Dominique Leone - A Wizard, a True Star

film director sergio?

I thought everyone knew that?

her sis was hott in jurassic park

III

It was great when she won X Factor two years ago.

Srs q: is that MIA singing backwards in the track on the ILX mix?

I love Dominique Leone's music. It sounds like someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of music, especially fucked up music, but without being academic about it or afraid to be derivative of something or not paying proper respect to something, or afraid of anything at all. Like, it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin, which is awesome and rare. Plus it mixes up styles all the time and never just for the sake of showing off some other thing it can pay homage to, which makes it exciting because as it unravels it is constantly revealing that at any moment it could go anywhere or use any technique up to including a million techniques that don't match at the same time or no technique at all AND all that said it still has an identifiable sound. Not that having an identifiable sound is all that important or anything, but I would say each album definitely has some consistency. For all of the influences going on, it sounds so NEW too. And all this stuff I'm talking about production techniques and influences and forward thinkingness are all distant subtext to the real important thing which is conveying a thought or emotion or both and even that is a distant subtext to just having fun making this shit.

I'm rambling. I gotta listen to this stuff again.

"I'm the Police" has a serious Jellyfish vibe. Great tune -- I could dig this.

Love the Debbie Reynolds song about her.

Sorry. Anyway I just went over to myspace and listened to a few tracks and they sounded pretty good.

filthy dylan, can i use that as my bio???

filty dylan singlehandedly caused me to pencil in a certain upcoming hemlock show on my calendar

Dominique: Totally. Also, come to Detroit some time.

this sounds dangerously close to being something i might like quite a lot

love this chick

^^^

the songs that sound like queen vocals make me :D

She's no Erin Sylvester.

She's no Aaron Copland.

Abstract Expression is glorious, especially the first half. All my favourite 70s acts wrapped up in one shiny parcel.

Also: so great to finally have "Nellie McKay" on CD.

In short, still hot.

I need to hear the whole album, but "I'm the Police" is fantastic. My knowledge of '70s AM radio pop is spotty, so I can only compare it to Ben Folds Five meets Max Tundra.

it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin
it's music with a huge brain but it still has a groin

For what's worth, one of the albums of my 2009.

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

voice of an angel

Touché.

Happy Birthday Dom!

thanks! I am eleventy five squared today

HB! I came to this thread 'coz I just heard the album for the first time and it's AWESOME! :D

At the moment, 'Sometimes You've Got To Be Happy'* and 'I'm The Police' are kinda rocking it hardest but this is great stuff.

*simultaneously the most Cardiacsy and XTC-y song here, hence flagrant LJ-bait, although obviously it carves its own path

Really regretting only nominating ITP for the '09 trax ballot, because SYGTBH is fucking excellent - and yeah, pretty much the hitherto-mythical midpoint of XTC and Cardiacs! With some American synth-rock thrown in.

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

― filthy dylan, Wednesday, December 23, 2009 11:46 AM (4 weeks ago)

Touché.

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Wednesday, December 23, 2009 12:20 PM (4 weeks ago) Bookmark

Damn, I should be collecting royalties!

this album is rocking my world tonight

so hard to find a good street team

:D awesome dude! I'll get my contacts (well, Davek) on the case and give this a solid listen...

not gonna liveblog the whole thing now but I can't go to bed without saying how 40/60 is basically flat-out amazing and if it's not too double-edged a compliment pretty much how I WANT Animal Collective to sound in my fantasy dreamworld if they by some chance discovered one (1) melodic sensibility

instead I am giving the 2008 debut album a listen. holy goddamn! just sat through 'the return' with a big grin on my face - this stuff fits SQUARELY in a very special bracket of wonky-sprite melodicism and scattergun sonic experimentation that contains a great deal of my very favourite music

I still have the CD-R Dom sent me many years ago. It rules.

