Beyond the Rim with Flowers of Hell

Space opera is not for the faint of heart nor the impatient. Its paths may lead through chaos, crashing cacophony and discord, only to emerge triumphant with resolve and peace brought on by sorrow and wisdom. Thus in the great space between Sigur Rós, Nico Muhly and others, travels Flowers of Hell, an international group composing and performing all over the globe.

But Flowers of Hell is not just a 16 piece space rock opera orchestra (though I could have sworn I heard a Vorlon on "Forest of Noise", the third track in their new album). They're also unique musical collaborators with groups like My Bloody Valentine and utilize the latest technology to record and mix online. Sounds like the beginning of a modern day space opera all by itself...

Check out Flowers of Hell on their official site and Myspace for updates on gigs and streamable tracks. Their new CD, Come Hell Or High Water, launches April 6th.

Flowers of Hell - Bluemschen {MP3} (from Come Hell Or High Water)

Featured Artist: Nico Muhly

Nico Muhly is a contemporary classical music composer I've recently had the good fortune of stumbling upon. It's very hard to define exactly the kind of music Muhly, who has worked with artists like Björk and Philip Glass, is creating. Just what is "contemporary classical music"? How do you know if it's "classic" when it's contemporary and still fresh, perhaps too fresh, in the ears?

The simple answer would be that it depends on the type of musical instruments, arrangements and scores being created, and whether it was similar to the works of the recognized classics. Muhly, who is greatly influenced by 16 and 17th century English liturgy and choral music, however, seems to take a different approach. And no, it's not fusion. It's a sort of a minimalistic, stripped down approach to music, celebrating the creative process from a unique place of personal and cultural history and that somehow emerges, seemingly effortlessly, from the artist.

This post's musical piece is in fact the closing piece (in three parts) of Muhly's second album, "Mothertongue", produced and performed together with Samamidon (Sam Amidon). In his words, it is part of an emotional reaction against the "totally pussified" or "wimpy guitar based thing" folk music that abounds these days and that lacks "blood and guts and infanticide" (featured prominently in the folk songs the piece is based upon).

Nico Muhly - The Only Tune (parts 1-3) (from Mothertongue)
Nico Muhly's picture is from his Last.fm page.