Putting I Between Art And Facts
This demo recording of Stevie Nicks playing Rhiannon (also known as the Birds Rising Demo) is spectacular. The sweet voice mixed with the powerful piano playing is a joy. Open you ears to the music, your heart to the feels, and you’ll understand the magic that is Stevie.
This weekend I downloaded this new, and free, children’s album For Kids By Kids: Songs From Iowa Rock City from the Iowa City Public Library. The entire family enjoyed listening to it.
For Kids and By Kids mixes moods and musical styles—from roots music, for which Iowa City is known, to punk, polka, folk, hip-hop, and synth-pop. It not only crosses musical genres, but also generations … Dozens of youths appear on For Kids and By Kids, and we hope that the many more who hear this album will be inspired to pick up an instrument, form their own bands, or do something else creative.
All of the songs are original, spanning all types of genres and moods. The lyrics are not condescending, gratingly repetitive, or infantile. I’m sure we’ll be breaking this one out for listens all summer.
In light of the recent events in Ferguson, Lauryn Hill released her powerful song “Black Rage” on SoundCloud last week. She has been performing the song live for years now but it is only recently that she has released a recording of the song. Lauren Hill describes the emotional song as an old sketch that was recorded in her living room (you can hear the voices of children in the background).
Modeled after “My Favorite Things” with with lyrics that cut deep, the piece bring to the forefront not just of the depth of Ferguson’s injustice, but its context. The lyrics can be found below.
BLACK RAGE is founded on two-thirds a person
Rapings and beatings and suffering that worsens,
Black human packages tied up in strings,
BLACK RAGE can come from all these kinds of things.
BLACK RAGE is founded on blatant denial
Squeezed economics, subsistence survival,
Deafening silence and social control.
BLACK RAGE is founded on wounds in the soul!
When the dogs bite
when the beatings
When I‘m feeling sad,
I simply remember all these kinds of things and then I don’t fear so bad!
BLACK RAGE is founded: who fed us self hatred,
Lies and abuse while we waited and waited?
Spiritual treason, this grid and its cages,
BLACK RAGE is founded on these kinds of things.
BLACK RAGE is founded on draining and draining,
Threatening your freedom to stop your complaining.
Poisoning your water while they say it’s raining,
Then call you mad for complaining, complaining.
Old time bureaucracy drugging the youth.
BLACK RAGE is founded on blocking the truth!
Murder and crime, compromise and distortion,
Sacrifice, sacriï¬ce who makes this fortune?
Greed, falsely called progress.
Such Human contortion.
BLACK RAGE is founded on these kinds of things.
So when the dogs bite
And when the ceilings
And when I’m feeling mad.
I simply remember all these kinds of things and then I don’t fear so bad!
Free enterprise, is it myth or illusion?
Forcing you back into purposed confusion.
Black human trafficking or blood transfusion?
BLACK RAGE is founded on these kinds of things.
Victims of violence both psyche and body
Life out of context IS living unGodly.
Politics. politics
Greed falsely called wealth
BLACK RAGE is founded on denial of self!
Black human packages tied in subsistence
Having to justify very existence
Try if you must but you can’t have my soul
BLACK RAGE is made by unGodly control!
So when the dogs bite
When the beatings
And when I‘m feeling sad,
I simply remember all these kinds of things and then I don’t fear so bad!
by hubs 2 Comments
If you take Dolly Parton’s song about temptation and slow it down to 33.3 RPM it sounds a lot like Bruce Springsteen. Dolly Parton – Jolene Slowed 33 RPM
If you take Bruce Springsteen’s song about temptation and speed it up to 45 RPM it sounds a whole lot like Dolly Parton. Bruce Springsteen – I’m on Fire 45 RPM
There has to be some sort of secret meaning here but I haven’t been able to figure out yet.
A matryomin is an unusual instrument. It’s a cross between a miniature, pitch-only, theremin and a matryoshka doll (a Russian nesting doll). The instrument has a cult following in Japan.
This video shows a matryomin ensemble called “Da” at the auditorium of Jiyugakuen Myonichikan in Tokyo on 22 Jan. 2011. The ensemble consisted of 167 musicians playing Amazing Grace. It sounds wonderful – in a strangely creepy sort of way.
Recently the ensemble group Da broke a world record for the “Largest Matryomin Ensemble” by gathering over 277 musicians in concert.
via youtube
Here is a link to the mp3 if you want it: Amazing Grace by Da
by hubs 3 Comments
My buddy Howard has posted version 1.9 of his “For the Love of Our Robot Overlords Mix” over at his blog. It a great mix of songs all about robots. The heart of the mix is a suite of songs about female lovebots, but collection also includes themes such as Man Becomes Robot and Robot As Pet. Give it a Listen and check out the track list below. Then go grab your copy before the robots take over or they’ll vaporize you with their heat ray.
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