Music by cellist Erik Friedlander. Songs from the album Block Ice & Propane (2007) are inspired by his childhood camping journeys with his family, including his father – you guessed it – Lee Friedlander.
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La Blogothèque: Un Concert à Emporter (A Take Away Show)
November 23, 2009 – 3:37 pm
Vincent Moon of La Blogotheque has filmed a number of bands playing acoustic/acapella versions their songs, often just on the street or in a found space. The candid, intimate approach to these recordings has appealed to me for some time now so I thought I’d share them here.
A few to start with (and there are plenty of others): Sigur Rós, Mùm, Bon Iver, Yo La Tengo, Tallest Man on Earth, Bowerbirds and Fleet Foxes (above).
Sesame Street: Geometry of Circles
November 4, 2009 – 2:21 pm
Happy 40th birthday to Sesame Street!
To celebrate, I give you one of my favorite moments (next to maybe this, of course): Geometry of Circles, a clip from a 1979 episode that includes music composed by Philip Glass!
If only shows for kids were still this great…
Beethoven: String Quartet No.9 in C, Op.59 No.3 – “Rasumovsky No. 3″ – 2. Andante con moto quasi Allegretto
September 29, 2009 – 8:54 am
I originally heard this piece in Danny Eisenberg‘s film Displaced Person and was incredibly moved. Remembering it has got me spending the morning downloading Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets box set… can’t wait.
Strange Fruit (Interlude)
March 26, 2009 – 10:16 am
A little musical interlude while I continue shipping out Lay Flat and being super busy with school…
(In case you didn’t already know that Billie Holiday is amazing.)
György Ligeti: Poème Symphonique
November 14, 2008 – 12:04 am
Here’s a little “musical” interlude… Poème Symphonique for 100 Metronomes (1962) by Hungarian composer György Ligeti.
Sigur Rós: Svefn-g-englar
September 27, 2008 – 9:38 pm
Last week I went to see Sigur Rós play here in Boston. Though the concert was not as intimate or overwhelmingly beautiful as the first time that I saw them play a few years ago, I was reminded of how great of a band they really are. Here’s a video of a live performance of one of my favorite songs of theirs, “Svefn-g-englar” (which translates from Icelandic to “sleepwalkers” or “sleep angels”). Turn up your speakers nice and loud, make it full screen and wait for around 7:30… gives me chills!
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.
David Byrne: Playing the Building
June 1, 2008 – 2:42 pm
David Byrne’s Playing the Building, 2008
© Justin Ouellette
To say that David Byrne is a prolific artist is an understatement. The work just keeps coming. His latest piece, a 9,000-square-foot, interactive, site-specific installation entitled Playing the Building, “transforms the interior of the landmark Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan into a massive sound sculpture that all visitors are invited to sit and ‘play.’”
The project consists of a retrofitted antique organ, placed in the center of the building’s cavernous second-floor gallery, that controls a series of devices attached to its structural features – metal beams, plumbing, electrical conduits, and heating and water pipes. These machines vibrate, strike, and blow across the building’s elements, triggering unique harmonics and producing finely tuned sounds.
Brilliant. Check out this video to see/hear it in action.
Find out more about Playing the Building here (don’t miss the interview).
UPDATE: Here is another interview with Byrne where you can hear him talk about the piece (thanks Sarah!):
Sigur Rós and Ryan McGinley
May 27, 2008 – 7:43 pm
I have to thank Ofer for passing on the news that Sigur Rós – a long time favorite band of mine – has just released a track titled “Gobbledigook” off of their forthcoming album Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (English: With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly).
Along with the release of the song, the band has unveiled a music video directed by Arni & Kinski, “inspired by and in collaboration with Ryan McGinley.” McGinley, as you may have noticed, is also responsible for the album art; the cover (above) is an image from his latest series, I Know Where the Summer Goes.
Having listened to it for so long, it’s interesting for me to see Sigur Rós’ music paired with McGinley’s “vision.” Personally, I think the two work quite well together.
Download the .mp3 and watch the music video at high quality here.
Some Classical Design
April 7, 2008 – 9:12 pm
A little while back, I posted about an online archive of jazz LPs. I was thrilled to come across a similar collection of classical record sleeves. Love it.
