ONE SOUND EACH DAY: DECEMBER 31 December 31, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.3 comments
the final sound of this year with a little bit of video. a beautiful, snowy december 31st here in Pound Ridge and one minute of audio composed with an old acoustic guitar, an ebow, and an electro harmonix looping box. this One Sound Each Day project has been a lot more difficult than ever imagined it would be, but i felt that i discovered and appreciated everyday sounds in a totally new way throughout the year. i hope the quiet and often mundane sounds of my every day life have inspired you to listen more closely around your everyday as well.
DECEMBER 31
Pound Ridge, NY 3:39pm
(because video can not be easily embedded into WordPress (at least not that i know of, unless you pay $60, please follow this link for the final sound and video)
ONE SOUND EACH DAY: DECEMBER 23-30 December 31, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.add a comment
the last week of the year and the last of the sounds. today i’ll be composing a little bit of music, maybe 1 minute long, with a broken guitar destined for the big guitar rack in the sky, and that will be the last sound of the year. for now, here’s the last week of quiet sounds, some of the simple sounds which made me stop and listen more closely.
DECEMBER 23
no sound.
DECEMBER 24
New Hartford, CT, around 9pm
a tall, 4-tined sculpture by Harry Bertoia owned by my uncle who’s father was given the sculpture by Bertoia himself. this was recorded on christmas eve and, sadly, in a rush only with my iPhone as, in classic Tascam DR-1 style, the “fully charged” battery proved to be dead.
DECEMBER 25
Suffield, CT, 7:15am
an old, spinning, wooden christmas toy in the library of my parents’ house in front of the fireplace on christmas morning.
DECEMBER 26
Suffield, CT, late morning
rain on the tin roof of my parents’ house, recorded through a partially open window.
DECEMBER 27
Pound Ridge, NY, morning
a water-spritz bottle, misting the houseplants.
DECEMBER 28
Pound Ridge, NY, 3:04pm
shaking a California “San Francisco” snow globe. unfortunately, you can’t hear the sound of the glittery “snow” settling on the skyline.
DECEMBER 29
Norwalk, CT, around 1pm
at a bowling alley with annoying music, loud people, and the oddly fun sport of bowling.
DECEMBER 30
Pound Ridge, NY, 5pm?
one of the last recordings to be made with a broken guitar (owned by gwendolyn alker and kenneth kirschner). this was the guitar used on “northern”, but it’s in pretty sad shape. it’s resting on a chair.
SOME 12K RELEASES ON HEADPHONE COMMUTE’S 2009 TOP 10 December 31, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Music For Sonic Installations In The Cavern Of Your Skull
Alva Noto – Xerrox Vol.2 (Raster-Noton)
Atom™ – Liedgut (Raster-Noton)
Christopher Willits – Live On Earth – Vol. 1 (self)
Giuseppe Ielasi – Aix (12k)
Robert Henke – Indigo_Transform (Imbalance Computer Music)
SnD – Atavism (Raster-Noton)
Taylor Deupree – Live1:Mapping (12k)
Tomasz Bednarczyk – Painting Sky Together (Room40)
Tu M’ – Monochromes Vol. 1 (LINE)
Yann Novak – The Breeze Blowing Over Us (Infrequency)
MINAMO “DUREE” REVIEW IN VITAL WEEKLY December 29, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.add a comment
Originally Minamo started as a duo in 1999, expanding into a quartet in 2001 and since then they have played live and released various CDs. For ‘Duree’, they take their inspiration from the French philosopher Henri-Louis Bergson’s concept of ‘pure duree’, ‘an idea that one’s consciousness is a constant flow and not something that can be divided, reversed or measured’. At their disposal are acoustic guitar, percussion, keyboards, saxophone, percussion, electric guitar, computer, nintendo, bells, harmonium, analog synthesizer, pedals and small instruments. Over those ten years its hard to say there has been much development in their style, because I think they are small and subtle. That seems, perhaps, a negative qualification, but its not. Throughout these years I think their playing together has been deepened and getting more and more refined. Whatever constant flow is ment to be (how can it flow when this is a CD with a fixed length I don’t know, but perhaps we are to put this on repeat for a (long) while?), the pieces flow gently. Minamo capture the best of microsound with sustained electronic sounds and the gentleness of folk music with some nice fingerpicking guitarplaying and improvisation in their use of percussion. The best of three entirely different worlds combined into some lush music. With the slow days between christmas and new year I guess its indeed the best thing to do: put this on repeat, watch the snow fall and simply do nothing.
