Sound Sparks

I realized that for as much as I’ve prattled on about loving music and...

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:07:16 -0400

I realized that for as much as I’ve prattled on about loving music and wanting to share that love with others, I haven’t compiled a mixtape that gives (in my unbiased opinion) a great sampling of the music I enjoy.

Luckily, that’s all changed. I made this playlist using Spotify, a UK based company (founded in Sweden) that offers streaming music for free or a premium version beginning at $4.99 a month. If you don’t have a Spotify account and would like one (hopefully in order to listen to this mix), you can comment in the bottom of this post and I’ll send you an invitation. If you request to join through their website, your invitation should come fairly quickly. I got mine within hours.

Here’s a Spotify promo for their US launch:

What do you think? Enticing? It must be really hard to choose background music when the product you are selling is based on an incredibly large array of music itself. They chose to go the big band instrumental route. Although that may not have been my first choice, it definitely doesn’t alienate audiences.

Although you can’t transfer these songs to your iPod, you can import your iTunes playlists into Spotify and share the ones you create with friends. You can also post them to Twitter and Facebook for even easier access and share-ability.

The only real downside is that in order to listen to it, you need to have a Spotify account and unlike Pandora—which can simply stream from the website—Spotify downloads an external application onto your computer to open it, very similarly to how iTunes exists on your computer as its own program.

Spotify was a hit in the UK long before it hit our shores. Although music software competition is incredibly fast-paced, I hope that Spotify is able to thrive in the US because so far, I’ve really enjoyed what it has to offer.

Listen and Enjoy:

Spotify Fall 2011 Playlist

The Ultimate Cover Song Video

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:52:40 -0400

I’m sorry I haven’t posted in so long. My infinite apologies.

By this point, you know that I am an obvious fan of finding songs I love on the internet, meticulously placing songs on playlists that last for hours and driving with your windows down and the music blaring until the sun sets at your back. And while many times, this is enough, I also believe that sometimes, videos can really enhance the understanding of the song. **And please note, I did not use the word “sometimes” lightly.

Take this cover by Josie Charlwood of the Gorillaz song, “Feel Good Inc.” in which she creates, plays and sings all of the vocals and instrumental sounds in the song. With the video, you actually get to see this process evolve instead of just hearing the cover. For me, watching is is like being able to see the tiny wheels turning in a human brain as it works out an idea, adding and threading, weaving the layers together until the synapses connect seamlessly and it’s there, like magic, ready to be written, spoken aloud, or pondered silently within ones own thoughts.

Quite honestly, it makes me a little anxious to watch sometimes. I know deep down that it probably wouldn’t have been uploaded and featured as a “Kick Ass Cover” on The Daily What unless it was great, but there’s so much to do, so much to remember, so many buttons to push. How does she do it? It’s artistry, choreography, the culmination of so many layers of expression and creativity. I can’t fathom it. I am truly in awe of people who can do things like this. I think that’s a big part of the reason I have such a love affair with music. Because it’s

something I’ve never been able to create, it’s always been something I’ve yearned to understand better.

Enjoy the video and feel free to post any other great cover songs.

The Piper’s Song - Gypsy & The Cat A beautiful song...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:24:36 -0400

The Piper’s Song - Gypsy & The Cat

A beautiful song for a beautiful day. I hope you enjoy it.

This Post Isn't Going Where You Think It Is.

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:51:19 -0400

I have to admit, I have a bit of a love affair with words. I love how they look when written in clean fonts across a page or graffitied on the sides of train cars. I love how they sound, an infinite cacophony of noise used to create songs, poems, novels, dialogue and a milieu of other amazingly special creations that help make us all human.

Honestly, nothing could happen without expressive language. It can evoke emotions we didn’t know we had, bring tears to our eyes in a moment of heartbreak that has nothing to do with our own lives, and resonate so strongly within society that they are carried forward through time, protected and treasured to be called upon as sources of strength and guidance in the future.

Am I right or am I right?

