Oct 16th, 2008 · 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.
May 21st, 2008 · 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."
Apr 16th, 2008 · 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.
Oct 10th, 2007 · 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.
Jun 25th, 2007 · 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.
Nov 1st, 2006 · 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.
Oct 31st, 2005 · 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.
Jan 29th, 2005 · 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.