First Practice Recording

Last week I recorded this little practice riff by just setting my laptop on my amp and pressing record. I added some tambourine today and was thinking about adding possibly some bass and a little lead guitar. This is all through the laptop mic, so fidelity is lacking. And yes its supposed to be loud, spacey and psychedelic. If you have an opinion on it let me know as this has only been a recent musical direction for me. Most of college I focused more on acoustic sounds and playing my 6 and 12 string acoustics, and while I have no shortage of riffs and guitar parts I've written with them, I have been having a hard time writing lyrics to go with the mood of the acoustic parts.

If this piece seems to be working, I'll possibly work the main riff around and see what kind of feelings and lyrics that might come of it.

Edit: Incidentally, it sounds much better with headphones on and the bass up.

A Beginning (Rough) by nerfherderhan

Favorite Albums of 2010

This took way too long to complete considering that it was started in early December of '10. Well here you are:

Originally I had titled it the "Best 10 Albums" but then I really wanted to make a list of the albums that I know are most likely to stay in my rotation of more consistent listening. Hope you all had a great new years and I'm looking forward to a new year of new music and possibly even some of my own recordings?! We'll see.

10: Broken Bells - Broken Bells -> Now for those who know me, they probably have heard me whine about The Shins after the whole Garden State Soundtrack being the go to 'indie' mix. But, after hearing the simple enjoyability of 'The High Road' and recognizing Brian Burton's (Danger Mouse) crisp and simplistic production, I realized I do enjoy James Mercer's voice and I had to give the Portlander a fair shake. I love this album and will probably still be enjoying it in a few decades. Also the Chistina Hendricks starring video for 'The Ghost Inside' is pretty darn cool (and the song sounds like Danger Mouse modeled it after his work with Damon Albarn on Demon Days)

9: Yeasayer - Odd Blood -> If this album is an indicator of where music is going, I'm pretty excited. I know it can feel a bit like the trite dance indie-electronica that makes PF (not as much as Kanye does), but there are just so many interesting sounds and juxtapositions of sounds here that at loud volumes, you can't help but be interested. His voice can be a bit whiny at times, but I quickly forget as the songs really draw you in. Other than the number 1 on this year's list, this actually probably my most listened to album of the year. Also, the bridge of 'Ambling Alp' makes my ears do somersaults of happiness.

8: Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks -> Jack White's wife Karen Elson's debut album was not one of those 'I know the right people so I got an album made' kind of deal. While the album was produced by her husband, this is not a Jack White derivative album. It is a thoughtful, beautiful sounding collection of well written songs by Elson. While some songs do 'rock out' a bit more, like 'The Garden' the majority play the album covers' slightly spooky tone. Its a haunting collection of singer songwriter songs that will continue to be enjoyed by myself for years.

7: Big Light - Animals in Bloom -> The last time I saw the Mother Hips in Santa Cruz, I had the privilege of seeing Big Light open for them at Moe's Alley. Coming in and not doing my research beforehand, I was surprised to be greeted with a great new band out of San Francisco. 'Heavy', a highlight song from the concert as well as their EP and Animals in Bloom gives you an idea of where they come from in concert.

6: Hot Chip - One Life Stand -> While I know there have been many great electronic releases this past year, Hot Chip's newest album is the only one I think that will really end up remain in my musical consciousness. There are great dance songs, and beats that just lead to introspection when coupled with the satirical and honest lyrics. Also, 'I Feel Better', while one of the standout tracks, has one of the best/funniest music videos I've seen in a long time.

5: LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening -> Critics love James Murphy. PF loves him too. And. Well. Yah, I love this album too. From the obvious Bowie nods to the just genuine flow of thoughts within his lyrics. 'Pow Pow' is my favorite track with its whole 'from this position' mantra. Something I find relatable, and enjoy hearing the thoughts move from one thought to the next.

