Music

Sultans of Swing

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Sultans of Swing (original video here, Apple Music here) is a darling of Classic Rock, a rite of passage for guitar players, a song that demands to be covered.

The cover embedded below is one of my favorites. The sound is clean, the performance laid back and down-tempo, but the guitar work is right on the money. There’s a lot to enjoy here, especially the fade out at the end, not by turning a knob, but by lowering voices, softening the touch.

Love the guitars themselves. Check out that red Strat. Are those marks on the first few frets the sign of well worn finger placement? And don’t miss that reel-to-reel in the background.

Shout out to Kevin Hoctor for the share.

Spotify to pull Neil Young’s music after artist’s objections to Joe Rogan

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Hollywood Reporter:

Spotify is in the process of removing Neil Young’s catalog of music from its service after the artist published — then took down — an open letter with an ultimatum: Deal with the vaccine misinformation coming from Joe Rogan’s podcast, or lose Young’s music.

And:

Young said that Spotify represented 60 percent of his streaming revenue globally, which amounted to “a huge loss for [his] record company to absorb,” but that he moved forward with removing his catalog because he “could not continue to support Spotify’s life threatening misinformation to the music loving public.”

Putting his money where his mouth is. Guessing Neil Young’s streaming is a tiny drop in the bucket to Spotify, but this is certainly more of a PR hit, drawing very specific focus to Spotify’s political positioning.

Fourth annual iOS music player showcase

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Barrowclift:

There’s new and exciting developments every year in the realm of iOS third-party music players, and 2021 was no exception. While 2019 enjoyed an explosion of new players like Power Player and Albums that through time came to lead the space, 2020 in contrast received only a modest handful of new players and is instead remembered for the impressive growth the established player base received that year. This past year, 2021, managed to do both with a dizzying array of five new players and impressive growth across nearly all existing players.

If you are interested in exploring third party iOS music players, look no further. There’s a lot to explore here. I mean, a lot.

Follow the headline link, scroll all the way to the bottom for a Table of Contents. Each link will take you to a full-blown article about that player.

Enjoy.

Nirvana sued by the baby from Nevermind’s album cover

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Mark Savage, BBC:

Spencer Elden, the man who was photographed as a baby on the album cover for Nirvana’s Nevermind, is suing the band alleging sexual exploitation.

The cover depicts Elden as a four-month-old in a swimming pool, grasping for a dollar bill that’s being dangled in front of him on a fishing line.

Now 30, Elden says his parents never signed a release authorising the use of his image on the album. He also alleges the nude image constitutes child pornography.

A lot to unpack here but, at its core, lies the issue of parents never signing a release for the photo. I find that incredibly hard to believe.

From this backgrounder on the photo shoot:

Unable to find a stock shot of a submarine tyke, Fisher hired underwater-photo specialist Weddle, who donned a wet suit and set up a studio (complete with lights and waterproof cameras) in an Olympic-size swimming pool in Los Angeles last May. Spencer wasn’t the lone stunt baby: Weddle cast four other infants as well. “You need that many kids,” he says, “because you can’t count on a baby to do anything you want.”

And:

Later, the fishhook was stripped into the photo at Cobain’s direction.

And:

For his skinny-dipping adventure, Spencer was paid $250 (standard hourly rate for a no-name model) and was later presented with a triple-platinum album by Ed Rosenblatt, president of Geffen Records.

Sounds like his parents cashed the check.

Some subtle guitar mastery

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I love watching someone who has mastered their craft. In this case, check out Alexandr Misko’s take on Careless Whisper, with beautiful finger work, hammering and, above all, those incredibly precise tuning peg changes.

Alyona Vargasova, some great guitar technique

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Alyona Vargasova, showing off some incredible guitar chops.

As you watch, check out the hammering done by both hands. This is some great precision finger work and Alyona makes it look easy, effortless.

The Dee Gees

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The latest effort from Foo Fighters. Pretty damn good cover, part of the upcoming “Hail Satin” album releasing next week, all Bee Gees covers. And Dave Grohl, DG, get it?

Jack Black’s campaign to include a Led Zeppelin song in “School of Rock”

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Came across this over the weekend. Apparently, back when he was first making the very excellent and worth watching “School of Rock”, Jack Black got it in his head that he wanted to include Led Zeppelin’s classic “Immigrant Song” in the movie. But he couldn’t get the rights.

So he made this video. And it worked.

Apple TV+ announces new docuseries “Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson”

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Apple:

Premiering globally July 30, 2021 on Apple TV+, this new docuseries will explore groundbreaking technology in music with Paul McCartney, Questlove, King Princess, Dave Grohl, Ad-Rock and Mike D from the Beastie Boys, Charli XCX and more

And:

Ronson explores music’s intersection with artistry and technology in candid conversations with music legends and icons including Paul McCartney, Questlove, King Princess, Dave Grohl, Ad-Rock and Mike D from the Beastie Boys, Charli XCX and more, where he discovers the ways in which these unique tools have influenced their work.

And:

At the end of each episode, Ronson will create and unveil a unique piece of original music using groundbreaking technology and techniques including reverb, synth, auto-tune, drum machines, sampling and distortion.