THE WIRE REVIEWS SMALL COLOR December 23, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.add a comment
Although the 12k tends to specialise in immaculately-presented musical minimalism, its owner Taylor Deupree has long espoused a fondness for certain strains of Japanese pop music – at one point even establishing a sub-label (Happy) to release some of it. The Japanese artists (like Sawako, Minamo, and Fourcolor) on 12k itself incline towards wistful romanticism rather than formal rigour, and Small Color are no exception. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Yusuke Onishi builds nuanced, delicate frameworks – all diffident twinkles and tentative melody – while singer and accordion player Rie Yoshihara adds airy embellishments (as well as photography for the artwork and live shows). Her songs, like “life” and “Heaven Knows”, are muted swoons; given more grandiose production they could almost be mainstream pop ballads. Instead, they float like brightly-coloured balloons, tethered by Onishi’s stately, plucked strings to a perfect, pastoral landscape.
THE 9 SONGS THAT MOVED ME THE MOST THIS YEAR December 23, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.add a comment
below is a list of the songs that moved me the most in 2009. not all of them are from 2009, but for whatever reason they hit me in the right spot and were incredibly inspirational and emotional for me.
BON IVER “FLUME” (DAYTROTTER SESSION RECORDING)
i heard so much buzz about Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago” album this year. i tried and tried to get into it, but just couldn’t get past the strangeness of Justin Vernon’s voice. Then, one day this summer, it all clicked for me and i absolutely fell in love with the album, in particular the songs “Flume” and “Lump Sum.” Being a fan of Daytrotter i noticed they had a Bon Iver session, so i grabbed it. The version of “Flume” on this recording absolutely floored me. He slows it down, draws it out, gives us one of the most incredibly delicate and textural break downs in the middle and somehow manages to make the song even more haunting and beautiful.
http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/bon-iver-concert/20030270-3737628.html
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS “CONCRETE HEART” and “UNISON FALLING INTO HARMONY”
Great Lake Swimmer’s “Lost Channels” was without a doubt the most anticipated and most loved album of 2009 for me. Everything i love about them was, thankfully, still present in their new work. i prefer the quiet songs (no surprise there) where Tony Dekker’s lyrics, voice and guitar style really shine. These two songs were really high points in my musical year. This band, more than any other, makes me wish i could abandon all of my electronics for a quiet space and a guitar.
http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com/
IRON AND WINE “UPWARD OVER THE MOUNTAIN” (live in Melbourne, OR, 2008-03-12) (from PlayedLastNight.com)
arguably my favorite Iron & Wine song, this live recording ups the tempo and fills out the composition with a backing band, which Sam Beam often does in live situations. There’s something in this recording that moves me more than the album… i think it’s the slight tweaks to the vocal melody at the end of various lines.. and the fact that he is such an incredible performer and amazing guitar player. reminds me of the Iron & Wine show i saw at Other Music in NYC earlier this year.
http://www.playedlastnight.com/
DAMIEN JURADO “OHIO”
a bit of a late one here, as i only found this song a couple weeks ago when researching guitar chords for Neil Halstead (apparently Neil’s chords and this song were the same, with a capo move.. and now i forgot the song). There seems to be a theme going on here with my favorite songs of the year so far. Simple, singer/songwriter affairs. Quiet, distant, melancholy… stuff that makes me want to close my eyes and listen.
http://www.subpop.com/releases/damien_jurado/full_lengths/rehearsals_for_departure
KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN “TRACK 4 (2WAYSSUPERIMPOSED)”
This 21 minute piece, released on Room40, has officially entered my “favorite electronic songs of all time” list this year. This, to me, is modern electronic music perfection. I listened to this work countless times while falling asleep on airplanes and in faraway hotels. it covers everything a piece such as this should have. deep bases, analog percolations, beautiful tones, and a gentleness of craft.
http://www.room40.org/releases-EDRM408.shtml
SLOWDIVE “BLUE SKIED AN’ CLEAR”
you can listen to a band for many years, but for some reason a song you’ve heard many times just hits you differently, based on your life at that time. “Blue Skied An’ Clear” from the “Pygmalion” album is one such song. I think i was on a train listening to the album on my iPod when this song came out and it was like “my god, why haven’t i noticed this before”.. and it hit me in such a different way. I’d listen to it on repeat for days after and easily was one of my favorite songs this year.
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=19695
MOJAVE 3 “SHE’S ALL UP ABOVE”
i listen to my Mojave 3 collection a lot. This song stuck to me this year more than any other, it’s among their most delicate and just amazing chord progressions, singing and lyrics. it always ends too soon.
http://www.4ad.com/mojave3/releases/spoon-and-rafter-1/
JOSE GONZALEZ “HEARTBEATS”
despite being Jose Gonzalez’s most popular song… i think it deserves that distinction for a reason. more clutter-free beauty and honest songwriting.
http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/
TAYLOR DEUPREE 2009 TOP 10 ON BOOMKAT December 23, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.add a comment
ONE SOUND EACH DAY: DECEMBER 13-22 December 23, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.add a comment
amidst house construction and the impending holidays i’ve had little time to get to these posts, but here’s an update finally.
