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secondhandsorrows · 5 months

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Storytelling with Music in Mind

Rant incoming! You've been warned.

Like how writers and storytellers often use movies and film to teach structure, character, relationships, foreshadowing, mystery, climaxes, keeping intrigue, and more, we can explore the same things through a musical lens.

Music can be a big source and tool for not just the tedious writing process, but also for inspiration and story form. Because I’m also a musician, music is one of the biggest factors I use in my writing. Listening to music is a fantastic tool in visualizing your scenes or characters, so it is extremely useful in planning out pacing, tone and atmosphere, as well as observing your characters act out in different ways in different situations. It’s one of my top-favorite ways to envision my ideas or structure my stories (especially thematically).

Another favorite exercise of mine is taking inspiration from music, namely Classical or Romantic-Era music, for the content or foundation of a story. One of my short stories I’ve finished is structured around the three movements of Debussy’s La Mer, basing my scenes around each movement’s title and general emotional idea. It’s a fun way to distinguish what makes you love a song and how you can incorporate those values into your own storytelling.

Though music and books are both totally disparate forms of art, there are some ways the two may not be so different.

There’s a lot of music and genres out there can be inspiring for many different authors: it can be anything. Some of my favorites are folk, rock, classical, neo-classical, video-game, soundtrack… now I’m just listing the top genres on my Spotify Wrapped, but you get the gist. One particular kind of music I’ve been recently obsessed with has its form already structured by story: symphonic poems. A symphonic poem (aka, tone poem) is a romantic-era style of orchestral music that expresses or illustrates an idea, story, content of a poem, or a landscape, which is typically alluded to in its title. The whole idea and term was essentially created by Franz Liszt, who composed a multitude of them (though descriptive and programmatic music had been around for quite a long time before.)

The structure of tone poems often suggests a natural sequence of events. Dvorak's A Hero's Song, op. 111 depicts a nameless protagonist undergoing what could be described as a Hero’s Journey (kind of like the story structure)— facing trials and tragedies before coming out triumphant. Glière’s The Sirens, op. 33 evokes a fantasy-feel with its depiction of blood-thirsty, beautiful sirens. These are just a few examples out of many, and I highly recommend having a listen, if you’re ever in need of expanding your musical playlists.

Depending on the content of which they want to express, composers would often use different, specific approaches according to the subject matter and the story or emotions they wanted to convey, such as instrumentation, dynamics, rhythms, rests, gestures, timbre, texture, what have you. Recurring themes can be sprinkled throughout, including variations to portray change or different events. I won’t get much into this, as this isn’t a composition post, but I mention these because the process is rather similar to the story writing process. We convey what we want to convey using themes, tone, dialogue, plot devices, and, in the more technical sense, word choice, grammar, paragraph structure, etc., which all create a kind of musical rhythm when put together.

We can look at all the ways we can interpret and utilize music — from its form and structure, to its inspirational and emotional facets — into our stories. How it can all gets us to feel.

Putting it simply, the idea of incorporating music with story is, in its best terms, to explore idea generation, story structure, and character arc, in a way that impacts the reader emotionally, subverts (or sometimes mindfully adheres) to expectations, and keeps intrigue and relatability. We relate not to just the concrete content of a piece, or a song, or a story, but also the abstract emotion it gives us. Furthermore, this kind of music exists not just in the idea or the story, but also as the words on the page: the musical-sounding phrasing, the sentences, structure, word choice, rhythmic flow…

Speaking of, I’ll leave this off with a fantastic quote from Gary Provost’s “100 Ways to Improve Your Writing” (which I haven’t read, but found this quote interesting and just had to share):

“Writing is not a visual art any more than composing music is a visual art. To write is to create music. The words you write make sounds, and when those sounds are in harmony, the writing will work. Read aloud what you write and listen to its music. Listen for dissonance. Listen for the beat. Listen for gaps where the music leaps from sound to sound instead of flowing as it should. Listen for sour notes. Is this word a little sharp, is that one a bit flat? … There are no good sounds or bad sounds [in writing], just as there are no good notes or bad notes in music. It is the way in which you combine them that can make the writing succeed or fail.” - (100 Ways to Improve Your Writing, by Gary Provost)

Thus concludes my little rant — I just love getting to talk about music whenever I get the chance to. Thanks for reading!

#writing tips #writing advice #creative writing #fiction #writing #story structure #character #on writing #story tips #music #music rant #storytelling #narrative #writing process #writer tips #romantic era #music history #romantic era music

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kingsvk · 6 months

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Ivan King Kráľ - interview (December 2023)

How are you doing? How does it feel having this epic retrospective album come out?

IVAN KING KRÁĽ - Retrospective 1993 - 2023. This is the title of a personal digipak CD compilation - release date October 31, 2023 by Sliptrick records (LTA). This compilation charts my 30 years on the music scene as a composer, keyboardist and lyricist. I have been present at everything important that has happened on the Slovak metal scene. I have influenced bands like Protest, Editor, Mystic Death, Galadriel, Lunatic Gods, participated in recording of their debut albums as a member of the band or as a guest. Over time, these names have become legends. With my music project King SVK, I keep the imaginary metal flag flying.

When I recall the events of the past, I realize how deeply they have affected my being. I know that the past was not an illusion and through the present I will draw from it the knowledge, strength and inspiration to shape a successful future. It is wonderful to become aware of yourself, your words and actions - your SELF. To evaluate whether dreams, desires have come true. The past must therefore be seen as a stepping stone.

2. Where did the idea originate? It reminds me of how I put together my "favorites playlist" of musicians and all their works.

Exactly. Something similar is going on with this compilation. The goal was not for me to become a collector of my own CDs, but for my work over the last 30 years to be sorted out by the fans, or made known to the general public.

3. Let's start with the Protest song, "Abandoned Love," this was such a unique album, the artwork as well- what was it like being a part of this?

The term - artwork is very apt - it describes a lot. Since the beginning of my career I have been trying to make valuable material within music. Protest was created in 1989. Death metal and keyboards - this combination is fascinating. We were influenced by bands like The Gathering, Nocturnus. CD What For Name, When Hunanity Is Dying... (1995) was one of the first in the death metal genre in Slovakia and for some time the best seller on Metal Age Productions (SVK). The lyrics of this song were written by me. The band managed to release 3 studio albums.

4. How did you come to guest on the debut full length for Galadriel?

It's an interesting life story. It was 1994 and I was working as a teacher at the Secondary vocational school of polygraphy in Bratislava - Rača. This was attended by a then 16-year-old pupil Dodo Ďatel (vocal & bass guitar). We talked about music and became friends. He mentioned to me that he founded the band Trojan Warrior, which he later renamed tolkien's GALADRIEL (1995). Spontaneously, the decision to collaborate was made. I helped my friends considerably by playing the keys. Also with valuable advice during the recording & mixing of the songs. Empire Of Emptiness (1997) was released on Unknown Territory (UK). The band has released 7 studio albums. The musical direction was doom - dark metal.

5. Mystic Death was more of a change in style, with the black metal sound what was it like working with them?

I like black metal and I try to incorporate its elements into King SVK's work even today. When I heard that the agile Metal Age productions label is planning to release an album by another Martin band, I was intrigued. I had created sequencer intros at that time and I was wondering how to use them. When I offered the guys to use them, the deal was immediately done. During rehearsals we adapted everything as needed. I helped a lot in arranging the songs. Some of the songs were long, the riffs were pointlessly repetitive. That's why they were edited - shortened. The Voices Of The Obscure World album was released in 1997. I remember Blackmoon's review in Spark magazine (CZ). He shouted in amazement: "This is food! Great keyboards, those melodies!" Big Boss, frontman of ROOT, had this to say about the band: "In my opinion, MYSTIC DEATH is the only band from the CS scene whose music sounds like black metal." The album has not been surpassed to this day and has become a cult hit. However, the main reasons for the band's break-up were: personal problems and lack of time to devote to the band. Track Deathbreath In The Northen Sky is included on the exclusive compilation Ivan King Kráľ - Retrospective 1993 - 2023 at https://kingsvk.bandcamp.com/.

6. Let's discuss Editor and their place in Slovakian thrash metal history. Why was "Escape" chosen as a cover?

The beginnings of EDITOR (1988) were marked by Thrash metal, Hardcore and the band was one of the pioneers of this musical style in Slovakia. Only Milan "Doctor" Jakubík (vocals) remained from the original line-up. The group has released 8 studio albums to date. Metallica's cover song Escape was exclusively recorded in Shaark studio, Bzenec for TAGA records (CZ). It was released as a compilation CD, as a tribute to Cliff Burton - 10 Years After... (1996). I participated in the recording as a guest musician and friend of the band. Escape is one of the underrated tracks, this version makes a fresh impression. It is part of the exclusive Ivan King Kráľ - Retrospective 1993 - 2023 compilation at https://kingsvk.bandcamp.com/.

7. I was always a fan of Lunatic Gods and appreciated the original sound and creativity of the band- how did you help establish their career and get them going?

While recording Inhuman & Insensible (1996) in the studio, it began to dawn on us that an unusual record was being made. We put the energy from our fans into further work and the second album, Sitting By The Fire (1998), was born. As time went on, differences of opinion surfaced among the band members as to what direction the band should take in the future. I was pushing for a radical move upwards, but this was not met with understanding. I was disappointed. I felt at the time we had a chance to break into the metal elite. In 2000 I left the band after 7 years. The decision was not easy. The band has released 8 studio albums. Today L.G.'s work is oriented towards Slavic folk-metal. There are two original members. The drummer Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka (Cradle Of Filth) is an interesting addition.

8. You worked with Pavel 'Hirax' & Fero 'Psycho' in different bands please inform our readers what it was like collaborating with them?

Yeah. I must commend you for this knowledge. These bands were Editor, Protest and Bestialit - Lunatic Gods. Hirax (guitar) & Psycho (drums) were self-taught and inseparable friends from the Priekopa housing estate in Martin. They came from a bunch who were fans of metal music and together they used to buy records of metal bands. In the 1980s they used to go to stock exchanges and buy vinyl records. Hirax wrote about this time and the different experiences - he published a book: Always ready! I put together an internet project: The history of Martin's metal in interviews (1985 - 2010).

The musical collaboration with the two of them was good. They took me in and together we plunged headlong into making music. Gradually we got better and better. We had a good momentum going, we were great together. Personally, I wanted to make punchy, fast songs with keys: something in the style of Slayer. Hirax, on the other hand, had a plan to start making complex, multi-minute epic songs (he liked progressive rock - a band from Brno, Progres 2). In 2000 we had a difference of opinion on this issue. Today Hirax has his own band called RAMCHAT (Pagan death metal). Psycho is no longer musically active, he lives a solitary civilian life and carries his soul with him in a leather bag.

9. Then of course we have the King SVK albums how would you describe your work and the sound you have established?

The album New Aeon was not made in haste. A lot of time and effort was devoted to the arrangement of the songs, sound direction and mixing. The songs from this album have the potential to win many fans. All the reviews for the album have been fantastic. The album was released on CD by Sliptrick records, an Italian label based in Latvia, on 22 October 2019. The possibilities to work with the sound are great, guitarist Norbert Ferencz has a lot of credit for the final sound version. We want to continue to be original in this.

10. I love the New Aeon album- have you written new songs since its release? When will you have new music coming out?

New Aeon is a great album and to top it will be a challenge. There are 10 original songs and 2 covers by Death: Voice Of The Soul & Crystal Mountain. The themes of the lyrics will deal with Greek mythology, WW2. The new, 4th in line album will be released in 2025. It will be preceded by a single with a music video. I'm currently in talks with singer Tim 'Ripper' Owens as a guest vocalist. Hopefully a deal will come together and he will agree to collaborate.

11. Looking back on your career - what are you most proud of? What is your biggest accomplishment so far?

I've performed at big festivals, e.g. Dynamo North Power Jam Litoměřice (1998). I have played 200 live shows with Lunatic Gods and Metal Hammer CS magazine named the best metal band in the Czech republic and Slovakia (1997). To date I have a total of 9 full-length albums with various bands. With the King SVK project I am constantly going up in quality.

To conclude the quote from Nikola Tesla: "Everything is light. And think of this: The man who ever existed did not die."

