music
goodmath | July 31, 2009
Russian Circles, "Youngblood": post rock, in the Mogwai style. Very nice stuff. Not the
most exciting PR band around, but good.
The Flower Kings, "World Without a Heart": typical FK. Since I pretty much worship the ground
that Roine Stolte walks on, you can guess what I think of this.
Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, "Transit": would you believe sort-of progressive
big-band jazz? That's pretty much how I'd describe this. Big band jazz is not my usual cup of tea, but
this is damned impressive, and a good solid listen. Definitely very cool stuff.
Naftule's Dream, "Yid in Seattle":…
revere | July 25, 2009It's a Saturday morning, it's summer in the northern hemisphere, and in a few days The Reveres are off to the beach for a communal vacation. A Revere-fest (or infestation). A little time away from the pressure cooker is good for people our age, old enough to remember the proto-punk rock band The Velvet Underground. They were part of the New York scene in the sixties when the revere tapping these keys lived there. Lou Reed, one of its best known members and song writers, is almost exactly my age (give or take a few months). We are also both still alive (at least he is).
The Velvet Underground…
aardvarchaeology | July 24, 2009
One of the major influences that combined to form Western psychedelic rock was traditional Asian music. But musicians in Asia picked up the vibe pretty quickly and started to play their own versions of it. Lately I've been listening to a great compilation of the stuff, and I'm particularly struck by the 1975 track "Gönül Sabreyle Sabreyle" (hear it streamed here). The band playing it is the brother trio Ãç Hürel, "The Three Hürels", and the song's title would in English be something like "Oh Sabreyle, my heart, Sabreyle". Reading up about the band on the web, I've learned that the…
goodmath | July 17, 2009
John Corigliano, "Fantasia on an Ostinato": Corigliano is absolutely my
favorite modern composer. He writes stunningly beautiful music. This is a wonderfully
subtle piece: unaccompanied solo piano. Just incredible.
Isis, "Not in Rivers, But in Drops": The transition between the last one
and this just about scared me out of my seat. From solo piano to loud, heavy
post-rock. Once the shock of the volume change was past, I love this track. Isis
is a really fantastic group.
Dirty Three, "Amy": Dirty Three is another interesting transition. DT is another
post-rock, but from the…
terrasig | July 12, 2009For those of you in the North Carolina Research Triangle area wanting to extend your weekend as much as possible, you'll want to catch a a local music showcase at The Berkeley Café in Raleigh (217 W Martin St, 27601) tonight, Sunday 12 July at 7 pm. Yours truly will be playing a 30 min solo acoustic set of mostly original songs.
(Addendum: Cool! Eva Amsen just posted her interview of me yesterday for her Musicians and Scientists project)
Most notable on the bill are two fantastic roots reggae bands, Anchants and Curry Don (de Doc). I'm supposed to go on 8 pm or so.
Figure 1. This lovely 2001…
ddobbs | July 9, 2009Effect Measure alerted me to this very touching video, which shows the crowd at Fenway coming to the rescue of a kid who starts to lose it while singing the national anthem. Revere's set-up first, then some thoughts of my own:
I don't know what's going to happen with swine flu. I do know that if there is a nasty flu season we'll all get through it better if we help each other, not run from each other. It's national independence day in the US, so I thought this clip of the crowd singing the National Anthem (hat tip, Paul Rosenberg at Open Left) at Boston's Fenway Park (home field of the Boston…
terrasig | July 7, 2009While invoking my little-known real name, the ABC News Medical Unit shows its commitment to providing scientifically-objective and medically-valid commentary to the Michael Jackson circus.
The post cited was from 26 June where I discussed the first Michael Jackson revelation that he had repeatedly been given the unusual opioid drug, meperidine, presumably for his chronic back pain.
From this morning's ABC News story by Vic Walter and Richard Esposito with contributions from JoAnna Schaffhausen:
One pharmacologist blogged about [p]ropofol this week and explained in his science blog how Demerol…
grrlscientist | July 7, 2009tags: Africa, Toto, Perpetuum Jazzile, music, streaming video
This video is a live recording of Toto's "Africa" (I love that song!) performed by Perpetuum Jazzile at Vokal Xtravaganzza 2008 (October 2008). This vocal group uses only their bodies to create these remarkable sounds, ranging from rain to thunder [6:17]
grrlscientist | July 6, 2009tags: Antarctica, music, Terra Nova, Sinfonia Antarctica, photography, streaming video
This video is the trailer for DJ Spooky/Paul D. Miller's next large scale multimedia performance work: an acoustic portrait of a rapidly changing continent. Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica is a seventy minute performance featuring music combined with visual material from Getty Images' vast collection, creating a unique and powerful moment around man's relationship with nature [5:36]
Quark Expeditions is searching for an Official Blogger to join a voyage to Antarctica. Their goals are to have this person…
terrasig | July 3, 2009As I agonized over what I'd write about for this week's installment of The Friday Fermentable, my Wine Authorities newsletter arrived followed by their tweet on their inaugural music video.
