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Just Some More Musings

23 Sep

Things like Coldplay‘s first album, Parachutes, normally take a little while to catch on, but it was deservedly an overnight success and as spectacular as Parachutes was, each album has continued to build on the previous one.  At the beginning, their sound was simple, either a piano or acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums and bass, but their most recent album and EP, Viva La Vida and Prospekt’s March, are soaring musical works with everything including the kitchen sink.  Sure there are some simpler songs on the album with less total instrumentation (Death and all His Friends), but the albums namesake, “Viva La Vida,” contains a full orchestra and multiple percussion parts and just sounds big.  One of the coolest things about Coldplay is that they have cool sounding music without sacrificing melodic hooks.

Muse lead singer is an enthusiastic conspiracy theorist and takes mushrooms recreationally to open his metaphoric third eye.  And, you can tell.  Lyrically, lead singer Matthew Bellamy conjures scary images of 1984 and a post apocalyptic tyranny while also suggesting that America needs to control Europe, the Middle East and Asia to secure an oil supply in United States of Eurasia in The Resistance.  Their best album, however, is Black Holes and Revelations, which contains both really cool sounds fans have come to expect of the band coupled with catchy hooks (just watch the video for Starlight below).  Musically, Muse uses effects, not only on guitar but also on bass and vocals, to conger images of what I can only imagine is an acid trip but a good one nonetheless.

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Bird Flying High, You Know How I Feel: Some Musings on Sonic Music

19 Sep

Has music ever made you feel high? I don’t mean high like at an Allman Brothers Band Concert or like Keith Richards before, during and after he fell out of that tree.  I’m talking about a feeling of lifting off and just soaring, free from all bonds imposed by gravity and without a care in the world.  Although U2 dreamed big like Michelangelo, Radiohead turned inward to paint tortured lyrics in the same way Van Gogh painted Starry Night and Coldplay merged them to produce an inward looking but still optimistic artist my knowledge of art history doesn’t cover. All three made music that just sounds big.  Turn the lights down, put on your big dj headphones, close your eyes and just lose yourself.

Just put on the previous clip and read on.  The slow opening synth chords move into the Edge’s guitar and the driving rhythm section which culminates into Bono‘s voice.  Like many other U2 songs, especially on the album The Joshua Tree, “Where the Streets Have No Name” makes a political and social message sound so damn cool by adding layers of synthesizers and the Edge’s unique talent for making his electric guitar more than just a guitar.  The rest of the album is just as good.  Throughout their career, U2 has changed their sound by combining elements of other genres, especially in the 90’s, but they can never be accused of dreaming small either in sound or in message.  Their early albums (The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum) capture these ideas at their finest, but checkout the following video for one of their later songs that is maybe not filled with overwhelming sound, but with overwhelming execution.

Upon writing this, I didn’t realize how much I could say in the introduction or about U2 so I decided that I’m going to do a second article about the other major bands I was going to talk about.  There is one band that I wasn’t sure if I would have the space to write about, but apparently now I do.  They are Explosions in the Sky.

If you’re one of those people that listen to music for the lyrics, then these guys are certainly not for you considering they have no vocalist or lyrics.  They do, however, convey emotion just as, if not even more powerful, through three guitars and a single drummer.  The following song, like most of their others, builds slowly and uses different effects operating on separate guitars that come together to surround the listener in a dome of sound.

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From a Mess to the Masses: Some Post Punk

15 Sep

Punk rock was loud, messy, uncontrollable and rowdy.  Then Joy Division came and changed all that almost  over night.  Ever hear of U2, the Killers or Phoenix?  All followers of this one band that barreled into the vision of the public almost overnight and then exploded and reinvented itself upon the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis (here’s the fascinating movie about him).  Emphasizing emotional music over loud noise and somber emotions over rage and anger, they were the first to synchronize synthesizers, drum machines and live instrumentation.

Phoenix

Joy Division happens to be one of the most depressing bands ever but those influenced by them moved more towards the land of unicorns and butterflies.  One of those bands happens to be Phoenix who turned the Joy Division sound slightly upside down.  Their most recent release, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, builds upon the simpler drum machine and snyth combinations by adding multiple layers of guitars.  It’s a really cool sound and overall a really great album.

I’m connecting these bands with a synth and drum machine sound and it’s my post so I’m going to throw in a little curveball.  The next band has many related characteristics to Phoenix, incorporating a lot of drum machine and other samples and a lead singer with a wacky falsetto voice.  Passion Pit relies heavily on sound samples which gives a much wider variety of sounds then a simple drum machine, such as in the following song.

