Players fondle the innards of a piano; Will.I.am dubs over an Obama speech

A recent NPR story (in true NPR fashion) covered an odd ensemble of musicians who are masters of a unique new instrument called the bowed piano. It is basically the stripped-down guts of a piano. They use things like fishing line, Popsicle sticks and plumbing tape to play the recently invented instrument.

Simply put, it is a piano with the top taken off and the inside strings manipulated by a group of people.

If you enjoy wacky new instruments, this chamber group is for you. Think the Blueman group turned slightly dull and classical. It is five hundred-times better than a video I watched about musicians playing metal folding chairs by scraping and sliding them across a linoleum floor.

The bowed piano music is eerie and beautiful, sparkling and fantastic. The chamber group is intense and amusing to watch.

Go to the site and read the article for yourself. Especially make sure to watch the video performance and interviews where the bowed piano is demonstrated and some of the tricks of the trade showcased.

NPR story on bowed piano

Next to discuss is Will.I.am’s latest song featuring the smooth John Legend, the beautiful Scarlett Johansson, the vegan rapper Common, that girl from CSI and a cluster-fuck of other celebrities echoed and dubbed over a Barack Obama speech.

The song is called “Yes We Can”.

Politics set aside, Obama’s speech is eloquent. His words play out like lyrics and are a natural fit to music; a mix between brilliant speech writing by Honest Abe (“Four score and seven years ago…”) and a jangly call for change by Bob Dylan (“This is the story of the Hurricane”).

The music is hokey, but highly entertaining. The production was done quickly, but is surprisingly professional and flawless. The Cooing and singing of celebrities intermingling with Obama’s speech can give a small migraine at times, but the dubbing process is overall something to be marveled at.

The video was directed be Jesse Dylan, the son who will always live under his father’s shadow (if you do not know who his father is, a clue can be found in my blog about Soy Bomb). Jesse Dylan is also the man who directed American Wedding.

Go ahead, see for yourself. The bellow link goes to a news story about the song, with interviews of Will.I.am and Jess Dylan. There is also clips of the music video and lyrics/words to the side.

YouTube video of news story

Snoop Dogg takes his time in order to give his woman a “Sexual Eruption” … or for the PG-philes — a “Sensual Seduction”

The “Sexual Eruption” music video (censored as “Sensual Seduction”) has been circulating on television channels and the internet for at least 2 months now. The watching experience goes in stages similar to those introduced by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in 1969 for grief and loss.

Denial: “Did he really make such a terrible video/song?”

Anger: “Why am I humming along? Sure, he made the video in good humor, but it still pisses me off.”

Bargaining: “What? It’s on again? Mr. Snoop Doggy Dogg is lucky that the remote is so far away. I would take bamboo shoots under the fingernails to have my girlfriend change the channel.”

Depression: “Why can’t my love-making be how Snoop describes it? Look at all the shining women around him that I will never have.”

Acceptance: Singing to oneself on the way to work: “If you don’t know by now, Doggy Dogg is a freak freak freeeeaak.”

Here is a break-down:

The music — A mixture of vocoder/talkbox vocals, synthesizers, flutes, a triangle and a subtle rap beat.

The video — A wonderful parody making use of greased and teased hair through a soft-focus lens, fog machines, twinkling pinpoints of light and beds floating across galaxies.

The remix with Lil Kim — Her lyrics are even nastier than Snoop Dogg’s: “I like to take mine from behind so he can take control.” Her contribution adds even more flavor to the song, bringing it to a new level of ’sleazy-70s-song-to-bang-your-girlfriend-to’.

The verdict — A hilarious guilty pleasure whether the remix or original, single track or video. If you have not heard it yet, go cycle through the steps — I will meet you at acceptance.

And then we can wait.

The album drops in March.

There will be no guest appearances on the album, sources said. It will be 100-percent Snoopy Doggy Dizzle. Just the way it should be.