At the risk of sounding like a hippie, it’s all about ideas man. Ideas are comprised of words and everyone has a different way of expressing themselves. That’s what makes music able to perpetually reinvent itself. We all feel, but we express that feeling in an infinite number of ways.

And I love that we have so many options. I love how easily some people seem to be able to control words, molding and bending them into sentences and lyrics and ideas, hopefully to one day be shared with the world. But sadly, not everyone agrees on how to best go about expressing those words.

Enter: Rap music.

Some call it degrading. Some call it vulgar. Some call it the voice of a generation. Some call it trash. Some call it a sign of the times. Some call it the beginning of the end. Some call it poetry set to a beat.

Love it or hate it, rap music can be all of those negative and stereotypical things, but it can also be base-thumping, lyrically tongue-twisting, thought-provoking rhythmically-enchanting fun.

So today, I want to talk about my favorite lyrics in rap songs. Simple as that. I hope you don’t feel cheated by those last six paragraphs because I had too much fun writing them and picking corresponding gifs and pictures to care.

A small sampling of my favorite lyrics:

“Bitch real g’s move in silience like lasagna.” - Lil Wayne - 6foot7foot

“Dictionary dreams so you know I’m always looking up.” - Moosh & Twist - City Kids

Get it? Because you “look things up” in dictionaries yet he has aspirations and is “looking up” to the future. Am I insulting your intelligence? Anyway, it’s an awesome lyric.

“If your main line’s got time then I’ll be drilling her.” - Kid Cudi - Dat New New

Vulgar, maybe. Clever, definitely.

“Inhale deep like the words of my breath. I never sleep cause sleep is the cousin of death.” - Nas - N.Y. State of Mind

“And they say all I rap about is bitches and champagne. You would too if every night you seen the same thing.” - Wiz Khalifa - When I’m Gone

“In my mind I’m a fighter, my heart’s a lighter. My soul is the fluid, my flow sparks it brighter.” Eminem - No Apologies”

“Pressure, what’s your pleasure, life is a-uh-depend on how you dress her. So if the devil wears Prada, Ada, Eve wear nada, I’m in between but way more fresher” - Kanye West - Can’t Tell Me Nothing

If you have your own favorite lyrics, add them in the comments below!

And if you’re looking for something a little more scholarly (because hey, maybe that’s your thing and I support it) here’s a link to a great article on the importance and creativity of rap artists: The Prometheus Institute

Another Round of Musical Inception

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:45:56 -0400

Because I’m the kind of person who would listen to a song for hours on repeat anyway, it doesn’t really bother me to have three different versions of the same song on my playlist. If anything, I like it even more because it’s an entirely new interpretation of something I am already a fan of.

Some people build new things, and that’s wonderful. But other people see things that already exist and expand upon them in the best ways possible. In honor of that, these next songs have each evolved through the artful use of the remix.

Original Song:

Symphonies - Dan Black

Remixed Version:

Symphonies - Dan Black feat. Kid Cudi

Mashup of a Remixed Version:

Falling Star - Kid Cudi (R3K Remix)

Sometimes I Shouldn't Learn New Things

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:50:23 -0400

I just learned how to embed videos into a Tumblr text post. This is going to be bad.

Sorry in advance!

(In case you were wondering: You embed the video from the site it’s on (not all videos may have this feature, but most should) and then post the code directly into the HTML of the Tumblr post, not simply the text box. The video should then display right in the post as you write text around it.)

Example:

LA Light from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

A beautiful video with wonderful instrumental accompaniment.

Music: Cinematic Orchestra – “To Build a Home”

Song: Rox in the Box - The Decemberists Let’s talk about...

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:58:12 -0400

Song: Rox in the Box - The Decemberists

Let’s talk about the amazing-ness that is the music in this video. Don’t get me wrong, the video itself is amazing too. And gave me a severe inferiority complex on many levels, but that’s for another post (and probably for the sake of my credibility an entirely different blog).

The Setup: This is a short video follwing the Longboard Girls Crew from Madrid Spain as they shred down the Madrid Mountains.

The initial instrumental setup is perfect, the panning scenes dotted with the boarders as they make their trek up the side of the mountain.

