2-12-12 - "Settler" ~ Balmorhea

I found this band on thesixtyone the other day (a site worth checking out - fun way to discover new tunes).  They're an instrumental outfit from Texas, named after a small town quite a ways away from the bigger cities.  Their sound, however, is much larger than their namesake.

Balmorhea (pronounced Bal-moor-ay) bring lush orchestration and soaring melodies, reminiscent of carefree summer days.  This track features a backbone of piano with strings along for the ride.  A subtle guitar breakdown  laced with ethereal vocal harmonies gives you a breather before the climax, when the pace picks up and claps join the strings and vocals in a manner reminiscent of The David Wax Museum.  This type of tune could easily be part of a movie soundtrack, but stands alone as well:

12-12-11 - "Botswana Music" ~ Ronnie

If you want to simultaneously warm and break your heart, this one's for you.


The gentleman in these videos is from Botswana, and has unique methods on the guitar (watch to see his work on the fretboard).  If you check out the YouTube channel "Bokete7", you can see more from Ronnie and other Batswana musicians on numerous instruments.  There are several great things about these performances.  They're done with no trappings, no fluff, no agenda - pure love of music.  These musicians perform on whatever they have, sometimes a cheap old guitar that may not even have all its strings, sometimes just a bucket; yet they create intricate and engaging sounds.  No autotune here, folks.


And yet, watching this makes me uneasy, as I can't help but consider my blessings - including several instruments of significant value - which I often take for granted, and of which I often fail to take advantage.


Music is woven into the fabric of life, and brings joy to the listener, no matter his or her situation.  Let's celebrate that joy, and never take it for granted.

(FYI.  I know the video's title says "woman", but if you check the other videos it's actually a guy named Ronnie.)

12-06-11 - "Time" ~ Hans Zimmer

So I know I'm a little late on this, but tonight I watched "Inception."  It was a pretty wild ride, and lived up to the hype in my opinion.  I love a movie that works on the surface levels (action, drama, misdirection) while also requiring the viewer to think.  Christopher Nolan has proven to be adept at creating such films - from Memento to The Prestige to Inception.  The cast is pretty great; a list of actors such as Michael Caine, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio - all names whose films I can't recall not enjoying, at least the ones I've seen.


Without giving away any spoilers, let me just comment that for someone musically inclined as I am, the soundtrack can be a crucial element in the satisfaction taken from a film.  Just as with the director and cast, Hans Zimmer has never let me down as a composer.  The scores comprising his body of work are numerous, including such great films as Cool Runnings, The Lion King, Muppet Treasure Island (I know, right?), Gladiator, The Last Samurai, the Pirates / Batman series... ok, you get the point, a lot of movies with great soundtracks.


So here's a live performance by Zimmer himself, and below is the recorded version:

I imagine it must be great fun to be privy to the deepest secrets of a movie script like this one, and to get paid to imagine the sounds that should accompany such events as are depicted therein...

12-02-11 - "Boomerang" ~ Bassnectar

I've been in strange musical moods this week, or unusual for me, anyway.  Here's a little something you may or may not enjoy - but I enjoy it, and you won't know until you try!

11-15-11 - "Slow Days It Was Super" ~ Moshimoss

Here's a little ambient / instrumental tune that caught my ear recently.  It's by a Japanese artist, and kind of reminds me of another instrumental track I posted which also has something to do with Japan.  This one has a gentle vibe of bygone years, with children's voices echoing over the subtle synthesizers and bells...

Check out the bandcamp page too

11-5-11 - "The 1812 Overture" ~ Tchaikovsky

"Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

The Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot."

It's the Fifth of November, and if you're like me, you may watch V for Vendetta tonight.  Mostly because Natalie Portman looks good even with a shaved head, but also because of Occupy Wall Street - standing up to The Man, fighting against... wait, what are we fighting against?  Hopefully something bad...


The movie is about a totalitarian government in the UK in a futuristic dystopian society, and a vigilante who fights against the evils of said government, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask symbolically in reference to Fawkes' efforts to overthrow the British government centuries ago.  There could be a lot of debate about the meaning of the film and the motives of the characters, as well as the justness of their causes.  It's interesting to note the religious side of the original Gunpowder Treason - Fawkes was part of a group of Catholics trying to overthrow a Protestant government and restore Catholicism's power backed by the British crown.  So depending on whether you consider Protestants to be tantamount to Totalitarians...


Of further interest is the use of the end of Russian composer Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture at the climax of the film.  The score has become popular in America and is often used in a patriotic sense here, and it's somewhat implicit in the movie that V is using it to stand for freedom and patriotism as well.  However, despite what most Americans likely think, the music was not composed to celebrate American victory over Britain in The War of 1812 (hmm, more irony that a British freedom fighter would use it, if that were true).  Believe it or not, there was more than one war going on in that year, and Tchaikovsky was actually telling the story of the failed attack by Napoleon's army on Moscow, and celebrating the defense of the Russian city.  Hence the elements of the French national anthem and "God Save the Tsar" within the music.


