cooltunes

Recently, a priest has come forward to complain about the use of pop music at funerals. Further, he states that there’s little religion at these services. I won’t go into the latter, but there’s a lot of online space devoted to the former.

He came down pretty hard on Tina Turner, whose Simply the Best he found particularly galling. I think most will agree that funerals are very personal, and there’s quite a mix of ages and backgrounds sitting there dressed in their good clothes in a most uncomfortable setting. At the average funeral, there is the deceased right in front for the duration. To buffer this, an appropriate selection of music is comforting and cathartic at the same time.

For my mom’s service, several pieces were picked for their sorrowful qualities. The menfolk in my family bottle up most of their emotions, and one, especially, needed to let go of some of this. At the end of the ceremony, you guessed it. The only dry eyes belonged to the guys.

I was a mess. But then I cried all through putting together the playlist, which included some of the songs in the above links. But if a person had specified that certain songs be played, however enthusiastic and supposedly out of place, then I sure think those wishes should be honored.

How Shazam works, via Slate.

Does she tap her toe or bob her head back and forth discreetly when she has the earbuds on? Did a committee decide what to put in the playlist?

Today when my iPod quit playing via the stereo speakers, there was an battery icon I hadn’t seen before. After hurriedly checking to make sure it could be revived, I set about recharging. Apparently I had never let it run down to this level before, wherein it ‘is not able to connect with your computer or appear in iTunes’. Well, at least for 30 min. or thereabouts.

Whew!

At least I didn’t get the sad iPod icon.

We’ve all been to concerts where certain members of the audience should have stayed home in bed due to their severe upper respiratory illnesses. (At least one sitting very close to you.) Now the BBC has revealed their solution to keep the noise down at Radio 3 concert recordings: cough drops.

Even the annoying sounds of unwrapping cellophane have been banished by using waxed paper instead.

Listening to Queen Latifah’s version now, also have Nina Simone’s. The song was written by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who wasn’t always a screamer. But during a session which turned into a drunken party, the direction of the song changed. Then he discovered that the wilder version got lots more attention. His performances inspired the shock-rock acts of Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, Black Sabbath, Ted Nugent and others.

Here’s the song, don’t know the origin of the video. Gaze out the window instead, if you have one.

I put in a few livelier tracks that force me to get up and move around.

I Put a Spell on You - Queen Latifah
Yellow - Coldplay
Happy Ever After - Julia Fordham
Body Heat - Alicia Bridges
Get Me Through December - Alison Krauss
Wild is the Wind - Nicolas Bearde
Gula Matari - Quincy Jones
California Dreamin’ - Bobby Womack
Don’t You Worry, Baby - Melody Gardot

A solid education in music theory? Knowledge of several instruments? An ability to summon an entire orchestra in the memory?

Nah. Sometimes, the songwriter is ignorant of complex chords, and can only count to four.

A family member was given both by family members who were unaware of what the other was doing. Mine was the loaded iPod.

A theory about the massive Zune failure is here.

The bug that has me very lightheaded is slowly succumbing to the antibiotic. Meanwhile, I take a look at the info sheet from the HMO that has in all caps, MAY CAUSE DIZZINESS.

Only three of their choices appear on Rolling Stone’s best 50 list.

From many countries.

Not having an iPhone (yet), I’m not in touch with a lot of stuff. Here’s the story on Tapulous and its popular game. Sounds like I’m missing a lot of fun.

Speaking of people stuck in a musical rut, a friend falls in the same category as the relative. The shuffle I got her is only a little bigger than my camera’s memory card. But she has a Mac, newer than mine even.

So I’ll put a bunch of music on CDs and let her son do the loading. Because she’s kinda fearful of computers, even Macs.

After learning recently that a relative has not been exposed to music much past the 60s, I decided to get him a nano 8g. He does not have internet access, and chooses not to sample music through headphones in a record store due to his fastidious nature.

Over the next few days, I will load up the nano with a wide variety of music, the likes of which he has never heard. He’ll probably hate a lot of it, but then there will be happy discoveries.

And because he doesn’t have a computer, I will also have to buy a wall charger.

This promises to be lots more fun than filling up a basket with various foods as I did last year.

