, What Laura Says, Faded Paper Figures, and Museum are doing that, sometimes literally.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Forgive Durden's pièce de résistance
The most important album since In Rainbows
Razia's Shadow
May 1969: The Who releases Tommy
November 1979: Pink Floyd releases The Wall
May 1988: Queensryche releases Operation: Mindcrime
May 2006: Forgive Durden releases Wonderland
October 2006: My Chemical Romance releases The Black Parade
October 2008: Forgive Durden releases Razia's Shadow
If you haven't figured out what the above five albums have in common, it's because you a) cannot read or b) are mentally retarded, meaning you can't read anyway. All of the above are rock operas, musicals, concept albums, whatever you want to call them. Tommy centered on a blind, deaf, and dumb boy who "led a messianic movement" (thanks Wikipedia). The Wall told the wrenching story of Pink. Operation: Mindcrime did something else, The Black Parade's classic rock-beefed musical focused on a dying cancer patient reflecting on his life, and Wonderland took you through the streets of lies, deceit, and corporate greed in the imaginary city of Wonderland.
Thomas Dutton has taken the rock opera idea of these albums and blown it into something of grandiose proportions for his new musical, Razia's Shadow.
Whoa.
This guy just compared Forgive Durden to The Wall and Tommy. This is the same person who showed off Brand New's Deja Entendu like a shiny new toy until everyone finally took the five minutes to listen to it and strike it down. The same person who called Dark Side of the Moon one of the most overrated albums in history. Yep, that guy.
Don't leave. Please. This will be different. I promise.
Forgive Durden is not a punk artist. Forgive Durden is not an emo bitch whining about his last failed relationship. Thomas Dutton is an entrepreneur of music, combining ridiculously far-reaching styles and genres of music into a unique, highly recognizable sound. If you don't like him, you damn well better cite his hate it/love it voice and nothing else, because this man truly is a genius at composition.
BACK TO THE POINT.
Razia's Shadow doesn't point out any revolutionary truths or question any societal beliefs. It doesn't break any boundaries or smash down any walls of lyrical conformity. It's a genuine musical, with epic scores of horns, strings, timpani drums, and cheesy lyrics.
Why is this a masterpiece, you say? The instrumentation is brilliant. A lover of any genre would be hard pressed to challenge this aspect of the hour long record. Every flute, every violin, every organ is right in its perfect place at every moment. The narration points between songs contain some of the coolest background instrumentation I've ever heard.
But that's not the kicker. The kicker is this:
No noted rock musicals have achieved this level of awesomeness. Many of these singers have ridiculously insane voices (Aaron Weiss [the white Morgan Freeman], Chris Conley, Greta Salpeter, Shawn Harris, Thomas Dutton) that do nothing except make the aesthetic even more dramatic.
I won't kill your next half hour with a track by track review, but the story line features two main parts, starring heroes, damsels, angels, light v. dark, and prophecies.
(SPOILER ALERT)
Part One centers on an angel, Ahrima, who shapes the world, but feels his powers are wasted by his father on trivial tasks that don't show off his full potential. In order to be noticed by his fellow angels, he creates giant, extraordinary lamps to light the world, and is met by lukewarm responses of jealousy. In spite, he is convinced by Barayas the Spider to smash the lamps and burn the world he's created. Once the earth is aflame, Ahrima is banished to his desecrated land (the Dark) while the survivors find a new place to begin existence (the Light). In doing so, he is eternally barred from his love, Nidria.
Part Two occurs much, much later in the world's history. Adakias, an inhabitant of the Dark region of the world, is shunned for believing in stories of angels and prophecies. Confident in his beliefs, he leaves the Dark world to fulfill the prophecy, meet his true love (Princess Anhura), and recombine the two worlds into one.
(SPOILER OVER)
Corny? Yup. But it's unbelievably well done. By track 3, I was engrossed in the story line. The lyrics are pretty straightforward in order to clearly convey the story line, just as in a regular musical. In between songs, Razia features the narrative stylings of Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou, whose voice sounds like peanut butter mixed with velvet. By track 13, I was riveted to my seat, waiting for the conclusion. The Airborne Toxic Event may be one of my personal favorite albums of all time, but come December, I might have to hand it off to Razia's Shadow as Album of the Year.
Check it.
