Theindieartist.com is up.

I am very pleased to publicly announce that theindieartist.com is now live. While everything isn't quite up and running yet, (particularly the forum) hopefully I will have everything going soon.


I have noticed many glitches, bugs, etc. since I uploaded the site for the first time. If you happen to have noticed anything like this, or typos, or anything like that, I would love if you left me a comment here to tell me. I will correct it asap if you do. :)


Oh, and listen to "Winter is Coming" by Radical Face. It is pretty cool.

Anathallo.

I found Anathallo on last.fm. Initially I was drawn in to their music because of their instrumentation, but I almost overlooked the band. I first heard "The River." I wrote the song name down, but I didn't come back to it until much later.


Anathallo is in an interesting band, not just because of their consistent instrumental role switching, nor their bizarrely metered songs. It is also because of how far the band has actually come.


Listening to the band's older work, you'll hear what could be considered borderline progressive metal... Or some sort of heavy ska punk.


Now however, the band has completely transmutated into some particular hybrid of indie-rock.


With Anathallo you'll hear plenty of brass, guitar, drums, piano and vocals. Many members of the band may sing, shout, or scream at various parts in any song, and it adds a nice character to each piece, especially since it is done so tastefully.


Italo stands out to me for some reason. I really like the melodies, and the feel of the meter throughout the song. Enjoy!

Finishing School, and Pallett's Gear.

Tomorrow is my last day of school for the year. I have been busy wrapping things up and playing shows, so I haven't been able to post lately. Honestly, I should be practicing for a show that I have to tomorrow, but I thought I'd take the time to make a quick post.


I was on an Owen Pallett fan site, (alpentine.com) when I came across a link to a post that Pallett made on his site.


In the post, he lists his gear recommendations, as well as what he typical uses, what he has used in the past, and a little bit about what he wishes he used.


I have been wondering for quite a while about what pedals he actually uses, and I'm glad that I finally found out.


Here is the link: Owen Pallett's Gear

Amiina.

Sigur Rós is a great band. They have beautifully arranged music, a large fan base, and several fantastic albums. However, many people don't realize that the strings, brass, etc. so often featured in Sigur Rós songs are actually produced by a band that goes by Amiina.


Amiina, to no surprise, are also Icelandic based. The band once consisted of four females, but as of their latest album, Puzzle, the band has become a co-ed sextet.


To me, the instrumentation of Amiina is what makes them really interesting. One track will be performed solely on electronic instruments, then the next will be intricately displayed in an acoustic setting with musical saws, crystal glasses, and violins. The band pulls this off live by utilizing looping technology to completely layer their compositions.


Amiina currently have two albums, Puzzle, and Kurr, as well as numerous EPs. A majority of the tracks on every Amiina release are completely instrumental, but I have to admit that when there are vocals, I thoroughly enjoy them. I actually wish there was a little bit more singing.


My YouTube recommendation this time is, "What are we Waiting for" I quite enjoy it, and I hope you find the listening experience pleasurable as well.

An Old Paper.

I wrote a paper to my English teacher at the end of the first half of my senior year. The paper was not assigned, but I wanted to reflect upon the knowledge I had gained during the semester. I decided to share it to express some of my opinions here. It doesn't completely relate to music, but music is a partial topic, and I use it as a basis of comparison between other things. There is some ranting, some personal information, and parts that won't make sense out of context, but I don't mind sharing:

Indie Music, Sushi, and Character Development:

Three things I never thought related until I took English V H.

Music is always my point of assertion. It is a subject I have devoted a lot of thought to, and something that I feel is a great example in addressing society, the appreciation of art, and the lessons we should all learn. To suit my yearning, I will take that stance one last time.

Kiss 95.1 was once among my short but instantly depressing list of favorite radio stations. However, I chanced upon a band by the name of Red Hot Chili Peppers. on day It was then that they graced me with their beautiful 28 track album, Stadium Arcadium. Like many an iPod user, my first listen offered little more to my ears than that of indifference. This was tied to a strand of disappointment that just couldn't quite comprehend how so many songs could sound exactly the same. Some tracks were just more boring than others, nothing more could be taken from it. But then that's where I can begin to get to my main point, I suppose. I hadn't yet acquired a taste for it. I hadn't developed a full understanding for what made the music good.

As it so conveniently turns out, every track on that album went on to mean something to me. There came a point in time where virtually every song gave me an intense feeling where I wanted to blast the song in headphones in an awkwardly loud fashion, causing the person next to me on the bus to quietly dig out their own iPod to drown out the "weird" music with the latest top 40's songs they had just bought on iTunes. You know. The same songs that stayed on so many iPods for years afterwards growing stale and going untouched until more space was needed. Then of course, all of the lame dated stuff had to get cut. But who could blame the listener? Those songs get annoying after hearing them a million times! Or, actually, they start like that. Anyway, those Chili Pepper days breed quite a nostalgic feeling now. The band marked the very beginning of my transition into better music.