Yes, I have the Christmas music going now. Dido’s track is poignant but with none of the syrupy, more typical features of the average holiday song.

Images at their site are downright creepy, but this Finnish group has created a new art form.

Here they are singing their version of our national anthem:

After watching two episodes of State of Play tonight, I went looking for the soundtrack by Nicholas Hooper. Not much luck there, but I did find a blog about the movie, The Girl in the Cafe, starring Bill Nighy and Kelly MacDonald, who also star in State of Play. Hooper did the soundtrack here too. There’s a link at the blog to a free download of this song:

The aptly named ‘Stayin’ Alive’ has just the right beat that emergency workers need to remember when they perform chest compressions. The right tempo for cardiopulmonary resuscitation is 100 times/minute, the song is paced at 103/beats/minute.

According to the link, a Queen song also fills the bill - ‘Another One Bites the Dust’. However, some might feel this one might not be as appreciated by patients.

His parents were opera singers, and his singing style has been compared to the sound of a tenor sax. He wrote Solid Air in remembrance of his good friend Nick Drake, another singer and songwriter.

SeeqPod - Playable Search

At the height of her career, she took time out to care for her severely-brain damaged child, Valerie, at home. Thirty-one years later, after the death of her daughter, she has an album out, ‘Live’, and is touring once more.

‘You’re My Girl’ is the song she wrote for her mother back in the 80s, and with a few changes, has become a song about Valerie. When you know the context of the song, it is almost unbearable to listen to, but so beautiful.

One of my dinner companions last night was a young man who has spent the last four or five years serving his country in remote areas. He was out biking near the junior high one day when he too became aware of loud music blaring over the playing fields. As far as he could tell, this was meant to serve as motivation for the running of laps.

Since lap running is an integral part of junior high, I expect the bombardment will continue.

For more days than I want to consider, music has been coming from the direction of the junior high. Most of it is hip hop-related, and seems to occur during lunchtime and recess. We neighbors don’t understand.

Today, I’m happy to say that the music of choice is by the Chipmunks, as in Alvin. To hear this blasted over powerful speakers is soul-destroying.

At his site, you can see and hear some of the instruments he’s developed, including the phonoharp, much loved by the Kronos Quartet. There’s a wind-powered turntable, another turntable that can play a composition powered by an earthquake, and many other fascinating devices.

His photographs are awesome.

No difficulties working to Jeff Kowal’s The Gate . The didgeridoo raises the hackles just enough to keep me very alert.

A small, secluded monastery comes close to topping the UK pop charts. Can one really be isolated if there is internet access? The story of the monks is here, and a video is here.

Are they able to handle the fame and subsequent fortune? Well, the abbot has an MBA, and a CD deal with Universal Music has been signed. Their PR person is on the cell constantly, when he is not dealing with the day-to-day of monastery life. There is perspective.

Almost everyone, it seems, except musicians that the heartland holds dear.

I swore I’d never ever get another cat. But Nora here, kinda makes me want to get one someday. Far, far in the future.

Trudging toward the long weekend, overloaded with work, unable to blog much, need lively tunes. Just Walk on By.

Feel the Sunshine from their Relax: Edition 2 album.

If you saw Mostly Martha, you’ll know it instantly, (not that the video has anything to do with the film) If you missed Mostly Martha, you should see it this weekend. It’s the German movie from which No Reservations was derived. Based on reviews read, the latter was a mere shadow of the former. Ci bum ci bum, du du du du du.

Click on any featured video. Go on, do it. (today only)

Via the Museum of Hoaxes. It’s a minefield out there today. Virgle, anyone? Wait, is that for real?

I’m not quite recovered from watching (in a weaker moment as relief from doing taxes) men who fish for Asian carp with bows, so the whole rickrolling thing was something of a surprise. I got my explanation from a son, but you can learn all about it here, in case you’ve been away from the intertubes.

An oldie, but definitely a goodie.

There I was, looking for contact lens cleaner down at the drugstore, when over the speakers came this song. That was Thursday. It is still spinning around in my head two days later.

Someday, science will discover where earworms hang out, that part of the brain (large it must be) where these old, annoying but horribly catchy tunes reside. And they will aim miniscule probes of light and take them away from us forever.

