So, And Thus...

2010 - The Year in Music

2010 was really a great year for music. It seems that everyone was on their game... well, almost everyone (As Madonna would say, "you'll see").

Again, I have my friends and the "internets" to thank for exposing me to some hidden gems. There's only so much you can discover on your own.

Attention all bloggers: Keep up the great work!

My Top 10 Albums for 2010

1. Goldfrapp - Head First
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     "Head First" (Goldfrapp)

   • They top my list... again! Solid melodies and fun arrangements on this 80's flavored album. I love how this group isn't afraid to change it's sound. These songs will stick in your head.
2. Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite
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     "Aphrodite" (Kylie Minogue)

   • Great dance record. Kylie doing what Kylie does best. Executive producer Stuart Price was a great choice.
3. Deluka - You Are The Night
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     "You Are The Night" (Deluka)

   • Dance +  rock +  punk = all fun! Solid songs. I swear I can I hear Deborah Harry in her voice.
4. Pipettes - Earth vs. The Pipettes
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     "Earth Vs the Pipettes" (Pipettes)

   • Fun , fun, fun, fun, fun! There are hints of the 60's sounds used on the first album, but this one takes on an 80s feel, possibly because of producer Martin Rushent (who produced Human League). The trio of original members are all gone, but the duo, sisters Gwenno and Ani Saunders, are perfect for the groups new direction. Think of Bananarama with more pizzaz!
5. Marina and the Diamonds - The Family Jewels
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     "The Family Jewels" (Marina And The Diamonds)

   • Love how creative she is. Lot of character to her voice. Could she be the daughter of Lene Lovich?!
6. Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now
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              "All You Need Is Now" (Duran Duran)
       
   
   • This album just came out, but it made such an impact on me. Glad to hear them go back to their roots. Mark Ronson did a great job producing the album with the group.
     
   
   
7. School of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire
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     "Disconnect From Desire (Dig)" (School of Seven Bells)

   • Another group with sisters (Claudia and Alejandra Deheza)! Album feels like it could have been from late 80s, early 90s. Reminds me of groups like the Cocteau Twins and Voice of the Beehive. I really miss this type of music. This album probably should be higher on my list, but I though it would be appropriate to keep it at number 7.
8. Seal - Seal 6: Commitment
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     "6: Commitment" (Seal)

   • Seal returns to his Art-Pop sound on this one, though there is a lot on this album suited for adult contemporary audiences. David Foster Captures the essence of Seal's early sound, stretching more than I've every heard him in the past. Foster's production might not be as adventurous as Trevor Horns' production, but it's clean and it works.
9. Tracey Thorn - Love And Its Opposite
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     "Love & Its Opposite" (Tracey Thorn)

   • More of an acoustic setting compared to her last album. Much of this album reminds me of Everything But The Girl in the late 80s, which could never be wrong.
10. HURTS - Happiness
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      "Happiness" (Hurts)

    • Love the mood of this album. It's grand and cold, like a landscape of ice.

 

Honorable Mentions:

• The Bird and the Bee - Interpreting The Maters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates
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    "Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall & John Oates" (The Bird and the Bee)

• Dragonette - Mixin' to Thrill
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    "Mixin' To Thrill" (Dragonette)
    
    
• Fibes, Oh Fibes! - 1987
  
  • (ok, I know this came out last year, but I discovered it this year)

    "1987" (Fibes Oh Fibes)

• Gabriella Cilmi - Ten
  
  • 

    "Ten (Incl. Bonus Track)" (Gabriella Cilmi)

• Katie Melua - The House
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    "The House" (Katie Melua)

• Robyn - Body Talk Pt. x
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    "Body Talk" (Robyn)

• Scissor Sisters - Night Work
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    "Night Work" (Scissor Sisters)

• Shelby Lynne - Tears, Lies & Alibis
  
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    "Tears, Lies, And Alibis" (Shelby Lynne)

• Shena - 2079
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    "2079" (Shena)

Moments this year:

• Alexis Jordan - Happiness (Dave Aude Mix)
• Chris Sorbello - So Lonely
• Deluka - Cascade
• Donna Summer - To Paris With Love
• Dragonette - Easy (Buffetliber Mix)
• Dragonette - Our Summer
• Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now
• Gabriella Cilmi - Hearts Don't Lie
• Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission
• Goldfrapp - Alive
• Goldfrapp - Rocket
• HURTS - Wonderful Life (Freemasons Mix)
• Incognito (featuring Chaka Khan & Mario Biondi) - Lowdown
• Katie Melua - The Flood
• Kelly Rowland - Commander
• Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers
• Kylie Minogue - Get Outta My Way
• Marina and the Diamonds - Oh No!
• Marina and the Diamonds - Shampain
• Mark Ronson - Bang Bang Bang
• Mary J. Blige - Whole Lotta Love
• Matt Alber - End of the World (Morgan Page Pop Mix)
• The Pipettes - Call Me
• Robbie Williams - Starstruck
• Robyn - Daning On My Own
• Scissor Sisters - Invisible Light
• Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Bittersweet

 

Biggest Disappointments:

• Sade - Soldier of Love
  • I was SO disappointed with this album. There was nothing memorable for me. Nothing matched even the poorest of songs from their previous albums. Yes, the album is safe to put on a background music, but it doesn't hold any interest for those who want to listen intently.
• Sia - We Are Born
  • There are moments on this album that are great (Like her version of "Oh Father" and the upbeat "You've Changed"), but the rest of the album just didn't hit me.. and I really tried to like it.

The 2010 Holiday Video Card

Koala Holiday 2010

 

Hope you enjoy it.

Did you know...

• These is no "video" for 2009 since I was majorly stressed.
• Ein Oso makes cameo appearances in this video.
• La Magnifica makes a cameo appearance in this video.
• Koala works so hard on these projects that sometimes he doesn't eat.
• I've discovered that there aren't a lot of fun Christmas songs out there.
• No koalas were harming durning the making of this video.

New Song-writing Reality Show

Looks like Bravo has a new show with former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi:

AP News | Star-Exponent

"Going Platinum" will be a song-writing competition that pits contestants against one another as they live together, all vying for a $100,000 grand prize.

DioGuardi will be head judge of the 10-episode series. Singer-songwriter Jewel will serve as host.

Can someone write some new teeth for Jewel?

No More Walkman

I didn't even know there were still making these things:

Goodbye Walkman, thanks for the iPod | Apple - CNET News

Sony has announced it will retire the Walkman tape player in Japan, marking the sad end of one of the most successful consumer gadgets of all time.

I had quite a few Walkmans (Walkmen?) when I was growing up. My favorite was my splash-proof yellow one, complete with hand grip! People now take it for granted that you can access a ton of your music whenever you want, but back then, it was such a great new concept.

My Walkman really helped me through my parent's divorce. I wanted to be alone and walking was how I spent most of my time. I walked so much during that time and remember two albums in particular that helped me through a tough time: Steve Perry's "Street Talk" and Prince's "Purple Rain".

Melissa Etheridge Separates From Partner

Life Happens.

AP News | Culpeper Star-Exponent

Rocker Melissa Etheridge and her partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels Etheridge, have announced their separation. In a statement Thursday, they asked for "consideration and respect for our family as we go through this difficult period."

It's sad to hear when couples separate. Of course, it could be the best thing for both of them, but that isn't the first thing most of us think about when we hear "separation". Maybe I romanticize relationships too much and think that every relationship starts with the hope that it will be "the one".

Part of me wishes gay couples in the public eye wouldn't have any problems and would stay together forever. I want to show non-supporters that we can make it through anything. But I know that gay relationships no different than straight relationships, and that means anything and everything can happen.

Good luck, girls.

Ohm Studio - Online Music Collaboration

This looks like a great way to collaborate with other musicians.

Ohm Force unveils Ohm Studio - Real Time Collaborative Music Software - MacMusic

Ohm Force is announcing the first real collaborative music workstation in the history of music production: the Ohm Studio — a project with which they aspire to redefine the meaning of online music collaboration.

