Music: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

• The Good: Mozart's entire musical score now free on Internet


• The Bad: This guy must have made a deal with the Devil. (video of really fast dulcimer playing: 56k consider reading the Economist)


• The Ugly: Guitars You Can't Buy

The New Music Economics

CD's + downloads + ringtones = $

Jordan's Top 25 of 2006, #21-25

#21: Sunn 0))) / Boris - Altar
No collaboration but this could capture the eerie groans that haunt the stone walls of an abandoned sepulchre. At the same time, any drone music manages to make good background music for reading (and sleeping). Why does this one make it to #21? Sunn 0))) has mastered the drone, but the addition of Japan's eclectic producer Boris fills out the instrumentation to further play on dissonance and layers. Rather than the simple low drone with a play of less-low drones found on other Sunn recordings, Altar builds rich, if baroque, swells that reach much higher than the earthy bottom layer and become rather inspiring. The album is wintry, the perfect companion to a Bergman movie, but only for those who, like me, actually get a spirit-lift from plumbing the depths of cold and hollow sounds. There are lots of people whom this music might depress, but I recommend it otherwise. The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep).

#22: Love is All - Nine Times That Same Song
When my car died, I bought a station wagon with a CD player. None of my MP3 CDs would play, of course, so I burned this album out of some recent downloads. Expecting some soothing, innocuous Scandinavian pop, I'm pretty sure my reaction was something like, "OMGWTFBBQLOLZLOLZ!!!11" I had to take the disc out and come back to it. When I did about a month later, it stayed in my player for about a week. Considering there are only ten short songs, that's quite a bit of anything for a week. All I can say is that the music drives me to pounding on the wheel, while the vocals are too cute in a very intense and untrustworthy way. Ageing Had Never Been His Friend (Yes, it is spelled that way).

#23: The Rapture - Pieces of the People We Love
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance. If you've visited where I live this year, you will know that danceability has been and important part of our music in the common room. Somehow, this album never made it out there--likely because we all listened to it plenty in our rooms. If you want dance-punk, and if you liked the last album from The Rapture but thought the vocals were a little...strident...give this one a whirl, because almost every song on it is party music, and the vocals are either toned down or just blend better into the dancier stuff. Look for them (and others for whom I don't include a track) on The Hype Machine.

#24: Tapes 'n' Tapes - The Loon
This is the debut album of Minneapolis' Tapes 'n' Tapes. There is a definite sound going on here, but it's hard for me to pin down what I like. The album keeps my attention by shifting among several styles and approaches to plain good rock, but it's fluid enough to keep on while I work. This is one of the few recordings that gives me no idea what the guys in the band are like, whatever that means. I guess I can recommend it if you like early college rock. Cowbell.

#25: Wizardzz - Hidden City of Taurmond
Brian Gibson of Lightning Bolt joined Rich Porter to become Wizardzz. This album has less pounding scree than Lightning Bolt usually delivers, but it's not exactly smooth. Feel free to call it noise, but little can replicate the feeling I get from listening to this on repeat in the car on summer nights. Not for the faint of heart. Jelipper-Lilly Field.

Government agencies won't play nice together, turn to Google

Am I the only one deeply disturbed by this?

Announcing the Birth...

It's time to make a top albums list for 2006, and I'll be posting all week. This has been a tough year to pare down. One minute I'm sure about my list, and another minute I wish I had backed up older versions. I have settled on this one, though, as the one that most captures my moods and listening throughout the year. These may not be the best albums of 2006, but of the ones I listened to, they are the ones that struck my fancy most and longest. It is probably telling that many of these sound dark and swirly, like they emanate from the depths of earthy chasms.

Keep in mind that this has been an unconventional year for me: I was in Spain from the beginning of January until the end of April, and I had no access to new music during that time. When I got back there was a rush to catch up, but I just let things grab my attention and hold until they fell. Most years I listen to many new things that people recommend, but I admit that this time I have not been careful to listen to everything. I've included a list of albums I have not given proper attention.