I’m a bit of a music documentary junkie, will definitely check this out. Sounds a bit like that drum machine documentary, 808. Or the fantastic Dave Grohl documentary Sound City.

Paul Simon, showing off his musical genius

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If you don’t know the song “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, give it a listen.

It’s one of my favorite songs, one I’m learning to play on the piano. An amazing composition.

The video below shows a young Paul Simon, in an interview with Dick Cavett, being asked about writing the song. Watch him deconstruct the music, pulling out a guitar and effortlessly walk through the genres that all came together to make this work.

A lossless vs high end audio test

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DigitalFeed:

With the increasing number of services around who can provide you with lossless music, both streamed and downloaded, it is worth asking: do you need it? In this edition of our online ABX tests, you can try your ear (and your equipment) at distinguishing Spotify’s streaming high quality from lossless audio.

I took the test, could not tell the difference. But I would argue that the choice of music is not quite right for this sort of test. For me, lossless becomes more apparent when the mix is not crowded, when the focus is on an individual instrument or sound, like a breathless whisper or a fingernail scraping on a guitar string.

That said, follow the headline link, give the test a try yourself. The idea is, there are three versions of a song to choose from. Click A, B, or X to switch between each version. Either A or B matches X. Once you think you know, make your choice, move on to the next song.

[H/T Paul Walker]

Fun little audio experiment

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Follow the headline link, type some text, hit play. The text will be converted to song snippets.

Apple shares another Billie Eilish trailer

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[VIDEO] The Apple Billie Eilish documentary, “The World’s a Little Blurry” hits Apple TV+ next Friday, February 26th.

The latest trailer is embedded in the main Loop post.

David Gilmour, David Crosby, Graham Nash: “Shine on you crazy diamond”

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[VIDEO] Shine on you Crazy Diamond is a seminal Pink Floyd song. There are many, many videos out there showcasing performances by Gilmour, by Floyd, and by other guitarists/performers.

For me, this one is the cream that rises to the top. Gilmour’s guitar sound is clean and pure, the audio capture and mix is excellent, and those background vocals by Crosby and Nash an understated rarity.

Enjoy. Video embedded in the main Loop post.

Robot rock stars

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[VIDEO] This is a pretty great performance (video embedded in main Loop post). I have no idea what this represents, but it makes me think of Transformers.

Ever thought about piano lessons? This is a great (and free) resource.

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The Mayron Cole piano method is pretty comprehensive. And now it’s free.

If you ever wanted to learn to play piano, these guides and some sort of keyboard are all you need. The guides are available as PDFs, perfect for displaying on an iPad.

If you are stuck at home for some reason, consider learning to play the piano. Definitely satisfying to master a new skill.

The Beatles: Get Back – A sneak peek from Peter Jackson

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[VIDEO] Embedded in the main Loop post is a five minute chunk of Peter Jackson’s coming Beatles movie. It’s far more than a trailer.

What I found most amazing about this treat is how much footage there is that I’ve never seen before.

Enjoy. Coming to theaters August 27th.

Drag yourself out some four voice harmony. Fun.

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Google Experiments:

Create your own opera inspired song with Blob Opera – no music skills required ! A machine learning experiment by David Li in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture

Follow the headline link, tap the Launch experiment button. Click and drag to create some operatic harmony.

Sound will play, so consider this before you start.

MKBHD: Hands on with the AirPods Max

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[VIDEO] This video from Marques Brownlee (embedded in the main Loop post) runs the gamut from unboxing to showing off the fit and finish to comments on the overall experience trying on the AirPods Max headphones. This is a fantastic review, though I’m still waiting for more technical, audiophile reviews to help me truly understand the value proposition here.

On AirPods Max foldability and Bluetooth sound quality

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There’s a lot to love about the AirPods Max. But two things that I struggle with are the lack of foldability and whether or not the audio quality lives up to the price.

On foldability: As a frequent traveler (this year aside), I value headphones you can fit in your pocket (the AirPods Pro are my constant companion) and, in the case of over ear headphones, those that can fold up into a relatively compact case, minimizing space in my suitcase or backpack.

Though the ear cups do swivel ninety degrees to reduce the height of the footprint, the headband does not fold over. Not a dealbreaker, but I am used to headphones that fold up, either into a ball, nesting the ear cups inside the band, or like the AirPods Max, turn ninety degrees, but then roll up inside the handle. As far as I can tell, the way the AirPods Max come in the box is as small a footprint as they get.

Next issue is the audio quality. Here are a few questions that I am digging into. I am not an audiophile, but if I was thinking about spending $549, these are things I’d want to wrap my head around:

  • Will AirPods Max do a better job isolating me from background noise than AirPods Pro?

Surely the answer here is yes, though I will wait for the technical reviews to come in to be certain. And I’ll be looking at both noise reduction (subtracting the sound picked up by the microphones from the sound coming through the wire/Bluetooth) and leakage (sound that escapes the ear cups and might be picked up by my podcasting mic).

