Two pretty tunes that I'm playing on my Givson Les Paul these days.:)
Dust In The Wind/Kansas
Shape Of My Heart/Sting
Dust In The Wind/Kansas
Shape Of My Heart/Sting
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Great Albums (Realise/Karsh Kale)
Karsh Kale has the unique ability of fusing electronic drum and bass parts with Indian melodies and rhythms in such a way that the songs retain their sweetness without sounding like a mad scientist's laboratory. This can partly be attributed to his own background in Indian classical music (he plays the tabla, among other things). The album is really well-balanced, with both racy as well as slow n' easy tracks.
Personal picks : The album-opener "Empty Hands", "Satellite" (which sounds like the title sequence to some Lonely Planet type of travel show) and "Conception".
Say Something/James
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9SrLNlLLTA
The '90s gave us some awesome songs. It's such a shame that many of them are forgotten.
The '90s gave us some awesome songs. It's such a shame that many of them are forgotten.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Keeping The Dream Alive/Freiheit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9aYrHzEW-w
An old favourite of mine. Couldn't find a good copy of the song without the video. Great intro with the strings.
An old favourite of mine. Couldn't find a good copy of the song without the video. Great intro with the strings.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Great Albums (Wounded Rhymes/Lykke Li)
Her cheeky vocals ride over a loosely arranged instrumental setup. The percussion sounds deliberately clangy, lending a very realistic, 'concert-hall' edge to her music. All the songs have extremely catchy melodies, and won't take any time to get used to. Definitely a must-listen.
Personal picks : The forceful "Get Some", the mellow "Unrequited Love" and the very anthemic "Love Out Of Lust".
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Games Without Frontiers/Peter Gabriel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKb9XQ39-zc
The futility of war has been the subject of many a great song.
The futility of war has been the subject of many a great song.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Instrumentals (continued)
January Rain/David Gray (Mellow stuff played on acoustic guitar)
Stream Of Consciousness/Dream Theater (Heady progressive lines. Eastern-tinged guitar and keyboard parts)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Instrumentals
Lily Was Here/Candy Dulfer & Dave Stewart (Saxophone and guitar 'jugalbandi')
Orion/Metallica (The reason I want to learn to play bass)
Take Five/Dave Brubeck (One of the greatest jazz time signatures ever)
Wood Fairy/Kitaro (A lush oriental landscape with some delicately layered guitar licks for that subtle western touch)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Way We Get By/Spoon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-S4nM5m_Kg
The wonder that is the half-time shuffle groove. Also, some funky piano.
The wonder that is the half-time shuffle groove. Also, some funky piano.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Bad Reputation/Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOdLQp0JWQ0&feature=related
Rock 101, Lesson 01: AC/DC, Sex Pistols and Joan Jett.
Rock 101, Lesson 01: AC/DC, Sex Pistols and Joan Jett.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Damn Thing/Meat Puppets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phRD8FxqPMo
The current single off the veteran rockers' upcoming album. Nice, laid back stuff from the band known to have been Nirvana's biggest influence.
The current single off the veteran rockers' upcoming album. Nice, laid back stuff from the band known to have been Nirvana's biggest influence.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thought: The death of the Anthem
The view expressed in the following lines is my personal opinion. I make no claims regarding its factual accuracy. Feel free to disagree.
