Feb 18 : "The Shortest Distance" - Quiet Luke (New York)

WIDE RANGES

I was completely captivated by the instrumentals in this track. I fell in love with the chord progressions right away. There's an ethereal and mysterious intro to this song, but these fascinating chords start in about 0:40 on the clock, followed by the beginning of the vocals.

Midway through the piece is an intriguing multi-tempo interlude that starts about 1:56. While the basic foundation of the song's tempo remains the same as in the first verse and refrain, some fast-paced rippling instrumentals enter at this point and take us to the second verse. I like the two tempos playing with each other at the same time.

I like instrumentals that are complex and grandiose and those at the conclusion of the piece certainly fit the bill, with the basic foundation tempo created by the percussion along with the rippling that we heard in the interlude now blending equally with vocals.

While there is a wide range of instrumental textures and tempos in this piece, I have to say that the vocals are equally impressive. Quiet Luke has a flexible voice that covers a wide range. He switches very comfortably back and forth between chest voice and falsetto. He even incorporates the two styles in one sentence! Listen to the second line of the chorus or refrain, where he sings "how i got here" in falsetto and then "i couldn't tell you at all" in chest voice. All one sentence! Another example is in the second line of the second verse where he sings "i know it's for the birds i've heard enough" entirely in chest voice with the exception of the one word "I've" which pops in as falsetto. Nice enhancements to the expression of the lyrics.

"The Shortest Distance" is the fourth track on Quiet Luke's debut 2016 ep "Beholden". I've been listening to this and his other music on Soundcloud ever since I went to his live show at Alphaville in Bushwick last week. Stopping in on my way home from work I was just able to hear a portion of his show before train time said I had to leave.

Here is the click to "The Shortest Distance" Soundcloud page where you can see the lyrics to the song while listening. He also has an eclectic mix of other work on Soundcloud as well: "The Shortest Distance" on Soundcloud (CLICK HERE). And here is the click to Quiet Luke's Facebook page: Quiet Luke on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Feb 11 : "Lonely Bully". - Tygerstrype (Philly)

UNEXPECTED TURNS

Philly Music!

One show I did get to in the last couple months was Philly band Tygerstrype's headlining a benefit show for Prevention Point at Everybody Hits. The band's sound was a perfect match for the venue and the stage setup was just right. Tygerstype's music on stage has become a little grittier and a little looser as I've listened to them over the past six plus years, although that grittiness doesn't necessarily carry over into their recorded sound, which remains a little crisper and more tightly controlled.

A couple years ago Tygerstype came out with a new full-length album, "We Learn to Love Our Chains". The album has some intriguing songs including the unique "Lonely Bully".

The song starts out with the bully singing to the victim about how he or she taunts now and will keep taunting later. Symbolic of the bully's lack of empathy, the instrumentals convey a surprisingly casual and nonchalant feeling when compared to the severity of what's expressed in the lyrics and what the bully is actually doing.

The first unexpected turn occurs as the song progresses into the second section ("1.58" on the clock) when the bully's words begin telling of the subconscious reasons for being a bully, such as the insecurity, the need for attention. But then the song takes another and bigger unexpected turn, because the bully then starts talking about maybe channeling his or her need for attention and for showing off strength to "protecting" the victim from others who might be trying to do the same harm.

After the second section there's an instrumental interlude which might symbolize the progression of the interactions (change does take time). The music is still active but quiets down, sort of a "simmering" then opens up beautifully into the third section (about "4.30") where the bully winds up very much wanting a friendship with the victim. The bully has been redeemed and the relationship has been redefined. A very unexpected conclusion! If society could only make this the norm!

After that third verse the instrumentals continue with increasingly varied stylings along with some more vibrant percussion work. It shows that everything is fine.

Here is "Lonely Bully", from Tygerstype's album, "We Learn to Love Our Chains":

Tygerstrype is Gabriel Guerrero and Alden Towler. Their song shows a refreshing consciousness that's not always evident in instances where society discusses bullying, where the talk seems to move toward punishing the bully and protecting the victim, but less often addresses the underlying psychology of the bully's actions in the first place. Their story of repairs being made to a once thorny relationship can only fill the listener with hope that there can be a good answer to the problem of bullying. Schools should make this song required listening! :)

Tygerstrype doesn't have any shows coming up in the immediate future, but here is a link to their Facebook page where you can keep track of what they're doing ::: Tygerstrype on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Feb 04 : Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Everybody!

I've been off the radar screen for a while. I'm just coming back on line and wanted to wish everybody a happy and healthy 2018.

Over the past weeks I had radiation treatment for prostate cancer followed by a recovery period. The treatment appears to have been successful. I'm happy with the great care I received at Pennsylvania Hospital.

While work is the priority, as I still have worked during both the treatment and recovery periods, I have cut back on evening and weekend activities and am still not going out at night just yet.

However, I do see the light at the end of the tunnel and am starting to take a look and listen to events I see listed later in the month and moving forward. It will be good to get back to attending live shows again!

Also, as a side note, and, much to my dismay, I see that some pictures I had mounted here on my blog postings seem to have "vanished". I don't know what that's about. Will have to look into that this week.

I hope to get back to attending shows soon and sharing some of those experiences with friends here on my page.