I'm not really for new-year's resolutions, because I've never stuck to one. Therefore, I made a fourth-of-January resolution this year: to read 10 Shakespeare plays! I read Hamlet in English last year, and quickly knew it to be the best thing I'd ever read (Polonius's speech in act II scene ii in particular). I also read Macbeth a couple of months ago.
Of course, I decided to continue with the tragedies by reading Othello and Romeo & Juliet over the last couple of weeks - loved them both. I consulted an older 'Speare enthusiast as to which plays to include on my reading list; having listed some obvious ones such as King Lear and Richard III, he concluded by mentioning that I should read Titus Andronicus at some point, but to push that point far into the future. But then reading Harold Bloom's assertion (in his tome Shakespeare: the invention of the human) that "I don't think I would see the play again unless Mel Brooks directed it...or perhaps it could yet be made into a musical," I was far too tempted, and foolishly took it up today instead of King Lear, as I had planned. If it really is a comedy, then it's damn hilarious. Otherwise, I hope I never hear of it again. Any suggestions as to what could quickly cleanse my palet?
January 18, 2010
June 30, 2009
Back in your head
My favourite Tegan & Sara track by a long shot. Sara wrote it. The bassist is Matt Sharp, formerly of Weezer, and it was produced by Chris Walla (of Death Cab for Cutie, of course!).
The bassline in the second half of the chorus was the thing that initially attracted me, but upon further inspection, I think the entire track is ingenious. The bass isn't present during the first verse - the piano hold its place. It enters during the chorus. In the first half, it kind of harmonizes with the melody being played on the piano. Then in the second half, it goes way up the neck into a bloody gorgeous countermelody that makes the entire song, in my opinion. (Plus I like how the end of the chorus hints at a C section that doesn't come until the second time around.)
The pure brilliance comes in during the second verse. The piano is playing the same thing it did during the first verse, that is an F major chord. But here the bass is playing a D underneath it, causing the entire thing to sound as a D minor seventh chord. Essentially, the bass makes us hear the second verse in a different harmonic context than the first verse. It sounds darker and heavier, just as the lyrics become more claustrophobic. Man, I don't know if it was the producer or the bassist (or even Sara) who made this decision, but whoever did, they know a hell of a lot about music.
The recording process is dirge-like, because it's such a thickly produced song that I'm not sure which parts to leave out and which to keep. I might hear some keyboards and go, "Extraneous!", but then I discover that they're contributing to the overall harmony and are thus essential. Listening to the song so many times, I've gotten a bit too ambitious because I seem to have fallen in love with the whole thing instead of just the bassline. Anyway, I'll post what I have so far before I destroy it by trying to cover the entire thing. Hope the beauty of the bass comes through!
The bassline in the second half of the chorus was the thing that initially attracted me, but upon further inspection, I think the entire track is ingenious. The bass isn't present during the first verse - the piano hold its place. It enters during the chorus. In the first half, it kind of harmonizes with the melody being played on the piano. Then in the second half, it goes way up the neck into a bloody gorgeous countermelody that makes the entire song, in my opinion. (Plus I like how the end of the chorus hints at a C section that doesn't come until the second time around.)
The pure brilliance comes in during the second verse. The piano is playing the same thing it did during the first verse, that is an F major chord. But here the bass is playing a D underneath it, causing the entire thing to sound as a D minor seventh chord. Essentially, the bass makes us hear the second verse in a different harmonic context than the first verse. It sounds darker and heavier, just as the lyrics become more claustrophobic. Man, I don't know if it was the producer or the bassist (or even Sara) who made this decision, but whoever did, they know a hell of a lot about music.
The recording process is dirge-like, because it's such a thickly produced song that I'm not sure which parts to leave out and which to keep. I might hear some keyboards and go, "Extraneous!", but then I discover that they're contributing to the overall harmony and are thus essential. Listening to the song so many times, I've gotten a bit too ambitious because I seem to have fallen in love with the whole thing instead of just the bassline. Anyway, I'll post what I have so far before I destroy it by trying to cover the entire thing. Hope the beauty of the bass comes through!
June 25, 2009
Wurlitzer Jukebox!
My two favourite bassists in history are Andy Rourke of The Smiths and Philip Moxham of Young Marble Giants. When deciding which YMG songs to put on my All-Time Favourite Basslines List, I initially just wrote "all of Colossal Youth" (which is an album). Then I narrowed it down to just one song: "Wurlitzer Jukebox!"