I cannot be too verbose about these albums (for lack of time), so I apologize in advance if I don't give more than a rough sketch of how each sounds. While I try not to be too Said-the-Gramophone-y, much of what I've loved this year has to do with moods and images associated with the music. If it is all too abstract for you, just keep in mind that this is a mere top 25 list, and 25 reviews would take quite a long time to write. I'll post a group of five each day in reverse order. The albums in the groups will be descending, so the final list should be in the right order when all five days are posted. You should, of course, go buy everything I post.

I'll start the list of studio albums tomorrow. Today I'm going to tell you my favorite various artist compilation, soundtrack, live album, and EPs. And they are...

Various Artists

KITSUNÉ MAISON COMPILATION 2
This little dude came out of the French Kitsune Maison label. If you want some really intense European dance, this is the perfect collection for this year. The compilation is void of dull moments. The MSTRKRFT remix of Wolfmother's Woman is very strong, and you should check out these songs: Christopher and Raphael Just - Popper (Shinichi Osawa distortion disco edit) and Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler.

EPs

Stworywodne - Black Muds, Bad Big Village
I'm sure someone would have guessed I would get into a Polish post-rock band this year. I found this EP online, and it's some of the best guitar-driven work I've heard this year. The songs range from expansive and thick to percussive and woodsy. Try Grasshoppers, for example. If you like these guys, check them out at stworywodne.com, and try to get a hold of the EP. I just want to mention that their name means "water creatures."

Justice - Waters of Nazareth, Part 2
This probably counts as a single, but it's fantastic. From the Ed Banger label, French "spiritual house" duo Justice makes your speakers sound like they're breaking. Quite a beat. The title track can genuinely get your adrenaline going. I saw these guys at the SMARTBAR in Chicago, and my arms almost fell off from pumping along. The DJ Funk track is particularly sweet, and the best remix is probably the one from Erol Alkan. Try Justice - Waters of Nazareth. Buy it here.

Live

My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
This live album from Louisville, KY's My Morning Jacket is entirely representative of the band's live show. Last year's Z is one of those special albums that can take your through a spectrum of emotions and still be catchy enough to pull you back an hour later. Okonokos has the same effect, only imagine it live. The hazy stage and fluorescent lights on the cover convey something of the feel of the music, but you could buy this one without listening if you like midwestern rock with a big guitar soul.

Original Soundtrack

Kronos Quartet and Mogwai - The Fountain
Just look at the artists who made this soundtrack. Mogwai is a top-notch post-rock band, masters of the dynamic shift. The Kronos Quartet is likely my favorite string quartet; you may remember their Hope Overture, one of the most emotional recordings in recent memory. This soundtrack was composed by Clint Mansell to accompany Darren Aronofsky's 1000-year quest film, a departure from Requiem for a Dream and Pi in some ways, but if the soundtrack is any indication, the film will not be short on existential angst--an Aronofsky specialty. Buy it here.

My Top 25 Studio Albums Will Not Be Fair To...

Ali Farka Toure, Swan Lake, Belle & Sebastian, Skream, Mew, Grizzly Bear, Beirut, Elf Power, Beck, Mastodon, Midlake, Liars, Xiu Xiu, Camera Obscura, Clipse, Pere Ubu, Kitsune Maison 3. I haven't given enough attention to those releases, so you won't see them. Maybe if I remake this list in hindsight next year, you will. I will probably not do that.

Gmail+Google Reader=teh \m/

If you use Firefox (and who doesn't these days?), you should download this script to integrate Gmail with Google Reader. It's the only Gresemonkey script I currently have, and it works like a dream. Let me know if something funny happens.

New Google Earth AND Firefox?

Google Earth has released new features entitled the Geographic Web. Also, a super-alpha (read: don't actually use it unless you're a developer) version of Firefox 3.0 was released.

One of these is cool, the other is terrifying (plus moviestuff)

Guess which one:

• Open Source Car Project


• Colleges hate free speech

Am I the only one who actually believes in free speech? Sometimes, I think I am. By the way, if there is ever an amendment to the Constitution banning flag-burning, I am burning a flag that day and every one thereafter. On an unrelated note, movies that look interesting to me:

• Apocalypto


• Children of Men


• The Fountain


• The Number 23

This is the winter of Maya movies! If any of them are awful, don't get mad at me. And if you didn't see A Prairie Home Companion (out on DVD now, just in time for the holiday season!), do yourself a favor. In memory of Robert Altman, lest we forget.

