Glenn Branca 'Hallucination city symphony for 100 guitars'

[McNihilation]

WTF??? This is horrible!!!

[MushroomedAnymore]

Would but he were as popular as Metallica...We'd be getting somewhere. :-)

[Fastcheetah9]

is there a 100 guitar symphony that sounds pretty?

[EricNos24]

@Fastcheetah9 yea look for django 100

[fininif]

He got the idea from Peter Green's performance "Electric Guitars or Government Policies" a piece for fifty guitars performed at the Battersea Arts Centre, London in 1978.

[Denebnfsu]

DaDa music!!!...to understand it you have to shut down your brain and your heart too...use your lungs, smell the madness and breath the geniality/insanity...

[CrandMackerel]

I heard the third guy from the left in the back row play a wrong note at measure 144.

[damnyou01]

@CrandMackerel LOLOLOLOLOLOL....!!!

[velutican618]

Well this is certainly unique, yo.

I find it kinda amazing that you can make this sound with electric guitars only.

[EtieneyOssip]

Take that Joe Satri-anus

[feedkillchain]

It's so weird to me how negative a lot of the reactions are to this. I understand that it's dissonant and the ears need time to adjust to that. But if you weren't used to hearing BELLS (especially big church bells) they would sound like this too, because the sound consists of a lot of different simultaneous tones. To me this sounds like a lot of bells making a groovy rhythm. (This may be a slow rehearsal tempo?) Not SOOTHING perhaps, but. definitely "musical." It's 4/4 people! Dance!!!

[iamnotdavesell]

This is so good....

[2goper]

Who cares?

[bonggalbonggal]

dulu aja minta pala.

[overoath123]

This is... Amazing! :D 

[TanteFledermaus]

Pretentious noise for tone deaf pretentious people. Best listened to while hoovering

[feedkillchain]

@TanteFledermaus Very far from that. It's not using the melodic/harmonic system you're used to hearing so it sounds like rubbish right now. This happens with everyone across cultural lines. Certain Vietnamese or African musics sound like nonsense at first listen to most Western ears. It's natural. There riots when Tchaikovsky or Satie would make sounds people weren't used to. Now they're on cartoons & commercials and are considered "boring" to some. To me this song is dance music.

[rezek71]

What a waste of musical potential.

[overoath123]

@rezek71 ... you do realize that Glenn Branca is the reason sonic youth exists right? So if by waste you mean "thank you for giving us great music" then you are correct :)

[communistfriend]

Goddd. This gives me chills.

[JohnSmith1101]

Wow, this sounds like shit, I mean that in the most respectful way. And don't be a douchebag shitface telling me "Duh, this is art, you don't have the trained ears to appreciate it" or "Aww you're gay cause you don't like this, everyone has different tastes now go get a life before i fuck your mom again"

It doesn't sound good, period.

[astralfarts]

@JohnSmith1101 you don't mean that in the most respectful way because if you did, you would have done some research before you judge music. This is supposed to reflect horror and disaster. What does horror sound like? Not pleasant. You, sir, are the douchebag shitface. Go read a book or whatever you're good at.

[brw0044]

@JohnSmith1101 you know what does sound good? when your mom screams my name while we bang to branca.

[ThomasZwijsen2007]

I was in this orchestra :)

very great music!!

[jettbrando7]

I was in this! This was the recording from Fall 2004 that did not get used for whatever reason. They then did it live in Montclair like a mile from my apartment and I think they used the live recording. I'm still totally bummed about missing out on the live performance.

[littlejohnnyhoward]

I love the guy in the front row wearing the white shirt at the start

[NegFi]

the guy in the white shirt is Craig from This Is My Condition (check out his solo stuff). this is an excerpt of the 3rd movement, which we were apparently practicing at a much slower tempo (normally plays at 138 bpm). this is, i think, the 1st day of rehearsals because craig and i got stuck on the side of the highway on the 2nd day and arrived several hours late.

[znj111]

the part about the earth dying

[znj111]

vampin6's comment is the gayest thing i've ever read in my life.

[MisterScrutinizer]

You should do more reading ;)

[pdenavagattora]

dilettantes

[joe44850]

There are few things I have heard in my life that I instantly love. This is one of those rare moments

[carey2910]

I found this really unsettling....sat alone in my house. But its good

[Vivalacate]

Not the symphony I was expecting to hear, but just as good as any symphony with strings and brass.

[turnnineteen69]

what a loada shite

[Tapehead1000]

You're a load of big close-minded douchebag.

[vampin6]

This has a very dark and demonic sound to it. To me it sounds like the earth dyeing. The horrors of the reality of living in the dark ages in a technological insanity drivin world. Straight to death.

[CorvidaeHerald]

@vampin6: and in two hundred years it'll probably be easy listening...

