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Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

ALL ABOUT THE MUSINGS: An October Sampler

4:34 PM | Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


FROM OUR MUSIC CORRESPONDENT ALICEN SCHNEIDER:

Every few months I send out a sampler of songs that I'm excited about.  

It originated from a number of people continuously asking me what was floating my boat, and oftentimes I couldn't articulate an answer on the spot, due to the circumstances of the moment when they inquired or being at a peak stress level that was rendering me speechless.  I sent one of my samplers around to my usual list last week, but this time it included some songs that I had created for my day job, so this may not be the forum for those, and anyway, not all of them are available yet on iTunes.  These are 5 bands that I've decided to highlight from that batch of 15 since I'm passionate enough about them that I want to share them as much as possible.



FREELANCE WHALES "Generator Second Floor" - this NY based band has been playing since 2009 and are part of the super cool French Kiss label (Passion Pit, Local Natives, The Drums...).  Countless wonderful melodies spark a multitude of emotions, most of which translate simply as joyous.  If you're a fan of Arcade Fire and the musings of all the rest of the ultra-hip current roster of indie rock troubadors then this shouldn't disappoint.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/freelance-whales/id328783385

THE BOXER REBELLION "Both Sides Are Even" - based in London, these guys have been playing together for over a decade, but they've only just come onto my radar this past year.  They present a hauntingly melodic landscape that very clearly draws inspiration from a long career of battles won and lost.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-boxer-rebellion/id31550370

BON IVER "Holocene" - I questioned including this mostly due to the fact that it's already somewhat saturating the hipster radio market.  Beauty shouldn't be punished for too much attention, though, so here's my shout-out to one of the best releases of the year!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bon-iver/id273428126

DUNCAN SHEIK "Kyoto Song" - I totally love to hear new interpretations of older songs and Duncan Sheik covering one of my all time favorite songs by The Cure is no exception.  I can't say that he took it to any unbelievably fantastical level, but his is a very pleasant and straightforward pop song.  His entire new release Covers 80's delves into the heart of the 80s with songs by Tears For Fears, Love & Rockets, Japan and Depeche Mode to name a few, so it's definitely worth checking out the rest of the tracks if you're hankering for some 80s flashbacks.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/duncan-sheik/id881355

GIVERS "Saw You First" - this was one of my favorite live shows this year!  Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, their energy is on par with the previously mentioned Arcade Fire and the joy that they express both live and on record is beyond infectious.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/givers/id432610794

Enjoy the music until the next time.

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SHOWBUZZDAILY MUSIC: "Secret Circle" Leaves Me Sighing From Too Much Trying

12:18 PM | Labels: , , , , ,

I’m not sure why shows on the CW feel it necessary to over-saturate with wall to wall and poorly placed music in order to appeal to viewers.  It seems to me that the target demo that voraciously downloads music is also a generation that is much savvier than any of us was pre-iTunes.   A good story will capture an audience regardless of whether or not The Naked & The Famous or The Joy Formidable are thrust upon us where any possible opportunity arises. 


I like the premise of The Secret Circle, mostly because I’m one of “those people” that eagerly buys into anything remotely gothy and peppered with supernatural and mythical themes (thus my supervising career history).  I really want to like this show, but I’m having trouble getting past the blatant misfires of hipster music bombarding from moments that make no sense.  Why does Adam’s Dad’s dockside hang out only have music playing when Adam is working?  Do we really need to hear a song that has no scenic merit every time a teenager walks through a hall at school?  What the heck was up with that tonally bizarre track at the end of episode two?  The music supervisor on this show is fantastic so it seems pretty clear to me that this directive is coming from someone that believes that the audience is gullible enough to need a cool soundtrack in order to stay with the show.  Call me old fashioned, but I think the show would be much better off if they quit forcing and let it shape up organically.  Shame is…I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch another episode to see whether or not this was just a fancy launching ploy or the actual musical direction of the series.   


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SHOWBUZZDAILY MUSIC: INTRODUCING ALICEN SCHNEIDER

2:57 PM | Labels: ,

SHOWBUZZDAILY is delighted to welcome ALICEN SCHNEIDER, Head of TV Music - Creative for NBC Universal Television, as our resident expert on the world of music.  Look for Alicen's commentary here on all aspects of music, both in and out of Movies and TV.

Since this is my first time on SHOWBUZZDAILY, I figured it might be nice to give a little background as to what inspired me to pursue a career in music supervision.


I really have no desire to date myself here, but when I got started on this career path, music supervisors were few and far between.  There were a handful that were gaining steam in the Film world, but TV was considered extremely uncool by most artists, and producers were equally reluctant to waste their budget on songs that would sound dated in syndication.  When I got my start on the label side of pitching to Film and Television (at Warners), I still carried with me dreamy memories of John Hughes' films.  SIXTEEN CANDLES, PRETTY IN PINK and SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL achieved the most sentimental impact since they had soundtracks featuring so many of the artists that I was obsessed with at the time.  Those were the days when I'd go to a Depeche Mode or Cure concert at least 2 hours before it started, with the hope that I would catch a glimpse of the band arriving... and then I'd stay another couple of hours after with the same hope (and we can leave it at that, because although I was one of those screechy uber music fans... I was in no way aspiring to be Miss Pamela DeBarres). 

At some point in my teens I realized that I had a soundtrack in my mind for just about every aspect of my life... and it's not so uncommon for that to still be the case today.  It was a natural progression for me to become a music supervisor and my devoted fandom is as rampant as it was back in those John Hughes days, albeit somewhat more reserved for reputation's sake.  My hope for my contributions to SHOWBUZZDAILY is to share some of my music obsessiveness with all of you through random pieces on anything from thoughts on music in shows and films, intros to some talented artists and peers, perhaps a concert or album review here and there, and whatever seems worth writing about at the time.  Ultimately, I want this to be, for the most part, a celebration.

FOR MORE ABOUT ALICEN, CHECK OUT A RECENT CRUSHABLE.COM INTERVIEW WITH HER HERE.  AND COME BACK TOMORROW FOR HER FIRST PIECE ABOUT MUSIC IN THE WORLD OF TV.
 

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