A few years later a friend of mine, Luke Jeffrey, showed me a band called Sigur Rós. They are an ambient band that rely on strings, minimalism, and vocals as a lyric-less instrument to make their music. If metal were ever to have an opposite, perhaps Sigur Rós could claim that title. But that doesn't make it bad. I like a little bit of metal and Icelandic music! Years ago I would have despised it. "How boring! How bland! These lyrics aren't even in English!" a young and naive Hayden might say. But by the time I first heard them, I knew better.

One time I offered my friend, Jessie Rogers, a piece of sushi. She had never had any before. It was a nice tender piece of salmon. Luscious and pink. What a piece of art it was, so delicately perched atop a small cloud of white rice. She took a bite. The first thing she said was that it was rather bland. It didn't have much flavor to her, and she considered it boring. What could i possibly see in it? I suppose I thought the same thing too at some point, about some other piece of sushi in a time now lost. These pieces of sushi... their stories run parallel. They served the same purpose, and they offered a more appreciative lifestyle. For myself, and for her, after the third time eating sushi, we found ourselves craving it. Once again I found myself in the situation I seem to love getting into. I was now loving something I previously found boring. 

The character development novel is a beautiful thing. A wise Mr. Kivett once said, "If you want to write a best seller, write a plot driven novel. If you want to write a classic, write a character development novel." Let me just say that I couldn't agree more. Since then, a few things have come to my attention. If you want to make it on the billboards, write a pop song. If you want to write a timeless piece of music, write a song with no popularity in mind. If you want to make billions, invent McDonald's. If you want to sell great food, just enjoy cooking. Sell sushi. Sell edible art.

That's one of the main things I realized on my English V Honors adventure. Sure, I came out with a broken arm, a black eye, no legs, several missing digits, bruises, a chronic headache, and a bent spine from the burden of a monstrous book filled with excerpts of novels that I question if any English class has actually ventured to read. But after it all, I really began to appreciate the classic novel, and the art of a good writing style. I can honestly say that I throughly enjoyed the reading I did in the class. For once in my life I can say I want to read. I like to read, and I will continue to read for pleasure and for knowledge for the rest of my life.

Finally I'd just like to conclude by pointing out that I've learned more about what it means to express my personal beliefs, and about what it means to have a teacher who wants me to learn. I don't mean just about grammar. Or getting A's. English V Honors is about actually saying something with words. Not just saying words. It is about the art of a novel. It is about the emotion in the novel. The moods. The tone. The hidden themes. To me, it was also about freeing the English language from pop culture, and not what it means to explore the stuff behind the scenes. You don't need such a defined plot to have a great story. 

So I suppose this is my long winded thank you to you. I would probably do it in person, but as you might have gathered, I'm rather introverted, quiet, and not well spoken when I feel "on the spot." You asked me to stay in touch, and that's my plan. Though I admit, if I make visits, they'll probably be rather awkward. It's just my style. Thanks again for going beyond the expectations of a teacher. It means a lot to students like myself when that happens.

The voice of Joanna Newsom.

Joanna Newsom is disliked by many, and praised as an excellent composer by many others. I found out about Joanna Newsom through an Owen Pallett cover, "Peach, Plum, Pear."

I really liked Owen Pallett's version, so I decided to look up the original. I was completely shocked and surprised by what I heard. I found the music in the background to be rather boring, and of course, I disliked the vocals.

Months passed, and I read a review of Ys, Newsom's second album. The review absolutely praised her music, so I decided to give it one last try. I was absolutely right for doing so; her vocals were still very bizarre, and hard for me to grasp, but the music was very nicely arranged. Hearing a harp as the defining instrument was also a nice change.

To those of you who have been repulsed by her voice or otherwise, I do recommend giving her a chance. In fact, there is good news for those of you who feel that way. Newsom had some issues with her vocal chords fairly recently which actually caused her voice to mellow out noticeably. I will leave you to explore her newest album, Have One On Me, for yourself. (It has three discs!)

Here is a track from Ys that I really enjoy:

Final Fantasy and Mario.

I was looking up Owen Pallett songs (formerly known as Final Fantasy) on YouTube last Saturday. I came across the audio of "Hey, Dad." As I was listening, I read some of the comments users had submitted on the video, and I found out something interesting.

Notice anything?

 

I didn't, because I have never played the game. The intro to this song is actually a song from Super Mario Bros. 3 called "Coin Heaven."

How about this one?

The entire verse is actually another Marion cover. It's a song called "Star Maze" from Super Mario Land 6 Golden Coins:

Interesting choices of covers, but nothing surprising from Owen Pallett. He has made it quite clear that he is an avid gamer.

If you enjoyed either one of those songs, and don't know much about Owen Pallett, I recommend listening to the songs "Lewis Takes Action" and "The Butcher" to get you started.