Music

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Daft Punk's Epilogue teaches us how to say goodbye

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I think a lot of goodbyes are like this. There isn’t a definitive moment that separates us or a decisive conversation that divides us (although sometimes there is), but rather, a gradual distancing that, suddenly, shows just how far apart we’ve become.

Then, a conscious change, a removing of our old self and destruction of what was.

What I love about Daftpunk’s goodbye is that it is still collaborative, creative, and a celebration. The music isn’t doleful, nor is the last scene. Although the sun is setting, the music is uplifting, the lyrics hopeful. “Hold on” it says, “If love is the answer your home.”

Yet, he walks off into the distance, alone.

That juxtaposition seems incredibly appropriate. In their separation, love is not lost, feelings are not hurt, and self-preservation is not the goal. Love is. Of each other, the past journey, and the moving forward.

That simple lesson, to me at least, is encouraging. And even a bit convicting.

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  On Living : Music

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The Peacock Wicker Chair : How it Became A Global Icon

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I bet you never look at these chairs or those album covers or any concert where it might be featured the same way again.

I know I won’t.

But also, I just when artists have this sort of dialogue with other artists/historical figures. Not only does it show homage and respect to those people, it heightens their message, their purpose. If only I were smart or cultured enough to catch it on my own.

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-N- Stuff  :  Creativity  :  Inspiring Art

Some Current Favorites

Here are a few of my current favorites. Some are obvious, others not so much, just as some are full of depth and purpose and others are not. Either way, they all fit nicely into any road trip playlist.

Just ask my kids.

I was fortunate enough to hear this first when they played for the grand opening at The Mission Ballroom in Denver CO. You can see their playlist here or listen to it on Spotify.

Just like Take Me to Church, Hozier delivers yet again with a deep and poetic song that rewards those who take the time and effort to look beyond its clever sound.

True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree
Willow dancing on air before covering me
Under garden and calicos
Over canopies that was long ago

True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me
That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree
Must be felt 'fore the fight that calls
Threatened fire but that was long ago

And it's not tonight (Ooh)
When I'm set alight (Ooh)
I'm blinking so (Ooh)
Your blinding light (Ooh)
Oh, let's not tonight (Ooh)
When you hold me tight (Ooh)
Light the fire bright (Ooh)
Let it blaze alright (Ooh)
Oh, hope that you're good to me
Oh you're good to me
Hope that you're good to me, baby

With the roar of the fire my heart goes to its feet
Like the ashes of ash I saw eyes in the heat
Sitting soft in this purest snow
Fell in love with the fire long ago

Each love I could lose
I was never the same
Watch it's still living roots be consumed by the flames
I was fixed on your hand of gold
Laying waste to my loving long ago

And it's not tonight (Ooh)
When I'm set alight (Ooh)
I'm blinking so (Ooh)
Your blinding light (Ooh)
Oh, let's not tonight (Ooh)
When you hold me tight (Ooh)
Light the fire bright (Ooh)
Let it blaze alright (Ooh)
Oh, hope that you're good to me
Oh you're good to me
Hope that you're good to me, baby

So you know there I stood
As you licked off the grain
Though I've handled the wood, I still worship the flame
Long as ember, November glows
All the wood that I'd loved is long ago

And it's not tonight (Ooh)
When I'm set alight (Ooh)
I'm blinking so (Ooh)
Your blinding light (Ooh)
Oh, let's not tonight (Ooh)
When you hold me tight (Ooh)
Light the fire bright (Ooh)
Let it blaze alright (Ooh)
Oh you're good to me
Hope you're good to me
Hope that you're good to me, Oh
Oh Hope you're good to me
Hope you're good to me
Hope that you're good to me, baby

Source: LyricFind

Like his relationship with the young lady, this song is shallow and all about the external. It sounds great through the speakers, especially when turned up high, but that’s it.

Bob your head, tap your feet, ignore the lyrics, and enjoy!

If you’ve watched GOT, that might be all you see at first. Which is perhaps what makes this song (and a few others) most impressive. That he is able to rise above his iconic character Grey Worm and produce a truly enjoyable song.

Those are my current favorites! If you have any suggestions, don’t be afraid to leave a comment and share it with us all!

