The Cinematic Orchestra

Awesome stuff.

The Cinematic Orchestra is a 7-piece Electronica and Jazz outfit. I'm not sure how I'd categorize them, but they intertwine characteristics from a plethora of genres. They are known for their ability to mix together the samples of turntables with instruments such as a double bass, saxophone, trumpet, guitar and drums. In their live performances, they often improvise throughout a lot of their music between all the samples, but it's often difficult to tell where the improvisation starts and ends. For some groups, improvisation may mean complete chaos, but for this group, it seems so natural and fresh.

Recently, I picked up "Every Day". What sets this album apart from the rest of the music is the DJ and the keyboards. I love the samples that are in each song, especially the sample on the song "Every Day". I can't tell if the voices are sampled or are actual people, but about 6 minutes into the song (I know, it's a long song, but more than worth it.) There's a group of voices that sing and just blend in so well with the rest of the song. All in all, a very solid group with a unique sound that people should listen to atleast once.

It's worlds different from what you hear on the radio, but give it a listen and a little time. It's a little strange on first listen, but I think you'll find it worth it.

The video here is of the song "To Build A Home". It's a little different from the rest of their stuff, but I love it.

A Quote!

"It's because I can't sound like my heroes that I can sound like myself." - John Mayer

A Video: Boonaa Mohammed

This is a video from TED in Toronto. If you haven't heard of TED, TED is a forum of where people share ideas in Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Their stuff is really quite interesting, so you should definitely check out some of the stuff on their website if you have time. Check out the video. don't stop the video before it ends! I love it.

Lost In The Trees

Lost in the Trees is a band that I've recently discovered. They consider themselves a folk orchestra. I'm not really sure if that's what I'd consider them, but I do know that they sound pretty amazing. With 7 key band members, each playing their own instrument, you would think that it would be a little much. However, the band composer, singer, and guitar player - Ari Picker - is very good at layering each instrument on top of each other, which creates a grand sound in the end. Every instrument - from the violin to the accordion - definitely brings its own to the table. I haven't heard any of their EP's, but from what I've heard online through Myspace, it's pretty good music. It's something fresh and new - even for me. I'm looking forward to finding out what becomes of this band. Hope you enjoy them as much as I am.

Check it out:

Fireplace by Lost in the Trees

Growing up

Growing up in two places gets confusing, really confusing. You leave one hoping that the other won't change, but deep down you know you're just joking with yourself. You hope your friends will stay the same, but again it's something that isn't going to happen. When you return, you realize that you've grown in different ways, experienced different things and that your friends have seen drastically different things. It's crazy how that happens. It's like you're meeting someone new in a familiar body. Nevertheless, the person you once knew is in there and somehow you're connected through the events that were experienced together. You talk about the past and reminisce together. It's interesting to come back to a place that you used to call home, where you used to understand the colloquialisms.

I come back "home" - if you can call it that - expecting what I once knew, but it's different now. Not necessarily in a good way, but also not necessarily in a bad way. Just different. Time does that to things; it changes them. It's time to learn what to do with the change and how to react to it.

A Quote!

"You know what the trouble is, Brucey? We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy's pocket." - Frank Sobotka from The Wire. Season 2, Episode 11

So true.

The Tallest Man on Earth

Recently, I've gone to the grand old Amoeba Music in good ol' Hollywood. It's a great place.The place has everything - cassettes, LPs, vinyls, posters. They have everything you'd ever want in a music store. The employees are very, very knowledgeable about their music. It's the first time I've heard of requests over the store's speakers for "an expert in the White Stripes" or "someone who knows their LPs". If you're ever in the area, you should definitely drop by and pick up some stuff. It's bound to be an experience.

I hadn't gone to a music store recently, so I splurged a little on CDs. I decided to be daring and to get a couple CDs of artists that I had heard of, but never really took the time to listen. One of the albums I got was The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man On Earth. Although I wasn't really enjoying it on the first two listens, I am now able to see why people like his music. In fact, I would like to say I'm a convert.

One thing that he's very good at is conveying emotion. From the phrasing of his lyrics to the arrangement of the instruments, it is evident that his music is heartfelt and not the contrived emotions that are often heard on songs that fill the radio. In the darkest passages, you can hear the pain in his voice. Throughout the album, there are passages marked with joy, happiness, and laughter. Occasionally, his voice trails off into the distance, making the lyrics seem like an afterthought. Perhaps, these are a reflection of his emotions. At any rate, some may find that his voice is the most repelling feature, but it's the thing that attracts me the most to his music. With all that said, put his album on your record player for a whirl or two. Give a man and his guitar a chance.

Here's a video of a song that's not on The Wild Hunt, but is a song that I enjoyed a lot.

"With all this fever in my mind I should aim for your kerosene eyes
Oh, you're just a target in the sky
Where do my bluebirds fly?"