Comments for Street Sounds

Caption: PRX default Piece image

Produced by Malcolm Marshall

Other pieces by Youth Outlook

Summary: They say music soothes the savage beast, but what about the savage commuter?
 

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Does the Execution Match the Promise

This not a bad piece by any stretch. But it also doesn't quite meet the expectations the description lays out.

This is an unnarrated piece and I think that is it's failing. There are enough actualities and they are pretty nicely tied together. But, the impact needs to elevated. Sure, music in public transit and on the streets can add a personality to the city and create social interaction, but there needs to be some glue connecting the speakers about why this particular piece was created. Is there some controversy about music in the system? This or some other question needs to asked and answered.

So while I think this would make a nice atmoshpere piece if you're already making a show about this topic you could include it. But it just won't enable you to use it as the centerpiece of a larger work
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Review of Street Sounds

A lovely piece about street music in Bart stations in the Bay Area. I love the ambience and the recordings of people singing and playing. The comments are not as effective though as the musicians describing their music and then playing. The first musician and the ltter part with the guitarist and singer is the best cut. I'd say cut some of the comments in the middle and get the piece down to five minutes and get to the middle part faster....to that singer/guitarist. That's just great tape. With a proper lead any station in any city with street musicians could use this piece in local shows.