y = mx + beat: Overlap
A weekly attempt to organize everything we could possibly know [about music] into image form. Because that’s just easier than figuring out words sometimes.
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Monthly Archives: March 2011
Show of the Week: Nothing But A G-O-D Thang
Show: Nothing But A G-O-D Thang
On-Air: Tuesdays 3-4 PM
DJs: Alex “Sunshine” Podkul, COL ’13
Curated by our very own tech director, Nothing But A G-O-D Thang eases your mind every Tuesday afternoon with witty banter, Alex’s music picks, and a solid base of Christian ethics (as evidenced by his answers below). In Alex’s own words, he should be show of the week because he’s good-looking, he’s dedicated, he’s dedicated to being good-looking, and best of all if we highlight his show the university won’t sell our station again. Plus, he’s interviewed bands upon bands on his show, and there are never any technical difficulties! Check out some highlights about Alex and Nothing But A G-O-D Thang below, and listen to his sample playlist. Then tune in every Tuesday from 3-4 p.m.
Review: The Lonely Forest, Arrows
Death Cab for Cutie guitarist/producer Chris Walla recently founded his own label, Trans, part of Warner Music’s Independent Label Group. Straight out of Anacortes, Washington, The Lonely Forest are his first signing, and Arrows, their first album under Walla’s supervision, dropped on March 22. Kick ass, right? (Keep reading to find out)! Read More »
Concert Review: Royksopp @ the 9:30 Club
Royksopp, the Norwegian experimental electronica band, played a sold-out performance Wednesday, March 23rd at the 930 Club. Happiness abounded. The band came onstage at 11 pm dressed in a wardrobe of bizarre and ever-changing Nordic influenced costumes, including sheer canvas face nets, flashing light-up headpieces with feathery wings, and a full bear costume. An enormous sheet with a print of a boom box graced the back of the stage.
“What day is it? Is it Wednesday? You know we really just don’t care,” opened the lead singer, Svein Berge in funny, clipped, Norwegian-accented English. Thus began a night of carefree giddiness that only Nordic music and animal-inspired dancing can create. Read More »
Concert Review: The Mountain Goats at the 9:30 Club
The Mountain Goats gave a double encore performance this Friday, to the delight of a sell-out crowd at the 9:30 Club. Touring to promote All Eternals Deck (which drops on March 29), the band played a healthy mix of new material, old material, and even a song about which frontman John Darnielle commented, “If this song had been an infant when it was written, then it could vote now.” Read More »
Review: Jonny Greenwood, Norwegian Wood
Innovation is inherent to the very foundations of Radiohead as a band. This would explain why lead singer and guitarist Thom Yorke would dabble in DJing shows while Jonny Greenwood would engage in composing film scores; one of which is the subject of this review. Greenwood is a tried and tested composer with his previous scores for the films Bodysong and There Will Be Blood. There Will Be Blood is one of my favorite scores of the past decade and it was not even written for the film in the first place. The score for Norwegian Wood was intentionally written for the film and once again demonstrates Mr. Greenwood’s ability to transcend genre and make a musical masterpiece with any and all tools given to him. Read More »
Scenic Sounds: Jane Eyre
Numerous elements make the 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre a top-notch version of Charlotte Brontë’s haunting classic. Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds) illustrate sheer talent under Cary Fukunaga’s bright direction. The legendary coupling of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester isn’t the only duo that radiates on screen. Behind a chilling yet romantic backdrop is an elaborate score composed by none other than Academy Award winning composer Dario Marianelli with striking contributions by violinist Jack Liebeck. Stringed instruments take center stage amidst this gothic narrative, detailing Jane’s highs and woes throughout her wanderings. The melodies bend to the moods of each character and suffuse an atmospheric color to scenes with the strike of a bow.Marianelli infuses an ominous tone in Jane Eyre similar to previous adaptations. The composer’s innovative approach to portending anguish sets this score a part from earlier Eyre music. In “A Restless Night,” Marianelli honors silence in the film, treating it not as a void, empty space to fill but a blank canvas with creative possibilities. The chilling rests accentuate the tension throughout the work, deeming both facets of the composition as gripping musical elements. A broken repetition throughout musical phrases connotes a looming, instability in the film. Restless voices and a hesitant harp pizzicato that cunningly transforms into a piano riff additionally imbue “A Restless Night” with a ghostly quality.
In a continued haunting sense Jane Eyre’s bone chilling scenes are heightened in “An Insuperable Impediment.” Liebeck’s play with violin 
timbre takes an imaginative form as the rattling, succession of notes slither their way into the foreground of the piece. The musician commences the dark melody with a low, hunched, unforgiving tone played in a legato style. The track progresses toward an eventual chaos sparked by a crescendo of high-pitched violins, whose sharp melodies overlap one another to unleash a prolific dread in Thornfield Hall. The catastrophic plot turn and its musical partner gel to uncover woeful secrets and exemplify the existing harmony between plot and score.
Ghostly reputation aside, most people are enamored with Jane Eyre because of its moving love story. Currently the most purchased piece on the album, “Yes!”, boldly details the iconic declaration of love between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. The piece is honest and ethereal as the soft plucking of the harp intertwines with Liebeck’s transfixing violin arpeggios. I daresay this is the star of the score, as there is never a moment in which the composition detaches from the narrative; the newly betrothed couple melds to this piece and signifies an ultimate union and enchanting passion that will make your heart flutter.
“A Game of Badminton” proves particularly refreshing, as the piece departs from a trend of stringed instruments. The minute long piece takes on the simple aspects of the film such as the blades of grass that sway in the spring wind on the moors. Short pieces similar to “A Game of Badminton” serve as tiny gems that instill a sense of peace with tender piano melodies throughout the film. No one can doubt that one might need a short repose from this emotional albeit enjoyable rollercoaster.
Dario Marianelli and Jack Liebeck produce a luminary score in Jane Eyre and have raised the bar for 2011. The musicians pay great homage to Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece in their musical efforts while steering clear from creating another cliché classic. The composition isn’t fettered by standards but is unconfined, allowing the film to soar cloud-high.
By Megan Acheampong
Tracks: 11 Yes! 14 An Insuperable Impediment
Concert Review: Crystal Castles @ 9:30 Club
Photo Credit: Timothy DeVita
Much like the effects of Crystal Castles’ fans’ intoxication, I left the rave-like concert dripping with sweat, my ears ringing, and a nearing morning of “coming down.” The sweat; however, was mostly not from my own body, the ringing was a side effect of the haunting synthesizer, and the sensation of withdrawal, from my reinvigorated admiration for the Toronto-based “Thrash” duo, Crystal Castles.