Bottom line, it's a fine piece of classical music, and the final few minutes - complete with cannon fire which is called out in the score - are spectacular.  To quote the great Calvin: "And they perform this in crowded concert halls??"

I'd love to debate the historical, political, and religious ramifications of all this information with you some time, but for now, just enjoy the music, and remember to stand for what you believe in.

And here's the last two minutes, for those of you who aren't patient enough for the whole thing:

And here's the <SPOILER ALERT> final scene from the film.

11-2-11 - "The Riders Of Rohan" ~ Howard Shore

One of my favorite parts of the trilogy of Lord of the Rings soundtracks, the theme of the Riders of Rohan is weaved into numerous moments in the score, but is first introduced with horns about halfway through this track.  If you've seen the films, you will recognize the music from the first meeting of Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn with the Riders.  The first part of the track is full of chaotic sounds which evoke the tense mood of the meeting, until things are set straight between the two parties.  


It's amazing how a good soundtrack can enhance a movie; this is but one example.

PS - for another occurrence of this theme, this time primarily with strings, check out "The King Of The Golden Hall":

10-26-11 - "Pipeline / Diamond Head" ~ The Ventures

For several reasons, I'm giving you a two-fer tonight (and you can thank my good buddy Ben for that term, although he used it in reference to a piano duet rather than a doubleheader of songs).  First, I couldn't decide which Ventures tune to go with.  Second, I found a sweet live video of two of my top three choices.  Third, the songs are short anyway.  Fourth, it's my party and I'll cry if I want to.


Anyway, the first time I posted a song by this groundbreaking instrumental rock band, I explained just why they are awesome; so I'll just let the music do the talking tonight.  Here are two surf rock classics, performed live back in '64:

(I love the chugging riff in Pipeline, but the best part may be that their demeanor is so laid back while they are playing what was, at the time, some of the most progressive and "hard" music out there.)

9-16-11 - "Tommib" ~ Squarepusher

I heard this song in the soundtrack for the movie "Lost In Translation."  It's used in a scene (see below) where a character is staring out her hotel room window over Tokyo, feeling alone in a big city, while her husband is off working.  I had a similar culture-shock experience in Japan a few years back - well, without the husband part, and I'm not as good looking as Scarlett Johansson.  But feeling isolated despite being surrounded by people - with that I can empathize.  As an American, the difference between visiting Europe and visiting Asia is drastic.  In Europe, I had at least a rudimentary grasp of German, Spanish, and Italian and used my recollections of high school Latin classes to decipher a decent portion of signs and whatnot in Italy.  But in Japan, ninety percent of what is written is in some combination of kanji, hirigana, and katakana.  Not as easy to get by over there.  Being the only light-haired person in a sea of black-haired folks is pretty surreal, too...

Anyway, the song captures the mood quite well, and is a very simple synthesized instrumental melody.  Check out both the scene and the original tune.

Tommib (audio):

Lost In Translation Scene (once again, YouTube and Blogger have bested my embedding skills!)

8-20-11 - "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" ~ The Ventures

If I had to describe The Ventures in one word, it might be 'slick'.  Their virtuosity with their guitars is legendary in the music world, as they were pioneers in exploring new sounds which could be made on the instrument.  Their efforts in the late '50s and early '60s paved the way for a plethora of other artists, thus earning them the moniker "The Band That Launched A Thousand Bands."  The drummer is pretty smooth, too.  They are possibly the most famous instrumental rock band of all time, and their catalog is well worth exploring.


My dad grew up learning to play guitar via songs by The Ventures and Simon & Garfunkel, which might partially explain my love for both groups.  If you want to learn guitar or improve your existing skills, figuring out some of these songs is not a bad way to pick up some new things and work on dexterity...


This one, despite the threatening title, sounds joyful to my ears, with a soaring guitar lick and a chugging riff to bring it back down, all layered over a driving drum beat and hyperactive bass line.  The segue into the muted bridge is spectacular, and then it builds right back up for the close... 

It's actually based off the score of a ballet by the same name... but this version is a lot faster paced and more fun!

6-23-11 - "Don't Get Stuck (Proud Elephants)" ~ Delicate Steve

This guy was on World Cafe the other day, and he's got some pretty sweet and fun tunes.  It's instrumental, it's ethereal, it'll make you smile and probably bob your head or tap your toes or something.


Steve Marion is just a kid from Jersey (the only black mark on him) who wrote some music and recorded it.  But it's a little different than anything I've ever heard before, and he's got a heck of a PR team ~ they wrote an utterly fictitious, but highly entertaining, press release hyping the band, complete with lines such as "...most of these songs are both too musical and too insane for the typically dim-witted American consumer."   It's epic.


Give the song a shot; tell me what you think.  The video has some psychedelic moments and old cartoons to add to the experience if you so desire, or just listen:

PS - you can take a gander at the entire album over on Bandcamp:  


delicatesteve.bandcamp.com