“Bonds” by Hideki Sakamoto, from the Darius Burst arranged album “Wonder World”.
Really unexpected and gorgeous composition, something that’s really rare on a CD of arranged tracks from a top-down PSP shooter of all things.
Sakamoto keeps proving to me that he’s one of people in games to really watch and listen for, beginning with his fantastic string quartets for Echochrome.
That said, I can definitely tell there are some very specific Icelandic influences going on here. Just a bit? Still awesome, however.
Do you like art? Music? Maybe both? Check out this gorgeous clip from ArenaNet’s talented artists and excerpts from Jeremy Soule’s score from the game.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Played 10 times.
“Takes So Long” The Weepies, Hideaway (2008.)
With the distinctively lovely vocals of folk darling Deb Talan, “The Weepies” play a simple strummy folk that might make you fall in love at first listen. I first heard Talan’s rough-edged, rawly emotive voice on her solo albums, the very excellent Something Burning and A Bird Flies Out. There, her skilled lyrics and bravely unadorned vocals invited comparisons to other folk-pop songstresses such as Shawn Colvin, Lisa Loeb and Sarah Harmer.
Now, going under the moniker of The Weepies, her husband’s guitar strumming and vocal backing add a texture and harmony that absolutely sings. Their mellow, Sunday morning music is shot through with the colors of homey contentment, and even songs tinged with sadness or sorrow are still soaked in bliss. “Takes So Long” is a relatively simple, straightforward song, but one that finds complexity in the tiniest of pitch shifts. Each time the pseudonymous chorus repeats, their voices ask its question a slightly different way, bringing this spare song a new gravity. Take some time to do the dishes, weed the garden and allow the distinctly un-lachrymose Weepies to accompany you on your way.
(The Weepies’ newest album was released this year, but I haven’t gotten my ears on it yet.)
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Played 7 times.
“The Moon Asked the Crow” by CocoRosie, Grey Oceans. 2010
Plinky plonk music box chords begin this strange dive into the subterranean weirdness of the music of sisters CocoRosie. This song, off their 2010 offering Grey Oceans, sees their unearthy Donald-Ducky voices carried by a funky baroque tune that lends a gravity to this otherwise weightless song.
Less a fan of their singing style and lyrics, I was literally stopped in my tracks when this song first played across my headphones, its outright oddness soon subsumed by the diverting build of its disparate instruments.
Is it weird for the sake of being weird? Possibly. Is it pretentiously arty for the sake of being pretentiously arty? Probably. Still, it isn’t every day you hear something entirely, utterly new. And some days, that’s enough for me.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Played 2 times.
“On and Ever Onward” Bjork and Dirty Projectors
It’s a team-up for the ages: lyrics and arrangements by Dave Longstreth, backing vocals by Dirty Projectors’ ladies, and lead singing by the incomparable Bjork. Throw in the fact that all proceeds from this mini ep—Mount Wittenberg Orca—go straight to the National Geographic Society Oceans Project, and what could be better?
The choral harmonics sweeping and punctuating the background provide such a lovely framework for Bjork’s joyful, affecting singing. Though the lyrics are quite spare, their simplicity is earnest and beautiful, almost a paean to the natural world and our progression through it.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Played 13 times.
As mentioned a scant 31 days back, the young whippersnappers behind some of the best new bluegrass have released a new album for 2010. “Some Strange Country” boasts the same basic lineup as their 2009 album—Still Crooked—and they sound as good as ever.
My review of Still Crooked was complimentary, but a little reserved. But, after a solid year of listening to that effort, I can wholeheartedly endorse it as one of their strongest outings, with extremely sophisticating songwriting and arranging. Therefore, consider this not a review of Some Strange Country, but a placeholder of sorts: I’ll get back to you with fuller thoughts after letting them percolate for a year or so.
Still—though final judgment will be reserved—I do consider the title track (listenable above) to be one of their finest offerings, and a sign of further good things to come.
Titanium Sporkestra crashed one of Seattle’s neighborhood art walks this week, marching their gypsy-steampunk-wigwearing percussivphonics in and out of galleries, cafes, bars and basements. (They stayed for hours in the bar. Hmm.) Their site claims they can be hired to play at any event, from birthday parties to bat mitzvahs to brises. However, since we keep stumbling upon them playing uninvited and unpaid in empty parking lots and jamming in parades, we think we’ll just crack a few beers on our balcony and assume they’ll make their way to us eventually.
