In the City, Without a Voice

I found myself listening to several records with little to no vocals, and I asked myself, “Well, how did I get here?”.

And the short answer is luck, because sometimes words are superfluous. With the right folks, it’s enough to just hang out.

But where?


First, Brooklyn:



Oneohtrix Point Never: Replica (2016)

Electronica usually has a pulse, but not always a heart. And while this one’s a bit colder than, say, Jon Hopkins, he's got his own kind of warmth. He’s like the friend who, while not very gregarious, is always there for you.

And just when I thought it might have been a little too forbidding, Mrs. Jaybee said, “put on the one with that great horn melody and the woman’s voice”.  Okay, she was conflating two songs but I didn’t even know that until I put it on again.

There’s a definite city vibe to this. Maybe a city of the future, like in Blade Runner but more optimistic.

You might occasionally feel you’re being pushed away, but you’re really just being asked to stop and listen.

A-

“Explain”


Manhattan:



Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris
Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic, Columbia Symphony Orchestra

A re-buy after the Jaybee-Roommate Mike record collection was breached. We were young and smart and just came off the (then) high of seeing Manhattan.

There’s really nothing to say about this unless you’re familiar with more than one recording and have a preference.

This is essential music from the first half of the 20th century and if you don’t like it, I feel very, very sorry for you.

A

“Rhapsody in Blue”


London:


Max Richter: Infra (2010)

Max hit our radar after Mrs. Jaybee picked up the soundtrack to Shutter Island. Compiled by Robbie Robertson it is a tour de force of atmospherics that is mostly drowned out by the movie itself.

One of the two cuts supplied by Richter is used for the closing credits and it is stunning.

For unrelated reasons, I recently decided to watch The Leftovers, a show that Mrs. Jaybee sometimes hated. She loved the music though. And it was done by guess who?

So I ran across an ad for a concert by Max Richter, performing music from The Leftovers, so Mrs. Jaybee and I were all in.

And not leaving well enough alone (thank god) he also included this piece, commemorating the bombing of the London subway in 2005.

As Mrs. Jaybee stated, we’ve never been at a concert with such a well-behaved audience. Everyone was rapt, taking in every note.

Like the show, on this record, Max is accompanied by a small group of musicians. Three violins, two cellos, and himself on keyboards. It’s also sometimes overlaid with the sound of transmissions from the subway.

Max’s music (what we’ve heard at least) is pretty simple and it appeals - without shame - to your emotions. My recommendation is that you go with it.

A

“Infra 5”



The Big Country:

While a lot of friends of ours have gone to the suburbs, a long time ago, Mrs. Jaybee and I realized we were city people.

And while the city has its obvious bad points, it's who we are.