ernest ranglin..........a real guitar hero

back in 2001 whilst listening to 'tourist' by saint germain i was confronted with some of the greatest guitar playing i have ever heard. this was an electronic lounge album and i never expected to hear guitar riffs that would stay with me forever. there were two guitar greats playing on two different tracks here but the one that struck me the most was the second track on this album titled 'Montego Bay Spleen'. up until that moment i dont think i had ever heard such creativity on a guitar, and to be honest i dont think i've heard anything like it since

the guitar player in question is ernest ranglin. ernest grew up in jamaica and pretty much made a name for himself as a jazz guitarist during the 50's and 60's. apart from being a jazz guitarist he's played on a tonne of regae albums and rumour has it he taught bob marley how to play guitar. not a bad reputation to have. he's worked with lee scratch perry and jimmy cliff and on his solo albums has fused jazz with regae and made it sound totally cool

i love the way ernest plays the instrument. he plays with a smile on his face and does things with his fingers you wouldn't think are possible. it's almost as though he's finding a new way to make the guitar make a noise but it always sounds musical. he plays creative scales that dont sound wanky and has the technical proficiency of a master. he's a true doyen in the musical world

i suggest if you love jazz, regae, or even just groovy international music you check this guy out. later

the album ruined by heartbreak

there are albums that have a special place in my heart, alongside some movies and great books. these albums are so special that i only listen to them on special occasions or limit how often they are played. recently i went through a dark period after a break up and i played a certain album over and over again for the catharsis it provided. but you know what? i've now spoiled any enjoyment i will get from future listens because it will always remind of that time. i wish i never tainted this perfect arrangement of music, fuck that girl for spoiling the life long pleasure i should be receiving from this album. fuck her right in the face!

ennio morricone

so today i've been listening to the soundtrack for the movie 'there will be blood' composed by johnny greenwood. its a series of beautiful pieces that according to some critics, really creates the mood which gives this film it's dark and sombre mood

it got me thinking of other film composers and one guy whom i especially love, and that is ennio morricone. ennio is probably most famous for his compositions for "the good, the bad, and the ugly" and "fistful of dollars", although he has actually composed music for over 500 film and television productions. whilst reading about this guy i found a very interesting quote in regards to the instruments he used for his scores, thus creating his unique style. "Leone hired Morricone, and together they created a distinctive score to accompany Leone's different version of the Western, A Fistful of Dollars (1964).[8] As budget strictures limited Morricone's access to a full orchestra, he used gunshots, cracking whips, whistle, voices, guimbarde (jaw harp), trumpets, and the new Fender electric guitar, instead of orchestral arrangements of Western standards à la John Ford. Morricone used his special effects to punctuate and comically tweak the action—cluing in the audience to the taciturn man's ironic stance.[8] Though sonically bizarre for a movie score, Morricone's music was viscerally true to Leone's vision."

so as you can see he used all these different sounds out of necessity due to budget restraints. its actually the use of these sounds and the way he used them musically that distinguished ennio morricone from a tonne of other film composers. i absolutely love this guy and i also love his use of the fender electric guitar, an instrument close to my heart haha

anyway if you love interesting music and composition i suggest you find some soundtracks that he's worked on and i'm sure you'll hear some truly amazing pieces

CBGB's

a couple of years ago i was living in new york city and somehow couldn't escape the influence that a place like CBGB's had on the city, or on the world of music and fashion for that matter. i've always been a fan of bands like blondie, the ramones, and talking heads, but living in new york just brought it all to life. music is part of the movement of new york and every hood has it's preferred style of music. jazz, hip-hop, punk, no-wave, it all comes from here. there is such a culture of sound and style here that you cannot help but feel inspired just by walking down the street

when i first arrived in new york i didnt have any friends so i'd spend my time just walking the streets and soaking it all in. one place i was continually drawn to was the lower east side. for some reason this place felt like home to me, and no wonder, it's the birthplace of punk and all that's good about music

probably the most iconic landmark in this area is CBGB's. CBGB's is where a tonne of my favourite, and very influential bands started out. bands like the ones mentioned above, bands like television, patti smith, bad brains, the misfits, suicide, all got there start or made their name at this venue

my friend miles green's band played there when he was young and according to him the place was a haven for interesting acts, artistic freedom, and a good vibe. i'd go as far as to say that without this venue and the acts that started out in it, music might not have evolved as it has

if you like any punk, post-punk, post-hardcore, indy, electronic, folk, anything at all thats cool then chances are there has been some influence from a band that's played CBGB's, especially the early days. unfortunately the venue is no longer there in the original form but the music that permeated from that place will live in forever

four tet....that dude was born in 1977

last night i put on 'late night tales' by four tet (keiran hebden) and it reminded me of how sick this guy is. it also dawned on my that he is the same age as me and has been producing phenomenal music and remixes for well over ten years now. in that time i've been fart-arsing around, tinkering here, playing about there, and mostly daydreaming about the day i produce some magical shit

four tet has done remixes for the likes of madvillain, aphex twin, bloc party, etc, which goes to show you his skillset is appreciated by some great acts, but also his original stuff is pure class. i say if you like stuff along the line of tortoise, or anything jazzy and experimental then this guy is definitely worth checking out

holly miranda - the magician's private library

just a quick note to say how much i'm loving this album at the moment. i'm a big fan of anything producer dave sitek (tv on the radio, yeah yeah yeahs) is involved with and this is no exception. there are some familiary sounds in the production to some of dave's other projects but it's definitely fresh and sounds luscious

holly's voice is incredible and as you've probably read kanye west has been giving her big ups. pitchfork gave it an ok review but sometimes i wonder with those guys, personally i hate pitchfork's reviewers, i think they're dipshits but hey i'll leave that for another blog

i suggest you check this album out if you like moody female vocals, good production, and a mellow vibe. kinda reminds me ever so slightly of goldfrapp's felt mountain as far as the mood is concerned. there you go, two albums worth checking out

on another note holly is playing show's in sydney as part of the vivid festival, not sure if she's done but if you get a chance try to check her out. she's way cute too

ode to the digitech whamy

ever wonder how guitarists like tom morello, johnny greenwood, and jack white get their guitar to squeal? i used to listen to them and think "boy they must bend those strings hard" until i find out their secret. its called the digitech whammy and it's got to be one of my favourite pedals at the moment

the digitech whammy has a bunch of effects like dive bomb and drop tune but i think the raddest sound comes from the 2 octave up effect. this is the effect that you hear on all those white stripes albums and it makes the guitar squeal like a pig, and as unattractive as that may seem, i for some reason love it!

now if you want to hear the digitech whammy in full glory you can listen to 'elephant' by the white stripes and you will hear this effect all over the album. on 'seven nation army' you'll hear the drop one octave down setting and most of the guitar solos you'll hear the one or two octave up settings. and if you want to hear it mixed up with a thousand other effects until the guitar no longer sounds like a guitar anymore go and listen to anything ever done by tom morello. not only is tom one very intelligent individual he flipped the meaning of guitar playing on its mutherfuckin head

bang!