4: Electric Six - Zodiac -> This band is pretty darn prolific. Other than the two year gap between Fire and Señor Smoke, they've been releasing an album a year since 2005. Not only do they now have an almost overwhelming catalog of songs, but they're good. Their smarm and musicality has been honed over the years with their disco-punk-glam satire rock just getting better and better. Zodiac was no exception to this and with a cover of The Spinners' 'Rubberband Man' and such strong songs like 'Jam it in the Hole' and 'Love Song for Myself' make me feel like next years outing will probably also make the top 10.

3: Blitzen Trapper - Destroyers of the Void -> Having been one of my favorite bands since Furr, and cementing that with their Black River Killer EP, Blitzen Trapper's new album was one of the most anticipated of the albums for me. It did not disappoint with the strong songwriting skills of Eric Earley and meandering folk-prog-rock that ensues (exemplified by the first track). But the strongest moment on the album would have to be the story telling of 'The Man Who Would Speak True'.

2: Apples in Stereo - Travellers in Space and Time-> As I said in my first review, this is one happy, good vibe spouting album. It is going to stay in my album rotation for quite some time into the future.

1: Gorillaz - Plastic Beach-> Definitely the highest anticipated album of the year for myself (if you know me, you know my obsession with the Gorillaz, ESPECIALLY 2005's Demon Days) and it did not leave me wanting. Albarn's amalgam of all forms of modern pop musical styles and artists with selected eclectic tastes are exemplified in the title and concept of the album. A beach so far from civilization where all of the remnants of trash and culture mix together to form something creative, emotional, thoughtful and at times, beautiful.

In the meantime...

The holidays produced an unintended dearth of blog posts so this is what happens.

I have a bunch of ideas and things in the works, not to mention my weekly reviews to catch up on:

-10 Favorite Albums of 2010

-A personal update

-CAKE and Decemberists reviews

And various other ideas to just stay 'drafts' for now. Most likely music related. However, there is one thing I think that is exciting about one of these ideas.

I will now be recording every time I practice guitar.

PROS:

-Constant review of riffs and no more losing ideas instantly

-Plenty of space on my computer, so no worry about this being too much to handle

-I can make lots of demos.

CONS:

-My laptop mic is garbage. I need a usb device like a MBox to connect a real mic to.

-No backing band.

-Too many 'rough cut' demos. (All of them)

I'm also going to be posting the cream of the crop every couple days to here via Soundcloud. I figure that I need to get more comfortable with possible scrutiny if I'm ever going to have the personal strength to try to play with other random people, let alone in front of any size crowd.

I'll be back soon, but until then watch the first episode of Portlandia while its still up. It keeps making me crack up.

No NMT today, but...

I am working on a Top 15 albums of 2010 list to post as soon as I'm finished deciding and writing. Also I'm in the midst of preparing for another physiology exam so thats another reason for it getting left out this week. However, here are some links/topics that might be interesting to people as something to either waste your time with or judge me for wasting my time on them!

-I recently found Audacity after I realized that I don't need to use any fancy mic's just to record simple ideas. With this realization I figured there has to be some sort of free audio editing software out there and Audacity is what I found. Pretty easy to use, and as long as you don't care that the sound quality from your computer's internal mic is awful, really easy to record and export as an mp3 for reviewing.

-After this find, I wanted to find a digital synthesizer for putting together some beats and rhythms to practice with. While I've found a program, I am awful with it. I found the FLStudio demo, which seems to be pretty in depth, but I am pretty much garbage when it comes to actually trying to come up with something that doesn't immediately give me a headache. Though, through all of this its made me think that taking an electronic music, and music production class at some point would probably allow me to really grow a bit and give me more confidence with what I do write. And I AM writing now. So watch out world. I'm not just talking about maybe-possibly-somehow doing it at some point in the near future anymore.

-Found a link from VGCats to this free game called Octodad the other day. Just watch the trailer and if you laughed as much as I did, you should go download it and try it out. Wacky and weird game.

