Saturday 30 October 2010

Cool As...

That's summer gone, then, though in Belfast the difference is barely perceivable. For purely symbolic reasons (and cos I'm kind of nostalgic for the baking hot days of May 2010, wiped out by the constant rain of late June) the aesthetic of the hour is laid-back non-chalance. Bossa nova, cool jazz, lounge - the perfect accompaniment to a night smoothed out by warm breezes and gentle heat.







Monday 25 October 2010

RIP Gregory Isaacs

Another day, another musical legend falls. Gregory Isaacs possessed a voice that suggested controlled passion and exuded warmth in every song. His best work, in my opinion, was in the 70s, but there are gems scattered throughout his extremely prolific output.



"My Only Lover" is so good a marriage of musical and vocals that I had to post it. Maybe it's just my soft-spot for Lovers Rock, but what a flawless track; and it's just one of many in a remarkable back catalogue. RIP Gregory Isaacs.

Sunday 24 October 2010

The Glorious Funk Brothers



This instrumental cut of the Four Tops' "Bernadette" fades each instrument in slowly, but the focus is clearly on James Jamerson's masterful bassline - fittingly so, because his immense talent is often overlooked, possibly because it is often buried in the layer-upon-layer melange that characterised Motown arrangements. I would also point out 1:45-2:02 as a stunning bridge, a section that accurately conveys the joy of the full version's lyrics: "In your arms I find a kind of piece of mind the world is searching for/But you, you give me the joy this heart of mine has always been searching for."

RIP Ari Up

I've been away the past few days and only just found out that Ari Up, lead singer of The Slits, died a few days ago. Truly one of the most exciting and musically intriguing bands of the late 70s, a large part of their appeal was Ari's voice - German and Jamaican at once, a mix borne from her German ancestry and the reggae she immersed herself in from an early age.





As glorious as their output was musically, it simply wouldn't have had the same impact without her yelps, screams and intonations. RIP Ari Up.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Possibly the Greatest Plant-Themed Concept Album of All Time?

Say the name to yourself and try to claim that the idea isn't inspired: Stevie Wonder's Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. It is what it claims to be; tackling a range of plant-centric subject matter, from the last moments of an insect duped by a Venus Fly Trap to a wish-song about being reincarnated as a flower (in order to "spread the sweetness of love.")

The idea is especially hilarious because it was released after a three year gap, following 1976's extraordinary Songs in the Key of Life. Songs may have been ambitious, but it was a quantum leap from there to a largely-instrumental floral-centred double LP. So what's the story?

It is in fact a soundtrack album, with music specially recorded for the documentary The Secret Life of Plants. That film features fantastic time lapse footage of plants growing and flowers blooming, posited alongside out-there theories about sentient plant life and the benefits of playing soothing music to aid the growth of flowers and vegetables. The eccentric subject matter is matched by the coup of getting Stevie Wonder to compose an entire soundtrack around the idea.

While this article may seem mocking in tone, on the contrary I actually enjoy this album greatly. The idea behind it is wonderfully strange, but also interesting in execution. The music is inoffensive (you wouldn't want your houseplants to wither away, would you?) but very odd, containing experimental synthesizers and subtle nuances that make repeat listens worthwhile. See it as the kind of library music that sounds fine in the background, but a bit unsettling when listened to closely. Charming in both idea and realisation.

Monday 18 October 2010

Music For Autumn

Musical choice isn't subject to seasonal change, nor inherent quality sullied by weather-specific characteristics. Clearly, however, there is something in the mood and atmosphere of a song that can make it more affecting in certain surroundings. For example, despite Unknown Pleasures being released in June, Joy Division's empty space-evoking music and Ian Curtis's despondant lyrics work best in the cold surroundings of winter: the clouds of condensation in the air correspond perfectly with the frostiness of Hannet's production on the album. Other seasons have different musical characteristics to my mind.

Since autumn is rapidly appearing in Ireland I've decided to theme this post around songs that evoke that season best for me. Of course these choices are purely subjective and may mean different things to different people, but for me they brilliantly encapsulate the atmosphere of sylvan autumn.



Vashti Bunyan - Hidden



Nick Drake - The Thoughts of Mary Jane



Linda Perhacs - Chimacum Rain



The Coral - Secret Kiss



The Stone Roses - Waterfall

A Short Absence

I'm glad to be back on my blog following a month of assorted nuisances, from university work to the internet refusing to connect for more than a few minutes at a time. With that in mind I've been writing bits and pieces on various musical topics that have come to my attention over the past few weeks; these will be posted in due course.