A Tord Affair

 I know I haven't posted in ages and I apologize. Painting has consumed a good deal of my free time. But I went to a concert last weekend and heard this group and was totally blown away. It's a jazz trio, but I don't think you have to be a jazz nut to appreciate it. The music is gentle, provocative, and puts a smile on your face. The group is from Norway and just released their 10th album. I'd describe their music as Nordic Gospel with a hint of the fjords mixed in. If you ever get a chance to se them live, don't miss them!

Khruangbin. That's easy for you to say!

Here's another one of those groups that's hard to describe. This Houston-based trio's name is the Thai word for "airplane" and their music is said to be inspired by Thai rock and funk from the 60's and 70's. I'd call it slack-key guitar with a mixture of salsa and slow funk and...well, you just have to give them a listen and decide for yourself. They've been around for roughly ten years and have several recordings out. All of them are guaranteed to put you in a god mood. It's just plain happy music!

A Ry comment

Not sure how I found out about Ry X, but he's a pleasant discovery. Born Ry Coming in Australia, he now lives in L.A. Ry's voice reminds me of a cross between Jeff Buckley and James Blake. His music is dreamy and atmospheric, and his live recordings are sensational. They're a bit dancy, and he encourages his audience to get up off their seats and do just that. I'd love to hear him live in concert! Sound like he puts on a great show. There are several live concert videos on Youtube that are worth checking out.

The Singing Nun

I was a Medieval History major in college and hence, I'm a sucker for anything to do with the middle ages. And that includes music. The music of the 12th Century abbess and mystic, Hildegard von Bingen is almost other worldly. If you're in the mood for come contemplative and truly relaxing music (and in these trying times, it's especially welcoming), give this a listen. If you enjoy it, you'll find plenty of it on youtube. Peace be unto you!

 

How slow can you go?

Slowdive is an interesting dive. The New Yorker said recently that they were everything but a quiet. slow band. Boy did they get it wrong. They are a total shoe gazer band I haven't posted much in the last year on this blog, but I invite you to check out this band from England; I'll try to post more in the future.

To the Max!

Max Richter's music is a blend of classical, electronica, and rock. He called his music "post classical. Richter was born in Germany and moved to the U.K. with his parents when he was you. He has recorded numerous albums, which include film scores and a ballet. He also did a score for an episode of the tv show, "Black Mirror."

Ole, Ola!

This was a driveway moment. The song I heard on our local classical music station just blew me away. It was by someone I'd never heard of and totally misheard his name. So I went to the station's website and looked him up. I'm glad I did because this composer is amazing. Instead of giving you a long background of the artist, I'll just share a couple samples of his music. His hame is Ola Gjeilo and he's originally from Norway, but he lives in New York. Enjoy!

Doggin' it!

Moondog is a legendary yet under appreciated composer and performer of contemporary classical music. He was born in Kansas in 1916 and grew up near Indian Reservations, which had an affect on his musical taste. He was blinded as a teen and learned Braille. That's how he learned about music. He became a self-taught performer and composer, eventually becoming a street person in NYC for many years. He spent the last 20 years of hi life in Germany. His music, unfortunately is rarely performed even though he influenced many of the minimalists composing today.

You can bank on it

Jillian Banks grew up in Tarzana, California. As a young girl, she started writing songs after a friend gave her a keyboard. Banks started uploading her music in 2013. She finally released her first full-length recording, "Goddess" in 2014, which was followed by 2016's "The Altar". She has a moody, rich voice and her music is a blend of downtempo pop, R&B, and electronica.

"Roger that."

Here's my prediction, Maggie Rogers is going to be a huge sensation. She has one of the most amazing voices I've heard in in a long time.  and she has great taste in the in the mixing room.  She says one of her favorite inspirations is Bjork., which is a good thing in my opinion.  Maggie's  a recent graduate from college and has released a couple of CDs on her own. She recently released a single "Alaska" which went viral on Youtube.  And she has a CD in the making. I just think she's someone you're going to hear from in the near future. What a great talent. And what a great voice.