-Oh and I saw the Dandy Warhols this past Sunday with Becca. It was pretty cool seeing live, but they were definitely visibly tired with this being the last show of their tour and Courtney just looking completely wiped. Zia kept up the energy though and it was nice to go to a rock concert that had people actually dancing and moving to the music, as opposed to the cool indie 'stand and look like you are above everyone' look. (And yes, I know everyone is dancing at the electronica and more dance oriented band shows).

Thats it for now, back to the books.

Oh yah, and if you haven't seen the stop motion Community, you need to.

NMT: Daft Punk's 'Tron: Legacy' Soundtrack

Now usually I start one of these reviews with a bit of my own personal background with the band and how I 'found' them and so on. But this is Daft Punk. Everyone and their mom knows them (including mine). My first album I owned of theirs was Discovery and I've been hooked since I was given it for Christmas of '01. That album has led to so many things ranging from arguments, dancing sessions, an inordinate amount of nostalgic conversations and good feelings.

Their other releases (Homework, Human After All, Alive 1997 & 2007) have similar good feelings and thousands of plays from my various audio devices. So needless to say, hearing word that Daft Punk would be involved with the score/soundtrack of the new Tron left me frothing at the mouth.

Now being familiar with their film work with Interstella 5555 and Electroma, I was fairly sure that this was not going to be a 'typical' Daft Punk album. Not that any of them have been typical when compared to their antecedent, its just that this was not going to be as much of an electronic pop album. Its the score to a film with appropriate drama and instrumentation to fit the epic visuals and feeling of a large scale sci-fi film.

Starting out with the overture, the album sets an appropriate tone for the rest of the album, with a somber and dark classical music styled progression with crashing symbols and a hint of digital distortion; coming off as a less bombastic 'Zarathustra' as seen through the eyes of the French electronic duo. This track sets the tone for the score which follows with amalgam's of digital effects and full outright orchestration, providing strong and moving soundscapes that I am sure will more than back up the film when it is released on December 17th.

The album works well as a mood setter and has particularly energetic 'stand-out' tracks such as 'Derezzed' (which has just received a new music video release), 'End of the Line', and 'Arena' which gives you a taste of what the albums most electronic and energetic tracks will be built upon.

My only criticisms come as a Daft Punk fan looking for individual tracks to pick out and play for friends and in the car, but I won't let those mar how I view this album. As the track 'The Game has Changed' is named, the album and music must be viewed differently. Daft Punk have always been something different in the pop music, dance and electronic scene. They are artists and this project is just further evidence that this duo can keep changing, and keep making memorable and forward thinking music. While I can't personally say its as enjoyable as Discovery (which is in my Island 5), it is of the par to keep it in the same league as the rest of their body of work and should not be dismissed like some music fans would discount Queen's 'Flash Gordon' soundtrack (though the theme song is SO catchy).

Daft Punk's 'Tron: Legacy' Soundtrack - > 4.5/5

Also an interesting fact; I saw an interview with Joseph Kosinski where he discussed how he asked Daft Punk to work with them, and they came to him with a full set of songs before even seeing any of the material. From the way he described it, the demos did not change very much and even ended up effecting the movie's production. These projects were developed in coordination with one another and I look forward to seeing how the music affects the pacing of the film in two weeks!

Is it just me or does the little Disney symbol kinda ruin the simple design of the cover?

NMT: Simian Mobile Disco's 'Delicacies'

This is the third studio album from the UK based electronica band and it definitely sets it self apart from the previous two electronic pop albums. This is sans-singing electronic album that sounds it best at loud volumes on headphones.

What you can take from the name and the names of the tracks is that this may have something to do with food, seeing as each track is named after some form of edible that at least some culture in the world would deem a 'delicacy'. Seeing that and keeping track of my foods as the album plots along let me really feel how these pieces all seemed to be composed with that particular dish in mind. Now without lyrics, how would you do that?

