Article: Lyrics in Music

Ok, I'm stepping into this with no idea what I'm going to write, but here goes. First, I've never been too big on lyrical music. Classical, Jazz, Electro, and Orchestral music all appeal to me because, for the most part, they remain instrumental. I find that, especially in the case of Pop or Contemporary Christian music, I focus far too much on the lyrics, and lose the music; Pop because I cringe at the words, Contemporary because I cringe at the theology. On top of that, Lyrical music is hard to listen to when working, which is when I listen to most of my music. However, Lyrical music certainly has its place, and there are many beautiful and powerful songs that are made so through words, such as Stairway to Heaven. This brings me to the question of whether one can listen to a song that contains ideas and ideals expressed in the lyrics they don't agree with, but still enjoy the song. The easy answer is yes. You could, in a sense, push the lyrics aside and focus on the music. Or maybe you just grow calloused to the topics brought up and the words used. I personally believe that it is alright to listen to music with lyrics you don't agree with, as much as it is with any other movie or video game, all three being in the category of digital media. But as with all things, moderation, and discernment.

On Christian music, particularly contemporary, it becomes more difficult. I assume that if you're reading this post, you're a christian. If you are, then you're probably a Reformed Christian, like me, unless this blog spreads out of my inner circle of peers and colleagues so many years from now. This assumption being made, you may also have a hard time listening to christian music from other denominations, such as most of the music on Z 88.3, or other popular worship songs. I tend to stay away from such music, not out of any fear for the stability of my beliefs, but because I get too frustrated with the lyrics (Aside from the fact that music is generally...meh). However, it's generally better, in my opinion, to go along with it all, and save theological remarks for later.

Alright, that's about it. Any thoughts or comments are more than welcome; you can either comment here, or if you followed a social media link, than it would be better to comment there. I hope this shed a little insight on lyrics and music; have a fantastic day!

The Far Reaches of Sound #12: Steam's Horizon

Ah, the first of the last. If you hadn't noticed, the previous three songs on the album were all covers. That's because I had taken a break, and when I came back, I threw those three covers on, having made them before beginning work on the album. However, at this point I felt I needed to finish the album with some more original pieces, leading to what are arguably the three best songs on the album: Steam's Horizon, Boomflash, and Fort Nova. All three are solid songs, with little to no errors, solid instrument selection, and all feature new music techniques.

Steam's Horizon is one of the few songs that tells a story, once you know the context. That context is the book that I wrote last November: Children of the Planet, which is available to read if you're interested. Long story short, this song portrays a country at the brink of war, with mixed feelings of hope and fear for the coming days; keeping this in mind when listening to the song gives something more to it.

Download Steam's Horizon via Sendspace

Song of the Day: King Crimson - I Talk to the Wind (Classic Rock)

Another quieter example of Classic Rock, today's song comes from rock band King Crimson; a fine example of typical 70's and 80's weirdness, although that isn't conveyed quite as much in this particular song.

King Crimson - I Talk to the Wind

Song of the Day: Pink Floyd - A Great Day for Freedom (Classic Rock)

Another song I grew up on, this was featured on one of Pink Floyd's later albums, The Division Bell. Like Stairway to Heaven, it starts out slower and more mellow, which is something I always enjoy in a song. Enjoy!

Pink Floyd - A Great Day for Freedom

Song of the Day: Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven (Classic Rock)

I'm going to be focusing more on some classics for the next several songs of the day, and what better place to start than one of the most well known and beautiful songs out there: Stairway to Heaven. This song is undoubtedly one of my all time favorites, and while it is lengthy, it's worth listening to, assuming you haven't heard it before. I'll throw a temporary disclaimer out about the lyrical concept until I can write up something longer and more philosophical about lyrics. Enjoy, and remember, it's worth listening to the end!

