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Fri, 05 Nov 2004 |
| Films for Radio / Over the Rhine | |
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As I mentioned in passing in an earlier
entry, I spent a lot of time last year making
fan
music videos. It turns out that there's a whole subculture of
people who do this sort of thing, complete with conventions where they
show off their creations. These videos take clips from a film or
television show and match them to a song, whether based on the
literal or figurative meaning of the lyrics, the rhythm of the music
or something else that makes sense to the creator. All of mine were
based around a science fiction show called Farscape, to which I am
frighteningly devoted.
I mention all this because I've had a little bit of success introducing others to some of my favorite music through my videos. And sometimes it works in reverse. Films for Radio is an example; a vidder used a song called The World Can Wait in one of her creations. I was so taken with the song that I had to try out more of the band's music. You can find lots of fan videos around the web. The best collection of Farscape vids is at Farscape Fantasy. And who knows? You might be inspired to try to create one of your own. Or at least to discover some truly cool sounds. |
| [ Category: Rock | Add a comment | Link ] | |
Fri, 29 Oct 2004 |
| Son of Schmilsson / Harry Nilsson | |
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I still remember the first time I heard Son of Schmilsson.
It was back in high school, when a friend let me tape his two Harry
Nilsson records
(Nilsson
Schmilsson and this, its followon release), along
with some other, more forgettable music.
It would be years before I appreciated how talented a musician Harry
Nilsson was. At the time we just laughed uproariously at the shocking
lyrics on
You're
Breakin' My Heart (You're tearin' it apart, so fuck you). If
they'd had warning labels in those days, I imagine his use of that
word would have merited one. Not such a big deal now.
Three decades later, Son of Schmilsson is still special. It's special because it's still funny, and because it's expertly performed and a pleasure to listen to. Having retirement home residents sing along to I'd Rather Be Dead (Than Wet My Bed) would be crass if it weren't so beautifully realized. This album, more than any I can think of, combines music and humor to the betterment of both. Wouldn't it be cool if somebody were to pull that trick off again? |
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| [ Category: Rock | 1 comment | Link ] | |
Sat, 16 Oct 2004 |
| Has Been / William Shatner | |||
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I was watching a rerun of Family Guy in which Stewie the
megalomaniacal toddler dream-sequences himself as a lounge act. The
song is
Rocket
Man, as performed (if that is the word) in the
style of William Shatner on his classic, craptastic album The
Transformed Man. Shatner has been a joke for decades for his
talking song performances, including that selfsame Rocket Man
at the Saturn Awards back in the late 70s. And he knows he's a joke,
parodying himself as spokesperson for Priceline. So a new album by
Shatner isn't to be taken seriously, especially one with a name as
self-effacing as Has Been.
But to my everlasting surprise, Has Been isn't half bad. It's still Shatner talking rather than singing.* But he's backed up by some real talent. And rather than just reciting someone else's lyrics, he's using his own words to express a point of view. The results are surprisingly interesting. Maybe there's some life in the old guy yet.
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| [ Category: Rock | Add a comment | Link ] | |||
Thu, 30 Sep 2004 |
| Beth Waters / Beth Waters | |
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I don't envy whoever it is who has to categorize music in Apple's
store. Talk about your no win situation! Granting that a lot of
music fits neatly into some predefined and easy to market slot,
there's plenty of interesting material that defies simple
definitions. Even better, to my way of thinking at any rate, are
artists who take from many different genres and create something new
and unexpected.
Beth Waters does a little of that on this, her second album. Despite an iTMS classification of Rock, Beth Waters the album belongs more to the world of piano bars than to concert halls. And that's a good thing. This is personal music performed with care and grace, the kind of performance that stays in your head after the music itself has faded. Kind of like a White Castle hamburger, only without so much heartburn. |
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| [ Category: Rock | Add a comment | Link ] | |
Thu, 23 Sep 2004 |
| All of Our Names / Sarah Harmer | |
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I owe this discovery to a combination of luck and avarice. The great disaster of Pepsi's iTMS giveaway didn't affect me, since I'm addicted to their competitor. But then I got word of a smaller but less inept giveaway by Ben & Jerry's. All I had to do was pledge to register to vote, hardly a hardship as I'm both registered and a regular voter. Anyway, that pledge got me one free download at the store. And while searching through the exclusives with my download credit, I came across a song called Almost. What can I say? I love that song, the beat, the energy, Ms. Harmer's voice. So when the album showed up on iTMS a few weeks later, I was a goner. Fortunately, the rest of the tracks live up to this one. I've since purchased her earlier album, You Were Here, and look forward to future releases. |
| [ Category: Rock | Add a comment | Link ] | |
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