Well with track one "Aspic", the beat has a noticeably bouncy quality. I know. A bouncy beat and that is easy to bob ones head to. That sounds like electronica. True, but its particular bouncy-ness adds a bit of wiggle with some of the more interesting synth effects used. This only lead me to look up/remember what exactly aspic is. A gelatinous meat-salad of sorts. Needless to say, I laughed a bit and it only made me appreciate it even more.

The rest of the tracks follow this same sort of concept. If you pay attention to the title and keep mind of it, you'll be able to come to your own conclusions on how you see the dish in mind exemplified within the music. These are sonically interesting and full sounding and have no lack of thumping bass, thus this album shouldn't turn off old fans too much, though I could see how the lack of a more easy to pick out pop song could distract some listeners. It is definitely album thats more rewarding with the more thought you put into it, unlike many musical peers of the artist duo.

As far as the instrumentation goes, it is still as aggressive and dark as most of their previous work, just minus the pop-song structuring. Taking away the voices has allowed them to explore more as electronic artists and this is what Delicacies really is. An electronic music concept album thats succeeding at getting you to bob your head while simultaneously allowing them to explore their own artistic thoughts without having the pressure of delivering a new club hit like "Hustler".

But they aren't one to go down with an album that doesn't have something that is immediately applicable to playing in front of the wanting crowd, so the second disc (51 minute long 9th track on digital download) is a mix of Delicacies prepared properly for mass consumption.

Simian Mobile Disco - Delicacies -> 4.1/5

If you're interested in an... interesting video of theirs, watch this. Though if you're a vegetarian, you would probably prefer to not watch. It has one of those "I want to stop watching, but I keep watching for some reason" vibe. So yes, its a bit creepy and probably not safe for work unless you want some judgmental looks.

*Bonus* NMT: Smashing Pumpkins' 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, Vol. 2: The Solstice Bare'

The second volume of the Smashing Pumpkins' *cough* (Billy Corgan's), massive 11 volume project by the name of Teargarden by Kaleidyscope was released in limited edition vinyl and cd sets. This makes the overall title of the four song piece, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, Vol. II: The Solstice Bare. Yes. Thats a mouthful.

Only two of this collection have been released for free public consumption and downloading via their website ('Freak' and 'Spangled'), but it is possible to listen to the first and third tracks on YouTube.

Since there are only four songs I'll do individual reviews of each.

'The Fellowship' starts off this selection of four with an erratic keyboard riff that builds up the powerful chorus belting out "are you with us tonight?", which, thematically, is a pretty good way to draw the listeners in and get them excited for the rest of the package. Fortunately the song itself escalates enough in sound and presence to earn the songs title and chorus. Its appropriately bombastic and grandiose, similar to (but not nearly as epic sounding as Vol. I's first track, 'Song for a Son').

Following up 'The Fellowship' is the current single 'Freak' that has apparently been floating around. For those of you who did not thumb your nose at Zwan, you'll like this track. Its ability to be heavy and uplifting at the same time, coupled with Corgan's signature voice just immediately launches pictures of white backgrounds with rainbow guitars flying every which way. Not much to say other than 'Freak' could have easily been squashed between 'Endless Summer' and 'Baby Lets Rock!' on Mary, Star of the Sea.

'Tom Tom' starts off smoothly and flows into a chorus more along the vibes of that of Infinite Sorrow era Pumpkins, while not sticking to old formulas. Lyrically mystical and distinctly Corganesque, this is my favorite of the four. Hopefully a higher quality is available for download on the website soon? (I'm talking to you Billy. Streaming from YouTube doesn't do you justice.)

Rounding out The Solstice Bare is 'Spangled', whose harpsichord love song beginning sets you up for a music genre meandering song that borders on a medley of musical styles. Just listen. Strings come in and out, horns mutedly accent the pre-chorus and then it all ends in an intimate sounding, warmly distorted measure on the guitar. This is a well crafted song and a great pop piece that would appeal to a lot of different people.

Smashing Pumpkins' Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, Vol. II: The Solstice Bare-> 4.7/5

If you go to their site, you can download the 7 of the 8 total tracks off of Volumes I and II.