blog post eleven
extra credit- is there an indie rock conspiracy?
they say that there is a certain chord progression that all indie songs that go to number one or become big hits or singles have. The lead singer of Joywave who is on the show refers to it as a "cheat code" for success in alternative music. the motif in question uses five notes all in the pentatonic scale. the pentatonic scale is found everywhere- in all types of global music and all genres that we listen to the United States. the four things that are needed in a song to make it get in peoples head are faster songs, generic, easy to remember melody that still has something that can set it apart, it starts by going up then going down in pitch, and lots of exposure. they discuss how sometimes the pentatonic scale is left for a scale that is very similar to the pentatonic scale with a blues note added in. they come to the conclusion that there is no insane shadow organization that is running all of the indie music. personally i was never convinced that there was something going on because one of the biggest pieces of evidence that the theorist presented was that the songs go up and then down in pitch. that seems extremely broad and generic and not unique to alternative music. if they don't go up and then down, they would go down and then up which could be a whole new conspiracy.
Vox "Is There An Indie Rock Conspiracy? (Featuring Joywave)" Switched On Pop, Spotify, 15 May 2019, https://open.spotify.com/show/1sgWaKtQxwfjUpZnnK8r7J
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Monday, November 4, 2019
ZIGGY STARDUST
week ten blog post
this week I decided to listen to Ziggy stardust from the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars first of all because it is a phenomenal song and concept album but also the album title, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars has twelve words in it so every time I mention it, twelve words are added to my 250. I wonder if The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars had any influence on the Grateful Dead's album, From the Mars Hotel that came out two years later. I feel like Mars is not a very common theme in album titles except for these two which were so close together. I love reading the lyrics because it seems like a very clear and coherent story but also some of the things really just don't make sense. it seems like it would be good fun to be in Ziggy's band. from the lyrics, it sounds like the band consists of Ziggy, Weird, Gilly, the spiders from mars, and David bowie. (but if you are singing then it is like you are part of the band!) it is really just too bad that the band has to be broken up at the end. Ziggy's band will forever be missed. this song is so catchy and fun and I feel like most people could get into it. especially while playing guitar hero. I don't remember playing it but I hope someone does.
this week I decided to listen to Ziggy stardust from the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars first of all because it is a phenomenal song and concept album but also the album title, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars has twelve words in it so every time I mention it, twelve words are added to my 250. I wonder if The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars had any influence on the Grateful Dead's album, From the Mars Hotel that came out two years later. I feel like Mars is not a very common theme in album titles except for these two which were so close together. I love reading the lyrics because it seems like a very clear and coherent story but also some of the things really just don't make sense. it seems like it would be good fun to be in Ziggy's band. from the lyrics, it sounds like the band consists of Ziggy, Weird, Gilly, the spiders from mars, and David bowie. (but if you are singing then it is like you are part of the band!) it is really just too bad that the band has to be broken up at the end. Ziggy's band will forever be missed. this song is so catchy and fun and I feel like most people could get into it. especially while playing guitar hero. I don't remember playing it but I hope someone does.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
SCARLET BEGONIAS
week nine blog post
The Grateful Dead is one of the best bands to ever exist. This band would be so fun to see live and so it makes me pretty sad that they performed their last show together. The Grateful Dead have such great music to dance to and Scarlet Begonias is no exception. The music behind the lyrics is super fun and I love that it continues on for a while even after the lyrics end. It is the kind of song that could go on forever but I wouldn't really notice, I would just keep on dancing along. When they would perform this song live, they often would just continue playing music for a while. The recording is just over four minutes, but often, they would continue the song for 10-15 minutes. I love how this whole song is written about a girl but in the end it says that he had to "let her pass by." The album art is also fun, I like to imagine the band playing right in front of the Mars Hotel. This song is all things summer and green grass; reminds me a lot of Mission Dolores Park in San Fransisco. After a day hanging out in San Fransisco I can imagine my friends and I dancing at this park listening to the Grateful Dead perform. Too bad there's no park like this in Cedar City. And again, too bad the Grateful Dead aren't playing together anymore. Anyways hope to see you dancing at Dolores Park soon.
