What are you listening to? Part III

[D.T.]

And who would've known that ABBA would record music together again.
But they have, 2 brand new songs that their Avatars will perform on their tour

Rik Mayall !

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The soundtrack from The Hours (by Philip Glass).

 

[IronWaffle]

Breaking from my stock in trade as being years, decades or even centuries behind, today I’m a mere four days behind the times. Of course, in the world of pop culture that may as well be millennia.

I don’t watch many music videos but this and Beyoncé’s hourlong “Lemonade” both grabbed me by the shoulders — albeit mildly and well within the safely padded confines of pop’s inherently safely sugar-coated space — and shook me in that way I believe one should be shaken. In this case, much was accomplished in its tidy four minutes while making me not a little hungry four fifty-five more to round it out.

Lest, as Dylan once wrote, “ {I} criticize what {I} don’t understand,” I took some deep dives after a few viewings and my own consideration and pulling from my own recognition of many symbols and themes. The best, I’d say, is The Atlantic’s write-up, excised judiciously/liberally below. I recommend the full article linked below instead.

Childish Gambino’s sensational “This Is America” video implicates the viewer in the misuse of black art.
Spencer Kornhaber May 7, 2018

If you search for “This Is America” on Twitter, you find not only a gushing river of well-deserved praise for Donald Glover’s new work, which has quickly become the most talked-about music video of recent memory. You also find Trump supporters using the moment to spread their messages. The hashtag #ThisIsAmerica sits next to a rant about the deep state. It sits next to a sneering meme about Hillary Clinton. It sits next to a picture of white pioneers, shared by a “European rights activist,” who says, “Most of the people who built America looked like this.”

Trending hashtags get hijacked by unsympathetic causes as a matter of course, but Glover knew what he was getting into with the name “This Is America.” The defining of a nation is the essential task of politics, and Glover’s definition has now been made clear. America is a place where black people are chased and gunned down, and it is a place where black people dance and sing to distract—themselves, maybe, but also the country at large—from that carnage. America is a room in which violence and celebration happen together, and the question of which one draws the eye is one of framing, and of what the viewer wants to see.

[...]

For “This Is America,” Glover intermittently bugs his eyes and freezes his form. Or he goes liquid, pulsating his shoulders as if they’re the gills of a beached fish. At the start, he contorts his body into a goofy squiggle as he shoots a gun into the back of a man’s head. His pose resembles the canonical caricature of Jim Crow.

The music itself is more art collage than song, its tunefulness a means rather than an end. Over a bustle of merry chants, foreboding bass, and James Brown yowls, Glover paraphrases the mode of popular hip-hop. [...] The video clarifies the semi-satirical meaning here. Glover and a troupe of school kids perform choreography derived from viral videos and historical images of black performance, and Hiro Murai’s camera follows them often at an unnervingly indifferent midrange distance. A frenzy of pursuits, riots, and shootings unfolds in the margins. The song and dance routine is partly a respite from, and partly an accompaniment to, the chaos.

In this, Glover certainly isn’t the first artist to suggest that black popular entertainment can simultaneously work as minstrelsy, appeasing a racist system, and as a gas valve of joy for people crunched by that system. [...]. But Murai’s eye and staging and Glover’s performance are together so stylish and surreal that the message is made newly raw. Jarring use of empty space, contrast, and timing keep every frame stark and alive.

[...]

That Glover has been held up as a figure of contrast, of in-between-ness, may have given him the sense of perspective—or rather, the sense of being watched—that makes “This Is America” so potent. But it will also invite sharp questioning, like about whether he is criticizing the rap tropes his song invokes, or overly implicating black people in their own suffering. After all, it is he, not a white person, who pulls the trigger on the man at the beginning, and later, on a gospel group. But it seems safe to say he’s not here to scold. “Y’all are forgetting what rap is,” he told The New Yorker recently. “Rap is ‘I don’t care what you think in society, wagging your finger at me for calling women “bitches”—when, for you to have two cars, I have to live in the projects.’”

Similarly, some viewers have objected to the violence on-screen as sensationalisticuse of real traumas. The counterargument would be that the casualness with which Glover guns down a church choir, echoing the massacre in Charleston, is exactly the point. The viewer may well be triggered by the sight—or they may, like the song, not lose a beat. Glover’s work here, as often in his career, is partly about its own reception. Whether in the way he widens his eyes or pastes on his grin, he conveys total awareness that his image is not entirely his own, and that America will inevitably use it, and misuse it.

