I don’t usually listen to classical music in my free time, but after seeing Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thrile on The Colbert Report, there was no way I wasn’t going to buy their new album, The Goat Rodeo Sessions. Everyone should do the same.
What is a goat rodeo, might you ask? It’s like a chaotic situation where order is beyond thought. But while there is no clear way to describe this new mélange of instruments, chaotic is the opposite.
Say hello to a cello, bass, mandolin, violin, banjo, and a tint of female vocals, courtesy of Aoife O’Donovan that fit together like coffee in a mug. You might be thinking, as I was, what type of country style classical music might this be? However, their music is neither country nor traditionally classical.
It’s a tint of classic, a tint of bluegrass-style music, with a dash of jazz and Celtic style vocals. All these aspects of music that seem like they would clash don’t even come close to clashing. While Yo-Yo Ma was the only musician that did not help compose, that does mean the music is any less excellent. I haven’t heard of any of the other musicians, but watching them playing made me want to go running in a field of tall grass. It’s the type of music that brings you back to your childhood, reminds you of easier times and makes you feel warm and fuzzy.
“Attaboy,” the first song I heard off the album and still one of my favorites, brings together this mash up of chaos in a way that reminds you everything can still fit together. Don’t forget to take a look at “Here and Heaven,” the most gorgeous and harmonic duet. “Quarter Chicken Dark” also brings forth a jerking, melodic beat that makes me want to sleep and dance simultaneously every time I listen to the track.
I have long been tempted to play this entire CD on repeat to put me to bed, but I fear my roommate would disagree. For anyone else, I would recommend trying it. For me, it is study music at its best. Unlike a Goat Rodeo, these four musicians have created a piece of work that is more melodic and less chaotic, a perfect and unique mix of instruments that warms the heart.
Samantha, the intern with an opinion.