Break with Music

Learn about some new music before your vacation roadtrip, or just jump into a new genre outside the Top 10 lists with books from the UCC Library--

The ten featured titles below are set to start your musical odyssey in style!

How Music Works by David Byrne ( 781.1 B )
Learn about why music moves us and how it has changed throughout history. Did you ever wish you could take a class from a rock star? This book is written by David Byrne, one of the founders of the Talking Heads.

The Life and Death of Classical Music by Norman Lebrecht ( 781.68 L )
The subtitle of this books says "Featuring the 100 best and 20 worst recordings ever made," which really, how can you go wrong with that? (Besides the obvious ways...)

The Basics: World Music by Richard O. Nidel ( 781.63 N )
A quick general guide to the major music types and trends across the world, broken up by region and country. If you'd like to dig into more eclectic world music, check out the Library's latest issue of Songlines on the new magazine rack, too!

The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to American Folk by Kip Lornell ( 781.64 L )
61 key folk CDs and a general listing of regional variations, plus the history of Folk Music across America.

Will the Circle be Unbroken: Country Music in America edited by Paul Kingsbury and Alanna Nash ( 781.642 W )
A collection put together by the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN, this volume takes you through country's colorful beginnings to its recent history and greats.

In Search of the Blues by Marybeth Hamilton ( 781.643 H )
Sometimes, understanding something is all about getting back to the roots. In this historical study, Hamilton traces back the commonly understood origins of the Delta Blues to see if the music really started where the stories claim.

Jazz: the Rough Guide by Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, and Brian Priestley ( 781.650922 C )
Over 16,000 short artist biographies and brief album reviews.

The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop & Why It Matters by Tricia Rose ( 781.649 R )
Does hip hop cause violence, or is it just "keepin' it real"? What about the growing commercialization of the hip hop and rap genre? Are there ways that rap lyrics actually represent poetry for a new age? These and other questions are examined in this companion to hip hop and rap music.

Punk Rock: an Oral History by John Robb ( 781.66 R )
Punk culture includes music, fashion, media, and a definite 1980s feel. This overview covers it all, stretching "from the Clash, Crass, Henry Rollins, and John Lydon to the Sex Pistols, the Stranglers, and the Buzzcocks, with more than 150 interviews that encapsulate the most thrilling wave of rock and roll pop culture ever seen."

FutureHit.DNA: how the digital revolution is changing top 10 songs by Jay Frank ( 781.66 F )
With the recent news that Billboard will start counting YouTube views in its Top charts, it might be time to start taking digital memes and music seriously.