Cities are made of Music

Cities are all about buildings, roads, parks, stores, trains, buses, cars and people.  But they're also full of sounds and one of the more socially interesting of them is the music that is played and heard by the people of the city.


Since the advent of the walkman there's even more music going in cities and since MP3s and iTunes in in greater and greater variety.


In this interesting and amusing short film by Tyler Cullen he asks random New Yorkers wearing headphones what song they are listening to.  There's some interesting selections to fill the city with music.





Enjoy!  


And, see you with your headphones on soon.


Francesco ...

I’m straining to hear the Sounds of Strata

We all know that all the memorable things have a defining melody, tune or sound track.

Duke Orsino believed so in Twelfth Night when he said -

“If music be the food of love, play on.  Give me excess of it; that surfeiting.  The appetite may sicken, and so die.”

Whilst Chuck Berry sang about it when he said -

“Just let me hear some of that rock'n'roll music, Any old way you choose it

It's got a backbeat, you can't lose it, Any old time you use it

It's gotta be rock - roll music, If you wanna dance with me”

And, as Jake Elwood knows all the best places - “got both kinds music – Country and Western !”

So, I think strata title needs to have its own music. Don’t you agree ?  

Starting with the obvious, I’ve found a US band actually called Strata.

According to their bio … Strata got their start in suburban San Jose around 2000. Then called Downside, the quartet -- vocalist Eric Victorino, guitarist Ryan Hernandez, bassist Hrag Chanchanian, and drummer Adrian Robison -- started playing out frequently, and by 2001 had self-released an LP. An Internet release followed. Tours with homeboys like Alien Ant Farm and Dredg raised Strata's stock, and though numerous labels showed interest in their post-grunge grooves (similar to types like Trapt or even Hoobastank), the band eventually signed with mondo-successful startup Wind-Up. Their largely self-produced, eponymously titled debut appeared in July 2004. Presents the End of the World followed three years later. The trio spent the next two years writing songs while touring the U.S. and U.K., then returned to hit the studio and record Strata Presents the End of the World, released in July 2007.  And, they look the part too.

Their 2004 album Strata features appropriately titled tracks like The Panic, When It’s All Burning, Never There, Waiting and In a Sweet Dream.  But, their 2007 album Strata Presents the End of the World is moodier and broodier with tracks like Hot/Cold, Coma Therapy, The Dotted Line … and Daylight in the City.

Amazingly their CD’s are for sale at amazon.com for less than $1.  Look here.

So, let’s fill strata with music and suggest artists, albums, tracks, etc for my catalogue of the Sounds of Strata.

Francesco ...