Having fun in the conservatory
*liturgy: Aesthetica (2011): Hipster metal isn’t an informative label; conservatory metal tells you this is for people who get more out of classical than metal. Still, when metal disappears in “Helix Skull”, it’s insufferable.
Aaron Neville: I Know I’ve Been Changed (2010): My stereotype of gospel music is of mass choir overkill. This is an accurate depiction of pop uses of gospel, but the few gospel albums I’ve heard aren’t anything of the sort. Selection bias?
Hilary Hahn & Valentina Lisitsa: Ives: Violin Sonatas (2011): Getting the fourth right is useful. Making the first three sonatas interesting is more impressive. Classical music could do with more attention to slight works; perhaps slighter versions of major works, too. (See also A Charles Ives playlist.)
Bon Iver (2011): I heard that after Pazz & Jop came out, Justin Vernon headed back upstate muttering “I knew I was not magnificent”. He’s not, but I can’t hate a guy with an ear for pretty and a touch of modesty, even if we’ll never be pals.
Tony Malaby: Novela (2011): Can’t say I’m excited by the compositions, but Malaby has put together a solid band, and Kris Davis’s arrangements contain enough change-ups to make them sound varied.