[vampin6]

Thurston moor and page hamilton studied with this guy and played in this orchastra. This is the best music Ive ever heard. I was introduced to this a long time ago. when his cds where hard to find. Gret to see hes still at it.

[gabrieldix64]

Music to my ears. Thanks for sharing that.

[Aristurtle89]

it might not be everyone's taste but i like 20th century/modern classical music, dissonance scares a lot of people but who knows, in 200 years time people might see this type of music as beautiful, because their ears will be more adapted to it.

[delcielo1985]

i dont have to wait 200 years, i already think its beautiful!

[khbgkh]

@delcielo1985 Do you really think when Glenn Branca finished this piece he was overwhelmed by its inner beauty? Get real, not every artist is trying to be beautiful. You're as ignorant as people who hate this music at face value, except your kind just deem every piece of art beautiful without actually listening. Note: hearing is different from listening.

[CorvidaeHerald]

Aristurtle89: Ditto!

[vaspers]

congratulations. today this video was selected by New Musiology

[nonthere]

Nobody gives a shit, dude.

[ex0duzz]

I'm ignorant for not liking this as a musical or artistic piece?

And no, it's not the actual piece that moves me, it's the human condition that moves me, ie that people actually like this as a musical piece, the same way that people like screaming death metal and shredding etc

[TehLlama1]

Wow. You are extremely tolerant of other people's tastes. You must have a lot of friends.

[ex0duzz]

Seriously, i love when people call trash genius. I can shit out shit and throw it on canvas and watch it splatter and people would still call it art and call em a genius. People have such fucked up tastes sometimes, but hey, i guess that's why they call it art. Even if one person with fucked up taste enjoys it, i guess it's worth it. Even if no one enjoys it except for the fucked up person who composed it is, i guess even then it's still enough. Who doesn't <3 ART? :p

[lutherblissett3]

i guess life must be tough for people with good taste.

[BenadrylAnnug]

You think this is just nonsense? Common complaint, but thanks for showing us all how truly ignorant you are.

[oobleckboy]

Wow. You can pull your pants up, now. Pretty strong reaction for someone who claims to be unmoved by this, isn't it?

[mrnitro30103]

give me 100 guitar players, 50 les paul/50 strats, and 50x2 tri rect mesa stacks... and I will come up with something definitely more epic than this...

[thettruest]

no, i doubt it rube.

[grugler]

I'm so happy this makes so many people upset ha ha ha

[Sergioterol]

Sounds like crap to me

[KingFoggia]

oh my god who the fuck likes listening to this. it sounds like a piano and a cat going through the blender

[Sigil23]

I do.

[feedkillchain]

@KingFoggia I love it.

[PumpuptheValium]

Man I love Glenn Branca

[PinkIllimani]

I was there!

[AntiRapActivist]

Lucky!!

[riffmeister76]

yeh this sounds real good if you like the sound of someone raping a piano. Shiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!!!!!!

[HeadNtheClouds]

This needs some electronic industrial sounds in the mix & it would be brilliant.

P.S. why does everyone keep saying 'offensive' ?

[AntiRapActivist]

because of the use of dissonace and cacophony its quite noisy. i still like it though :)

[HeadNtheClouds]

me too, it is so bizarre. I love band people, so creative!

[thettruest]

too bad your name is stupid.

[LeaveDenbyAlone]

This is fucking amazing

[CharmenAnime]

holy shit.

[AntiRapActivist]

very offensive music... it must be fun living next to the building this was filmed in :D

[bardobound]

a sound riot!

would love to hear an orchestra cover this as well.

[DimmuB]

what an offensive sound. Those poor guitars.

[rgj001]

u suck

[b24warbaby]

horrible

[Olguka]

genial branca!!! y genial tb una banda q sigo en youtube. Josh&latex. buscarla tienen piezas fantásticas

[knoxled]

this sucks

[Aouas]

Kai gamw!

[35usernames]

nai alla thelei ligo douleia akomi

[rorshakks]

This is seriously great. Cosmically obtrusive.

[doctorribena]

Sounds like they need to rehearse for a lot longer...

[frishdawgs]

Wow the guy in the white shirt is annoying as shit

[deadlychicken69]

i like the part where they play teh music!

[gharju]

what part isn't? i like the part where you acted like a mongoloid

[ex0duzz]

Which part? It's non existent. I like the bit where they just go spastic and make some noise like pre schoolers. Pre schoolers could probably compose a better melody, or perhaps Branco and his fans don't care for melody? That would explain alot.

[Sigil23]

Melody is overrated and overdone.

[oobleckboy]

Ah, melody = art. Thanks for the art lesson.

[ex0duzz]

I never said melody is art. Read my other comment below.

