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Sep 27, 2010

Rupert Hine - Pick Up a Bone (1971)


Duncan Sheik leads into the career of Rupert Hine, Sheik's producer. Today, Mr. Hine is an established and in-demand producer, but he started out as folk singer in the mid-sixties. His career began as a member of the duo Rupert & David which culminated in coffee house performances and a failed cover single of Paul Simon's "The Sound of Silence"in 1965. It was not until 1971 that Rupert Hine released his first solo album Pick Up a Bone.

The album is made up of David MacIver's lyrics, Paul Buckmaster's strings, and Rupert Hine's compositions and vocals. Hine's voice, in particular, has a large range of texture which enables him to tackle different sound styles. The songs range from soft, pastoral, folk ballads to strange, rough, funk jams. Judging by the album's cover, Rupert Hine wants his music to be taken seriously, but instead the album quickly faded into obscurity.

Here is the discography surrounding Rupert Hine's debut album:

The Sound of Silence (1965 single as Rupert & David)
Pick Up a Bone





If you have any recommendations for where the Tour should go next, give a shout.

Sep 11, 2010

Duncan Sheik - Duncan Sheik (1996)


Daft Music's single "Da Funk" was featured in Phillip Noyce's The Saint along with songs by David Bowie, Duran Duran, Moby, and others. Also featured on the soundtrack is "In the Absence of the Sun" from Duncan Sheik's debut album Duncan Sheik.

Duncan Sheik got started as a singer-songwriter after moving to San Fransisco in 1993 with a degree from Brown University. After performing on the scene for three years including work as a backing musician, Duncan Sheik released his eponymous debut for Atlantic in 1996. The album's first single "Barely Breathing" reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the list for 55 weeks. The single's success propelled the album to Gold status.

Duncan Sheik is an album filled with love songs, unrequited love songs, and reflections rooted in Sheik's Buddhist beliefs and experiences. Sheik's acoustic guitar playing and soft voice lay the groundwork for the album's sound and is supplemented with the occasional electric guitar, backing strings, and constantly changing percussion. Duncan Sheik takes the role as the sensitive poet who tries to understand failed relationships, the world, and his role in them.

Here is the discography surrounding Duncan Sheik's debut album:

Duncan Sheik
Barely Breathing (1996 single)
She Runs Away (1997 single)
Reasons for Living (1997 single)
At the Reservoir (1997 Live EP)
Wishful Thinking (1998 non-album single for Alfonso Cuarón's Great Expectations





Feel free to recommend possible next artists. Just remember that the connection's supposed to be directly related to Duncan Sheik's debut album era and the next artist's next chronological album.

Sep 2, 2010

Daft Punk - Homework (1997)


Weezer's Blue Album popularity is partially attributed to the wild success of their first two music videos featured on MTV. Spike Jonze directed both and has directed a fair number of others for artists such as R.E.M., Björk, and Kanye West. One of his other classic music videos starred an anthropomorphic dog walking around New York City with a radio blasting Daft Punk's "Da Funk", the first single off of their debut album Homework.

Daft Punk is a French electronic duo made up of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. The two met in secondary school and eventually formed an indie rock band with Laurent Brancowitz called Darlin'. The average effort lasted six months and broke during the latter half of 1992. Laurent joined his brother in a young band called Phoenix, while Thomas and Guy-Manuel began experimenting with drum machines and synthesizers and soon established themselves a new identity.

Daft Punk's early singles were quickly picked up by small record labels, but when it came time to make it big, they signed a deal with Virgin Records to whom they leased tracks for distribution, allowing the duo complete ownership and control over the master recordings. Daft Punk compiled enough singles and other songs by 1997 to release their first album.

It is important to note that electronic dance music is a DJ-centric class of music. It has a complex history and is divided into an innumerable quantity of genres and styles. Daft Punk comes from the French House scene (with its roots in the Chicago House scene of the early eighties) which makes use of a hard base drum on every beat ("four-on-the-floor"), a mid-range to fast tempo, cut-off and phaser synthetic effects, and obscure soul and funk tracks from the seventies. (To be frank, I'm largely ignorant of electronic music history, its numerous styles, and how Daft Punk fits into it, but I expect this murkiness to clear up the more I learn.)

Homework and Spike Jonze's music video are considered classics of the 1990s House scene. Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Roman Coppola, and Seb Janiak also directed music videos for Daft Punk. The album went double platinum in Canada, platinum in France, and Gold in the US and other countries.

Here is the discography surrounding Daft Punk's debut album:

 Darlin' (1992 single as Darlin')
The New Wave (1994 single)
Da Funk (1995 single)
Around the World (1997 single)
Homework Burnin' (1997 single)
Revolution 909 (1998 single)





The musical history tour trudges along, but it works best if there is input from others. If you have a good idea for where the tour should go next, give me a shout.