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Money, Cash, Hoes: What Type of Facts are Those

12 Sep

I’m going to go from my oldest obsession to my newest.  Hip hop music.  I’m going to say upfront I never liked hip hop music. If your name starts with a “lil,” I don’t like you and I know your music sucks.  For that shrinking subset of rappers whose names don’t start with a “lil” or autotune, I’ll give you a chance.  That being said, I don’t like most rap.  I can’t really relate to either the excess rappers (smoke blunts) or the socially conscience rappers. That being said, there is still good rap even if you have to dig deep for it.

Take everything I said about excess rappers and throw it away for a second.  Just a second.  Or however long it takes you to read the following.  Despite what I’ve said, I really like Jay Z despite his embodiment of much that I despise.  The only explanation is that he has really soulful beats.  Try The Blueprint or the Black Album.  Neither album has him rapping over a drum machine which I particularly dig, even if much of his stuff is about living the life.

Watching that video, I remember just how great Eminem is.  Eminem was the first rapper I ever heard and said wow.  The man doesn’t just rap a line and take a break, he barrels forward without a break, even if it means you have to catch up to him.  His dark humor and violence turn me off at times but even then, he is, undisputedly, the most clever lyricist out there.  Similarly, Louis Logic’s clever lyrics and similar sense of humor remind me of Eminem.

My favorite rapper, however, is Common.  Originally attracted to his cool, soul and jazz influenced beats, I also started listening to his meaningful lyrics and was hooked.  There are, like with every other rapper, particulars that I don’t particularly enjoy but his album Be is the only rap album that I enjoy all songs on.

This last bit is about my favorite verse in all of hip hop.  It’s on a Kanye West song but no, it’s not a Kanye West lyric.  Jay Z is also on the song, but it’s not his either.  It’s by a hip hop poet by the name of J Ivy and you can skip to 3 minutes to hear it on the following link.

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Tangled Up in Blue: The Bands

8 Sep

The Beatles were the most popular rock band throughout the 60s, and many believed their reign of supreme rock band could not be challenged. Well, I’m going to give you two bands that definitely could put up a legitimate fight.

Led Zeppelin wasn’t just a band of musicians, but a conduit to the dark side.  They didn’t have to tune down to ungodly low notes or play loud or fast for their music to be bad ass because they weren’t mere mortals.  Jimmy Page wasn’t a guitar god, Robert Plant didn’t sing like an angel, John Bonham didn’t play drums like a sissy and John Paul Jones’ bass lines weren’t stairways to heaven.  Page was a demon, Plant howled like a Viking warrior, Bonham played like he was at war with his drum set and Jones’ bass lines were chutes to hell.  Check out How the West Was Won for 10 minute drum and guitar solos from some of the most talented musicians who ever lived!

The Rolling Stones are one of the few bands that could compete with Zeppelin and the Beatles for popularity.  In fact, the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll band was formed as an anti-Beatles (despite singing Lennon/McCartney songs on their first few albums). They contrasted the Beatles’ finely tailored suits and mop-tops with rugged and dirty looks.  Their image, however, wasn’t just a front.  Their music was the blues with attitude and I don’t mean Tony Robbins keep a positive outlook on life attitude.  It was at times mean (check out “Bitch” on Sticky Fingers) and at times tender (check out “Angie” on Goat’s Head Soup) but they always played with Attitude with a capital A.  The Stones are recognized for their sustained popularity, but I want to bring up a band that was just as good.

Faces played a similar Honky Tonk blues style and they played it exceptionally well, albeit for lesser years.  Check out pre-pop Rod Stewart on vocals and Ronnie Wood (future member of the Stones) on guitar as they play a no-nonsense song about a one night stand.

The Stones and Zeppelin sold millions of studio records in their rise to popularity, but it was a live album that skyrocketed the Allman Brothers Band to stardom.  Unlike the previous bands, the Allman Brothers’ blend of blues was purely Southern and helped to create a Southern Rock sound emulated by many.  That album, Live at the Fillmore East, features two of the greats in the line of talented Allman Brothers Band guitarists.  Duane Allman’s slide guitar is unmatched and the interplay with Dickey Betts defines early Allman Brothers’ sound.  Current guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks are no slouches either.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Hey guys, Matt here. I just wanted to give Aaron Shipper, the author of this post, a full Music Court welcome. Aaron, a blues aficionado and lover of good music, has joined the small editorial staff at the Music Court and will be bringing you music posts in his “A Different Drummer” category two days a week. So, everyone please make Aaron feel at home!

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