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-N- Stuff  :  Music  

Game of Thrones Orchestra

Although similar, they are extremely intentional and I LOVED hearing this explanation from the writer of music, Ramin Djawadi

“The beauty about music in film is that without any dialogue on the screen you are able to guide the audience . . . By moods or even playing a certain theme, you are able to tell a story.”

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Movies Without Soundtracks  :  Music : Game of Thrones

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Three Videos

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I love annotating music videos. Especially when they’re sent to me by previous students, “Thought you’d like these” they say, after months of living different lives on different continents, and I just love that.

These three came in the last few weeks. If you have any thoughts, don’t be afraid to share.

Enjoy!

“All art,” according to Gene Roddenberry, “Is an attempt to answer the question, ‘What is it all about?’”

What, according to these videos, is the answer?

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-N- Stuff  :  Music  

Mumford & Sons has teamed up with Nat Geo

I’ve sort of lost track of Mumford and Sons since their album Babel. Their latest, Delta has me falling back in love. It feels, lyrically and musically, like they’ve finally returned to their roots.

By the way, incase you were wondering, Delta doesn’t have any real deep meaning. It simply means “the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (Δ, δ),” or “the fourth in a series of items, categories, etc.” Like the fourth album produced by band. In case you were wondering.

You can listen to the full album on Youtube or Spotify.

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-N- Stuff  :  Music  

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For my daughters

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"Soul Suckers"
by Amos Lee

Did you believe it,
when they told you they discovered you?
And that everything is free,
as long as you do what they tell you to.
You think it's true?

But nothing could be farther from the truth,
my love.

Did you even listen,
When they told you to change your name?
And that nobody wants honesty when looking at a perfect frame
play the game.

Nothing could be further from the truth,
my love..
And nothing is more powerful that beauty in a wicked world.
Play it girl,
play it girl,
play it girl.

Does it make you feel good,
when they tell you what you want to hear?
And after they suck all your soul,
well that's when they'll disappear.
Disappear.
They disappear forever..

Like a prince in your little fairy tale.
And you will find,
one day you put you soul on sale..

Nothing could be further from the truth,
my love..
And nothing is more powerful than beauty in a wicked world.

For more on . . .

Raising Girls : Brave, Courageous, Adventurous : Only the Wild Ones," by Dispatch : Unchained Melody : Elvis' Last Great Moment

Only the Wild Ones," by Dispatch

This, from a friend: “I've been enjoying this song for the last year or so, but came across the video for the first time last night. I cried as I watched it with my kids. Thought you might enjoy.”

Long hair and longer stride
Skateboard fair with a primal tribe
And your cut off painter pants
Chargin' down the craggy mountains with our thrift store friends

And who you find so
So in love with the falling earth
Oh you wake in the middle of the falling night
With the summer playing coy

In the attics of the city night
We talked corso and the MC5
And you could dance live
We were all alright

And only the wild ones
Give you something and never want it back
Oh the riot and the rush of the warm night air
Only the wild ones
Are the ones you can never catch
Stars are up now no place to go, but everywhere

One I met in the green mountain state
I dropped out, and he moved away
Heard he got some land down south
Changed his name to a name the birds could pronounce

And only the wild ones
Give you something and never want it back
Oh the riot and the rush of the warm night air
Only the wild ones
Are the ones you can never catch
Stars are up now no place to go but everywhere
(No place to go but everywhere)

And in the city the mayor said
Those who dance are all mislead
So you packed your things and moved to the other coast
Said you gonna be like Charlie Rose

And only the wild ones
Give you something and never want it back
Oh the riot and the rush of the warm night air
Only the wild ones
Are the ones you can never catch
Stars are up now no place to go, but everywhere

Only the wild ones, give you something and never want it back
Oh the riot and rush of the warm night air
Only the wild ones
Are the ones you can never catch
Stars are up now no place to go, but anywhere
Hmm, hmm hmm
Hmm, hmm hmm
Hmm, hmm hmm


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Unchained Melody : Elvis' Last Great Moment

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October 2nd 1948, Elvis made his first public appearance

October 2nd 1948, Elvis made his first public appearance

"In one of his final performances before his tragic death, Elvis Presley delivered an incredible rendition of ‘Unchained Melody’ during a concert in Rapid City, South Dakota on June 21, 1977.

The performance, described as 'the last great moment of his career', was recorded for his last television special two months before his death in August 1977" (via). 