Neu Music

Sarah Neufeld is hard to classify. She was part of Arcade Fire and was a co-founder of Bell Orchestra. Her new music is here for you to listen to. You just have to listen to her and decide for yourself. Good stuff.

Middle Aged

Trio Mediaeval produces some of the most beautiful music I've heard in a long time. When I heard them on the radio recently, it was truly a driveway moment. I waited in the car in a parking lot until the DJ announced who they were. The three sopranos sing mainly early music, but also perform folk and contemporary classical music. For the most part they sing unaccompanied. And since they're on the ECM label, their recordings are perfectly flawless. They were formed in Oslo, Norway in 1997, and have toured extensively both in Europe and the United States.

Craig's List

Craig Armstrong is a Scottish composer and onetime jazz pianist. He originally made his mark in composing for films such as Moulin Rouge and Simon West and has also done scores for popular tv show like Six Feet Under. More recently he has devoted himself to contemporary classical music, which has a bit of a contemplative, new-age feel to it. (And I mean that in a good way. I heard a piece by him on a local (Detroit) classical radio station and was bowled over by it subtle beauty.

What's New?

If you live in the Greater Detroit area, I encourage you to check out the group New Music Detroit. The don't perform nearly as often as I'd like, but when they do, they always draw a good crowd. NMD is mainly made up of current and ex members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. They're devoted to performing music of modern classical composers. Most of their music is quite assessable and will open up your ears to just how good modern classical music can be. The group presents a whole day of music titled "Strange Beautiful Music, once a year at the Music Box at Orchestra Hall in additional to other concerts throughout the year. To find out more, be sure to visit their website: http://www.newmusicdetroit.com

Making Majic

Majical Cloudz is the Canadian duo of Devon Walsh and Matthew Otto. They perform simple, low-fi synth pop that's minimalist yet quite catchy. Devon has a beautiful voice. And it's refreshing that he's pretty average looking--unlike all the beautiful young stars these days. They won the Polaris Prize in 2013 and were invited to join Lorde on her 2014 tour. Majical Cloudz have 2 CDs out, both worth a listen.

Part time genius

Argo Part

Argo Part, is an amazing composer from Estonia. He writes mostly sacred  music, but his music has been used in soundtracks for several movies. Check these out. Some very powerful musical scores.

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!

Ruby Amanfu has had an interesting life to say the least. She was born in Ghana but was raised in Nashville since the age of three. She was encouraged by a couple of locals to record an album, which she did in 1988. Since then she's toured extensively and she's recorded several cds including one with Jack White. She does an amazing job with covers, making them her own. Enjoy!

Widow's peak or widow speak?

Not sure how to pronounce the name of the group Widowspeak. Interesting group. Their music is psychedelia mixed dreamy vocals. The band is originally from Tacoma, Washington, and formed in 2010 but has relocated to New York. They remind me of Mazzy Star and have 3 CDs out.

Okay, another heaven reference. Sorry

Sigur Ros
I know many of the followers of my music blog are familiar with this group. But for those who aren't, let me introduce them to them. They're from Iceland, which produces some of the most amazing bands in the world, for such a tiny country. The group is led by Jonsi, who has an angelic voice. I've tried to see them live for several years, but their shows sell out in a matter of hours. I finally got to see them last year and the experience was other-worldly. If heaven was as beautiful as a Sigur Ros concert, sign me up. Listen to these music videos and you'll be hooked.

Harmonic Heaven

I haven't heard vocal harmonies this beautiful in a long time. This folk trio from Watford, England was formed in 2010 and features three sisters Emilie, Jessica, and Camille Staveley-Taylor. Emily was only 14 when they made their live debut at an open-mike night at a local pub. They were well received and began appearing on a regular basis. Since then, they've put out an EP and a couple full-length CDs.