Ponceland

From the name "death's dynamic shroud" I knew I would be in for something unpredictable. It tells you that death can and will conceal itself. Will it come for you one day? I don't think I want to know the answer to that. I didn't know what was going to jump up to me. The thing that showed in front of me was this album.  I have never experienced taking drugs, nor do I plan to in the future, but if I can say the closest thing to that? This album. This album is like indulging into something you know can kill you. I live in fear of anything similar to that because I know that I will never be able to escape.  Translating the titles of most of the songs, you get the sense that someone is struggling over a lost loved one (lost in the context of someone passing away or a breakup).  "Because of you, my heart, my heart, my heart, my heart aches" (너 땜에 맘이 맘이 맘이 맘이 괴로워요) "I'm left alone now" (혼자 남은 지금 꼴이) "Can't get any better than this" ...

 Something that grinds my gears is when a person calls a musician "mid" or mediocre because "They didn't break new ground." or "Make their own sound."  Dismissing a whole body of work because you didn't find it "groundbreaking" is such a dumb thing to do. Being unique is something to be proud of, of course. But you don't have to necessarily bring something new to the table. Even then, no one has their own style. Everyone you listen to was influenced by something, be it another musician or things around them. Most good music isn't because it's "something new" (sometimes they suck) but just using what you already have and nearly replicating your influences. Let's take many punk bands from the 70's and 80's, you would say that The Ramones started their own sound, but they got that from being influenced by bands like The Velvet Underground and The Stooges. What I'm trying to say is, calling someone medioc...

 I can never understand the concept of musical gatekeeping. Gatekeeping is a concept made since the beginning of time, it's not entirely a new thing. Let's set the record straight. You are mad because you don't want other people to discover your favourite artist so you can have a sense of superiority over the people who don't know said music. Discovering new things, especially music is a magical experience. I have no idea why you'd want to strip that away from a person. The best thing you can do so others can feel more welcome into the fanbase of said artist is to recommend them songs or albums from that artist. One of the joys of music is sharing it to other people, I'm sure that if the artist you support so hard saw your gatekeeping they would dislike you.  Everyone has a starting point somewhere. You weren't born a fan of your favourite artists.  You started somewhere too.

I just love music that does not sound remotely like music. There's the type of music that try to push the limit of the music they are creating, and there's the type who know little to nothing about their craft. Classical music composers like Arnold Schoenberg, John Cage, Harry Partch, Bela Bartok, Iannis Xenakis, Karlheinz Stockhausen (I can name more but I'll stop there.) have been pushing the edges of traditional classical music, creating new methods of composition with atonality. Schoenberg contributing Serialism and the 12-Tone Row, Partch designed his own musical scale, which consisted of 43 tones instead of the 12 used by traditional Western music, Bartok creating an original modern music style combined with folk elements, Xenakis pioneering the use of mathematical models in music such as applications of set theory, stochastic processes and game theory, Stockhausen redefining notions of what types of sound could be deemed acceptable in composition. Jazz music is no st...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kOu61AtFVk Full text of Coltrane's poem "A Love Supreme" I will do all I can to be worthy of Thee, O Lord. It all has to do with it. Thank You God. Peace. There is none other. God is. It is so beautiful. Thank You God. God is all. Help us to resolve our fears and weaknesses. In you all things are possible. Thank you God. We know. God made us so. Keep your eye on God. God is. He always was. He always will be. No matter what... it is God. He is gracious and merciful. It is most important that I know Thee. Words, sounds, speech, men, memory, thoughts, fears and emotions--time--all related... all made from one... all made in one. Blessed be His name. Thought waves--heat waves--all vibrations--all paths lead to God. Thank you God. His way... it is so lovely... it is gracious. It is merciful--Thank you God. One thought can produce millions of vibrations and they all go back to God... everything does. Thank you God. Have no fear... believe... Th...

John Coltrane is a saint in the African Orthodox Church. "We recognize that John Coltrane is a saint, because we have been born anew in the spirit of the Lord, and baptized in that anointed sound," Archbishop King says. St. Coltrane This is insane.

  One of my problems with the Fishmans album "宇宙 日本 世田谷" is how "IN THE FLIGHT" transitions into "MAGIC LOVE". You go from this melancholy song to this jolly song, which caught me off guard the first time I listened. The best way to fix that is if you somehow rearrange the tracklist. Luckily you only have to switch In The Flight and Magic Love, Ushirosugata transitions into Magic Love, to In The Flight, then transitions into Backbeat. It's a better experience IMO

Martha Argerich's "The Collection" series (released under Deutsche Grammophon) are some of the most quintessential archives in classical music history. They're mostly remasters of already existing recordings of past performances, and a lot of the remasters sound better than the original. I love Martha Argerich and her style of playing. You could even say I'm a fan of hers. I like how she plays so relaxed yet not too flimsy, refined but not too serious. Most of her video recordings, you can just see her hands jumping around like they're small rabbits. The Collection 1: The Solo Recordings - Solo recordings are things I listen to while doing work/studying, not exactly background noise or ambiance since I find myself humming along these tunes. The material here was gathered from her Debut Recital, The Legendary 1965 Recording, Bach J.S.: Toccata BWV 911; Partita No. 2; English Suite No. 2, Schumann: Kinderszenen; Kreisleriana, and Chopin: Preludes; Sonata No. 2...

I never really noticed the dangling balls/clackers on the album cover of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. Did they do this as a low-brow joke? Clackers symbolizing testicles? Of course.

The Bill Evans albums "Sunday At The Village Vanguard" and "Waltz For Debby" never should have been separated. I always listen to them together in the same sitting. The lengthy bass solo pieces all being grouped on the former album always annoyed me, even though the reason for doing so (as a tribute to LaFaro) is understandable.

Bill Evans is just one of those artists whose music you get to experience once in a lifetime. It's the type of music jazz fans fall in love with. (in music and life in general) This two and a half compilation of all the recordings he did in the Village Vanguard is nothing short of a masterpiece. The good ole' Bill Evans trio grooving and doing what they do best. This record has molded my taste in jazz and music in general. This record has helped through times where I thought I'd never make it out alive. Even without any context this is a perfect jazz record just calms you down. Bill Evans really has some of the best live recordings out of any jazz musician in my opinion. Fantastic beyond belief.

  Kind of Blue was the first jazz album I listened to fully. I liked how it sounded but I didn't think too much of it other than generic café jazz. Listening to more jazz music and revisiting this album once in a while, it does a lot of thing other jazz albums in it's time really couldn't. Mind you this was released in the year 1959, the most "jazzed up" It precedes cool jazz/modal jazz acts like Bill Evans Bill Evans after all was in the Miles Davis quintet so no wonder. Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is a wonderful jazz album to get into the genre and revisiting it once in a while will make it better. Rating: 8/10