DECEMBER 13
Pound Ridge, NY, late evening
turning the pages of my archival storage book of last year’s one-polaroid-everyday project. trying to remember the circumstances under which each image was taken and reflecting on the year.
DECEMBER 14
no sound.
DECEMBER 15
Pound Ridge, NY, around 11am
renovations on the house begin. the sound of men digging footings for the new addition. recorded through my studio window as i worry over the coming 6 months of construction and noise.
DECEMBER 16
Pound Ridge, NY, 4:40pm
finding quiet in an electric-piano inspired sound i created.
DECEMBER 17
Pound Ridge, NY, early afternoon
the sound of a DAT machine rewinding an old tape as i go through archives for my old Audio.NL material for re-release.
DECEMBER 18
Pound Ridge, NY, 2pm
physical modeled plucks and wooden resonances.
DECEMBER 19
Pound Ridge, NY, late evening
the sound of the window shades in my studio clicking against the wall as they’re being moved from the gentle hot air of heaters underneath.
DECEMBER 20
Pound Ridge, NY, early afternoon
christmas shopping at a local bookstore.
DECEMBER 21
Pound Ridge, NY, 11:10am
house (de)construction on the room above my studio. times like this, i can’t really work.
DECEMBER 22
Pound Ridge, NY, late morning
… and then they start sawing floorboards over my head. not a pleasant sound. i was going to get out my good microphones and looper pedals and try to make a live composition, but i wasn’t in the mood.
BRAINWASHED REVIEWS SMALL COLOR December 13, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.add a comment
http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7913&Itemid=64
On the surface, it seems odd that this album would be put out by Taylor Deupree’s 12k label, one that is known for its challenging, often esoteric, output of heady clinical electronic sounds. Small Color is a band that leans far more into the realms of pop than expected from the label. However, by putting this album in the context of the label’s discography, it both shows that 12k does not want to be pigeonholed and that there is far more going on with this band than only pop sounds: there’s a world of complexity that fits right in on the roster.
Perhaps it’s not that absurd of a proposition, given that the short lived Happy sublabel channeled Deupree’s love of Japanese pop music, but the more organic (and vocal based) material here is a bit different than I’m used to hearing from the collective. Now, different is good, and I must say that while normally this may not be my cup of tea, it is so well done that there’s few complaints I could have.
Songs like “Daisy” combine the two worlds of acoustic and electronic music seamlessly, with ethereal, breathy female vocals from Rie Yoshihara delicately floating alongside swirling keyboards and stripped down beat boxes. “Hikari No Hana” is similar in approach, but the it shifts from acoustic pop to electronic ambience very subtly, when it fully locks into one extreme it begins to change its spots again.
Other songs stay more directly in the acoustic realm: “Hideaway” is a melancholy track that features chiming guitar and some extremely sad accordion playing that is lightyears away from the squawking polka sounds that is usually associated with the instrument. “Amaoto” takes a different feel, with Spanish guitar melodies and melodica working together, with almost no digital technology in sight.
“Life,” however, is squarely in the realms of electronic pop, with keyboards and drum machines becoming almost dance friendly, but staying extremely restrained, allowing the sparse textures to be heard. “Lemmy” (doubtfully referring to Mr. Kilmister) also focuses more on the world of technology, using skittering electronic tones and rudimentary synthesizers with warm Wurlitzer and accordion, a combination that, in this track, constantly changes and varies while sounding cohesive.
While it has elements from both complex electronica and delicate chamber pop, it never fully commits to any genre, which is an asset in Small Color’s case. Far away from the world of so-called “J-pop,” In Light is a beautiful little album that is perfect for a rainy day or any relaxed, intimate setting.
ONE SOUND EACH DAY: DECEMBER 7-12 December 12, 2009
Posted by taylor in Uncategorized.add a comment
DECEMBER 7
no sound.
DECEMBER 8
Pound Ridge, NY, afternoon
re-wired my patch bay to allow easier access to my loopers via my preamps. testing out hookup with my relatively new beyerdynamic MC930 microphones.
DECEMBER 9
Pound Ridge, NY, 10am
more looper fun. just small acoustic instruments.
DECEMBER 10
Pound Ridge, NY, around 7pm
snow, and strong wind, blowing against the living room window.
DECEMBER 11
Pound Ridge, NY, 1:30pm
i put the recorder out on the railing under the birdfeeder and walked away. let the birds eat and poke around the recorder. fortunately, none of them landed on it.
DECEMBER 12
Pound Ridge, NY, 10:14pm
christmas has hit the house, tree, fire, warm cocktails. this is a small christmas music box playing by the fire.
12k 
You must be logged in to post a comment.