#kingsvk #Ivankingkráľ #Ivankingkral #metal

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sneek-m · 4 years

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Please rec more songs like she is summer songs. Preferably available on Spotify

More Like Summer: A Spotify Playlist for Anon

I went ahead and made a small Spotify playlist (15 songs!) for you with Japanese pop songs that’s in the vibe of She Is Summer. I sequenced it a little so it flows from the bummer mood of “Call Me In Your Summer” to more upbeat to back to melancholy again.

If you want more back info on these songs/artists, go below:

She Is Summer: “Call Me in Your Summer” -- from Wave Motion, 2019

You’re probably familiar with this one.

Kirinji: “Killer Tune Kills Me” ft. YonYon -- from Cherish, 2019

Kirinji have made nu-city pop, a term I just made up to refer to city pop in the 21st century -- since the beginning of the 2000s. Unfortunately, they just disbanded last year, but they’ve left behind a long catalog. “Killer Tune Kills Me” is my favorite from their last album, Cherish; honestly, that’s the only song in there with that moody, after-hours vibe.

YonYon is a Korean artist very active in Japan as much as she is in South Korea. She’s featured on the new Yaeji album! She also posts DJ mixes here and there on YouTube. Her song “Overflow” with nu-city-popper Hitomi Toi (another name you should look up but unfortunately not on Spotify) is my favorite. I didn’t include it here because it’s more house than, like, pop-funk or whatever lane you consider She Is Summer.

Kiki Vivi Lily: “80denier” -- from Vivid, 2019

Kiki Vivi Lily just recently guested on Tofubeat’s new EP! It’s one of my favorite songs of 2020. It could potentially fit here too.

Yufu Terashima: “Last Cinderella” -- from the Ii Onna De Yoroshiku single, 2019

Speaking of Kiki Vivi Lily, she wrote the lyrics for this song by solo idol Yufu Terashima. Yufu doesn’t regularly do this kind of after-hours song; it’s a lot more of the typical sparkly outfit idol-pop stuff. But I love this one a lot for that “Call Me in Your Summer Mood.” Her other stuff is really good, though, if you’re looking for idol pop.

Punipunidenki: “Last Summer” -- single, 2019

I’ve considered a Punipunidenki more fit for SoundCloud with a lot of one-offs and loose string of EPs. She consistently hit it last year collaborating with Mikeneko Homeless, a producer that’s actually good for this smooth, hip-hop-influenced, after-hours stuff. He produced Chelmico’s “Balloon”! Punipunidenki also put out a great single earlier this month too.

Erika Nishi: “Palette” -- from Love Me, 2019

Erika Nishi is more of an R&B solo singer who happens to land sometimes in a nu-city-pop or the kind of pop-funk that lands really adjacent to it. Her album Love Me from last year has a variety of stuff; my favorite song from it, “Take It Slow,” takes from Southern bass or at least it sounds like someone really like Ghost Town DJs’ “My Boo.” I think it’s worth clicking around, though, especially the earlier stuff.

Ayami Muto: “Amane” -- from Mirrors, 2020

Ayami Muto used to be in the idol group Sakura Gakuin, the same ones the girls of Babymetal used to be in, but she graduated a while back and just recently launched her solo singing career. “Amane” was the first one of her singles; the rest go more into an ‘80s idol pop lane. Mirrors was a good album if you’re into that area of pop nostalgia.

G.Rina: “All Around the World” ft. Asako Toki -- from Live & Learn, 2017

Starting from here is the more pop stuff, and this stuff is really glossy retro-funk.

HALLCA: “Twisted Rainbow” -- single, 2020

HALLCA used to be in the idol group Especia, one very influential act that was ahead in the nu-city pop game. (You may have come across them as vaporwave idols which is not wrong considering their later phases.) I think Especia is worth checking out if you like music here! HALLCA, on the other hand, stepped out solo in 2018 with the great Apertif EP. Last year she put out an amazing single every month, which is all compiled in the VILLA album. This is her new one.

Monari Wakita: “A La Espadrille” -- from Right Here, 2019

Monari Wakita was also a member of Especia, and she has an amazing solo catalog as well. You’re here just in time because only recently did her catalog become available on Spotify. Really, any of her three albums is worth diving into. This one is from her newest one from last year.

Asako Toki: “Emerald” -- from Passion Blue, 2019

Asako Toki started at the end of the 90s in the Shibuya-kei band Cymbals and then continued to make nu-city pop on her own since the beginning of the 2000s. She’s as tenured if not longer than Kirinji. (My take is that Shibuya-kei is only ‘90s city-pop but with a fancier name but that is a conversation for another day.) As you may noticed she already sang on G.Rina’s song. Asako Toki’s catalog also recently became available on Spotify, and what’s on there is all worth checking out. I got into her from Pink; Emerald Blue from last year is great too.

Dance for Philosophy: “Heuristic City” -- from Excelsior, 2019

When I first discovered the idol group Dance for Philosophy, I took them as nu-Especia. They play with similar retro dance-pop genres; I guess you can say they are more funk than city-pop. But make no mistake, they hold up all well as their own. “Heuristic City” from their great album Excelsior, a top 5 pop album of 2019 for me, is a very melancholy one. They got a lot more upbeat stuff, too, of course.

Sakuraebis: “Nee, Loafer” -- from Octave, 2019

If I can be selfish for one song to push on to you here, it would be this one. It’s another very melancholy one that I just love. Sakuraebis is an idol group who were built as sister groups to Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, one of my absolute favorite groups. They don’t play with city pop, retro funk or those lanes that much at least intentionally like Especia or Dance for Philosophy. But I think Octave has a few more of those like “Nee, Loafer” that nods at them.

Sato Moka: “Melt Bitter” -- single, 2020

Sato Moka began more as a bedroom-pop singer/songwriter type then she started to incorporate more funk and R&B into her sound come the second album, Merry Go Round. She’s going on a great trajectory and her new one here is for those after hours.

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robinallender · 4 years

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Albums of 2019/the decade

(‘Martin Brennan’ appearing on This Time with Alan Partridge, my favourite TV programme of 2019.)

It’s impossible to make an album of the year list because I haven’t listened to every album that was released this year. And to make an album of the decade list…? Well, that’s even impossibler.

I suppose I could try to do what James Acaster did in his book Perfect Sound Whatever, but instead of listening to every album from 2016 I could attempt to listen to every album from the entire decade. A Sisyphean task – and by the time I’d listened to all of those albums, it would probably be around 2030. And by that point, providing the world is still functioning by then, I’d have another decade of albums to catch up on. I could draw a comparison to Tristram Shandy here but I won’t.

(Plume is my favourite novel of the year.)

(‘DNA.’ is the most thrilling three minutes of music this decade.)

The excellent thing about Acaster’s book is that it glories in the fact that beneath all the hype and buzz of big releases, and away from algorithmic playlists and ubiquitous albums of the year, there is a universe of incredibly diverse and exciting music being made all the time. Acaster rightly celebrates bandcamp, which has become something like the anti-Spotify over the last ten years. Thanks to bandcamp, it feels like there has never been a better time to listen to experimental music. Obscurity no longer exists – there is no longer any music which is difficult to hear.

I’ve become enamoured with Jim O’Rourke’s Steamroom page, where he regularly releases albums of ambient/noise music. if you’re expecting the Bacharach-esque chamber-pop of his Drag City albums then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. There’s a fantastic interview with him here where he describes his creative process (I’m a particular fan of Number 44).

It feels like the prevalence and dominance of the internet has brought with it a certain kind of musical freedom. There’s a kind of the-music-industry-has-collapsed-so-does-anything-really-matter-anymore attitude which I love! Dean Blunt’s Black Metal (2014) feels like an album that couldn’t have been made at any other time. An ‘anything goes’ album of hip-hop/indie/experimental/weirdness that breaks so many production rules (samples of badly compressed MP3s, levels clipping all over the place) but sounds all the better for it.

Of course the problem with everything being available at the click of a button is that you get overwhelmed with choice. I think this decade I got something like cultural fatigue. I'm pretty sure Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington’s endlessly meta online show On Cinema should be my favourite thing ever, but I can’t be bothered to watch all one hundred hours of it. And you can’t dip into it because the joke is that it only really works if you watch all one hundred hours of it. Being told to stick with things because they’ll get better in the fifth series…? Can I not just watch Masterchef and have a lie down?

(I played the Olympia in Paris with Yann Tiersen in 2014!)

The other problem with making ‘best of’ lists is: do you choose albums because you love them or because of their cultural importance? Clearly the best album of the decade culturally was Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly – an actual soundtrack to a civil rights movement, an album of astonishing power and viscerality. It’s a dense, difficult album full of brilliant songs. But you’re not always going to be in the mood to listen to it. You’re not always going to be in the mood to be challenged, or to be saddened that an album like that needed to be made!

Or should your album of the decade be the album you listened to the most? This would probably make sense since Spotify has taken over our listening habits and now insists on sending us our most played songs of the year, a cruel reflection of our exposed ids (for a Velvet Underground fan, I really listen to a lot of Bastille). Well, if we went by what Spotify suggested, one of the most successful artists of the decade would be ‘ambient rain noise’.

I believe that the truth is between. Some albums on my list I have listened to almost constantly, others I have only listened to once or twice, but they blew my head clean off when I did (Yeezus for example).

(My most played album of the decade was Benoît Pioulard’s Stanza I-III, released in three parts throughout 2015-6, probably because I listen to it most evenings to help me fall asleep. Beautiful melodic ambient drones, drenched in reverb and tape hiss. Er… just a bit!)

(I got to the finals of So You Think You’re Funny in 2017!)

While putting together this list, I thought I’d go back to the albums of the 00s list I wrote in 2009. Deerhoof aside, I kind of got snow blindness from reading it! Significantly, I didn’t even notice at the time that my list was made up almost entirely of white artists. Well, I do listen to a lot of morose indie, a genre not famed for its diversity. But this decade I feel that I have expanded my listening habits, and this should be reflected in my list. I hope it doesn’t look like when Rolling Stone do their best albums of all time and put What’s Going On in the top ten as a kind of afterthought (not even Marvin Gaye’s best album).

Who gives a hoot what I think, this is just a blogpost, it’s not like I’m writing for a major newspaper (although I do need a job if anyone’s reading this), but I think that, even on this platform, this is a really important albeit difficult thing to consider. If this decade is to be remembered for anything it’s that we all have a responsibility to promote diversity in our every action; the 2010s were a decade when the personal became political. It was the decade when it became prudent and necessary to notice things like the fact that I posted a list of my favourite albums and they were all made by white artists, even if it’s on a blogpost that no one reads.

It’s not just racist language and behaviour that must be challenged, we must also challenge the social subliminality and structuralism of racism. So yes, a best of the decade list with only white artists, that is part of the problem! Yes, maybe those were my favourite albums of the 00s, but to use a term that has become increasingly prominent this decade, we need to think of the optics.

Aren’t you overthinking this? Tying yourself in knots to sound woke? Well, voice in my head, you sound like a bit of a twat, as does anyone who uses the word ‘woke’ pejoratively.

Can’t you just list your favourite albums? Yes. But my point is: no conversation about culture takes place in a vacuum. Take Mark Kozelek, who topped my list last decade. Would I feel comfortable having him in my list this decade because of his appalling treatment of the excellent journalist Laura Snapes? Not that this would be an issue this decade because of the startling decline in Kozelek’s music. Who could have predicted that Kozelek would go from singing about love and grief with such incredible poignancy to mumble-rapping about buying furniture? (I have written at length about Mark Kozelek before.)

Anyway, I think the terrible state of the world has really affected my listening habits. Basically, life is horrible so I got into ambient music. Turning off the news and drifting off into a hypnogogic daze. What a luxury!

(From the opening sequence of Midsommar, my favourite film of the year. The murals were created by conceptual designer Ragnar Persson and art director Nille Svensson.)

This is the decade when I no longer collected music – as I switched from downloading from iTunes and buying CDs to streaming it felt like I went from active to passive. It was a decade where music became part of the background – Spotify playlists were engineered to be as bland and un-skippable as possible. So it’s been refreshing to see artists challenge this monotony: Michael Kiwanuka’s dense, conceptual KIWANUKA from this year, and Beyonce’s thrilling video albums.

(Do you ever listen to something like Otis Redding singing ‘Try a Little Tenderness’ and almost find it hard to believe that that really happened? That it was ever possible for someone so talented and charismatic to ever walk the earth? I got a similar feeling when I watched Homecoming. How lucky we are to have an artist like Beyoncé!)

