Topic: The Music Thread

@Yousef- Thanks for the recommendations! I’ll check them out.

@Pastellioli since I’m a GIGANTIC Naruto nut, I’m obligated to give a few other mentions as well!

My personal favorite:

DOES and Joe Inoue are phenomenal btw. They both do openings for both Gintama and Naruto. They’re legends in my opinion and you can tell my passion for all artists and animes I’ve mentioned.

Tom Ford: Making Jazz accessible, since, presumably, the early 2020's

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN good shout. I’ll try to find a YouTube music upload, since I’m currently unable to re-sub to Spotify. Great listen so far based on the samples though.

@Yousef- Oh ,thanks! Glad you liked it. I really like how he blends his guitar parts in with what the other guest artists on his tracks are doing. Really gives a sort of communal feeling to the music.

Great EP. Reminiscent of Bill Frisell. With greater fluidity and rapidity across the fretboard.

Normally not a Metheny fan, but I think Zorn has brought his best qualities to the fore. And this is truly an exceptional record.

I love how the end of the Jimi's Headband track features an electric guitar solo. It's absolutely pure art, this hip hop album, which was released by Rome Streetz & Daringer this week.

This album is also amazing. Contemporary jazz from rising star Nubya Garcia.

I have recently, in the last few years, well maybe 7 years or so now, moved on from rock and heavy metal, as I have said several times on here, to jazz and other musics. It was initially a more dissonant form of jazz that I liked, coming from that sort of background, but I'm starting to properly appreciate more cheerful music now, and this is something I thought I'd like to share.

Edit: As a side-note, and with further regard to the quote I have as my forum signature - music, as "purposeless play" works extremely well, and I think that can be said for all the art forms, with the exception of specific musics such as various forms of metal wherein specific rules and criteria have to be met in terms of getting the respect of your peers. I don't know what I'm trying to say here, but, hey! let's have try and have some fun and find out as I write this. I think video games, if you consider them to be an art form, are a form of 'purposeful' play, because there are objectives and rules outside of the overall artistic presentation and story of the games, within the game mechanics, that is.

I think abstract forms of music such as free jazz and abstract art ,to a lesser extent are definitely defined as defying categorizations within the traditional counterpoints of the art forms (jazz, traditional painting) that they have branched off from. Breaking the rules of those more traditional structures.

So yeah, I see things such as jazz and experimental classical music as purposeless play, because, unless they are socio-economically/politically motivated works of art, then the artist's who have created them have simply created art for art's sake, without a view to changing the world, and more to moving people.

Coming off the back of seeing the rather brilliant The Book of Mormon recently I’ve gone and booked tickets for my Mother in Law and I to see Moulin Rouge next year. Not a sentence I thought I’d type a few years ago 😂

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Seeing your "Moby Dick" update in the "Books..." thread reminded me that I forgot to give you my impressions of Mastodon's "Leviathan".
I listened to it over two-three days last week and while it didn't pull me in initially, it was definitely an album that evolved as one listened to it over time and I wound up liking it quite a bit.
As I mentioned in the aforementioned thread, Mastadon has been a bit of hit and miss for me. Not typically the type of metal I listen to the most, I previously found that their later albums, "Emperor of Sand" and "Hushed and Grim" in particular, were easily accessible (though maybe slightly uninteresting) while their earlier stuff wasn't really my thing. Will definitely give the earlier albums a new chance down the line, as I suspect they will grow on me like "Leviathan" did.

@FuriousMachine Yes, indeed, Mastodon's unique brand of "nautical" metal on that album was quite the treat for me as well, after repeated listening.I'm glad you enjoyed it, and if you want to properly enter into my current wheelhouse then, if you're a fan of jazz or hip hop as well, you can let me know which your favourites are in either genre and I'll try and steer you in the right direction.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Hip hop and jazz are two genres where I consider myself a strictly "surface dweller"
On the hip hop side, the only artists I've really connected with is 2pac and The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, the single album project from 1992 (side note: Their social commentary is depressingly relevant today). Wouldn't mind finding more artists in the same vein (either one).

On the jazz side, I prefer uncomplicated jazz; not a big fan of avant-garde and freeform jazz styles (not sure if those terms are even correct). I do love slow, brooding jazz that evokes images of noir-ish scenes. Miles Davis' "Ascenseur Pour L'Échafaud" soundtrack is a good example. The album "Sunset Mission" from Bohren & Der Club of Gore is another favourite. I also like Coleman Hawkins.
(All this in addition to the usual suspects; Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald and Ol' Blue Eyss)

@FuriousMachine I haven't heard the Disposables Heroes of Hiphoprisy, but on the 2pac front, I would highly recommend this, very much in the same vein:

As far as the jazz goes , this may be what you're looking for, also by Davis. (you don't have to listen to the whole thing, as the link I have provided is for The Complete Sessions

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Thanks, mate, I'll check them out Speaking of Miles, I pulled out my "Kind of Blue" vinyl again last night; sweet record! Been a while since I chilled out with some jazz on the turntable

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Initial reaction: I didn't connect all that much with the Piñata album, though I liked a few tracks. However, I checked out his two latest releases, "$oul $old $eparately" and "You Only Die 1nce" and those two I really liked, especially the former. Will absolutely explore his discography further, thanks for the tip

@FuriousMachine @BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Might I add a couple of suggestions?

Piero Umiliani – Smog is a noir jazz soundtrack and also features Chet Baker, very very good.

Also on the Miles front, Sketches of Spain is a stunning record and isn’t hectic but powerful stuff. Enjoy 👍

@Bob_Salat Cool, thanks, always love recommendations and trying out new music, so I'm happy you did
I couldn't find the Smog soundtrack on Spotify, but will search for it elsewhere later. I did find Sketches of Spain and, at first blush, it seems to be right up my alley

@FuriousMachine I'm glad you liked those later two releases, maybe you just prefer that era of Freddie's work, his more recent stuff. Glad you are interested in a more thorough exploration of his discography.

Edit: Also, you might be interested in starting with 'You Only Live 2wice' by Freddie, as 'You Only Die 1nce' is, as you can probably infer, a quasi-sequel to the former.