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.

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.