Music has evolved dramatically in the last few decades. While there are obvious stylistic differences in what we hear now and what our parents used to hear in their youth, there is a quality in particular that gave the music of their time a distinct sound. I shall call it the 'anthemic' quality. An 'anthem' is a song that is sonically grand. It is a song that sounds majestic, a song that wouldn't feel out of place in an orchestra, for example. Most of the pre-nineties bands incorporated this quality in their music, intentionally or otherwise. Queen were a band who couldn't help sounding anthemic. It was second nature to them. Anthems were not always products of elaborate arrangements. The song "Bridge over troubled waters" by Simon and Garfunkel is an anthem that was often performed on a single guitar played by Paul Simon. Some of the notable anthems of the 60s, 70s and 80s are
Let It Be/Beatles
Baba O' Riley/The Who
Like A Rolling Stone/Bob Dylan
More Than A Feeling/Boston
Born In The USA/Bruce Springsteen
Heal The World/Michael Jackson
Always/Bon Jovi
November Rain/Guns N' Roses
American Pie/Don Mclean
Learn To Be Still/Eagles
Super Trouper/ABBA
Imagine/John Lennon
Dreamer/Ozzy Osbourne
Coming Back To Life/Pink Floyd
Maggie May/Rod Stewart
Rhinestone Cowboy/Glen Campbell
Touch Me/The Doors
You Can't Always Get What You Want/Rolling Stones
Free Falling/Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For/U2
Jump/Van Halen
Don't Stop Believing/Journey
I Wanna Be Sedated/Ramones
Anthems fizzled out in the nineties with the advent of grunge/alternative music that promoted a 'rawer' sound. The anthemic tone was now considered to be nothing more than a shallow attempt at making a song a hit. Chord patterns changed, vocal delivery was controlled to sound less 'superhuman' and 4-piece bands started to sound like 4-piece bands again. The age of the anthem was over.
Music has evolved dramatically in the last few decades. While there are obvious stylistic differences in what we hear now and what our parents used to hear in their youth, there is a quality in particular that gave the music of their time a distinct sound. I shall call it the 'anthemic' quality. An 'anthem' is a song that is sonically grand. It is a song that sounds majestic, a song that wouldn't feel out of place in an orchestra, for example. Most of the pre-nineties bands incorporated this quality in their music, intentionally or otherwise. Queen were a band who couldn't help sounding anthemic. It was second nature to them. Anthems were not always products of elaborate arrangements. The song "Bridge over troubled waters" by Simon and Garfunkel is an anthem that was often performed on a single guitar played by Paul Simon. Some of the notable anthems of the 60s, 70s and 80s are
Let It Be/Beatles
Baba O' Riley/The Who
Like A Rolling Stone/Bob Dylan
More Than A Feeling/Boston
Born In The USA/Bruce Springsteen
Heal The World/Michael Jackson
Always/Bon Jovi
November Rain/Guns N' Roses
American Pie/Don Mclean
Learn To Be Still/Eagles
Super Trouper/ABBA
Imagine/John Lennon
Dreamer/Ozzy Osbourne
Coming Back To Life/Pink Floyd
Maggie May/Rod Stewart
Rhinestone Cowboy/Glen Campbell
Touch Me/The Doors
You Can't Always Get What You Want/Rolling Stones
Free Falling/Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For/U2
Jump/Van Halen
Don't Stop Believing/Journey
I Wanna Be Sedated/Ramones
Anthems fizzled out in the nineties with the advent of grunge/alternative music that promoted a 'rawer' sound. The anthemic tone was now considered to be nothing more than a shallow attempt at making a song a hit. Chord patterns changed, vocal delivery was controlled to sound less 'superhuman' and 4-piece bands started to sound like 4-piece bands again. The age of the anthem was over.
Mr. Brightside/Killers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrkeWsQZNyU
The guitar riff in the song's intro was enough for me to get hooked. Sublime stuff.
The guitar riff in the song's intro was enough for me to get hooked. Sublime stuff.
Miami/Counting Crows
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUqNYmHWwAg
A feel-good song by a feel-good band. The chorus bit from 1:08 to 1:17 is awesome.
A feel-good song by a feel-good band. The chorus bit from 1:08 to 1:17 is awesome.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Baby Buffalo/James Taylor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p038ZKs2fMk
One of the rare 'old man' voices in the business. I strongly recommend the entire album.
One of the rare 'old man' voices in the business. I strongly recommend the entire album.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Hourglass/Lamb Of God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZgLi_jQyhY
A lesson in precision by the amazing Chris Adler (drums).
A lesson in precision by the amazing Chris Adler (drums).
Bring It On Home To Me/Sam Cooke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAQE-tHjPAc
The soul standard, against which all else is measured. Sam Cooke was voted the greatest rock and roll singer ever in a recent poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine.
The soul standard, against which all else is measured. Sam Cooke was voted the greatest rock and roll singer ever in a recent poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Are You In/Incubus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntg8o1JIBKI
They've got the drums and bass parts down to an exact science. Fucking tight.