Then the song starts. It’s magical. They hurl themselves down the mountain with a grace and finesse that seems impossible on a skateboard, do moves that seem utterly impossible and potentially disastrous, and laugh into the camera as blood slips from the gashes on their arms and legs.

As the terrain finally evens out and the sun is beginning to set, the song starts to fade, ending with an instrumental part that syncs perfectly with the dance/cheer/amazing display of athleticism two of the boarders do as the camera follows behind, trailing them into the sunset.

This video and this song are the definition of soul mates.

How to create an MP3 file from a YouTube video

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:38:13 -0400

A lot of the music I find isn’t available on sites like iTunes to purchase (especially when it comes to the remixes). Thankfully, I discovered they (being people who are much more technologically adept than myself) have already solved this problem for me.

Using a YouTube to MP3 converter is ideal in many situations, and once you save the song, can be dragged directly into your iTunes library.

I prefer the site: http://www.youtube-mp3.org/ . It may not look like much, but trust me, it has everything you need for its purpose: to turn a YouTube file into an MP3 song.

It’s also simple. And by simple, I mean basically idiot proof. Simply:

Copy the YouTube link for the song you want to create into the empty box
Hit “convert video”
The name of the video (as seen in the image below) should pop up with a “video successful” notification
Click “download.”

You can then open up the newly created MP3 file (easily found in your “downloads”) and drag it directly into your music library. Although this isn’t quite as ideal as clicking a button on iTunes, it’s free and it gives you access to a ton of music that you might not otherwise be able to have on your iPod.

Keep in mind: Sometimes the videos can be parodies or an extended version of a music video with dialogue in it. If you want the best version to make as an MP3, I typically look for ones with with song title and then lyrics that also flash on the screen. It doesn’t always make for the prettiest screen shot picture to go along with the song, but it’s definitely a better idea in the end.

While you’re keeping that in mind, also keep this in mind: Official artist VEVO pages typically don’t let you convert their links, so it’s best to not even bother with those. Most remixes won’t come from a VEVO page anyway, and the ones that do have official videos can almost always also be found uploaded by someone else, most likely providing you with a link that will work.

Assignment:

Here’s an awesome cover to help get you started on your YouTube to MP3 downloading spree:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKcChGsDqnU

Lulu and the Lampshades wrote a song with the same beat as a game played at summer camps all over this great nation called “The Cup Game.” Good, but never got very famous. Then, a few months ago, this girl named Anna posts a video of her singing this song. I don’t know if I mentioned, but it’s crazy to watch people sing this and make the cup beats at the same time. Definitely give the video a watch before you download the song itself.

Album You Should Be Listening To Right Now

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:11:00 -0400

{EAV_BLOG_VER:81252d0a2c76d78c}

Wiz Khalifa – Rolling Papers

If You Already Like: Kid Cudi, Taayib Ali, Wale, Lupe Fiasco, recreational drug use, chuck taylors, champagne

Not For: office parties, family events, powerpoint presentations, Glee cover songs

Perfect For: music festivals, pre-games, frat parties, the gym, daylongs, game days, club music, remixing, driving

My Ranking: 4/5 Champagne Bottles*

*(Ranking system will change based on whatever I’m haphazardly evaluating at the time)

I had the chance to watch Wiz Khalifa perform at Bonnaroo this summer and honestly, I wish pensieves were real so that I could have bottled my memories and emotions up for others to feel for themselves better than I could ever express. Sadly, that isn’t the case, but I’ll use my words to attempt and do justice to what was my first, but hopefully not last, Wiz Khalifa concert experience.

He performed on the biggest stage, when the sun was finally starting to bow to the evening sky and laughed through the entire performance, a smile on his face and sunglasses covering his hazy, heavy-lidded eyes. The lawn was packed with people, some jockeying for front row space hours in advance as the near-100 degree heat offered no respite at times from the overwhelming swelter of the sun and the tumble of dust that became more unavoidable as the weekend progressed.

