Happy Friday!
Spring is in the air! Temperatures are rising, birds are singing, and creatures are coming out of hibernation. This week it seems everyone had animals on the mind. Friends sent me not one, but two different videos of dogs playing piano and singing. (Fear not, I agree with you. You probably should see them both.) Scientists discovered the first known musical instrument had actually just been a hyena’s chew toy all along. And the “more cowbell” pup has learned a bunch of new tricks. But there were also a few non-canine things that happened in the world of music, so read on for the best the musical internet has to offer!
What we’ve been reading
- Every major recording artist you can name stood up beside Jay Z this week for the launch of his new music streaming company, Tidal. The service bears a hefty $20/month price tag, but boasts exclusive content and, most importantly, is wholly artist-owned. Billboard thinks it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Gawker wrote a laugh-out-load teardown of the press conference. And Ari Herstand put together the most profound and compelling analysis of the topic we’ve seen so far. [Billboard, Gawker, Digital Music News]
- Buzzfeed’s “Who Said It: Kanye West or John Ralphio Saperstein” had me on the floor. [Buzzfeed]
- And without further ado, here are two singer-songwriter puppies. Presented back-to-back to facilitate strictly technical comparisons of their skill level:
- If you’re on social media, you are likely well aware that this past Wednesday was April Fools’ Day. Naturally we were quite partial to our “Scoring for Cell Phones” prank. But YouTube also nailed it, adding a “” button to their media player which. when pressed, added snippets of Darude’s “Sandstorm” in the middle of any video. [Tubefilter]
- Here’s something heartwarming for your Friday afternoon: The New Forest Spectrum Music Festival is the first-ever national music festival exclusively for people with learning disabilities. They’re currently raising money on Kickstarter for the festival, happening this June in Lyndhurst, UK. [New Forest Spectrum and Kickstarter]
- The “more cowbell” dog is at it again!
Pour commencer la semaine avec le sourire 🙂
Posted by Spi0n on Sunday, March 29, 2015
- I was very smug last week upon learning of the demise of Top Gear (a fiercely debated TV show around Soundfly HQ), but little did I know, presenter James May is a fellow recorder enthusiast. I may have felt the slightest twinge of guilt… [The Telegraph]
- This story of a Syrian musician dragging a piano around a refugee camp destroyed by war to sing with local communities will bring you to tears. [The World Post]
- This video of two people playing the guitar at the same time is incredible. [Brazillian Music Institute on YouTube]
- Last week a news helicopter in LA spectacularly discovered a picturesque piano sitting on top of a mountain. (Later it came out that it had been litter from a music video shoot.) [KTTV]
- Back to our theme: the Muppets are all animals, right? (With the obvious exception of Gonzo, who as we all know is a “whatever”.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whFc4xtSD3w
What we’ve been listening to
- I’ve had San Fermin on repeat since yesterday’s Soundfly Stories with their singer Allen Tate.
- Ian’s article on the rise of underground modern classical music is a treasure trove of beautiful new instrumental artists to explore. Check out Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, yMusic, Alice Sarah Ott, Kronos Quartet, Son Luxe, Eunbi Kim, and so many more!
- When a friend told me to watch this video of two guys playing Toto’s “Africa” in a pizza shop, I just kept waiting for the punchline to come. It never does. It’s just totally, earnestly, amazing.
And to wrap up, while we’ve succeeded in finding much cuteness this week, I’ve thus far failed to bring the weirdness. I am a child of a digital age, dogs playing instruments is simply not enough. Sometimes you need anthropomorphized, dancing, headless chickens.