{"id":3744,"date":"2021-03-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-07T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/josephaleo.com\/blog\/?p=3744"},"modified":"2021-06-27T00:56:55","modified_gmt":"2021-06-27T07:56:55","slug":"soundwave-49-less-bells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/josephaleo.com\/blog\/soundwave-49-less-bells\/","title":{"rendered":"SOUNDWAVE : 49 : LESS BELLS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today\u2019s guest deejay is Julie Carpenter, AKA Less Bells<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Several months ago, I did a deep dive on musicians on Bandcamp<\/a> who explored ambient, classical, experimental, and instrumental music. Julie explores all those genres, so naturally, I invited her to join us on SOUNDWAVE. I expected to be surprised, but I didn\u2019t expect how<\/em> surprised by her mix. Dirty Projectors<\/a>? Buddy Sainte-Marie<\/a>? Big Star<\/a>? What the hell?!? I\u2019m not complaining. In fact, I\u2019m delighted!<\/p>\n\n

Speaking of delights, I urge you to go on your music streaming platform of choice and listen to Julie\u2019s music. I\u2019ve been listening to her albums constantly since first discovering her music, and I have a feeling you\u2019ll do the same. Better yet, if you like what you hear, and you will, why not spend a few dollars on some of her songs or her albums. You can thank me later.<\/p>\n\n

Julie will talk about her mix below.<\/p>\n\n

I need to wrap this up because my wife will visit me for the next week and I need to tidy up around the house. The pandemic and work have kept us apart for months at a time. While I\u2019m used to a solitary life, I don\u2019t like being apart from her this long. But I have relapsed into my former bachelor ways and need to get things shipshape before she\u2019s back in town.<\/p>\n\n

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Emil Zapffe<\/a>, AKA Jo\u00e3o Guimar\u00e3es.<\/p>\n\n

See you then!<\/p>\n\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\"Julie
Julie Carpenter, AKA Less Bells<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Putting together a coherent playlist makes me feel like I\u2019m having a party and leaving some of my favorite guests standing outside in the cold. I start with way too many ideas and then eliminate the various contestants. This is how I write music, too. It isn\u2019t until I\u2019m done that I can see what I was trying to do. This list revealed itself as a collection of my favorite sound palettes.<\/p>\n\n

I love music that makes me ask, \u201chow on earth did they do that?\u201d The whole Bitte Orca<\/a><\/em> album from Dirty Projectors is a cabinet of wonders, but this is the crowning gem for me. They hung this beautiful melody on reversed swelling strings, and it\u2019s sculptural.<\/p>\n\n

The Clint Heidorn<\/a> piece that follows has its own kind of dimensionality but pursues it through timbres. The way the sax, strings, guitar, and upright bass move together creates one gorgeous multi-faceted instrument.<\/p>\n\n

Windy & Carl<\/a> have such a deep body of work, it was hard to choose, but I love the little chimes that litter the winter landscape of \u201cSnow Covers Everything.\u201d Guitar and vocal sounds are their trademark, but it\u2019s the attention to little sonic details that sets them apart.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cSleep Walk\u201d is a song I\u2019ve loved my whole life because it\u2019s one of those perfect melodies that embodies yearning and satisfaction in the same moment. Also, it\u2019s got the best reverb.<\/p>\n\n

Christina Vantzou<\/a>\u2019s piece that follows is from a completely different planet, but the dialogue between the elements she\u2019s chosen is so subtle and warm. It\u2019s a piece you can wrap up in.<\/p>\n\n

The Books<\/a> take us in yet another direction, a frantic scramble of chopped acoustic bits that comes together in an emotionally resonant way.<\/p>\n\n

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a hero of mine in many ways, but I especially love Illuminations<\/a><\/em> for her experimentation with processing. \u201cPoppies\u201d shows off her acrobatic voice in such a chilling atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n

I debated putting \u201cKanga Roo\u201d on this list as it\u2019s such a well-known song, but it\u2019s got so many elements that draw me in. It\u2019s the ultimate beautiful mess: distortion clashing with strings, dissonance, and melody, timing fluid to the point of falling apart.<\/p>\n\n

I closed out the playlist with \u201cQueen of Crickets\u201d from the most recent Less Bells album Mourning Jewelry<\/a><\/em> because I feel like its one of our most successful experiments with texture. I loved bringing together the sound of a 120-year-old banjo with synthesizers and strings. In the end, it\u2019s all just vibrations and how they move the listener.<\/p>\n\n