The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry

The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry » Topic: Music http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/music-2 Just another bbPress community en-US Thu, 23 May 2013 09:57:39 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/search.php FeistyOne on "Music" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/music-2#post-61645 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:57:02 +0000 FeistyOne 61645@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ [quote="Geritak"] A lot of current popular music may be designed for bopping and gyrating, but this isn't compulsory. There is as much of a line to follow, as much tension-and-release and as much emotional variance in Bat out of Hell or Bumble Boogie as there is in Beethoven's Fifth or any Bach Chorale. </blockquote> Well I can't say *I* feel the tension-and-release in Bat Out of Hell but in principal I'm in very strong agreement. I get this sensation most reliably with vocal or epic trance pieces. Less so with other styles. For me one of the best examples is: <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=5lYtYK67Ex8" rel="nofollow">http://youtube.com/watch?v=5lYtYK67Ex8</a> Sweetness and Light - Itch-e & Scratch-e Trance music is often slow to build but I find the tension and release amazingly profound. With the above track I get the most vivid images of sea-birds soaring over orange hued waters at sunset. Perhaps one just needs to find the style of music that works best for them and then the emotion or sensation is equal to any generated by classical music. Music like Sweetness and Light, Saltwater and those listed in my previous post are, to me, exceptional. They send shivers down my spine.The vocals (by Máire Brennan of Clannad) in Saltwater are glorious. Sigh. <a href="http://stephenfry.com/forum/posting.php?mode=quote&p=61627" rel="nofollow">http://stephenfry.com/forum/posting.php?mode=quote&p=61627</a> Chicane - Saltwater As for listening locations--I'd also add work. I find that I work faster and with greater clarity when I listen to trance (and specifically music without vocals). I'm not sure of the mechanism but suspect that the music is occupying my sub-conscious making me less easily distracted. -FO Geritak on "Music" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/music-2#post-61627 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:36:12 +0000 Geritak 61627@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I find trance best listened to in a dark room so that one can be enveloped by the music and its subtle developments...</blockquote> Interesting. You see, this is where I cannot agree with Stephen, as lamentable as I find the experience of having to 'get up and dance'. Not all modern music is dance music. Personally, I find trance and other sorts of electronic music difficult to get my head around, but I do adore a wide range of metal, rock and indie, and a selection from the jazz, blues and boogie-woogie (which are perhaps less modern, but did fall prey to dear Stephen's 'allergy'), and I have never willingly danced to any of them. In fact, whether listening to Jools Holland, Nightwish, Led Zeppelin, The Killers, Elton John or things from the more classical end of the spectrum(which is a really insufficient, crappy overview of my musical tastes <img src="http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_wink.gif" title=";-)" class="bb_smilies" /> ) I generally find the best way to enjoy the music is either alone in a darkened room, or alone and walking the streets (possibly in a crowd) with the old iPod turned up full blast and whatever song it happens to be becoming the soundtrack to that moment in my life. <img src="http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" /> Cheesy, I know. But it works. A lot of current popular music may be designed for bopping and gyrating, but this isn't compulsory. There is as much of a line to follow, as much tension-and-release and as much emotional variance in Bat out of Hell or Bumble Boogie as there is in Beethoven's Fifth or any Bach Chorale. But then music is, as you so rightly say, very personal. So feel free to ignore my little rant. <img src="http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_wink.gif" title=";-)" class="bb_smilies" /> FeistyOne on "Music" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/music-2#post-61537 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:52:35 +0000 FeistyOne 61537@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Music is such a personal thing isn't it?! I feel Stephen made a very insightful comment that his own feelings to various music styles are just that, his own. I have eclectic tastes. One style I simply adore is trance. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trance_music" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trance_music</a> I desperately hope I can convince Stephen and others, to try listening to this style. Yes, it is similar to dance but it is very different. (Should I be lucky enough for Stephen to be reading this I fear I may have just lost him.) Can I save my case by quickly claiming trance to be more melodic and sophisticated? My particular preference is for the vocal and epic trance styles. For those still reading this post might I suggest: <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=K7vVxoInt48" rel="nofollow">http://youtube.com/watch?v=K7vVxoInt48</a> Dirty Sticky Floors - Dave Gahan <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=G3_TIXE-UNg" rel="nofollow">http://youtube.com/watch?v=G3_TIXE-UNg</a> Mindcircus - Way Out West I find trance best listened to in a dark room so that one can be enveloped by the music and its subtle developments. If you're (still!) interested in the style then I found the following paper most enlightening: <a href="http://www.trance.ch/papers/music.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.trance.ch/papers/music.htm</a> Happy listening! - FO FeistyOne on "Music" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/music-2#post-61536 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:32:59 +0000 FeistyOne 61536@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ ..if you had heard of a band called The Hush Sound. Thankfully it isnt exceptionally loud and you cant really dance to it but i do find it to very good to listen to and the lead vocalist (Greta) has a beautiful voice. </blockquote> Hi AlexC75 Would you recommend any particular track? On your advice I listened to "Lion's Roar". Interesting. Are you familiar with "The Cat Empire"? Try "Two Shoes": <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJU79dmVgZY" rel="nofollow">http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJU79dmVgZY</a> I won't begin to try and classify their music. I just find it impossible to be unhappy while listening to their music. It's fun. It's lively. I wonder if you might like it (based on your own recommendation). - FO ------------------------ "So I rang up British Telecom, I said 'I want to report a nuisance caller', he said 'Not you again'." AlexC75 on "Music" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/music-2#post-56568 Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:17:35 +0000 AlexC75 56568@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Dear Stephen (Normally I would say Mr Fry, However i've grown up watching your work and now listening to your podgrams, i feel like i've gotten to know you better), I was just wondering, as you said you love all forms of music, and have tried to sample the local types as you pass through, if you had heard of a band called The Hush Sound. Thankfully it isnt exceptionally loud and you cant really dance to it but i do find it to very good to listen to and the lead vocalist (Greta) has a beautiful voice. I know you dont always have time to check everything asked of you, but if you do wish to I'm enclosing the website address. <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thehushsound" rel="nofollow">http://www.myspace.com/thehushsound</a> Have fun recording the next Podgram, im sure we will all enjoy listening to it <img src="http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_biggrin.gif" title=":D" class="bb_smilies" /> Also, i'm sorry my grammer and spelling isnt very good, i've never been to good at spelling. Faithfully Alex Clark