(The Atlantic’s Full Source Article)

No doubt one of a gazillion on YouTube, this take by a fan (rather than a critic in the ivory tower) is also a valuable one.

Spoiler

 

[hawkeye_a]

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Soundtrack - Joe Hisaishi

 

[Samuel Clemens]

Right now I've put a CD (yes, a CD, I have LOTS of CDs). It's Thåström's album named Xplodera Mig 2000.

Some hour ago I was listening to Billie Holiday's "Songs for distingué lovers", a beautiful album.

[doublepost=1525959076][/doublepost]

Call me old-fashioned: I shall buy the CD.

Well, I have a huge collection of CDs and vinyls. I'm prehistoric, I guess.

 

[hawkeye_a]

I started buying CDs again a few years ago, and its become a regular thing.

Now, I regret having bought music off iTMS in its early years, because i can get lossless versions of my CDs at no extra cost, where as my digital purchases are all lossy.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Pulp Different class today.
An oldie but goodie.

 

[Lioness~]

I sold off most of my vinyls at a time. Some that had nostalgic & emotional value I had to keep.
Most of my CD’s are on the attic with those vinyls today. Ripped into data long time ago.
It happens off and on in periods though that I just have to buy the CD of something, still.

But I’m not so hooked up to music today at all, as I used to be. We change.

Enjoy listening to radio through my iMac (& devices through airplay & expresses) with fairly good speakers.
Once in awhile I turn my stereo on with better sound and stream through yet another express to that.

 

[mobilehaathi]

 

[LizKat]

I started buying CDs again a few years ago, and its become a regular thing.

Now, I regret having bought music off iTMS in its early years, because i can get lossless versions of my CDs at no extra cost, where as my digital purchases are all lossy.

Yah lossless makes a huge difference. I can really sense the compression in mp3 tracks I had bought from iTMS or from anywhere else early on. I don't mind decent bitrate AAC so much, especially if just downloading works from Apple Music now to compare and have around for awhile before I decide what CD to buy. But those mp3 tracks, wow. Those just seem like they were smacked onto my drive with a cast iron skillet.

I fished a few favorite works in mp3 format out from my main library into the separate library I use for my Apple Music setup, which does have iCloud Music Library turned on, so they’d at least get redownloaded as AAC.

My only complaint there is sometimes the album art is different. And in my separate classical libraries I have worked on the track names and some other descriptors a lot. So I use a file copy when I bring the stuff over to have in my Apple Music setup, and leave that other library's files alone.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Pulp Different class today.
An oldie but goodie.

Pulp: Now, that is an idea - haven't listened to home in an age, and (as is often the case) there was a period of time when I listened a lot to them.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Pulp: Now, that is an idea - haven't listened to home in an age, and (as is often the case) there was a period of time when I listened a lot to them.

You go through fads with music. Often tiring of something, only to discover it anew years later.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

You go through fads with music. Often tiring of something, only to discover it anew years later.

This is true; I'm not sure whether I actually have Pulp on my iPod or Astelll & Kern devices; must check.

Now, I know for a fact that I do have two of their CDs at home, and yes, I do remember a particular year when I played them a lot. And then, as you so rightly say, I tired of them.

 

[IronWaffle]

Yah lossless makes a huge difference. I can really sense the compression in mp3 tracks I had bought from iTMS or from anywhere else early on. I don't mind decent bitrate AAC so much, especially if just downloading works from Apple Music now to compare and have around for awhile before I decide what CD to buy. But those mp3 tracks, wow. Those just seem like they were smacked onto my drive with a cast iron skillet.

Where I can’t *not* detect lossy vs. lossless files often comes down to percussion in the treble end. Cymbals, etc. Jazz drums for me are the worst. Early Beatles where Ringo used them heavily. Symphony classical seems particularly finicky. Generally speaking, it’s worst where there is little accompaniment or in well recorded large halls with strong ambience (I’m thinking RCA Living Stereo concerts, etc.) where long transient notes and extended fades in a single note sound like the audio equivalent of an 8-bit bitmap. Other places I can often enough disregard, within degrees.

