Intriguing Tunes, Vol. 1 125


I spend a lot of time searching for and listening to music, and I wanted to find a way to share the ones that I’ve found particularly interesting. I’m going to post once a month about the three or four tunes that I’m listening to on repeat. Here’s the inaugural batch of “Intriguing Tunes!”


“Entertain Me” – Tigran Hamasyan

This one is my favorite recent discovery. I found it through an iTunes Radio station.

It’s by Tigran Hamasyan, whose music could loosely be described as Armenian jazz…with touches of folk, classical, metal, and rock. He’s the pianist and composer here, and I’m amazed by the precise rhythms these folks play. (I spent a lot of time transcribing and plunking out what they’re playing here, and got pretty close. I might write a blog post about the rhythms soon. This tune is in cycles of 5’s and 3’s…circling over a 4/4 meter.) It reminds me of the complex polyrhythms/polymeter of Meshuggah, but it’s much smoother on the ears!

The whole album with this trio, titled “Mockroot,” is incredible.


“Tarnation” – Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer

Bass and mandolin! These virtuosos playing together sound like they are having so much fun. I love American folk music, especially from Appalachia, and that influence really comes through here. (Besides the instruments.)

Chris Thile has been called a “genre hopper,” and he plays in these styles so well, with a genuine engagement with the music. Here he is talking about different musical styles and the audiences that come with them. He’s probably best known for playing with the folk/bluegrass group Punch Brothers.

You can hear the fret noise of Chris Thile sliding from one end of the mandolin’s neck to the other, and on top of it all, Edgar Meyer has such a rich bass sound, even in the highest registers.


“The Blue Room and Other Stories: II. March” – Phil Kline

Finally, here’s a string quartet.

This one is gritty and biting, and you can really hear the performance enhanced by electronic amplification and processing– there’s even a phaser effect on the violins at one point.

I also found a video of ETHEL performing this in the studio, but unfortunately you can’t hear the instruments’ panning in the audio. Check that out here.


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