Wine Authorities, my local wine merchants and community gods, have been spreading the gospel of rosé wines as a summer alternative to the red wines we enjoy most of the rest of the year. But contrary to the sweet white zinfandels and such that might turn off those who enjoy good wine, there is now a plethora of foreign and domestic wine offerings (and values) that show off red grapes in a lightly-crushed…
ddobbs | June 30, 2009Okay, Jonah saw this first -- but in case you missed it there, here's a snip from Jon Stewart interviewing Oliver Sacks about music and the brain.
This is a nice meeting. I've not met Stewart, but I had the pleasure to spend some time with Sacks while working on a couple stories, and he once gave me a book about Alexander Agassiz because he liked my book about Agassiz -- and I'm happy to see him exert his usual charm and humor here in this Stewart segment.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Oliver Sacks
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes
Political…
terrasig | June 27, 2009As is half the world, I was reflecting today on the realities of Michael Jackson's contribution not just to music but to society as well.
What is true, and is not at all melodrama, is that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest talents in popular music - 750 million albums sold worldwide is beyond my comprehension. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, he was an incredible contributor to racial crossovers in musical styles. Just as Elvis Presley introduced gospel and blues to white folks, Jackson will be cited (and already has been) for cultivating R&B among white listeners and…
terrasig | June 26, 2009AOL's celebrity gossip page TMZ.com was first yesterday to report Michael Jackson's death, in part due to their direct line to one or more Jackson family members.
They appear to have had another scoop today in referencing a family member who reported that Mr Jackson had received an injection of the opioid analgesic, Demerol (meperidine), at 11:30 am yesterday. It is not clear whether this shot was administered by Dr Conrad Murray, the physician who was present when the 911 call was made to L.A. dispatchers. (Non-US readers may also refer to meperidine as pethidine or the trade name, Pethadol…
edyong | June 24, 2009
Thirty-five thousands years before the likes of Kraftwerk, Nena and Rammstein, the lands of Germany were resounding to a very different sort of musical sound - tunes emanating from flutes made of bird bones and ivory. These thin tubes have recently been uncovered by Nicholas Conard from the University of Tubingen and they're some of the oldest musical instruments ever discovered.
The ancient flutes hail from the Hohle Fels Cave in Germany's Ach Valley, a veritable treasure trove of prehistoric finds that have also yielded the oldest known figurative art. The flutes were found less than a…
laelaps | June 20, 2009They Might Be Giants is soon going to release a new educational album called Here Comes Science, and one of the songs on it is about paleontology! It's hard to make out most of the lyrics from the video below, but it's called "I am a Paleontologist."
terrasig | June 17, 2009Seen yesterday in the local AP feed: Looks like a great partnership to access historic images on the iPhone or iTouch to satisfy pretty much any scholar or history enthusiast:
Duke and Apple to join forces
DURHAM -- Scholars and students who once had to travel to museums or libraries to view collections of historic images can now do so by clicking on their mobile device instead.
With the launch of DukeMobile 1.1, Duke University Libraries now offer the most comprehensive university digital image collection specifically formatted for Apple's iPhone or iTouch devices. It includes thousands of…
grrlscientist | June 15, 2009tags: parrot, head-banger, umbrella cockatoo, music, dancing parrot, streaming video
This is an interesting video is a headbanging umbrella cockatoo -- this bird really rocks out! Be sure to turn the sound down before you view this video, lest you go deaf... [0:38]
aardvarchaeology | June 13, 2009[More blog entries about wheretheactionis, rockfestival, Sweden, duffy, magicnumbers, jennywilson, elperrodelmar, musik, rock, pop; musik, rock, pop, rockfestival, wheretheactionis, duffy, jennywilson, magicnumbers, elperrodelmar.]
Second day of a rainy festival. This time I had the best of company: my wife joined me to hear Duffy. But we started out with excellent popsters the Magic Numbers. Good music, charming banter and nice to look at.
Jenny Wilson was yet another impressive Swedish surprise to me. She looks like David Bowie in drag and sings like the love child of Prince and Annie…
aardvarchaeology | June 12, 2009[More blog entries about wheretheactionis, rockfestival, Sweden, pixies, seasicksteve, missli, musik, rock, pop; musik, rock, pop, rockfestival, wheretheactionis, pixies, missli, seasicksteve.]
I spent yesterday afternoon and evening at a rock festival out near the university. I arrived early through pouring rain to scope the place out, wearing my army surplus rain cape and southwester and fieldwork boots, attracting looks. Because of my face? My funny hat? Both? One young man turned to me for help with his ticket. He thought I was crew. My gear is good, though my knees got soaked and my…
aardvarchaeology | June 10, 2009Here are some excellent albums I've been listening to lately on my trusty smartphone. If you're into power pop, alternative rock, US folk and psychedelia, then check them out!
Brendan Benson. Alternative to Love. 2005.
Grand Duchy. Petits Fours. 2009. It's Frank Black and his wife Violet Clark!
Love, Peace and Poetry - Asian Psychedelic Music. A 1999 compilation of cool 60s and 70s stuff.
Maggi, Pierce & E.J. Silver. 2005.
Mopeds. Fortissimo. 2005.
Super Furry Animals. Dark Days/Light Years. 2009.
Teenage Fanclub. Man-made. 2005.