What is behind a strange occurrence? Like the logistics required? Does someone really watch you 24/7 just to make sure things happen perfectly, or is it something deeper and more sinister? Maybe all existence was set in motion from the get go just to witness these peculiar happenings. But what if they are simply what they are? Chaos exists to explain that it’s only freak chance which is responsible, to calm our worrisome minds anyway. The idea does cure my worries, but it definitely doesn’t help with my intrigue.
Let me all give you a semi-relevant example. A year or so ago, my friends and I found the band, of which I have written a review for you today. We watched the first music video I posted and it honestly unnerved me. Yes, I was under magic spells, and being unnerved is not the same as being scared. Besides, that is the job of some music videos, and this one even pertained to me in a creepy way (It really didn’t, I just thought it did at the time). Whatever, that is not the important part. I went home afterwards and began reading Digg (2 years ago is ancient, I know). What caught my eye silently horrified me. An article entitled “3 Tigers escape from zoo” honestly freaked me out (read: magic). Instant conspiracy theories clouded my mind and forced me to link my life to the music video even more so.
I really didn’t freak out, but I still couldn’t believe it. Everything about it was so precise. The timing, the number, the animal; It felt as if some part of the universe made these tigers escape just to mess with me. I ended up telling my friends as it made for a good story and wrote it down as I do with all strange occurrences. No I am not completely crazy, simply because I remembered the story on my own accord, but come on. Don’t tell me something like that has never happened to you.
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So with that in Mind, I bring you Three Trapped Tigers, a 3-piece from London (3 UK acts in a row, make a wish). They are a noisy instrumental math-rock band that features many strange synths and ridiculous beats. Before their first LP, they would release singles and EP’s, named simply with numbers. Here is “6”, and the music video is the one which I mentioned above. Take less than 5-minutes to watch it on your own before continuing on.
The song starts out with probably the moodiest progression of notes I have ever heard. I can’t begin listening to “6” without feeling a sort of sadness in me. At first, my magic induced self couldn’t place it, but now I know. It is nostalgia for cold cloudy days spent with friends, when strange ideas would come up simultaneously irking you and making you laugh.
The drums include someone hitting a piece of metal with another piece of metal. The entire song features beats which seem out of place, yet sound completely right. Even the drums have this strange almost mechanical feeling to them.
Exactly 1 minute in, the song changes tone. It begins a low drive and then proceeds to inspire hope in listeners, sort of like waking up in the morning. The drummer makes his skill very noticeable, something which only progresses as the song becomes louder and happier.
A little after 2 minutes the song remembers the intro, and what could only be a fight scene ensues. The vocals are amazing, some of my favorite. No lyrics, but rather their voices are easily identifiable instruments and this makes the piece easy on the ears while retaining cool mystery.
The song fluctuates up and down until the end in spectacular fashion, bringing back the opening notes in perfect harmony. If you were watching the video, you also might be asking yourself “WTF?”
“Kids, don’t do drugs” can be a summary, but there is definitely something deeper in this. The strange Japanese costumes and weird looping fight scenes. The beginning with the arrows and the smoke box. Was the pear jealous of the octopus’s love? Was the smoke box his revenge? Or was it all just a simple tragedy?
I honestly feel that if the video was simply by itself or even with words, it would be nowhere near as strong. The music tells the story better than any sort of narration would, and overall this makes it a bizarre experience.
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Now before you move on to the next weird trippy music video, listen to this beautiful jazzy piano piece named “5”.
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Okay, good. Hopefully that cleared your mind. The band has recently, (2011), come out with a new album, entitled “Route One, or Die”. They stopped using numbers as titles, I guess in preparation for mainstream-ness. One particular song popped out at me, and it too has a bizarre music video, possible even more so than the first one.
I don’t want to talk about this song just yet. “Cramm” is probably one of the most intentionally trippy things I have ever seen. The director of the music video definitely sat down with the band and had a brainstorming session for purely trippy ideas. I can’t even fathom how this video is viewed from a magical standpoint (I will find out probably later tonight :D).
Musically, it is a refined version of the first song. Played out like a story, the music video was definitely created around the sound. A soulful tale between good and evil, with a harsh fight scene and an epic vocal climax, as any good story should be. All I know is that I envy that king man and his magic rainbow powers.
So this has been a short preview of Three Trapped Tigers. If you were on the island of Gran Canaria of the Canary Islands March of 2010, you may have actually seen them escape. They make great music and tell good stories.
&)
-oko
P.S. Back to strange occurrences, my favorite idea is that we do it to ourselves. We subconsciously set ourselves up to be vulnerable and then get shocked when our surroundings play out accordingly. After all, what is a strange occurrence but what we define it? Power Rangers.
The Music Court 