(I played Green Man Festival in 2012 with Yann and, because Van Morrison wanted to go on first so he could get away early in his helicopter, we played after him on the main stage. So I can sort of say that Van Morrison supported me.)

(How dreadful to lose Mark Hollis and Scott Walker – and Neil Innes – this year. Whenever I have ten minutes to spare, if I’m waiting for a bus or something, I like to listen to ‘After the Flood’. Ten minutes of transcendence!)

(My favourite tweet of the decade.)

(A personal highlight of the decade for me was filling in at a gig at the 9.30 Club in Washington DC by playing ‘Lady in Red’ when Yann broke a violin string.)

Some specific musical highlights of the decade:

‘Sscending’, an extremely blissed out track by Acronym w/Korridor.

How good was ‘Video Games’? I mean really.

The production on this Nicki Minaj song is utterly fantastic.

I love the lyrically virtuosic Villagers song ‘Earthly Pleasure’.

‘Work’.

Anyway, I’m going to end this by quoting from one of my favourite songs of the decade, and like some dreadful character from a 00s pre-mumblecore indie romcom, it’s by The Shins.

Love’s such a delicate thing that we do With nothing to prove Which I never knew

Albums of 2019

Orange – Caroline Shaw/Attacca Quartet The Sacrificial Code – Kali Malone Xièxie – Celer Homecoming: The Live Album – Beyoncé Occam Ocean II – Éliane Radigue Requiem for Recycled Earth – James Ferraro Nonlin – Steve Hauschildt Tracing Back the Radiance – Jefre Cantu-Ledesma Cuz I Love You – Lizzo Chastity Belt – Chastity Belt House of Sugar – Alex G (Sandy) Tip of the Sphere – Cass McCombs Designer – Aldous Harding Psychodrama – Dave Titanic Rising – Weyes Blood Compliments Please – Self Esteem KIWANUKA – Michael Kiwanuka When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish Nothing Great About Britain – slowthai New Miami Sound EP – Twain MAGDELENE – FKA twigs Normal Fucking Rockwell! – Lana Del Rey STONECHILD – Jesca Hoop This Is How You Smile – Helado Negro I Was Real – 75 Dollar Bill PROTO – Holly Herndon uknowhatimsayin¿ – Danny Brown Fear Inoculum – Tool The Reeling – Brìghde Chaimbeul U.F.O.F. – Big Thief

(U.F.O.F. is my album of the year. It sounds like alchemy, music where trauma has been channelled into something beautiful.)

(I supported John Robins at the Apollo in October this year. Cool!)

Albums of the decade (which I might keep amending Life of Pablo style)

Sleep Like It’s Winter, Steamroom 44 & Simple Songs – Jim O’Rourke Love is the Plan, the Plan is Death – James Blackshaw Magma – Gojira (superb metal album) The Dream My Bones Dream – Eiko Ishibashi The Suburbs – Arcade Fire EARS – Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Spark of Life – Marcin Wasilewski Trio & Joakim Milder Toumani & Sidiki – Toumani Diabaté & Sidiki Diabaté (please listen to ‘Lampedusa’) Closing – Victoria Hume (got me through a very difficult time) For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) – Huerco S. The Uncle Sold – Ed Dowie Witness – Katy Perry (really underrated!) Blonde – Frank Ocean Smoke Ring For My Halo – Kurt Vile Transparent Water – Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita The Curious Hand – Seamus Fogarty Reflection – Brian Eno Looping State of Mind – The Field Tomorrow’s Harvest – Boards of Canada Be the Cowboy – Mitski Volumes 1-4 – Kosmische Läufer Stateless – Dirty Beaches Bridge Music – Eerie Gaits Veteran – JPEGMAFIA V2.0 – GoGo Penguin Lemonade – Beyoncé Oh Holy Molar – Felix Get Your Hopes Down – Landslide Purist (I played on this album but I don’t care, it’s really good!) Beach Music – Alex G (Sandy) Phantom Brickworks – Bibio Chaleaur Humaine – Christine and the Queens Only Myocardial Infarction Can Break Your Heart – Matt Elliott Dust Lane – Yann Tiersen Black Metal – Dean Blunt The Harrow & The Harvest – Gillian Welch Yeezus – Kanye West Ruins – Grouper Kill All Children – Prison UK (sad music from the future) Age Of – Oneohtrix Point Never (more sad music from the future) Nothing Important – Richard Dawson Hidden & Field of Reeds – These New Puritans To Pimp a Butterfly & DAMN. – Kendrick Lamar Devil is Fine – Zeal & Ardor Divers – Joanna Newsom Stanza I-III & Hymnal – Benoît Pioulard alterum – Julie Fowlis Unfold – The Necks DAYTONA – Pusha T Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves Olivia Chaney EP – Olivia Chaney Wit’s End, Big Wheel and Others & Mangy Love – Cass McCombs

(My favourite album of the decade is, unsurprisingly if you know me, Wit’s End by Cass McCombs, released in 2011. A perfect album of eight perfect songs. I still listen to it at least once a week and I don’t think it will ever lose its magic.)

#albums of the year 2019 #albums of the decade

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dannyphantomisameme · 5 years

Text

DNA Test (One-Shot)

Genres: Family and Drama

(Links to Fanfiction and AO3)

"Please do not open the packets unless instructed to do so!

"Dash Baxter,

"Tucker Foley,

"Star Fredrickson,

"…. I said, do not open the packets…" Mr. Smith (haha basic name) groaned as he saw his students begin to open the packets after strictly instructing them not to. Danny reluctantly sat in his seat, waiting for his name to be called. Biology was a boring class, he often felt the need to just make up an excuse to get out, but he needed the attendance for his grade. It was on the verge of failure. Currently he was balancing his pencil on his finger, the lead pressed against his skin.

"Daniel Fenton" Mr. Smith shouted over the commotion of the classroom as Danny's pencil fell. He sighed and hopped out of his seat, shuffling towards the front of the room. He grabbed the paper from his teacher's hand and returned to his desk. His eyes roamed the object, but he could not gather any new information from it.

Finally, after Mr. Smith finished handing out all the packets, he instructed the students to open them. Danny flipped through the pages slowly, looking for possible information that would free him of his boredom.

He stared at the numbers, not comprehending the message they were conveying. He looked over to Sam whose eyes darted from side to side as she read her packet.

"Now class, let's go through it together. On the second page you will see your ethnicities. Such as 15% German or 25% Chinese." Mr. Smith paused for a moment, giving students the opportunity to read their results.

Danny turned back to his own sheet. 35% British, 30% German, 25% Irish, 5% Italian, and 5% unknown. Ok, so now I know I'm white. He chuckled a bit at his own joke. It wasn't like he was going to find any shocking evidence from this packet. It was only a DNA test. Unless his ghost half decided to screw things up.

He glanced over at Sam's paper on his right, but he couldn't read the small font. He then switched over to Tucker who was reading his paper thoroughly. He wanted to talk to his friends, but they seemed preoccupied. Danny eased back in his chair, waiting for the teacher's next direction.

"On page 3 you will find the DNA sequences that matches your mother as well the traits you two share. One page four you will see the DNA sequences that match with your father. Go ahead and look through the rest of the packet if you want. It includes any specific details or abnormalities the test may have found. After you're done, work on your assignments till the end of class." With that final declaration, Mr. Smith sat down on his desk chair with a soft thud.

Danny flipped to the next page and eyed his and his mother's matching genotype. There were tons of similarities, including skin color, nose shape, body traits, etc. About 45% of Danny's DNA matched with his mom. He flipped to the next page and immediately furrowed his eyebrows. Barely any of Danny's DNA matched his father. Other than the hair color and the eyes, he was nothing like his father. The test gave him a 10% similarity between the two.

Danny clutched his papers in his hand and stood up, walking towards the front of the room. He stopped at Mr. Smith's desk and slid the paper onto its surface. "Mr. Smith? I have a question…"

"How can I help you Daniel?" the teacher said as he swiveled away from his computer to face his student.

"This doesn't make sense." Danny said pointing to the page with his and his father's DNA. Mr. Smith pushed his glasses up his nose and picked up the packet, scrutinizing it thoroughly. He placed the papers down and slid them towards Danny.

"I don't know what to tell you Daniel. I'll look into the testing program and ask them." Mr. Smith said with a smile. Danny just nodded and returned to his seat in the back of the classroom.

"What was that about?" Sam asked as he sat down.

"Nothing… I just didn't understand something." Danny said avoiding telling the entire truth. Sam simply nodded in reply and returned to her paper. Danny flipped to the next page in his packet. There were no outstanding abnormalities, other than a few never before seen pieces of DNA. Probably my ghost half, he thought.

As Danny continued reading the rest of the packet the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. The trio filed out of the classroom with the other students, each member going to their respective lockers. They grabbed the materials they each needed to take home and met up at the front door.

Danny shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked down the stairs and out of the school. The leaves on the ground crunched under their footsteps as the chilly fall wind flew through their hair. Sam zipped up her jacket as Danny lifted the hood of his sweatshirt and placed it upon his head, hiding his face under his bangs.

Sam and Tucker chatted about their classes as they walked while Danny kept silent. He stared at his muddy red converse as they strolled. The other two didn't bother to question his silence, already sensing he wouldn't tell them even if they asked. When they reached a fork in the sidewalk, the members said their goodbyes as they each left for their respective houses. Today was Wednesday, meaning they wouldn't hang out after school with all the homework they received.

Danny took out his phone from his pocket and plugged in his earbuds. He needed to redirect his thoughts and he knew music would help him do just that. He placed the earbuds into his ears and pressed the shuffle button on his Spotify playlist. He nodded his head to the rhythm of some super catchy theme song. Yo Danny Fenton he was just 14 when his parents built a very strange machine… (I swear it isn't young, Bitch Fartman is a liar) Surprisingly, the lyrics matched his life accurately. Even the song was about a dude who had the same name as him. Haha… wait… uh...

Never mind.

He looked around at his environment. A group of children were playing in the driveway of a house across the street. Two of them were chasing the other three in circles and holding their hands up as if they were guns. Danny chuckled at the scene, reminding him of his childhood. He, Tuck, and Sam used to play cops and robbers all the time. Danny turned and saw an elderly woman gardening in her front lawn. When she noticed him, Danny waved as a smile crawled across his features. Danny recognized the woman, one he had saved after a ghost attack at the mall. She waved back in reply. He strutted along the gray sidewalk until he reached his house. The trees in the front yard displayed vibrant colors of red and orange in their leaves; few leaves littered the dying grass.

Danny walked up the stairs and brought his house keys out from his pocket. Unlocking the front door, he slammed it shut once he was inside. "MOOOOOMMM I'M HOME!" he yelled as he chucked his backpack onto the couch. He entered the kitchen and opened the fridge. He immediately closed the fridge. Yesterday's dinner was reanimated again. He sighed and went to the cupboard, grabbing some bread and made a quick PB and J sandwich. He didn't necessarily like toast, but it was the only food in the house that was edible.

He chewed on his sandwich as he entered the basement. He really hated this place. It terrified him with the possibilities of being dissected. His gut twisted within him, the feeling he always got when entering the lab.

"What did I tell you about bringing food into the lab?" Maddie scolded without lifting her head. She was in the back corner working on a new ghost weapon. Danny walked up to her, her face was painted with concentration.

"Fofwy.." Danny mumbled through his mouth full of bread. He quickly chomped down the remains of his sandwich and stood near his mother. He wiped his hands together, lettings the crumbs from his snack fall onto the cement floor.

"Danny you're not going to believe what this weapon can do! It's going to finally allow us to bring down Phantom!" Maddie excitedly exclaimed as she held up the invention. Danny hesitantly took a step back, hoping his mother didn't notice. "I've calibrated this gun to shoot ectoblasts so powerful that they exceed his ecto entity level! He'll never see it coming!" Maddie held up the machine and cocked it, as if ready to shoot, peering through the eye hole with one eye open.

"That's great mom…" Danny said off to the side. He did not want to get in the way of that. "Uh mom, I uh- can you take a look at this?" Danny fumbled through his pocket and grabbed the crumbled-up packet. He handed it over to his mom as she pushed her goggles up onto her head. She raised an eyebrow at him before accepting the packet and looking it over. Danny quietly waited for a response, fidgeting with his hands behind his back. The only noise within the lab was the sound of paper being flipped to the next page.

