Watching Excellent People Do Their Jobs Excellently
Lighting Designers know that there is a God and He loves us, because there are Pink Floyd concerts to light.
"So, Mr Lighting Designer... my concept for the lights on Run Like Hell is throw as many instruments as you want into the arena and just live it up."
"I think I can work with that."
Seriously, though... whoever thought up the "projection screen with lights around it" idea had better have gotten a raise that day.
1
The ring of spots around the arena doing that wave motion effect, I could watch that for HOURS, never mind the rest of it. Wowza.
Posted by: GreyDuck at February 14, 2019 09:30 PM (rKFiU)
2
I could probably write a whole essay on the change and evolution of the original Pink Floyd vs later performances. The lighting here is amazing indeed, but the music itself... I'll stick with the Pulse or Echoes recordings.
Posted by: David at February 14, 2019 11:40 PM (JMkaQ)
3
Know what gets me? Around about the 1:45 mark on Run Like Hell, the lights around The Circle aren't really illuminating anything. They're just nodding to each other. Left-right-left-right...
I saw that and immediately started looking for other easter eggs in the lighting rig...
Posted by: Wonderduck at February 15, 2019 05:20 AM (PzbzM)
Perhaps The Easiest Question To Answer Ever
Over at The Atomic Fungus, a small amount of griping can be seen regarding the rock band Queen. Fungus Prime is wondering just when this group of... moderately okay reputation became such a thing that they now are considered legendary. The song that causes such angst in the Fungal Vale is, of course, Bohemian Rhapsody, which lends its name to a well-regarded movie about Queen and Freddy Mercury. "Why have they suddenly became such icons?" is the refrain. Here's the thing: it wasn't sudden, but the exact starting point of this popularity can be traced to a very specific date and time:
July 13, 1985, 641pm London time.
It was Queen's performance at the Live Aid concert that turned them from a band of "that's nice" to the hottest thing on the planet. Some 33 years ago, give or take, I had pulled a comfy chair up in front of the TV, hooked a audio recorder up the the headphone jack, and diligently set about recording as much audio from the concerts as I could. I don't know what happened to those cassettes. I don't even remember if I caught Queen's set. But I know it now, and if any one thing can be said to make a band popular, this would be the poster child.
A tight band full of talented musicians playing nigh-on perfectly, led by the consummate showman who has 72000 people in Wembley Stadium and millions more watching across the world eating out of the palm of his hand. After that performance, oft called the greatest single live performance of all time, the question isn't how they became what they are, it's how come they didn't become bigger?
I don't know how much fandom I had for Queen before the show, but I appreciated them a lot more afterwards, and to this day Radio GaGa is on my short list of favorite songs.
Oh, and that Wayne's World thing didn't hurt them, either.
...and I'm glad you're feeling good enough to post again!
Posted by: Ed Hering at January 28, 2019 08:57 AM (/cXdK)
4
I got my musical listening start from my brother's collection of LPs. Queen, All That Jazz, and News of the World are among the albums I remember being in that box, and that spent a lot of time spinning on the desk at my elbow piping tunes through my headphones while I did high school homework. I remember the Live Aid phenomenon, but those three LP's were already wearing out by that time.
I have an SD card of music in my phone, and another SD card with a lot more in my car. Both of those have Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Who Wants to Live Forever, and The Show Must Go On on them. The Show Must Go On gets me in the feels every time, I don't know if it's the last song Freddie did, but it's among the last, and written with his upcoming death in mind. He really poured emotion all over the performance I have.
Posted by: David at January 28, 2019 11:12 AM (A/T0R)
5
I recall hearing Queen on the radio as a kid in the 70s: the only song of theirs I remember is We Are the Champions--I probably heard one or two more but don't remember. Champions got decent if not regular airtime. I don't recall hearing Bohemian Rhapsody back then, but I might have. I do recall starting to hear it on the radio maybe 10-15 years ago, so the idea that it's an overnight sensation this year is a bit of a surprise to me.
Posted by: Rick C at January 28, 2019 06:30 PM (Iwkd4)
Music? Gaming? Various? Other?
I'm not entirely sure where to put this one, but I've got to linkify it or I'll go even more insane than usual.
K/DA - Pop/Stars
I don't know if any of the Pond Scum plays League of Legends. I don't, and I've never even been tempted to, and I'm not now. But I'll be damned if I don't think this song by four of the Heroes from the game (well, no, not really, but you know what I mean) isn't stupidly catchy. The video isn't anything to sneer at either... it wasn't all that long ago that animation would have been the only way to get something that looks like it. Nowadays you could pull it off in the real world with a lot of Premiere... heck, maybe it was rotoscoped, I dunno, they don't tell me these things.
