all the people I know who've studied composition hate max richter
― ogmor, Friday, 10 October 2014 15:54 (nine years ago) link
Yeah Frederick I don't fuck with any of those composers you mentioned, except Feldman and a very rare Pärt. Younger I would've argued against them, now I'm just happy there are composers putting asses in seats. More just like I come home and my bf has got Lukas Foss on the turntable and I'm like "yesssssssss" but ultimately he wants Atomos and not Mica Levi. I'm trying to place consonance in a global, current context, trying to figure out what it means and why people respond to nicey-nice sounds so much more in film score, concert music, noise, ambient, drone etc. than they do in any other genres, where it'll make your track sound sickly
― fgti, Friday, 10 October 2014 17:30 (nine years ago) link
What do you mean by "classical" and "new age", fgti? (That's a non-snarky question, by the way).
― djh, Friday, 10 October 2014 20:40 (nine years ago) link
And why do those who've studied composition hate Richter, ogmor?
― djh, Friday, 10 October 2014 20:45 (nine years ago) link
Yeah it sounds as if I'm pissing on new-age I guess but I'm not. Just that the language is so safe and sound. It's nice when things are a little challenging, you know? Or maybe not?
― fgti, Friday, 10 October 2014 22:07 (nine years ago) link
Maybe not. There have definitely been points in my life where consonance has been outside my comfort zone/more challenging than dissonance.
― djh, Friday, 10 October 2014 22:22 (nine years ago) link
fgti's remarks have lead me to self-asses my opinion on this a bit. Because I definitely get that the music seems 'safe and sound'. But in the end, I think that is where the quality lies. Safe and sound is not a disqualification per se, and this ties in with what djh says about consonance.
I don't see Winged Victory as 'new age' myself; I find it a broody, emotional moving piece of work albeit in a very subtle, subdued way. Perhaps it's also because I've been a long time SotL fan and for some reason have grown to respect Adam Wiltzie but also Dustin O'Halloran for their compositional qualities to not take it for generic new-age music (as my personal definition of 'new-age' tends to be: generic soothing music, which I quite frankly can't stand).
But it's a very fine, personal line.
― definite classic, predicting a solid 8/10 from the p-fork boys (Le Bateau Ivre), Friday, 10 October 2014 22:34 (nine years ago) link
Yeah. I can't really describe why Vanessa Carlton is bad and Tori Amos is good or Clint Mansell's soundtrack to "Requiem for a Dream" is bad but Michael Nyman's for "Prospero" is good without getting exceedingly nebbish about things
And I'm typing this as an enormous fan of Atomos VII-- haven't heard the new album proper-- but also as somebody who found the s/t kind of disappointing bc it lacked the extreme long-form nature of the best of SotL and instead had prettystrings
― fgti, Friday, 10 October 2014 22:45 (nine years ago) link
Yeah. I agree about the Winged Victory s/t, I didn't take to that and while listening to it more and more thought of it as a 'lazy' affair (despite hating myself for thinking of that term while listening, as it can't have been lazy, made with the best intentions too, but prettystrings seemed intentional). I do think the new one is quite different though. Well thought out and despite its subdued nature has a lot going on. It is ephemeral, whimsical at times, but it does really carry me away and take me on a journey. If you took to Atomos VII I'd be very interested to hear what you think of the whole record, I think it deserves an honest chance before you lump it together with erasedtapes prettystrings :)
― definite classic, predicting a solid 8/10 from the p-fork boys (Le Bateau Ivre), Friday, 10 October 2014 23:01 (nine years ago) link
Not lumping anything in :) just always hoping to implement some aesthetic corrections in my listening
― fgti, Friday, 10 October 2014 23:21 (nine years ago) link
In the case of AWVFTS in particular - I definitely think of what they're doing as an evolution from ambient music, not a lazy take on classical.
For me, Stars of the Lid really opened my ears with Tired Sounds and Refinement of the Decline--when they shifted from making drone from guitars into making something more beautiful and more powerful with a small string section. Everything they've done since then--Brian McBride's solo albums and A Winged Victory--feels like steps from that point. For A Winged Victory it's less about "ambient" because of Dustin O'Halloran's piano, but to me it still feels related.
As for the rest of the Erased Tapes catalog (Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnaulds, etc), I don't really know where those guys are coming from musically to say it's "safe" or some kind of indie/poser-classical. I only know that I found my way to Erased Tapes via A Winged Victory for the Sullen so in my own mind I'm approaching it all from that perspective. That is absolutely subjective, though.
In any case I really hesitate to call it New Age, a term which has a pejorative whiff to it. I also bristle at "safe" as a descriptor of this music. I guess I don't really understand what I'm supposed to contrast that against. What would make Atomos dangerous? And would that necessarily make it better?
