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My iPod has Friday on its Mind – Six Degrees

10 Feb

Because this is awesome...

My iPod feels left out. Yes, it is a jealous piece of technology and its temperament is unstable. It needs love on the Music Court or else it may rebel against my craving for music and turn off for good which would be a travesty of massive proportions. So, let’s humor it. It’s six degrees time.

I do Six Degrees of your iPod posts infrequently. I do love doing them, though, because I get to reveal the variety of music I am listening to on my iPod. Sharing music is the whole purpose of this blog and if I can provide some videos of great songs for enjoyment, I am doing my job. This is how I play the game. I take my iPod, put it on random, and skip through the first six songs I find. I post them below. For songs one and six I write a little synopsis and then try to find a connection between the two. In some cases it is easy, but in most cases it is not too obvious. As I type this, though, I have absolutely no clue if my job is going to be easy or difficult today. How about we find out?

1.) “Welcome to Your Wedding Day” by Airborne Toxic Event

This track is off of the band’s most recent album, All At Once, released in April of 2011. The band, a five-piece indie/alt rock act, features creative rock/orchestral arrangements and this song is no different – perhaps leaning a little more towards the theatrical hard rock movement that bands like System of a Down and Coheed and Cambria mastered. It’s a concise, upbeat song from a talented band.

2.) “Friday on My Mind” by The Easybeats

A very apt song with a GREAT video.

3.) “Helicopters” by Barenaked Ladies

4.) “Best Imitation of Myself” by Ben Folds

5.) “High” by Lighthouse Family

6.) “The Twist” by Chubby Checker

Chubby Checker introduced the Twist when he was 19 years old and he has lived off the song since, creating follow-ups like “Slow Twistin” and “Let’s Twist Again” (which I actually think is a better song) and even a rap version of the Twist. He is the only recording artist to place five albums in the Top 12 all at once. The twist was HUGE!

CONNECTION:

This is impossible! Seriously, without doing research I can damn well give up now and save myself the time. How can there be a connection between a 60s novelty song/dance craze and a modern-day indie act. But don’t worry, I’m not giving up. I have a connection! It is not really a connection at all but it will do.

“The Twist” was featured in an episode of Quantum Leap. Chubby Checker himself had a cameo in the episode as a young Chubby Checker hoping to get his record, “The Twist” played on the air. Scott Bakula’s character Dr. Sam Beckett convinces the station owner to play the record. This connection is going to go through Mr. Bakula and soundtracks. Bakula starred in the modern show Men of a Certain Age which featured a Bob Dylan song on its soundtrack. The Airborne Toxic Event was featured on a soundtrack of the show NCIS where a Dylan song was also featured. It is a mindless, discursive, stupid, haphazard “connection,” but, hey, it’s the best I can do. Can you find another one? Try your luck! Happy Weekend!

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Mono/Poly – Forest Dark

26 Jan


Hi there everyone. My last semester at Binghamton University is coming up and I’m slowly preparing to be pushed out into the working world in an attempt to make a living. My time at this school has been very interesting to say the least. It was kind of like a personal social experiment. I would subject myself to various humiliating or mentally trying situations in order to see my own reaction. And of course I was only aware of it in hindsight, so as to obviously not upset the delicate nature of the experiments. I must say that some of the results were quite informative.

Actually, all that I really learned is to not mix large quantities of alcohol and magic. Weird things happen then. My results are also slightly inconclusive on that, because my notes become a bit fuzzy, so actually never mind.

To kick off this final semester I have but one amazing song. This time it is a song by Mono/Poly entitled “Forest Dark” off of his Manifestations – EP. Signed to Brainfeeder (Flying Lotus’ label), this LA based artist shook the foundation of the experimental trip-hop scene with this 2011 release.

The song begins in some rainforest with a deft synthesizer riff that sets a sort of neutral -1 mood. An outstanding setup for what is to follow: a dark explosion of hip-hop madness. Deep pulsating bass lines envelop your brain like slow vibrating tendrils while the main melody of a slowly stuttering synth distracts you.

This furious break skyrockets the mood to +8, pretty much right on the cusp of inciting riots. But Mono/Poly realizes this and in order to maintain the mellowness he initiates a sort of descent which creates an entirely unheard effect in the face of hip-hop. Basically the synths from the beginning make a miraculous return to calm everyone down, forgetting that all they really do is just set up another drop.

This time it’s even better, with a +9 to face-melting, the retriggering of the different instruments display the advanced level of beat making that this artist is on. Like some giant monster crawling out forest, this song is trying to eat you, but only to regurgitate you so that it can eat you again.

The last part is basically one giant softening and a return to neutrality. The monster threw you up a second time and has left you on the forest floor to ponder what just happened. It actually becomes very ambient and trippy towards the end proving that Mono/Poly has many different tricks up his sleeve. I recommend listening to the rest of this album and gazing at the pretty cover art:

Wish me luck as I try to find a job. I think I’m going to actually have to start going to company information meetings. I always thought those were some kind of jokes.

&)

-oko

P.S. Full Circle.

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Burial – Untrue

12 Jan


Hey everyone. I’m going back to the UK for some moody electronic music. I’m not going to say much in order to sound depressing. Only just that I love dark wet lukewarm winters.

Burial released his award winning album Untrue in 2007 – his second full length album. He himself actually remained anonymous until 2008. He revealed his identity in order to accept his award and stated that he just wants to remain a low key music producer.