Maddie's eyes went wide for a moment as she placed the papers down. She stared at it intently, her body going stiff without motion. A minute of silence passed as Danny looked at his mother questioningly. Multiple emotions clouded her face as she tried to understand. She suddenly glanced at Danny, her eyes a hazy violet.

"I-" she choked up as tears threatened to emerge from her eyes. "I'm sorry Danny. I – I didn't know…"

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Danny said anxiously as he took a step forward. His mother burst into nonsensical mutterings.

"I didn't mean to! It – it wasn't supposed to mean anything! I didn't think to check. I – I" She stuttered as her hands flew up to her face, covering her emotions effectively.

Danny stood there uselessly, unable to comprehend his mothers' words. "Mom you're not making sense!" He shouted over her mumbling.

"I thought you were Jack's!" She exclaimed as her hands immediately jumped to cover her mouth. Danny felt his world crumble upon him, the weight of his mother's words heavy upon his shoulders. He felt his heart skip a beat within his chest. The dread rose up within his being, enveloping his mind.

"Who's my father…" he whispered in the silence. He couldn't even look his mother in the eye. He glared at the papers, the source of this new revelation. His mothers' sobs were the only thing audible in the quiet.

"It was a one-time thing! He said he would in exchange for some crucial parts… We needed them Danny! Jack would have been devastated!"

"Who's my father!" Danny said furiously as he lunged forward and grabbed his mother by her hazmat suit. He was taller than her now, easily towering over her. The fabric felt uncomfortable bunched up in his hands. He suddenly let go, realizing the brute of his actions and taking a step back. He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the ground, a nervous habit of his.

Maddie stood there dismayed, staring at her son with wide eyes. The word reluctantly rolled off her lips, crushing her son into a million pieces. Maddie suddenly felt weak, her knees buckling as she dropped to the ground. Her hand ran through her hair as she held the table for support with the other hand. She closed her eyes for a moment, but before she could say anything, he was already gone.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Danny raced up the stairs, eager to be anywhere but the lab. His heart pumped in his chest rapidly, the thumping drowning out all his thoughts. The name that had escaped from his mother's lips reverberated in his ears, increasing in volume until he collapsed just outside the front lawn. Silence ensued as he was on his knees, his head in his hands with the inability to comprehend exactly what happened.

He knew he should go and find him.

Did he know?

What would he say?

Did his da- Jack know?

The thoughts raced through his mind like a blizzard, destroying any positive emotions as it went. Sitting on the gray pavement with tears pricking his eyes, Danny knew what he had to do. He shot up and ran behind the house. The fall leaves plummeted from the trees as his blurred figure passed by. He searched within him for that all familiar icy feeling and latched onto it, bringing it forward and calling upon his transformation. Leaping into the air, his spiky raven locks transformed into snow white as the blinding halo descended his body. Red sweatshirt and jeans were replaced by the iconic black and silver jumpsuit. Finally, his eyes opened in a flash, revealing neon green orbs instead of the usual baby blue diamonds.

Danny flew through the air at max speed, recklessly thrusting his arms forward through the autumn air. The sun had begun to set, leaving behind effervescent colors of orange and pink painted throughout the sky. His mind was only set on finding one thing: him.

He traveled the familiar path to his destination, using the buildings as guidelines. Finally, he dropped down onto the huge white building, plunging down with his foot outstretched as if about to kick. The white-haired teenager intangibly passed through the dome like structure, and with a thud reached the carpeted floor crouched down. He looked up, eyes narrowed in a quest to find this man. He spotted him. Siting in a chair and typing away at his computer. Vlad.

The teenager stood up slowly, his jet-black bangs shadowing his facial features and giving them a hollow look. He walked towards the man, his eyes glowing a ferocious neon green with a hint of bloody red. The boy glared at the man as he walked, taking in his full appearance.

"Daniel, can't you see I have mayoral duties to attend to? I don't have time for your ghostly antics." The man said without glancing up once. Danny had gotten uncomfortably close to the man and took the opportunity to attack.

He lunged forward grabbing, the man by the collar of his pristine black suit. The teen towered over him, a sign of his growth spurt from 3 years ago. Vlad let out a growl from being disturbed as he writhed in the arms of the teenager.

"Why? Why did you have to do that?!" Danny shouted at the middle-aged man. His voice quivered slightly as his eyes turned hazy with tears. The elder halfa teleported to the other side of the room and sighed as he straightened his now wrinkled suit. Danny immediately fell onto his knees as he lost grip of the Fruitloop, sobbing silently. He stared at the floor unsure of whether to tell the man or not.

"Use your words child! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important business to attend to. Please see yourself out the door before I call the Guys in White." Vlad said mockingly, turning his back towards the younger halfa and walking towards his desk once more. Danny sat amidst the rich carpet and stared at his biological father. Was he the reason I survived the accident 4 years ago?

"Wait!" Danny called out his arm outstretched in front of him. Vlad swiveled around and looked at the boy questioningly. He finally noticed the tears escaping his emerald eyes. Daniel never cries, this must be important, he thought.

"I-" Danny paused. Where should I start? Sitting on the floor he called upon his transformation and once again into his human form; the flashing circle of light descended down his body. He shoved his hands in his jeans pocket and retrieved a crumpled-up ball of papers. He held out his hand for the older man to take as it shook with nervousness.

Vlad snatched the ball of anger from the teen and smoothed out its wrinkles. The title caught his attention. DNA test results? Did his ghost form mutate his DNA? Did someone discover his secret? He read the pages carefully and thoroughly, until his eyes widened at the sight of the fourth page. No, it can't be… he thought.

Everything hit Vlad at once. He stood there in shock, his body frozen at the realization. He glanced down at the boy, who had now brought his knees towards his body and placed his head in his hands. The reason Daniel came to me is because… I have a son?

"Little Badger is this a… joke?" the middle-aged man said softly, the words barely escaping his mouth. Danny shook his head from his position, mumbling something inaudible to the older halfa. Vlad crouched down towards his biological son, hesitantly patting the boy's back. He wasn't sure if comfort would help the hormone-driven teenager.

Vlad remembered the time when Maddie had come to him for money, exchanging one thing for another. It wasn't necessarily an affair, but a mother willing to do whatever it took to make her husband happy and keep her family together.

What had happened next was unexpected.

Vlad embraced his son, squeezing the boy with over-filling joy. "There, there Daniel. It's all right…" the boy sniffed quietly as he sat in surprise, being hugged by his number one enemy wasn't a daily occurrence. Come to think of it, having your number one enemy turn out to be your father was as surreal as an episode of Star Wars (I'm not sure if this connection is accurate, I've actually never seen star wars, but I only know about the famous "Luke, I'm your father" line).

"Wh-why?" the boy rasped out as he wiped the droplets at his eyes. His face looked hollow with helplessness and his cheeks blotched from crying.

"It was a one-time thing. An exchange. Nothing was supposed to come out of it… but, here you are." Vlad said softly as he returned his arms to his side and sat down next to Danny. The father and son held eye contact for a moment until Vlad erupted into a wide grin, causing the teen to turn his head away and stare at his shoes. The elder halfa inched towards his son and placed his hand around him. They sat in silence for a few minutes, the invisible wall between them overwhelming with tension until Vlad spoke up.

"Does Jack know?" He said turning towards Danny, his eyebrows furrowed.

"No." Danny replied shortly, not in the mood to have a conversation right now.

They may have sat there forever, listening to the sounds of each other breathing, if it weren't for the clock that stroked 6. Danny flinched at the noise, surprising both. He stood up and glanced down at the man, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face.

"You're still a Fruitloop…" But before Vlad could protest, the boy was gone.

#aye #I feel like I didn't do this concept justice but whatever #ughhh reading through this #it sucks so bad

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avaliveradio · 3 years

Text

Samy Promise of The Adventure Sets the Tone for the next chapter of The Odyssey

This song is the first song off my Debut EP "The Odyssey. Much to the theme of The Odyssey's original story (by Homer), it's about the adventures and journey this world can take you on, especially the music world. This song is to be seen as the opener of The Odyssey and setting the tone for the next chapter. The main instruments are the piano, guitar, and organ, eventually blending in with a mix of drums and snares. This song is significant because it's the first part of the next chapter of my music career, and I think that's something to look forward to.

Artist: Samy

New Release: Promise of The Adventure

Genre: Alternative Hip-Hop

Sounds like: : Kanye West, Riles, Dave, Jay z

Located in: : Toronto, Canada

Samy Promise

The music I create is meant to connect with my audience because everybody is sailing through their journey, their own adventure, especially with this song, "Promise of The Adventure". Again, this release is important to me and the world I'm creating through my music because it really initiates everything that's to come in the near future. I mainly get inspired to try out new ideas and sounds by listening to artists like Kanye, Riles, and Mac Miller, as they've all had success and notoriety by experimenting and trying out new things. Through my own music, I try to show and describe my world as best as possible, whilst also trying to relate it to the listeners' individual worlds.

Right now, I'm working on releasing my debut EP, "The Odyssey", which is set to release on September 24th. This project has been in the works for over a year now; after finding many connections and correlations between my odyssey and the odyssey that Homer depicts, I hope that the listeners will find similarities within their own odyssey.

I was born in Antwerp, Belgium, and started making my music at the age of 12. It started when I was 6, and I played my first songs on the piano, the first instrument I really understood, which transcends the music I make today. Although born in Belgium, I am Algerian, Dutch and French and currently live in Toronto. Everything from the first note you hear from my songs to my website is made by me in my room. I produce, write, record, mix, master, and publish everything I make. My first official release was "While You Wait..." which led to my debut mixtape "Le Petit Prince". After that, a sequence of songs was released to set up the big release coming after those songs.

LINKS: https://www.instagram.com/samysplanet/ https://twitter.com/Samycontrast https://www.facebook.com/Samy-100533588849744 https://open.spotify.com/track/5WiKETjKPW1h2bOgXH9W30?si=33456bcfc2544efc

Featured on Spotify Playlists

🔥Release Radar New Music Playlist curated by AvA Live Radio Never miss another cool new indie music release. Updates daily in real time. Follow the playlist now. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2JOBcgSYgGmV2g27N1CUXx?si=PQFpAPUbQ0m4ByZEbtBtLg

🔥JAX DAILY Morning Coffee Playlist curated by Jacqueline Jax Want to catch up on what’s fresh, trending and setting the pace today in music? Be sure to follow the Jax Daily Morning Coffee Playlist curated by Jacqueline Jax

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7pEY8BiSj6sLLSHAoOo9k0?si=IrwIjmHVRN2vswRyw_P6gA

🔥SUMMER SINGLES Fresh Indie Music Finds curated by AvA Live Radio Summer singles to keep you entertained out in the great sunshine. This list hypes the hottest indie music singles of Summer you won't want to forget. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7oQCpI2xEN2RaGWLcRGQJX?si=o93Tf3RwSH2HLg4B57qAVw

🔥Indie Music Spin Fresh Finds Friday Every week we go on the hunt for new music to grace our Fresh Picks Friday list. With literally thousands of songs to listen to, we try to find songs that are in the moment reflecting a mix of current culture and sound that inspires us.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QYK1FpWQyP04dwqukj9ap?si=ac06376f81704aa9

🔥Songwriter Gold Indie musicians offer honesty in their lyrics speaking on a wide range of topics. Discover some brand new songwriters from all over the world on this ever evolving playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68x51bTCMLuLi4o6vqwGfh?si=hXz5kG-rTN-bGkZBJuPm9g

🔥Road Trip Best Indie Folk 2020 Music Playlist - Indie / Pop / Folk / Rock Get on the road with a variety of music from independent music artists who make your ride sweeter. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PLd9drToDxT0rUcGWGpZ9?si=FvfbaXtcQ1-HJyHf3h59oA

#Samy Promise #Hip Hop #Toronto #canada

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marialaura-diazpena · 3 years

Text

My Programming Journey: Understanding Music Genres with Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence is used everyday, by regular people and businesses, creating such a positive impact in all kinds of industries and fields that it makes me think that AI is only here to stay and grow, and help society grow with it. AI has evolved considerably in the last decade, currently being able to do things that seem taken out of a Sci-Fi movie, like driving cars, recognizing faces and words (written and spoken), and music genres.

