- "BMOP/sounds second release this summer is Jacob Druckman: Lamia a selection of five works that best represent Druckmans mature period of polystylistic composition. It exemplifies the composers talent for timbral possibilities and homogenous interplays. The album includes the numinous Lamia (meaning sorceress according to Greek mythology) featuring mezzo-soprano Lucy Shelton and the sprightly Nor Spell Nor Charm (1990) inspired by Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, to name a few. A Pulitzer-prize winning composer, Druckman is best known for his vividly scored and viscerally dramatic orchestral works (New York Times)."
amclark2 - Hahahaha, you're so funny! Overall it is indeed excellent. There are a couple duds, though. I'd put it in the upper half of this year's 'indie' pop explosion. Behind Chvrches and AlunaGeorge, but ahead of MS MR and Haim (I'm not really a fan of Haim, but realize I am seriously in the minority there).
@craig - Did you go on a binge at 7digital today? I had no clue the Sky artwork went down so far since it appears many sites are censoring it. Have to give it a listen since I enjoyed her EPs. How's the MIA?
thom - There were a couple days last week where the original/uncensored Sky cover was at the top of both P4K and Stereogum, so I actually got quite desensitized to it (surprisingly the uncensored version also appears when scrobbled on last.fm). So far I've only listened to them both on Spotify. Will definitely be getting the M.I.A. from 7dig. It takes the good from MAYA and builds on it in a really interesting way. Will probably get the Sky too. Trying to buy fewer and stream more, though, so can't say for sure.
. . . ."Since his first release on Planet Mu records in 2000, London-based Leafcutter John (aka John Burton) has developed a strong musical identity using processed instrumental and environmental recordings. His third album The Housebound Spirit (Planet Mu, 2003) won an Honorary Mention at the 2004 Ars Electronica Awards and was featured in The Wire Magazines top 50 records of 2003.
Recently John's music has taken a more lyrical direction as can be seen on his latest record 'The Forest And The Sea' on the Berlin label Staubgold Records (July 2006).
He writes his own music software much of which is available for free from his website. He has given talks and exhibited software across Europe (including the ICA) and is also a regular guest speaker at the London College of Communication. He also taught for a year at DIEM (Danish Institute of Electronic Music) in Aarhus, Denmark during 2005.
John has also been involved in the Contemporary Art scene, with his latest project at the Serpentine Gallery where he was invited by artist Tomoko Takahashi (short-listed for the 2000 Turner prize) and the Serpentine to produce a live show based on Tomoko's solo exhibition. 'My Play-station' was performed in the entire gallery where he turned the installation into a sound source involving 3 live sound collectors and the audience. . . . ." Planet Mu
Another masterpiece from Leafcutter John: - "The Forest and The Sea features a dynamic hybrid of electronic and acoustic songs. Telling a true story, the compositions are bound together by a meticulous narrative enriched by haunting vocals and traditional instrumentation. Both story and field recordings were constructed and gathered in various locations including Greece, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
This journey reveals John's musical kaleidoscope and his consolidated approach to songwriting, field recordings and electronics. A significant development from Johns earlier works, he manages to produce seamless transitions between electronics and songwriting. The end result is the creation of a new, all-encompassing genre. The list of guests includes drummer Seb Rochford and bassist Tom Herbert from Mercury Music Prize nominees Polar Bear of which John is a fulltime member. Additional vocals are provided by Leo Chadburn aka Simon Bookish, and Alice Grant." Staubgold 2006
Listening to Various Artists/Germanprof Summer Mix 3
Excellently assembled and works brilliantly as one piece of music.
- I had a WOW moment when the Being Dufay piece began. My only argument is that it is way to short.
- And a tracklist would have been nice but it does not spoil the listening pleasure.
Prof, I'd have supposed the Plaistow rec came from you, but Brighter would have been my second guess. It found it buried in an old jazz playlist, although the trio format is really the only thing jazz about it. I haven't heard the shark one yet.
BN, "Being Dufay" is becoming one of my morning favorites!
@Brighternow, thanks! There was an elegantly formatted tracklist with the physical distribution of the summer mix. I'll see if I still have the file on the home computer, I suspect I do. I'll pass it along when I find it.