Loving this EP as well. Very good stuff.

reading reviews of this online it just appals me how people can hate on anything that has 'too many ideas' as if this is a bad thing per se - or that because it has elements of prog or kraut it's flirting with embarrassment

if it's music made with blatantly wilful design by someone clearly in control of their own creative process, just tell me if you like it or not, don't justify its shortcomings unless you have a rock-solid argument as to why its narrative doesn't work

it is the fault of such critical tendencies, to carp rather than to describe the adventure, to sneer at perceived over-reaching rather than to perceive what is being reached for, that prevents more artists casting off their chains and making music with the exuberance and creativity they're capable of

the chains of good taste

(no zing implied to dominique btw, listening to the ep now and it sounds great)

I think this is an interesting topic. Obviously in many cases, exhibiting close control while concentrating on a more 'limited' set of ideas is ideal and makes for music that is both effective and thrilling - but if one's mode is adventure-pop, then why not wander, why not explode?

lol totally not surprised at louis loving this, it is absolutely yr thing. also he puts on a sweet live show! some truly heroic drumming going on when we played with him

Come to England, Dominique!

Have been listening to 'The Return' on repeat pretty much all day (with the occasional break for 'Nous Tombons Dans Elle'). I don't know if this makes me mad or simply a little askew.

Here's the Myspace of a guy I've met a few times IRL with a VERY similar set of interests to D Leone - much more classical pop, much less sonic wizardry, but worth a check if you like this stuff: http://www.myspace.com/muddysuzuki

I'm trying not to overdo this but I can't get over just how good 40/60 is - I've been rocking it almost non-stop for a couple of days now and running it through my head when I've not been near a computer - it's like musical crack to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eew38kFQtUY

haha thanks! just had first rehearsal w/august tour band, and this tune is gonna be fun!!

40/60 is magnifique....can't believe I didn't listen to it earlier.

In terms of 'getting the word out', I don't see how this won't appeal to the Max Tundra crew.

Mr Tundra played a track from this on his radio show on Sat and very good it sounded too. Must give the rest a listen; thank you for the link.

I keep not hearing Max Tundra's show...is there a place where they're all podcast?

new yorkers please come see me and my friends on saturday :)

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/5061/coco66.jpg

I will attend in spirit.

no longer has a beard fyi

fuck it, it's my thread

Today is Igor Stravinsky’s 129th birthday. Were the legendary Russian composer alive today, well, he’d probably be kept under constant watch, donned in thin layers of radiation-resistant cloth, and under many layers of glass. But were he functional, he’d likely be pretty curious about an event happening this summer in the Bay Area. In short, we’d like to formally announce a new recording of his classic Les Noces (The Wedding), and two performances that will be among the most unique and inspired recreations of the work.

So without further ado, here’s all the info about our Stravinsky cover thing!

NEW RECORDING

LES NOCES (2011)
http://dominiqueleone.bandcamp.com/album/les-noces

DOWNLOAD for FREE!

Produced by Dominique Leone
Kanoko Nishi, Regina Schaffer: pianos
Nicole Ginelli: cover art

ABOUT LES NOCES

Stravinsky (1882-1971) composed his ballet Les Noces (“The Wedding”) during 1913-1917, and as with The Rite of Spring, Petrushka and The Firebird, premiered it with the Ballets Russes group and choreography by Bronislava Nijinska. Its “story” is but scenes from a typical Russian wedding, with characters such as the bride, groom and surrounding family fretting about the event, and each other.

Unlike the composer’s previous works, Les Noces was originally realized through a decidedly non-symphonic arrangement of four pianos, percussion, and a vocal ensemble of four soloists and chorus. Stripped down to these most basic elements, the intensity of Stravinsky’s composition shines through like a razor-sharp beacon. Rhythms pound furiously, vocal lines criss-cross before the storm of percussion and pianos lest they be flattened by the fiery stomp. Les Noces is often considered the last great piece of Stravinsky’s “Russian” period, before the composer dove into other idioms, such as neo-classicism and 12-tone music.

