The Beatles- When I’m Sixty-Four

Over the course of their musical career, The Beatles have embraced a vast variety of sounds, created many musical projects, and have evolved tremendously. Perhaps one of their most noted albums Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club, is also one which embodies their signature sound. The track When I’m Sixty-Four is featured on this album, and although it sounds very much like something that would be produced by The Beatles, it is very unusual in the world of popular music. Instead of calling upon the instrumentation of your typical pop or rock band—guitars, drums, keyboards, etc.—this song is composed for clarinet trio. It was also included in Yellow Submarine, an animated film starring The Beatles. Below you will find a video segment from the movie highlighting this track.



Sources:

Beatles, The (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved from http://www.discogs.com/artist/Beatles%2C+The.

Beats Antique- Nesatavo

Fairly new and highly explosive on the electronic music scene is San Francisco based music trio Beats Antique. Their sound offers a very unique blend of electronic and hip-hop beats infused with Middle Eastern ethnic melodies. Similar to Calle 13, the clarinet sound used by Beats Antique is very wild and unrefined, and capitalizes on its ethnic qualities. The group uses clarinet extensively on each of their albums, much to the same effect as in the example featured below. In fact, they have so many tracks prominently featuring the clarinet that it was extremely difficult for me to pick just one!



Sources: About Beats Antique (n.d.). beatsantique.com. Retrieved from http://beatsantique.com/bio/.

Calle 13- Atreve Te, Te

Native to Puerto Rico, Calle 13 uses the clarinet in this composition, hearkening to their Latin roots. Their music is a contemporary blend of mariachi, reggae, Latin, and Caribbean music, commonly labeled as Reggaeton. The featured clarinet has a very peculiar tone color, sounding as if it almost could be a soprano saxophone. As we know, the clarinet has a wide range of possible sounds and colors, and often serves different purposes in multicultural music. In Latin music, clarinetists are much more wild with their sound, and create a very spread tone quality. In typical Western performance, however, we prefer a clarinet sound that is concentrated and highly controlled. This sound is achieved my raising the tongue in the mouth, creating a concentrated pathway for the air to travel from the mouth to the instrument. But the clarinetist performing in this piece sounds as if his tongue and jaw a dropped very low, thus producing a wider sound.

This video contains explicit lyrics and visual content:



Sources:

Calle 13 (n.d.). LastFM. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Calle+13.

Aesop Rock- Forest Crunk

Producing an artistic form of hip-hop music knows as conscious rap, Aesop Rock takes many liberties in his music. Because he is not weighed down by commercial and popular burdens, Aesop gets to break away from traditional rap beats, sounds, and subject matter. He is known for intense, rapid lyrical rapping, which, unfortunately, we will not hear in this song. Forest Crunk is very different than many of the other tunes by this artist due to the fact that it is purely instrumental. There are only brief uses to the clarinet in this track, and they are very subtle, but as in many of the other songs that have been evaluated here, these subtleties add a lot to the sonic value. Listen for the low tremolos that take place between phrases, almost as bookends between musical ideas.

This track contains explicit content:



Sources:

Aesop Rock (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved from http://www.discogs.com/artist/Aesop+Rock.

Fantastic Plastic Machine- Black Dada

DJ and Producer Tanaka Tomoyuki, otherwise knows as Fantastic Plastic Machine was a forerunner in the Japanese pop Shibuya-Kei movement of the 1990’s and early 2000’s. Shibuya-Kei is noted for it’s kitschy pop quality, infused with electronic sounds, hip-hop beats, and many lounge and bossa nova samples. If you have never heard Shibuya-Kei before, I can think of no other song that perfectly embodies the genre. Fantastic Plastic Machine uses the Bb clarinet in this recording, to produce a lounge-jazz sound. Throughout this piece, the clarinet plays mostly in the chalumeau and low clarion registers, with a very velvety tone. Interspersed are blips of higher clarinet tones that add a sense of J-pop quirkiness. There are many different sonic layers to this track that build as it progresses. Listen carefully andyou can hear the smooth sound of the clarinet the entire way through.



Sources:

Fantastic Plastic Machine. (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved from http://www.discogs.com/artist/Fantastic+Plastic+Machine.

Fantastic Plastic Machine. (n.d.). LastFM. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Fantastic+Plastic+Machine.

P:ano- Foot Hills

Foot Hills by P:ano is another example of bass clarinet in popular music, although it is used much differently that in the previous post. Whereas before, the clarinet sound was smooth and ghastly, here it is very upbeat and bouncy. In this track, the clarinet is the only source of bass, so it is integral to the instrumentation, and offers the tune a very distinct quality. P:ano, a Canadian based pop band, uses both clarinet and bass clarinet in many of their tracks, and it is this diverse use of instruments that gives them their edge.

Follow this link to online streaming audio of Foot Hills by P:ano: http://radio3.cbc.ca/play/band/PAno/Foothills. You will be redirected to CBC Radio.


Sources:

P:ano. (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/P%3Aano.

Gorillaz- Intro

The Gorillaz used this electronic and bass clarinet infused track as the introduction to their second album Demon Days. The track is very short, and portrays a very eerie quality that sets the listener up for an album full of subdued, dreary, hip hop and electronic beats. There are no other notable uses of clarinet throughout the album, but the ominous loop included in this first track greatly adds to it’s ghastly quality. It gives the song a since of waiting or suspension through frequent repetitions, and a clock-like, ticking quality.



Sources:

Gorillaz, The. (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved from http://www.discogs.com/artist/Gorillaz?anv=Gorillaz%2C+The.

