Music

Today’s musical marvel

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King Crimson’s “Discipline” performed by a marimba trio:

I love this song so much, and hearing it on marimba is interesting because it really underscores the mechanical nature of the whole thing. This version is missing the jaw-dropping awesomeness of Bill Bruford drumming in 17/16 time, though, so go listen to the original when you have a chance. Bill Bruford is a machine. I may mean that literally.

I have long thought this would be a piece of particular interest to dragons because it is so dispassionate (and tell me Robert Fripp isn’t a dragon. Say that to my face). Everyone is playing in different time signatures, and those change over time for each player. It would require a tremendous amount of concentration to maintain your own rhythm and keep it in synch with everyone else. Years ago, when I played cello, my teacher taught me how to beat three against four and four against five. It was a fun exercise, but it required a prodigious amount of counting. I can’t even imagine keeping it up at this speed.

Back to work

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My boy returns to school today after a long and eventful spring break. This means I’m back to work on the sequel, spurred on by the enthusiasm I picked up in New York. It’s contagious, apparently. Blogging will be light this week as a result.

The other reason blogging will be light is that I’m working on a massive post wherein I compare YES to a sandwich. I know that sounds like I should be able to do it in just a few lines – “YES is like a sandwich where Jon Anderson is the turkey and Chris Squire is the cheese. Rick Wakeman is pimiento spread.” – but you know me, I have to go and make it all complicated. Because that’s what I do.

Anyway, to tide you over, here’s some music I love: Mille Regretz, by Josquin des Prez. This was one of the first Renaissance pieces I ever encountered as a young person; I encountered it again as a young adult when my sister took a class on early music and reintroduced me to the piece. It was excellent timing, because I was just beginning comics and it inspired me to return to my first genre love, Medieval fantasy. In a very real way, a whole world was sparked by this piece. Enjoy!

ALSAP #1.5: Trista Pena

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I was all set to analyse you another love song today, in honour of Valentine’s Day, but I don’t feel like listening to that song today. In fact, I’m not listening to any of my Big Four. I’m writing to “Trista Pena” by the Gipsy Kings:


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It’s technically a love song – a lost love song. The lyrics aren’t much, honestly; the title translates to “Sad Pain”. That pretty much sums it up, but you can tell as much just by listening. I still have reasonably good Spanish when I concentrate, but the Gipsy Kings aren’t about the lyrics for me (well, except for the occasional really interesting nonsense[?] words they include, like “Ami Wa Wa”. Those tickle me unduly). Not so much about the rhythm or song structure either: they play a lot of rumba, and they’re awesome at it, but there’s not a lot of variability.

No, Gipsy Kings are all about energy and mood, to me. If you’re in the market for an intense and specific emotion – be it joy, fierceness, nostalgia, or weepy weepy sorrow – these are your lads.

And yeah, I’m writing to a plaintive one today. Hm. Is that a spoiler?

Happy Chocolate Day to you and yours!
 

ALSAP #1: “Stand Beside Me”

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Howdy, buckaroos, and welcome to the first entry of my Asinine Love Song Ananysis Project (or ALSAP, cuz it’s all sappy, all the time). I know you were all hoping I forgot or got too embarrassed, but no such luck. It’s February, after all. Consider this my absurdist Valentine to you.

Today’s inexplicably awesome love song is “Stand Beside Me” by Kansas. Itunes says I’ve listened to this song approximately 40 billion times, mostly while writing (although I’ve been known to have it on repeat while walking the dog).

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Intro to my Asinine Love Song Analysis Project

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I’ve mentioned one of my favourite music books here before: This Is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel J. Levitin. It’s a good read for anyone with an armchair interest in neurology – or music, for that matter. The brain is a funny place to live, I’ve always felt, and this book helps delineate what’s going on in there (and how it’s even stranger than you might think).

(This gets kind of long. Here’s a good bail-out point. No one will know!)

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Bitter November

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I don’t know what it is, but November always wipes me out. Every year.

It’s a hard time of year for me. The rains set in in earnest (which is serious, here in Vancouver); everything feels like an uphill slog. If I were astrologically inclined – which I am not – I’d have some theory about Scorpio being out to get me with pincers and stinger, and then old Sagittarius finishing off what’s left of me with his bow. In the absence of hocus-pokery, I guess I have to assume it’s some kind of tedious daylight-length sensitivity, or the fact that here in Canada our Thanksgiving is much earlier, leaving us no holiday to break up the intractable gloom between Halloween and Christmas.

(Yes, yes, there is Remembrance Day. That doesn’t really dispel the gloom, though, does it.)

Whatever the case may be, November is a time of year where I have to be extra kind to myself. One of the ways I do that is to uncork some bottled sunlight in the form of music. It’s time for the old favourites – just like Christmas is for some people (why do the depths of winter weigh less upon my heart? I do not know). Here’s what I’ve been listening to this month:

Ancient Airs and Dances, by Respighi
Fish Out of Water, Chris Squire
Foxtrot and Trespass, Genesis
Mariners, Tri Yann

And the grande olde favourite, the song I always end up at, no matter where I begin: “A Nest of Stars“, by Iarla Ó Lionáird. I should write a whole post about that song. Another day, perhaps, when I’m not still fending off November with a pitchfork.