The list gets longer and longer. He died at 30 while swimming in Memphis. The Wikipedia entry details his classical influences (Bartok, Britten, Ravel) and contemporary (Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, Judy Garland, Van Morrison, Led Zeppelin, Leonard Cohen, Elton John, Bob Dylan, among many others).

Near the time of his death, he confided to his girlfriend that he thought his mood swings were caused by bipolar disorder.

Here he sings Hallelejah, written by Cohen.

My Blueberry Nights with Jude Law as her leading man, Wong Kar Wai (In the Mood for Love) directing. She does not sing in the film, but has a song on the soundtrack.

I’ve long admired the writings of Reynolds Price. If you grew up in the deep South, you would recognize a certain courtly cadence to the speech patterns that he captures like no other contemporary writer, and he gets in a whole lot else besides.

He had some medical problems a while back, and I did a search to help me recall what they were. In the process, I found that he co-authored Copperline with James Taylor.

Yes, that does account for the unique nature of the lyrics, and why they run deeper than the average Taylor song.

Lately, I’ve been catching up with episodes of the long-running British series, ‘Monarch of the Glen’, set in Scotland. (I alternate that with the latest DVD of MI-5, aka Spooks, another animal entirely.) Sometimes I struggle to keep up with the thick accents of some cast members. Today, I woke up with Groundskeeper Willie’s rantings in my head.

Nothing specific since I don’t recall many of his quotes, but there’s this vague gibberish in a Scottish burr in the background as I work. It should be annoying, but it’s very funny.

Back in its heyday, KSFO’s night guy was Bobby Dale. When he was depressed, which was often the case, he would put on some Mickey Newbury. Especially if it was raining, because Mickey had those rain songs. Even now, I can’t think of Bobby without remembering Mickey.

For a short time, I worked at the station, and while I met the other DJs, I never saw Bobby since he only came in when most of the staff had gone home.

Back then, I didn’t know Bobby’s DJ history, nor was I aware of Mickey’s prolific songwriting abilities. Kris Kristofferson said that he could never have written Bobbie McGee had it not been for Newbury’s influence.

You won’t find Mickey Newbury at iTunes, but he’s at Amazon.

Here is An American Trilogy, which Newbury didn’t write, but arranged. He put three diverse, classic, Southern-flavored songs together in a stunning whole. Elvis and Tom Jones both had hits with their versions, but it’s this one I like the most:

At her site, a poem called Souvenance.

She uses a Land 250, and the show will be at the Fondation Cartier in Paris. Here are some sample shots taken from an earlier exhibition.

All Right Now - Bad Company
It’s All Right - Huey Lewis and the News
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right - Bob Dylan

then there’s the other spelling:
It’s Alright - Ray Charles
It’s Alright - Van Morrison
It’s Quite Alright - Rancid
It’s Alright - Pet Shop Boys
It’s Alright For You - The Police
It’s Alright - Trisha Yearwood
It’s Alright - Shania Twain
It’s Alright - Queen Latifah
It’s Alright With Me - Harry Connick, Jr.

If you still need comforting, here’s Sting singing Little Wing with help from Branford Marsalis and others:

When I was very small, someone read to me a story of either a mountain king or an elf king. The hero of the story was a small boy who somehow got into the great hall, and had to escape. I’m not sure of the origin, there seem to be several variations of this story. At the time, it scared the daylights out of me.

Many know the music from Edvard Greig’s Peer Gynt, but Peter Lorre’s character whistles it in the movie M, and that is a most haunting version. He can scare the daylights out of me too.

Out of the blue tonight, sorta, I’m watching Apocalyptica’s video.

Over at Musical Warfare, Chris can discuss Apocalyptica much more intelligently than I, when he is not talking about other metal groups. They’ve been around for awhile, but cello metal is very new to me.

The lyrics refer to mashed potatoes and leftovers washed down with pie. A terribly depressing song about loneliness, but with redeeming food. The YouTube video that features the song as sung by Rufus Wainright and Dido from the Bridget Jones film has only the movie ad as a visual. Disappointing, but the song is intact. And if you’re a Colin Firth fan, as I am, you can gaze at him during the singing.

I handed the CD to the receptionist, following the dental assistant in right away (even though I was really early), since this is the office that feels sitting and reading magazines will make patients more nervous.

