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Pretty Lights

25 Sep

Tired, I had reached the stands and took a seat. The cookie slowly wearing off and the alcohol long gone, I now was overlooking the area were I had been dancing just before. The massive crowd of people pulsated like a giant dark blob which had entrapped dozens of glow sticks and now was showing them off. And for everyone making up this blob, the bass was going over all of their heads, literally. Sitting in my seat I felt like the bass was an invisible entity floating in front of me, yelling. At least it was in sync with the pretty lights.  Not long after I had sat down, the main stage emitted a thick cloud of fog, followed by lasers of quickly alternating color to illuminate it, creating probably the most memorable image of the night. As if an album cover had found its place in real life, this was literally a rainbow cloud.

This past Thursday, the electronic Musician named Pretty Lights came to Binghamton. The resulting concert was probably one of the best live events I have ever been to. He DJ’d all his music in amazing fashion, while his sound and lights guys made sure that the show was absolutely spectacular. Also, there was a ton of people and the venue was amazing.

Pretty Lights made sure to stress during the show something which I already knew. All of his music is Free. You can find it all on his beautifully designed website. That’s very generous of him considering its quality. I guess he is in it for the shows. Let me show you some of his music. He describes it as Electronic, hip-hop, soul. I’d say that’s pretty accurate, but you can be the judge too.

“Finally Moving” starts out with a guitar riff, but it is quickly evident that the song is electronic. Piano and even violin are accompanied by synths, sampled vocals, and electronic drums. The vocals definitely put the soul into the genre. The song is slow and relaxing, yet all the different parts of it create a wonderful atmosphere which easily transports you into some sort of imagination. The song is long and rightly justified in being so.

“Total Fascination” is the first song of Pretty Light’s which I was exposed to, and let me tell that not only was I hooked but completely fascinated. The song is definitely a single of sorts as it stands out heavily from the rest of his music. Again the gospel-esque vocals build an interesting beat up until synths are introduced and the song takes on an intense change for the better.

Dance music which makes you completely rock out is rare nowadays, but this would definitely be it. It is not repetitive like trance or techno and it is not over encumbered by lyrics like hip-hop. Pretty Lights’ music is the perfect mix of sounds and samples which has created a niche of its very own which no one expected. It is nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary, but rather perfect execution to the full extent of the saying. Also it is very good music to do your homework to.

&)

-oko

P.S. The picture at the top is from the show I was at. And here is a video.

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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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Zach Hill – Face Tat

18 Sep

Mummies wrapped in caution tape stand swinging traffic signs into the air. They line the dark streets, reflective and destructive. A drunken group of people wearing magic hats run around. They cheer as they run directly into the danger, being struck down dead by the traffic signs with explosions of bright color but, they continuously re-appear so that the group continues on their merry way seemingly unharmed. They laugh with the music emanating from a large bronze mechanical dog following them shooting lasers into the night sky. Each person’s hat has a number on it which decreases each time they have to re-spawn. First one to zero wins.

That’s definitely a good music video idea right there. Or maybe it could be a fun way to spend your time once virtual-reality is invented. /shrug

*****

Zach hill is a self taught drummer from California, primarily known for his role in the band named Hella. He recently released a solo-album which both displays his spectacular drumming abilities as well as his eccentricity. The album is called Face Tat.

A rip of paper, an amazing bouncy bass-line, and voracious high-hat hits are what consist of “The Primatives Talk”, definitely the most listenable song on the album. The vocals are very well done with their trippy lines. “Why is everyones face blurred? Tell me that you saw what I just saw” The song has a slight hint of  a light tone, giving the song overall a very bizarre vibe. Like a happy, yet confusing bliss.

An old radio station tunes into “Jackers”. The drum-beat in the this song is oppressive upon the soul, but only in the best of possible ways. I again cannot stress how talented Zach Hill is as a drummer. This short song is basically him drumming over a rhythm of completely random noises. Too short in my opinion.

“Ex-Ravers” is out there. Again, we see a brilliant display of drumming, but this time it is accompanied with very harsh and bizarre vocals. “I changed my mind, by clearing the room” The synths definitely make song by giving it this slow motion feel. It probably contains some excellent time signatures which I cannot even begin to understand. The two different ‘parts’ of this song contrast very well, giving you something to desire, ending in the most perfect way possible.

The rest of the album only gets weirder, but in my opinion the man is a visionary. I did however try to pick the most listenable songs for all of you out there… completely honest. Music like this isn’t for everyone, but if you are one can appreciate it like me, then all the more power to you. The more types of things you understand in life, the fuller your life will be.

&D

-oko

P.S. I won the hat game.

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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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