Formed in Belgium in 1978, at a time when guitar-driven metal and punk thrived, Telex wanted to do something different. Thirty-three years later, it’s still different. I’m not posting this because I like it; I’m posting this because I’m intrigued by it and scared of it… even though it’s weak, French synth-pop. Check out this Bill Haley cover to learn both their style and their humor.
GG
Four classically-trained cellists who play heavy metal. OK, that bears repeating… FOUR CLASSICALLY-TRAINED CELLISTS WHO PLAY HEAVY METAL!!! They’re from Finland, they’ve covered Metallica, Pantera and Faith No More, and they’re simply amazing. They’re Apocalyptica. They have over 15 albums, with plenty of (awesome) original material, but their abilities shine in their covers… I really hope you love Metallica as much as you should, because you will recognize the sheer talent required for this:
Even if you don’t love Metallica, know that this is a Metallica song played on four cellos: one for vocals, one for bass, one for guitar and one for drums. Enjoy!
I’m a huge fan of electronica music, and alongside several other critics, I believe the future of music lies in the electronic realm. Like books and newspapers will be phased out, so will traditional guitars and drumsets.
However, starting in the late 1940s, pioneers such as Pierre Schaeffer and (my boy) Iannis Xenakis experimented with emerging technologies and wrote pieces using magnetic tape, phonographs, and tape recorders to record naturally occurring sounds, a now well-known and expanded genre called musique concrète.
Schaeffer is credited as a pioneer, and is essentially the granddaddy of electronica. However, Xenakis’ works are far more intriguing. For instance, listen to THIS.
During the late 1940s, architect and experimental composer Iannis Xenakis could find no one to accept and help him with his work. Fatefully, in 1954, Xenakis was accepted into the Groupe de Recherches de Musique Concrète, an organization co-founded by Schaeffer, dedicated to studying and producing electronic music of the concrete music variety. Orient Occident, (see link above), is a gorgeous example of Xenakis’ electronic work, but his orchestral compositions, once finally brought to fruition, are off the f*cking wall. So, I want you to watch and listen to the video below. It’s a Xenakis original from the mid-1950s. Peep the experimental classical.
ISMFOF’s sound – shall we call it Electronica-influenced Screamo-core? Post-hardcore meets Club Pop? I can’t classify it, so I love it. I won’t say how I got the cd, but I’m sure glad I stole it!
There are two main guys in the band, and a third guy drums for them when the drumming isn’t programmed. They started with a cover of “Crank That” on MySpace, got over a million views, and ended up on Epitaph Records. Fu<k yeah!
Acquire the music. The CD is (I think) named for a t-shirt on t-shirthell dot com. It’s called YOU CAN’T SPELL SLAUGHTER WITHOUT LAUGHTER.
Best songs = all of them. Read the reviews in the History section on Wikipedia. Sorry for not posting in forever. I make music myself and I’m in school and I work part-time. Peacem Outskeez!
What a friggin’ talented group this is. Straight from Australia, this metalcore band really knows how to rock. Listen. Love. Word up.
The Cinematic Orchestra combines jazz and electronica, and they do it so well that they can’t really be labeled. They employ saxophone, piano, drums, guitar, and double bass, along with synth and turntablism, and are characterized by a soft, chillout-jazz sound. Their music has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and the TV series Friday Night Lights, and they have also played at the Director’s Guild Awards, performing when Kubrick won a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
More recently, and especially on their latest release, Ma Fleur, they have begun using vocals. By clicking here, and listening to the track Channel 1 Suite, you can hear their more recent approach. For a taste of old, more electronic TCO, play this video and listen to the song… there is no video, but this is what I could find. This song is called “Burn Out,” and it’s off their 2002 Release, Every Day. Listen:
GG
They’re labeled as prog-rock, but they’re more like psychadelic screamo, and they are unafraid to dabble in electronica… their first album has four musical acts, with interludes between all of them, and the interludes are all electronica. Mainly though, they play highly technical, fast-paced prog-rock, utilizing two singers who can each both sing and scream. The first time I heard TSOAF, I called my friend Matt so I could show it to him, and he likes them now. He doesn’t like emo, and neither do I. He doesn’t like metal, and I do, but the point is that TSOAF are maginificently creative, and very very very fun to listen to. SO LISTEN!
Click here to play “Act II – All is Ash or the Light Shining Through it”
GG
Rjyan Kidwell, otherwise known as Cex, is an experimental artist who incorporates IDM, glitch and trip-hop. Please read more about him here, and then listen to the song “Not Trying” after you click here. More recently, Cex has begun to experiment with his singing voice. Check out this video for “Kill Me,” his latest track:
GG
Another band hard to label, Gatsby’s American Dream mixes pop, punk and emo with post-hardcore and alternative, to create intelligent emo-core. Their 2003 release “Ribbons and Sugar” is loosely based on Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” and the song I want you to listen to is the last track, “Counterfeit Language.”
Click here, and choose “Counterfeit Language” from the playlist!
If you like emo, or punk, or post-hardcore, or any type of “smart” rock, enjoy GAD!
Stay underground,
GG
I thought since I mentioned Squarepusher in The Tuss’ blog, that I would post about Squarepusher himself today. Real name Tom Jenkinson, Squarepusher is perhaps the best glitch / drum n’ bass artist ever to record. His eclectic and highly technical work has been categorized as electronic jazz, drum n’ bass, glitch, experimental musique concrete, and even elctronic funk. If I had to sum Squarepusher up in one word, I would have to take a course in etmyology and make one up. I can however show you the video for his song “The Exploding Psychology.”
Listen intently, and hold on tight. This gets extremely intense.
Stay underground,
GG
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