And as far as Atomos vs their debut - the new one is definitely superior. In the context of SotL I kinda get how you could perceive the debut as somewhat rote and less inspired. But I think on Atomos they more clearly show that they are trying to do something different. It's not just SotL with piano. (And for that matter I also like it more than a lot of the other Erased Tapes material I've heard.)
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Saturday, 11 October 2014 03:27 (nine years ago) link
Yes yes I am not sure I love ATOMOS but it is amazingly well written and executed, holy cow. I've listened to it ten times now and it's still surprising me with how well paced it is, subtle expansions from track to track, really impressed.
― fgti, Tuesday, 18 November 2014 03:21 (nine years ago) link
Has there been anything good recently?
― djh, Saturday, 27 December 2014 21:41 (nine years ago) link
djh did you see the Textura EOY list posted int he Year-End Polls thread? Lots of great stuff on that list. Currently transfixed by Ian William Craig's Turn of Breath. Also digging Marvin Ayres's Ultradian Rhythms and Vicky Chow's Tristan Perich: Surface Image, among others.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Saturday, 27 December 2014 22:11 (nine years ago) link
And don't walk past Kyle Bobby Dunn's 'And The Infinite Sadness'.
― a pleasant little psychedelic detour in the elevator (Amory Blaine), Sunday, 28 December 2014 19:16 (nine years ago) link
Been fascinated lately by Aaron Martin's Comet's Coma and Elisa Luu's Enchanting Gaze.
― doug watson, Monday, 29 December 2014 01:52 (nine years ago) link
Thanks all.
Ian William Craig's Either Or is nice; quite reminds of Rice Boy Sleep. "A Turn of Breath" seems to be sold out.
― djh, Monday, 29 December 2014 19:22 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, Ian William Craig's Turn of Breath is really good - it was the most recent Guardian 100 weirdest (but great) albums on Spotify entry
― ornamental cabbage (James Morrison), Thursday, 15 January 2015 04:21 (nine years ago) link
http://tape-dust.tumblr.com/casolli
― djh, Tuesday, 23 June 2015 20:08 (nine years ago) link
a winged victory for the sullen, anyone?
i enjoyed the prom. first i'd heard of them was last week's latitude coverage on Late Junction and this week they're on tv playing the Royal Albert Hall...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0640mhj (28 days left)
― koogs, Friday, 7 August 2015 09:36 (nine years ago) link
(some chat here: The "classical" music you buy from Boomkat (2010): a thread to discuss Sylvain Chauveau, Johann Johannsson, Peter Broderick, Olafur Arnalds and others )
― koogs, Friday, 7 August 2015 09:40 (nine years ago) link
Enjoying the new Hauschka EP A NDO C Y very much.
― the european nikon is here (grauschleier), Wednesday, 19 August 2015 20:25 (nine years ago) link
It cheers me up when this thread is revived.
― djh, Wednesday, 19 August 2015 20:41 (nine years ago) link
Doing my very best. One interesting addition regarding relatively straightforward (though a bit unpolished) solo piano might be Martin Kohlstedt. Dude was playing live way more experimental processing his tunes, but somehow his albums connect with me really well in their own subdued way. Moreso, a supercharming individual.
― the european nikon is here (grauschleier), Thursday, 20 August 2015 15:17 (nine years ago) link
Wrote up two albums by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir for Burning Ambulance today.
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Tuesday, 8 September 2015 13:10 (nine years ago) link
I'm really enjoying Olli Aarni's Puu Tuulessa (which was ridiculously limited on Cotton Goods).
― djh, Tuesday, 6 October 2015 20:49 (eight years ago) link
http://olliaarni.bandcamp.com/album/puu-tuulessa
― djh, Tuesday, 6 October 2015 20:52 (eight years ago) link
http://inverted-audio.com/feature/130701-pioneers-of-post-classical/
― djh, Thursday, 22 October 2015 19:50 (eight years ago) link
this new Lubomyr Melnyk album is beautiful
― moans and feedback (Dinsdale), Friday, 27 November 2015 14:23 (eight years ago) link
a friend of mine just hipped me to Rupert Clervaux & Beatrice Dillon, 'Studies I - XVII for Samplers & Percussion' and it is rad.
― expertly crafted referential display name (Jordan), Thursday, 17 December 2015 19:50 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo8b_yEil-M
^ been enjoying Yair Elazar Glotman's Études recently, guy's got a good sound
― seb mooczag (NickB), Thursday, 17 December 2015 20:04 (eight years ago) link
it's not pretty music btw, it's more like a bear growling in your ear
― seb mooczag (NickB), Thursday, 17 December 2015 20:07 (eight years ago) link
cool record
― poorzingis (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 17 December 2015 20:10 (eight years ago) link
Spotify has discovered Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch for me. From the safer, AWftS, piano-era Eluvium end of the spectrum.
