Perfect Sound Forever- Feb/March 2011 edition now online
Jason Gross
In the latest issue of Perfect Sound Forever <http://
www.perfectsoundforever.com>, you'll find (among other things):
DOROTHY FIELDS
A Musical Feminist Wrote That?
"Born in 1905 to a wealthy vaudevillian with a gambling habit, Dorothy
Fields lived her childhood steeped in high culture and her beloved
entertainment business. Despite her parents' protests, she considered
becoming a performer for quite some time. But save a few student
productions, the occasion never formally presented itself. Not that
this is entirely surprising: according to her biographer Deborah
Winer, hers was "not a memorable voice, but one of those songwriter
voices that's just right for the song," one of those "songwriter
voices" that was unacceptable in a woman until Carole King's Tapestry
in 1970."
RAYMOND SCOTT
Bugs Bunny's Stealth Futurism
"(Brother) Mark persuaded him to enroll at the Institute of Musical
Art, later rechristened the Juilliard School. After graduating he was
hired as a pianist for the CBS radio house band, which Mark conducted.
To conceal any conflict of interest Harry adopted a named name
selected at random from the Manhattan phone book: Raymond Scott. In
1936 he formed his own satellite ensemble, the Raymond Scott Quintet,
and began rehearsing his oddball parlor jazz."
NOBUO UEMATSU
Concocting Videogame Gravy
"Legendary videogame composer Nobuo Uematsu celebrated his 50th
birthday in 2009, but he still acts like the daydreaming, happy-go-
lucky slacker he was in grade school. He hasn't aged one bit. Well
maybe a little--in recent years, his sideburns have grayed and he's
put on a couple of pounds. But that's expected of a beer-loving
composer with a whopping 44 (and counting) game title credits under
his belt. Despite his physical aging, Uematsu remains a child at
heart. It helps that fun and games are his career."
THE METERS
Funk Hot Off the Cuff
"The Meters are not superstars, but they are about as big as musicians
can be in New Orleans, the epicenter of American rhythm. Art Neville,
Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, George Porter Jr., and Leo Nocentelli are
the city's equivalent of Motown's Funk Brothers or Stax's Booker T &
the M.G's. From the late ‘60s to late ‘70s they played on most of the
region's r&b hits as the house band for producer Allen Toussaint, and
landed seven of their own singles in the Billboard Top 100 (14 on the
r&b charts)."
MODESELEKTOR
On the Dancefloor Immerse
"Modeselektor is mainly Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary, but at
times it's also singer Thom Yorke (from Radiohead fame), Berlin
rappers Puppetmastaz, French rap crew TTC, electro group Sirisumo, a
wide variety of samples, vintage synthesizers, and eagerness to record
and manipulate everything they touch. Modeselektor is not techno by
traditional definitions; only occasionally do they foray into the four-
on-the-floor kick and the looped synth patterns popularized by Mirwais
or Daft Punk."
GIRL TALK
Frankensteining the G.T.E.
"Pittsburgh mash-up master Gregg Gillis, more popularly known as his
half-naked, wholehearted persona Girl Talk, has developed what one
review describes as "a simple formula that results in everyone
enjoying themselves unequivocally: play every type of music at the
same time!" What this blogger might not realize, however, is that mere
enjoyment falls far short when it comes to the G.T.E. (Girl Talk
Experience)."
DANGER MOUSE
Brian Burton's Many Cartoons
"Across from Charlie Rose sits a lanky, unassuming individual with a
modest afro and hazelnut complexion, dressed like a hipster grad
student in a camouflage blazer and blue jeans. His demeanor is
unthreatening and almost cagey; he furrows his brow when considering
each interview question, and shrugs nonchalantly at his own response:
"There's always an overall vision I have for something," he mumbles,
"though it's not so much premeditated when it comes down to the
details.""
THE KNIFE
Can't You Take a Joke?
"The Knife is a Swedish band that took form under the hand of Swedish
siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson, the wacky blonde frontwoman, and
Olof Dreijer, the leftfield techno producer who DJs across Europe as
DJ Coolof. Since then, both have pursued successful solo careers,
which proves to a point that the Knife’s world isn’t the brainchild of
a single member, but rather, a labor of love created through
collaboration."
THE BONDE
Next Big Thing Tells All
"Lauriel Marger, LeAnetta Robinson, and Alexa Suge D'Angelo are three
teenage Jersey girls who love to sing. They also happen to have
connections. Lauriel's mother and the group's collective "momager,"
Saranne Rothberg, is founder and CEO of the nonprofit ComedyCures
Foundation. She has networked her way into the Rolodexes and contact
lists of important people in every branch of the entertainment
industry. LeAnetta, who goes by Lea, is of the Sylvia Robinson
bloodline and Sugarhill Gang dynasty."
ZOMBIES
Classiest of the Mods
"The Zombies were a classy troupe of British mods. Dressed in nerdy,
constricting black suits and pointy, constricting leather boots, they
seemed almost like a parody of the Beatles. But their sound evolved
into something unique. They looked up to and lived in the shadows of
the Fab Four; their energy, rhythm, and drive were fully comparable.
But tonally, the Zombies were of a different school."
MOTORHEAD
How Lemmy Makes Grown Men Cry
"What is heavy metal? Earth's ambassador will then hand the Vulcans
four albums: Master of Puppets by Metallica; Reign in Blood, by
Slayer; Among the Living, by Anthrax; and Rust In Peace, by Megadeth.
The Vulcans will now ask why. Why the fast pace? Why the loud volume?
Why the attitude? The ambassador then will hand over the entire
Motorhead catalog, and the United Federation of Planets will certify
Earth as a member."
GRAM PARSONS
A Tale of Three Suicides
"Ingram Cecil Connor III was born and never had to worry about money
again. At least not about running out of it. Ingram's mother was a
Snively, born to a family that made their money from the huge citrus
groves they owned in Florida. The money was so old that none of the
Snivelys could remember what it was like not to have it, or even what
it was like to have to think about it."
ALEXANDER SCRIABIN
Synesthesia's Mystic Chord
"Alexander Scriabin is credited with bridging the gap between tonal
and atonal music, but just as importantly, he bridged a gap between
Western and Russian music. "The Five" conceived Russian classical
composition in opposition to Europeanization. Tchaikovsky absorbed
Western harmony and based his most famous pieces on it. Scriabin lies
somewhere between these two diametrically opposed styles, and slightly
off axis from any previously known harmony or form."
ROBERT FORSTER
School/Groove/Prose
"In September of 2008, we conducted a three-hour interview with Robert
Forster, who led the Brisbane-based Go-Betweens with Grant McLennan
from 1978 until McLennan's death in May, 2005, and was touring in
support of his still-current album, which has the strangely
coincidental title The Evangelist--strange because the interview was
supposed to run in the music issue of The Believer in June, 2009."
We're always looking for good writers and/or ideas so let us know if
you have anything to share.
See you online,
Jason