This visit would consist of extensive, serious, no-nonsense, deep cleaning. I had crowns put in previously, and it is hard to floss, so there were lessons on the proper way. First, the polishing. In the background, very faintly, I could hear bits of songs, some apparently being rejected, although with the sounds coming from the instruments, it was hard to tell. I was reminded of chain saws in the distance taking care of downed trees in the recent storms.

When the dentist arrived, out came the tiny, sharp things that made me jump. She promised that if I took better care of my teeth, next time would be much better.

On the way out, Queen Latifah was wishing she was in California on such a winter’s day. Short appointment, much better than the three-hour kind. I wanted to dance down the steps because I won’t have to be back till July.

Here Comes the Sun (Francois K remix) - Nina Simone
Quando, Quando, Quando (with Nelly Furtado) - Michael Buble
This Never Happened Before - Paul McCartney and Wings
South of the Border - Chris Isaak
Your Love is Mine - The New Mastersound, featuring Corinne Bailey Rae
California Dreamin’ - Queen Latifah
Waters of March - Al Jarreau and Oleta Adams
I’ll Fly Away - Sphere
Dindi - El deBarge and Art Porter
Primavera - Ludovico Einaudi
Here, There and Everywhere - Emmylou Harris
Fields of Gold - Eva Cassidy

The inner workings of songs from Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, John Lennon, Queen and Amy Winehouse, among others.

Using chord variations to manipulate listeners’ emotions is also discussed at length in This is Your Brain on Music: the Science of a Human Obsession, by Daniel J. Levitin, which I got for Christmas. Thanks, Chris!

The list includes Tim Burton, Robin Williams, Buzz Aldrin, Robert Downey, Jr., Francis Ford Coppola, Ted Turner and many musicians. Nina Simone is not listed here, but there is mention in her wikipedia entry that her diagnosis was kept a secret.

Haven’t you always wanted an instrument you could play just by waving your hands over it?

Of the seven, I’ve only heard two. Cibo Matto’s White Pepper Ice Cream made the list.

Perhaps peppermint ice cream would be more in keeping with the season, but I’m always confused when a creamy, melty substance is mixed with hard, brittle bits.

From Shonen Knife. It’s not a Christmas song, not sure if it’s about food either.

First of a series:

Formerly with The Scorpions, he became influenced by Jimi Hendrix. The Wikipedia entry calls his music ‘neo classical metal’, and discusses his custom instruments. Here is Roth playing Concerto D’Aranjuez:

As we shop for the turkey, pick through Clementines, look at shelled nuts, the familiar tunes are coming out of speakers everywhere. I’m not ready. Few of us are, as we contemplate the big dinner ahead, is there enough of this, is there room for that, are we brining or not.

Maybe it’s because there are so few Thanksgiving-type songs.

At 8:00 a.m. I had to endure Willie Nelson’s On the Road Again, Elvis and You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog’ and Bob Seger singing Against the Wind. All fine songs, but after the procedures, I had a frank talk with the dentist, having heard through the nitrous fog her mutterings about the receptionist’s choice of music. The only categories she ruled out were classical (too sleepy) and heavy metal.

Perhaps there’s an office or two somewhere that actually offers metal, but not around here.

For my next encounter with the high-pitched instruments and whatnot, I’m packing my own music.

I’ve got to do something about their music choices (all oldies), but am not sure how to approach this. Yesterday I had to endure Lollipop, folk singers too fond of falsetto and a multitude of other awful songs.

There being many more visits, this is a continuing story. I’m off to eat my mashed potatoes now.

Here via the Guardian.

The Dow took another dive, I gotta have some fun somehow.

They covered some songs the crowd didn’t quite expect, including Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms and Rare Earth’s I Just Want to Celebrate.

So there I was, coming out of the post office to find one of my favorite feel-good songs on the radio. Just as I was turning onto the road home, the whine and bleat of the Kenny G horn crept in, reminding me once again that it is possible to rape a great song.

And that there are actually those who feel this version is better than the Louis Armstrong classic.

With an intro by a physicist, not that the song has anything to do with physics, but everything to do with memory and nostalgia. And no annoying popup windows with this link.