New number invented

Given to schoolchildren.

Like YouTube, but not stupid

Swivel is a data-sharing site. Or at least, it will be soon. Looks cool.

Market share of web browsers

Sorry, this might be boring, but I love this stuff. The new numbers from Netapplications.com (whatever that is) were released, and Firefox, Opera, and Safari are up; IE is down. Yay. Netscape is slowly crawling to its doom, as is Mozilla. As well they should. Two caveats:

• In full disclosure, I use Firefox 2.0 and Opera 9.0


• These numbers are not reliable.

What do I mean by the latter?

1. First off, there is no way to know who is using what browser and how much. You can only make guesses based on server logs. Certain Web users will go to certain sites using certain browsers more frequently than others, and that skewers the numbers. For instance, Maxthon is used by millions of citizens in the People's Republic of China, but isn't on this list. Why? Because Netapplications.com is in English, and Chinese generally don't understand that language, and will generally not visit a web site that is totally unintelligible. Generally.


2. Furthermore, look at the poll of "What's the best browser?" on any of those pages. If you vote, you'll notice that 60-some percent say Firefox, while on 14% of Internet traffic is made up of said browser. Why? Because the sort of person who votes on which browser is best is the sort of person that has critical thought about his browser. That's a different kind of Internet user, and if Netapplications.com attracts those kinds of users, they will get biased data.

All of this is to say "Spread Firefox (and Opera)," and don't be married to a web browser like some fanatic; competition is good, and will produce a better product. If one arises, make the switch.

Small, stupid update: I just looked at this pie chart again, and it infuriated me because it has a deceptive third dimension and the table doesn't use a consistent amount of significant digits (aargh!)

Complexity maps

Visual Complexity specializes in representations of complex systems of information. If that means nothing to you, they make pretty pictures (and you just might learn something, too...)

The stupidest and coolest thing ever

Simultaneously! Are you ready for moon base? Also, in the so stupid it's cool category, someone responded (fourth entry) to my comments in the newspaper (second entry.) It's like a new Lincoln-Douglas debate.

The New Music?

Joseph might like, but will almost certainly hate, this. (video: 56k, watch some stories on the picture box.) Immediate update: TEENAR!.

Review: (George Martin and) The Beatles - Love

There are those to whom the Beatles are sacrosanct, and inviolate. For them, nothing will ever be good post-Abbey Road (excluding Let It Be, of course, and possibly Anthologies and Let It Be... Naked.) I say: listen to it. That's the real judge. Listen to Hey Jude, and hear George Martin take a great song and make it better (different/new/fun/exciting again, etc.) Listen to Help! and hear George Martin leave a great song virtually untouched. Hear the whole thing, and you've got some new music, and more importantly, a new musical context in which to enjoy said music. Judge for yourself, of course, but I say kudos! It's a fine album. Furthermore, I'd like to think of this album as a gesture of good will on the part of Paul, Ringo, Olivia Harrison, and the other one to give George Martin his own little Beatles album - unfettered access to the rich musical legacy they had to do anything he wants, and a fitting coda for a dignified and simply enjoyable working career. Furthermore, Martin has more of a right to this music and to re-mixing it than do Olivia and the other one, as he actually did compose some of it (uncredited, of course), and was instrumental in shaping the sound of the Beatles as we know them. He's probably the ninth Beatle.

Sonnet hacking

Gears of War=e.e. cummings.

Who needs five whole senses?

Not this kid (video, 56k okay, though.) Also, if you speak Japanese, you probably won't be able to rap quite as well as English speakers - but it's not your fault.

Fish can float?

I'm not sure why this is so cool, but it just is. Chinese scientists have managed to levitate insects and small fish using only sound waves. Supposedly it will help in handling hazardous materials, but I just like seeing things that can already fly or float being levitated. Keep up the good work!

One last oppressed people

You know I love the Sahrawis, but I also love my Papuan brothers and sisters. Today was their independence day. It's not much, but it's something, right?

I'm published in real ink!

Try to guess which stupid one is mine. This should be fun.