Hello, dear readers,
I have been quite neglectful of my writing since my Lady GaGa orgy on here in the spring. But when inspiration hits...
It seems many folks are complaining the lack of intersting music floating around these days. But I know better! There are probably hundreds of thousands of independent artists (myself included) who would love to be in your ipod right about now.
You can see where this is going...
I have a challenge for you all. Find an artist who you are a little interested in. Then, buy one mp3. You'll spend 99 cents (or less). A really great place to start is www.cdbaby.com. There, you can search for a mainstream artist you like (look at http://www.cdbaby.com/Search for "sounds like"), and a group of related independent artists come up. For example, if you're a Tom Waits or Edith Piaf fan, MY CD might come up! (Was that a shameless plug? Oh, do forgive me!)
BUT, as long as we're on the subject of folks who sound a little like Tom Waits--or more importantly, have his amazing independent spirit, there are two artists with whom I have worked who make music that AMAZES me: Nathalie Matteau (Montreal) and The Peculiar Pretzelmen (Los Angeles). Both are very different from each other, and both are auditory delights.
Nathalie Matteau is based out of Montreal but does a lot of work in The Netherlands. She sings in French, Dutch, German, and English. And mostly originals (already, pretty damned impressive). She has a few recordings out, but recently released her new full-length album "Nathalie Matteau & Les Hommes Perdus" (the "Lost Men", a clever nod to J.M. Barrie). The music also references French superstars like Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, but also there is a healthy dose of American folk and pop playing through the recordings. A personal favorite is "Kir Royale", a sort of francophone ode to Miss Havisham.
Also on the horizon is The Peculiar Pretztelmen. They're quirky, dark, gritty, but not without a sense of humor. Last time I saw them, at the Seattle Cabaret Festival where we shared a bill, they had quite a wall of junk percussion items in use and were performing with a film projection. It was magical. My favorite song is the apocalyptic "Who's that Knocking?" from the first album, God's Anger, The Devil's Influence.
Check them out online (and buy a song!)
Nathalie Matteau:
http://nathaliematteau.com/
http://www.myspace.com/lenyab
http://nathaliematteau.com/bloodycd.html
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/matteau
The Peculiar Pretzelmen:
http://www.pretzelmen.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/PeculiarPretzelmen
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/PeculiarPretzelmen1
http://www.myspace.com/pretzelmen
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Finally, I listen to Lady GaGa.
Hello, dear reader...
If you don't know by know (and after zero posts, how could you?), I tend to hold musicians and artists to a high standard. Even if they're making pop music. As a composer, I think of pop music as an art form and a discipline. Unfortunately, most of the music industry does not. So armed with this knowledge, let's move forward, shall we? And, being who I am, I resist will all my might, things that are hyped-up.
And who has been more hyped recently than Lady GaGa? After much resistance, I finally broke down and bought her album, The Fame Monster. The concept, as I had been told, was nice. And I must admit, a younger friend got me intrigued when he, completely seriously, insisted she was a hermaphrodite bent on Satanic world domination. Being a good Texan, I always love a conspiracy theory, so I finally had to investigate.
Before my visit to iTunes, I started on Youtube.com with the "Bad Romance" video. I found it stunning. I loved most of all, the brief shots of the lady in question looking less made-up and quite accessible, honest. I was drawn in. I then watched the video for "Paparazzi". I thouroughly enjoyed the Kahlo-esque obession with beauty (and in this case, glamour as well) juxtaposed with physical disability and suffering. And being the enormous fan of German expressionism I am, LOVED the references to Fritz Lang's Metropolis--itself borrowing purposefully images and icons from art history. The video also made its obvious commentary on the obsession with (and market for) fame, perhaps referencing slyly Lady Diana's tragic end and the more recent Brittny Spears incidents. Like Annie Lennox, she explores the personaes singing these songs in a visual media.
I decided to buy the album. Yes. I admit it.
Of course, on thier own, "Bad Romance" and "Paparazzi" stand alone as solid and compelling songs. Especially "Paparazzi", in which the listener is immediately drawn into a dangerous but intoxating obession with a famous stranger. The verses have a narrow and repetitive melodic quality fastened tightly to a relentless, mechanical pulse. The verses step quietly into the relative major key to soar euphorically, reveling in this fantasy love affair. And this makes the return of the verse even more frightening. "Bad Romance" features her reedier, darker range, steeped in an almost blues vocal honey. It's genuinely attractive.