Tom Waits- All The World is Green

The music of Tom Waits is certainly an acquired taste. His raspy voice, among many of his other interesting tonal and sonic qualities, are beyond some listeners. There is an unrefined nature to his music, found in the recording quality and also in the sound quality of the instruments. His music ranges from extremely overdriven, with shouting vocals and distorted guitars, to crude back hill instrumentation, as exemplified in this song All The World is Green. The guitar is twangy, the drums are dull and, the clarinet is very soft and airy. Previously, we have already discussed the ability of the clarinet to match many different vocal qualities, and it is no different for the voice of Tom Waits. The clarinet is just as raspy and whispery as his voice. The lyrics and subject matter of this tune are very whimsical, yet bittersweet, and the clarinetist does a magnificent job of capturing the mood.

Radiohead- Life in a Glasshouse

Returning to a more modern era of popular music, Radiohead is British rock band that encompasses a variety of sonic styles. Their songs are very textured, and through-composed, so there is not often a repetitive chorus or tag line. Because of this, their music takes on a more artistic value. Life in a Glass House is a great example of these musical qualities. Although, it is a little different from Radiohead’s typical sound, featuring big band brass and clarinet sounds, instead of electric guitars and keyboards. Unlike the previous tunes which have only clarinet solos and segments, this song uses clarinet the entire way through, whether it be in the foreground or as part of the counter melody. The clarinet in this song, too, has a very jazzy quality coming from the moderate use of glissandos and vibrato. It is also interesting to note the instrument’s tessitura progression throughout the piece. At first, the clarinet remains in the lower registers, but as the music progresses it reaches the higher octaves, becomes more rhythmically active, and adopts a brighter tone. Notice how the clarinet traces the evolution and growth of the song.





Sources:

Radiohead. (n.d.). LastFM. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Radiohead.

Billy Joel- Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Continuing in the Jazz and Dixieland theme from the last post, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel really capitalizes on this characteristic. The song begins as more of a schmaltzy piano ballad, but about two minutes into the piece, things begin to change pace. The tempo picks up, the piano line becomes more charged, and as soon as the clarinet enters it’s a real party! During this section, the lyrics make specific mention of New Orleans, and the Dixieland themed clarinet solo only helps to materialize this idea. The clarinetist uses many sweeping glissandos, and excessive vibrato very distinct to this regional form of jazz music to exemplify the sound.

Neil Diamond- Cherry Cherry

This tune by Neil Diamond is quite popular, and is something you have probably heard before, but did you notice that it uses clarinet? As compared to our earlier examples, the clarinet is used quite extensively. Take a closer listen during to the verses that immediately follow chorus, looking past the catchy lyrics; you will notice that there is a prominent clarinet counter-melody. In this song, the clarinet is used to add an upbeat, bouncy feel to the music; more comparable to the way it is used in Jazz or Dixieland music. Dixieland music.

The Free Design- Michelle

Moving back in time, this post will focus on a song performed by 60’s-70’s baroque-pop group (also known as sunshine-pop) The Free Design. The song Michelle was originally performed by The Beatles a couple of years earlier, and is probably the version most are familiar with, but this rendition by The Free Design definitely deserves a listen. It features a distinct 17th century baroque sound, using characteristic harmonic progressions, fugal melodies, frequent trills, embellishments, and the harpsichord. But, more importantly, I would like to draw attention to the use of the clarinet. Like most of the other examples, the clarinet only enjoys a short, decorative solo in between verses, but it serves as an overall contributor to the sound and characteristics of the music.



Sources:

Free Design, The (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved from http://www.discogs.com/artist/Free+Design%2C+The.

The Free Design (n.d.). LasFM. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/The+Free+Design.

Regina Spektor- Fidelity

Stylistically, there are many similarities between the sound of Laura Marling and Regina Spektor. Both artists feature a pop-folk sound, and use artistically crafted lyrics, but Regina’s brand is more of an upbeat brand from this side of the pond. Her reputation is already well established, and Regina has been enjoying success in the music scene for a little less than a decade, using the piano as her solo instrument of choice. "Fidelity", much like the previously featured tune "Goodbye England", begins with orchestral instrumentation; we hear pizzicato strings, and later on a clarinet. In this song, the clarinet is never featured as a solo instrument, but more of a complimentary, decorative figure contributing to the overall character of the music. What often makes the clarinet desirable in popular music, is its ability to match the timbre of the vocalist, and create a wide variety of tone colors that amplify the mood as we will hear in this example.



Sources:

Regina Spektor (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved from http://www.discogs.com/artist/Regina+Spektor.

Laura Marling- Goodbye England

I Speak Because I Can, Laura Marling’s second album released in 2010, features this beautiful song "Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)". Marling is an extraordinary young songstress, releasing her first album when she was only eighteen. Her lyrics are artistically infused with bittersweet references to love and friends long gone, while also frequently mentioning her homeland, England. What is especially notable about Marling’s music is the subtle use of orchestral instruments. In this featured example, "Goodbye England", the intro begins with clarinet, yet the sound is so dark and mellow, that it blends into the color of the music, and becomes an almost indistinguishable timbre. Later on, when Marling’s somber vocals enter, we realize that the timbre of the clarinet is a perfect match for her voice. Although the clarinet does not have an overly prominent role throughout this piece, the chosen performer does a great job at blending into the atmosphere and becoming one with the sound. And this isn’t the only song on the album that features clarinet; several of the tracks make use of the instrument as a way to create color, and as a more important melodic figure.



Sources:

Fisher, Alice (2008).Little gal with full-grown talent. The Observer. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/oct/26/popandrock

Laura Marling. (n.d.). Discogs. Retrieved from http://www.discogs.com/artist/Laura+Marling.