Janelle Monae’s first album—Metropolis: The Chase—debuted in 2008 with a stupendous sci-fi android-fugitive love-story concept. Monae’s voice was a more powerful version of Gwen Stefani’s, the music was a crazy mish mash of retro seventies, energetic pop, sensuous balladry and high-brow orchestral (sci-fi effects thrown in for fun), and the plot was pure space operatics. With just an album’s-worth of songs Monae described an entire futuristic society built on the backs of enslaved androids who yearn for equality, justice and the chance to love whom they will—including humans. A winner all around, and an important introduction for an ambitious musician.
When the official video dropped for single “Many Moons” (above) it represented a second revelation. Set at a high-stakes android auction where dubious and powerful players vie for the best droid to come down the line, the video combined slick special effects, fabulous costumes and a caliber of dance not seen since, well, since MJ himself. The dizzyingly high production values and completeness of its vision make it play as if plucked from a longer, larger film: it stands on its own, but could easily be the dazzling centerpiece of an entire movie. One element I particularly adore about the setting is how it screams “the future” without having to rely on sci-fi tropes. No eighties neon, no sixties bodysuits, no aliens: just smart, sexy technology, and a cast of unique characters ready to fly off the screen. (Those elegant, prepossessed characters? All created by Monae. That guy in the sunglasses? ‘The Haitian’ from Heroes. Monae’s charismatic and confident performance? Her very first music video.)
The video cemented Monae’s debut as its own moment in music time, as well as setting the stage for the next movements in her futuristic Suite. And, happily, the second album—The ArchAndroid—will be released this very week. Keep fingers crossed for another incredible video to accompany the music of this totally groundbreaking artist!
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Played 11 times.
Grandma from the NieR Original Soundtrack
In my always-curious endeavor to seek out interesting new game music, NieR stood out to me. It’s an absolutely bizarre game that I’ve yet to personally play, but amidst its oddness of a speaking grimoire, hermaphroditic demon-possessed young woman, and a father protecting his child, is this gorgeously subdued track that serves as the thematic center for the album. Nearly all the tracks feature this beautiful voice, and so despite its bizarreness it makes for a surprisingly pleasant listen.
I’ll write a more in-depth review of the tracks at some point once I’ve listened to it more intently. For now, enjoy!
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Played 20 times.
“Murder of Birds” by Jesca Hoop. Hunting My Dress, 2009.
Cause, I’m not a bird / I’m a murder of birds
At the close of last year a little album dropped across the pond in the UK which sent out some very lovely ripples. Hunting My Dress is Jesca Hoop’s second major release, and proves that comparisons to Joanna Newsom and Bat for Lashes (whom she precedes) are entirely justified.
Combining a knack for lush, unique arrangements—often relying on music-box glissandos and bell-like vocal backings—with some gothically delicate lyrics, her work is unforgettable. Earlier songs ran the gamut from glimmery electro-pop to cocktail dress croons to haunting ballads of brittle ballerina bones.
“Murder of Birds,” the only track I have been able to get my ears on (the US release is yet to drop), is a quieter rumination than her usual stuff. Jesca’s clear, lilting voice intertwines beautifully with that of the more gravelly whisper of Elbow’s front man, Guy Garvey. Achingly sweet and spare, this track might fool you into thinking her work is all similarly quiet, but a listen to her first release—Kismet—will cure you of that notion very quickly.
Keep an eye on this California-raised/Manchester-located chanteuse, as she and her midnight music are exploring some wondrous places.
Those that have been following Cloudherder for a while are no stranger to the fact that I am very much a fan of Bear McCreary as a composer. The sheer amount of thought and care that goes into his compositions really show in both the intricacy of the music itself, as well as the staggering attention to detail each cue reflects when tying in with the fiction it accompanies.
Thankfully for us, he is also very well-written and introduces the public to each work he’s involved with in a behind-the-sheet-music view that details everything from the themes and how they’re composed to the talented instrumentalists that play his work.
Bear’s latest blog entry goes into great detail about his most recent project, Dark Void. While it appears that the game may not be living up to the great ambitions of both the developers and his score, the music itself is—even divorced from the associated material—a perfect example of how to create and evolve effective themes, motifs, and associate them in an extended and nonlinear form while still accommodating for live instrumentalists in an inventive way. (That was, admittedly, a bit of a mouthful.)
Even if you don’t understand exactly all of the technical terms being thrown around, give it a look and listen. It’s a rare glimpse into the creative process of a very talented composer.
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Posted by Leif on Wed Aug 25th at 7:01PM
Posted by various vapor, assembled. on Wed Jul 28th at 11:07AM
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Grandma from the NieR Original Soundtrack
“Murder of Birds” by Jesca Hoop. Hunting My Dress, 2009.
