Brett’s Sound Picks
-
Brett’s Sound Picks: Chad Lawsen’s “St. John Passion (Johannespassion), Bvw 245 (Bc D2)”
(This austere piano versioning of Bach reminds us that either we’re not reaching high enough or have momentarily forgot beauty’s reach.) (Follow Brett’s Sound Picks 2018 on Spotify.) Continue reading
-
Brett’s Sound Picks: Jim Copperthwaite’s “The Dancers”
(This would be the moving theme song for an enchanting movie in which everything is not what it seems…) Continue reading
-
Brett’s Sound Picks: Dominique Lawalree’s “Listen to the Quiet Voice” (c. 1978-1982)
(Musical rigor wrapped in simplicity.) Continue reading
-
Brett’s Sound Picks: Kit Downes’ “Kings”
(This organ music is mobile, regal, and torsioned, like a state of being you’ll aspire to. Does it sound like Olivier Messiaen filtered through Steve Reich—contemplation meeting sped up thoughts, chords refracted in rhythms—showing the travels of musical influence, from them to him to us?) Continue reading
-
Brett’s Sound Picks: Leadcutter John’s “Resurrection”
(Beginnings can grab you, middles might compel, but sometimes you listen to seven minutes and forty-six seconds of music to arrive at its beguiling final three.) Continue reading
-
Brett’s Sound Picks: Paulstretching A-Ha’s “Take On Me”
(Paulstretch is software that slows down music to a fraction of its original speed, turning a pop song into a glacial soundscape.) Continue reading
-
Brett’s Sound Picks: Oliver Alary’s “Pieces For Sine Wave Oscillators”
(You wouldn’t think sine waves could be so warm, so evocative of musical places you didn’t know you wanted to be. This is a beautiful recording.) Continue reading
-
Brett’s Sound Picks: Ben Lukas Boysen’s “Golden Times I”
The music opens with a rolling triplet piano and ghosting guitar figure that takes the non-obvious harmonic route. There’s a melody now–a violin soaring in the midst of the piano/guitar clouds, and underneath more weather building in electronic bass burble and far away processed percussion. The system grows by cycling around and around, never showing its… Continue reading
brettworks 