Tag: albums

Fred again.. – Actual Life

Last week I was introduced to Fred again.. with his NPR Music “Tiny Desk Concert”→ (on YouTube) from April 2023. I’ve watched that and listened to his 3 Actual Life albums and Boiler Room London DJ set repeatedly over the past days to collect my thoughts on this remarkable musician.

Working with a looper behind the desk, he staged an acoustic-electric rendition of some of his Actual Life songs. Playing marimba, upright piano, drumming on a table, tapping the pads of the Maschine sampler to cue voices singing, talking, spoken word poetry autotuned into melodies (all shown on a vertical screen in the background), and singing parts himself, he produced an intimate performance of his diary of lockdown and pandemic times.

Ending the show, “Faisal (envelops me)” culminated in a euphoric minimalistic crescendo of marimba strikes, a stark difference to the original song.

His ability to change up versions of his songs for so many mixes is awe-inspiring.

Thom Yorke – ANIMA

Thom Yorke’s rhythmical melodic soundscape ANIMA of 2019 is one of the albums that I keep coming back to. The electronic aesthetics match my taste exactly.

The song Dawn Chorus has such a warm keyboard sound/ synthesizer patch (reminds me of my synth story “20210425 chase”). The simple synth playing and monotonous singsong vocals confer so much expression. I first heard it in the short film ANIMA by Paul Thomas Anderson, where that song plays a prominent role in the story – the romantic choreography in the scene adds movement to the meaning.

20210425 chase from Synth stories by what lasts FAQ

A thousand tiny birds singing
If you must, you must

— Thom Yorke, Dawn Chorus

Terry Riley and minimalism

I’ve just come across the music of Terry Riley, specifically A Rainbow in Curved Air, for electric piano, dumbak, & tambourines from 1969. This bubbly minimalist piece inspired the famous sound of The Who song Baba O’Riley from 1971.

What I’ve heard by Terry Riley so far reminds me much of my experience of making loops in Endlesss. There are minimalist touches to many of my tracks, especially the earlier tunes in my Endlesss becoming playlist. But my song “20210122 throw” sounds surprisingly similar to the techniques used in those two songs.

20210122 throw from Endlesss becoming by what lasts FAQ

Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream

While listening to the Smashing Pumpkins album Siamese Dream, I remember the staticky tape recording I made of its release on Chicago college radio (the Bear) – “Mayonaise” was especially distorted in parts, in perfect tonal blend with the music. I still hear the extra fuzz in my mind every time that song plays.

M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

I listened to the M83 album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming completely (on headphones) for the first time that I can remember, although I’ve heard many of the songs before.

The album is rich and full of emotion. Note the song “Wait” with its acoustic guitar strumming and warm singing, synths and string crescendos. 

Some of the songs are short vignettes, many without lyrics. I looked up the lyrics to “Wait”; they’re very sparse but move you directly with the singer calling: “No time” – is there a chorus effect on the voice? Nearing the end the drums kick in, and it all comes together, the singer crying out in echoes, everything louder and fuller, until there’s peace.