I'll make this easy for you Sicnarf. Just go ahead and get them all. If you like one, you'll like the others. There isn't one that is necessarily more difficult than another. Be prepared though, all of them each contain about two tracks, some about 10 minutes, some 30, some 40, one of them is over an hour. It's beautiful stuff.
Well, I postponed my orders for The Disintigration Loops again and finally ordered Belong's October Language and Eluvium's new EP. Oh and JB, you weren't kidding about the scarcity of Double Leopards' Halve Maen anywhere. Do you have any of their output? I just keep reading about them and wanting them and just wanting them more and more.
When does the Wolf Eyes record come out?
Does anyone know of a good place to possibly download obscure music?
slsk is your best bet as far as I know. In case you haven't heard of it before: You Never Saw This
ps I've found it very worthwhile to donate a couple bucks to the site to get the privileges. It's totally voluntary, but it gets you to the top of the queue much quicker.
Oh and JB, you weren't kidding about the scarcity of Double Leopards' Halve Maen anywhere.
Yeah unfortunately the only Double Leopards record I have is A Hole is True. However, here is something that might make you feel a little better. Marcia Bassett from Double Leopards has two really great other projects with multiple records that are easier to find and just as good as the Double Leopards stuff. One of them is Hototogisu, whose Prayer Rug Exorcism and Ghosts of the Sun are some epic drone jams. The other is GHQ which is very atonal folk. They have two records that I know of but I was only able to find one of them, Cosmology of Eye, which is excellent.
Apologies for the double post as well. I'm curious what you guys think of Karlheinz Stockhausen. I really like his Mikrophonie I&II, but I'm not sure what would be good for the next step. Any suggestions?
Originally posted by vitunkrapula: I'm curious what you guys think of Karlheinz Stockhausen. I really like his Mikrophonie I&II, but I'm not sure what would be good for the next step. Any suggestions?
Personally, I would seek out a recording of the early electronic work "Kontakte." I think it's accurate to describe it as one of his seminal works, though I think you've done well starting where you have.
Pretty much all of my favorite performances of Stockhausen are out of print, so I'm not sure what to recommend as far as specific recordings. It's such a niche market that his work is only rarely recorded and doesn't stay in print for long when it is.
As to what I think of Stockhausen, his importance are influence are undeniable, but he's never been a personal favorite. When I first started exploring that musical corner of the world, I was much more taken with composers like George Crumb, Conlon Nancarrow (especially Nancarrow), and Krysztof Penderecki, to name a few contemporaries, and continue to prefer their work to this day. My sister-in-law, though, has somewhat reframed his work for me in recent years, so I think I'm gaining a greater appreciation for Stockhausen, if not a greater preference.
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This message has been edited. Last edited by: LinnTate,
Posts: 1584 | Location: Bloomington, IN | Registered: 23 May 2004
When I first started exploring that musical corner of the world, I was much more taken with composers like George Crumb, Conlon Nancarrow (especially Nancarrow), and Krysztof Penderecki, to name a few contemporaries, and continue to prefer their work to this day.
I like Crumb and Penderecki, but Nancarrow not so much. I don't think I ever really gave him a chance though, because my teacher recommended his player piano stuff and I had this odd contempt for piano pieces (excepting prepared piano pieces). I think I'll try again, and try a little harder this time.
quote:
Pretty much all of my favorite performances of Stockhausen are out of print, so I'm not sure what to recommend as far as specific recordings. It's such a niche market that his work is only rarely recorded and doesn't stay in print for long when it is.
I'm not too worried about that because there's a library dedicated just to music at my college, and they have an amazing music collection. Several rows of old LPs as well as a ton of CDs. However, one of the reasons I was asking was that I saw a KS LP when I was at that record store I found the coltrane and davis at... but I chickened out, mainly cos there were too many other things I wanted to get that day (but also cos I hadn't heard of that piece before - can't remember the name of it).
Also, I don't think I would have enjoyed Mikrophonie so much if I hadn't had a chance to see the score and follow along. Maybe you already knew this, but Stockhausen included quasi theatrical directions in the score - like - 'say these couple of nonsense words like an Italian fishseller.' Or he would have a couple of the women singing like old Bavarian crones for a bit. That combined with the ring modulators makes for one of the weirdest listens I have ever had the pleasure to experience.
Ha! That's very funny. I think a bias towards piano works is exactly reason that I gravitated towards Nancarrow. Well, that and an obsession with Bach and counterpoint that Nancarrow fulfills with a vengance. If you're going back to spend more time with Nancarrow, I think I'd best do the same with Stockhausen.
And I love prepared piano, too.