― ledge, Saturday, 2 January 2016 12:03 (eight years ago) link
this thread put me on Turn of Breath and for that I am forever in its debt, I keep finding new ways to enjoy this record
― grinding like a jolly elf (jamescobo), Sunday, 3 January 2016 04:52 (eight years ago) link
Boomkat sale is on. Lots of Type Records.
― djh, Sunday, 10 January 2016 20:31 (eight years ago) link
http://www.factmag.com/2015/12/07/fact-mix-527-johann-johannsson/
― koogs, Friday, 29 January 2016 14:00 (eight years ago) link
http://www.sonicpieces.com/pattern002.html
― djh, Monday, 15 February 2016 21:11 (eight years ago) link
Liking this a lot.
JOHANN JOHANNSSON WITH HILDUR GUDNADOTTIR & ROBERT AIKI AUBREY LOWE - END OF SUMMER
PATTERN 002 CD/DVD "lasercut cardboard packaging with full colored innersleeve" PATTERN 002 LP "lasercut cardboard packaging with full colored innersleeve"
End of Summer captures Johann Johannsson's journey to the Antarctic Peninsula to discover the calm scenery of a landscape changing seasons, barely influenced or even noticed by humanity. The super 8 film is a comforting study of a peaceful setting in one of the most crucial and endangered areas of our planet.
Accompanied by rich and detailed field recordings of the surrounding this footage makes a perfect foundation for Johann's musical compositions, performed together with fellow musicians and friends Hildur Gudnadottir and Robert A. A. Lowe. The varying use of cello, voice, synthesizer and electronics creates a listening experience that reflects both the vast beauty of the quiet scenery and the necessary cautiousness of its inhabitants. As if gliding through the steep ice, its rough edges and the harmonious water movements, organic arrangements are patiently devolving into voice and electronic based ambience that adds warmth to the icy, artefact laden environment.
The soundtrack to End of Summer is an emotional, enduring listen and a compelling experience. Forming a soundscape as broad as the view it was inspired by yet equally heartwarming, devotion to the music will slow down time and provide a moment of harmony within times of change.
LP edition features the soundtrack as well as the film's sound design on the B-Side, exclusively on vinyl; DVD + CD package features the film and accompanying soundtrack.
― djh, Tuesday, 23 February 2016 22:05 (eight years ago) link
Glad to know about this, it's great. Put me on a Hildur Gudnottir kick all day today.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 26 February 2016 03:29 (eight years ago) link
Might be of interest:
https://www.fat-cat.co.uk/release/like-water-through-the-sand
(Revived 130701 imprint).
― djh, Wednesday, 16 March 2016 16:51 (eight years ago) link
Recent obsessions:
Colin Stetson: Sorrow -- sax-based reinterpretation of Gorecki's Symphony of Sorrowful Songshttp://open.spotify.com/album/0SnAsW09FjjOYZ2oHYliyL
Julia Kent - Asperities -- cello-heavy wonderfulnesshttp://open.spotify.com/album/5on5Q09vRTjw24GmaK3pMz
― 🐸 a hairy, howling toad torments a man whose wife is deathly i (James Morrison), Thursday, 28 April 2016 23:06 (eight years ago) link
http://www.classicfm.com/discover/music/sarah-neufeld-playlist/#wX1tPVS2S4xq4Sxz.97
(I have to confess the comment underneath made me chuckle).
― djh, Monday, 2 May 2016 16:11 (eight years ago) link
I have to say, getting the weekly Boomkat email of new albums, going through it and finding almost all the intriguing looking stuff on Spotify, and settling in a for a day's listening at work is very satisfying. Today there's a new Peter Broderick (Partners), the new Scott Walker OST for The Childhood of a Leader, Marielle V Jakobsons, Chino Amobi's 'Airport Music for Black Folk', stuff like that.
― James Morrison, Friday, 19 August 2016 00:22 (eight years ago) link
Like bits of the Ben Lukas Boysen (on Erased Tapes).
― djh, Tuesday, 18 October 2016 18:09 (seven years ago) link
Actually, love this track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCpFvn7jTPo
― djh, Wednesday, 19 October 2016 19:49 (seven years ago) link
Apparently, there's a feature in this month's Uncut on some of these types.
― djh, Friday, 21 October 2016 15:35 (seven years ago) link
> these types
Pun!
― koogs, Friday, 21 October 2016 17:43 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, the Boyson, Christopher Tignor and Ian William are good 2016 additions
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Friday, 21 October 2016 18:02 (seven years ago) link
*Ian William Craig