Anyway, now you've got the song in your head too. Good luck with that.
1
That's really an amazing bit of art. It's amazing that something like that was probably a small to medium sized project now, would have been a huge effort a few years ago, and would have been essentially impossible a decade or so ago. The song isn't bad either.
Posted by: David at December 12, 2018 05:30 PM (A/T0R)
2
Yeah, LoL is a dumpster fire run by jackasses but someone over there had a genius-level idea for some marketing and damn me, the result makes me wish the first part my sentence wasn't true.
The song's available on Amazon for a buck thirty, and I may yet yield to the temptation to give them my money.
Posted by: Karel P Kerezman at December 12, 2018 05:43 PM (dPlYR)
3
Ok, I thought it was a good song (video goes without saying) but I just found myself wanting to hear it again. And crank it.
My daughter is angry now. She can hear it across the house.
Posted by: Ben at December 13, 2018 07:19 PM (4TRZx)
4
Yeah, the song made it onto my playlist, and it is one of those "crank the volume or don't bother" ones as well.
Posted by: David at December 14, 2018 12:22 PM (A/T0R)
5
Purchased the mp3 last night. It's much better at high volumes.
My mp3 player can do high volume.
Posted by: Wonderduck at December 14, 2018 10:03 PM (PzbzM)
Hey Wonderduck, What're You Listening To?
Everybody has their musical obsessions of the moment, right? The stuff that you've simply got to hear when you're listening to music, on heavy rotation on your mp3 player, constantly streaming online, whatever, you've got 'em, your friends and co-workers have 'em, and I have 'em.
The difference is, I've got a blog.
Benny Goodman - Sing Sing Sing (Swingwhale Enhiezima Remix)
Because I simply will not let electroswing go down without a fight. And yes, I do think the original is better, but I like the addition of the modern bass elements. Plus, hell, it's fun stuff and I'm no expert on music theory or anything like that.
Kid Kasino & Dutty Moonshine - Everybody
Sometimes you stumble across clever music in the strangest of places. One place that has a surprisingly high ratio of "entertaining tunes" to "content" is gameplay videos. I was watching a guy named Arlios and his World of Warships highlight vids, when a couple of minutes into it I realized I was diggin' the tune more than the gameplay. That's happened before, but it's always a fun time when it occurs. The videos are good, too!
Zooly - Siri Says
Lets get this out of the way right now: I'm not sure if I like the song, or I like the AMV and the song just tags along. What I didn't realize is that the AMV is by Haunter103, the creator of The Greatest AMV Ever. While it's not as good as that one... how could it be, when it's up against The Greatest AMV Ever?... it's still awfully darn good. Song's catchy too.
Adhesive Wombat - Anthem
Speaking of music in gameplay videos... you know the game SuperHot? FPS, time only moves when you move, opponents are all red? This song was used in SuperHot's greenlight trailer. Is it original? No. Is it repetitive? Yes. Do I care? No. Do I enjoy listening to it? Yes.
Gevolt - Khokhotshet
Klezmer is a type of music originally played by Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews, but got mixed with American jazz in the 1920s. That's the version most people are familiar with; the original style is apparently having a quiet resurgence. Heavy Metal is a type of music that stems from the late '60s that includes the use of driving guitars, a heavy bass and drum back beat, and often dramatic (or overdramatic) singing. Klezmer Metal is an unholy mutant that is simply wrong in so many ways. Which is what makes it so stinkin' good. Seriously, if that isn't some of the best metal music you've heard recently, you've got to tell me what you're listening to that's better.
NEW PSB EP!!!
Ladies and gentlemen, Public Service Broadcasting has released a new EP.
White Star Liner is the story of the Titanic, from her construction to her sinking. The band got to debut the songs in June, as it turns out, during the BBC's "Big Weekend" concert in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast. The stage was placed on the graving yards that the great ship was actually built upon, and if that isn't cool, what is?
Here's the first song:
White Star Liner is available wheresoever you choose to get your music thang on. It was $4.00 on Amazon, for reference's sake. Now if only they'd come to the Chicago area...
Hey Everybody It's Music Time!
Nope, nothing deep today! Just a couple of AMVs I've stumbled across in the past few weeks that I want to share with y'all. C'mon, it's fun!
Pillow Warfare
Because who doesn't like a good pillow fight scene in an anime?
Lucky Ben-To!
There just aren't enough good Ben-To! AMVs out there. Then again, it's not like it was the most popular series ever to air in Japan... or over here, for that matter. I loved it, but it's not like I have a surfeit of taste, y'know?