But look! Here comes December, before the week is out. And the sun is out today, which is a nice change. Whatever its other shortcomings, November does end, and usually on time.

I think, possibly too hard, about Twilight

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With the release  of Breaking Dawn (the film), strong feelings about the Twilight series have once again risen back to the fore on blogs and discussion forums. Now, though, there’s a backlash against the backlash. A metabacklash, if you will. The inimitable Holly Black has her finger on the pulse of an interesting argument, as always.

This got me thinking, as appears to be inevitable. I’ve had a Twilight post fermenting in my brain for some time, and while it’s only tangentially related to Black’s post, now seems as good a time as any to write about it.

For those with short attention spans, or who fake a migraine any time I talk about art, I’ll cut right to the thesis: I don’t like Twilight, but I still think Twilight is art, maybe even good art. Unfeminist or not, modelling bad relationships or not, it has its place and it isn’t going to ruin kids who read it.

All righty then! Those of you intrepid enough to follow me into my Labyrinth of Argument, I’ll meet you under the fold!

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In the beginning is the future

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All right, I think I’ve refined my YES post so that it’s no longer full of crazy ranting (eg. “Cans and Brahms” – why did you do it, Rick Wakeman? WHYYY?) and is now more pertinent to where music intersects with my writing process.

Because that’s really why we’re here, right? For the writing process goodness? Sure we are.

(OMG, this ended up long and nerdy ANYWAY, despite all my best efforts. Proceed only if you really think you can handle it.)

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Cold fish

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Hello, all! I had a very nice Canadian Thanksgiving, right up until the part where I came down with an ugly cold. I’m still getting over it – and getting over travelling, which is its own special kind of headache.

I’m not up for much of anything today, which made for a frustrating writing day. I’ve been listening to Talk while I write, which is what got me obsessing about YES in the first place. Over the weekend I listened to Time and a Word, which Els’s comment reminded me existed. It had never been one of my favourites, frankly. It always struck me as kind of loopy, but this time I found it delightfully, exuberantly loopy and I don’t think it was the cold meds.

While I’m convalescing, here’s an exuberantly loopy Chris Squire concert solo called “Whitefish”, illustrating why he’s one of my favourite bass players.

Oh, all right, I always have a soft spot for bass; I was a cellist back in the day. But that’s one reason Squire stands out to me: his travelling, almost melodic bass lines remind me of Baroque music. It’s almost a basso ostinato; in some of his solo work, it absolutely is.

And now that I’ve been THAT NERDY, maybe it’s time to sign off.

And a very merry Canadian Thanksgiving to you!

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It’s Thanksgiving this weekend, darlings. I know a number of my readers may have been unaware of this fact. I hope I’ve told you in enough time that you can still do something festive.

Here in Vancouver, it is traditional to drink coffee and pretend it isn’t raining. Some days that’s harder than others.

I’d meant to have a more interesting post up this week. I’ve been working on it in bits and pieces for days, and it is gruesomely nerdy. It’s about the band YES, which isn’t even my favourite band. It’s just the band that has the most trivia lodged in my head, along with a outrageous opinions about which album is their best (Drama), whether Tales from Topographic Oceans is even remotely listenable (it is), and who would win a Jon Anderson vs Chris Squire cage match to the death (Squire, no question).

Every time I was about to hit publish, one of two things would stop me. Either 1) I thought of something else I really needed to say about YES (Talk is my second favourite album! Take that, soulless minions of orthodoxy!), or 2) I remembered that most people have only ever heard “Owner of a Lonely Heart”, think it’s kind of stupid, and really won’t give a crap about the rest of it.

Which makes me sad, I admit, because “Owner of a Lonely Heart” really is kind of stupid.

I was going to just delete the whole damn thing, but then I was at White Spot with my son (note to non-Canadians: White Spot is like an upscale Denny’s [minus the all-day breakfast] where you can get wine with your chicken Caesar salad), and I suddenly noticed the background Muzak wasn’t Muzak at all. It was “Siberian Khatru” — not a bowdlerized version, no, but the real thing. And I said to myself: Look at all these old people grooving out over chicken pot pie and yam fries! YES is still relevant. Even Siberia goes through the motions!

I realize only the very meanest teachers give homework over Thanksgiving, so here’s an extra credit project, if you care to undertake it. Go listen to a Yes song that isn’t “Owner of a Lonely Heart”. If you are conversant in Classic Rock Radio and already know “Roundabout” and “I’ve Seen All Good People”, then challenge yourself to find something more obscure. “Starship Trooper” or “Onward” or “Don’t Kill the Whale*” (stop laughing!) or “Gates of Delirium”. Then I’ll come back next week and you’ll understand the lecture.

Or, y’know, you can sleep through class next week and borrow somebody’s notes. The midterm isn’t until the end of the month.

* “Don’t Kill the Whale” is also kinda stupid, but it has the distinction of also being kinda hilarious. It’s got this insane shrieking electronic hornpipe thing going on in the middle, I swear, bookended by ridiculously earnest lyrics and Chris Squire just about as loony as he’s ever been on bass. Funny, funny stuff. I think I’ll go listen to it right now!

(Catch you all next week! Happy Thanksgiving!)