Tag Archives: Art rock

Classical, Folk, Music to write to, pop, vocal samples

Micachu and the Shapes with the London Sinfionetta – Chopped and Screwed

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Micachu and the Shapes with the London Sinfionetta- Chopped and Screwed

This is a menacing moody dissonant masterpiece, with all the off centre features of Micachu and the shapes song transcribed into an orchestral setting. Not everyone can pull off dissonant in a satisfyingly musical manner, but Micachu and the shapes have the chops to pull it off. That said there are more than a few songs with vocals and a few hooks to hold onto.

I came to Micachu and the Shapes after hearing they were Bjork’s favourite band for a period of time. They are usually catchy melody driven dissonant pop songs. This album is anything but that, there are some recognisable elements but this is a true artistic departure from that known way.

Even from their elarlier debut album, you could tell they were super talented to twist such catchy pop songs in a way that didn’t distort it away from the song. I don’t find any weird for weirds sake posing in the way they put toether songs.

Released
2011, through Rough Trade

Lyrics
There are some lyrics but they blend into a soundscape more than ever taking centre stage.

Mood –
While there are inherently menacing elements to a musical palatte that leans so heavily on dissonance. Paradoxically there is a warmth throughout the numbers on this album which are absolutely delightful.

Good to work to –
I find this album to be great for putting me into a mood that allows me to keep on going and block out the world really effectively.

Like–
I could possibly put it into the minimalist classical school. But that is most probably a misnomer, as the songs are only repetitve in theme for a length of time more similar to a pop album, than as opposed to something like Steven Reich or something like that.

The Artist/s – Micachu and the Shapes with the London Sinfionetta
The London Sinfionetta are classical muscians first and foremost, but they are part of a body that promotes new contemporary music. I had a quick look on the web and they seem to have played on lots of things, but they’re not like a band or something. They sound pretty darn fine to me though. You can go on their site and check out many of their other collaborations and listen and watch.
http://www.londonsinfonietta.org.uk/recordings

Micachu and the Shapes are
Mica Levi – vocals
Raisa Khan – Keyboards
Mark Pell – drums

Micachu and the sahpes specialise in differnet time signatures, distortion, non-standard tunings, found object intruments and generally putting a different slant on classic pop. This album is nothing like there standard though.

Other works
If you are curious about Micachu and the shapes they have an absolutely transcendent alternative pop album. Starting out with Jewellry which I think every household should have. It is such a sunny beautiful weird album you can’t go wrong.

If you are interested in hearing some mix tapes in a completely different style, there are several available online for free download
http://www.btsradio.com/index.html

Where Can I buy it, and in what formats
You can find this album on iTunes and the link is shown below, there was also a limited edition album version on vinyl. This is one of my favourite albums, and it is just great to get into a different headspace.

The Verdict
Yes, it’s great, but maybe have a listen to it first at the iTunes link above and see if it’s your cup of tea

electronic, High Tempo

Kraftwerk – Man Machine

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Kraftwerk – Man Machine – music to write to
Man Machine is classic Kraftwerk German electronica. From the opening track ‘We are the robots’ the tempo is set. Beeps, whistles, and seventies pseudo computer sounds create a memorable and ground breaking album that set the scene for much of the music to come over the next forty years. This album takes a lot of beating as a writing album. It is cohesive, fun, speedy, and great to drive your fingers as they tap away at the keys.

Kraftwerk were unique at the time and even with the passage of time the quality of their work is not diminished. This is one of those great albums where even the artwork is laid out to  enhance the listening experience. The album cover as above is another reflection of the tracks on the album that pull you along with a thematic experience of the man machine.

They actually designed and created some musical instruments to enable them to record their albums. They also conceptualised their music as a response to technology and modernism. The red and black cover with the whole band in matching uniforms is inspired by Russian artists of the Suprematism movement, in particular El Lissitzky. Suprematism is based around geometric forms and a limited palette of colours. Suprematism refers to ‘the supremacy of our artistic feeling. The movement was born around the time of the start of world war one, but with the development of the Russian revolution developed artists were pushed into conforming. Like many artistic movements it foundered but gave birth to further art movements that I also know little about. To the outsider the symbolism looks purely authoritarian and also shares the nazi colours. This album grabs the iconography of extremes, super imposes the world of machines and industrialism, and isolation, to make a great cohesive album. It was massive at the time and will be one of those timeless album that is always around.

They are as you would imagine by looking at the artwork on their albums, eccentric visionary chaps. They are notoriously reclusive. The standing information that they hand out about contacting them is that they have set up the phone in their studio so it does not ring so they are not interrupted when they are recording. They advise of a time when the phone will be answered.

Coldplay apparently asked to use a sample and had to write several letters through their lawyers to the Kraftwerk lawyers to get into contact. Apparently they received a handwritten letter with a single word written word. I can see a certain synergy there as Coldplay also write music as if it were written by robots, although it is written by humans.

Bottom line, a great album to write to.

Released
1978

Lyrics
Yes, but not that money. As you listen to this album the only lyrics sounds more like electronic directions for how to use the dishwasher than song lyrics.

Mood
Mechanical and speedy. Not quite inhuman, but it certainly has the feel of people trying to sound like computers, but just before the era when it would have been possible for them to actually make the entire thing with computers.

Good to work to
Yes, Man Machine puts you in the mood to do something quickly straight away. The album is melodic in a really simple minimalist way, but it is the insistent tempo that keeps you working.

Like
There was a veritable plague of German electronica in the seventies with bands like Can and Nue, so much so that the term Krautrock was coined as a result.

The Artist/s 
Kraftwerk are one of the most influential electronic bands in the world. Kraftwerk mean power station in germ on.

The Kraftwerk line-up that created Man Machine were
Ralf Hutter – album concept cover, keyboard, synthesiser, vocoder, voice etc
Florian Schneider – album concept, electronics, synthesiser, vocoder
Karl Bartos – electronic drums
Wolfgang Flur – electronic drums

Other works
They have a whole set of great albums, you aren’t going to find a big difference in sound between these albums but a whole

Where Can I buy it, and in what formats
You can get Kraftwerk everywhere in all formats

The Verdict
Perfect for writing, a steady pace and active tempo to work to.