Ben Lukas Boysen

Second Inversion hosts share a favorite selection from their weekly playlist. Tune in on Friday, January 26 to hear these pieces and plenty of other new and unusual music from all corners of the classical genre!

Adam Maness: “Shibuya” (Self-Released)
Performed by the 442s

The title of this piece grabbed my attention because it’s a name I’ve read in Haruki Murakami’s novels and short stories—most recently 1Q84, where one of the characters, Aomame, climbs down an emergency staircase from a freeway to escape a traffic jam, where she’s been sitting for ages in a taxi. As she leaves, the taxi driver tells her to remember that “things are not what they seem,” and then she begins her decent into Shibuya, Tokyo. While I’ve never been to Shibuya, the 442s (who took their name from the standard orchestral tuning of 442 hertz) and composer Adam Maness have added another layer to my imagination of what the place is like. Plus, that glockenspiel with the plucked strings kills me. Good stuff! – Dacia Clay

Tune in to Second Inversion in the 2pm hour today to hear this piece.

Dawn of Midi: Io (Thirsty Ear)

I’m starting to think that I will never tire of Dawn of Midi’s 2013 album Dysnomia. Exemplifying an extremely high standard of acoustic performance, this album is some of the best trance-y music anywhere, for my money. Io, in particular, is a fantastic track. Satisfying grooves give way to complex rhythms and unexpected tones that draw you in as they zone you out. – Seth Tompkins

Tune in to Second Inversion in the 4pm hour today to hear this piece.

Gabriel Kahane: “Parts of Speech” (StorySound Records)

Kahane’s second album Where are the Arms seems aesthetically drawn to building bridges and blurring boundaries between indie rock and classical musis. His catchy pop song “Parts of Speech” highlights the everlasting theme of unrequited love with rhythmic sophistication and something distinctly Nirvana-meets-the-Killers. Kahane’s drawling voice on the driving melody punctuated by some clever rhyme schemes makes the humanness of his songwriting relatable to the casual listener while simultaneously transfixing to the poetically and musically trained ear. – Micaela Pearson

Tune in to Second Inversion in the 7pm hour today to hear this piece.

Ben Lukas Boysen: “Golden Times 2” (Erased Tapes)

Soundscaper Ben Lukas Boysen’s “Golden Times 2” is a slow burn with a wistful, pensive core. Sleepy static and repetitious programmed piano are the jumping off point for a piece that builds as cello and drums join in the tremulous, lush unfolding of an arrangement that offers beautiful gestures of emotion rather than a blatant brandish of it. Swathe yourself in the coziest blanket and sink into Boysen’s graceful melodic minimalism. – Rachele Hales

Tune in to Second Inversion in the 9pm hour today to hear this piece.

Second Inversion hosts share a favorite selection from their weekly playlist. Tune in on Friday, June 16 to hear these pieces and plenty of other new and unusual music from all corners of the classical genre!

Daníel Bjarnason: “all sounds to silence come” (Bedroom Community)

There is so much good music coming out of Iceland that sometimes it’s a challenge just to keep up with all of it. Icelandic composer and conductor Daníel Bjarnason is a staple on my personal playlist—his gorgeously textured, celestial soundscapes blur the line between classical and electronic musical idioms, drawing freely from the intellectual rigor of the classical tradition while living in the spontaneity and experimentalism of new music.

Scored for chamber orchestra and conducted by Bjarnason, “all sounds to silence come” is a two-movement bonus track released on his debut album Processions. The piece makes use of the orchestra’s entire timbral palette, drifting from a dramatic and densely textured first movement to a soft and ethereal second that hovers just above silence. The result is an immersive sound world that shimmers with color and sparkles with orchestral detail. – Maggie Molloy

Tune in to Second Inversion in the 2pm hour today to hear this piece.

Alyssa Morris: Four Personalities for Oboe and Piano (MSR Classics)
Michele Fiala, oboe; William Averill, piano

Have you ever wondered what the four personalities of Hartman’s Personality Profile would sound like as duets for oboe and piano?

Before reading this most people probably hadn’t wondered, but now it’s an intriguing proposition! American composer Alyssa Morris brings us Four Personalities for Oboe and Piano. She based the four-movement work on the four general categories associated with the Hartman test, which aims to assess the underlying elements that motivate individuals, then assigns them a color: Yellow is motivated by fun, White by peace, Blue by intimacy, and Red by power.

Each movement is entertaining, energetic, and expertly executed by oboist Michele Fiala and pianist William Averill. They capture not just the basic comic book hue of each color, but rather the full kaleidoscopic palette within each personality and clearly have a great time doing it. – Brendan Howe

Tune in to Second Inversion in the 3pm hour today to hear this piece.

Ben Lukas Boysen: Golden Times 2 (Erased Tapes Records)

It occurs to me that this track could be heard as mournful or melancholy, but I have an alternative interpretation. Despite the Donnie Darko aesthetic, Golden Times 2 seems to be a relaxed and optimistic meditation. I especially love the extra-low bass that creeps around for most of the track and the swingy cymbal groove that completely transforms the vibe upon entry. Grab a cold beverage and a seat in the sunshine and enjoy!
– Seth Tompkins

Tune in to Second Inversion in the 7pm hour today to hear this piece.

Robert Beaser: Pag-Rag (Albany Records)
Christopher Janwong McKiggan, piano

Pianist Christopher Janwong McKiggan was the 2009 collegiate gold medalist from the Seattle International Piano Competition. As he moves forward in his career, he is charting a path of new music, commissioning seven composers in 2012 to compose works for piano inspired by Niccolò Paganini’s 24^th Caprice. Beaser’s Pag-Rag is both undeniably fun and a deliciously mean technical challenge for the pianist. A far cry from most listeners’ straightforward idea of a rag, this piece is full of lightning-fast changes of character and texture, giving it unexpected depth and variety. It’s a wonderful showcase of McKiggan’s playing. – Geoffrey Larson