  • Assuming AirPods Max use the AAC Bluetooth codec, are the AirPods Max as good as the highest end Bluetooth competing headphones?

I’m assuming that I’ll be listening to Apple Music on these headphones as my primary music experience. And my understanding is that AAC is the standard codec used by iPhone/Apple Music. So the max data transfer rate/cap is that of AAC, assuming I am listening via Bluetooth (I’m assuming wired listening offers me higher quality options, but I rarely plug in, I’m a Bluetooth listener).

There are a lot of articles on Bluetooth and codecs, but I found the headline linked article (H/T Saurabh Garg) particularly easy to follow. On AAC:

AAC is the audio standard for lossy digital audio compression. It also happens to be the license-free standard for YouTube, Sony’s PlayStation 3, and is preferred by Apple. If you have an Android phone, you won’t really benefit from AAC as its performance is unreliable: it’s a power-hungry codec that Android remains unprepared to handle efficiently. iPhone users do benefit from its higher-resolution playback though. It has a transfer rate cap of 250kbps, creating a file similar to that of a mid-quality MP3.

On that last phrase, “mid-quality MP3”: Will I notice the difference here, given how accustomed I am to listening to my AirPods Pro and my HomePod? Could I buy better Bluetooth headphones, of any stripe, to get better sound connecting to my iPhone?

I’ve been told that AAC is actually superior to MP3 (disagreeing with the article) and that, from an audiophile standpoint, AAC is very good. Also, Apple Music uses 256kbps. The combo of Bluetooth and AAC introduces that 250kbps cap. A very small difference, likely not noticeable.

And that “power-hungry codec” comment: Does not apply to an Apple device connecting to Apple headphones. They do the decoding in hardware, very power-efficient.

Again, I’m no audiophile. I’m eagerly waiting for reviews to come in, to get a sense of just how much Bluetooth listening bang I’d be getting for my bucks.

Per usual, if I’ve got anything wrong here, please do ping me.

Google: Apple Music is now available on the new Nest Audio

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Google Blog:

Starting today, Apple Music is rolling out to Google Assistant-enabled devices like Nest Audio, Nest Hub Max, Nest Mini, and more. Apple Music subscribers can search and play songs (more than 70 million!), albums and playlists—all ad-free—just by using their voice.

To play music from Apple Music, first link your Apple Music account in the Google Home app. You can also select Apple Music as your default music streaming service. Then, all you have to do is say, “Hey Google, play New Music Daily playlist,” or “Hey Google, play Rap Life playlist.”

Interesting break in the ecosystem on both sides. Google has opened the door to Apple Music being the main music service, and Apple has allowed Google to be the music hardware provider and Siri replacement.

Available now in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Japan.

Interesting “Infinite Bad Guy” YouTube experiment

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Kait Sanchez, The Verge:

Somehow, perhaps by some cosmic intervention, I haven’t gotten tired of hearing Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” on the radio. Apparently, I’m not the only one because tens of thousands of people have gone to the effort of making covers of the song and uploading them to YouTube.

In celebration of its music video passing 1 billion views, YouTube and Google Creative Lab have turned all of those covers into an interactive AI experiment. “Infinite Bad Guy,” which YouTube calls “the world’s first infinite music video,” collects thousands of covers and blends them together, using machine learning to align each one within quarter-beats of the original.

Here’s a link to the “Infinite Bad Guy” page. Follow the link, let the site load, then tap the “Click to Play” button. The original video is in the middle, so tap one of the two side videos to start the ball rolling.

Play around with the interface. Don’t miss the Chiron crawl at the bottom with hashtagged keywords, like #guitar, #ukulele, #piano, and lots more.

Dave Grohl, I’m 10 years old and I challenge you to a drum-off!

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[VIDEO] This is just a great story. It starts with the video embedded in the main Loop post, then takes off from there. For the whole sequence, including all of Dave Grohl’s response videos, follow the headline link.

I love every bit of this.

Side note: That first Dave Grohl video is on Facebook and is what prompted this tweet, a showcase of how Apple/Catalina/Safari is protecting me from Facebook ad tracking.

The first two hours of MTV

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[VIDEO] MTV used to be a really big deal. When it first started, it was a real game changer. And here’s the very beginning (video embedded in main Loop post), with that historic countdown and segue into “Video Killed the Radio Star”.

Just like the original Macintosh was a pirate movement against the establishment, this earliest MTV flew its own pirate flag. This first two hours started on August 1, 1981.

Enjoy.

A mashup to explode your brain

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[VIDEO] This is Donna Summer and Danzig, mashed together so seamlessly. My brain is exploding, but in a good way. Video embedded in main Loop post.

Watch someone learn to play the guitar, month by month, for four years

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[VIDEO] Put in the time and you can learn just about anything. You can learn how to program, learn how to play soccer, learn a new language, learn how to play a musical instrument.

And in COVID times, we’ve got the rare opportunity to lock in, get that focused practice and learning time every single day, no excuses.

This video (embedded in the main Loop post) shows the power of dedication. Skip through it, if you like, or watch the slow evolution. Congratulation, Rachel. You have accomplished something amazing.