This song in particular exemplifies some great aspects of Phil's playing. It opens with a mad bass lead and then segues perfectly into some simple bouncy background stuff. To me, he always seems to perfectly balance all his roles in a song; as melody player, rhythm player, and harmony player.
For my presentation of this track, I started by plugging a pattern into this drum program, the rhythm rascal. Sadly, this program is designed for hard rock, and sounds pretty bad in general. So I decided to put the pattern in backwards, record it, then flip the whole thing backwards again using Audacity. (Audacity is a free recording program I'm using. You can really do a surprising amount of things with it.) In other words, you hear the alternating bass and snare sounds in order, but the sounds themselves are backwards. I played the melody on a bass instead of singing it, since this is after all an exploration of the dark underbelly of this unappreciated instrument.
You can hear the end result, with full instrumentation, here.
You can hear the bassline on its own here.
(You will have to scroll down and download them.)
Keep in mind that the sound is never gonna be perfect because this is the microphone I'm using:
This song in particular exemplifies some great aspects of Phil's playing. It opens with a mad bass lead and then segues perfectly into some simple bouncy background stuff. To me, he always seems to perfectly balance all his roles in a song; as melody player, rhythm player, and harmony player.
For my presentation of this track, I started by plugging a pattern into this drum program, the rhythm rascal. Sadly, this program is designed for hard rock, and sounds pretty bad in general. So I decided to put the pattern in backwards, record it, then flip the whole thing backwards again using Audacity. (Audacity is a free recording program I'm using. You can really do a surprising amount of things with it.) In other words, you hear the alternating bass and snare sounds in order, but the sounds themselves are backwards. I played the melody on a bass instead of singing it, since this is after all an exploration of the dark underbelly of this unappreciated instrument.
You can hear the end result, with full instrumentation, here.
You can hear the bassline on its own here.
(You will have to scroll down and download them.)
Keep in mind that the sound is never gonna be perfect because this is the microphone I'm using:
June 24, 2009
Mnth Mbaez Projekt
So I've decided on a project to undertake now that it's summer. The other day, I decided to make a list of all my favourite basslines...fifteen of them or so. I've found that all I really need in a song is a good bassline - everything else can be just terrible, and I won't notice. And I want you all to hear these basslines the way I hear them!
My original plan was to just write about each of them and post youtube links. This plan was quickly crushed when I discovered that not only were some songs inaccessible on the internet, but the ones that were around were of horrifically bad quality! Therefore, I've decided to record these basslines myself, with any other instruments necessary for context, and post them along with my thoughts on them. I'll aim to post one every couple of days. The first is already underway!
My original plan was to just write about each of them and post youtube links. This plan was quickly crushed when I discovered that not only were some songs inaccessible on the internet, but the ones that were around were of horrifically bad quality! Therefore, I've decided to record these basslines myself, with any other instruments necessary for context, and post them along with my thoughts on them. I'll aim to post one every couple of days. The first is already underway!
April 20, 2009
April is kicking March's ass.
I'm listening to THE Jazz Show hosted by Gavin Walker at this moment. It's an episode from a while back, featuring the album Sonny Side Up by Dizzy, Sonny Rollins, and Sonny Stitt. It's nice to listen to jazz after a couple weeks of ignoring it. It's like getting a serious dose of reality!
But the reality I've been living in is pretty boss, too. Utopian, really. On April 1, I got a very unpleasant fine on the skytrain, and had to find myself some way of paying it. So I immediately began experimenting with busking. I actually paid the fine within about ten days. And now I can basically say I have a part-time job where I set my own hours, I work outside in the gorgeous weather, and I get paid way above minimum wage in cash. An ideal job.
And outside of that brilliance, Veronica played a gig with Thee AHs at the Cultch on the 11th. Two five-song sets. She played a bit of sax, but is mostly on bass duties now, which she likes more anyway. Here they are playing my personal favourite song of theirs, Strange Little Scene:
They're going to be playing a gob-smacking set of hits tomorrow at Heritage Hall at 7:00, and again at Lugz cafe (main and broadway) on friday at 9:00.
Furthermore, I went and saw Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke at the Rio with Fab a while back. They were absolutely stunning, and went well with the cherry blossoms lining the streets.
