An avid traveler and world music buff, Bri Nguyen has salsa-ed her way through Puerto Rico, electro-danced the night away in France, and took in her first flamenco performance in Poland of all places. Her musical tastes verge on the omnivorous, ranging from New Age to Reggaeton. Despite her childhood training in classical violin, Bri is the opposite of a musical purist. She likes it when genres are mixed, and mixed well.
The holidays are upon us, and in the spirit of spreading holiday cheer, we've lined up a 12-day series of special offers that you'll only find here. Starting today and continuing through 12/17, we'll unwrap a unique new offer at the start of each day, available for one day only (today's offer: enter to win everything in Lady Gaga's Amazon.com shopping cart!). We've done our best to find something for everyone. Find out about all of our offers by signing up for our daily 12 Days e-mail.
Happy Holidays from all of us here at ChordStrike!
Our friends over at Armchair Commentary posted this awesome video of actor Christopher Walken performing Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." I'm a Lady Gaga fan, but I have to say--nobody does it like Christopher Walken. Check out both Walken's version and the original Gaga music video below.
I have to admit, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I got on the phone with Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, and Sean Kinney of Alice in Chains (William DuVall was unfortunately unable to make it, but the guys had plenty of good things to say about their friend and fellow band member.)
I wanted to ask them about Layne Staley, and reforming as a band, and adding a new member (William), and their new album (Black Gives Way to Blue), but I thought they might be tired of answering the same old interview questions. Fortunately, however, conversation flowed freely, and the guys were a lot of fun to chat with. They were genuine, honest, and engaging, and it shows.
What I found most eye-opening was their story of how Black Gives Way to Bluecame into being (it wasn't planned!). Listen to this story and more in the 17-minute interview, and check out song samples from the new album below.
Sometimes, when the world feels like it's too much, you need to stop, breathe, and find a way to regroup. There are many forms of rejuvenation--I've always found mine in yoga, martial arts, or meditation. And I've increasingly found that the right music soothes my frayed nerves like nothing else.
But finding the right music can be tricky, and most new age music is too airy-fairy for my taste. It's thin and whispery, like cotton candy, and I need something solid and whole and grounding. New age music also tends to scare people by conjuring images of droning monks, sleepy piano music, whalesongs, or other nature sounds, or ridiculously cheesy CD covers featuring temples nestled in the clouds or dolphins arcing through the waves.
Fortunately, Kundalini Meditation Musicis none of these things. Featuring seven powerful tracks, this album is instantly calming, and just listening helps me rediscover a sense of balance. The word "kundalini" means "coil" in Sanskrit, and in yoga, the term "kundalini shakti" refers to a coil of energy that lives at the base of the spine. One can awaken this energy through meditation, or yoga, or pranayama (breathing), and cause it to uncoil and journey upward through the spine.
This music is no doubt intended to aid in process of awakening your kundalini energy, but you don't have to be a kundalini practitioner to enjoy it. The album features a number of well-known mantras warmed by just the right touch of instrumental music--soft guitars, a hint of cello and violin, unobtrusive piano, and background harp. But the voices of the singers remain front and center, as they should. The instruments serve to keep each track both texturally and rhythmically interesting, while at the same time remaining appropriately in the background--subtly enhancing, not detracting from, the featured mantra. Again, it's all about balance, and each track delivers. It's not easy to set a mantra (typically sung without instrumental accompaniment) to music--kudos to the arrangers.
My favorite tracks are the regal "Heal (Ra Ma Da Sa)," sung by peace activist Snatam Kaur, "Miracle (Guru Ram Das)" sung by German-Mexican duo Mirabai Ceiba, and "Universe (Universal Gong)" (an intriguing track consisting entirely of gong music), performed by Harijiwan Khalsa. I think the gong track might be my favorite, simply because I had no idea that gongs could create such fascinating, shimmering sounds--it was wholly unique, and somehow deeply grounding. Who knew that a gong could sound so primal, so "earthy"?
While this music is a fitting backdrop to mellow practices like yoga or pilates, it's also suitable for winding down at night, or zoning out during a bus ride home from work, or sitting down to a relaxing dinner. Give it a try, even if the term "new age" tends to make you want to run away. You just might like it.
While browsing through the October 2009 issue of Psychology Today magazine, I came across an interesting blurb titled "Pop Goes the Bubble: Song Lyrics Fit the Times," by Sophie Chen. According to the blurb, Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" was popular this year not just because it's catchy, but also because we happened to be going through an economic recession when it hit the airwaves.
The blurb goes on to reference the soon-to-be-published work of professors Terry Pettijohn II of Coastal Carolina University and Donald Sacco Jr. of Miami University of Ohio. Pettijohn II and Sacco Jr. looked at the correlation between hit songs and socioeconomic conditions from 1955 to 2003. The results of their study showed that "popular songs dealt with more meaningful themes at times when socioeconomic conditions were threatening. Lyrics also focused more on friendships and romances; in hard times, people feel a stronger need for close relationships." The blurb goes on to provide an interesting snapshot of the #1 Billboard singles during a few key years:
There may be some truth to this data, but I'm not sure if I fully buy the research team's conclusion. If "Independent Woman, Part I" were released today, I'm inclined to think it would still be a hit single. After all, Beyoncé's similarly-themed"Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" was released this year (in the deepest throes of the economic downturn, coincidentally), and not only did it peak at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it also became Beyoncé's highest-selling song in the U.S. to date.
So what do you think--are song lyrics really a true reflection of economic times? Or is this Psychology Today report just a load of pseudo-scientific twaddle?
The media was buzzing this morning over Kanye West's outburst at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. If you haven't already heard, Kanye rushed onstage during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video, snatched the mic, and loudly proclaimed that Beyoncé had "one of the best videos of all time."