The Rolling Stone writes:

He had an enlarged heart, an enlarged intestine, hypertension and incredibly painful bowel problems. He was barely sleeping and should have probably been in the hospital, but he was still a huge draw on the concert circuit and the money was too good to turn down.
 

As guitarist Charlie Hodge held a microphone, Elvis dug deep and poured his heart into the song. His body was falling apart, but his voice remained almost as powerful as ever. Without any doubt, it’s the last great moment of his career.

I've never been a huge Elvis fan (although my son and I both enjoy In the Ghetto), but after listening to Malcolm Gladwell describe the sad and lonely life he must have lived, I at least see him differently. Watching this moment, as the camera zooms in on an overweight and dying man, I cannot help but wonder if the reason why he dug so deep and poured out his heart was because it suddenly became the song of his life.

Then, at the 2:34 mark, there's a look, then a smile, almost like he's remembering who and what he was. It's almost like he's saying, "I still got it." And then he gets after it. Because time goes by, "so slowly", and when it's at the end, it can suddenly seem too fast. "And time can do so much." 

 

His youth is gone, his fame dwindling, the end is near. Perhaps, as he sings this song, he knows it's his last, that life is leaving him. And so he sings, "Wait for me" with all that he has, harkening back to what he was, hoping. But in less then three months later, his body and mind will succumb to the brokenness and fatigue, leaving us, and Elvis, with this last great moment. Which, befittingly, doesn't seem to be enough.

Oh, my love, my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
Time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me

Lonely rivers flow
To the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh
"Wait for me, wait for me"
I'll be coming home, wait for me

Oh, my love, my darling
I've hungered, for your touch
A long, lonely time
Time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  On Living :  Music  :  Elvis

 

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Why We Should Live Like Conductors

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The role of a conductor is to organize the music and keep everything calm."

 

You should make the audience want to dance although you shouldn't be a circus act. I think people should focus on the music, and not the conductor.

This role, this pursuit, made me think of Joe Buck and his phisophy of calling games. When asked, "What bothers you in an announcer that you feel isn't measuring up?" Buck responded with,

"Over talking, doing too much, trying to prove to the audience that they did their reading, trying to make the call about themselves . . . I just want to state what happened. I want to do it an exciting way. I haven't always accomplished that, by the way. And I want to get out of the viewer's head. It's not about me. Nobody's tuning in - let's check the TV Guide listings and see what game Joe Buck is calling. Nobody cares. They want to see the Cubs. They want to see the Packers. They want to see the Cowboys. They don't care who's calling the game . . . if I get hit by a bus going into a game, they're still going to play. And the guys that bother me, without naming names, are the guys who sound like if they got hit by that bus, the game would be canceled" (via)

And when it comes to moments of great climactic celebration, moments where announces can make a name for themselves, moments like the Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years, Joe Buck didn't try to keep everyone calm or insert himself into the moment. Instead, he kept quiet. "I could choose to make that call all about me," he says, "screaming and yelling and, you know, 'groundball to Kris Bryant, going to be a tough play, out at first. And for the first time in 108 years, the Chicago Cubs have finally won it all. They gather on the mound. Players jumping over'", but he didn't. He didn't say any of that stuff, because it wasn't about him. It was about something bigger. 

I wonder how many other professions would do well to adapt a similar philosophy. How many companies, schools, communities, and relationships have crumbled because the man or woman in charge is trying to make it about themselves, forgetting that if they were gone, the game would still go on.

People like: 

- Teachers/Principals
- Parents
- CEO's
- Pastors
- Presidents/world leaders

How many of them, of us, make the moments of life - both big and small - about us, and not the bigger picture? And in so doing, ruin everything?

Really, for me, it comes down to humilitas and the belief that we should be using (or withholding) our gifts and talents for the benefit of others, not just ourselves. Just like a conductor. 

Keep everything calm, inspire dance, help people focus on the music. 

 

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  On Living :  Music  :  Joe Buck  : Do Orchestras Really Need Conductors?

Here I am, by The Boxer Rebellion

Fell in love with this song today, Here I am, by The Boxer Rebellion.

 I'll follow, blindly, however unlikely, that I'd find you, I'd find you. I just knew.

Here I am.

I lost you once I don't wanna lose you again.

This song is haunting and deeply moving. Yet, somehow, it is also romantic, in a raw and dangerously open sort of way.