People say that he redefined dubstep. His music has elements of 2-step, ambient, and house. If you think you are about to hear dirty wobbles then please leave. Or stay. This is much better than any wobbles could ever be.

“Archangel” begins with one of the coolest beats out there. You try to wrap your mind around it, but you cannot comprehend what is going on. The vocal samples are cutup in such a manner that it sounds like you listening to a ghostly love-story. The way the pitches of the samples are altered create a mock-melody which when supported by the violin-synths creates a rather atmospheric experience.

The music is technically dance, so yes it does drag out with a repetitive beat, but don’t let that distract you from the small changes going on. The general feeling is what counts. The burning crisp in the background, changes in frequency, as well as changes in the vocal samples all make for the effect as if the song was angry and therefore ending  in a moody upset sort of way.

“Ghost Hardware” is one of the dreamiest dubstep songs out there. An ambient synth and female vocal samples introduce the beat. The beat again is unmatchable and this time random noises are included. My favorites are the bullet casings falling to the ground and the sound of the tape being ejected. The different vocal samples are what really shine here. He picked the perfect samples to make those important builds and then relieves them with the suddenness or the “Love you” sample. A very circular experience. Wait for the random Brittish man to speak towards the end because it signifies a pretty nice stall. All I can picture is floating in a dark tide.

Listen to this song while driving on a rainy night. Only then will you truly be able to appreciate this song as well as all of Burial’s music. Such complex music is far above any sort of simple wobbles and don’t be upset if you don’t understand it. You probably just don’t have the proper range of emotions.

And if you choose to challenge that then maybe listen to the song below entitled “Ego”. It’s actually a collaboration between Burial, Thom Yorke, and Four Tet and slightly more on the house side. Regardless, this song is how I got my superior sense of emotions and moodiness.

&)

-oko

P.S.

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The Most Serene Republic – Population

5 Jan


Have we all heard of the terms Utopia and Dystopia before? The latter is a perfect society while the former is the opposite. A Utopia can be anything ranging from Heaven to being born rich while a dystopia can be anything ranging from the zombie apocalypse to being forced to watch the Jersey Shore. Obviously this is all relative. For example, some people may actually enjoy watching the Jersey Shore, in which case having to share a planet with such people can be considered a dystopia. Of course some restrictions apply to the entire concept, yaddy-yah, some more relativity, etc.

I have an important point to make about all of this. It’s actually an observation of the world and our culture. Think about every single dystopian movie or novel you have ever read or watched. Anything to do with the apocalypse, any type of horror, or just any world you would prefer not to be in will do. Okay good. Now try to think of every single utopian movie or novel you have read or watched. Anything depicting your idea of a perfect world or coming close to it would do. Ok now is just me, or are there significantly more dystopias in modern culture than utopias? It probably just means that we like to get scared. But does it also have any deeper implications? Can the stories that we surround ourselves with actually transform our course in history? How much does a novel like 1984 affect were we are today as a society?

This was just an observation I made, and something to think about.

*********

The Most Serene Republic is a Canadian rock group from Ontario. I would to talk about their second album, entitled Population. The only way I can describe this band is Indie. For all intents and purposes, this band shall be named the “apex of indie music” until further notice. Listen to this song.

“The present of Future End” opens with a gentle guitar line. This ends as a drone-pop with horns segment create the ground for a cool song. This part subsides to lyrics. The vocals in this band are an amazing mixture of three vocalists. It creates for a great listening experience as their voices phase in out, taking turn speaking the lines, while the other two offer harmonics. It pretty much approaches downright trippy if you ask me.

Also, you can’t possibly ignore the VOCAL SOLO at 3:25. I don’t know what else to call it, but all I know is that it sounds amazing. The song returns to the drone-pop with horns for an outro and the song ends well.

A strange piano riff and a sleigh bell play around. They give way to “A Career in Shaping Clay.” This song, for simplicity’s sake, is like the others. But one thing that I would like to address is the band’s drummer. This is a great song to appreciate how great drumming in an Indie band can completely make the experience. The lyrics in this song are actually slightly in slow motion, which creates even greater contrast for the drummer to work with.

The ending part at about 3 minutes throws in a beautiful amount of violin and some sort of gypsy flair into the mix. The solo is interesting and ends the song with the perfect amount epicness.

“Solipsism Millionaires” is my favorite song on this album. Another piano intro, but this time much quicker, falls away to some great vocals. The drumming and relaxed guitar strumming make the song sail until hitting a field of sudden cutoffs. The ‘La la la’s’ setup a climactic bout after which the song continues as if nothing had happened. This happens once more and the song ends coolly with some fast singing.

The professionalism of this band is evident and something characteristic of Indie bands. They don’t allow emotions obscure the vocabulary and excellent musicianship. Honestly this all that one can ask for. There’s nothing like some philosophically stimulating music for everyday easy living. And on that note, listen to this final instrumental piece of theirs and enjoy the rest of your day.

&)

-oko

P.S. That last piece is pretty much jazz. Indie is going places I tell you. I also know that this band has had releases since this one. You should go check them out.

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Three Trapped Tigers

29 Dec


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.

*********

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.

***

Now before you move on to the next weird trippy music video, listen to this beautiful jazzy piano piece named “5”.

***

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.

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