Another interesting aspect of Les Noces is that before deciding on his four-piano arrangement, Stravinsky had ideas of using the “pianola”, a mechanical piano that could play pre-recorded music via metallic rolls. Indeed, the pianola was closer to modern-day sequencer/synthesizer in that its player could record parts that were unplayable by a human being. As a composer, Stravinsky was naturally attracted to the instrument as a tool for composition and performance. Pierre Boulez premiered a version of the score using pianola in 1981, and though the definitive 1923 score with four pianos is the one most often performed today, it is easy to hear the multi-layered genius at work in the piece and imagine the possibilities off pulling it off with something rather less than a full-size orchestra and chorus.

ABOUT THE NEW RECORDING

Enter Dominique Leone, Kanoko Nishi and Regina Schaffer. With only two pianos, one singer and a computer, their Les Noces is realized as forcefully and true to its spirit as any prior recording. And note: this is no “redux” or re-imagining of the piece. Leone, Nishi and Schaffer have stayed entirely true to the score, but simplifying four pianos down to two, and with Leone singing all vocal parts with just a little help from a single pitch-shifter for soprano and bass parts. This is as inspired and magnificently irreverent performance of Stravinsky’s work as has ever been created—but don’t take our word for it, check the link!

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

Maybeck Recital Hall, also known as Maybeck Studio for Performing Arts, is located inside the Kennedy-Nixon House in Berkeley, California, USA. It was built in 1914 by Bernard Maybeck. The hall seats up to 50 people and was designed upon commission for the Nixon family, local arts patrons who wanted a live-in studio for their daughter Milda's piano teacher, Mrs. Alma Kennedy. The room is paneled in unfinished clear-heart redwood, which contributes to an unusually rich and warm, yet bright and clear acoustic quality. There are two grand pianos in the space: a Yamaha S-400, and a Yamaha C7. Maybeck originally designed the space to accommodate an 1898 7-foot Bechstein.

In 1987, the house was purchased by jazz pianist Dick Whittington, who opened the hall for public recitals. Between 1989 and 1995, Concord Records produced 42 solo piano recitals in Maybeck Recital Hall. Each recital featured a different jazz pianist, and all 42 recordings were released on CD. Concord also recorded 10 jazz duets at Maybeck during the same time period, which were also released as a series of CDs sold by Concord.

The Maybeck will host Les Noces on July 29 and 30, 2011 at 8 p.m.

That Kevin B song is SO AMAZING ;_; ;_; aaaarrrrrrgghhhhh how does he DO IT

why not

http://roulette.org/events/fred-friths-gravity-2/

Fred Frith’s GRAVITY // Dominique Leone Band
Friday, September 20, 2013 @ 8:00 pm

thanks for listening ya'll!

yeah, abt that KevyB track, I recorded it at her old apartment in SF, and she didn't even hear the track, just sang the lines and I mixed it later. that's because she's basically a genius. Also, there is a version featuring Corey Fogel on drums, now drumming for Julia Holter, but it was lost in a hard drive crash :(

http://dominiqueleone.bandcamp.com/track/jealousy

"Trying to make baroque pop that is also Black Metal (sonically speaking)"

One month to go!

http://dominiqueleone.com/2013/12/22/happy-december/

there's a lot to listen to there. trust this dude's opinions tbh and the only recommendation I'd say I'd heard is Government Plates

need to plough thru the 365 project bits I've not heard too

.

http://dominiqueleone.bandcamp.com/album/2014-15

"Feel What U Want"'s cyborg-Tuskisms and Toto-quoting are a treat.

I love Dominique Leone, one of the top 10 artists of the last 10 years imo

I (my gf) had a hankering for some DOMINOS PIZZA tonight (it's great!) and started typing it into my browser. My browser suggested instead I go to DOMINIQUE LEONE's Bandcamp, with the kind of ESP-laden flourish which browsers so often evince, for as I obeyed these technological instincts, much to my gf's tummy-rumbling chagrin, we discovered that the man himself has but two days ago released a new mini-album. Thanks to this serendipitous instance of online hunger, we've given it a listen. It's magnificent. Great job Dominique! Particularly smitten with 'Sunshine & Freedom Rock' and above all 'November' which is one of your/his best songs so far. All over in twenty minutes too! Now for pizza. Papa John's.

post of the year

I hear he wears Darkthrone shirts...