I accept the compromise by cherry picking individual tracks (Google Play mp3 are 320mbps). There are just way too many songs (or classical pieces) where my interest is too great for dismal YouTube quality but, for financial and incremental clutter reasons, too little for CD/SACD/Blu-ray audio. Results vary based on mastering and that’s true across the board.

There are points where life is too short. I grew up listening to cassettes on my Walkman; I survived warbly tapes I sometimes had to Scotch tape back together from overplay; sllllllooooooowwwwww dying batteries; radio dubs where I had to rush a fade to hide the deejay or where I missed the first few notes to avoid one; needle drops of crap pressings with what barely qualifies as a stylus of LPs with surface noise and pops galore so while I’m discerning now I’m also accepting (pretty much anything 256+, 192 for some songs). If I love a piece then I’m transported most of the time and that’s the goal.

I fished a few favorite works in mp3 format out from my main library into the separate library I use for my Apple Music setup, which does have iCloud Music Library turned on, so they’d at least get redownloaded as AAC.

I was so glad when Apple offered upgrades from 128! Paid for a ton. Was interested in that technique you mentioned but won’t let Apple anywhere near my files. There are well-documented horror stories.

Regarding the below, I’ve been tempted to use the long overdue Classical/movement tagging. You use those? My limited experiment led me to the conclusion that I don’t know enough not to make a mess of things since there’s no apparent “undo”.

My only complaint there is sometimes the album art is different. And in my separate classical libraries I have worked on the track names and some other descriptors a lot. So I use a file copy when I bring the stuff over to have in my Apple Music setup, and leave that other library's files alone.

Semi-related pet peeve: my car basically forces me to use Bluetooth with my iDevices (no aux and weird software limitations to USB). I can live with the audio degradation. Road noise and trying to avoid death already diminish critical listening. What I can’t stand is that the car fetches album art from the internet instead of my fairly specific album art tagging. The results can be comically bad. When less familiar songs, recent discoveries, etc. play I habitually look at the cover to jog my memory... well, I did. Sometimes listening to an album, the artwork varies track-to track.




Well, that went longer than intended.

 

[LizKat]

If I love a piece then I’m transported most of the time and that’s the goal.

I was laughing today thinking about a 30-year-old mix tape I can't believe is still functional since it has sat out there in the driveway in three different cars through subzero nights in winter. I too can be transported by the music I chose for that tape, and not hear any more the done-over-and-over captures of not-the-DJ or not the ad intro that followed a song. Sometimes when I listen to that tape I may as well be back in my old apartment in the city at 2am with the breeze coming off the Hudson and me swearing at some DJ just won't let a track fade properly before crashing in with "... and what a GREAT BAND THAT IS EH AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH.."

This morning I don't have that problem, I'm listening to old but cared for vinyl of some JS Bach cantatas I used to collect from The Musical Heritage Society's subscription offerings.

 

[RobaxMan]

But I’m not so hooked up to music today at all, as I used to be. We change.

Total agreement here. I've now found that I'm rarely listening to music to long trips - be they by car, by train, or by air. Some days, I swear music is nothing more than just plain old racket. Now, over dinner, I'm OK with it.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Where I can’t *not* detect lossy vs. lossless files often comes down to percussion in the treble end. Cymbals, etc. Jazz drums for me are the worst. Early Beatles where Ringo used them heavily. Symphony classical seems particularly finicky. Generally speaking, it’s worst where there is little accompaniment or in well recorded large halls with strong ambience (I’m thinking RCA Living Stereo concerts, etc.) where long transient notes and extended fades in a single note sound like the audio equivalent of an 8-bit bitmap. Other places I can often enough disregard, within degrees.

I accept the compromise by cherry picking individual tracks (Google Play mp3 are 320mbps). There are just way too many songs (or classical pieces) where my interest is too great for dismal YouTube quality but, for financial and incremental clutter reasons, too little for CD/SACD/Blu-ray audio. Results vary based on mastering and that’s true across the board.

There are points where life is too short. I grew up listening to cassettes on my Walkman; I survived warbly tapes I sometimes had to Scotch tape back together from overplay; sllllllooooooowwwwww dying batteries; radio dubs where I had to rush a fade to hide the deejay or where I missed the first few notes to avoid one; needle drops of crap pressings with what barely qualifies as a stylus of LPs with surface noise and pops galore so while I’m discerning now I’m also accepting (pretty much anything 256+, 192 for some songs). If I love a piece then I’m transported most of the time and that’s the goal.