While Music is definitely not the most profitable application of Machine Learning, it has benefited tremendously from Deep Learning and other ML applications. The potential AI possess in the music industry includes automating services and discovering insights and patterns to classify and/or recommend music.

We can be witnesses to this potential when we go to our preferred music streaming service (such as Spotify or Apple Music) and, based on the songs we listen to or the ones we’ve previously saved, we are given playlists of similar songs that we might also like.

Machine Learning’s ability of recognition isn’t just limited to faces or words, but it can also recognize instruments used in music. Music source separation is also a thing, where a song is taken and its original signals are separated from a mixture audio signal. We can also call this Feature Extraction and it is popularly used nowadays to aid throughout the cycle of music from composition and recording to production. All of this is doable thanks to a subfield of Music Machine Learning: Music Information Retrieval (MIR). MIR is needed for almost all applications related to Music Machine Learning. We’ll dive a bit deeper on this subfield.

Music Information Retrieval

Music Information Retrieval (MIR) is an interdisciplinary field of Computer Science, Musicology, Statistics, Signal Processing, among others; the information within music is not as simple as it looks like. MIR is used to categorize, manipulate and even create music. This is done by audio analysis, which includes pitch detection, instrument identification and extraction of harmonic, rhythmic and/or melodic information. Plain information can be easily comprehended (such as tempo (beats per minute), melody, timbre, etc.) and easily calculated through different genres. However, many music concepts considered by humans can’t be perfectly modeled to this day, given there are many factors outside music that play a role in its perception.

Getting Started

I wanted to try something more of a challenge for this post, so I am attempting to Visualize and Classify audio data using the famous GTZAN Dataset to perform an in depth analysis of sound and understand what features we can visualize/extract from this kind of data. This dataset consists of: · A collection of 10 genres with 100 audio (WAV) files each, each having a length of 30 seconds. This collection is stored in a folder called “genres_original”. · A visual representation for each audio file stored in a folder called “images_original”. The audio files were converted to Mel Spectrograms (later explained) to make them able to be classified through neural networks, which take in image representation. · 2 CVS files that contain features of the audio files. One file has a mean and variance computed over multiple features for each song (full length of 30 seconds). The second CVS file contains the same songs but split before into 3 seconds, multiplying the data times 10. For this project, I am yet again coding in Visual Studio Code. On my last project I used the Command Line from Anaconda (which is basically the same one from Windows with the python environment set up), however, for this project I need to visualize audio data and these representations can’t be done in CLI, so I will be running my code from Jupyter Lab, from Anaconda Navigator. Jupyter Lab is a web-based interactive development environment for Jupyter notebooks (documents that combine live runnable code with narrative text, equations, images and other interactive visualizations). If you haven’t installed Anaconda Navigator already, you can find the installation steps on my previous blog post. I would quickly like to mention that Tumblr has a limit of 10 images per post, and this is a lengthy project so I’ll paste the code here instead of uploading code screenshots, and only post the images of the outputs. The libraries we will be using are:

> pandas: a data analysis and manipulation library.

> numpy: to work with arrays.

> seaborn: to visualize statistical data based on matplolib.

> matplotlib.pyplot: a collection of functions to create static, animated and interactive visualizations.

> Sklearn: provides various tools for model fitting, data preprocessing, model selection and evaluation, among others.

· naive_bayes

· linear_model

· neighbors

· tree

· ensemble

· svm

· neural_network

· metrics

· preprocessing

· decomposition

· model_selection

· feature_selection

> librosa: for music and audio analysis to create MIR systems.

· display

> IPython: interactive Python

· display import Audio

> os: module to provide functions for interacting with the operating system.

> xgboost: gradient boosting library

· XGBClassifier, XGBRFClassifier

· plot_tree, plot_importance

> tensorflow:

· Keras

· Sequential and layers

Exploring Audio Data

Sounds are pressure waves, which can be represented by numbers over a time period. We first need to understand our audio data to see how it looks. Let’s begin with importing the libraries and loading the data:

import pandas as pd

import numpy as np

import seaborn as sns

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import sklearn

import librosa

import librosa.display

import IPython.display as ipd

from IPython.display import Audio

import os

from sklearn.naive_bayes import GaussianNB

from sklearn.linear_model import SGDClassifier, LogisticRegression

from sklearn.neighbors import KNeighborsClassifier

from sklearn.tree import DecisionTreeClassifier

from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestClassifier

from sklearn.svm import SVC

from sklearn.neural_network import MLPClassifier

from xgboost import XGBClassifier, XGBRFClassifier

from xgboost import plot_tree, plot_importance

from sklearn.metrics import confusion_matrix, accuracy_score, roc_auc_score, roc_curve

from sklearn import preprocessing

from sklearn.decomposition import PCA

from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split

from sklearn.feature_selection import RFE

from tensorflow.keras import Sequential

from tensorflow.keras.layers import *

import warnings

warnings.filterwarnings('ignore')

# Loading the data

general_path = 'C:/Users/807930/Documents/Spring 2021/Emerging Trends in Technology/MusicGenre/input/gtzan-database-music-genre-classification/Data'

Now let’s load one of the files (I chose Hit Me Baby One More Time by Britney Spears):

print(list(os.listdir(f'{general_path}/genres_original/')))

#Importing 1 file to explore how our Audio Data looks.

y, sr = librosa.load(f'{general_path}/genres_original/pop/pop.00019.wav')

#Playing the audio

ipd.display(ipd.Audio(y, rate=sr, autoplay=True))

print('Sound (Sequence of vibrations):', y, '\n')

print('Sound shape:', np.shape(y), '\n')

print('Sample Rate (KHz):', sr, '\n')

# Verify length of the audio

print('Check Length of Audio:', 661794/22050)

We took the song and using the load function from the librosa library, we got an array of the audio time series (sound) and the sample rate of sound. The length of the audio is 30 seconds. Now we can trim our audio to remove the silence between songs and use the librosa.display.waveplot function to plot the audio file into a waveform. > Waveform: The waveform of an audio signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time.

# Trim silence before and after the actual audio

audio_file, _ = librosa.effects.trim(y)

print('Audio File:', audio_file, '\n')

print('Audio File Shape:', np.shape(audio_file))

#Sound Waves 2D Representation

plt.figure(figsize = (16, 6))

librosa.display.waveplot(y = audio_file, sr = sr, color = "b");

plt.title("Sound Waves in Pop 19", fontsize = 25);

After having represented the audio visually, we will plot a Fourier Transform (D) from the frequencies and amplitudes of the audio data. > Fourier Transform: A mathematical function that maps the frequency and phase content of local sections of a signal as it changes over time. This means that it takes a time-based pattern (in this case, a waveform) and retrieves the complex valued function of frequency, as a sine wave. The signal is converted into individual spectral components and provides frequency information about the signal.

#Default Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT)

n_fft = 2048 # window size

hop_length = 512 # number audio of frames between STFT columns

# Short-time Fourier transform (STFT)

D = np.abs(librosa.stft(audio_file, n_fft = n_fft, hop_length = hop_length))

print('Shape of time-frequency of the Audio File:', np.shape(D))

plt.figure(figsize = (16, 6))

plt.plot(D);

plt.title("Fourier Transform in Pop 19", fontsize = 25);

The Fourier Transform only gives us information about the frequency values and now we need a visual representation of the frequencies of the audio signal so we can calculate more audio features for our system. To do this we will plot the previous Fourier Transform (D) into a Spectrogram (DB). > Spectrogram: A visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies of a signal as it varies with time.

DB = librosa.amplitude_to_db(D, ref = np.max)

# Creating the Spectrogram

plt.figure(figsize = (16, 6))

librosa.display.specshow(DB, sr = sr, hop_length = hop_length, x_axis = 'time', y_axis = 'log'

cmap = 'cool')

plt.colorbar();

plt.title("Pop 19 Spectrogram", fontsize = 25);

The output:

Audio Features

Now that we know what the audio data looks like to python, we can proceed to extract the Audio Features. The features we will need to extract, based on the provided CSV, are: · Harmonics · Percussion · Zero Crossing Rate · Tempo · Spectral Centroid · Spectral Rollof · Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients · Chroma Frequencies Let’s start with the Harmonics and Percussive components:

# Decompose the Harmonics and Percussive components and show Representation

y_harm, y_perc = librosa.effects.hpss(audio_file)

plt.figure(figsize = (16, 6))

plt.plot(y_harm, color = 'g');

plt.plot(y_perc, color = 'm');

plt.title("Harmonics and Percussive components", fontsize = 25);

Using the librosa.effects.hpss function, we are able to separate the harmonics and percussive elements from the audio source and plot it into a visual representation.

Now we can retrieve the Zero Crossing Rate, using the librosa.zero_crossings function.

> Zero Crossing Rate: The rate of sign-changes (the number of times the signal changes value) of the audio signal during the frame.

#Total number of zero crossings

zero_crossings = librosa.zero_crossings(audio_file, pad=False)

print(sum(zero_crossings))

The Tempo (Beats per Minute) can be retrieved using the librosa.beat.beat_track function.

# Retrieving the Tempo in Pop 19

tempo, _ = librosa.beat.beat_track(y, sr = sr)

print('Tempo:', tempo , '\n')

The next feature extracted is the Spectral Centroids. > Spectral Centroid: a measure used in digital signal processing to characterize a spectrum. It determines the frequency area around which most of the signal energy concentrates.

# Calculate the Spectral Centroids

spectral_centroids = librosa.feature.spectral_centroid(audio_file, sr=sr)[0]

print('Centroids:', spectral_centroids, '\n')

print('Shape of Spectral Centroids:', spectral_centroids.shape, '\n')

# Computing the time variable for visualization

frames = range(len(spectral_centroids))

# Converts frame counts to time (seconds)

t = librosa.frames_to_time(frames)

print('Frames:', frames, '\n')

print('Time:', t)

Now that we have the shape of the spectral centroids as an array and the time variable (from frame counts), we need to create a function that normalizes the data. Normalization is a technique used to adjust the volume of audio files to a standard level which allows the file to be processed clearly. Once it’s normalized we proceed to retrieve the Spectral Rolloff.

> Spectral Rolloff: the frequency under which the cutoff of the total energy of the spectrum is contained, used to distinguish between sounds. The measure of the shape of the signal.

# Function that normalizes the Sound Data

def normalize(x, axis=0):

return sklearn.preprocessing.minmax_scale(x, axis=axis)

# Spectral RollOff Vector

spectral_rolloff = librosa.feature.spectral_rolloff(audio_file, sr=sr)[0]

plt.figure(figsize = (16, 6))

librosa.display.waveplot(audio_file, sr=sr, alpha=0.4, color = '#A300F9');

plt.plot(t, normalize(spectral_rolloff), color='#FFB100');

Using the audio file, we can continue to get the Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients, which are a set of 20 features. In Music Information Retrieval, it’s often used to describe timbre. We will employ the librosa.feature.mfcc function.

mfccs = librosa.feature.mfcc(audio_file, sr=sr)

print('Mel-Frequency Ceptral Coefficient shape:', mfccs.shape)

#Displaying the Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients:

plt.figure(figsize = (16, 6))

librosa.display.specshow(mfccs, sr=sr, x_axis='time', cmap = 'cool');

The MFCC shape is (20, 1,293), which means that the librosa.feature.mfcc function computed 20 coefficients over 1,293 frames.

mfccs = sklearn.preprocessing.scale(mfccs, axis=1)

print('Mean:', mfccs.mean(), '\n')

print('Var:', mfccs.var())

plt.figure(figsize = (16, 6))

librosa.display.specshow(mfccs, sr=sr, x_axis='time', cmap = 'cool');

Now we retrieve the Chroma Frequencies, using librosa.feature.chroma_stft. > Chroma Frequencies (or Features): are a powerful tool for analyzing music by categorizing pitches. These features capture harmonic and melodic characteristics of music.

