music
oracknows | February 2, 2009I love Tim Minchin.
I also totally understand where he's coming from when it comes to confronting woo, though, as I've described here. In any case, see Tim in action (parts may be NSFW due to profanity):
Enjoy, as I'm running a bit late in producing my usual content for Monday. Fear not, it's coming later today!
aardvarchaeology | January 28, 2009Since getting a smartphone, I never use my iPod anymore. (I handed it down to Junior who is now getting a psychedelic musical education. He's into the Marbles.) But the switch of course led to a huge drop in the ease of use. Here are the steps I have to go through to get my phone to play my mp3s in random order:
Unlock phone.
If need be, navigate to "Favourites" tab of start screen.
Start Windows Media Player.
Click on "Menu".
Click on "Library".
Select "Storage Card" from top-left menu.
Click on "My music".
Click on "Play".And the software is absolute crap at remembering where I was in a…
ddobbs | January 27, 2009It's Mozart's birthday. We've been indulging in some Don Giovanni here amid (but inside, protected from) the snow. But for multimedia instead of fireside consumption, I thought this effortlessly electric encore by Heifetz would serve nicely. Wonderful how relaxed he is; how much he gets done doing so little with either hand. Nothing extra, nothing unnecessary -- but a ton of music.
Sci/med significance: Music is good for you.
aardvarchaeology | January 23, 2009
A few years ago my friend David the Psychonaut gave me an mp3 file with the greatest song, "Jan Pehechan-Ho" by Mohammed Rafi. And now another friend, Tanya the Cosmopolite, links to the song's over-the top Bollywood dance number, straight from the 1965 film Gumnaam. Awesome! (As per standard Bollywood procedure, Rafi himself isn't in the film.)
ddobbs | January 13, 2009
Caleb Carr Crain on why he remains pessimistic about reading despite the recent National Endowment of the Arts report showing a reversal last year in a 25-year decline in reading. It's a good consideration of several ways i which the data might be a mismeasure or a misleading anomaly.
Why aren't I celebrating the new numbers about the reading of literature? First, the numbers are good, but they're not that
Second, another of the NEA's measures shows a continued, stubborn decrease. To the question "With the exception of books required for work or school, did you read any books during the last…
ddobbs | January 13, 20091. Andrew Sullivan trashed Bono for his Times column (judge it yourself and summarize it in a contest if you'd like) -- and trashed Bono's lyrics as well.
2. A reader objected, saying Bono's lyrics weren't ALL so bad.
3. Sullivan half-conceded -- and posted this video.
Mess not with Andrew.
amillikan | January 13, 2009It's been hypothesized that music may mitigate physical pain, a by-product of many medical procedures, but this has always been hard to test due to the wide range of music preferences. In a recent study that capitalized on mp3 player mania, researchers tested this theory by allowing subjects to listen to their own pre-made play list while immersing their hand in icy water for as long as they could tolerate it. Unsurprisingly, the subjects who listened to music lasted longer than the ones without.
terrasig | January 11, 2009Regular readers may note that ScienceBlogs.com has been off the air for the installation and upgrade of our blogging platform, MovableType. So while I finally learned how to use the old one after being here two-and-a-half years, I am now starting over. Hence, this first post being completely devoid of content.
However, I wish to honor my first two commenters with the new interface: a spammer from Istanbul (not Constantinople).
So without further delay, some music to mark this occasion:
There is also a very impressive version performed live (for an audience of one, the host) on MTV Europe in…
oracknows | December 25, 2008To wish you happy holidays, here's a perfect carol to sum up the pile of crap that was the latter half of 2008:
I had never heard of the Loomis Agency before, but it must not be doing too bad if it has the excess money to produce this. Either that, or its workers don't have anything better to do in the downturn. Still, it's pretty cool.
