Before there was New Age music…

A friend introduced me to the music of Stephan Micus in the late 1970s, well before the term “New Age” was around. At the time we dubbed this type of music, ethereal. Stephan was a pioneer, and continues to be one today. He has spent his life traveling the world collecting rare and unusual ethnic/folk instruments from various cultures. Through the miracle of multi-tracking, his recordings sound like they’re produced by a small ensemble. Even though some of the music he produces sounds electronic, Stephan is a stickler for all things acoustic. His music is relaxing and meditative and often features subtle chanting, without being boring. And since his music is on Manfred Eicher’s ECM label, they’re virtually flawless. I hadn’t listened to him in years for whatever reason. But a couple days ago, I heard mention of his name and had another go at his music. Once again I was thoroughly captivated by him. I’ve posted two examples of his studio recordings (since his live music doesn’t feature overdubbing). I think you'll enjoy him.

Ya Gotta Like Mike!

If you like energetic folkies like Howie Day, Niell Finn, Newton Falkner, and Justin Nezuka, then you'll like Mike Doughty. His music has plenty of soul, catchy hooks, and best of all, irreverent lyrics. And I really enjoy his sound. They've used his songs for "Grey's Anatomy," so he does have some street cred! Heck, I may be late to the Mike Doughty party, but I'll bet you're later! Just saying. Stay tuned.

I’ve Got Fever

As in Fever Ray. It’s not actually a group, but a side project of Knife's Karin Dreijer. It shares some of the musical flair of Knife, but seems to be a bit warmer and inviting—if that’s possible from a pretty cold, science-fictiony sounding group. I remember the first time I saw Peter Gabriel with Genesis on TV and though, well this is sort of creepy. Same with Weather Report live.

Fever Ray could easily fit into the stable of 4 A.D. groups from the early 80s. They have a dark, quiet, and haunting sound like Dead Can Dance and This Mortal Coil. And Dreijer has a lovely voice. The instrumentation is pretty sparse, and seems to be there just to accent the vocals. As with many of the groups I enjoy, they have a sound that’s hard to describe, and are unlike anything you’ve ever heard before.

Sorry about the dupe on the song. Fever Ray is too new to have a lot of songs on Youtube.

Need more?

If you enjoy any of the music I like, here are a few places where you can discover some incredible tuneage on your own. One is the excellent music show on the CBC called “The Signal” hosted by Laurie Brown. The second is SOMA-FM--a website that streams several channels of great music, from electronica to chill, to spy music. Here are the links:

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ (Click on The Signal with Laurie Brown)

http://somafm.com/

Enjoy!

Let’s Talk Soul

Alana Davis. I really don’t know why she hasn’t caught on. She’s got a wonderful voice. I saw her briefly in concert, where she had issues and left the stage after two songs. But she was great and I hope to see her again. However, whatever her issues were, she was great. Alana proved to me in a few minutes that she can belt out a tune. You really can’t compare her with anyone else that I can think of. Her voice compels you to want to get up, grab someone, and and dance. One thing I must say, Alana has a lot more poise, maturity, and soul than a lot of the pretty young things that are trying to pass themselves as the next Aretha. This chick’s got it. Sorry kids--give it a couple of years or so. In the mean time, I suggest you listen to Alana for some lessons. This woman can sing.

It Came From Hollywood!

I feel that original soundtracks feature some of the most innovative modern music being written today. I’m not talking about a producer who slaps together a bunch of pop tunes and calls it a soundtrack. I think that’s just being lazy, cheap, or a combination of the two. I’m talking about music that’s scored for a movie. And some of the most effective soundtracks go pretty much unnoticed. They enhance the mood of the movie without getting in the way of the plot. That said, here’s a list of some of my favorite soundtrack, not in any particular order. Feel free to post some of your favorites.
• Field of Dreams
• The Natural
• Amaracord
• Batman
• Mrs. Soffel
• Local Hero
• The Mission
• Lord of the Rings
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Gladiator

NOT Difficult Listening.

I’ve heard a rumor that there’s a music store in Cincinnati that has a room designated as the “Difficult Listening Room”. I have a good idea of the music that’s routinely played in this room. As you know, I occasionally post music that could be classified as “difficult listening”. Well, I’d like to post some music that’s the opposite of that. Okay, just don’t call it “easy listening”, just easy to relate to. If you don’t know the band Guster, you should. They’re huge on the college circuit. They started out sounding a lot like an updated version of the Beach Boys, but they’ve matured into an excellent group worthy of more serious consideration. Nice vocals and harmonies, good songwriting, great percussion including hand beaten drums, and they're a lot of fun to see live. Warning: be prepared to be surrounded by a bunch of college-aged kids dancing and singing along for the whole evening.