--> Cardsox
November 1979: Pink Floyd releases The Wall
May 1988: Queensryche releases Operation: Mindcrime
May 2006: Forgive Durden releases Wonderland
October 2006: My Chemical Romance releases The Black Parade
October 2008: Forgive Durden releases Razia's Shadow
If you haven't figured out what the above five albums have in common, it's because you a) cannot read or b) are mentally retarded, meaning you can't read anyway. All of the above are rock operas, musicals, concept albums, whatever you want to call them. Tommy centered on a blind, deaf, and dumb boy who "led a messianic movement" (thanks Wikipedia). The Wall told the wrenching story of Pink. Operation: Mindcrime did something else, The Black Parade's classic rock-beefed musical focused on a dying cancer patient reflecting on his life, and Wonderland took you through the streets of lies, deceit, and corporate greed in the imaginary city of Wonderland.
Thomas Dutton has taken the rock opera idea of these albums and blown it into something of grandiose proportions for his new musical, Razia's Shadow.
Whoa.
This guy just compared Forgive Durden to The Wall and Tommy. This is the same person who showed off Brand New's Deja Entendu like a shiny new toy until everyone finally took the five minutes to listen to it and strike it down. The same person who called Dark Side of the Moon one of the most overrated albums in history. Yep, that guy.
Don't leave. Please. This will be different. I promise.
Forgive Durden is not a punk artist. Forgive Durden is not an emo bitch whining about his last failed relationship. Thomas Dutton is an entrepreneur of music, combining ridiculously far-reaching styles and genres of music into a unique, highly recognizable sound. If you don't like him, you damn well better cite his hate it/love it voice and nothing else, because this man truly is a genius at composition.
BACK TO THE POINT.
Razia's Shadow doesn't point out any revolutionary truths or question any societal beliefs. It doesn't break any boundaries or smash down any walls of lyrical conformity. It's a genuine musical, with epic scores of horns, strings, timpani drums, and cheesy lyrics.
Why is this a masterpiece, you say? The instrumentation is brilliant. A lover of any genre would be hard pressed to challenge this aspect of the hour long record. Every flute, every violin, every organ is right in its perfect place at every moment. The narration points between songs contain some of the coolest background instrumentation I've ever heard.
But that's not the kicker. The kicker is this:
- O The Scientist - Casey Crescenzo (The Dear Hunter)
- Bawaba Brothers - John Baldwin Gourley (Portugal. The Man), Kris Anaya (An Angle)
- Narrator - Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYou)
- Gargul The Oracle - Danny Stevens (The Audition)
- Toba the Tura - Chris Conley (Saves the Day)
- Sangara - Daniel Young (This Providence)
- Barayas the Spider - Max Bemis (Say Anything)
- Princess Anhura - Greta Salpeter (The Hush Sound)
- Pallis - Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco)
- King Malka - Nic Newsham (Gatsbys American Dream)
- Doctor Dumaya - Shawn Harris (The Matches)
- Nidria - Lizzie Huffman (Man in the Blue Van)
- Adakias - Thomas Dutton (Forgive Durden)
- Ahrima - Thomas Dutton (Forgive Durden)
No noted rock musicals have achieved this level of awesomeness. Many of these singers have ridiculously insane voices (Aaron Weiss [the white Morgan Freeman], Chris Conley, Greta Salpeter, Shawn Harris, Thomas Dutton) that do nothing except make the aesthetic even more dramatic.
I won't kill your next half hour with a track by track review, but the story line features two main parts, starring heroes, damsels, angels, light v. dark, and prophecies.
(SPOILER ALERT)
Part One centers on an angel, Ahrima, who shapes the world, but feels his powers are wasted by his father on trivial tasks that don't show off his full potential. In order to be noticed by his fellow angels, he creates giant, extraordinary lamps to light the world, and is met by lukewarm responses of jealousy. In spite, he is convinced by Barayas the Spider to smash the lamps and burn the world he's created. Once the earth is aflame, Ahrima is banished to his desecrated land (the Dark) while the survivors find a new place to begin existence (the Light). In doing so, he is eternally barred from his love, Nidria.
Part Two occurs much, much later in the world's history. Adakias, an inhabitant of the Dark region of the world, is shunned for believing in stories of angels and prophecies. Confident in his beliefs, he leaves the Dark world to fulfill the prophecy, meet his true love (Princess Anhura), and recombine the two worlds into one.