Good to know the universe has space for female German professors ;-).
Plong - I recently got that show as an audience recording from Internet Archive (maybe I got t just in time? It might not be abailable anymore); but I picked it up because I read about it in this article from a year ago. The funny thing about the story is it's a favorite show of the author's, and he actually plays it for Dave, and then is very disappointed when Dave doesn't seem very interested! At the Archive a lot of the reviews mention the article...
Comments
Craig
- "BMOP/sounds second release this summer is Jacob Druckman: Lamia a selection of five works that best represent Druckmans mature period of polystylistic composition. It exemplifies the composers talent for timbral possibilities and homogenous interplays. The album includes the numinous Lamia (meaning sorceress according to Greek mythology) featuring mezzo-soprano Lucy Shelton and the sprightly Nor Spell Nor Charm (1990) inspired by Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, to name a few. A Pulitzer-prize winning composer, Druckman is best known for his vividly scored and viscerally dramatic orchestral works (New York Times)."
The Beta Band - s/t
Agreed Craig; it is excellent. How does it sound though?
Slum Village - Fantastic Vol. 2
Craig
Oneohtrix Point Never - R Plus Seven
I really love this album.
Craig
Liking most of this, but not as much as their previous albums. Maybe a few more plays will help?
. . . ."Since his first release on Planet Mu records in 2000, London-based Leafcutter John (aka John Burton) has developed a strong musical identity using processed instrumental and environmental recordings. His third album The Housebound Spirit (Planet Mu, 2003) won an Honorary Mention at the 2004 Ars Electronica Awards and was featured in The Wire Magazines top 50 records of 2003.
Recently John's music has taken a more lyrical direction as can be seen on his latest record 'The Forest And The Sea' on the Berlin label Staubgold Records (July 2006).
He writes his own music software much of which is available for free from his website. He has given talks and exhibited software across Europe (including the ICA) and is also a regular guest speaker at the London College of Communication. He also taught for a year at DIEM (Danish Institute of Electronic Music) in Aarhus, Denmark during 2005.
John has also been involved in the Contemporary Art scene, with his latest project at the Serpentine Gallery where he was invited by artist Tomoko Takahashi (short-listed for the 2000 Turner prize) and the Serpentine to produce a live show based on Tomoko's solo exhibition. 'My Play-station' was performed in the entire gallery where he turned the installation into a sound source involving 3 live sound collectors and the audience. . . . ."
Planet Mu
Forgot all about this one
- "The Forest and The Sea features a dynamic hybrid of electronic and acoustic songs. Telling a true story, the compositions are bound together by a meticulous narrative enriched by haunting vocals and traditional instrumentation. Both story and field recordings were constructed and gathered in various locations including Greece, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
This journey reveals John's musical kaleidoscope and his consolidated approach to songwriting, field recordings and electronics. A significant development from Johns earlier works, he manages to produce seamless transitions between electronics and songwriting. The end result is the creation of a new, all-encompassing genre. The list of guests includes drummer Seb Rochford and bassist Tom Herbert from Mercury Music Prize nominees Polar Bear of which John is a fulltime member. Additional vocals are provided by Leo Chadburn aka Simon Bookish, and Alice Grant."
Staubgold 2006
Emusers: From Squarepusher to Reich: Swiss Post-Jazz Trio Plaistow
- Featuring David Byrne, Lou Reed, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Debbie Harry, Arto Lindsay, Lee Renaldo, Joey Ramone and many more. . .
Thanks Doofy, Brighternow.
Excellently assembled and works brilliantly as one piece of music.
- I had a WOW moment when the Being Dufay piece began. My only argument is that it is way to short.
- And a tracklist would have been nice but it does not spoil the listening pleasure.
- Well done !
ETA: Did you know that you have a female counterpart (or whatever) on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Germanprof
ETA 2:
- Another WOW !
BN, "Being Dufay" is becoming one of my morning favorites!
Meanwhile:
From here.
Streaming from Bandcamp with the free "Bandcamper" app; which works pretty well for that purpose.
This one came in the mail yesterday...Atlanta 1980. Not my favorite season of the dead, the syth is too prominent in the early tracks.
Good to know the universe has space for female German professors ;-).