[sponnyboy]

Wow! This is great to watch, how nostalgic! I was part of this Belgian orchestra, playing a bass guitar somewhere at the back. I can assure you, it was a great experience! Only problem was I really damaged my ears cause I wasn't wearing anything to protect them at the first rehearsal. But it was worth it! :-) I remember Glenn Branca more than once complaining: "It's not loud enough!" So we put every amp to its maximum which destroyed some of them and one of them even began to create smoke! lol

[davidp86]

This is movement III, measure 111.

[cullaumana]

ah ma sei italiano?eheh.allora ho ascoltato proprio te l altra sera.

[cullaumana]

great!how I envy you!tell me..what's the feeling playing for glenn branca?cheers and best wishes with your guitar..last day in rome it was a real hallucinations..for you it was real.

[PinkIllimani]

Sorry, I replyed  to the wrong user! That was for cullaumana.

[memcmusic]

I love the guy in the front row who's really getting into it.

[PinkIllimani]

I was one of the guitars, I'm just back home from the auditorium. I recognize clearly the third movement. Creazy! The director is great!

[cullaumana]

tomorrow I will be seated in the auditorium in rome listen to this.hallucinations city!non vedo l'ora.

[readingleejh]

still better than creed

[PinkIllimani]

What movement is it?

[Shnyder666]

ouch noisy

[aprofoundsadness]

you have to step back to listen to these pieces. the individual notes are (very much) less important than textural contrast, contrast in pitch and rhythm, etc. I'm not saying it's a great piece of music, but much music along these lines, "sound mass," is incredible. Check out Ligeti.

[JohnXenanca433]

I love it when music like this pisses so many people off. It makes it all worth it.

[SoDingMop]

Now this, I agree with. That can make almost anything worth it!

[Pwnzone10]

what in gods name is this!!

its sounds like shit

[kicksex]

i would love to be in one of his symphonies...

I highly reccomend his dvd that has live performances of symphonies 9 and 10 i believe....I ordered...you should be able to order it just about anywhere...its well worth it..

[arturd70]

sounds normal to me. an electric fart.

[starsnbarsz28]

This is what it would sound like if a middle school band and a locomotive train fucked. FUCKING HORRIBLE. MY fucking bleeding ears.

[pinholedstars]

No, it sounds like a locomotive train running over a middle school band.

I don't know why you WOULDN'T want to hear that. Over and over and over again.

P.S.

Your ears always bleed the first time, but eventually it feels very good.

[BangYrHead]

mrwrister, I really don't think you get it at all. and yeah, this is pretty a pretty amazing piece of music. does anyone have any idea if he plans on releasing a recording of this anytime soon?

[itzSommyJr]

He recorded this piece a couple of years ago, and it was supposed to be released well over a year ago. I'm not entirely sure of what happened.

[trekzo]

bullshit

[NikoNora]

I makes me wonder why they are bothered to uploade something with such a "nice" sound. The sound is the core and thy dont pay attention. I found this on a blog. I cant belive I was bothered. Alister you suck!!!

[dudehoof]

is not the no wave era. is last year's brannca project. 2006.

[mrwrister]

i dunno maybe its me..... but it sounded very disjointed as well as out of tune. the odds of getting all those stringed instruments in perfect intonation with one another are very slim and it shows

[Soniclife91]

the guitars are tuned to alto, soprano, tenor, bariton, and bass

[itzSommyJr]

You may not believe me, but it's supposed to sound this way. Branca has been composing microtonal pieces for years, and though he no longer focuses as closely on composing microtonally, he still composes for stacked half-step harmonies for that "fingernails on chalkboard" effect, which works well with his eccentric rhythms.

[0Gentle0]

i know why you are called mr wrister now and it shows

[bobmusic00]

i wonder if this is a good performance...and i wonder if the conductor even knows what it's supposed to sound like. the sound didn't seem to change much when he raised his left hand to signal a change or whatever.

[sublimedo]

I'm sure he knows what he's doing. I think its just the Youtube lag making the audio unable to sync up with the video.

[itzSommyJr]

This video has no lag. The conductor is clearly signaling section changes before they occur. Watch the video again and see that the changes are coming at the beginning of the measure following when he drops his hand (on the one count).

[bullrooster]

This reminds me of Shaking Hell.

[ArchitectofLaw]

what's that?

[timothyzha]

early sonic youth song

[gombro]

This is from the days when New York City was in its experimental prime - no-wave and its aftermath. Now it's yuppie scum w/ expensive t-shirts with mass produced slogans who think Matthew Barney and his $ is great art. Sad.

[sebastianlipinski]

I love glenn branca and early sonic youth :)

[sixstringzero]

This man's music is a million times more satanic than any death metal band could ever hope to be...

[Dulcimerist]

Thanks for posting this! It's cool! Is it possible to tweak the sound to improve audio quality a bit?

[tornadogamer]

I saw the concert. It was great, thx for adding:)