Archive for the ‘Features’ Category

Music Geek #8: Love is… Spiritualized?

Matthew Montgomery wears funny glasses in a Cedar City, Utah park.Let’s get one thing straight: I don’t know what “love” actually means. It’s a terribly abstract thing, and we’ve been taught that it’s some mystical, valuable emotion we should all strive for. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t — but I think I have a vague (and when I say vague, I mean vague) idea of what it is. I’ve certainly felt strong connections before, and if that’s what this is, then perhaps I can affirm some things.

Whatever the case, I love music. Sure, I will confess to ignorance of what love really is (chemical reactions! but isn’t everything? We can break down everything to chemical reactions in mental workings, but it doesn’t bring us any closer to understanding or predicting human action,) but I will likewise profess to be a lover of music.

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An interview with Lazy Goods

Lazy Goods Lazy Goods is a side project for Chad Felix, also in the Las Vegas, Nev. band called The Tramlines. Though each project is somewhat similar, they are also very different. Lazy Goods is comprised of country & folk melodies along with great vocals by Chad. Lazy goods have a few other occasional members who are on a few tracks of Lazy Goods. Mike Busch, Tyler Mckusick, and occasionally Michael Catalano — the drummer of The Tramlines — join in on the music making of Lazy Goods.

You are in two similar music projects, The Tramlines and Lazy Goods. Is folk/indie your music of choice?:

I can’t really say that I prefer any specific genre of music. I find myself listening to different things every day. I think it is important that people listen to music, and make a conscious attempt to find something good about it. No matter what you are listening to there is something worth your while (minus the obvious exceptions). It is just a matter of time and patience.

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Music Geek #7: Chiptune — Is there anything better?

Matthew Montgomery wears funny glasses in a Cedar City, Utah park.

Editor’s Note: The track previously included in this post was not written or recorded by Brandon Harrod of Laromlab, who has recently come forward and admitted to having essentially stolen the tracks and called them his own. More information is available at www.mushpotrecords.com.

That’s a brave question, isn’t it? I thought so. So often my questions are lacking in, well, braveness, so I thought I might give it a try. Still, I’m not sure how brave it really is, though, as it is still a question and not a bold statement. After all, I’m willing to admit some wrong in this.

Anyhow, I’ve been venturing into electronic music lately, as it has been something I’m woefully under-educated in. My good friend Derek, a veteran (of sorts) of electronic music, has been instrumental in this, and perhaps we might call him the catalyst. At any rate, It’s happened.

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An interview with Say Hi, who released a new album today

Say Hi / Courtesy of Sneak Attack MediaEric Elbogen of Say Hi (previously Say Hi To Your Mom), who, today, release The Wishes and the Glitch, answers a few questions from MusicGeek.org regarding the new album, working with David Bazan and John Roderick, and more. Read after the jump for more of the interview, tracks from The Wishes and the Glitch, and links to purchase music from the group. Say Hi were previously the subject of a MusicGeek.org spotlight.

Say Hi — “Northwestern Girls” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/sayhi_northwesterngirls.mp3]

What’s the geekiest thing you did during the recording of The Wishes and the Glitch?

Well, cooping up in a bedroom full of music equipment for six months for twelve hours a day is pretty geeky, don’t you agree? I got nothing else.

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Music Geek #6: Appearance of “Superfriend” serves as a nice Weezer refresher

Matthew Montgomery wears funny glasses in a Cedar City, Utah park.It was in 2001 — six-and-a-half years ago — that I first heard tale of Weezer’s mysterious opus, Songs From the Black Hole, a project that frontman Rivers Cuomo had spoken of very little and much hype had arisen behind as a result.

It’s 2008 now, and still, there are several songs from the never-finished concept album that have yet to see the light of day. One of those, until sometime in the range of one month ago, was “Superfriend,” a track that had gained some notoriety on Weezer fan message boards, particularly the Rebel Weezer Board and the Rivers Correspondence Board, which I read voraciously but kept my posting to a minimum, for better or worse.

At any rate, the track quickly became a thing of legend, with only a very select few having actually heard it — and the track certainly wasn’t floating around the mass of information that is the Internet (or bootleg trading circles, for that matter) for easy listening purposes.

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Music Geek #5: Snow-covered headphones call for post-rock-stained emotional inquiry

Matthew Montgomery wears funny glasses in a Cedar City, Utah park.Once again, I’ve turned my attention to atmospherically pleasing music; this time, my interest has been sparked by flurrying snow that’s made its way back to Cedar City. I woke up, left for school, and was given a bit of a hassle by some inclement weather, but nothing was terribly pressing: No, it wasn’t until later that the real weather kicked in.

And it did kick in. Returning to the university after a lunch break, I suddenly found movement to be restricted by stabbing cold wind, my vision blocked by quickly approaching flakes of snow. So, what did I do? I slipped headphones over my bearded head, switched my music playing device (an iPod, if you must ask) to something suitable, and walked, head down.

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An interview with Autumn Chorus

Autumn Chorus / Photo courtesy of Autumn ChorusBrighton, UK post-rock-sounding darlings Autumn Chorus answer questions from MusicGeek.org regarding production of their music, reception of their debut EP, Rosa, and the support they find in the UK and beyond.

Autumn Chorus — “Remember the Dead”
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/autumnchorus-rememberthedead.mp3]

What drives you to create ambient and post-rock music?
I think as a band we’re more about atmosphere as opposed to ambiance, as that suggests it’s in the background, and we want to be very much in the foreground! We’re never sure if we are “post-rock” but that’s what we seem to fit into. I think we’re influenced by classical music as much as we are other post-rock bands.

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Music Geek #4: Music and emotion evoke more questions than they answer

Matthew Montgomery wears funny glasses in a Cedar City, Utah park.One thing I have particular interest in, above most things considered mundane, is the ability music has to add perspective to natural environments. Take, for instance, my walk toward the university this cold morning: Before leaving the house, I slip my headphones on and find music fitting of my mood to listen to. It varies from day to day, of course, but I’ll often to listen something that’s caught my fancy lately.

This morning, it was a revisiting of ( ), an untitled album by vaguely-post-rock group Sigur Ros. The biting cold, coupled with icy sidewalks and that powdery snow Utah is famous for, didn’t fade away with the music, but it did seem a bit less important alongside beautiful music. In fact, excepting, of course, the biting cold, the music seemed to complement what was essentially a typically winter scenario in Cedar City, Utah.

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