For some reason, this doesn't surprise me at all. It's Kanye, after
all. And while this particular incident is all over the media today,
it will blow over fairly quickly, as these things tend to do. I was,
however, mildly curious about seeing the actual incident, so I dug up
some video. Check it out below.
I also came across the video of Lady Gaga
performing "Paparazzi" at the awards, and what a performance it was. I
found it thoroughly entertaining--dramatic, satirical, and
"bloody" good fun (you'll see what I mean if you watch the video.) And
she can actually sing live, too. Sometimes her musical ability is
overshadowed by her penchant for the outrageous, but she's quite the musician, IMHO.
It's 09/09/09, and, here in Seattle, Beatles Day is winding down. I'm exhausted and elated, but most of all, I'm in awe.
Working on the Beatles has been a bit of a head trip, and not in the way you might think. I was beyond excited when I learned that the remastered catalog was going to be released, but I quickly discovered that my excitement for the remasters, not to mention my love for the Beatles, both paled in comparison with the enthusiasm, devotion, and somewhat mind-blowing level of knowledge displayed by the Beatles fans in our discussion forums.
Everyone knows that the Beatles are iconic. Everyone knows that the Beatles were instrumental in shaping rock music as we know it today. But working on the Beatles remasters has shown me that I never fully understood the breadth of their appeal, nor did I grasp the extent to which we as a society have integrated the Fab Four into our collective cultural fabric.
Normally, I tend to eschew any form of hype. But in the case of the Beatles remasters, the "hype" (if you can even call it that) had a different quality to it. The excitement surrounding the Beatles felt "pure," somehow, and legitimate: true fans doing what fans do best: exchanging opinions, sharing knowledge, and expressing their love and appreciation for the Fab Four and the music.
So, as Beatles Day winds to a close, I'll say what I never thought I'd say: in this case, I believe the hype. Happy Beatles Day, everyone.
Normally, I'm not one for following the crowd, but in this case, I'm all for it. On Saturday, August 29, 2009, on what would have been Michael Jackson's 51st birthday, thousands of people came together in Mexico City to honor the King of Pop and attempt to break the record for the largest number of people simultaneously dancing to "Thriller" in one place. According to news reports, nearly 13,000 people turned out to participate. Check out the video below--it's impressive.
As reported
today, DJ AM, born Adam Goldstein, has passed away.He was 36 years old.
Goldstein was a
member of the band Crazy Town, known for their 2001 hit song, “Butterfly.”His work as a DJ appeared on albums by
Madonna, Will Smith, Papa Roach, Shifty, and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.He spun at private celebrity events and Hollywood
hotspots, and was also known for his romances with reality TV star Nicole Richie and
actress-singer Mandy Moore.
Goldstein was also known for his collaboration with drummer Travis Barker of the punk band blink-182.The duo played several live DJ-and-drum sets, including one at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.
In September 2008, Goldstein and Barker were involved in a
private plane crash in Columbia S.C.Though critically injured, both Goldstein and Barker survived.
Goldstein posted his last known public remarks on Twitter on
Tuesday, August 25, when he tweeted the following Grandmaster Flash lyrics: "New York, New York. Big city of dreams, but everything in New York
ain't always what it seems."
First, an apology—I was supposed to post this yesterday, but
time got away from me, and “World Music Wednesday” has become…“World Music
Thursday.”At least this week.
Anyway, I was perusing our free world music MP3
samplers yesterday evening, and the first one that I happened to download was Alula’s Celtic
Sampler Summer 2009.I was wary at first
(I’m picky about my celtic music!), but
it turned out to be a lovely collection, and I decided that I had to write about it.
I’ve always loved celtic music.I’ve had a thing for celtic
mythology ever since I was little, and traditional celtic tunes are full of stories.When I think of celtic music, I still have romantic
visions spring to mind—of wandering bards, mummers, and céilidhs.My love for celtic music deepened when I lived in France; I
would make regular jaunts over to Brittany, where I’d sit in dark pubs, soaking up live music over tangy cider brut
and a savory buckwheat galette.
So it’s no wonder that celtic music has remained lodged in
my psyche.Celtic music is difficult to define
accurately, since the term itself is extremely broad and general (kind of like “world
music.”)For the purposes of this post, I’ll
define celtic music as the music of the Celtic Nations (Ireland,
Scotland, the the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall (southwestern England), Brittany (western France), and Galicia (northwestern Spain).
In researching celtic music, I discovered that it’s far more
complex than I have space to describe here (sadly), so for the time being, I’ll
provide you with a brief synopsis of Irish music, since much of the music on
the Alula sampler is based on traditional Irish music.
Many Irish folk songs originated in rural areas and evolved
over time.The human voice is an
important component of Irish music, and one of the most prevalent styles of
traditional Irish vocal singing is known as sean-nós
(“old style.”)Sean-nós singers have marvelously flexible voices, and their vocals
normally soar and dip, creating a pure, haunting, and melodically rich listening
experience.
Instruments used in Irish music include the Irish harp, the bodhrán (a drum with a goatskin frame), uilleann
pipes, the tin whistle, the fiddle and the accordion.I’m partial to the fiddle and tin whistle, both of which feature in the
sampler.Download it free (for a limited time only), and
check out all the free samplers here.
--Bri Nguyen
August is an exciting month here at ChordStrike. We've put together our World Music Event and our editors’ picks for the 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time, and in honor of these internationally-themed
occasions (and frankly because I’ll use any excuse to blog about world
music), I’ve created a month-long miniseries of blog posts called
“World Music Wednesdays." Each Wednesday this month, I’ll highlight a
different genre of world music. Suggestions welcome!
