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Soundcheck / July 19, 2007

Soundcheck

Thursday, July 19, 2007
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  • A still from the animated feature film "Ratatouille"
    A still from the animated feature film "Ratatouille"

    Cartoon Music Makes a Comeback

    This summer's batch of animated feature films - including "Ratatouille," "The Simpsons" and "Shrek the Third" - feature lush, sophisticated musical scores. Today, two film composers and a cartoon music scholar look at why cartoon music is enjoying a Renaissance. Also: Brooklyn band Bishop Allen first turned heads in 2006 when they set out to release an EP for each month of the year. With that Herculean task behind them, the band has released their debut album, which includes reworked versions of songs that appeared on last year's EP series. They perform live in the studio.

Music for Talking Rats and Homer Simpson

How music for cartoons is more sophisticated than you might think. Joining us are Harry Gregson-Williams, the composer of "Shrek" films, "Flushed Away," "Chicken Run," and "The Tigger Movie, Antz;" Michael Giacchino, composer of "Ratatouille" and "The Incredibles;" and Daniel Goldmark, the author of Tunes for 'Toons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon.

Michael Giacchino's Web site
Harry Gregson-Williams on IMDB
Daniel Goldmark's Web site

Bishop Allen

Brooklyn indie rock band Bishop Allen talks about releasing an EP for each month of the year, as well as a full-length debut album. They also perform live in the studio.

Bishop Allen's Web site

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: Stephanie McKay

Soundcheck

The local singer-songwriter performs "Jackson Avenue," a nostalgic toast to her childhood in the South Bronx.

The Decemberists

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

headphone

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.