playlist 6/10/07

Beep It - Cornelius
Fake Punk - Punky Bruster
By Your Command - Devin Townsend
There's A Fire In The House - Steve Vai
Ease - Public Image LTD.
Submarine - Björk
Donna - 10cc
Forma 2000 - Nicola Conte
A Beginning Dream - Triste Janero
Theme Song - All Girl Summer Fun Band
Phone Call From The Moon - Adrian Belew

Thing Beyond Things - Ocean Machine
Down The Slopes To The Meadow - Harold Budd
Brandos Costumes (Gentle Ways) - Steve Vai
Rigaudon from Le Tombeau de Couperin - Maurice Ravel
Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley
Here Come the Warm Jets - Brian Eno
Palm Trees (Love Guitar) - Steve Hillage
Monica - Tortoise

When You Drive - Chroma Key
Darshana - David Sylvian & Robert Fripp
Cherry - Curve
The ICS - Richard Pinhas
Pitch The Baby - Cocteau Twins
Night Sky - Alcian Blue
Blown A Wish - My Bloody Valentine
Wob Glass - Ozric Tentacles
Strictly Genteel - Frank Zappa

Son of the Loudness War

Related to a previous post, I found an article on music + dynamic range:

"Britain’s leading studio engineers are starting a campaign against a widespread technique that removes the dynamic range of a recording, making everything sound 'loud.'"

“'Peak limiting' squeezes the sound range to one level, removing the peaks and troughs that would normally separate a quieter verse from a pumping chorus."

"Peter Mew, senior mastering engineer at Abbey Road studios, said: 'Record companies are competing in an arms race to make their album sound the ‘loudest’. The quieter parts are becoming louder and the loudest parts are just becoming a buzz.'"

"The brain is not geared to accept buzzing. The CDs induce a sense of fatigue in the listeners. It becomes psychologically tiring and almost impossible to listen to. This could be the reason why CD sales are in a slump."

I don't think this it the only reason CD sales and in slump, but I absolutely notice a difference between rock CDs produced after 2001 or so. Songwriting issues aside, there is something about modern production that just sounds wrong. Check out a previous post for a video demonstration.

Playlist 6/03/07

Sugar - Quasi
S.Y.L. - Strapping Young Lad
Oh My Fucking God - Strapping Young Lad
Ants - Devin Townsend
Bad Devil - Devin Townsend
Kill The Guy With The Ball - Steve Vai
Why Kill Time (When You Can Kill Yourself) - Cabaret Voltaire
Swing Lite Alright - Luke Vibert & BJ Cole
Colour (Atjazz Mix) - Soulstice
Ballade De Melody Nelson - Serge Gainsburg
Show You Something (Chris Coco Balearic Beats Mix) - Afterlife
Taste of Sadness - Walter Wanderley
Life is All Dynamics - Devin Townsend
Tomorrow - The Concretes
Dreaming - Sun Ra

There's Only One Thing Left To Say - Velocity Girl
The Boy/Girl Song - Steve Vai
Strangers - Portishead
Dying for Your Love - Steve Vai
Pole Star - Brothomstates
Cherry-Coloured Funk - Cocteau Twins
A Letter From Home - Ulrich Schnauss
Engines Of Creation - Joe Satriani
Song for S - Z
Modular Mix - Air
Ch'ai - Ozric Tentacles
On Top Of The Rain - Vertú
Fever Dream - Steve Vai
My Last Nerve - Vernon Reid
Rock & Roll Jelly - Stanley Clarke

Wataridori - Cornelius
Timberlake Road - Tommy Emmanuel
What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? - Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention
Approximate - Frank Zappa
Doreen - Frank Zappa
What's New In Baltimore? - Frank Zappa
Speakeasy - Tortoise

Music Industry Books

If you are a musician - or not - interested in learning more about the music industry, here are some books worth reading:

• All You Need To Know About the Music Business - Donald Passman
• The Musician's Handbook: A Practical Guide to Understanding the Music Business - Bobby Borg
• Confessions of a Record Producer: How to Survive the Scams and Shams of the Music Business - Moses Avalon

And finally, not as heavy on the technical knowledge, but I liked it anyways:

• Everything I'm Cracked Up to Be: A Rock & Roll Fairy Tale - Jen Trynin

Playlist 5/27/07

Mostly Ambient

Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks - Brian Eno
Juno - Harold Budd
Pantomime... - Harold Budd with Zeitgeist

-Intermission-
The Detectives - Alan Tew
Girl In A Sportscar - Alan Hawkshaw
Curly Shirley - Otto Sieben
The Penthouse Suite - Syd Dale
-End Intermission-

NICE AGE - Yellow Magic Orchestra
(Please) Lose Yourself In Me - My Bloody Valentine
Mysterious Skin Soundtrack - Robin Guthrie And Harold Budd

Artist Spotlight: The Cocteau Twins

It's hard to find a short bio on the Cocteau Twins because they were so influential. Here is something from AllMusic.com:

"A group whose distinctly ethereal and gossamer sound virtually defined the enigmatic image of the record label 4AD, Cocteau Twins were founded in Grangemouth, Scotland, in 1979. Taking their name from an obscure song from fellow Scots Simple Minds, the Cocteaus were originally formed by guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Will Heggie and later rounded out by Guthrie's girlfriend Elizabeth Fraser, an utterly unique performer whose swooping, operatic vocals relied less on any recognizable language than on the subjective sounds and textures of verbalized emotions."

And from their website:

"They were a phenomenon. Not necessarily the kind that plays to stadiums or fills MTV's timeslots or even sells millions of records. Rather, the kind that quietly causes a fundamental shift in perception, exerting a seminal influence that is universally felt if not always seen."

I recommend checking out "Heaven or Las Vegas", and then "Treasure."

Headphone Padding

Does anyone know if they still make headphones like these? I love the 70s padding. I actually think if someone were to market 70's style headphone padding in different colors they would sell very well. Anyone want to go into business with me?