But the reality I've been living in is pretty boss, too. Utopian, really. On April 1, I got a very unpleasant fine on the skytrain, and had to find myself some way of paying it. So I immediately began experimenting with busking. I actually paid the fine within about ten days. And now I can basically say I have a part-time job where I set my own hours, I work outside in the gorgeous weather, and I get paid way above minimum wage in cash. An ideal job.
And outside of that brilliance, Veronica played a gig with Thee AHs at the Cultch on the 11th. Two five-song sets. She played a bit of sax, but is mostly on bass duties now, which she likes more anyway. Here they are playing my personal favourite song of theirs, Strange Little Scene:
They're going to be playing a gob-smacking set of hits tomorrow at Heritage Hall at 7:00, and again at Lugz cafe (main and broadway) on friday at 9:00.
Furthermore, I went and saw Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke at the Rio with Fab a while back. They were absolutely stunning, and went well with the cherry blossoms lining the streets.
March 18, 2009
The middle of a wednesday
Yesterday, after two weeks of half-hearted looking, I finally found my olive-green notebook from 2006. It contains Occupant lyrics, other lyrics, lists of my favourite albums (which haven't changed too much, which is either good or totally embarrassing), guitar riffs, band names (some of which I still think are really great), and notes on a board game that Stella and I were developing. It's quite the thing to find.
But today, I'm actually in a state that I very seldom fall into. It's a state that can really only be brought on by one's own laziness, or in this case, being blase about all the things that are available to me in my abode. That state is the mental poison known as boredom. I tried figuring out the chords to The Best of Jill Hives by GBV, but I was highly ineffective. I kept thinking, "there are probably only about 4 chords in this song, all of them barre chords, but I just can't get them!" Eventually I cracked and looked it up on the internet. I soon found a tab that sounds really quite accurate, and was astonished to see chords like Amaj7 and E/D# smattered in there! So that's what I get for underestimating rock music...
I also called a few people, but none of them answered their damn telephones! I guess they have call display, eh?
Well, here are Thee Ahs featuring that divilishly attractive Veronica girl:
But today, I'm actually in a state that I very seldom fall into. It's a state that can really only be brought on by one's own laziness, or in this case, being blase about all the things that are available to me in my abode. That state is the mental poison known as boredom. I tried figuring out the chords to The Best of Jill Hives by GBV, but I was highly ineffective. I kept thinking, "there are probably only about 4 chords in this song, all of them barre chords, but I just can't get them!" Eventually I cracked and looked it up on the internet. I soon found a tab that sounds really quite accurate, and was astonished to see chords like Amaj7 and E/D# smattered in there! So that's what I get for underestimating rock music...
I also called a few people, but none of them answered their damn telephones! I guess they have call display, eh?
Well, here are Thee Ahs featuring that divilishly attractive Veronica girl:
March 14, 2009
Instead of doing the work, I shall complain about it
I was just thinking about where I can register general complaints. I figure this is the place to do it!
I'm on spring 'break' now, but it seems I have the equivalent of three weeks worth of homework to do. I have to do some kind of project on human rights (obviously a relaxation-inducing topic), write as much poetry as possible, and do some journals. I ran out of journal topics before the end of grade ten - need to wade 300 words into a bunch of random topics, which is too much for an irrelevant topic, and far too little for anything that's actually worth thinking about. I also need to think about a model of the universe (this will probably wind up being an enlarged photo of my face in the end).
I also need to figure out the chords to The Best Of Jill Hives!
I'm on spring 'break' now, but it seems I have the equivalent of three weeks worth of homework to do. I have to do some kind of project on human rights (obviously a relaxation-inducing topic), write as much poetry as possible, and do some journals. I ran out of journal topics before the end of grade ten - need to wade 300 words into a bunch of random topics, which is too much for an irrelevant topic, and far too little for anything that's actually worth thinking about. I also need to think about a model of the universe (this will probably wind up being an enlarged photo of my face in the end).
I also need to figure out the chords to The Best Of Jill Hives!
February 27, 2009
On the Roof
Hello there children,
Back in merry old August, Fab and I played a couple of tunes out at UBC. I thought I ought to post a tune from this landmark performance. It's a tune I wrote called On the Roof, and as you will hear...well, it's pretty sick.