The Grateful Dead is one of the best bands to ever exist. This band would be so fun to see live and so it makes me pretty sad that they performed their last show together. The Grateful Dead have such great music to dance to and Scarlet Begonias is no exception. The music behind the lyrics is super fun and I love that it continues on for a while even after the lyrics end. It is the kind of song that could go on forever but I wouldn't really notice, I would just keep on dancing along. When they would perform this song live, they often would just continue playing music for a while. The recording is just over four minutes, but often, they would continue the song for 10-15 minutes. I love how this whole song is written about a girl but in the end it says that he had to "let her pass by." The album art is also fun, I like to imagine the band playing right in front of the Mars Hotel. This song is all things summer and green grass; reminds me a lot of Mission Dolores Park in San Fransisco. After a day hanging out in San Fransisco I can imagine my friends and I dancing at this park listening to the Grateful Dead perform. Too bad there's no park like this in Cedar City. And again, too bad the Grateful Dead aren't playing together anymore. Anyways hope to see you dancing at Dolores Park soon.
Monday, October 21, 2019
LIKE A ROLLING STONE
week eight blog post
I love "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan because it reminds me of some really important people to me. I haven't seen them in a while because one is living in California, another in Austria, and the last just up in Orem. I have had experiences with each of them involving this song. In fact, the whole reason that the girl up in Orem and I clicked so fast was because we both loved Bob Dylan. The intro is super cool to me because it doesn't slowly build up, it is abrupt and complex. All of the instruments together are exciting and set a good stage for a six minute song. The best part about this song to me, is the fact that it is six minutes. I love that it just keeps on going but it is so complicated and entertaining that it doesn't seem like it is dragging on with no purpose. Each verse and chorus has a purpose, and the instrumental aspect is already enough to keep you engaged. I really enjoy watching videos of Bob Dylan perform because for some reason, it is so fun for me to watch and hear him sing and then to watch and hear him play the harmonica while there are no lyrics. The chorus I think was very well thought out because it is obviously something he related to but it is also vague enough that others could relate to. Dylan saying, "How does it feel? How does it feel to be on your own with no direction home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?" is so impactful and I think about it a lot. I wish there were more six minute songs like this.
I love "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan because it reminds me of some really important people to me. I haven't seen them in a while because one is living in California, another in Austria, and the last just up in Orem. I have had experiences with each of them involving this song. In fact, the whole reason that the girl up in Orem and I clicked so fast was because we both loved Bob Dylan. The intro is super cool to me because it doesn't slowly build up, it is abrupt and complex. All of the instruments together are exciting and set a good stage for a six minute song. The best part about this song to me, is the fact that it is six minutes. I love that it just keeps on going but it is so complicated and entertaining that it doesn't seem like it is dragging on with no purpose. Each verse and chorus has a purpose, and the instrumental aspect is already enough to keep you engaged. I really enjoy watching videos of Bob Dylan perform because for some reason, it is so fun for me to watch and hear him sing and then to watch and hear him play the harmonica while there are no lyrics. The chorus I think was very well thought out because it is obviously something he related to but it is also vague enough that others could relate to. Dylan saying, "How does it feel? How does it feel to be on your own with no direction home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?" is so impactful and I think about it a lot. I wish there were more six minute songs like this.
Monday, October 14, 2019
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
week seven blog post
In "A Hard Day's Night," I love the rhythm that The Beatles keep in each of the verses. The way they draw out the words "hard day's night" then pick up tempo a little on the next line is super catchy. I also like the harmonious voices that come in after that for the choruses because it added a layer of emphasis. Overall, the song has a good sense of uniformity which was really good to listen to. It is all a distinct process until the very ending. The very beginning note of the song sounds like it is on the same sequence as the ending of the song. I like both of these because they are very different than the rest of the song and come as a surprise to the listener. As you listen to the outro, you keep thinking that something big will come or the that the song is not over yet, but then it just ends. It may bother some people with a little bit of an unfinished feel, but I really enjoy it. The color of this song is a purpley indigo. Who knows why, it could be different for you. Interestingly enough, this song title was also the title to The Beatles first film made about them. This song is a staple for The Beatles and I think part of the reason is because this song really shows how smart they are in the field of creating music. Their minds all work very well together to create memorable and catchy songs.