We're talking about real time collaborative MIDI/audio editing, envelopes, a piano roll, audio effects, and virtual instruments: the very same tools we computer based musicians already enjoy, but that you'll now be able to use with your friends, online.

This is basically a portal for an online community. You will be able to post a profile and search for other musicians.

Right now, Ohm Studio looks like it can only handle midi information and effects. I hope they would develop a way to get audio into the system to open up collaboration with vocalists and instrumentalists.

It would be nice to see other music production companies work on collaboration tools like this.

Goldfrapp - Head First

Leave it to Goldfrapp for bringing me back to my blog.

"Head First" (Goldfrapp)

This week, Goldfrapp released "Head First", their 5th studio album. As with their other albums, Goldfrapp shows they are unafraid to take chances by changing styles.

It's apparent from the very first listen that the duo was having a lot of fun making this album. If you're looking for an "up" album, this is the one. Each song is so memorable and melodic, I bet you'll be singing a chorus or two in your head while you're trying to go sleep at night (yes, and it drove me crazy). Needless to say, I've been playing it like crazy.

As far as the songwriting goes, Goldfrapp basically kept to their style. What sets this set apart from previous releases is the 80s production. Not only did they master the feel of the era, but they improved it. I'm not sure if Goldfrapp meant to be obvious, but I can definitely hear specific 80s songs use as influences. In fact, this could almost be seen as a remake album. Sorta.

So the next time you take a listen to "Head FIrst", think about these songs and how they might have influenced the duo:

• Rocket - Van Halen "Jump"? or perhaps a Pointer Sisters' song?
• Believer - "Young Turks" by Rod Stuart. Even the chorus borrows from the synth hook at the start of Rod's song.
• Alive - Mixes two songs by Billy Joel, "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me" (rhythmic patter of melody in verse) and "My Life".
• Dreaming - ok, I can't come up with one for this. Maybe Book Of Love?. If you can think of a song this one sounds like, post the title.
• Head FIrst - ABBA all over the place!
• Hunt - Mixes Art of Noise "Moments In Love" with Eurythmics "Who's That Girl".
• Shiny And Warm - Prince "Let's Pretend We're Married". Bass line and even the claps are there.
• I Wanna Life - Mixes Taylor Dayne "Don't Rush Me" and Corey Hart "Sunglasses At Night".
• Voicething - um... um... um... um... not sure.

Music - The Science Of Why We Like It

Just why do we like music? Can it be easily explained?

The science of music fascinates me. Ever since I was told that I have perfect pitch, I wanted to understand why each of us hears things differently. I wanted to know if tone deaf people enjoyed music the same way I did. I wanted to know why some people were tone deaf and what were my best options for keeping them away from me during a sing-along. I wanted to know how experience with music changes our taste in it.

According to this Abstract on ScienceDirect, when we're listening to music, our brain is predicting where the melody is going to go.

From Musical Predictions by Jonah Lehrer (via Andrew Sullivan):

The paper consists of a computational model and and an experiment. The model essentially demonstrated that statistical predictions based on our personal listening experience - because I listen to Bruce Springsteen, I'm able to predict the melodies of John Mellencamp - was much better at simulating the mind than a rule-based model, in which our expectations are fixed and inflexible.

Basically, since almost all music has been based on a traditional Western tuning since the 1600s, we've gotten quite used to it. We know how melodies usually go in terms of phrasing and structure. If you think about it, there are a finite number of melodies that we can create since we limited to 12 notes (traditionally speaking). Melodies are bound to repeat themselves. Sounds depressing, does it?

The experiment was more compelling. The scientists measured the brain waves of a twenty subjects while they listened to various hymns. It turned out that unexpected notes - pitches that violated the previous melodic pattern - triggered an interesting sequence of neural events and a spike in brain activity.

More than just a violation in a melodic patter, I believe when the function of a note (in a certain key) changes,  a spike in brain activity would occur. Leaning notes or passing notes would be examples of a change in a melodic pattern. But a change in harmony while keeping the melody pattern the same would then change where the note would fall in the implied new key. Jobim's "One Note Samba" is a good example of this.

