Customer Reviews

Designs in Music (Dig)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Guitarist and composer Ben Vaughn has obviously listened long and hard to early-'60s exotica, TV themes, spy films, spaghetti Westerns, and cocktail music. His Designs in Music -- a highly arranged, richly textured collection of original instrumentals -- manages to pay tribute to guitarists Hank Marvin, Duane Eddy, and Vinnie Bell, and composers Martin Denny and Ennio Morricone, without being utterly derivative. Hearing the peppy themes and doo-ahh vocals, one might be tempted to write off Vaughn's music as kitsch. But a careful listening reveals a depth in the orchestration and writing that's totally AWOL in modern pop. Vaughn's guitar palette runs the gamut from spanky, tremolo-drenched lines to moody jazz-noir, and his vintage tones are always cleverly framed by various combinations of strings, brass, reeds, old-school analog synth and combo organ, harp, percussion, pedal steel, and wordless singing. Going on a road trip? These quirky sounds will make a perfect soundtrack.

This album is a true masterpiece of easy listening music -- it is easy listening with an extremely cool edge. Ben Vaughn uses all the tricks of 1960s instrumental music -- tons of reverb, wah-wah pedals, crystal-clear horns, dreamy soprano voices, organs, and professional whistlers -- and brings them up to date. Of course there is plenty of synth work as well, but it's good synth. And thanks to Vaughn's extensive work making music for Hollywood, he was able to recruit LA's best studio musicians to play on this record.

The title "Designs in Music" is extremely appropriate. The songs are all built around catchy tunes, there is no problem there. But the real achievement is not that Vaughn was able to come up with ditties, but that he was able to design perfect structures around them. There is a wonderful catalog of things you can do in this genre of music, and Vaughn pulls all of them out at exactly the right times. I had the feeling that it was almost an architectural process -- "designing" music rather than just writing it. And they are very hip designs indeed.

I bought this CD after hearing an NPR story about it -- the interview with Ben Vaughn, dated May 28, 2006, is still up on the NPR homepage and is basically a great 11-minute audio featurette about the record. It turns out that the album was inspired by a "beautiful music" station out of Palm Springs CA, which was the only station he could pick up on the radio in his truck in the desert when driving home from Hollywood. If you have any doubts about whether you want this record, listen to that interview and have them dispelled.

Excellent music! I cannot believe there are still artists out there doing this kind of retro/Les Baxter/Martin Denny/Ennio Morricone sound!

I heard Ben Vaughn interviewed on NPR. When he described the story behind this CD, I just had to check it out. I am really thrilled with this CD. Not only is it reminiscent of film scores and music of the sixties and seventies, it holds your attention no matter what age. I think this one will become a classic.

Don't dismiss this collection as a goof on easy listening or lounge music--it's carefully and creatively arranged, with moods that range from sultry to sunny. The musicians are obviously expert, but just as obviously, really digging what they are putting together. Truly a great addition to anyone's collection, especially when you have a nicely frosted martini glass in hand.

Exceptional. Mr Vaughn takes an old genre, and makes it young, fresh, and new again, without losing any of the lunacy that makes lounge music so much fun!