Saturday Anime Night
So I watched this for the first time, and as it was playing I kept thinking to myself, "gee, I wish they had used a different version of the song, one that doesn't sound so... sparse." A minute or two later? Heh. Keep watching.
She Loves That Rock And Roll
Some time ago (jeez, it's been FIVE YEARS), I put up a post that included an AMV called "We Dream We Can". I've always thought of that as being the best K-On! music video I've seen. A challenger appears! Bonus points for using ELO.
One day, I'll have to do a post, one amv for each series I've done a writeup for. Because it would amuse me, that's why.
Posted by: Mauser at September 19, 2018 08:53 PM (Ix1l6)
3
Even Dutchy from Love Lab gets a shout out in the pillow video.
And, I love "Ben-to!" Every time I hit the pre-packaged foods in the King Soopers, I think of that show. Sadly, I've never got the honor seal.
Posted by: skyhack at September 21, 2018 04:08 PM (KrC5e)
I Didn't Realize...
Today, we lost Aretha Franklin, unarguably a music legend no matter what you like to listen to.
I know this is how I was first exposed to her as a young duckling, but what would you expect? I was born in Chicago, Momzerduck was almost killed by The Blues Brothers, not the band but the film crew, and everybody hates Illinois Nazis.
But did you know that today in history was also when Elvis Presley died?
Sorry for posting the AMV instead of the original version, either of the remake or the original original. But I'm still amazed by the work that must have gone into the AMV, particularly because it's 15 years old.
Also on this date?
Yep. Bela Lugosi. To think that multiple generations know him only from this song... it's a shame, it really is.
Okay, yeah, pretty weak sauce for a post, but whaddya want for nuthin', a rubber biscuit?
1
A sad day, but I do love that scene from the Blues Brothers, and that AMV is amazing work. Each frame of video was created individually in Photoshop.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at August 17, 2018 02:19 AM (PiXy!)
2
That AMV... it's ridiculous and makes no sense at all, but the craftmanship! Yegods. (Yeah, I've still got a copy of it on my AMV storage directory too.)
Posted by: GreyDuck at August 17, 2018 08:54 AM (rKFiU)
3
I think that's the only AMV I've ever seen that used Shamanic Princess. (The chick with the tattoos and hair-wings.)
Posted by: Mauser at August 17, 2018 08:32 PM (Ix1l6)
4
Mauser, I happen to have one in my AMV folder which uses Shamanic Princess exclusively! Huzzah!
Posted by: GreyDuck at August 18, 2018 09:23 AM (rKFiU)
5
Alas, when I click on the "Direct" link on that page, I get an error message.
Posted by: Mauser at August 18, 2018 01:26 PM (Ix1l6)
6
Mauser, you have to be a member of The Org to d/l or play vids off the site.
Posted by: Wonderduck at August 18, 2018 10:54 PM (CWc/p)
That Made Me Happy!
So I was wandering around the web earlier Saturday, just going where it took me, wound up reading some of the Fluff for Warhammer 40K again. I've discovered a WH40K writer/audiobook reader combination that I'm fascinated by of late (Aaron Dembski-Bowden and Jonathan Keeble and the Black Legion series), so I've been spending a lot of time in the 40K universe recently. Fun to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there... and if I did, I expect it'd be a very short life with a very violent end. That's just the way things are there.
Remember, these are the good guys.
Anyway, after reading more than I really ever wanted to know about the Necrons ("We're gonna need a bigger can opener..."), I somehow found myself reading about spaceflight, which took me to yootoob for some fun times watching booster-cam footage. While doing that, I realized I had never seen good footage of a real "Korolev's Cross", just KSP-based versions. So I went looking, and discovered something I didn't know existed.
As it turns out, Korolev is the B-side of a remix disc of Sputnik by Public Service Broadcasting. Clearly it belongs on their album "The Race For Space", but it's not on mine.
What a great thing to discover on a day off: a new PSB song!
1
Aw man, previously-unreleased B-sides are my... well, not bread-and-butter maybe. But some kind of food staple. Sticky rice? Sure, we'll go with that.
Thus does the Sputnik single go on my wishlist!
Posted by: GreyDuck at August 06, 2018 07:15 AM (rKFiU)
Dredd
I have spoken of the 2012 movie Dredd before, about how I thought it captured the feel and texture of the Judge Dredd universe quite well. My opinion on the film does need to be tempered by my lack of experience with the source material, but I've enough to realize that it done good. Karl Urban in particular needs praise for his performance of the title character, particularly because he never takes off the iconic helmet during the film... when was the last time you saw a movie star do that?... and is still able to bring life to the role. What I'm saying here is that if you like a good action film, or you're a fan of Judge Dredd, go watch it immediately.
