The Auditory

Dr. Gerre Hancock (above) died last week at the age of 77. He...

realfaustus — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:51:35 -0500

Dr. Gerre Hancock (above) died last week at the age of 77. He was choirmaster and organist at Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue in New York from 1971 until 2004. Often he was accompanied at the organ by his faithful wife Judith. His time there was spent enhancing a beautiful tradition of music spanning back nearly 100 years. Gerre was known for his inspired improvisations, and overall energy with the choir which he dearly loved.

Saint Thomas is having a Solemn Requiem Service on Saturday featuring music from the choir. The service will start out with nine (yes, nine) organ preludes. Works spanning from Bach to Dr. Hancock’s own pieces and more. The sung service will be the Duruflé Requiem. More information will be posted on the church’s website throughout the week.

“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan,...

realfaustus — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:31:47 -0500

“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.”

- Leonard Bernsteain

twentyfourbit: The Shins: “Simple Song” Our first taste of Port...

thewarmestchord — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:01:24 -0500

twentyfourbit:

The Shins: “Simple Song”

Our first taste of Port of Morrow, James Mercer’s first record as the Shins since 2007’s Wincing the Night Away, is here in the form of “Simple Song.” Hear Mercer lead his brand new lineup through the catchy cut above.

realfaustus: Seriously, if you haven’t checked this guy out,...

realfaustus — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:49:52 -0500

realfaustus:

Seriously, if you haven’t checked this guy out, you need to right now. He put out 3 EP’s last year and all of them are amazing. The combination of classic Motown style with such a beautifully raw voice make this guy really special. Definitely my favorite new artist of 2012 so far.

leadingtone: Manuscript of Brahms’ Ave Maria for women’s choir...

realfaustus — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:55:48 -0500

leadingtone:

Manuscript of Brahms’ Ave Maria for women’s choir and orchestra, Op. 12. It was his first choral-orchestral work, premiered by the Frauenchor of Hamburg which he directed for some time as a young man.

Have you heard the story about Brahms and the chorus girls up in the tree? It involves booze and the police. He loved to tell that one.

City Opera of the Future?

realfaustus — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:51:00 -0500

The Times put out an interesting article the other day suggesting some paths for the reinvention of the New York City Opera. It compares it to some of the up and comping companies starting around the city such as Gotham Chamber Opera – the same company that premiered Nico Muhly’s new opera “Dark Sister”. While inspiring and wonderful to see new companies rise, the City Opera has an establishment appeal that it should use for good.

While the City Opera has gone through some tough patches in the past few years, they are not yet dead. With cutting its budget for singers and production, leaving its home in Lincoln Center, the door is wide open for local freelance musicians, artist and directors to leave a new mark on the opera world.

There are plenty of people throughout the New York area that can support productions, with the right push. Its apparent. What City Opera has is an incredible opportunity to fill a void left by the Met.

While the Met is broadening its horizons with HD broadcasts and new productions that push the envelope (some that have scare the white hairs away) they are left without some of the staple productions, which at the time of their runs, were the best world. New productions of Tosca and Don Giovanni at the Met, operas of supreme importance to the opera world, have all but flopped under the new vision of Peter Gelb.

The New York City Opera needs not to be concerned with cost. We know the money is there (somewhere). It is just a matter of finding the right person(s) that will actually invest or help find investors to build a local, cultural alternative to the Met.

City Opera needs to find artists and musicians who are willing to create a contrasting alternative to the vastly left field direction that the Met is taking (I don’t mean that negatively). As Wolfe mentioned in the article, there needs to be a solid outlet for young singers and musicians in New York and that simply doesn’t exist with the Met organization.

The folks over at NYCO have an unbelievable chance to become reacquainted with their NYC roots and help develop performing arts around the area. They need to focus on outreach as well as building inspiring productions in cooperation with the resources that exist throughout the area. With the right nudge and some open thinking, anything can happen.

rootsnbluesfestival: john lee hooker

realfaustus — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:49:32 -0500

rootsnbluesfestival:

john lee hooker

NY singer, rapper and actress Azealia Banks has hit the...

realfaustus — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:35:00 -0500

NY singer, rapper and actress Azealia Banks has hit the underground scene with a bang and is getting ready to release her first full-length. In an interview with Pitchfork, Banks says that she’s ‘not afraid of major labels’

I’m not really scared of major labels. I just want to work where I’m allowed to make mistakes and do my own thing rather than getting into a situation where someone else has their own agenda of what they want me to be.

