Listening for Locality: A Sense of Place in the Music of Sigur Rós, Dan Deacon, Sō Percussion, and Nick Zammuto

• Other Authors: DelCiampo, Matthew (authoraut), Von Glahn, Denise (professor directing dissertation), Coutts, Christopher (university representative), Gunderson, Frank D. (committee member), Jackson, Margaret R. (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Music (degree granting college)
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Tallahassee, Florida: Florida State University 2016
• Subjects: Music; Human ecology > Study and teaching; Geography; Homestead; Denise; Deacon; Iceland
• Online Access: https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu%3A360340/datastream/TN/view/Listening%20for%20Locality.jpg

Since the start of the 21st century—and mostly in the past five years—Sigur Rós, Dan Deacon, Sō Percussion, and Nick Zammuto actively investigated their homes and found them to be inspiring, if sometimes difficult to confront or articulate. They wrote music resulting from their individual investigations. Certain albums, like Sō Percussion's Where (we) Live (2012) and Dan Deacon's America (2012), candidly explored place, while Nick Zammuto's Anchor (2014) obliquely referenced his family's homestead. In the case of Sigur Rós, Iceland undoubtedly has been an influence, although the band finds place-based descriptions of its music to be problematic. By identifying the musicians' senses of place—their psychological and emotional attachments to specific places—I contextualize the role that place plays in their lives and explore strategies of listening for locality within their music. Using these four groups as case studies, this dissertation explores the relationship of music and place. It also draws parallels between the groups' music and a recent ascendancy of place and public concern for the environment. I argue that the musicians in this study are producing work that coincides with an invigorated attention to location—examples of which include digitization of place, the migration of younger generations away from suburban living, and anxieties regarding anthropogenic climate change. Sigur Rós, Dan Deacon, Sō Percussion, and Nick Zammuto are thus part of both a cohort of place-conscious citizens and a bevy of contemporary musicians and composers who are exploring place. Submitted Note: A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Degree Awarded: Spring Semester 2016. Date of Defense: March 18, 2016. Keywords: Dan Deacon, Music, Nick Zammuto, Place, Sigur Ros, So Percussion Bibliography Note: Includes bibliographical references. Advisory Committee: Denise Von Glahn, Professor Directing Dissertation; Chris Coutts, ...