In "A Hard Day's Night," I love the rhythm that The Beatles keep in each of the verses. The way they draw out the words "hard day's night" then pick up tempo a little on the next line is super catchy. I also like the harmonious voices that come in after that for the choruses because it added a layer of emphasis. Overall, the song has a good sense of uniformity which was really good to listen to. It is all a distinct process until the very ending. The very beginning note of the song sounds like it is on the same sequence as the ending of the song. I like both of these because they are very different than the rest of the song and come as a surprise to the listener. As you listen to the outro, you keep thinking that something big will come or the that the song is not over yet, but then it just ends. It may bother some people with a little bit of an unfinished feel, but I really enjoy it. The color of this song is a purpley indigo. Who knows why, it could be different for you. Interestingly enough, this song title was also the title to The Beatles first film made about them. This song is a staple for The Beatles and I think part of the reason is because this song really shows how smart they are in the field of creating music. Their minds all work very well together to create memorable and catchy songs.
Monday, October 7, 2019
MYSTERY TRAIN
week six blog post
Mystery Train by Elvis Presley is the perfect song to go in the background of a movie. Even though the vocals are a little slower and dragged out, the instrumental portion of the song is lively enough that it paints a movie scene in my head taking place in the 1960s. There are little boys who just got in trouble and they are running away from mom or teacher or whoever they got in trouble with into a wooded area. There is a train track there too, probably because of the title, Mystery Train so the word "train" is repeated. I really enjoy how he repeats "train" throughout the song. The instruments make me feel like there is something I need to be keeping up with, like chasing the little boys. Every time Elvis Presley says the line "train train comin' 'round, 'round the bend" he accents the first part of the word "'round" which I think is a common thing in his musical style. I have noticed in many of his songs he does this specific style of singing of making the first part of a word loud and the ending softer. The "ooh woah" that comes in at the end is a good finale because it is different from the rest of the song and is a good surprise. The lyrics talk about the train taking his baby but also bringing his baby so I am curious the story behind the lyrics and what the symbolism means. I guess since this is just a cover by Elvis Presley that is a question for someone else.
Monday, September 30, 2019
I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY
week five blog post
The introduction of I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry is very intriguing. I love it. The way it sets the stage for the rest of the song I think is very good. I have always loved songs that are in organized into three beats per measure instead of four and this song does just that. I like that it is only Hank Williams for a majority of the time but to really emphasize certain things, especially the title of the song, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, he adds in a choir of other singers. In the end when other instruments come in for seemingly the first time I think was a very good choice to keep everything interesting. Hank Williams has the voice that makes you want to sway which I think was probably very good for his time so that people could sway and dance a little bit when they listened to him. The lyrics are very well thought out in the way that he is always able to rhyme very nicely. I really enjoy his use of colors in the lyrics. My favorite lyric he says is probably the very first line when he says "Hear that lonesome whirlpool" because of the contrast I think it presents. Lonesome would usually be very peaceful and solemn, but to him, it is a whirlpool. I love the way that Hank Williams drags out some words and others he will cut short. The contrast is calming.
The introduction of I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry is very intriguing. I love it. The way it sets the stage for the rest of the song I think is very good. I have always loved songs that are in organized into three beats per measure instead of four and this song does just that. I like that it is only Hank Williams for a majority of the time but to really emphasize certain things, especially the title of the song, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, he adds in a choir of other singers. In the end when other instruments come in for seemingly the first time I think was a very good choice to keep everything interesting. Hank Williams has the voice that makes you want to sway which I think was probably very good for his time so that people could sway and dance a little bit when they listened to him. The lyrics are very well thought out in the way that he is always able to rhyme very nicely. I really enjoy his use of colors in the lyrics. My favorite lyric he says is probably the very first line when he says "Hear that lonesome whirlpool" because of the contrast I think it presents. Lonesome would usually be very peaceful and solemn, but to him, it is a whirlpool. I love the way that Hank Williams drags out some words and others he will cut short. The contrast is calming.
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