So the bar was set high for such a young pop composer and star. But the rest of the album really failed to deliver. If there was a sense of a narrative cycle intended, my ear did not detect it. It quickly became a collection of sub-standard, emotionally trite spaghetti--limp and all over the place. Worse were the songs that started off well, but went nowhere; these are the ones that really let me down. Especially so, my first venture into the rest of the album, "Alejandro". This one starts with a solo violin playing the tune of Monti's "Czardas", a classic in the violin literature. A tone, an image, a milleu was set immediately. But as soon as the synthesizers and drum machine entered, it was lost. Lady GaGa channels badly a pastiche of a forlorn Penelope Cruz, who can't seem to quite remember the name of the lover she hopes to escape.
Now, having gone on my own journey as a composer from my early twenties to now (and beyond), I can see the work of a talented young woman. She's getting started. And because she is talented, she can make good music. But, the issue is one that a very close friend and collaborater mentions often, "Being an artist is mostly about being able to edit one's self". Lady GaGa's album is essentially 23 songs (plus a remix of "Bad Romance") which is pretty much 18-20 songs too long. Musicians and artists of her age have all wanted to put on display the whole of their output, but time teaches us to select more carefully what we put in the public sphere. And because of her young success, she doesn't have the luxury (yes, I said "luxury") of being hidden and allowing her art to blossom before being exposed to a waiting public.
But, I want to see what she's doing as an artist in 5-10 years. In the meantime I'll keep and eye and ear open...
If you don't know by know (and after zero posts, how could you?), I tend to hold musicians and artists to a high standard. Even if they're making pop music. As a composer, I think of pop music as an art form and a discipline. Unfortunately, most of the music industry does not. So armed with this knowledge, let's move forward, shall we? And, being who I am, I resist will all my might, things that are hyped-up.
And who has been more hyped recently than Lady GaGa? After much resistance, I finally broke down and bought her album, The Fame Monster. The concept, as I had been told, was nice. And I must admit, a younger friend got me intrigued when he, completely seriously, insisted she was a hermaphrodite bent on Satanic world domination. Being a good Texan, I always love a conspiracy theory, so I finally had to investigate.
Before my visit to iTunes, I started on Youtube.com with the "Bad Romance" video. I found it stunning. I loved most of all, the brief shots of the lady in question looking less made-up and quite accessible, honest. I was drawn in. I then watched the video for "Paparazzi". I thouroughly enjoyed the Kahlo-esque obession with beauty (and in this case, glamour as well) juxtaposed with physical disability and suffering. And being the enormous fan of German expressionism I am, LOVED the references to Fritz Lang's Metropolis--itself borrowing purposefully images and icons from art history. The video also made its obvious commentary on the obsession with (and market for) fame, perhaps referencing slyly Lady Diana's tragic end and the more recent Brittny Spears incidents. Like Annie Lennox, she explores the personaes singing these songs in a visual media.
I decided to buy the album. Yes. I admit it.
Of course, on thier own, "Bad Romance" and "Paparazzi" stand alone as solid and compelling songs. Especially "Paparazzi", in which the listener is immediately drawn into a dangerous but intoxating obession with a famous stranger. The verses have a narrow and repetitive melodic quality fastened tightly to a relentless, mechanical pulse. The verses step quietly into the relative major key to soar euphorically, reveling in this fantasy love affair. And this makes the return of the verse even more frightening. "Bad Romance" features her reedier, darker range, steeped in an almost blues vocal honey. It's genuinely attractive.
So the bar was set high for such a young pop composer and star. But the rest of the album really failed to deliver. If there was a sense of a narrative cycle intended, my ear did not detect it. It quickly became a collection of sub-standard, emotionally trite spaghetti--limp and all over the place. Worse were the songs that started off well, but went nowhere; these are the ones that really let me down. Especially so, my first venture into the rest of the album, "Alejandro". This one starts with a solo violin playing the tune of Monti's "Czardas", a classic in the violin literature. A tone, an image, a milleu was set immediately. But as soon as the synthesizers and drum machine entered, it was lost. Lady GaGa channels badly a pastiche of a forlorn Penelope Cruz, who can't seem to quite remember the name of the lover she hopes to escape.
Now, having gone on my own journey as a composer from my early twenties to now (and beyond), I can see the work of a talented young woman. She's getting started. And because she is talented, she can make good music. But, the issue is one that a very close friend and collaborater mentions often, "Being an artist is mostly about being able to edit one's self". Lady GaGa's album is essentially 23 songs (plus a remix of "Bad Romance") which is pretty much 18-20 songs too long. Musicians and artists of her age have all wanted to put on display the whole of their output, but time teaches us to select more carefully what we put in the public sphere. And because of her young success, she doesn't have the luxury (yes, I said "luxury") of being hidden and allowing her art to blossom before being exposed to a waiting public.
But, I want to see what she's doing as an artist in 5-10 years. In the meantime I'll keep and eye and ear open...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
