Making Friends With The Neighbours

Last night I took myself to see the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s (ACO) performance,  Mountain, which  I’d been looking forward to for months. I'm no expert on classical music. I still learning about the histories, personalities and bodies of work of various composers, but what I do know is that I love listening to this genre of music. Even more, I love attending the performances. Every time, I'm still surprised by those first notes as they float across the room - how is it possible that people are making something so beautiful?! Over the last few years, I've become fascinated by classical compositions about nature. About how it is possible to reflect nature and wildlife in music in a way that is recognizable, musically, literally and emotionally. This interest emerges from my research about surfing, but it's also in no small part a reaction to previous ACO performances and programmes.  Following the success and acclaim of their  collaborations wit...

Since watching  Musica Surfica , I've thought a lot about intersections between classical music and the sea. I'm not going to bang on about that today, but I did want to share one of my most treasured oceanic musical discoveries, Become Ocean, by John Luther Adams. Instead of riffing on a sense of the sea from afar, of watching it, or being awed by it, this 45 minute composition takes you under the water, under the waves, onto the ocean floor. You float bout with the swell and fall of the sounds, carried along to the point where it's barely possible to notice it any more, where the weight of the water - of the music - disappears. I go back to this composition a lot, and highly recommend exploring his catalogue of work - songs of the wind, of birds, of light. The capacity to communicate space through words, colour or music fascinates me, and I've rarely heard a place - under the sea - so perfectly achieved as in this.

All the best things are via Toddy.

This is the film clip for the track, 'Onwards Upwards', by North Arm. Both the song and the clip are really, really lovely. You can read more from the artist, Rod Smith , talking production and motivation here at Lost at E Minor.

Um, WHY have I never heard of this song before? Did it do the blog rounds last year when it was released and I wasn't paying attention? Having missed this song, I feel... inadequate. Not that the song is great, but conceptually... AMAZING! And the photo Jimmy Buffet is talking about is real and here it is! And here is a bonus Einstein sporting shorts and a devil may care attitude! Now, LYRICS!! With the obviously winning lines being 'Cause the universe was his home break/And we’re still all paddlin’ out'. **** There’s a photo of a genius Standing by the ocean In a pea coat and cool hat In 1943 On a beach in Santa Barbara He’s looking quite contented His world is only matter And energy Past the Channel Islands Out into the cosmos There are worlds in motion That only he can see He’s smiling as he’s thinking The harbor lights are blinking He’s the smartest cookie Ever was, ever will be Einstein was a surfer ...

(Mostly because I have similarly long arms.) Greta Gerwig is just so cool - despite my reservations, I really loved Frances Ha - and this Arcade Fire song is great to run to. Especially when you mentally practice about the dance moves you could be doing instead...

If I could choose one song to explain my life right now, it would be this - the second movement of Beethoven's very famous and recognisable Symphony No. 9 in D Minor , which is played molto vivace (very lively). From about 9:40, shit gets so real and so, so awesome. According to the  Wikipedia site about this piece : Normally, scherzi are written in triple time. Beethoven wrote this piece in triple time, but it is punctuated in a way that, when coupled with the speed of the metre, makes it sound as though it is in quadruple time. Yep. Sounds about right... I highly recommend you play this some time today, and play it loud. And, if you know me at all, laugh.

I have been completely obsessed with Max Richter's, 'Recomposed' versions of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. They're so beautiful. This version of Autumn sums up my day and, to be honest, the way I feel at the moment. Autumn is by far my favourite season. For me it is filled with welcome relief from the relentless summer heat and intensity. The temperature drops, the light softens and everything seems to slow down somehow. I know that makes me sound like a spoiled brat, but summer never really finds me at my best and I am much more at home in the in-between seasons. I love spring too, but the crisp coolness and colours of autumn really take pole position for me. I know it's followed by winter, and I know that means something, but autumn is like a last respite and rest and promise before we hurtle head-long into the cold (which, to be fair, is not exactly extreme nor even unpleasant here in Brisbane). Anyway, you should check out the other seasons as well. (This...

( Magpie teatowel, available via eBay ) I've been sitting on my deck all day; working, writing, editing. This afternoon I've been kept company by the warbling of magpies, which is one of my favourite sounds. There are a number of bird-songs in the track below, but the magpie's "liquid series of rippling notes" cuts across them all (via  Listening Earth , where you can find out more about this track).

1. It's impossible to feel sad while listening to Nat King Cole chirpily sing about love. 2. In my experience, this tune is best served with champagne.

Today, and for very different reasons, this song is dedicated to two of my best lady-friends: Katie (who I miss and who really is a great dancer) and Izzy (I'm so proud of you!). Also, it's Friday and I'm off for a cocktail.

Today, this image came up on my facebook news feed, and it made me smile. Of course, images on facebook news feeds rarely come with any real contextual information, so I trawled around the net a bit and found some more information... This is an album cover for the ' Warumpi Band ', from the settlement of Papunya in Australia's Northern Territory**. It seems that this image was the cover for an EP of their song 'Jailanguru Pakarnu (Out of Jail)', which was the first ever rock song recorded in an indigenous language. It's a pretty jumping song. It's worth noting that on the Warumpi Band's wikipedia entry , the list of their musical genres includes 'anachro-rock'. *On a personal level, this is absolutely not true. I love Noosa Heads. And surfing! **Update: I had read that the man wearing the t-shirt is singer of the Warumpi Bane, George Burarrawanga. As Dave commented below however, it isn't George. Thanks for your comment, Dave!

My friend Katie recently posted this clip on my Facebook wall with the accompanying message: If people could be music videos, you would be this one xxx And I'm happy to admit that if I could be a music video I would, indeed, choose to be this one. (Especially if it meant I got to rock those white and navy, red-belted swimmers!)

Recently, a very wise friend of mine has been imparting advice from an unexpected and amusing source: via scenes from the animated film, Finding Nemo . While usually this would concern me, coming from her it's hilarious, thoughtful and well-timed. So this post and this song (which has been stuck in my head for a week now) is dedicated to the truly wonderful, Rebecca Vonhoff. You're a doll xx

When punk goes mariachi... Of course, I can't really post anything mariachi-related without also posting this clip now, can I!