From ages 5 through teens in the UK, it’s fast becoming the instrument of choice.

Yesterday, I had to endure the high-pitched whine and muted, but persistent buzz of assorted dental tools that inflicted various degrees of discomfort. Sweating to the oldies took on a new dimension.

I asked my dentist if that was her music of choice. She explained that the oldies were a compromise. The staff (all women, average age 30 - 40) fell asleep to songs without lyrics.

While the staff struggles to stay awake, the patients are willing themselves to be calm and cool. Interesting challenge.

The next time I go in (3-hour appointment during which I will be unconscious, thank goodness), I will present them with something a little different, because the next umpteen times after, I will not be under the nitrous.

California Dreaming - Queen Latifah
When Will I See You Again - Three Degrees
Lustral - Everytime
I Will - Art Garfunkel
Sierra - Boz Scaggs
South of the Border - Chris Isaak
The Look of Love - Dusty Springfield
Dreams - The Cranberries
Fields of Gold - Eva Cassidy
Quando Quando Quando - Michael Buble
Only a Dream in Rio - James Taylor
This Never Happened Before - Paul McCartney

Remember what the dormouse said.

Perhaps it’s not such a great idea to go looking for dormice in casseroles and whatnot in restaurants in Italy.

To its credit, the link contains a recipe for macaroni with dormouse and thrush sauce. If that’s the sort of thing that gets you all worked up. Pay close attention though, prepping that dormouse is a labor-intensive task.

And all these years I thought it was, ‘Keep your head. Keep your head.’

Last weekend was the city-wide garage sale in Cupertino. I stopped by in the afternoon when some were already closing up, having sold most everything. However, I did find a few where the sellers were still putting out stuff. I’m always looking for photo props.

One lady saw me picking through her stufffed animals (more on that another day), and decided I needed the furry chicken. Ah, but it was much more, it was a dancing chicken. To the great amusement of a family member in the car, she began to gyrate after she turned the thing on. She danced and whirled around till I got embarrassed, and said no, thanks.

So what did I get elsewhere? Two lovely plates with Greek gods on them and an African instrument. Walking in the door back home, I was engrossed in figuring out how the instrument worked, forgetting the plates clutched in the other hand. Which slid to the floor and broke into at least 50 pieces.

Fortunately, a family member managed to glue most of them back together.

Is he the Fred Astaire of our generation or what.

Via the Telegraph, Charmed Life (De Souza mix) as either an m4a (iPod) or a wma file.

The movie is 10 items or Less, and the car wash scenes are set to some catchy music, none of which I can find online. I could have used it this afternoon, scrubbing off spring’s pollen accumulation, and grime that may well have started back in the winter.

The Boilerhouse Boys, music producers from across the pond, are tinkering with the lost data issues of digital music files. Inspiration for their work goes all the way back to the technical aspects of the Motown sound.

It was a gloomy morning at home, but we headed toward the sunshine of outlet shopping. No one had a music preference, though one family member leans heavily toward jazz, while the other is just as deep into electronic. But I let my iPod loose.

Carolina in My Mind - James Taylor
Mexico - James Taylor
Always With You - Libera
Sandra - Pablo Milanes and Ivan Lins
Imagine America - Everything But the Girl
Parchman Farm - Mose Allison
Ailein Duinn - Meav

and so on till everyone fell into a trance. Then I tossed in something a little different.

The Future - Teddy Thompson.

It shattered the meditative stupor, and they listened, incredulous. Not often do you get Stalin, crack and anal sex in one song. Hah. Found on the Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man soundtrack.

I’ve been playing the poignant
‘Don’t Explain’, by Herbie Hancock, Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan a lot lately. Here’s a promo video, way too short.

Where else would you find Metallica, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Kronos Quartet in the same lineup?

Fifteen years ago in Basel, there was a live performance that included a soprano sax solo.

I really don’t why I like this song so much. It could be Knopfler’s incredible guitar work, his deadpan, dry delivery of lyrics, the mood he invokes. The sum of all parts maybe.

In someone’s humble opinion, the top 50 and the bottom 50, with key moments from the good.

The neat thing about such lists is going, ‘How have I missed so many songs?’, or ‘Who?’ or ‘You’re kidding, they actually tried that?’

