Indescribably Beautiful: Ogurusu Norihide- Humour (Study and I)

Collecting songs from two self-released CDs of home recordings, Humour (Study and I) displays the brilliance of using computer processing as a means, not an end, for production and musicianship. Ogurusu Norihide concentrates mostly on quiet guitar or piano ruminations and tampers with them only occasionally (and brilliantly). When the second track pauses after several minutes of guitar normalcy, the subsequent effects only heighten the mood. Norihide eventually invites some unidentified instruments into the game, but the air of forced minimalism remains throughout. Other pieces are reminiscent of Erik Satie or John Fahey with a primitive drum machine for accompaniment. The dark chords and isolationist feel of the sixth track make it a highlight.

sample tracks:

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Indescribably Beautiful: David Darling & the Wulu Bunun- Mudanin Kata(2004)

This one-of-a-kind collaboration matches field recordings of the Wulu Bunun's ancient a capella songs with the modern ambient leaning music of cellist David Darling, who took the present-day field recordings and added musical accompaniment to the songs for the first time. Darling does a masterful job merging his moody studio-recorded string arrangements into the polyphonic singing of this indigenous Taiwanese tribe. Of particular note is the song "Pasibutbut," which is reputed to be inspired by the sound of humming bees. While most of the songs are a simple folk tunes about everyday life, this one starts out with a singer hitting a low sustained note with others coming in at intervals to create eight-part harmony that goes on for several minutes. Sometimes Darling structuring the songs, which may only have a single verse, adding instrumental breaks, but on the above song he comes in at the top, finishing off the song in the same circular polyphony with which it was started. -Tad Hendrickson

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(seriously, this is maybe the MOST BEAUTIFUL music I have ever happened upon.... EVER... please give it a try.)

Indescribably Beautiful: Erik Satie- The Best of(2000)

'Best ofs' rarely do justice to classical music composers; the compilations' limited space often results in selections which are cut from their context, short excerps of longer works, etc. This Naxos release has none of these problems. It wisely offers complete opuses (i.e. all three Gymnopedies, Sarabandes and Nocturnes, all six Gnossiennes), and its focus on pieces for solo piano (the only orchestrations included here were not done by Satie himself) gives the disc a lot of cohesion. It doesn't sound much like a typical 'Best of' - this isn't a drawback but a virtue! - and rather is a thoughtful selection of some of Satie's most interesting works. The playing is also excellent: I was personally accustomed to slower Gymnopedies, but these faster versions are worth hearing; the beautiful Gnosiennes are also nicely rendered. This recording emphasizes the 'openness' of Satie's music: the (interior) spaces it evokes can become a springboard for reflexion, relaxation, or both depending on the listener's mood. Those who are new to Satie should definitely purchase this disc.

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(1866-1925)