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Still Centers: On Harold Budd’s Piano Music
“I realized I had minimalized myself out of a career. It had taken ten years to reduce my language to zero but I loved the process of seeing it occur and not knowing when the end would come. By then I had opted out of avant-garde music generally; it seemed self-congratulatory and risk-free and my… Continue reading
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On Amateur Cultural Critique
In the Sunday New York Times magazine a few weeks ago there’s an article by Sam Anderson, “How Roland Barthes Gave Us the TV Recap”, that explores the pioneering work of French literary critic Roland Barthes (1915-1980) as well as the importance of consumer-generated cultural critique. Anderson writes: “To my mind, the thing that’s exploding… Continue reading
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On The Strange Sources Of Blog Traffic
One interesting thing about keeping a blog is that as you post on various topics and include keywords relating to those topics in your post headings, your material gradually enters the ocean of searchable data on the Internet. So when someone is looking for something that you’ve posted on, there’s a decent chance they could… Continue reading
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On The Nature Of Blogs II: Matching Form And Content To Capture Meaning
As I have said elsewhere, practically speaking this blog is more for me than for you, sure, and tries to ask questions about musical things as I encounter them. And by things I mean: musical sounds, instruments, artists, aesthetics, technologies, codes and systems of signification, compositional techniques and performance practices, and so on. But metaphorically… Continue reading
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On Running, Time, And The Flow Of Non-Thinking Thinking: Running With The Kenyans
Among the joys of Adharanand Finn’s Running With The Kenyans, a succinct and engaging tale of the author’s experiences long distance running training at high altitude in the East African countryside, is the realization that there aren’t really any secrets to East African running prowess besides constant training, continuous pushing of body boundaries, as well… Continue reading
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Musical Appropriation Or Just A Shoe That Fits? : Dirty Loops’ Pop Reversioning
“Hey, we’re on to so much knowledge and the music industry won’t let us use it in a creative way.” — Aaron, drummer for Dirty Loops “Could you please make a cover of every song in existence?” – Dirty Loops YouTube viewer comment There’s a lot that’s interesting going on when you watch and listen… Continue reading
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On The Sounds Of Justice
A few weeks ago I was part of a jury for a criminal trial. The trial took nine days, and I had ample opportunity to listen–not just to all the legal stuff, the arguments, the evidence, but to the sounds of voices in the courtroom and in the jury deliberation room. Court proceedings are like musical… Continue reading
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On Beginnings And Anywheres: A John Cage Aphorism
I see the words on an inspirational magnet in a shop window. “Begin anywhere” the late American experimental composer John Cage (1912-1992) tells us. But what was the point of this telling? Cage in fact walked the walk of his talk, relying on rolling dice, consulting the Chinese I-Ching book of hexagrams, and even scrutinizing the… Continue reading
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On The Trickle-Down Of Electronic Dance Music Aesthetics IV: Usher And Diplo’s “Climax”
“We are in a place now where fans don’t have conviction to one sound.” – Diplo This song caught my ear the first time I heard it: I recognized Usher’s R&B falsetto singing, of course, but what really got me was the sparse electronic backing track comprised of little more than a sequenced bassline, kick,… Continue reading
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On Vintage Fetishism And Rustic Analog Appeal: From Urban Outfitters To Bon Iver
While waiting for some take out food I dashed into the clothing store Urban Outfitters to have a look around. Founded in Philadelphia in 1970, Urban Outfitters specializes in hipster aesthetics–specifically, making clothes that look vintage and of an older era. Originally a single store in lower Manhattan, the company now has retail outlets in… Continue reading
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