However, that's not really why I'm here today. Nope, today I'm here to expose y'all to the MUSIC from Dredd. I never really noticed the music the times I've watched the film, but the soundtrack was pointed out to me by one of those "Everything Wrong" style yootoob viddys. And brother, were they right to say that the music is great!
Now I can see how people may not like the industrial/krautrock/synth/whatever aesthetic of the music. I can't define what genre it is, not really. But then, I don't much care either: I just like the music.
A lot.
Enough that I've got the soundtrack lined up on Amazon for digital purchase, that's how much.
Okay everybody, enough music. Go back to work now.
1
I liked that Dredd movie as well. It got the important point that Judge Dredd isn't a character in Judge Dread, he's part of the environment that the stories take place in, just as much as MegaCityOne is. This was a Judge Anderson story.
Posted by: Mauser at July 30, 2018 10:33 PM (Ix1l6)
2
Goodness gracious is this right in my wheelhouse or what.
Posted by: GreyDuck at July 31, 2018 07:39 AM (rKFiU)
3
Getting a lot of strong Command & Conquer OST vibes off this. Even a little bit of the Dust Brothers work on the Fight Club OST. Some of it sounded similar enough to make me check composing credits.
4
Love it. Fantastic music. Loved the movie, too. The Stallone version was...*fine* in that 80's/90's comic book movie vibe that was going on. Sly brought the over-the-top element that you had to have back when "comic book movies" weren't the main-stream thing. But the 2012 Dredd movie nailed it down.
Unfortunately, I think timing and the uniqueness of Urban's Judge Dredd left the movie a bit of an oddball.
5
Yeah, for some reason, this movie didn't get the visibility it deserved. A friend of mine was looking at my copy of the Bluray, and didn't want to watch it because he thought it was the Stallone version. Once I said "new" and "Karl Urban", he watched it and liked it.
-j
Posted by: J Greely at July 31, 2018 05:46 PM (LGSd2)
I Will Never Understand My Brain
Saturday night, somewhere around midnight. I'm listening to a playlist I found somewhere, apparently just random music when a song pops up: Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult. Yes, yes, the "more cowbell" song, ha ha very clever skit. Every time you listen to the song unironically an angel gets a Stratocaster, so forget you ever saw the skit. Anyway. That sent me on a tour of BOC's catalogue. Classics like friend Ben's favorite tune, Godzilla, or their tribute to Cthulhu, The Old Gods Return, or even Cities Aflame With Rock And Roll. It was at that point that I really realized:
They were nerds.
I mean, look at some of their other song titles: ETI (Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence), Black Blade, Flaming Telepaths, Veteran of the Psychic Wars, Shooting Shark (which has one of the most '80s music videos ever), Shadow Warrior, and on and on and on. TOTALLY nerds. Which is actually really cool if you think about it... and yet, it feels like they would be wallflowers at the Metal Party, the outcasts who were only there because... well, you had to invite them. Then nobody would miss them when they left to go play D&D in Sandy's basement. Considering that... well, I can relate, is all I'm saying.
So I'm sitting here in Pond Central, enjoying a rare jam-out with a band's surprisingly good music list, when a track I haven't heard in literally decades comes on. And after the first line or two, it all comes back to me and I'm singing along. What song?
Why I remembered every word to the lyrics of this song, I can't even begin to tell you. Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure I want to know what childhood trauma burned this into my confused and confusing brain. That it falls into my current vocal range and I actually sounded kinda good singing along just makes it all the weirder.
Oh well. Hey everybody, big shocking news: Wonderduck's a nerd.
1
Total nerds, yup. So were Queen, when you get right down to it.
Early on, Genesis were classics nerds (so many myths from antiquity turned into weird prog-rock tunes), and Zep had a bit of a Tolkien thing going on. Dorks, every last one of 'em. Heh.
I'd never heard "Joan Crawford" until now. Thank you for that... I think?
Posted by: GreyDuck at March 13, 2018 07:36 AM (h8yX6)
2
Iron Maiden as well. Rime of the Ancient Mariner, anyone?
