Via Life’s a Pitch, the news that Bang on a Can, the minimalist/electroacoustic ensemble, has released some of their music for Rock Band play. If the following video of Michael Gordon’s Yo! Shakespeare is anything to go by, minimalist compositions are about as fun as you would think they would be.
Tag: Music
Videos!
My friend Will Sturgeon, bassist for The Smiles and all around good musician, linked to this video from his Twitter feed (@sturgeo):
I kind of hate the song, but it’s undeniable that the drummer has chops. I rewatched it a couple of times just for the drum fills alone.
In other Will Sturgeon news, he has a new solo video/song up:
Proper Discord on Renee Fleming's Rock Album
The unnamed author of the excellent classical music blog Proper Discord (added to blogroll) has a devastating critique of Renée Fleming’s new rock-covers album, Dark Hope up today. The punchlines:
In classical music, it’s the composer’s job to write the notes, the musician’s job to make a good sound, the engineer’s job to capture it and the producer’s job to let you know when everything is in the can.
In pop music, they all work together to create a sound. The notes themselves are simple, so the sound needs to be great. That hasn’t happened here, or, at least, it hasn’t been done well enough to make it work.
Covers like this are going to be compared to the originals, and the originals were all put together by people who knew how to make a band sound good.
It seems like everybody involved underestimated what it took to make a modern rock record, and it’s a shame, because the talent was there. It didn’t need to suck.
Proper Discord on Renee Fleming’s Rock Album
The unnamed author of the excellent classical music blog Proper Discord (added to blogroll) has a devastating critique of Renée Fleming’s new rock-covers album, Dark Hope up today. The punchlines:
In classical music, it’s the composer’s job to write the notes, the musician’s job to make a good sound, the engineer’s job to capture it and the producer’s job to let you know when everything is in the can.
In pop music, they all work together to create a sound. The notes themselves are simple, so the sound needs to be great. That hasn’t happened here, or, at least, it hasn’t been done well enough to make it work.
Covers like this are going to be compared to the originals, and the originals were all put together by people who knew how to make a band sound good.
It seems like everybody involved underestimated what it took to make a modern rock record, and it’s a shame, because the talent was there. It didn’t need to suck.
The Smiles – Hermosa EP
- The Smiles Hermosa EP. Self-released, May 28, 2010
- This album is for: someone on the lookout for driving music, or a pick-me-up. Fans of the nü-Surf movement found in bands like Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes and Beach House.
- This album is not for: People that like a little bite to their music. People looking for anything downtempo. Those who hate California (Oregonians, Coloradans).
- Standout tracks: “Sun” “I Could Love You More”
The 6 song Hermosa EP represents a major step forward for the young Southern California-based band The Smiles. The song titles and album cover point to sun, the beach, summer, and a good time, and the band is firmly rooted in the classic sound of Southern California: Dick Dale, The Beach Boys, and their latter-day adherents Beach House, Fleet Foxes, and Animal Collective.
hammer & jack 