The melody, the violin and piano, the pacing and the buildup. The pleading, "Here I am," and "I don't want to lose you again."

It's terrible and sad. Yet, so beautiful.

And I just love it.

 

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Music  :  Music Videos

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John Williams conducting the opening fanfare for The Last Jedi

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Here's John Williams, conducting one of the most iconic musical pieces in movie making history - the opening fanfare for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. 

Yet, when it's all over, no one seems to notice.

Williams flips the pages and several people cough. One guy scratches his neck and nose, unaware of what just happened. That with just a few cords, goosebumps raised on the arms of children everywhere, that nostalgic memories were instantly recalled and created, and that millions of people, all over the world, were suddenly transported to a galaxy far, far away.

And that's pretty awesome. 

 

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Fanfare for the Common Man  :  Music  :  Star Wars

 

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Ludovico Einaudi : Elegy for the Arctic

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On the Arctic Ocean, with a grand piano floating on a platform and against the backdrop of the Wahlenbergbreen glacier (in Svalbard, Norway), Einaudi plays an original piece composed in the hope of protecting the Arctic (via).

I just love the scene, near the minute-thirty mark, when the glacier seems to respond by casting itself into the ocean, like it's trying to reach him. Like it's trying to reach us.

Is anybody listening?

 

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Inspiring Art  :  Classical Music

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The sound of history, from trees.

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A record player that plays slices of wood : Year ring data translated into music.

A tree’s year rings are analysed for their strength, thickness and rate of growth. This data serves as basis for a generative process that outputs piano music. It is mapped to a scale which is again defined by the overall appearance of the wood (ranging from dark to light and from strong texture to light texture). The foundation for the music is certainly found in the defined ruleset of programming and hardware setup, but the data acquired from every tree interprets this ruleset very differently (via). 

years_5-640x422.jpg

A limited edition recording of ‘Years’ can be found here.
A regular 12″ vinyl LP edition of ‘Years’ can be found here.
A digital album consisting of seven different recorded trees can be downloaded here.

And more of Bartholomäus Traubeck works can be found here.

 

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-N- Stuff  :  Creativity  :  Inspiring Art  :  Music

 

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Beyonce : How to make lemonade

How To Make Lemonade is Beyonce's newest work - a collector's edition box set. "The retrospective will includes a 600-page hardcover book comprising unseen photos from the making of the audiovisual album, personal writing by Beyonce and handwritten lyrics and poetry by Warsaw Shire" (via). 

If we dance to survive, than Beyonce and company are thriving. 

Damn. She's good.

 

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-N- Stuff  :  Art  :  Beyonce Videos

 

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Leonard Cohen's, Leaving the Table

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I've never really been a Leonard Cohen fan, but this song got me.

In a posthumous new video for Leonard Cohen's "Leaving The Table," an animated paper cutout of the late singer dances and flies over a cityscape of Montreal, free as a bird, untethered from the mortal world.
"I'm leaving the table," he sings as the animated Cohen spins, dips and flits by scenes from his past life. "I'm out of the game / I don't know the people / In your picture frame." It's a tribute that's both heartbreaking and beautiful, revealing an artist who left the world content that he'd lived every moment to his fullest.
The video, conceived and directed by Christopher Mills, premiered at last night's Polaris Music Prize ceremony. "Leaving The Table" is from Cohen's You Want It Darker, released in October 2016, just days before the singer's death (via).

I'm Leaving the Table, by Leonard Cohen
 

I'm leaving the table
I'm out of the game
I don't know the people
In your picture frame
If I ever loved you or no, no
It's a crying shame if I ever loved you
If I knew your name

You don't need a lawyer
I'm not making a claim
You don't need to surrender
I'm not taking aim

I don't need a lover, no, no
The wretched beast is tame
I don't need a lover
So blow out the flame

There's nobody missing
There is no reward
Little by little
We're cutting the cord
We're spending the treasure, oh, no, no
That love cannot afford
I know you can feel it
The sweetness restored


I don't need a reason
For what I became
I've got these excuses
They're tired and lame
I don't need a pardon, no, no, no, no, no
There's no one left to blame
I'm leaving the table
I'm out of the game

I'm leaving the table
I'm out of the game

 

Kinda reminds me of Johnny Cash's remake, Hurt. 

 

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