# Increase or decrease hop_length to change how granular you want your data to be

hop_length = 5000

# Chromogram

chromagram = librosa.feature.chroma_stft(audio_file, sr=sr, hop_length=hop_length)

print('Chromogram shape:', chromagram.shape)

plt.figure(figsize=(16, 6))

librosa.display.specshow(chromagram, x_axis='time', y_axis='chroma', hop_length=hop_length, cmap='coolwarm');

The output:

Exploratory Data Analysis

Now that we have a visual understanding of what an audio file looks like, and we’ve explored a good set of features, we can perform EDA, or Exploratory Data Analysis. This is all about getting to know the data and data profiling, summarizing the dataset through descriptive statistics. We can do this by getting a description of the data, using the describe() function or head() function. The describe() function will give us a description of all the dataset rows, and the head() function will give us the written data. We will perform EDA on the csv file, which contains all of the features previously analyzed above, and use the head() function:

# Loading the CSV file

data = pd.read_csv(f'{general_path}/features_30_sec.csv')

data.head()

Now we can create the correlation matrix of the data found in the csv file, using the feature means (average). We do this to summarize our data and pass it into a Correlation Heatmap.

# Computing the Correlation Matrix

spike_cols = [col for col in data.columns if 'mean' in col]

corr = data[spike_cols].corr()

The corr() function finds a pairwise correlation of all columns, excluding non-numeric and null values.

Now we can plot the heatmap:

# Generate a mask for the upper triangle

mask = np.triu(np.ones_like(corr, dtype=np.bool))

# Set up the matplotlib figure

f, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(16, 11));

# Generate a custom diverging colormap

cmap = sns.diverging_palette(0, 25, as_cmap=True, s = 90, l = 45, n = 5)

# Draw the heatmap with the mask and correct aspect ratio

sns.heatmap(corr, mask=mask, cmap=cmap, vmax=.3, center=0,

square=True, linewidths=.5, cbar_kws={"shrink": .5}

plt.title('Correlation Heatmap (for the MEAN variables)', fontsize = 25)

plt.xticks(fontsize = 10)

plt.yticks(fontsize = 10);

Now we will take the data and, extracting the label(genre) and the tempo, we will draw a Box Plot. Box Plots visually show the distribution of numerical data through displaying percentiles and averages.

# Setting the axis for the box plot

x = data[["label", "tempo"]]

f, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(16, 9));

sns.boxplot(x = "label", y = "tempo", data = x, palette = 'husl');

plt.title('Tempo(BPM) Boxplot for Genres', fontsize = 25)

plt.xticks(fontsize = 14)

plt.yticks(fontsize = 10);

plt.xlabel("Genre", fontsize = 15)

plt.ylabel("BPM", fontsize = 15)

Now we will draw a Scatter Diagram. To do this, we need to visualize possible groups of genres:

# To visualize possible groups of genres

data = data.iloc[0:, 1:]

y = data['label']

X = data.loc[:, data.columns != 'label']

We use data.iloc to get rows and columns at integer locations, and data.loc to get rows and columns with particular labels, excluding the label column. The next step is to normalize our data:

# Normalization

cols = X.columns

min_max_scaler = preprocessing.MinMaxScaler()

np_scaled = min_max_scaler.fit_transform(X)

X = pd.DataFrame(np_scaled, columns = cols)

Using the preprocessing library, we rescale each feature to a given range. Then we add a fit to data and transform (fit_transform).

We can proceed with a Principal Component Analysis:

# Principal Component Analysis

pca = PCA(n_components=2)

principalComponents = pca.fit_transform(X)

principalDf = pd.DataFrame(data = principalComponents, columns = ['principal component 1', 'principal component 2'])

# concatenate with target label

finalDf = pd.concat([principalDf, y], axis = 1)

PCA is used to reduce dimensionality in data. The fit learns some quantities from the data. Before the fit transform, the data shape was [1000, 58], meaning there’s 1000 rows with 58 columns (in the CSV file there’s 60 columns but two of these are string values, so it leaves with 58 numeric columns).

Once we use the PCA function, and set the components number to 2 we reduce the dimension of our project from 58 to 2. We have found the optimal stretch and rotation in our 58-dimension space to see the layout in two dimensions.

After reducing the dimensional space, we lose some variance(information).

pca.explained_variance_ratio_

By using this attribute we get the explained variance ratio, which we sum to get the percentage. In this case the variance explained is 46.53% .

plt.figure(figsize = (16, 9))

sns.scatterplot(x = "principal component 1", y = "principal component 2", data = finalDf, hue = "label", alpha = 0.7,

s = 100);

plt.title('PCA on Genres', fontsize = 25)

plt.xticks(fontsize = 14)

plt.yticks(fontsize = 10);

plt.xlabel("Principal Component 1", fontsize = 15)

plt.ylabel("Principal Component 2", fontsize = 15)

plt.savefig("PCA Scattert.jpg")

The output:

Genre Classification

Now we know what our data looks like, the features it has and have analyzed the principal component on all genres. All we have left to do is to build a classifier model that will predict any new audio data input its genre. We will use the CSV with 10 times the data for this.

# Load the data

data = pd.read_csv(f'{general_path}/features_3_sec.csv')

data = data.iloc[0:, 1:]

data.head()

Once again visualizing and normalizing the data.

y = data['label'] # genre variable.

X = data.loc[:, data.columns != 'label'] #select all columns but not the labels

# Normalization

cols = X.columns

min_max_scaler = preprocessing.MinMaxScaler()

np_scaled = min_max_scaler.fit_transform(X)

# new data frame with the new scaled data.

X = pd.DataFrame(np_scaled, columns = cols)

Now we have to split the data for training. Like I did in my previous post, the proportions are (70:30). 70% of the data will be used for training and 30% of the data will be used for testing.

# Split the data for training

X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(X, y, test_size=0.3, random_state=42)

I tested 7 algorithms but I decided to go with K Nearest-Neighbors because I had previously used it.

knn = KNeighborsClassifier(n_neighbors=19)

knn.fit(X_train, y_train)

preds = knn.predict(X_test)

print('Accuracy', ':', round(accuracy_score(y_test, preds), 5), '\n')

# Confusion Matrix

confusion_matr = confusion_matrix(y_test, preds) #normalize = 'true'

plt.figure(figsize = (16, 9))

sns.heatmap(confusion_matr, cmap="Blues", annot=True,

xticklabels = ["blues", "classical", "country", "disco", "hiphop", "jazz", "metal", "pop", "reggae", "rock"],

yticklabels=["blues", "classical", "country", "disco", "hiphop", "jazz", "metal", "pop", "reggae", "rock"]);

The output:

youtube

References

· https://medium.com/@james_52456/machine-learning-and-the-future-of-music-an-era-of-ml-artists-9be5ef27b83e

· https://www.kaggle.com/andradaolteanu/work-w-audio-data-visualise-classify-recommend/

· https://www.kaggle.com/dapy15/music-genre-classification/notebook

· https://towardsdatascience.com/how-to-start-implementing-machine-learning-to-music-4bd2edccce1f

· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_information_retrieval

· https://pandas.pydata.org

· https://scikit-learn.org/

· https://seaborn.pydata.org

· https://matplotlib.org

· https://librosa.org/doc/main/index.html

· https://github.com/dmlc/xgboost

· https://docs.python.org/3/library/os.html

· https://www.tensorflow.org/

· https://www.hindawi.com/journals/sp/2021/1651560/

#Youtube

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handheldheaven · 7 years

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Top 5 Songs of the Week (11/13-11/19)

Hello everyone! This week I am showcasing 5 songs from indie artists who I believe are underrated, unnoticed, or need more attention. There’s a diversity in the genre mix, but variety is the spice of life, right? Enjoy this week’s music review, and as always, feel free to recommend an artist or song you’d like for me to review! And if you enjoy my weekly posts, make sure to reblog, like and follow (but only if you want to #freewill) :)

5. Appointments//Julien Baker

Thoughts: I just recently started listening to Julien Baker and I’m so impressed by her talent. She reminds me of Ingrid Michaelson, because they both hold the belief of empowerment and inner strength in their songs (and similar voices too but ya know). Appointments connects to the listener and supports those who struggle with their own personal battles within relationships. Instead of making the theme to be about her feelings however, she directs the lyrics to healing and starting over to be a better person. I’d recommend this song to anyone who is in the process of bettering their self, or is going through some kind of relapse.

Favorite line: “I think if I ruin this that I know I can live with it. Nothing turns out like I pictured it. Maybe the emptiness is just a lesson in canvases.”

4. Pin//Grimes

Thoughts: Art Angels is a phenomenal album that really shows how far Claire has come with her music within the past several years. This album features many experimental songs that still contain the typical “angst in the dark” lyrics. Pin is my favorite song because it paints the picture of the happy times we have with others, and how we desperately try to go back to those days. However, those days are in the past and the fantasy wears off, and we have to move on from the memories. The obscurities in her writing adds to the acid trip that her instrumentals give off, and it comes off as an altered reality (or a high. idk I don’t do drugs).

Favorite line: “Bite off your fingernails, cut up your skin. Tell me that it didn't happen.”

3. Loose Lips//The Ballroom Thieves

Thoughts: I first encountered this Massachusetts-based band as street performers in Boston 4 years ago. I later found them on Spotify and I’ve been listening to them ever since! Loose Lips was the song I remember hearing when I saw them that day, so it has always had a special place in my Ballroom Thieves memory. Loose Lips gives off that seaside town feeling, like a farmer’ s market in the middle of summer. There’s a dreamy, imaginative sound to their folk style, but they combine it with lyrics that don’t make you think of it as “just an unrelatable folk song”.

Favorite line: “You might have what I like, no no I can't deny that. But tell me, how do you stand straight with all them knives in your back?”

2. Girl!//Terror Pigeon

Thoughts: I first heard Terror Pigeon at my friend’s barn. He hosts traveling and local artists to play free shows in his barn, and Terror Pigeon happened to be performing there one night. Everyone laid on the floor and watched time lapse videos projected on the ceiling while the lead sang, and Girl! was the song that stuck out to me the most. The repetition in the lyrics works well, and the blend of both vocalists sounds natural. Its one of those songs you’d put in a playlist for your new s/o after you start dating.

Favorite line: "And where I'm going, will you come to then? ‘Cause all I want to do and see would be infinitely better with you beside me.”

1. Sit Next to Me//Foster the People

Thoughts: Foster the People puts me in another decade. Mark Foster’s voice gives me Glass Animals vibes in this specific song, especially with his sequence of higher notes combined with the synth. The lyrics tell the story of a character who wants to win the affection of a specific person, but over the course of the song they realize they can’t force them to do anything along those lines. Sit Next to Me is incredibly catchy, so be warned if you haven’t listened to it yet!

Favorite line: “Well I ain’t frontin' my intention, got your man outlined in chalk. It's a midnight intervention, got no plans to make it stop.”

#Julien baker #grimes #the ballroom thieves #terror pigeon #foster the people #pop punk #indie #weekly music review

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Doctor Strange and Pink Floyd Connection

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Marvel's Doctor Strange has a weird history with psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd. Get ready to expand your mind.

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Doctor Strange and Pink Floyd both got their start during the 1960s, a decade known for mind-expansion, psychedelic experimentation, and the pushing of cultural and artistic boundaries. Neither were exactly in step with the rest of their genre.

Doctor Strange, unlike his spandex clad and heavily muscled contemporaries, used occult practices like black magic and astral projection to defeat his foes instead of brute force. Pink Floyd were never really the kind of post-Beatles psychedelic pop group that were still common in the late '60s, nor were they ever the kind of blues-based hard rock or technically-oriented progressive rock band that dominated the 1970s. Unsurprisingly, Doctor Strange comics were popular on college campuses as the counterculture revolution of the 1960s began to take hold and it's easy to see stoners disappearing into Steve Ditko's surreal artwork while early Floyd records played or why psychedelic rockers were more drawn to these than traditional superhero fare.

Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson dropped a number of Pink Floyd references on Twitter during the production of the Doctor Strange movie (not to mention Bob Dylan, The Talking Heads, T.Rex, and other bands), so I was waiting to see if a Pink Floyd song would actually make its way into a Marvel movie.

I wasn't disappointed.

Video of Pink Floyd - Interstellar Overdrive [HQ]

Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" plays during a key early sequence in the movie. It comes from first Pink Floyd album, The Piper At The Gates of Dawn, which abandoned the melodic but skewed psychedelic pop of their early singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play" for a collection of songs that were more metaphysical, sinister, and occasionally (like in the case of "Interstellar Overdrive") freeform explorations of sound and feedback. The album version clocks in at nearly 10 minutes, but live versions could run longer, as long as the band wanted, really, and were accompanied by a psychedelic light show and oil projections that were conducive to mind-expansion. Those visuals wouldn't have looked out of place in the Doctor Strange comics of the era, either.