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

The Far Reaches of Sound #11: Nabari No Ou Main Theme

This song, despite being so late in the album, was probably the first to be made out of all of them. You see, I consider this particular song the best out of my series of covers that I did before starting the album, along with Lothlorien and Mothra's Song. The song itself is from an anime series called Nabari No Ou, the series having an emphasis more on emotion than just violence. Watching the series affected me emotionally, but the music in particular had an impact that I couldn't quite shake off, and I had the songs stuck in my head for weeks, which of course led to me making this cover. It's a little simple, and the sounds used weren't the best, but it's a solid piece of work, and deserves its spot on the album. As usual, you can download it below.

Download Nabari No Ou Main Theme via Sendspace

Pokemon Battle #2: A Polite Whooping

Well, I just had my butt handed to me by a surprisingly polite fellow, who even used proper grammar! What a nice surprise! The funny part, in my opinion, is that we literally wrote "Good game, sir" at the exact same time. For reference, my player name is twebonhawk, I'm just on the opposite side.

twebonhawk vs. RobbieDojCon

Pokemon Battle #1

Ok, some of you may have no interest in Pokemon whatsoever. If you do, it's very possible that you are not familiar with the world of online pokemon battling. Yes, it may seem childish, or petty, but this is more than just a kid's role playing game. Competitive Pokemon Battling is a science, as much or more so than Chess, Fantasy Sports, or anything else of that nature. That being said, I'm going to start posting some of my battles, which will be interesting for those of you who play pokemon, and might be fun to watch for those who don't. In either case, this particular battle had an interesting twist, so enjoy!

twebonhawk vs. Efthimisg4

Article: The Idea of Catchiness and Song of the Day: will.i.am - #thatPOWER ft. Justin Bieber (Pop)

"So, what have you been listening to lately?"
"Eh, not much. But I did find this one song by Justin Bieber."
"Justin Bieber? Seriously? That idiot with the voice of a girl?"
"I know, but it's catchy."

I've seen, and used this argument a lot. The truth is though, that many songs that I wouldn't normally like become something I listen to, because they're 'catchy'. The example I'll be using during this article, which is also the song of the day is will.i.am - #thatPOWER ft. Justin Bieber. So, I heard this a couple days on the radio when I was driving out to get some groceries, and I thought it was pretty cool, or rather, it was catchy. So, I go home, and manage to find it. I then see the artists: will.i.am and Justin Bieber. Now, I don't mind will.i.am as much, though he is hardly the epitome of fine musicianship. However, really don't like listening to Justin Bieber. I wouldn't call myself a hater; he does have some talent, and his voice has matured over the years, but I just don't like his music. So, I'm listening to the song, and thinking to myself such things as, "Wow, that's actually really boring", or, "Ugh, is he rapping?" As I'm thinking to myself, the song ends, and hit the repeat button. Why? What makes a song 'catchy'? I think it's primarily the melody. I enjoy listening to songs with a unique melody, regardless of what genre it is. This is one of the best tactics that Pop musicians employ, whereas in some other genres such as Rock or Jazz, the draw is the talent of the musician or singer (Which as an aspect lacking in the majority of Pop music). This is a matter of opinion, but I think it's also repetitiveness. One aspect of Electronic music that many people don't like is repetitiveness; it gets boring. However, I've listened to many rock or metal songs where there's a great chord progression or melody early in the song, but it's never recapitulated or otherwise brought up again in the song. Pop and Dance, I find, tend to repeat their melody, regardless of whether it's good or not. Anyway, that's about it. Now, due to my tendency to over analyze music, I rarely stay on a song for too long, but there's always something else. If you've read to the end of this, well, have a good day! :)

Article: What is Dubstep?