But none of that mattered. It was still perfect. He played a few old songs from Flight School and Deal or No Deal, but he was there to promote his newest album, Rolling Papers, and for that I was grateful.

I had first become familiar with Wiz during the three hours a day MTV actually deigns to play music videos (3am-6am). These had become active hours for me as my college career came to a close and I would find myself watching AMTV as the seemingly-ceaseless rustle of downtown activity remained audible through most hours of the night. Through this, I discovered “Roll Up,” the first single from the album. I loved it, I’m 99% sure that Cassie is the video vixen, and it instantly became my go-to jam for walking to and from class, and working out, and pre-gaming to, and..well, you get the point. I was absolutely smitten.

Some albums disappoint. The songs all sound the same or the only ones worth having were already released as singles. Another thing I really appreciate, besides remixes, is a CD that’s worth listening to from the first guitar pluck to the last chorus. This album has a little bit of everything. From party anthems to relaxing instrumental melodies, for the vast range it covers, it manages to create a continuity that serves well at telling a story of his ascension to fame and giving a glimpse into the mind of a kid from Pittsburgh who’s living life like it’s a party and enjoying every minute of it.

My recommendations:

Best Party Song:
No Sleep

Best Slow Jam:
Roll Up

Shouldn’t Love But Do:
On My Level

Best Song You May Not Have Heard Yet:
Cameras

Musical Inception: The Art of the Remix

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:06:00 -0400

My Top Five Remixes of the Summer (so far):

**note**: I’m going to be posting links/ways to listen to the songs in a variety of ways. Some will link to YouTube videos, The iTunes Store, or other blogs that I frequent to find music. I’d love your feedback on which ways you like best or if there are others you feel I’m leaving out.

What A Night(Journey Mash) - DJ Kontrol and Lil’ Jon

The White Panda - Tipsy In The Sun ( Weezer // J-Kwon)

It’s The Deans List - Dear Professor

Mean Planes & Taylor Gangs - Wiz Khalifa Feat. Taylor Swift

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps (TGIK Remix)

The remix is a beautiful thing. While I realize how creative one has to be to make an original piece of work, I also think there’s something to be said for those who are able to see what already exists and fit the pieces together in ways we’d never imagined. I look at it as musical evolution, and a chance for even more people to experience a great song through a variety of genres. Sometimes, it’s like a caricature of a song; exaggerating all of the best parts until they almost blend completely together in a cacophony of sound.

Wow, pretty soon I’m going to have to add a “Gush Meter” to these things so you know what level of fangirl you’re going to get upon reading.

As embarrassed as I am to say, growing up, I thought that DJ’s were people who simply put on song after song of the Top 40 hits in a predictable, yet fairly enjoyable, progression. If my mind were a Google search bar, image results for “DJ’s” would return men on slightly elevated stages at 7th grade dances and junior proms, on-air radio personalities who spent more time plugging advertisements than providing a blend of music worthy of getting you through the day, and roller rink MC’s situated behind plexi-glass playing “Whoop! There it is!” and leading the group in the limbo contest.

It wasn’t until I got to college and discovered the inexhaustible trove of music on the internet that I truly saw what was possible with remixes. And strangely enough, I suppose I also have to thank the sweaty, rambunctious, beer soaked frat houses for introducing me to techno, dubstep, and a whole slew of new artists and interests.

Although this post has seriously deterred from its original focus, it makes me realize how much music permeates my life and the ways in which it’s all constantly coming full circle. Every post is bound to tangent into another topic because in my mind, they naturally evolve from one another. Kind of like how a remix works in its progression from artist to artist, peeling and adding layers with a never-ending combination of possibilities. It’s like one big game of Whisper Down the Lane, morphing and evolving as you feel deeper down the rabbit hole. See what I did there? Inception. Bam.

Song of the Day: OCD: Moosh & Twist - City Kids I’ve...

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 20:55:25 -0400

Song of the Day:

OCD: Moosh & Twist - City Kids

I’ve been in a window’s down (in fairness, my car doesn’t have air conditioning so that’s kind of essential), sun shining, music blaring kind of mood this summer.