Pink Floyd's guitar player, singer, and driving creative force in 1967 was Syd Barrett, who left the group the following year due to worsening mental illness that was likely accelerated by his voracious appetite for mind-altering chemicals like LSD. Marvel's Doctor Strange movie certainly leans heavily on imagery consistent with the visuals associated with LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline trips (Strange even accuses the Ancient One of spiking his tea with psilocybin), which is fitting, even if it isn't a direct connection to Pink Floyd.

Listen to Pink Floyd The Piper at The Gates of Dawn on Amazon Prime

Barrett was still present on a few tracks on the band's second album, 1968's A Saucerful of Secrets, which has a semi-hidden image of Doctor Strange on the cover. The collage effect is not only reminiscent of the band's light shows and a representation of the psychedelic experience, but the placement of Strange himself makes it look as if the whole album cover is a spell being cast by the Master of the Mystic Arts.

The Strange elements come from a story in 1967's Strange Tales #158, with art by Marie Severin (Doctor Strange co-creator Steve Ditko had left Marvel almost a year earlier).

Here's the page:

(and thanks to Richie who pointed out the specific issue in the comments of our article about all of the easter eggs in the Doctor Strange movie)

The title track, "A Saucerful of Secrets" is kind of like the sequel to "Interstellar Overdrive" as it's another extended instrumental that places more emphasis on experimental sound than it does on anything resembling a traditional rock song structure. In other words, it's the perfect accompaniment to your reading of weird-ass Doctor Strange comics from the era.

Listen to Pink Floyd A Saucerful of Secrets on Amazon Prime

What I somehow never realized until this NightFlight article pointed it out to me is that you can also spot Marvel cosmic entity The Living Tribunal in the upper left-hand corner of the album cover, too...

Doctor Strange was still on the band's radar enough that they included him in the lyrics of "Cymbaline" from their third album, 1969's soundtrack to the Barbet Schroeder film, More. "Suddenly it strikes you, that they're moving into range," Syd Barrett's replacement David Gilmour intones solemnly, "and Doctor Strange is always changing size."

Funny enough, "Cymbaline" was known as "Nightmare" when it was performed as part of The Man and The Journey suite of songs, meaning it shared a name with the first villain Strange ever fought in the comics. Soon the band's lyrical focus drifted away from metaphysical concerns and into more earthly ones, and while they continued to produce extended musical compositions, the atonal sounds of "Interstellar Overdrive" and "A Saucerful of Secrets" gave way to the more melodic "Echoes" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond."

read more: Pink Floyd Members Reunite on Stage in New York City

But if Doctor Strange was an influence on the band in their early days, you can perhaps see hints of Pink Floyd's influence on the character in the 1978 Dr. Strange TV movie, which has a synth-heavy, at times funky, electronic soundtrack and an astral trip visual sequence that looks like some of the light show projections the band were known for. The final song on Michael Giacchino's Doctor Strange score, "Master of the Mystic Arts" subtly evokes some of the band's 1970s work, too.

But one final piece of Doctor Strange/Pink Floyd synchronicity popped up in 2016. Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch joined former Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour on stage to sing "Comfortably Numb," a song which started life as a demo called, funny enough, "The Doctor." Whether this is coincidence, or simply the universe bringing the Pink Floyd/Doctor Strange connections full circle is entirely up to you to decide, of course. Maybe Doctor Strange 2 can find room for more Pink Floyd music when exploring the Dark Dimension or somewhere similar.

Cast spells, or at least talk psychedelic rock and comics, with Mike Cecchini on Twitter. We have a playlist of all songs discussed here...

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Jan 6, 2020

Doctor Strange

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#aion-rsa #Books

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jazminetamaiparea-mddn343 · 7 years

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Sound

The original plan was for me to create a soundtrack that could be looped on the game (I had thought of the possibility to slightly changing a main track to fit each of the levels based on storyline and aesthetic). This was not an easy task, and something that had been put on a back burner at the start. Jordan then asked me to find some creative commons tracks that fit the sound we wanted for the game.

I had a rough idea of what I thought the track should sound like and used the playlist that I had created (link at the top of my blog) for inspiration, as well as one Patrick had made at the start of the project. - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkeL29y0SGoWM66xLL5oZjy0LmyAPFMDA&disable_polymer=true

I found these tracks that were similar in genre, but had enough differences o create a different feel during gameplay. They are all listed under creative commons

Overtime Matrix by Anonymous 420 This track had a heavier bass, a more of an underground, grungy feel but was still an electronic track that could fit our future setting. I thought it might have fit level 1 more than any other level. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Anonymous420/___1389/Anonymous420_-____-_08__

Htonic Haunt by Illocanblo An option if Jordan wanted a more technology/glitch based sound. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Illocanblo/20171009171756069/04_Illocanblo_-_Htonic_Haunt

Celestial Breathing by Illocanblo I liked this one better but thought it would be better suited to a title sequence. More synthetic/textured track. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Illocanblo/20171009171756069/05_Illocanblo_-_Celestial_Breathing

Underground dance club by D MILEZ A dance club/techno option and example. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/D_SMILEZ/The_Fun_of_Dancing_1454/Underground_Dance_Club

We walk alone – Mental Minority This is definitely one of the better ones I found, and ended up being one that Jordan liked and thought fit the game perfectly. https://starfrosch.com/hot-100/download/2698462/mental+minority-we+walk+alone

If I had started the soundtrack earlier, and was able to make one, it would have been similar to these ones, and one I found on a music making/sharing site. https://splice.com/halogravity/untitled-new-retro-wave-001

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nofomoartworld · 7 years

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Hyperallergic: The Intentional Fallacy Is Evil: Festival Anthems, Fifty Shades Darker, Workout Motivation, 35 Hits from the ‘70s & ‘80s

Critics argue over rockism and poptimism, but critical errors pop up in every taste ideology — belief in literalism, authenticity and the like can apply no matter the music in question. One unfortunate critical tendency is only to cover music intended for coverage. With any number of structurally noncanonical, shelf-filling product albums released on the market every day, many of them compilations, the failure to cover these makes sense, as they’re rarely any good, but rarely doesn’t mean never. Below find four compilations of various sorts hardly intended for critical scrutiny.

Festival Anthems 2017 (Enhanced)

As corporate trend genres go, I can think of worse options than EDM. Rollercoaster dynamics and bang-boom-pow electrohooks — so delightfully abrasive in their momentum — beat limp, wet power ballads any day.This compilation, associated with no particular festival but recommended for generic events, typifies the genre’s ghastlier tendencies.

I don’t trust complaints that dance music is “site-specific” and thus fails to parse outside the context of dancing at a club or an outdoor festival. Plenty of dance music sounds terrific on headphones, and besides, all music is site-specific — a point I would direct at alternative rock bands who make albums designed to be dissected by critics wearing headphones but fall apart when played outside, in the car, at a party, etc. Calling music site-specific politely masks disapproval for a particular site; I’ll gladly admit my distaste for the scripted modes of reception prevalent at EDM festivals and the music designed for them. These songs aim to inspire large masses of people to jump up and down and scream in unison about how good it is to be alive. Bland singers bellow inspirational platitudes before the drop — as the crunchy instrumental megahook providing a song’s climax and bliss point is called — drowns them out. Received melodic conventions make one song blur into the next without bothering to differentiate itself. Theoretically dancefloor escapism gratifies, but these rhythmically topheavy odes to maximalist kitsch suggest a caricature of catharsis, an empty decontextualized uplift. Tight vacuums of electronic compression, intended to carry the sound through large open spaces, produce loud, blaring ear candy that sounds equally tiresome no matter the environment.

Except possibly for Noah Neiman’s “Make It So Good,” whose sampled high-pitched squeal distinguishes it from the crowd, not a track departs from a formula where the drop in the middle lets you know that now is the time to pump your fist. Triumphalism has reached a nadir.

Fifty Shades Darker: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Universal)

Whatever the merits of the Hollywood blockbuster, the professionalism involved ensures certain degrees of visual sleekness and consistency, and when the soundtracks to such blockbusters eschew genre-hopping, their uniform aural signatures translate those virtues into music. Like the franchise’s first installment, this album apotheosizes the streamlined, downtempo, “dark” style that captivates a generation of moody millennials, and it crackles with spooky excitement.

I won’t comment on the franchise itself, whose films I haven’t seen, except to hazard uninformed suspicions of lousy gender politics and, as with the Twilight films in whose shadow they bask, the cold, drained, affectless failure to qualify as sexy. The soundtrack doesn’t entirely qualify either — slow R&B burners with muted textures and solemn, scowling melodies are arousing only once one has equated sex and pain, sex and emotional trauma, sex and epic struggle. But anyone who cares about romanticism in its modern incarnations must reckon with the prevalence of this ethos in the ears and hearts of young people, and this album is prime erotic melodrama. This stuff is marketed to adolescents for a reason — the stark sonic template, providing a correlative to the danger implicit in romance, matches a romantic spirit of black roses and white dresses that signals a presexual perspective; neophytes on the cusp are most acutely aware of desire’s risk. Thus the best of this music projects generosity as well as a veritable nervous thrill, an aesthetic coldness that dovetails with impressive formal mastery. Where the Weeknd, say, struggles over the course of an album to convince you he believes in self-expression, the multi-artist compilatory format guarantees shtick as its operative mode while proceeding with restrained, deliberate command of tropes and genre. Among other highlights, Kygo’s yearning “Cruise,” Tove Lo’s sly, soaring “Lies in the Dark,” and Halsey’s breathlessly grand “Not Afraid Anymore” flash, glimmer, and ache, subsuming the weepier ballads and orchestral interludes into an extended exercise in softcore theatricality.

Romanticism is best indulged occasionally, just often enough for some healthy fun, and this irresistibly dislikable album scratches the itch. Relish it to the fullest while acknowledging its depiction of romance as knowingly exaggerated for entertainment purposes.

Workout Motivation 2017 (Power Music)

Power Music Workout is one of many fitness-related companies releasing so-called workout mixes unto a market of gym rats eager to sync up their exercises with the beat on their headphones, and every now and then one proves genuinely listenable on its own terms as an album. This one should amuse fans of pop radio, absurd velocity, and the wonderful spirit of novelty.

Cartoon renditions of radio hits make for a weird sort of remix album, one where the varied bodily rhythms across a dancefloor are ignored in favor of incessant, irrepressible perk. The basic principle behind this music is that all songs sound better faster and dinkier; to realize this dream the masterminds in charge of making alterations speed up the songs in question about twice as fast, then substitute sharp, high sheets of keyboard texture for whatever the original instruments were, turbocharging the drums in the process. Often hookless songs are given one, big buzzing electrosaws totally absent from the original, cutting right through the middle of a song (see: Zayn & Taylor Swift’s “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever”); elsewhere already hummable earworms get augmented with extra layers of chewy bounce (see: Twenty One Pilots’ “Heathens”). Lame songs tend to remain so, but that doesn’t really matter because the end result presents less as a song than the musical equivalent of a caffeine pill, a shot of adrenaline to the head, a structure that happens to have lyrics and a tune ready to get kicked into hyperdrive. I suppose it takes a perverse kind of picky pop aesthete to enjoy the systematic fixing of radio hits, many of which desperately need it, but one needn’t know the originals to admire this album’s grace and energy. With catchy tunes and conventional song structures all but ensured by the source material, the big beat produces uplift that’s elegant enough to captivate. Displays of musical athleticism make for quite the show.

The masterpiece in this category is the same company’s Songs of Summer 2013, whose juicier bubblegum textures make the whole thing that much more ridiculous. This modest entry, if modesty is possible in this genre, delights in the way its percussive synthesizer punch renders several formerly irritating melodies palatable. That an album hardly meant for aesthetic contemplation turns out so pleasurable regardless is proof plenty that the intentional fallacy is evil.

35 Hits from the ‘70s & ‘80s: Unmixed Workout Music Ideal for Gym, Jogging, Running, Cycling, Cardio and Fitness (Power Music)

Different varieties of workout mix exist. For every take on contemporary chart hits there’s a genre-specific collection, or a tribute to the dance music of a particular city, or a period piece — that is, if “the ‘70s and ‘80s” counts as a period. This clumsy compilation by my beloved Power Music Workout illustrates the dangers of casting too wide a stylistic net and remixing everything within said net the same.