There are two interesting takeaways from this experiment. The first is that music hijacks some very fundamental neural mechanisms. The brain is designed to learn by association: if this, then that. Music works by subtly toying with our expected associations, enticing us to make predictions about what note will come next, and then confronting us with our prediction errors. In other words, every melody manipulates the same essential mechanisms we use to make sense of reality.

So somehow, through our exposure to music, we've learned that there are patterns to melody. We subconsciously know were melodies are supposed to go. Does hearing what we anticipate gives us a sense of satisfaction?

The second takeaway is that music requires surprise, the dissonance of "low-probability notes". While most people think about music in terms of aesthetic beauty - we like pretty consonant pitches arranged in pretty patterns - that's exactly backwards. The point of the prettiness is to set up the surprise, to frame the deviance. (That's why the unexpected pitches triggered the most brain activity, synchronizing the activity of brain regions involved in motor movement and emotion.)

Ah! It's the surprise that we like! I would like to add that finding the melodic "home" after a deviance does bring about that sense of satisfaction. Just the other day, I was talking to my hubby about something similar to this. I told him how much I enjoyed dissonance in music and how it was necessary in order feel a sense of resolution.

Can we enjoy music if we are not stimulated? Sure. Even I like some Bananarama every once in a while. But constantly listening to music that doesn't deviate from a diatonic scale would start to bore me quickly. To me, there are different ways to listen to music, some ways are more active than others. I believe musicians and listeners who innately understand music function and structure tend to be more active in their music listening even when they are not aware of it.

And just who supplies my brain activity fix? Classically, it's Debussy and Poulenc. In popular music, to name a few, it's Basia, The Bird and the Bee, Brenda Russel, Carly Simon, Goldfrapp, k.d. lang, Kate Bush, Seal, Swing Out Sister, Vanessa Daou, Wendy & Lisa... (I know, I said a few. Sorry! There are so many more I want to mention...)

In terms of popular music, I guess my years of music training have jaded me a little. For my "active" listening, I've become an "album track" guy. I gravitate towards the songs that the A&R guys don't release. I appreciate a good verse more than a predictable chorus. I enjoy the suspension of a bridge (pun intended!) before it settles into something familiar. And most of all, I savor a great middle section that takes a grand departure!

New Bird and the Bee - Hall and Oates Tribute Album

Caught this on Twitter from @MrSteveAnderson and found info on this blog:

This Is My Happening: The Bird and the Bee Salute Hall and Oates

Regarding the upcoming Hall and Oates tribute album, band members are squelching rumors of hipster tongues implanted in cheeks. Greg Kurstin said, "There’s definitely no irony. They’re great songwriters and these are great songs.” and Inara George adds, “It was exciting to discover what an amazing singer Daryl Hall is.”

The upcoming tribute album, Guiltless Pleasures Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates will be released on Blue Note Records March 23.






Guiltless Pleasures Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates track list:

1. Heard It On The Radio
2. I Can’t Go For That
3. Rich Girl
4. Sarah Smile
5. Kiss On My List
6. Maneater
7. She’s Gone
8. Private Eyes
9. One on One

Does Greg Kurstin ever take a break?! I'm glad he doesn't, 'cause I enjoy his work immensely. The Bird and the Bee had done quite a few excellent covers over the years. Take a listen to the Rihanna cover "Please Don't Stop The Music" and the Bee Gees cover "How Deep Is Your Love" to get an idea. This is going to be great!

Chick-less?

New music from the two sisters in the Dixie Chicks.

AP News | Culpeper Star-Exponent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Two members of the Dixie Chicks - minus lead singer Natalie Maines - are preparing to release a new album this year.

According to CMT.com, sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison are working on a project to be released on Columbia Records.

However, Lloyd Maines, Natalie's father, tells CMT.com that the three girls are "definitely still an entity." He says the sisters are "cutting some demos" and that Natalie recorded "a little something with them" about a year ago

I want to know where they'll start working on the next Dixie Chicks album.