New Music: Charles Spearin - The Happiness Project

February has been a very quiet blog month to me, mostly because I didn't have any internet for about 3 weeks, but here is a last little post squeezed in. I'll try to post a few more at least during March, I am starting a new job, but

Thanks to the greatness of my last.fm player I again heard a song called Mrs. Morris of Charles Spearin as part of The Happiness Project. To explain the concept easily Charles interviewed his neighbours about the topic of happiness and listened to the melodies they made as they talked and then made music of it. I think it's a genius idea. It would have been amazing to do a similar project to this in Norwegian because everybody that doesn't speak it say that Norwegian sound like we are singing and that we are always happy. Maybe something for the future. That Mrs. Morris is also a quite brilliant woman.

Video about the project and web site

Link to the album on Spotify

Friday Fun: Animals from BBC

This week's Friday Fun comes thanks to my darling boyfriend. He suddenly was doubled up with laughter in his chair and saying "You have to see this!" and so I did and soon found myself laughing so hard I was crying too. I found a few more episodes today and it's been a long time since I have laughed this hard. Basically it's a little series of clips with animals who have been voiced over by humans. Just hearing it described like that, I would have thought it was just stupid, but take a look. This is very well done, as everything BBC usually is. Have a nice weekend!

These are my three favourites, but there are tons more here.

Thoughts on music: Me and Radiohead

This is an answer I wrote in a discussion about Radiohead and it's music in a message board tonight, and I think it sums up a lot of what I think about Radiohead and also the new album in context, so I want to share it with you as well:

Hm.,,, Let's see... I don't think I have been clear enough in either my blog post or the last post here. I guess I am just not used to writing to people who (like me) have such detailed knowledge of Radiohead's music + I haven't really had the time (or now for that matter) to sit down and explain all the details in the relationship between me and Radiohead's music. That can literally take hours, I think :) First of all, I get the feeling that you think that I am one of those who only like the easy accessible things, though "I might be wrong". The songs I choose as examples was very random and the first ones that came to mind as I was writing. One of the things I like most about Radiohead is their diversity and that they have done pretty much everything from punk to very very strange experimental electronica via jazz... etc. People who master song writing to that scale is truly brilliant geniuses to me. (And don't forget Jonny, I am a huge fan of his and most of the time think that he is more brilliant that Thom when it comes to solo stuff, he's a 9,5 out of 10 while Thom is around 9 for me. The combination of the two of these brilliant minds and of course the others makes the magic for me. Anyhow, isn't arrangements a big part of song writing? to me it is at least, and easily the part I enjoy the most when I am writing music with my band. The thrill of finding the perfect bass line, the right rhythm combination between two guitars, the right use of cymbals on the drums. Not to mention the build up's. Radiohead are masters at that and one of the things I admire them most for. So far there has never been a dull moment in what they have made and they have such an amazing ability to do the right things at the right time, take the bass out for two bars here and put in a squeak there. I am grinning as I am writing. Clearly the most inspirational music for my own work. And I don't only mean in the more poppy or main-streem songs if you wish... Now I am scared of coming with examples, because I love all the songs for different reasons and it would, as I said, take years to explain why.
When it comes to rhythmical interplay, I must disagree, even though I haven't heard all the details yet. There are far more exciting things on other songs, like for instance Pyramid song (of the top of my head).There might be more exciting bass lines on TKOL though...But the drums are fairly boring, and stay the same all through the songs, though very groovy :)
I never said Ok Computer did strike me right away, it took me some time to like that one too. And I think 98% of everything they have done from PH to IR has that grace feeling and brilliance. TKOL might get there, but I have a feeling it will take me way shorter time to decipher and figure out, and than a lot of the thrill is gone for me. Hm... But... Again.. I love different Radiohead songs for different reasons. I love Pop is Dead for it's brilliant gitar solo and "devil-may-care" attitude and "2+2=5 for all it's different parts, and "Sail to the moon" for the lovely feeling of being in the middle of the night and the amazing presence that has, I love Kid A(Kid A) for the beautiful spider web of sounds and well calculated beeps and squeaks. Did I make myself clearer? :) I am a tiny bit enthusiastic about this topic. And sorry for being off topic to this thread!

New Music: The King of Limbs - Radiohead

Every time there is a new Radiohead album this happens to me, I know that it's coming and I am not looking forward to it.

It's been like this since Kid A, I think. The first 4-15 times I listen to the album I don't really like it. I kind of hate it to be honest.

And this comes from a woman who has Radiohead's music in her heart-blood and brain core.

And I know that after a while the pieces of the puzzles will fall into their place and I will start to love them all like little babies, one after the other. I love the fact that it's music that I can dig into for years and still find new stuff, but at the same time it's a horrible process to get that far. This time I am also more scared that I have been in years.

To be very honest, I wonder what Ed O'Brien has been doing through most of the recording of this album. As a first listen a lot of the songs sounded like they could come from a Thom Yorke solo album.
I miss the layers upon layers of guitars, guitars in general and Mr. J. Greenwood's influence of the music. And I missed the brilliant arrangements and the excitement of different parts (On songs like Arpeggi, 2+2=5, All I need etc ). It all turned me quite sad.

Thankfully it is now slowly getting better. I am starting to see snippets of things I love here and there... Hear details that I know comes from them all, or I at least believe so.
I am starting to get used to the idea of an Radiohead album that is this stripped down. It took me some time. It also helped a lot to imagine the songs being played live in my head. That adds a energy that I think is somewhat lacking.

Pieces of brilliance that I have found so far includes: Codex in general, except a bit of a boring piano riff, the amazing first long tone that Thom sings, it's almost like Liam Gallagher on his best, there is some kind of double depth to the voice. Last night that song made me get chills for the first time, that must be a good sign.

I love that there are guitars coming in on Separator just when the song is starting to become so boring that I almost want to turn it off. That's a tiny piece heaven right there.

I love the middle section of Bloom in opposition to the rest of the song. I can hear a lot of Greenwood solo stuff there somehow. And I love Thom Yorke, but I want them both.
In general there is a lot of lovely groovy drums and bass playing, but it could have been even more exciting and in different time figures and stuff. Hm. But I am getting there.

Starting to love the guitars and rhythms on MorningMrMagpie also now. hm...
And I have loved LittleByLittle since the start.


Darn it. I am loving more and more of this. I think I am getting there again. It seamed impossible 24 hours ago. Sigh :)

And I really want to hear an interview with them now.

Are you now thinking. Radiohead? New album? where and what? You can click here