(December 2019) Episode 241 is AARON COPLAND. I admit my first exposure was through Emerson, Lake & palmer. He is deservedly dubbed the “Dean of American Composers” for incorporating American themes and landscapes in his compositions. I like those, but I prefer his more abstract, modernist works.
Favorite work: Symphony #3
Favorite short piece: Fanfare for the Common Man
Favorite chamber piece: Quartet for Strings
Favorite ballet: Appalachian Spring
Compared to expectations: same
(November 2019) Episode 238 of the “opus project” is ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE and its various emanations.* In all my project, there is no greater gap between the love I have for a group and the revulsion that others have of it. I adore Beautiful Noise, and they are masters — feedback, distortion, psychedelic, freakouts, weirdness. AMT is a Japan-based collective of musicians with Makoto Kawabata at its center, producing prolifically (80 studio + 48 live albums). They humorously honor their inspirations (Zappa, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Terry Riley, etc.) with clever word-play album and song titles.** A-E-D-A-G-D
Favorite album: Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under the Stars
Favorite song: The Tales of Solar Sail ~ Dark Stars in the Dazzling Sky
Best psychedelic: Crystal Rainbow Pyramid
Best acid rock: Cosmic Soul Death Disco
Best space rock: Pink Lady Lemonade
Best ambient: The Holly Mountain in the Counter Clock World
Best drone: In D
Compared to expectations: ↑
* Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno
Acid Maso Temple
Acid Mothers Afrirampo
Acid Mothers Gong
Acid Mothers Guru Guru
Acid Mothers Guru Guru Gong
Acid Mothers Kaidan
Acid Mothers Temple & Space Paranoid
Acid Mothers Temple & The Pink Ladies Blues
Acid Mothers Temple SWR
Tsurubami
Yamamoto Seiichi & Acid Mothers Temple
** Top 20 punny AMT album/song titles
(August 2019) Episode 226 is JOHN CAGE. You’ll never see his compositions on standard repertoires or hear them at the dentist office. But after this episode I am convinced he is the most important composer of the 20th century, and arguably of all time, for forcing us to question whether there is a difference between music and sound, between directed sound and undirected sound. Why should we value the vibrations of a violin strong over those made by water sloshing through a conch shell? The emphasis of chance in certain work (perhaps his most controversial aspect) ensures that certain pieces can never be played the same twice. Technically, this episode is not complete, as one of his pieces is currently being played on an organ in Germany and not scheduled to end until the year 2640.
Favorite piece: Seventy Four
Favorite period: “numbers” period (last 5 years of his life)
Favorite prepared piano piece: Three Dances
Favorite string piece: Quartets I-VIII
Favorite piece with woodwinds: Eight
Favorite percussive piece: First Construction (in metal)
Favorite use of household items: Water Walk
Compared to expectations: same
(August 2019) Episode 225 is KING MISSILE. In its various incarnations, KM is the musical vehicle for poet John S. Hall’s abstract, warped, observational musings. You may recall the novelty song “Detachable Penis,” emblematic of frequent sexual content which comes off as humorously candid rather than perverse. Sure, it’s a joke band, but that sells the music short, which is actually a good listen, while you giggle.
Favorite album: The Psychopathology of Everyday Life
Favorite song: Sex With You
Compared to expectations: same
(July 2019) Episode 220 of my “opus project” is JOHN CALE. For being the most avant-garde member of the Velvet Underground, his solo recordings are surprisingly conventional in the pop/rock vein. His early stuff sounds like a blend of Brian Eno, Lou Reed and Roxy Music, but his style and mood varies over five decades (not to mention his output as a producer and soundtrack composer). I find his collaborations (with Terry Riley, Eno, Reed, Bob Neuwirth) among his strongest recordings.
Favorite album: Paris 1919
Favorite song: Paris 1919
Favorite collaboration: Wrong Way Up (with Brian Eno)
Compared to expectations: ↓
(April 2019) I have completed episode 209 of my “opus project.” This edition: LAURIE ANDERSON. When I was younger, Laurie Anderson’s music was too weird for my taste. Now, my taste requires a weirdness in music such as Laurie Anderson’s. It would be more fully appreciated in performance, with her visual element too. I love the idiosyncrasies in her words. Her voice is classic American Standard, with a subtle midwestern twang.
Favorite album: Big Science
Favorite song: O Superman
Better than expected: the spoken word albums
Compared to expectations: same
(January 2019) I have completed episode 196 of my “opus project.” This edition: ARAM KHACHATURIAN. An Armenian considered one of the top three composers of the Soviet era, Khachaturian’s music is often bold and loud, although he could compose some sweet melodies. Understandably for his era, he also penned some Red Army marches and Odes to Lenin. He may be most famous for two ballets, Spartacus and Gayane, and you will recognize the famous “Sabre Dance” from the latter.
Favorite piece: Symphony #2
Favorite big piece: Spartacus ballet
Favorite little piece in a big piece: Adagio from Gayane
Favorite choral piece: Ode of Joy
Favorite concerto: Cello Concerto in E minor
Favorite piano piece: Piano Sonata
Favorite song: Song about Erevan
Compared to expectations: ↓
(June 2018) I have completed episode 172 of my “opus project.” This edition: EDGARD VARÈSE. An avant-garde composer from the first half of the 20th century, his works, unbounded by conventional structure, influenced many threads of that century’s music, including electronic. Any fan of Frank Zappa should get to know his compositions, as Varèse was a major influence on him.
Favorite Piece: Amériques
Favorite electronic piece: Poème électronique
Compared to expectations: same
(October 2017) I have completed episode 141 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to the complete works of an artist. This edition: ARNOLD SHOENBERG. In the first half of the 20th century, he developed new ways of thinking about and composing music — e.g. atonality, twelve-tone technique — that became highly influential and much debated. You won’t hear his work on classical radio stations, but it challenges the ear and mind, which is why I like it.
Favorite work: Serenade (Opus 24)
Favorite opera: Moses und Aron
Compared to expectations: ↑
(November 2015) I have completed episode 66 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an artist’s full discography in chronological order. This episode; BJÖRK, with a bit of SUGARCUBES. She’s always doing something interesting.
Favorite album: Vespertine
Favorite song: Earth Intruders
Favorite period: 2001-2007
Compared to expectations: same
Opus Project 