(SPOILER OVER)
Corny? Yup. But it's unbelievably well done. By track 3, I was engrossed in the story line. The lyrics are pretty straightforward in order to clearly convey the story line, just as in a regular musical. In between songs, Razia features the narrative stylings of Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou, whose voice sounds like peanut butter mixed with velvet. By track 13, I was riveted to my seat, waiting for the conclusion. The Airborne Toxic Event may be one of my personal favorite albums of all time, but come December, I might have to hand it off to Razia's Shadow as Album of the Year.
Check it.
--> Cardsox
Friday, October 31, 2008
Song of the Week: 11 - 3 - 08
Song of the Week: Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun - Pink Floyd (Live at Pompeii, 1972)
I’ve noticed lately that there’s generally a division between Pink Floyd fans; those who were with the band from their fruition and inagural album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in 1967, which was one of a few records headed by original song-writer and lead-vocalist, Syd Barrett, experiencing the less than pragmatic influences of Barrett in early albums and others such as A Saucerful of Secrets, Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, and Meddle. And then there were those who were raked in by the legendary, iconic, not to mention record selling album Dark Side of the Moon, released in 1973 – and beyond: Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, and the David Gilmour, Roger Waters-less era.
For me, it started with Dark Side, and has cullminated into nearly every album they ever released, with the remaining to be heard being Ummagumma, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and Roger Waters’ last effort with Pink Floyd, and as close to a solo album as it gets for a band, The Final Cut. Today’s focus, though, is the latest album I’ve acquired and begun listening to: A Saucerful of Secrets, and the song being “Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun”. This song was one that the band used to play live, creating their space-rock name-sake, before including it on an album and one that was one of very few albums that the original lineup contributed in balance and perfect unity; Floyd wouldn’t achieve an all-band derived classic until their biggest hits, Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here.
Listening to the song -- eight-track or CD -- isnt all that captivating. It isnt until one sees or witnesses first-hand a performance, which is something that can be said for most Pink Floyd songs, because you just cant say sitting around listening to it while sipping coffee tops being in a dark arena, surrounded by others while a light show is perplexing your mind, allowing you to fixate your senses on the music and getting lost in the experience. Naturally, that’s just what one person who used to attend Floyd concerts said; I’ve never been to one – I wasn’t born yet!
So, without anymore waiting, here is a performance of the song from their six-song video recorded performance at Pompeii they did in 1972, inbetween the release of Meddle and pre-release of Dark Side of the Moon. Originally 5:27 long, this performance stretches it to over 10-minutes, much like they always had in years past.
I’ve noticed lately that there’s generally a division between Pink Floyd fans; those who were with the band from their fruition and inagural album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in 1967, which was one of a few records headed by original song-writer and lead-vocalist, Syd Barrett, experiencing the less than pragmatic influences of Barrett in early albums and others such as A Saucerful of Secrets, Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, and Meddle. And then there were those who were raked in by the legendary, iconic, not to mention record selling album Dark Side of the Moon, released in 1973 – and beyond: Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, and the David Gilmour, Roger Waters-less era.
For me, it started with Dark Side, and has cullminated into nearly every album they ever released, with the remaining to be heard being Ummagumma, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and Roger Waters’ last effort with Pink Floyd, and as close to a solo album as it gets for a band, The Final Cut. Today’s focus, though, is the latest album I’ve acquired and begun listening to: A Saucerful of Secrets, and the song being “Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun”. This song was one that the band used to play live, creating their space-rock name-sake, before including it on an album and one that was one of very few albums that the original lineup contributed in balance and perfect unity; Floyd wouldn’t achieve an all-band derived classic until their biggest hits, Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here.
Listening to the song -- eight-track or CD -- isnt all that captivating. It isnt until one sees or witnesses first-hand a performance, which is something that can be said for most Pink Floyd songs, because you just cant say sitting around listening to it while sipping coffee tops being in a dark arena, surrounded by others while a light show is perplexing your mind, allowing you to fixate your senses on the music and getting lost in the experience. Naturally, that’s just what one person who used to attend Floyd concerts said; I’ve never been to one – I wasn’t born yet!
So, without anymore waiting, here is a performance of the song from their six-song video recorded performance at Pompeii they did in 1972, inbetween the release of Meddle and pre-release of Dark Side of the Moon. Originally 5:27 long, this performance stretches it to over 10-minutes, much like they always had in years past.
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