In a more traditional vein:
I know, I know, I posted it last year. But I don't care. I love that video. David Bowie and Bing Crosby sound so good together.
goodmath | December 19, 2008Olivier Messiaen, "Turangalila - Symphonie: II. Chant d'amour 1": This
was an unexpected wonderful surprise. A few years ago, my older brother gave me
a book on Stockhausen, who is a fascinating guy on an intellectual level, but
whose music I find absolutely unlistenable. The book talks about Stockhausen's period studying with Messiaen. I was expecting Messiaen to be another one of "those 12-tone guys"; I've never been able to develop an ear for 12-tone. But I decided to give Messiaen
a listen, and was amazed. He's not exactly an easy listen, but it's beautiful music. It's
very dissonant,…
ddobbs | December 16, 2008Beethoven showed up 238 years ago today. No one else, no one else ...
My violin teacher used to tell me, "You paid for the whole bow; use all of it." Those violinists aren't wasting any bow money.
NB: earlier title said "Beethoven's 7th, on his 238th". I do know the difference! ... but had begun to post the 7th and changed my mind but not my title.
oracknows | December 13, 2008The Hitler Zombie definitely approves of this movie:
Too bad I don't speak German or Norwegian, because here's the movie website, and here's another trailer sans subtitles:
I wonder if I can take some stills from this trailer to use the next time I feel "inspired" (at least I like to call it that) to pen yet another Hitler Zombie epic.
goodmath | December 12, 2008Elizabeth and the Catapult, "Golden Ink": a mellow track from a very
good NY area band. This really isn't one of my favorites of their songs. It's rather on the dull side.
Miles Davis, "Ray's Idea": Miles is one of the great geniuses of the 20th century. What more need be said?
Do Make Say Think, "Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!": DMSY is one of the very
best post-rock ensembles you'll find. They're another group that overlaps with
Godspeed You Black Emperor, and they approach the brilliance that is Godspeed.
This is a nice mellow track, with some lovely steel guitar playing.
The Tangent, "…
ddobbs | December 2, 2008
Beautiful -- YouTube and Carnegie Hall are holding online auditions for the "world's' first collaborative online orchestra":
In short, YouTube is offering a new twist on the familiar formula of how to get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, upload.
From the Washington Post, YouTube Announces Auditions for Its Own Symphony Orchestra
You can even download the score for the audition piece, "Internet Symphony No 1: Eroica."
terrasig | November 30, 2008Just clearing out the family e-mail account that has tons of old messages from various things I've signed up for over the years when I found a series of e-mails from Virginia-based singer-songwriter, david m bailey. I first saw david play at an event for people living with cancer about eight years ago - he's kind of a cross of old Cat Stevens and Jim Croce but very heavy on the inspiration he draws from 12 years of living with cancer.
For background:
The son of Presbyterian missionaries Dr Ken and Ethel Bailey, david spent his childhood in Beirut, Lebanon. He learned his first chords in 7th…
aardvarchaeology | November 29, 2008
Driving home from our auto mechanic shop (notable not only for its brisk service, but also for being run entirely by first-generation immigrants, which is rare in that business) yesterday, I heard two new songs on the radio that made a big impression on me. More exactly, the two singers amazed me, each in their own way.
Antony and the Johnson's "Shake that Devil" is completely eerie. It's bleak science fictiony avantgarde roots blues. I'd heard Antony before as guest vocalist on Current 93's otherworldly 2006 album Black Ships Ate the Sky, and this is even weirder. Beautiful!
"Shake that…
ddobbs | November 24, 2008Some musico-video relief from darker matters.
First, from On an Overgrown Path:
Here is the Zurich Chamber Orchestra putting the usual YouTube offerings to shame. The full screen version is even better.
Zurich Chamber Orchestra : Roller Coasterby mikropikol
Path also led me to nice piece on the Wall St. Journal on Anna-Sophie Mutter. To my ear, only Gidon Kremer comes close in wielding seemingly unlimited chops with a broad and deep music intelligence.
So what the heck. For video of Mutter & Kremer playing (separately), go below the jump:
Mutter:
Kremer. I've played the first four…
aardvarchaeology | November 19, 2008Here's a brand new and particularly fine piece of world-weary goth rock from prolific Uppsala decadents Kurtz. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you "Sex Cult 10". And don't miss the band's RSS feed!
awild | November 15, 2008Sometimes, it's best not to interject statistics into your personal life.
h/t Podblack Cat