- Daniel

(video: Azealia Banks - 212 ft. Lazy Jay)

twentyfourbit: Elliott Smith, ‘Misery Let Me Down’ Another...

thewarmestchord — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:46:49 -0500

twentyfourbit:

Elliott Smith, ‘Misery Let Me Down’

Another unreleased tune from the late, great Elliott Smith has surfaced after college radio station WMUC found a live session that was hidden in the vaults for over a decade. Dating back to the middle of 1997 (between the release of Either/Or and XO), the song was a warmup for Smith’s 10-song set, which explains why he cuts it short abruptly just under two minutes. Even in its off-the-cuff, truncated form, this hushed gem does the legacy of my favorite musician plenty of justice.

Previously: 5 Early Elliott Smith Demos

Doom’s new track “Retarded Fren” came with a...

realfaustus — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:54:00 -0400

Doom’s new track “Retarded Fren” came with a little help from Radiohead’s Thom York and Jonny Greenwood. The three of them teamed up for this new track for Lex Records 10th anniversary compilation. Did Greenwood just rip this from the ‘There Will Be Blood’ soundtrack?

By Daniel Garrick

Has "Indie" Become "Adult Contemporary"?

thewarmestchord — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:35:53 -0400

Has "Indie" Become "Adult Contemporary"?:

A fantastic article from NPR about the current state of “indie” music, sparked by Wilco’s latest release.

Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, is an artist who has...

thewarmestchord — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:32:21 -0400

Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, is an artist who has made an indelible impact on the indie music world with her dark, other-worldly music and image. Looking at Clark, you see a small, waif-like woman with freckled, pale skin, chestnut hair, and a face that is dominated by her oversized hazel eyes. She is not a traditional beauty, but there is something special and ethereal about the way she looks—you’d almost expect that she’d walked straight out of a Tolkien story.

Clark’s music corresponds perfectly with this otherworldly image. With her first release, Marry Me, she presented a sound that was unlike anything else on the music scene. Clark combines elements of jazz, punk-rock, and folk music, which work together with her symbolic, dark, and often bizarre, lyrics to make a major impact on the way independent music is viewed today. Clark is a breath of fresh air in the genre which I have so aptly named, “hipster music”. The great thing about Clark is that she truly transcends this genre—Clark isn’t just hip, she’s damn talented to boot. The chord changes and harmonies she uses are out of the ordinary, she pays attention to melody and phrasing, and unlike many other “hipster” musicians, she doesn’t rely on filters and technology to make her music for her. If Clark had released any one of her albums fifty years ago, they would have been just as brilliant as they are today—which is really saying something about her talent.

Strange Mercy, which was released in mid-September, only marks the continuance of her brilliance—with lyrics and music that expand even further in a personal and angst-driven direction than either of her previous albums. And, not to mention, even more of that famous guitar shredding that I just can’t get enough of. This is the video for my favorite track off of the album—“Cruel”. It served as her single release for Strange Mercy—and, in my opinion, it is sure to be named one of the best tracks of 2011.

-Leah

ilovecharts: Whats interesting to note with this graphic is it...

realfaustus — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:21:30 -0400

ilovecharts:

Whats interesting to note with this graphic is it only represents new vinyl sales and not sales on used records or any independent distros or music distributors. All of this is while we are in a “recession.”

-fucksanebringpain

Some musical insights from a man who is—in my humble...

thewarmestchord — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:42:56 -0400

Some musical insights from a man who is—in my humble opinion—one of the greatest legends in the music world today. Enjoy!

killedincars: I hadn’t heard Ryan York’s music until this...

realfaustus — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 11:16:37 -0400

killedincars:

I hadn’t heard Ryan York’s music until this cassette. Out on Leaving Records, this EP (it’s just under 26 minutes) threw me for a loop. At first I thought this was going to be a tape of Flying Lotus/Brainfeeder beat scene music, what with its strong start in that direction. However, the second half of the tape turns out to be quite enjoyable drone (I’ll probably preview one other track) and ambient. These two distinct segments are united by this particular track, the most woozy of the electronic numbers that prefigure what’s to come later. The vocal snippets are much more billowy, the percussion spaced out and patient. This, then, is a very enjoyable middle ground between the two sounds on the tape, and it seemed the fitting choice. I hope you enjoy it.