Some notables from my duets collection:

In Your Wildest Dreams - Tina Turner and Barry White
Belle Star - Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris
Gortoz A Ran - J-Attends - Denez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard
Waters of March - Al Jarreau and Oleta Adams

Rock guitarist John Perry weighs in with his choices. You might beg to differ with some.

Ragnarawk, the brainchild of five UK design students, wins the prestigious Dare to be Digital contest.

It’s pretty difficult nowadays to be a metal fan and not have an opinion about metalcore. Nowadays, the metalcore sound has become somewhat trendy, with bands like Killswitch Engage, Bleeding Through, As I Lay Dying, and Trivium getting high billing on various tours and festivals. Metalcore appears to be primarily a US phenomenon, although a scattering of bands in other countries have adopted the sound as well, occasionally adding their own touches. Personally I’m not particularly fond of the general metalcore sound, though there are a handful of metalcore bands that find their way into my regular rotation. There are 3 bands in particular that I think are worth mentioning. Sadly, all 3 have disbanded.

Botch
Probably most hardcore / metalcore fans are familiar with Botch. Their music is probably more accurately labeled mathcore - in particular their final 2 releases were full of polyrhythmic passages, extreme tempo changes, and very innovative guitar work. Extremely influential, and essential listening for fans of this type of music.

Candiria
Candiria blended hip-hop and jazz with hardcore and metal to create an extremely unique sound. We’re not talking about hip-hop influences here in the same way as say, Linkin Park or KoRn. Candiria vocalist Carley Coma’s vocals alternate between clean and hardcore-style, but his delivery borrows from the rhythmic nature of hip-hop. Candiria’s music overall focuses much more on rhythm than melody, though the jazz influences reveal themselves in the band’s choice of chords and drum beats. Drummer Ken Schalk was one of the most respected drummers in the scene, even drawing praise from Cryptopsy’s Flo Mounier. Another unusual aspect of Candiria was that they peppered their releases with full tracks of hip-hop, jazz, or ambient music, showing off their diverse influences and talents. Instead of breaking up the flow of the albums, these tracks served to accentuate the different aspects of the band’s music.

Radiation 4
Radiation 4 is probably the least well-known of the 3 bands I’ve mentioned. Their music sounds like demented circus metal, basically. They combine the aggression of hardcore with very weird scales, which give the music a sort of carnival-like feel. Vocalist Chris Negrete’s vocals are all over the place, the closest comparison would be Mike Patton’s performances in various bands such as Fantomas. It’s kind of like listening to something Danny Elfman would write, except set to metal. Due to the sheer complexity and weirdness of their music, they probably fall into the mathcore category as well, although experimental hardcore sounds much more accurate. Fans of unusual metalcore and mathcore are probably the type who would enjoy this band.

Across the pond, he gets down and jivey.

It’s been a downer of a week. But big oil companies keep making record profits!

Separate Ways - Teddy Thompson
Speed of Sound - Coldplay
Prairie Wedding - Mark Knopfler
Don’t Explain - Herbie Hancock, Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan
Like a Lover - Dianne Reeves
Tempest (from The Insider soundtrack) - Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke
Tearing Us Apart - Tina Turner and Eric Clapton
Whenever I Say Your Name - Sting and Mary J. Blige
Hey Girl - Ray Charles and Michael McDonald

After the plumber left yesterday afternoon, I went to my long-awaited shower. A couple of minutes later, I thought, why that feels like water is pooling at my feet.

To avert disaster, I cut short my long-awaited shower. Then I made a quick call. Unfortunately, I had to leave, thus missing another chance to hear his happy tones (see previous post). But another family member reported that there was no charge this time. In his zeal to leave the premises, the plumber had not ascertained that the blockages had been removed completely but simply shifted.

But I am fairly sure that his days are more like a musical than anything else, and for his clients, life often tends toward the noirish.

He showed up a day late. When he saw the stopped up sink, he mumbled, ‘Ah, standing water.’ Then he went to get his gear, singing merrily.

Twenty minutes and $138 later, he was done. Obviously, I’m in the wrong profession, or I would be singing too. He wasn’t quite as dramatic as the lady at the store last night, but perhaps by the end of the day (only 2:30 p.m. now), he gets positively operatic.