I was so glad when Apple offered upgrades from 128! Paid for a ton. Was interested in that technique you mentioned but won’t let Apple anywhere near my files. There are well-documented horror stories.

Regarding the below, I’ve been tempted to use the long overdue Classical/movement tagging. You use those? My limited experiment led me to the conclusion that I don’t know enough not to make a mess of things since there’s no apparent “undo”.


Semi-related pet peeve: my car basically forces me to use Bluetooth with my iDevices (no aux and weird software limitations to USB). I can live with the audio degradation. Road noise and trying to avoid death already diminish critical listening. What I can’t stand is that the car fetches album art from the internet instead of my fairly specific album art tagging. The results can be comically bad. When less familiar songs, recent discoveries, etc. play I habitually look at the cover to jog my memory... well, I did. Sometimes listening to an album, the artwork varies track-to track.




Well, that went longer than intended.

I was laughing today thinking about a 30-year-old mix tape I can't believe is still functional since it has sat out there in the driveway in three different cars through subzero nights in winter. I too can be transported by the music I chose for that tape, and not hear any more the done-over-and-over captures of not-the-DJ or not the ad intro that followed a song. Sometimes when I listen to that tape I may as well be back in my old apartment in the city at 2am with the breeze coming off the Hudson and me swearing at some DJ just won't let a track fade properly before crashing in with "... and what a GREAT BAND THAT IS EH AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH.."

This morning I don't have that problem, I'm listening to old but cared for vinyl of some JS Bach cantatas I used to collect from The Musical Heritage Society's subscription offerings.

Oh, what a brilliant set of memories - thank you both @LizKat and @IronWaffle; those perfectly awful DJs, invariably blessed with loud and cheery voices who would come blundering in with something seriously inane just when you were listening to a stunning fade out, finger poised to hit 'stop' before the cretin cam crashing in to ruin the taped tack.

Oh, gosh, yes. Do I remember that?

And yes: Agree completely with you both about how you can be absolutely transported by a piece that you love, irrespective of format, and that this is the goal.

I don't care how often I listen to Soler's Fandango - every single time I hear it (whether on radio, CD, or iPod, or new Astell & Kern thingy), I am always totally transported.

Total agreement here. I've now found that I'm rarely listening to music to long trips - be they by car, by train, or by air. Some days, I swear music is nothing more than just plain old racket. Now, over dinner, I'm OK with it.

On long trips (plane, bus, train) I rarely listen to anything else but music. Or occasionally chat to someone sitting adjacent to me.

 

[RobaxMan]

It helps that I have a noise-cancelling headset and along with that, while I can walk and chew gum at the same time, I've never been able to read and have music on at the same time.

 

[LizKat]

It helps that I have a noise-cancelling headset and along with that, while I can walk and chew gum at the same time, I've never been able to read and have music on at the same time.

I made some playlists for a friend in the city --a dentist-- to use in his office. He had an extensive collection of classical music but would run out of patience to mix some switch-ups and said he didn't like finding he'd managed to pick like 4 symphonies in a row. So I prowled around in his library to see what he had a lot of and to make some demo mixes to get an idea of what would fly for him. I remember one of the first sets of lists I came up with he said "well maybe not the string quartets so much, doesn't matter whose they are.... I used to play viola in a chamber group so I start paying attention to the line that instrument's carrying in some piece and pretty soon I might forget I got a patient in the chair..."

LOL glad he was just my friend, not my dentist!

I've moved on from Bach to Isaac Albéniz now, Claudio Arrau playing tracks from Iberia. Here is El Puerto (Book 1: II) from Arrau's 1947 recording.

 

[D.T.]

I’ve gotten back into CDs to the point where I’m actually shopping a new player - funny that I had them in storage for *years*

 

[mobilehaathi]

 

[Scepticalscribe]

An evening with Cesária Évora.

 

[LizKat]

View attachment 761436

I like it... although "Mr. Livingstone I Suppose" sounds a little like me doing battle with cow parsley struggling to win the war of the worlds out in the garden...

 

[mobilehaathi]

I like it... although "Mr. Livingstone I Suppose" sounds a little like me doing battle with cow parsley struggling to win the war of the worlds out in the garden...

Lol, in fact, this was part of my gardening soundtrack today...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Jethro Tull: "Living In The Past"