It sounds like you have great resources at your disposal there. One of my earlier jobs in radio was with a classical music station. We had a great library including a lot of 20th Century composers, who didn't find their way on to the air, but were just sitting there for me to listen to when I pleased.
It's great that you're following the score along with your listening. You'll get so much more out of it so much more quickly. I don't recall whether Erik Satie pioneered the sorts of quasi theatrical directions Stockhausen used, but it's a touch a really appreciate in a composer.
If you've not yet checked out the fifth program, "If you build it, they will come," of American Public Media's American Mavericks series, I think you'll really enjoy it. It covers Nancarrow, Partch, and Cage among others. Especially do not miss the flash applications that let you "play" virtual reproductions of quite of few of Partch's instruments.
There's also a wonderful collection of 20th and 21st Century composers that one of the Boston public broadcasters put together in (unfortunately) a Real Audio format. For the life of me, I cannot recall what it was called or find the bookmark, but I'll keep looking over the weekend.
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Posts: 1584 | Location: Bloomington, IN | Registered: 23 May 2004
Hah! I've been reading Godel, Escher, Bach for awhile and I'm still not all that convinced that Bach is all that and a bag of chips. My old theory teacher was gaga about him. He seemed to approach music like a jigsaw puzzle, and I'm not sure I like that.
Much thanks for the link! although I don't think even that can convince me to put real player back on my computer. The poor thing has a mental collapse every time I do. Maybe I'll find some other computer that already has it.
Cool, I actually found Halve Maen on Limewire of all places on my first search and got every song and while I was downloading the last one, right at 92% completion, and it stopped needing "more sources" and now I can't find it anymore! I purchased A Pebble in a Thousand Revolutions by Double Leopards or whatever the cd is called.
I also ordered all four of the Disintigration Loops and awaiting Belong and Eluvium and Nat Baldwin for that matter.
New people that I have been looking up and wonder if you guys have heard of them:
Peter Wright With Throats as Fine as Needles Battles
I've heard a couple of those Battles EPs. Some of it is pretty good math rock, and some of it is really boring (which means you avant people will probably love it ).
Posts: 4012 | Location: NE Indiana | Registered: 14 April 2005
when i play their music, i want it to be full on assault mode, because they do this excellently. (some times the drumming gets a little boring, and the guitar parts could have more dynamics...ian williams (don caballero, storm and stress) is a genius and he shouldn't limit himself to the one thing he does all the time in the fast battles songs.) the problem is, instead of creating a dynamic shift with other rock type parts, like awesome transitions and crescendos, etc (a la American Don), they make these very average (at best) soundscapes, which totally kill the mood.
i got the distinct pleasure of seeing battles play TWICE at ATP nightmare before christmas in south england in 05. the sets (which were pretty much the same) absolutely destroyed that place, by including the fast/rock songs almost exclusively. they were the big surprise of the festival for most people, which was made evident by the fact that all these drunken, stumbling brits kept going on and on about them to anyone who would listen. if they could produce an album of maybe 35 minutes of the rock with 5-10 minutes of the soundscapes interspersed so the listener could catch their breath on occasion, they would probably make one of the coolest records of this decade. i know ian williams could do it, but i don't know about the other guys. i think they might be too in love with the noise they make.
so as for the eps, unless you like those soundscapes, i would stick to dl-ing the crazy songs and make your own ass-kicking mix.
Posts: 171 | Location: Phoenix | Registered: 05 September 2004
With Throats as Fine as Needles is the guy who does Birchville Cat Motel. I've been meaning to get that record for a while now but it's daunting just keeping up with the Birchville stuff which is some righteous drone. Good if you like Double Leopards, Sunroof!, Skullflower, Vibracathedral Orchestra and SunnO))). I don't know if that record is drone or not but I'm willing to bet that it's probably good based on the Birchville track record.
As for Battles. I don't like them at all. I loved Don Caballero but Battles sounds like boring math rock with bad techno parts. Feel free to dispute this/disagree, but this is my personal opinion.
oh and speaking of don cab: they are playing in a small venue here in phoenix this weekend i think, but is their recent (re)incarnation worth seeing live?
American Don is one of my all time favorites and What Burns is also very good. i like their new one enough to keep it on the ol ipod, but i don't care for it as much as those other two. so i probably wouldn't waste my time if they only play new songs, unless they absolutely destroy it live. hook me up with some inside info if you got it.
Posts: 171 | Location: Phoenix | Registered: 05 September 2004
Don Caballero used to be great live. I don't know about now though. The only member that remains from the line-up I saw is the drummer. I didn't care for the new record on Relapse so I'm gonna go with maybe not so good live now.
I guess that With Throats as Fine as Needle cd was all recorded outdoors with battery powered instruments. I listened to some Boomkat samples that sounded pretty good. Your right, drone based goodness.
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