So in my ongoing quest to learn about the various types of electronic music, I recently did some research on the one that got me started: Dubstep. Now, a lot of people don't like 'Dubstep', and with good reason. I've learned that what many unsuspecting Americans believe Dubstep is is actually a style of music that has been classified as Brostep. Brostep is the violent, crazy, and distorted genre of music most popularized by Skrillex, and is what most 'Dubstep' artists, like Knife Party or Excision make. However, Dubstep is actually a style of music more closely related to Dance, and is little more than electronic music with an emphasis on bass and sub-bass rhythms. Sadly, original Dubstep has been overshadowed by Brostep, primarily due to the wild success of Skrillex. So, just to clarify...

Dubstep = Electronic music with and emphasis on Bass rhythms.

Brostep = Crazy, violent, distorted electronic music = Skrillex.

Note: One other interesting thing is the idea that Brostep/Dubstep is the 'Metal' of the electronic music world. There is, actually, a genre of music called Metalstep, which is basically Dubstep incorporated with elements of Metal music, and was popularized by artist Celldweller. Just thought that was interesting.

Sources (Mostly the ones Wikipedia used)

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Reynolds, S.(2012),Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture, Perseus Books; Reprint edition (5 Jan 2012), pages 511–516, (ISBN 978-1-59376-407-4).
2. ^ ^{a b} "Bass Invasion". Miami New Times. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
3. ^ Beats & Bass: The Producer's Guide Simon Reynolds, The Art of the Groove, in Computer Music, Computer Music Specials (p. 9), Wed 26 October 2011, Future Publishing Limited

Song of the Day: The Shanghai Restoration Project - Breakdance of Yao feat. Brittany Haas & Lily Henley (Electronic/Instrumental)

Another cool song from the Shanghai Restoration Project. It may just be me, but this has a bit of a Celtic feel to it, which is a nice touch. Enjoy!

Shanghai Restoration Project - Breakdance of Yao feat. Brittany Haas & Lily Henle

Song of the Day: The Shanghai Restoration Project - Dark Horse (Instrumental/Chill Out)

I'm back! I guess I just got bored with the blog for a while, but this song inspired me to do another Song of the Day. Everything about this song is cool: I love the little whistle in the beginning, the piano keeps the song moving with the same melody, the vocals are simple yet elegant, and I love the dark and quiet mood it gives. The Shanghai Restoration Project has many other great instrumental songs; I'd suggest checking them out!

The Shanghai Restoration Project - Dark Horse

The Far Reaches of Sound #10: K.K. Lament

This is a song from the Animal Crossing series of games, and has been one of my favorite songs to play and listen to since I got the game in 2002. This is one of my best covers, primarily because I replicated the music almost exactly. Enjoy!

Download K.K. Lament via Sendspace

Song of the Day: Chali 2na - Comin' Through (Hip Hop)

I don't usually listen to Hip Hop, and don't particularly care for it, but this is actually pretty good. The only reason I listen to any Hip Hop, is because it has a catchy rhythm, or uses classical or vintage sounds. This happens to have both, so enjoy!

Chali 2na - Comin' Through

Song of the Day: Awolnation - Sail [Unlimited Gravity Remix (Dubstep)]

So, sometime last year I heard this awesome song called Sail by Awolnation. It was cool, I had it on my mp3 player for a while, but I kind of forgot about it. Now, for some reason, I always closely associated this song with Too Close by Alex Clare. I don't know why, but regardless, posting Too Close got me back to thinking about this. This is one of the better remixes I found when snooping around, as Dubstep goes. Enjoy!

Awolnation - Sail (Unlimited Gravity Remix)

The Far Reaches of Sound #9: I Am The Doctor

This is the first of three covers featured in my album, and turned out fairly well. I think it was quieter than I intended, and I later found sounds that would have been more suitable, but it wasn't bad. If I remember correctly, I actually made this for my good friend Christopher Larson, who's blog is http://www.thereandblogagain.com/
Much of my earlier music, that is, before beginning work on this album, wound up being covers. I did several pieces, including the Lothlorien theme from LotR, and Mothra's song from the Godzilla movies. However, only my three best covers made it onto the album, this being the first of those. Enjoy!

Download I Am the Doctor via Sendspace