music

A video mashup of Daft Punk’s “Around the World” and The Charleston, first popularized in 1923. All good things do come full circle…

[Thanks, Steven]

For those who don’t know me personally, I’m a big fan of electronic music. I can listen to the stuff for hours and perhaps even listen to it more than live compositions — the sound is just so tight, so crisp.

Raymond Scott, a sound engineer and musician born in 1908, was an early pioneer of electronic music. I understand he was one of the first artists to create songs using only computers.

Below is one of my favorite tracks of his recorded sometime between 1953-’69. I shutter to think where we’d be musically without this man’s contributions. Good stuff.

Michael Jackson is a freak — and I’m not talking about his exorbitant lifestyle or questionable relationship with children. I’m talking about his superlative ability to sing, dance, and entertain.

His seminal album, Thriller, was released 25 years ago this week. Selling an unthinkable 104 million copies worldwide, it’s still the second most widely purchased album of all time after the Eagle’s Greatest Hits.

It is impossible to listen to this album and not bounce your head, rock your hips, or move your feet. Although difficult in picking just one, I’ll say Human Nature is my favorite song from this well-aged record. It’s a shame Jackson wasn’t as talented offstage.

Rob Walker of the New York Times seemingly belittles the enjoyment level of my latest addiction, Guitar Hero III. And I quote:

“You’re not actually playing the guitar. No matter how good you may get at Guitar Hero, if you decide to take up the real instrument at some point, you’ll be starting from scratch.”

Being that the man writes for the Times, I’m sure he can appreciate the difference between the entertaining fantasy of video games and the dedication required to learn, play, and ultimately enjoy creating live music — in this case with a guitar.

Guitar Hero works, however, because it convincingly feels like you are a seasoned musician, even if you play real guitar like myself.

I’ve played rhythm guitar for 14 years now. I’ve also performed live in several bands to crowds upwards of 300 people. It is a powerful experience.

Why would I play Guitar Hero then? Because I can be the lead guitarist that I never was. Because I can play songs that otherwise would take much more practice to pull off. Because I can stir feelings from my youth — a memorable time in my life that has since past as the adult in me pursues more rewarding ends.

That’s why.

Lindsey and I were channel surfing on Saturday night before stopping on PBS HD to listen to the charismatic Paolo Nutini live in concert. I came away very impressed with the 20-year old Scottish-Italian that sounds like a mix of Bob Marly and Bob Dylan. Man, can he sing.

His album, These Streets, features the most original lyrics I’ve listened to all year. Last Request, Rewind, Million Faces, These Streets, New Shoes, White Lies, and Autumn all come highly recommended. Definitely check out this easy listening if you haven’t already.

[Currently Drinking: Shirley Temple]

Sports Illustrated images 30 musician’s who also happen to be avid sports fans… Eddie Vedder a Cub’s fan and Robert Plant a tennis enthusiast. Who knew?

It’s been more than two years since I’ve seen a live band perform, the last being a piano-rock trio named Keane. Before that, it was 2-3 years since seeing a live concert as this thing called life, family, and work slowly takes over.

Tonight I’m going to seeing another trio named Muse with some friends. While I enjoy groups of all sizes (I’m an equal-opportunity fanman), I’ve always liked three-man rock bands for the following reasons: (more…)

I may have spoke to soon regarding my previous “best music video ever” comment as I forgot about this 2:21 minute gem; Wax’s California directed by Spike Jonze in 1995. The shot allegedly only took 12 seconds to shoot, but the execution (not to mention the premise) was flawless. Nice!

The reason why most new music sounds worse than most older recordings has to do with loudness optimization that started with the inception of CDs and progressively getting worse with time as shown in the above video.

[via FunL]

I was recently introduced to a new 70’s song over the weekend that I’m completely enamored with: “I’m a Fool To Do Your Dirty Work” by Steely Dan (not to be confused with Stealers Wheel as I often do). I’ve had the song on loop for the last 35 minutes. Love it!

I first heard the track as the outgoing song to Once in a Lifetime, a documentary about the rise and fall of the NASL. It’s an interesting and informative film not to mention a case study on how not to run a business. Despite the league being a flop, soccer moms around the country can thank it for laying the ground work for the sport in America and the some 20 million players here.

You can dload the Steely track from iTunes here. Get that!