Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'dissonance'

Dissonance Is The New Harmony

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:42:00 EDT

Jangling collages of sound, atonal melodies and jumbled percussion, avant-garde music has gone through a lot of bizarre phases. And now "noise music" is picking up young fans through easy digital access. In the birthplace of R.E.M., members of the underground scene push the boundaries of sound.

Chris Walla: On Death Cab for Cutie

Wed, 21 May 2008 11:16:00 EDT

On Death Cab for Cutie's sixth album, Narrow Stairs, the band opted for a live sound in the studio. In an interview with host David Dye, guitarist and producer Chris Walla describes the disc as "louder and more dissonant."

Devastations' 'Mistakes' Simmer and Shimmer

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:26:00 EDT

Equal parts sin and salvation, Devastations' Yes, U reaches its noirish climax with "Mistakes." Starting with an electronic drumbeat and a dissonant squall before sliding into slow-burning funk and the dispassionate mantra of "I make mistakes," it's unclear whether the song leads down the path to temptation or the road to recovery.

Thelonious Monk: 'Thelonious Himself'

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:00:00 EDT

Using dissonant chords, a keen sense of space and knotty, syncopated melodies, Monk created some of the most original and challenging American music of the 20th century. Now, 90 years after his birth, his legacy is as strong as ever.

Stephanie Rearick: 'Flyboy'

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:30:00 EDT

Madison, WI native Stephanie Rearick has more in common with Charles Ives than Fiona Apple. Full of discombobulated piano arrangements and dissonant harmonies, her music recalls the avant-pop of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen.

When Infatuation Slips Into Obsession

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 15:55:00 EST

Dropping references to "8-balling," "jonesing" and "feeling like a junkie," Amp Fiddler's intoxicating "Dope" captures the euphoria and entropy of letting love take over to dangerous extremes. Fiddler rouses the otherwise comely melody with dissonant wails, shrill sighs and cracked notes.

Creating a Soundtrack to Evil

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EST

How do we know when we hear evil in music? Is it the crashing dissonance, the screeching soprano? Commentator Claire Blaustein studies the musical elements in several scores that have long inspired a sense of horror.

Jazz and More from a New Chicago Avant Garde

Sat, 29 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

A loose collective of young, mostly white musicians is carrying on the tradition of Chicago's AACM (the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). They play abstract, dissonant "free" jazz, but mix it with a rock aesthetic and elements of hip-hop, rap and pop music.