Music and song from the dark and troubled fourteenth century. From the rhythmic drive of bagpipes, hurdy gurdy and percussion to haunting three part polyphony via solo voice accompanied by gothic harp, this recording includes music from England, France and Italy.
The eleven Soler sonatas move from the intimacy of "cante" to the fire of flamenco, capturing the color and drama of Spain. Beautiful playing and a superb recording put the listener right on the bench beside the performer.
Lush, drifting, full layers of ambient chord sequences nourish and regenerate your mind as you fall into the seamless flow. The Dr (Sounds, that is) knows best.
Grungy vocals and monster metal riffs mixed with plenty of catchy hooks and beautiful melodies. Lyrics tell real stories of life, death, love, betrayal, hate, violence, addiction and alienation in a world that seems more and more chaotic every day.
This week's "back of the cupboard" pick is from video-game-music-designer Jerry Berlongieri. His electronic music bounces, burbles and bubbles and is what I listen to when I want to energize my mind and elevate my mood. His "Evenings at the Microscope" album is my favorite of his:
Music and song from the dark and troubled
fourteenth century. From the rhythmic drive of bagpipes, hurdy gurdy and
percussion to haunting three part polyphony via solo voice accompanied by gothic
harp, this recording includes complex instrumental istampitas, love songs by
Guillaume de Machaut and music from England, France and Italy. Performances are
informed by medieval practice but occasionally artistic licence is allowed free
expression, such as the long hurdy gurdy and dulcimer introduction to De' poni
amor a me, adding to the distinctive style of the band.
The
eleven Soler sonatas move from the intimacy of "cante" to the fire of flamenco,
capturing the color and drama of Spain.
Beautiful playing and a superb recording put the listener right on the
bench beside the performer.
"This is probably the finest recording of selected sonatas of Soler that I have
heard; indeed, I find it even more satisfying than the fine performances on a
modern piano by the esteemed Alicia de Larrocha."
- Victor Hill, "The Diapason"
Lush, drifting, full layers of ambient chord sequences nourish and regenerate your mind as you fall into the seamless flow. The Dr (Sounds, that is) knows best.
Grungy vocals and
monster metal riffs mixed with plenty of catchy hooks and beautiful melodies. Lyrics tell real stories of life, death,
love, betrayal, hate, violence, addiction and alienation in a world that seems
more and more chaotic every day. Man's compulsive need to destroy himself and
everything surrounding him never seizes to amuse.
chILL's music can be described as "controlled chaos". Catchy
rock blends seamlessly into modern metal. The band's goal is to make
internationally competitive music without any kind of restrictions or
preconceptions, and to create something genuine and special in these times of
superficial recycled entertainment. All the solutions in their music are not
necessarily always by the book and they shouldn't have to be.
John writes: Jerry writes game music professionally, having contributed to the games for 'Spider-Man', 'Call of Duty' and 'James Bond'. His music is very idiosyncratic, reminiscent of the 8-bit Atari days, with lots of bleeping and blooping and plenty of good-natured energy.
