Let’s listen to some music together

You and me—we can spare the time. It’s like John Williams said: music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music…so let’s do some listening!

What sort of music are you into? Me too. One of the side effects of writing music for games and films is that I’ve ended up learning to appreciate every genre. Occupational hazard. But being up for anything makes music discovery fun!

Oh sure, I’m happy to pick the first one…maybe something peaceful? I get the sense we could both use a little escape, and I know just the place.

Landscape to Light, James Ross & Maxwell Quartet

There’s something indescribably comforting to me about music inspired by classic Celtic traditions. It’s a sound that’s contributed to countless modern music genres, and tracing those influences back to their roots can be calming.

Scottish composer and pianist James Ross invites us to experience a full spectrum of feelings in this album. Performed with exquisite sensitivity by the talented Maxwell Quartet, Landscape to Light is an album of tone poems, a book of stories about the grandeur of his north coast home.

I could point to so many moments, but I’ll pick a few that I think you’ll appreciate. Start from the top, with the title track. Let’s press play. You’ll have to give it a second—this kind of music isn’t in a hurry. 

At 0:46 we’re introduced to the main melody, but you won’t fall in love with it until it comes back, having explained itself. Do you notice the quartet using the space to bounce a note back and forth between our ears at the 1:30 mark? It’s just before the cello steps in with a soaring countermelody, building a bridge of beautiful harmonies for us.

Remember I said you’d fall in love with the melody? Here it comes, at 2:18, to carry us into a satisfying conclusion.

Tracks 2 and 3 are sublime—especially 3, though its captivating melody takes its time appearing—but if you only have time for one then I recommend Fairy Hill. It seems to be the most popular track on the album, and I can see why. It’s difficult not to be transported to a sunny hillside, wind blowing through the grass. Whether it’s the piano or the violin carrying it, the lilting melody meanders brightly through a landscape of pizzicato rhythms and pulsing arpeggios. I can’t help but smile.

Whatever I was worried about when I started listening was long forgotten by the time I reached the end of this album. I hope that's the case for you as well.

Descensus, Zedd, Dora Jar, Mesto

Shall we dial up the energy? This one is ear candy. There’s a lot going on in this mix, and it rewards close attention and the best listening environment you can give it.

Nestled near the end of an incredible album, this song sounds like what might happen if you took a solid dose of classic dance, added some gothic flavour, and seasoned it with symphonic metal and some dubstep tendencies.

Try to pay attention to all the ways it's playing with our attention. The variety of sounds, the unexpected interruptions, the careful interplay of intensity and restraint. Once it gets going you’ll probably think it sounds like chaos, but see if you can close your eyes and notice how all those moments, those microscopic gestures, are both harmonically and rhythmically locked in. There is method to this madness.

Those sorts of details are what I find myself appreciating when I’m lost in the music. Kudos to the artists and engineers who breathed so much life into this one.

This whole album, by the way, is great to pull out when your friend is trying to convince you that better headphones/earbuds/speakers really do sound better but you’re skeptical. Listen to it on what you’ve got, then listen to it on what they’ve got and I bet you’ll notice some things you didn’t pick up on the first time around. Especially over the course of an album as eclectic as this one.

Descensus isn't even my favourite song on the album. I can't decide which I like best, but it's one of these: Tangerine Rays, Shanti, No Gravity, Dream Brother, or this one.

How about you?

Broken Step, AV On Decks & SamBeazy

Last one for today? Okay, let's take things in a different direction. Remember when I wrote about how you can learn to appreciate minimalism through music and vice-versa? This track is a perfect one to practise with.

The build is patient but gripping, the chords few but soulful, laced with yearning. Let it wash over you. There’s restraint in the execution—this kind of piece could easily have ended up with too many layers too soon, but instead we get a carefully considered handful. 

It's an interesting blend of genre elements, too. We get some traditional percussion instruments from around Africa delivering a foundation for more jungle-flavoured digital drums. Delicate plucks and processed vocal samples drift overtop, and an escalating assortment of synths deliver another layer of modern flavour.

Even 4 minutes in there are still significant sonic novelties being revealed. That takes skill and taste to deliver. For me, the payoff here is sweeter because of how carefully it's been prepared for us.

Let's do this again sometime

Discovering new music, talking about it, trying to appreciate all the details the artists worked to include...I have a lot of fun doing it.

Would there be any interest in me sharing recommendations, in a format like this, every couple of weeks or so? Write me a note if you'd be into it. If you use Scribbles like I do, you can even try out this fun new feature that was added recently.

Happy listening!