Posted by: DougO at March 13, 2018 01:57 PM (h8yX6)
Sometimes, Humanity Shows It Still Has Hope
As I was getting dressed for work this morning, or more correctly, dawdling over getting dressed for work this morning, I spied a post over at that Reddit place asking why people like music or songs in languages they do not understand. Now, I've participated in a few threads like this in the past and have a stock answer: "You're wondering why people like this?" But as I looked through the thread, two comments leaped out at me. The first was a relative newby asking for music from anime... "I've seen FMA, and that had good music. Is there anything better?" A few moments later, I had posted God Knows..., which even if you're tired of the whole Haruhi thing, you've got to admit is a pretty darn good song, Undine which is a beautiful song that can still bring me to tears, and my latest OP obsession, Live for Life from Ben-To!. I felt smug. Not for any good reason, I just felt like I had dropped a bomb on this rookie's musical world. As it turns out, the responses have been quite positive.
But it was the other comment I saw that was really important. It was from someone who's a big fan of K-Pop. Now I know practically nothing about K-Pop in general; Gangam Style and some other tunes I may have stumbled across here or there, but there was one burning question I needed to ask... "Do you know anything about the band Rubber Duckie?" While he didn't, another comment soon appeared: their album is available on eBay Korea, but no English site that they could find had it. Which made me sad. And then came a small miracle: "I found that song on Youtube for you."
It's been a crappy couple of weeks at work. I'm still getting over that bastard of a virus. My left hip hurts. I'm rather unhappy with a lot of things. But this?
2
In the early 2000's I really liked Shakira, and I thought her Spanish albums were better. I could only pick up a few words here and there, but there was a passion in her voice that didn't come through as well in the English versions of the songs.
But I'm also well aware of the use of Voice merely as an instrument, and different languages are just like different tunings of that instrument.
Posted by: Mauser at March 03, 2018 11:48 AM (h8yX6)
3Check out this site -- a Web version of something I blundered across while exploring free digital broadcast TV in the Bay Area.
If you came for elaborate choreography and lots and lots of costume changes you won't leave disappointed.
The icon in the top left corner of the website appears in the broadcasts, rotating, in case you also need a Windows 98 screensaver flashback.
Posted by: Ad absurdum per aspera at March 03, 2018 10:03 PM (h8yX6)
Manliness Level: Over 9000
There comes a time for everybody who is honest with themselves where they must admit that they are not, and never will be, the absolute best at something. There is always someone better. Case in point: Ranveer Singh.
Not even in my wildest dreams could I hope to match the level of manliness shown in this song, Malhari, from the 2015 movie Bajirao Mastani. Just watching it made my beard grow four inches. My mustache, no feeble thing in its own right, began to sob. And all I could do is think that, yes, this could be shoehorned into West Side Story fairly easily. I mean... damn.
NASAmanga Daioh
Y'all remember Moonbase Alpha? The co-op game that NASA put together to simulate spaceman life on the Moon? For a while there, there was a hot meme involving the game's text-to-speech program repeatedly saying, and later singing, "John Madden." It's that last bit that concerns us today, for some of the singing that was arranged was actually fairly good... I mean, as good as you could expect a Stephen Hawking soundalike to sound. I've played around with text-to-speech in one game or another, and making it sound like... well, speech... isn't all that easy, so even those simple bits impress me.
1
When you boil it down, that's all the Vocaloids do.
Posted by: Mauser at February 06, 2018 08:01 PM (h8yX6)
2
If nothing else I have to admire the intense dedication involved in not only getting that Moonbase vocaloid thing to render Soramimi Cake in recognizable(-ish) form but also to make all that OP animation.
Now we shall never speak of this again. Yegods.
Posted by: GreyDuck at February 06, 2018 09:59 PM (h8yX6)
Tracks From The MP3 Player
The other day, I was chatting with a coworker during one of my rare lunchbreaks that didn't involve me taking a nap, and she told me something that both stunned and amused me. See, the Powers That Be decided that it was time to put someone in the desk next to me... it had been empty for a month, much to my pleasure (imagine discovering you're the only person in a row of seats on an airliner)... and my new neighbor apparently was able to hear the music from my headphones... but only a certain type of music as it turns out. Metal and/or Other Loud Aggressive Music. Via conversations with her friends, a good portion of the office appeared to believe I listened exclusively to Screamo.
For the record, nothing could be further from the truth. I do have a single song by a screamo band, "On My Own" by The Used, but I didn't know it was that genre. Amusingly, I first heard the track eleven years ago, more or less, as it was used to make a music video for my favorite Japanese wrestler, Hayabusa, after the terrible in-ring accident that paralyzed him. Okay, that part isn't amusing. A while ago, another coworker "stole" my mp3 player because she was bored and wanted to hear something new. Sadly, she no longer works there, or she could have put a stop to the rumors. I don't know if I convinced my accuser of my varied musical tastes or if she thought it a case of 'the duckie doth protest too much', but I gave her The Pond's address and told her to look for a music post. If that's you, hello, see you monday! If it's not, hello, Pond Scum! Click "more" for, well...
