Thomas Brett
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On Lessons From Long Distance Activities Which May Also Apply To Making Music
1. It doesn’t feel great at the beginning. 2. Take it slow at first. 3. Have a plan of action. 4. Add a little each week. 5. Allow time between sessions to recover. 6. The activity itself is discipline. 7. If possible, use the activity as an opportunity for exploration and adventure. 8. Alter your… Continue reading
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On Sounding A Bigger Energy: Mumford And Sons
When I first saw Mumford and Sons on Saturday Night Live recently I wasn’t sure what to make of them–which is my fault not theirs. They seem like a throwback to an acoustic bluegrass-folk-rock sound. No synthesizers, sequencers or drum machines, just acoustic guitar and bass, piano/organ, banjo and dobro, a horn section, sing-song group… Continue reading
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From The Archives: “Roadscape”
A few days ago a friend texts me an urgent musical request: “Send me roadscape” So I send it. *** About ten years ago I first tried my hand at sequencing and recording music on a computer. Back then, my Apple desktop machine was a blue- and silver-colored beast running Logic software. I also had… Continue reading
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On Voice, Authenticity, And Not Being Fake
In a recent online interview excerpted in The Guardian, musician and Portishead member Geoff Barrow discusses the idea of singing with a “fake” voice. Leading the pack in Barrow’s view is the late Amy Winehouse, a white singer who sang, some people say disparagingly, like a black jazz or soul singer from an earlier era–or… Continue reading
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On Music In Its Context: Noise Musicians Improvising In The Subway
The Union Square subway station in New York City is a pretty loud place. As the N, R, L, 4, 5, and 6 trains pull into the station there’s some serious, 90-plus decibel metallic screeching happening when the cars hit their breaks and come to a stop. Given this noisy soundscape, I was both surprised… Continue reading
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On David Byrne’s “How Music Works”
It’s hard to keep track of all the things David Byrne does. He’s the former front man of the Talking Heads, of course, but also a singer-songwriter who has collaborated with musicians from all over the world, a record label founder, a sound art installation artist, a designer, a visual artist, a photographer,a bicycle enthusiast,… Continue reading
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How Many Words Is A Sound Recording Worth?
“Seeing is believing, but hearing is hearsay” — Julian Henriques, Sonic Bodies (2011) Like a lot of people, I’m a fan of Instamatic, a smartphone photo app, because it makes me feel like a skilled photographer. The app is essentially photo editing software that allows you to quickly–really quickly, with the tap of a virtual… Continue reading
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On Repetition: “Jiro Dreams Of Sushi”
“I would see ideas in dreams.” – Jiro Ono Just as I was beginning to think I might know something about repetition, I watched a film that made me rethink that notion. The film is David Gelb’s documentary Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (2011) which follows around 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono as he works in… Continue reading
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On Small Things And Big Pleasures: David Guetta’s “Titanium”
I get excited by small things. The other day I bought a mechanical pencil to highlight books with as I read. While holding the pencil that evening and underlining, I was struck by the pleasure this $2.19 purchase had brought. It’s precise, light, and helps do a job, with the added grace of having an… Continue reading
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