Back in merry old August, Fab and I played a couple of tunes out at UBC. I thought I ought to post a tune from this landmark performance. It's a tune I wrote called On the Roof, and as you will hear...well, it's pretty sick.
Click here!
You can't really hear my spoken invocation at the beginning; basically, I'm just saying, "Close your eyes and picture rain as you hear this."
February 21, 2009
Hey guys!
I know, I know. You're all pretty mad at me. I was in charge of your sole source of entertainment, this blog, and I neglected it. But I'm certain you'll forgive me when you see what I'm posting for your benefit!
Scoping around craigslist, I found a local band called Thee Ahs looking for someone to open for them. So I checked out their myspace, and lo, I had a new favourite band. To imagine how a band can be this good - well, it's a waste of time. Obviously, bands like this just blink into existence. Argal, I give you:
Of course, I couldn't respond to the ad, as the night they were playing happened to be the night of the City School cabaret. Plus, I didn't have a band that could open for anything until the day before said cababret. And that still needs some hammering out, you understand.
Scoping around craigslist, I found a local band called Thee Ahs looking for someone to open for them. So I checked out their myspace, and lo, I had a new favourite band. To imagine how a band can be this good - well, it's a waste of time. Obviously, bands like this just blink into existence. Argal, I give you:
Enjoy!
Of course, I couldn't respond to the ad, as the night they were playing happened to be the night of the City School cabaret. Plus, I didn't have a band that could open for anything until the day before said cababret. And that still needs some hammering out, you understand.
August 10, 2008
Another large day
Today, we moved a PA system from O'brien's abode to Liza's with the help of The Fab. O'brien scooped this item from the tai chi garage sale yesterday. 2 monitor speakers, 2 mics, 2 mic stands, and a mixer. Liza and I had to rearrange the better part of the abode to accommodate the system, and our livingroom-studio now looks much larger. Last week, we also received a pair of congas from the Nils abode. They were taking up space in storage. So now we have percussion, which will sound even better with the reverb supplied by the new mixer. (I guess it could sound good 'clean', but we'll leave that for people who can actually play the congas.)
Did I mention jazz is back? It's at the Libra room from 5 til 7:30 on sundays. Of course, I couldn't go today, because we were working with the PA until a few minutes ago, and also no one is around to go with me. Jason is in Japan until around the 21st, and without him there, it's a bit difficult, especially since there's a much different group of musicians there now.
Fab and I have been practicing the tune I wrote a while back, On the roof. The form is AAB. The A sections have a quiet, rain-like quality, and the B section is loud and mostly just one chord. (That's not to say it's exactly like a Nirvana song...) The focus of the band is on providing tension and release using elements other than harmony. I got this idea when I was reading a Jamey Aebersold book, and there was a table listing different things that provide tension and release. On the tension side, there were things like playing loud, ascending lines, faster notes, and dissonant harmony. On the release side, there were things like playing soft, descending lines, longer notes, and consonant harmony. So I thought, why not write a tune based mostly on dynamics? A good thing about this format is that it forces me and Fab to listen to each other.
Anyhow, we have to have it down by next sunday - we have a half-hour performance at IDEC that we're preparing for. I am also preparing for the finest concert ever conceived, which will occur on friday. The Liars opening for Radiohead....wow.
Did I mention jazz is back? It's at the Libra room from 5 til 7:30 on sundays. Of course, I couldn't go today, because we were working with the PA until a few minutes ago, and also no one is around to go with me. Jason is in Japan until around the 21st, and without him there, it's a bit difficult, especially since there's a much different group of musicians there now.
Fab and I have been practicing the tune I wrote a while back, On the roof. The form is AAB. The A sections have a quiet, rain-like quality, and the B section is loud and mostly just one chord. (That's not to say it's exactly like a Nirvana song...) The focus of the band is on providing tension and release using elements other than harmony. I got this idea when I was reading a Jamey Aebersold book, and there was a table listing different things that provide tension and release. On the tension side, there were things like playing loud, ascending lines, faster notes, and dissonant harmony. On the release side, there were things like playing soft, descending lines, longer notes, and consonant harmony. So I thought, why not write a tune based mostly on dynamics? A good thing about this format is that it forces me and Fab to listen to each other.
Anyhow, we have to have it down by next sunday - we have a half-hour performance at IDEC that we're preparing for. I am also preparing for the finest concert ever conceived, which will occur on friday. The Liars opening for Radiohead....wow.
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