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 13, 2018 11:41 PM (h8yX6)
3
So Gainax just went and animated an entire promo video for an insert song? (Admittedly, my TTGL knowledge is nearly zero, so there's probably a good reason for this that I'm not aware of. A quick Googling didn't turn up a clear answer.)
Excellent run of music here. I liked all of them, each landing somewhere on a scale of "good" to "superb."
With you on the PSB obsession. Which makes the second time I've been obsessed with a band with that acronym, as it turns out. So, so good. Who knew that "awesome grooves with newsreel voiceovers" would be a genre I'd need in my life?
I think that Dr Who theme riff needed to be about half the length, though. It kind of wears out its welcome partway through. All attempts to use or replicate the Dr Who theme seem to work best in small doses. PSB's... er, the other PSB's "Pandemonium" sneaks up on you with it. Pink Floyd's "One Of These Days" stops down for a few seconds of it, then goes back to business.
Anyway. What a way to start a Sunday, thank you!
Posted by: GreyDuck at January 14, 2018 11:43 AM (h8yX6)
4
GD, I gather that S.T.A.R.S. is actually just a character song for Yoko, not even in TTGL. However, Marina Inoue was fairly hot at the time, so Gainax smelled a single!!!
And I pretty much agree with you on the Who Floyd length. Maybe a different video might help... I've seen one that's also a "cover" of the openings for the various series, it looked neat.
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 14, 2018 04:17 PM (h8yX6)
5
Gainax cashed in on the popularity of Yoko big time. I *think* S.T.A.R.S. appeared as an extra on DVD originally, but I could be wrong about that. But, as far as influence the video had, there are at least two figures that were created solely from the S.T.A.R.S. video.
Posted by: Ben at January 14, 2018 07:18 PM (h8yX6)
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 14, 2018 09:22 PM (h8yX6)
7
Possibly two...does she appear in the maid uniform in the series? Anyone? (I've tried watching the series five or six times...I just can't do it)
Posted by: Ben at January 15, 2018 04:28 PM (h8yX6)
8
If it's the same person who did Rei Ayanami's voice in the original series, it's Megumi Hayashibara. If it is NOT the same person, then I don't know.
Posted by: Ed Hering at January 15, 2018 04:59 PM (h8yX6)
9
Yup, it's her. I cannot explain why I couldn't find that out the first dozen or so times I looked.
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 15, 2018 07:07 PM (h8yX6)
Music to "Live" By
The car is still in the shop, the costs are mounting, I don't care, let's have some live music!
Public Service Broadcasting - Gagarin (live)
PSB is an incredibly clever band, but in many ways a rather serious one too. I mean, their most recent CD is *Every Valley*, about Welsh coal miners... not exactly the most commonly used fodder for pop music, y'know? But "Gagarin", from *The Race For Space*, is a fun way to spend a few minutes with them. I've discovered recently that NPR loves these guys... they've done a Tiny Desk Concert, and at least one other short concert of indeterminate origin has gotten on their airwaves too.
Caravan Palace - Clash (live)
I used to believe that live versions of songs were inherently inferior to the studio track... after all, the song wouldn't have left the studio unless the band and producers thought it was perfect. Then over time, I came to feel that live versions were, by definition, better than the studio because of the energy inherent in the performance, and if there are mistakes involved, oh well, that's live music for ya... it lends it flavor! But what happens when you get a performance like this one which is as tight, as perfect, as flawless as a studio performance, but still has all that live energy? Does the track collapse into itself, forming an event horizon that no other versions of the song can emerge from?
Rubber Duckie - It Is Not (live)
Maybe a year ago I was looking for a particular "duck song"... you stop rolling your eyes at me... on youtube. It was a call-and-response thing between a little duck and a cat that was, apparently, from a Hungarian children's show back in the '80s. Yeah, don't ask how THAT came into my life, but it's one of the oldest mp3s in my collection. I don't have a real name on it, just "Qua Qua Qua". I'm pretty sure it was Hungarian, though.. I remember finding info on it once. Anyway, as I searched I stumbled upon a TV show about the rock music scene in South Korea featuring a band calling themselves "Rubber Duckie." One of the songs they featured just blew me away, but it had a narrator telling the band's story overtop of it. At the time, I couldn't find a clean copy anywhere. Until a few days ago. This is that song. Enjoy, don't you?