Modern Top 40 remix albums encompass a moderately wide range of styles while presenting a unified snapshot of pop radio at a particular time. But two decades is simply too long a span — I’d relish a summer ‘84 workout mix, say — and nothing about this sequence suggests commonalities between 0 (to choose the first three songs) Christopher Cross’s “Ride Like the Wind,” Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend,” and King Harvest’s “Dancing in the Moonlight,” beyond functioning as tokens of some conflated, unanalyzable, irretrievable past. Theoretically I’d enjoy the desecration of sacred cows, as when “Hallelujah” becomes a dance banger complete with Europop hook, but the song selection irritates not so much for projecting reverential nostalgia but rather for its treatment of the past as a monolith and its consequent failure to engage. Moreover, the album fizzles for mechanical reasons — remix techniques designed for digital sound do horrific damage to tracks from an age of predigital recording technology. The propulsion of modern dance music inflects many if not all contemporary chart hits and makes them excellent candidates for workout remixing. Hearing the relaxed shufflebeat in Steve Miller’s “The Joker” struggle to keep up with the bouncy caffeinated drum machine, while intellectually amusing, is actively unpleasant to listen to. Hearing several other incompatible styles of beat shudder at similar rhythmic simplifications and the imposition of aggressively eager dance synthesizers is to witness the most painful sort of historical anachronism.

Listen up, kids: this isn’t how you sequence a playlist. At the very least don’t stick “Purple Rain,” a song that works only in climactic position, in the middle between Orleans’s “Still the One” and Candi Stanton’s “Young Hearts Run Free”.

The post The Intentional Fallacy Is Evil: Festival Anthems, Fifty Shades Darker, Workout Motivation, 35 Hits from the ‘70s & ‘80s appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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millydeakincdme2029 · 7 years

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Choosing A Soundtrack

When it came to choosing a soundtrack to play over the title sequence, I decided to go for something along the rock/pop/punk genre, purely as the designs for my title sequence are quite fast paced and quickly edited. Also soundtracks such as this enthuse and hype up an audience before they watch the show, keeping energy levels up.

Choosing a good soundtrack is key for television shows and music because it can make or break a sequence. For example, the TV show The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air is an iconic show and title sequence, but a lot of that is down to the theme song that many many people can still recite off by heart.

I decided to go through a range of songs of similar genres on my Spotify playlists to see if there is anything I can see being in the title sequence and I quickly narrowed it down to a few options.

I felt as though to suit the theme of ‘GIRLBOSS’ the soundtrack should consist of a female singer or band member.

Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars (2010)

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I thought this would be a good option to consider for the title sequence. However upon working with the clips of the sequence I had already begun to work with I felt as though it was too fast paced.

I then decided to experiment with music from my favourite band, Wolf Alice. Wolf Alice, have a nostalgic 90′s punk rock vibe with their music and I believe their music suits the tone of the title sequence quite well in a few of their songs. I chose a few of their songs to the clips I had already edited and listened to how they synced up and I liked the tone their songs had alongside the title sequence.

Wolf Alice, You’re a Germ (2015)

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Wolf Alice - Storms (2015)

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Wolf Alice - Fluffy (2013)

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Wolf Alice - Moaning Lisa Smile (2014)

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In the end I chose Moaning Lisa Smile as the soundtrack for my title sequence, as I felt like it fit best with the tone of the show and the sequence. However to make it fit better I will use programmes such as Garageband to crop down bits of the song that are longer than necessary.

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tune-collective · 7 years

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Will Vance Shares Production Tips And Releases 'Dry Spell,' Final Therapeutic Single Off Of 'Days Go By' EP

Will Vance is not only premiering the final release ‘Dry Spell’ off of his new EP Days Go By, but has shared a very in-depth article to help producers improve their game. Below, Will shared 5 production elements producers should focus on to improve their renderings. You can hear Will’s latest release and his list post below. Also, check out past Will Vance posts on Tune Collective here.

https://soundcloud.com/thnktnkrecs/will-vance-days-go-by

Written by Will Vance

Chords

Chords are the backbone of the style of music I create. They are the first thing I do, and they need to be completely dialed in before moving on to the next part of the production. But having the standard I-V-vi-IV progression over four bars can get monotonous after two or three songs, so this is where I turn to the Greats to see how they work their magic.

Having a three chord progression, but holding the third chord out for an extra bar can really give the musical phrase room to breathe. It creates a sense of anticipation that draws the listener into the next section of the loop. At the same time, if gives the musical arrangement some extra space to fill with more a more complex motif or melodic fill!

Another way to spice up your chord progressions is by bumping the chords forward or backward by an 1/8th note. It leaves the chords to be played in the pocket between the kick drums, and can often give a rolling sense to the chords which by themselves might feel quite static. My favorite label to turn to for this is any producer releasing music off of Einmusika Recordings.

Arrangement of the Breakdown

I tend to produce driving melodic music that can often air on the side of the trance genre. That usually means that a massive breakdown will be an essential component of the track. They tend to be upwards of a minute or longer, and being able to maintain a sense of progression, energy, and interest throughout these more ephemeral sections can be quite tricky. Taking tips from the masters, how they use effects or how the bring elements back in, can be an essential part of creating a truly epic breakdown.One thing I always check for is how long they let the tails of the synths, effects, and reverbs drain out before even introducing the initial melodies of the breakdowns. If you have a massive drop with tons of effects and synths building out of the drop, you can easily have those tail out for eight bars or more (this alone is going to take up close to fifteen seconds of your drop, filling it with blissful goodness).

One thing I always check for is how long they let the tails of the synths, effects, and reverbs drain out before even introducing the initial melodies of the breakdowns. If you have a massive drop with tons of effects and synths building out of the drop, you can easily have those tail out for eight bars or more (this alone is going to take up close to fifteen seconds of your drop, filling it with blissful goodness).

Another takeaway you can get from referencing the pros’ arrangement is to have a better understanding of how to introduce some of the more percussive elements to the mix. The standard snare rolls do not always do the trick alongside my subtle melodies and atmospheres. So finding interesting ways to bring the top loops back in or maybe just the backbeats to establish a rhythmic sense again can do wonders in bringing back the energy during the back half of the breakdown section. It goes without saying that any Anjunabeats production will be as perfect starting point for these styles of breakdowns.

Basslines

Once I have done my chords, the next thing I do is bass line. Club music needs this backbone to be perfect, so it is always good to reference how the top-level DJs create theirs. The first thing to check is to see where you want the main focus of the listener’s attention to be. If it is going to be massive chords or complex melodies, the bass line will be rather minimal and act more to just keep the low end rolling along without distracting away from those epic synth lines. Listen to almost any record off of Lee Burridge’s label All Day I Dream, and you will see pristine examples of this.

But if it is a more hard hitting house record, chances are the melodies are acting more as support to the drums and bass of the track. These are the tunes where you can truly go wild with sound design and notation. Rolling bass lines that span the length of two octaves or more while playing every note in the scale are totally doable given that you don’t also have some focal top line playing over the bass. It is all a balance of power between the music and the groove, and having references on hand will save you so much time by not having to blindly shoot in the dark.

An amazing trick I have picked up by listening to Yotto’s records is how he often has two basslines going. The first is a low-lying syncopated sub-bass that rolls along to keep the groove. The second is paired with an utterly massive Moog-sounding synth that absolutely smacks you in the face. The two paired together creates a phenomenal low end that lights any dance floor on fire. I have used this trick to great effect in a couple of my tunes, and it works wonders.

Extending Simple Ideas into Drawn out Songs

If you say you never struggle getting past the loop phase, you’re a liar. We slave away getting the perfect chords together to pair with this wicked bass line, and then dazzle the high end with dancing arpeggiators and heavy pads. . . but then what? We know the common trick of stealing the structures of our favorite songs, but you can do more than just that having your drop be at the same place as Martin Garrix’s, or having a minute long intro just like your favorite song.

Listen to your reference songs very very closing, and see exactly how they are using the instrumentation to create a sense of seamless progression. A trick that I like to do is after the intro is all fleshed out, bringing the full bass in with all the filters open, but only playing the first note of the entire sequence. This saves the full notation for when I want the peak section of the song to b, while still starting off the song with a bang (kind of similar to how all your favorite action movies start off with a car chase or gun fight to really lock in your attention). The song Alcine by the artist Clavis does this phenomenally and is one of the best club records I have heard in a while. A small blip-like arpeggiator beings opening up fairly early in the song, and the envelopes continue to build the sound all throughout the intro growing bigger and bigger effectively turning a simple sawtooth arp line into almost two minutes of attention for the listener before the bass line even considers being introduced.

You can see in the screenshot included how I have almost one sustained bass note playing all throughout, and then when the hook comes in the bass begins to play the entire phrase. By the time the listener even has the opportunity to hear the entire phrasing of the song, I’ve sucked them into almost two minutes of introductory ideas while I was building up that suspense.

To accompany this post, I have included a handful of some of my favorite tracks that I use as references to pick ideas from. Listen to this playlist while you’re reading this post, and refer to some of my favorite elements in each tune to see exactly how I actively listen to music to gain new ideas.

1) Just Her- Let Myself Go: Overall the drum kit in this track in beyond compare. It is punchy and cohesive, and I could listen to just the percussions forever. I could easily see myself taking elements from the shuffle hats and the chugging tom patterns to use in my own tunes.

2) Thomas Schwartz and Fausto Canizza – Rae: Two things stand out in this song. First is the tom patterns and how they pan between the speakers that crate and interesting sequence that stands out while mixing into this tune during a set. The second is the use of two bass lines. They have a more ambient sustained bass that sounds very very Anjunadeep-like, then they have a shorter midrange bass that plays a more aggressive sequence.

3) Clavis – Alcine: As discussed in the post, I love how this song takes simple ideas and develops them over a longer period of time. The art starts as a small blip and works into a full melody. Another thing to note is the contrast between sections, the arpeggiators and drums are more straight forward and easy listening, then the bass line comes in with an obscene amount of energy.

5) Yotto – Personal Space: Again as stated in the post, the use of a sub bass and mid range bass truly has a chance to shine. Also, pay attention to the pairing of the melodies against the bass line. The chords are straightforward enough to where they don’t distract at all from the two bass lines that are playing.

6) Jynx – Calm Mind: This old school vibe of the drums is my go to reference for that old school vibe and bouncing house pattern. I think they used old hip-hop samples for their drums to achieve that vinyl sampled sound. Plus the use of those vocal chops are insane, bravo guys.

7) Amtrac – Renton: I use a ton of vocal bits in my tunes, so I am always looking for good ways to use vocal hits and bits creatively. This is a perfect example of this, but done in a way I think is incredible.

8) Moby – Natural Blues (Kidnap Kid Remix): The use of the short “ooh” sample as a small hook is a great way to add a small blip that your dance floor can latch on to and draw them into the next bar of the beat. It doesn’t have to be a vocal sample, but any element that can fulfill this same purpose is a handy trick to have up your sleeve.

9) MOHN -The Night (Deep Mix) : Always an avid fan of humanized elements in songs, the fact that they used laughter samples as a melodic fill in between sections in quite clever. Try checking out FreeSounds.Org for a whole library of open-sourced sound bites to use in similar ways.

10) Eli & Fur – Hold Me Down: One of the biggest techno tunes of the year thus far, this is another good reference for drum programming. They have a midrange percussion pattern that plays a call and response throughout the entire tune. It is unique enough to stand out as it is being mixed into a DJ set, and the second you hear it coming up you know that Eli & Fur is being brought into the mix.

11) Lane 8 – Midnight: This is a perfect reference on how to get a lot out of a little. The piano chords and arpeggiator are the main components of this track, and Lane 8 gets so much mileage out of them. Also note how the bass line is very simple, just a sub bass rolling along so that no attention at all is detracted from those chords and arms.

12) Lane 8 – Diamonds: This song is a great way to see how to work small and intricate details into the song, especially in terms of melodies. Every few bars, Lane 8 wiggles in a small bubbling rift that connects different sections and washes over the transitions.

Production craft is everything when making electronic music. Shoutout to Will Vance for taking the time here. If this type of content is up your alley, check out Point Blank Music School and the professional, educational offerings they have on their website.

Follow Will Vance: SoundCloud | Facebook

http://tunecollective.com/2017/03/10/will-vance-point-blank-music-school-dry-spell/

#days #dry #EP #final #production #releases #shares #Single #spell #therapeutic #tips #vance

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