Maybe it’s been the beautiful cerulean blue skies that provide such a stark contrast to the green grass and golden wheat, or maybe it’s that this is one of the last times I’ll have before the real world is truly at my doorstep, but regardless, this song has provided perfect company for my summer excursions, and the more I listen to it, the more I seem to like it.

I’m definitely going to write more about these guys later because I just downloaded their free album here and can’t wait to give a full report, but for now, I just wanted to provide you with something to entertain you until I can decide on the best format to run the blog and begin regularly updating with new content and playlists.

I hope you enjoy!

Can you tell I've given this a lot of thought?

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:17:29 -0400

My problem with blogging has never been finding something to write about. If anything, it’s the scope of things I like to read about online that makes it difficult for me to focus on one topic with fanatic consistency. When I decided I wanted my own forum (okay, another forum) to share my ideas and interests, I tried excruciatingly hard to think of a topic that permeated my life and helped define “me” within this ever expanding sphere of people sharing ideas.

I really liked baking and cake decorating? Could I write about that? Maybe. It was a great activity when I was in the mood, but origami, bracelet making, collaging, and making playlists were also high contenders when it came to choosing a crafting activity.

I love movies. Could I write about those? I’d vote yes. I love everything about movies. The sets, actors, soundtracks, and plot all interest my more than they probably should. But truth be told, I’m a bit notorious among my friends for being untrustworthy with movie recommendations. Every year during college on my birthday, I got to choose any movie playing in theatres and my friends had to go, no matter what. I’m hoping to keep the tradition alive this year with the 2011 remake of “Footloose” if that gives you any indication of where my line of “quality cinema” stands. It’s just one of those facets of my personality that I’ve accepted and embrace with a laugh. And it makes sense. People think I have less than stellar taste because I watch and find something charming about so many movies, but it’s basically just because I watch SO many movies that I’ve just naturally tried to find the parts of them that are positive. I don’t watch Step Up because I think it’s a timeless classic. I watch it because those dance moves are ridiculous and it has a killer dance soundtrack. I’m not picky. I enjoy most genres and have a Netflix account. We all knew it was a recipe for disaster. So needless to say, this option was unlikely to win. If the only people who end up reading this are my friends, I need them to believe I’m at least semi-credible at what I’m talking about.

Now what’s left? Lending my voice to the invaluable dissection of the countless YouTube videos on the net? But was I qualified? Sports highlights? Check. Amazing cover songs and remixes? Check. Epic Fails. Check. Cute kitten videos. Double check. I’ve watched them all. Twice. But still, it didn’t feel quite right.

So as I looked ardently at these lists I had created of pros and cons; interests and hobbies, scanned everything in my world for a spark of interest that shone brighter than the rest, and finally, resigned myself to my fate as a consumer of media instead of a creator (i.e. prey, not predator), it was like the answer came floating on the wind, softly at first, then with a stronger clarity and tone, the beat beginning to engulf my senses pushing past that moment separating “hearing” something and “feeling” it through your entire body.

Sounds corny. Sounds cliché. Shut it. This is my blog and I’ll gush if I want to. At that moment, I finally, finally, FINALLY realized that the one thing connecting all of these things together was, as simple as it sounds: music.

If it were a food, it’d be bacon. It goes well with everything.

Even as I write this, I’m listening to “Popular” by Huey Mack, an amazing remix of the same-titled song featured in the Broadway show Wicked. Random? Check. Amazing? Check. Hoping I’ll show you more songs like this? I’m going to go ahead and check that last box for you.

The point is: I love music. I love soundtracks from movies, acoustic YouTube covers, creating playlists from artists I find online and from other sources, driving with the windows down and a perfect mix playing, sitting on a beach with headphones in while watching the world float by or dancing to the beat of a song in a sweaty club or an open field with 100,000 of your nearest and dearest (we’ll get to Bonnaroo later) where all you can hear is the music.

Sounds amazing, right? It is. I appreciate music so much and it constantly surprises, enlightens, and floors me. This blog is my attempt to express to others what I love, why I love it and how other people can discover it too.