Bonus: Aya Hirano/ENOZ - Lost My Music
I've been listening to some tracks from the Haruhi Suzumiya OSTs and it continually amazes me just how good the songs from the "Live Alive" episode are. After listening to Aya Hirano try to sing them live, however... well. She did a better job in the studio is all I'm gonna say. But it wasn't a lost search, because I stumbled upon this gem. We all know how over-the-top the Japanese are with their pachinko machines... that's the entire history of Rio Rainbow Gate! after all. But I had no idea that there was a Haruhi-themed pachinko machine, or that KyoAni did 707 frames of animation for an advertising campaign for it, or that they were individually scattered across Japan via smartphone, billboard, konbini, and magazine. Whenever someone "found" a frame, they were to upload it to a website and eventually the entire video would be revealed. And lo, it was... a short music video of the cast in their "Extravaganza" costumes. Kinda cool, that!
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I'm still happily in the "can't get enough" stage with PSB. It's a good thing.
Caravan Palace: Not merely an artifact of modern studio technology. Wowza.
Oh, nice catch finding that Rubber Duckie live cut!
It's amazing how "over" the whole Haruhi thing I am. I don't hate it, it's more like it doesn't spark any kind of reaction in me at all anymore. That's kinda weird, actually.
Posted by: GreyDuck at December 18, 2017 11:09 AM (rKFiU)
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Pretty sure you were the one who first introduced me to Caravan Palace a couple or four years back. Thanks, Wonderduck.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 18, 2017 06:44 PM (2yngH)
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GD, I find that the Haruhi Suzumiya series has aged remarkably well... oh, it's not the Greatest Anime Ever, like so many people thought, but it's still a highly entertaining and occasionally thought provoking work. Which is saying something, because I don't much think anymore. One thing though, is that the movie is probably the best part of the franchise. Considering the story of Disappearance, that may be considered telling.
Pixy, I think I found CP in a round-about way via something Brickmuppet sent me. He linked me to the Puppini Sisters, and that led me to the whole Technoswing thing, via this video. That led me to THIS song, which reminded me of THIS classic track, and from there I found Caravan Palace. But Muppet got it started.
Posted by: Wonderduck at December 18, 2017 07:03 PM (EVb8m)
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I'm still a big fan of the Haruhi series. (Still haven't watched the movie; it will be watched this Christmas!) I tried reading translations of the light novels, and that put me off the story a bit. It's likely the translation, but I found them to be quite boring, especially the later entries. But, I still get quite a bit of joy out of the KyoAni series', both the original and Endless 8/Making the Student Film.
Posted by: Ben at December 18, 2017 07:52 PM (ee6LA)
RIP Pat DiNizio
Most, if not all of you, my lovely readers, are looking at the title of this post and wondering just who the heck Pat DiNizio was. This was Pat DiNizio:
Lead singer and main songwriter for my favorite straight-out rock and roll band, The Smithereens. They never did much on the charts, topping out at #37 on the Billboard Top 100 with "Too Much Passion," off 1992's A Date With The Smithereens. But it was their earlier albums, Especially For You, Green Thoughts, and particularly 1989's 11 that made them their fans.
My favorite Smithereens moment was when the band was accused by Rolling Stone magazine as "sounding too much like the Beatles." Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but from where I come from, sounding like the Beatles is a compliment, not a pejorative. However, I disagree that they sound all that much like the Fab 4, if only because they're better instrumentalists.
Their tunes routinely showed up on movie soundtracks, and "Blood And Roses" was used in an episode of Miami Vice, would you believe? Sadly, I never got to see them perform live, thought the opportunity appeared twice. The first time was up in Minnesota; they were playing in Minneapolis at First Avenue, but I had a cast on my foot from an unfortunate incident involving gravity and a loading dock. The second time was when they played at Duckford's annual music festival, On The Waterfront. Sadly, the radio station I worked for was broadcasting live from the event and they wanted their best board operator at the controls. Since she wasn't available, they asked me to do it. Of course I said yes. In a way though, it was okay... the Mobile Boombox (yes, really) was positioned near the rock stage, and I could hear 'em through the microphone feed back to the station.
When the band was... um... "on record label hiatus", he had a small solo career, but they never stopped touring together. Of late, he had been suffering from ill health, and passed away earlier today. He was 62. And I'm bummed out.
#CRYBARFDIE
So the Cubs are playing the final game of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals as I write this. It's kind of a slugfest, and I'm kinda going insane. The Cubs lead 9 - 6, but that means nothing right now.
While I chew through my lower lip, here's some music:
Marnik - Hocus Pocus
Tip o' the chapeau to Brickmuppet for unintentionally pointing out this track. Is it the deepest of tunes? Oh hell no. But sometimes all you want is a good beat and a filthy drop.