Looks like it, yes..

http://dominiqueleone.com/2013/12/22/happy-december/

ha thanks imago, hope you got your fill one way or the other

now do project 365 again with a child (congrats btw!)

ha! only docu-diaper-change form I'm afraid

and thank you!

btw i'd still like to go through 365 and somehow cull a 50 to 60 minute personal highlights package out of them then post my choices here - with your blessing of course

if you'd rather it was considered as a monolithic entity that's totally cool too!

no of course, I'd be honored. I watched a documentary called Indie Game last week. One of the developers of a very successful video game was complaining that the people who wrote good things about his game didn't like it for the same reasons he did. And I promise I will never be that guy.

cool! well, I'll be on it. that guy is always a pretentious jerk but fortunately I rarely run into him in my culture trawl

doing this now

only just realised that 'san francisco' is DL's own version (albeit re-recorded, coz he can)

ok i've been through the whole thing and chosen

it comes to 1h 50m, 28 tracks

i'll order it into a double-album and post the results here

whew

right so

DISC 1 ('the Cardiacsy one')

1. FTJSH (December 1)
2. Don't Be A Deterrent (August 2)
3. Awakening Of A Hedonist (July 25)
4. Numbers (April 9)
5. Those Productive Millennials (September 13)
6. I Never Go Crazy (August 13)
7. God Save Us (October 3)
8. Cycles (September 18)
9. Klepto (May 7)
10. Sensory Neurons (September 3)
11. Jon Is An Obsessive Type (September 15)
12. Ring (May 28)
13. You're Hiding Something From Me (June 1)
14. Guiwenneth (January 28)

DISC 2 ('the melancholy one')

1. Glamour (September 8)
2. MC Ballad 2 (January 5)
3. Wish You Could Be Here (February 17)
4. Sister (August 10)
5. You Can Never, Ever Stop Me From Loving You (February 14, obviously lol)
6. Tired Of Thinking About Myself (July 29)
7. Tumbling Down (October 6)
8. I Will (May 22)
9. Robin O (February 16)
10. July Bore (July 31)
11. Intentions (Tea Or Iron) (October 30)
12. Uses (February 10)
13. Moses & Melvis (January 13)
14. OLTB (October 29)

A frankly brilliant double-album, as one would expect from a trawl through 365 songs by the talented Mr Leone. Quite happy with how this sequencing has turned out (others may disagree and make their own?) My favourite tracks overall - well it's hard to look past that mid-February run really, but everything here is wonderful. Apologies to the months of March and November; the latter would have been represented but its title-track has already found fame and fortune on DL's own 365 best-of (a fairly restrained 7-track mini-album...)

https://dominiqueleone.bandcamp.com/track/david-lee-roth

lol is that your OPO

it's a demonstration that he's not an obsessive type

xp - happy belated birthday

ha holy shit thanks for sifting thru all that imago! who knew I had a double album in me?

now u have to rerecord all the fuzzy tascam ones and release it btw

noted ;)

Suggestions for pop acts DL can reboot, following the astonishing success of Max Tundra's Daphne & Celeste

I'll start with...Rebecca Black

No wait...the Fast Food Rockers. THERE

He's back!

https://dominiqueleone.bandcamp.com/album/dad-rock

She, shurely?

They

I saw her just last week at the Astoria Park Carnival bemoaning the fact that their little one wasn't tall enough for the rides, same as mine, not that mine is ready for the rides after a fateful trip on the Palisades Mall Carousel ("hold me tight, daddy, hold me"). Now my daughter likes to look at Carousels and discuss which figure she'll ride on when she's "older and ready". Dominique seemed happy with daughter and a unicorn won at a fishing amusement. /queens dad rock scene report.