Bonobo is a British DJ who writes delicious trip-hop/downtempo tunes. Some might call this stoner music, but I don't care about the label, and neither should you. Beautiful music just is--have a 25 minute listen and find out for yourself:
"Hey Arnold!" is one of many reasons why I'm proud to be a product of '90s entertainment, especially cartoons. Here was a show with depth, heart, subtle humor, and characters who'd tackle real problems (bullies, rough family life, peer pressure) without resorting to zany editing or the easy way out. It was Nickelodeon's best effort, and whenever I peripherally catch wind of what's popular on the network now, I get downcast and grim. God, was I lucky to catch its heyday.
Regardless if you know it or not, "Hey Arnold!" wouldn't've been half what it was without the supporting music of Jim Lang. Tiny tracks of emotion and pigeon-necking vibes, playful and grounded in light jazz and synth R&B. If you're a fellow '90s brat, I'll bet you'll be hard-pressed to not remember at least a few of these nuggets...they're in our blood.
Below are links to some hand-picked mainstays, and if you visit the sponsoring YouTube channel you can hear more (he had very pretty violin flutters for Helga as well, and don't skip over the 30-second bits). Oh, you can also watch a few choice episodes. 'Nough said.
My tiny blue hat is off to you, Mr. Lang. Thanks for being a part of my childhood:
Canadian artist Tim Hecker has never left my iPod after I found his music. True, he does doth protest the use of iPods or any other such "mp3 low quality" music; and that's just something even more to love about the man. He puts effort and top notch sound into all of his work. If you get the chance, either listen to his stuff on an amazing stereo system, or get a great cd/vinyl player and listen through an amazing pair of headphones. The soundscapes are just otherworldly, and it is just worth it if you are a huge audiophile.
He is a pioneer in the ambient genre, but detests the name, and aptly names his own music "2 a.m. music." He works hard on acheiving amazing ambient noises using only his guitar, piano, and lots of studio work. He is a truly gifted artist with a fetish for noise you could say. It's hard to reccomend just one track or two to listen to of his, but rather is an artist where I'd say Haunt Me Haunt Me, Do It Again is worth listening to in full, from stop to finish with no breaks in between. His work was meant to be that way. On Harmony In Ultraviolet, "Spring Heeled Jack Flies Tonight" would not be nearly as amazing if it weren't for "Palimpset II" leading up to it. Each piece is standalone enough to be recognized as its own, however, when they get together on an album, they bolster themselves up tenfold.
His music takes a bit of getting used to, but I've found once you get past the "This is just annoying noise" phase and hit the "This is genius! Subtle movements, open atmospheres, intensity, brilliant!" phase, you'll never want to stop listening.
Elbow. This British alternative rock group has memorable, fantastic lyrics, dreamy backdrops, and a sound completely and utterly their own. They have a few albums out already, the songs below all from The Seldom-Seen Kid. Have a listen and tell me what you think:
"Tank!" is the name of this delicious jazz song, written by Yoko Kanno (the woman in the red jacket) as the theme for the late '90s anime Cowboy Bebop. Though she's composed for a lot of anime, you don't have to know anything about that artform to enjoy the incredible punch this number packs. This live performance was undertaken by a Japanese supergroup of sorts called Seatbelts, and the alto sax solo at the end is (to this blogger) ineffably, staggeringly, jaw-droppingly brilliant. Any doubters of jazz out there may just be converted to orthodox fans after hearing this piece--it's that good. Have a go below:
IF you have followed Electronica, you undoubtedly know Relphex Records, created by the famous Aphex Twin himself, Richard D. James. IF not knowing this, go look into it. Now, being informed about this, perhaps you know about a man named Tom Jenkinson. Yes? No? Of course... better known as Squarepusher. Still don't know? Well, let's educate you. Back in the day when Drum'N'Bass was still being experimented with, and nobody really knew what to do, ol'Tom came out of the woodwork and, wabam!, brilliantly took jazz ideals and glitchcore beats to create Drill'N'Bass on his debut album Feed Me Weird Things . Applause, applause, for ol' Tom made something quite wonderful. On that first vinyl, he has created some work that really shows that when you become a master of your genre, you can make your music happy, or sad, or really take it any direction you want. Drum'N'Bass usually is an extremely serious or bouncy tone, and hearing something so wonderfully happy here is just brilliant.
Squarepusher - Smedley's Melody Ah, a few founders of the quickly dying IDM genre, Squarepusher and Aphex Twin. Masters of their own fields. -Minimal foX (Working on a new project. Hush Hush)
Welcome to Volume 2 of Soundtrack Outcasts! (To read the goals and manifesto for of this series, click here.)
Instead of looking at one film this time, I wanted to give prime, meaty examples of a single composer: James Newton Howard. He has great themes and works across all film genres. You might have only recently heard about him with a movie called The Dark Knight in ’08, but this talented musician has 20 years of work under his belt, much of it thrilling.
Let’s start with the 2000 Disney film Dinosaur. The theme doesn’t kick in till the end, but it’s a worth-the-wait whopper. There are very playful oboes and jungle chanting in the beginning, as well as odd percussion sounds, before swelling to a memorable grandeur. Have a listen:
"The Egg Travels"
Next up is M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village. Delicate piano, intoxicating strings throughout, and the bells and winds halfway in have a hushed danger about them. It’s a very cathartic theme, at once melancholy and bittersweet in its beauty. Haunting is used in excess to describe music like this, but I bet you'll find it hard-pressed to not be worthy here:
"The Gravel Road"
Lastly, let’s revive the 2001 Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire. It has a fantastic album, with great recurring themes start to finish. This specific track is ethereal/choral, echoic, mysterious, tribal, and relishes in resounding brass declarations--gorgeous all around, and incredibly hum-able:
"The Crystal Chamber"
Excellent soundscapes, right? James Newton Howard truly has a wonderful repertoire of skills, and his popularity only continues to mount around La-La-Land. I hope you enjoyed these examples, and please check out his complete soundtracks when you get the chance. Stay sharp for Volume 3!