Sakkijarven Polkka - Girls Und Panzer OST
Because sometimes all you need is a Japanese rendition of a Finnish example of a Polish style of music.
Cross fingers the Cubs win. I don't wanna know how I'm gonna feel if they lose.
UPDATE, around Midnight or thereabouts:
Longest post-season baseball game ever. Brother, can you spare a pitcher?
Tribute... Parody... Whatever, Sometimes It's Just Right
Long have I been of the belief that the flat-out filthiest instrumental line in the history of rock music is found in Rage Against The Machine's track entitled Killing In The Name Of. I can take or leave Zach de la Rocha's vocals, but Tim Commerford's punching bass, Tom Morello's hot guitar lick and Brad Wilk's metronomic drum performance is, in my mind, about as close as you can come to perfection in a post-punk / alt-funk-rap-metal thing. Listening to live performances of the song, you have no doubt that band came either to play or kick your butt, and they still haven't figured out which they want to do more... so what the hell, let's do both!
Which is why this made do an honest-to-god spit-take when it popped up on my screen.
Actually pretty funky... makes me wonder what the apparently joyless de la Rocha would think of it. Or any of the cover versions that are out there. See, there's actually quite the cottage industry around covering the song...
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"Long have I been of the belief that the flat-out filthiest instrumental
line in the history of rock music is found in Rage Against The Machine's
track entitled Killing In The Name Of."
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You know... most of these renditions have their merits (the one at the top is a hoot, gotta hand it to 'em) but I think the George Mason U clip is my favorite. The teacher and students just getting INTO IT. Good for what ails ya, that is.
Posted by: GreyDuck at April 14, 2017 01:42 PM (3m7pZ)
Music That Makes You Go "Well, That's Dark."
During my usual peregrinations throughout yootoob, amazon and twitch, I have been exposed to music and bands that I'd never trip over normally. Usually it comes to nothing... 90% of everything is still crap, no matter how you wind up finding it... but every now and again something bubbles up out of the remaining 10% that forces you to pay attention. At which point you listen to it, say "huh, that's nice," and immediately forget it. Then there's the the really special songs, the ones that you listen to twice in a row, save in your "trax" folder in Firefoxy, so you can revisit it every few days. I've had a few of those experiences recently, and they've all been... emotion-appropriate. So here, my friends, are a few songs I've recently been impressed by.
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That Trentmøller got my attention, yeah. Nice find there! Helluva bass riff.
The new Depeche Mode (Spirit) came out on Friday; most of it is "meh" (as has been the case for... well, nearly every DM album since the turn of the millennium) but there are a few highlights, "Where's The Revolution" in particular.
On the other hand: I was gifted a copy of the most recent 'mind.in.a.box' (Stefan Poiss project) album, Memories, and I find that I like more than half of the tracks quite a bit. Check out "I Knew" or "Synchronize," perhaps.
Posted by: GreyDuck at March 19, 2017 10:47 PM (rKFiU)
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That last song must be having its 15 minutes of fame. I heard it first on your blog, and then within 48 hours I heard it again in two different TV commercials.
Posted by: flatdarkmars at March 22, 2017 06:53 PM (4KXON)
Oh Yeah! Making Groovy!
I think that 2017 cannot improve upon what I just witnessed, for I have seen 10000 people cheering deliriously as they watch a Japanese hologram dab.
Hatsune Miku - 39 Music! (from Magical Mirai 2016)
How does one top that?
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I went to the show in Dallas last year. Highly enjoyable, both for the actual show itself and the crowd-watching feeling you get when you realize that you're surrounded by thousands of people who are weird at least somewhat like you are. That said, there were a bunch of short people in the crowd who probably didn't get much out of it...
Posted by: Avatar at January 09, 2017 04:45 AM (v29Tn)
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Dang. If I watch this, I have to find out what dabbing is.
Posted by: Rick C at January 09, 2017 12:44 PM (ITnFO)
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 09, 2017 06:31 PM (UDOXQ)
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I haven't watched a Miku concert in a while, but it's always interesting to see where they are with the technology. It seems a but different from the last one I watched. The screen/platform seems bigger. The animation seems significantly improved in some areas: the clothes react with movement and light much better, but the hair movement kept bothering me. They used to exaggerate the hair physics, and I guess that hid some unrealistic movement. On the other hand, I was really impressed with all of the subtly they've added in. There seem to be more breathing animations incorporated, and the movement is precise to human levels, rather than 3d model levels. It adds a lot.
Posted by: Ben at January 10, 2017 08:45 AM (1uZgg)