Time to get excited, Auditorians! Ben Folds Five has reunited to...

thewarmestchord — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:47:21 -0400

Time to get excited, Auditorians! Ben Folds Five has reunited to record a new album together, due to be released in December.

This is a track called “House”, which will also be released on Ben Folds’ “best of”, three-disc compilation album, which comes out on October 11th.

It’s a good time to be a Ben Folds fan!

-Leah

A few weeks ago, I was going to a show at Mercury Lounge in New...

thewarmestchord — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:45:00 -0400

A few weeks ago, I was going to a show at Mercury Lounge in New York. I got there early, and had planned on just grabbing a drink at the bar with some friends, while we waited for the show. There was an early show that night, and it was just about over—but we could still hear the music at the bar. I knew after only a minute of listening to the faint sounds that floated through the doorway that this act was something I wanted to see.

It turned out to be folk songstress Marissa Nadler. Nadler has been receiving a lot of positive attention for her new, self-titled album, and rightfully so—her music is hauntingly beautiful. Despite the quiet nature of both her playing and her voice, Nadler kept the crowd’s attention with ease. Nadler’s subdued personality and playing seemed to set a trance over the entire room; the majority of the crowd remained motionless and quiet during her set, breaking only for enthusiastic applause. Nadler also performed with a cellist, whose talents added greatly to the melancholy nature of her music.

Comparisons to Elliott Smith and Nick Drake seem almost too easy, but are extremely appropriate for both Nadler’s music and personality. Much like Smith and Drake, Nadler seems to be a shy, unassuming person, and writes in a similar vein. Nadler also carries on the tradition of the tender, whispered vocals that are attributed to both men. Like both artists before her, Nadler captures an audience’s attention by being neither flashy nor loud—but instead, accomplishes this task by being both tender and true.

-Leah Creary

iymi: RVIVR - Cut the...

realfaustus — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:11:44 -0400

iymi:

RVIVR - Cut the Cord
http://www.ifyoumakeit.com/video/rvivr/cut-the-cord-2/

RVIVR is one of those bands that tours so much it’s crazy. After the fiasco of their last PCS, I’m glad they were able to come back so soon. This is off their self-titled record, which you can download from Rumbletowne Records.

This is 1 of 2 videos I recorded. The other one is for the song Tiny Murders.

Ever since I saw that this guy getting ridiculous attention at...

realfaustus — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:58:35 -0400

Ever since I saw that this guy getting ridiculous attention at Pitchfork Festival, with his band Odd Future, I’ve been spinning a lot of Odd Future. This gentleman here, Tyler, The Creator, lead singer of Odd Future, has newly released single Yonkers and it’s been been getting lots of hype all over the web. The video is even nominated for a VMA. This track like many other on the album Goblin, is intoxicating and draw the listener in with hypnotizing beats and lyrics that leave you asking for more. I simply can’t stop listening to it, that’s for sure.

And now for something completely different. You’re all...

thewarmestchord — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:29:00 -0400

And now for something completely different. You’re all familiar with my affinity for folk and jazz music, in all forms; generally, the music I post on here tends to be stripped-down and mellow. But I have to throw you all off my game somehow, and so I give you: Not Blood, Paint.

I had the privilege of seeing this Brooklyn-based band perform a few songs in Williamsburg this weekend. If I’m being honest, my first impression of these guys was that I probably wasn’t going to enjoy their music. I tend to have a distaste for music that relies solely on spectacle (see: Lady Gaga), and so when these guys came out dressed in sparkly leotards, with their faces painted, wearing what looked liked over-sized beekeeper hats, I wasn’t completely thrilled by the prospect of hearing them play.

However, there’s something different about this band, that sets them apart from the Lady Gagas and Ke$has of the music world: they have talent. A lot of talent. Imagine for a second that in some alternate universe The White Stripes and David Bowie had a love-child, and that baby somehow came out of the womb with the astonishing ability to sing Queen-like harmonies. That baby would be Not Blood, Paint. The band is the perfect mix of completely absurd and supremely talented.

Unlike Gaga and her contemporaries, this band surely has enough talent to entertain a crowd; the spectacle, in this case, is just an added bonus.

-Leah Creary