They've got the drums and bass parts down to an exact science. Fucking tight.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
100 Other Lovers/Devotchka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmjEewiUciw
The best intro to a song I've heard in a long time. They use accordions!
The best intro to a song I've heard in a long time. They use accordions!
Down In A Hole/Alice In Chains
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v67LpSz6Ck
Staley and Cantrell were arguably one of the best lead/backing vocal duos rock has witnessed.
Staley and Cantrell were arguably one of the best lead/backing vocal duos rock has witnessed.
Friday, March 4, 2011
I Love/Athlete
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOtWUrkeIYA
They make excellent use of keyboard atmospheres in their songs, giving their music an almost surreal tone.
They make excellent use of keyboard atmospheres in their songs, giving their music an almost surreal tone.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thought: The driver-listener analogy
Car enthusiasts, when reviewing a car, generally categorize its attributes under four or five broad headings – features, top speed, fuel efficiency, value for money, etc. There's a final attribute that often acts as the clincher – driveability. How easy is it on the road? How involving is the driving experience? What is the level of satisfaction? The importance of this criterion lies in its vagueness. It is not absolute or measurable. I may buy a car that gets me twenty kilometres to a litre of fuel, or has a top end of 200 kph, or the latest safety features but if it isn't pleasing to drive, I would never be satisfied.
The reason I brought this up is because I believe that something more or less analogous to driveability exists in music – listenability. Is the song easy on the ears? How wholesome is the listening experience? Does the song satisfy the listener, or leave him wanting more?
There are some musicians who are technically brilliant, but their songs are not all that listenable. Again, there are musicians who are relatively mediocre in their technique, but their songs are quite pleasing to listen to. This in no way implies that musical ability is unimportant. Technical prowess is the result of a musician's dedication and perseverance and deserves recognition. However, it is not a sufficient criterion for listenability.
A highly listenable song, according to me, has to be
cohesive. The song should link completely, from beginning to end. The variations should not be abrupt, and successive parts should be rooted firmly in the previous parts.
balanced. An instrumental solo should not sound stretched. At the same time, the vocals should not override key instrumental patches.
tight. This mainly applies to groups or bands. A song, as a finished product, should sound like a single unit, regardless of the number of musicians. Often, a band may consist of members who are virtuosos in their own right but fail to synchronize their respective inputs, resulting in an unpleasant listening experience. Then again there are bands that sound good because their members have great co-ordination, even if they aren't godly musicians.
Of course, these are criteria I came up with off the top of my head. They are by no means exhaustive. For those of you who use iTunes or any other player that tracks your listening habits, I suggest a small exercise. Look up the list of your 'most played' songs. Chances are all the songs in it possess these qualities. You might also discover other features common to your songs, and soon enough you'll have your own unique definition of a listenable song.
I may occasionally feel like driving a car that goes from 0 to 100 in three seconds, for the sheer thrill it gives me. However, such a thrill is short lived. In the long run, I would prefer a balanced car, one that has decent top end on straight roads but is also easily maneuverable on sharp turns and doesn't rattle or run out of gas in the middle of nowhere.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Afterglow/Travis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jV73KwG0L0
An old favourite. Beautiful guitar layering, and Healy's signature lazy vocals.
An old favourite. Beautiful guitar layering, and Healy's signature lazy vocals.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Shock Me/KISS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2rZun97AOk
I love the tone of the drums in this one. Not very crisp, but not too sloppy either. Just right.
I love the tone of the drums in this one. Not very crisp, but not too sloppy either. Just right.
Remember A Day/Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeCyVmhvN8w&feature=related
My top three favourite Floyd songs - 'Remember A Day', 'See-Saw' and 'The Great Gig In The Sky' - have all been written by the late Rick Wright (keyboards). Also, a couple of years back I discovered that I share my birthday with him. Creepy.
My top three favourite Floyd songs - 'Remember A Day', 'See-Saw' and 'The Great Gig In The Sky' - have all been written by the late Rick Wright (keyboards). Also, a couple of years back I discovered that I share my birthday with him. Creepy.
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