Jump to content

What I'm Listening To


MarkScudder

Recommended Posts

I posted this in the 570-something-page thread and 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 suggested I bring it out to a new topic so people would see it, so here goes...

 

Hey, I'm new here but I already like it. Good people, good discussion, some of the stuff in the technical thread (about Lifeson's equipment etc.) just blew me away. So hello!

 

Here's what I currently can't stop listening to besides Rush:

 

BT: Emotional Technology Brian Transeau, who records/performs with the stage name BT, is a freakin' madman. He is basically the father of the European sub-genre of techno called "Progressive House," but even if you don't like electro (and I'm not a huge fan) you must hear this album. Not only is Brian a multi-instrumentalist, but he's been classically trained as a child and has scored several huge films (recently: Monster and the upcoming Stealth, which is very likely going to suck except for the music smile.gif). This album and the previous one (Movement in Still Life) literally run the gamut from standard techno (though to call anything BT does "standard" is like calling Rush "just some rock & roll") through hip-hop to bleeding-edge prog to some gorgeous ballads with acoustic guitars and multi-layered vocal harmonies.

 

He's a computer nerd - not only does he record and layout almost all of his music on his computers, but he has also written his own effects plugins (for the non-savvy: imagine Lifeson building his equipment instead of buying it) and as such is doing things with music that are still 10-15 years off in the rest of the universe. He creates polyrthymic fills by "stuttering" vocal lines and drum parts (the actual sound files, after they've been recorded) so there's this whole rhythmic thing going on in addition to whatever was originally planned... it's the perfect record, honestly. Best album of '03 by far and one of the best albums I've ever heard. Whether you want to concentrate on the songwriting or if you're listening deep for the details that will make musicians and non-musicians alike absolutely sick, you must own this record.

 

And no, I'm not Transeau nor am I endorsed by him in any way :-).

 

 

I'm also listening to some stuff you probably already know about: Dream Theater's Octavarium, Trail of Dead's Worlds Apart (could be my favorite album of '05), I'm not so big on The Mars Volta's Frances the Mute but De-Loused in the Comatorium is practically a perfect record....

 

oh yeah!

 

Sigur Ros: ( ) Okay, let me get something out of the way first. Sigur Ros is a four-piece from Iceland... the album is untitled, the songs are all untitled. The guitarist/singer is a one-eyed homosexual who sings in a made up language called "Hopelandic" which is basically just vocalisations that singers would use to work out a melody before writing lyrics... except he just kind of stopped there. If you get deep into their fan community, you'll hear all sorts of weird crap like "the songs get to mean whatever you want them to mean!" which I'm never sure if I believe or not.

 

Still with me? Musically, and emotionally, this is one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard. Forget all the weirdness, forget about the Hopelandic, get this CD. It's very slow tempo, very atmospheric, very reverby, almost dark, but extraordinarily emotional music... don't skip ahead, but the last 5 minutes of the last track might be the absolutely most intense thing I have ever heard... but you need to hear it in the context of the rest of the album. It's recorded flawlessly... unlike the BT record above, it's a very, very organic recording... full of natural (and not-so-natural) reverbs and atmospheres, post-rock but with a rock core to it... breathtaking. You have likely never heard a CD like this. Turn it waaayyyy up, turn down the lights, maybe a glass of wine, but just SIT THERE and listen, front to back. Think about The Girl That Got Away, think about whatever makes you reflective and a little regretful. It's the perfect soundtrack to those emotions you should be dealing with. You can share it with someone, but this is a disc you shouldn't deprive yourself of when you're alone and everything's quiet and something's tugging at you from deep inside.

 

 

Oh yeah, and I occasionally listen to my own music, which owes more to Sigur Ros than to Lifeson (although I practice to Lifeson all the time)... very dark, very atmospheric, with the occasional ray of sunshine. Link's in the sig below. Don't want to be shameless, but if we're talking about music you've never heard, my music is a pretty safe bet :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've always been a bit curious about Sigur Ros since The Sugarcubes were the first band out of Iceland to get any real attention.

 

I didn't know if they were in any way similar in style to the Sugarcubes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (FuzzplugJones @ Jul 17 2005, 10:38 AM)
Never heard the Sugarcubes. Regardless, it's an excellent disc.

The Sugarcubes were an eclectic mix of punk and pop and rock. Bjork was the singer before she went solo. Check out the CD "Life's Too Good" from 1988.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...