Hey all, check out my new special show on KJHK.org 8-10pm Saturday Nights (CST)!
The show is called Mind Dance, and I'll be playing for you Electronic Dance Music for your mind, body, and soul.
Electronic Dance Music is actually more widespread than you may believe. I will play the typical dance music such as Darude, Daft Punk, or trance-beats like Infected Mushroom or GMS. Also, Mind Dance features the calmer, slightly slower side of electronic dance music, called IDM (Intelligent Dance Music). here's some examples of IDM: Mu-Ziq, Autechre, Aphex Twin.
These are a few songs that I played last night for a taste of whats to come:
1200 micrograms : Mayans Incas and Aztecs
Ulrich Schnauss : Between Us and Them
Gorillaz : 5/4
Boards of Canada : An Eagle in your Mind
--
Listening to Soulsavers' new album, Broken.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Pay homage to MJ
Yeah I mean Michael Jackson. ;)
You can say his morals were a little off, but he still was a great musician and inspired pop music in his time that has churned into a new style still seen today. He died June 25th, 2009 at the age of 50.
Pay homage by watching a few of his music videos:
Smooth Criminal (full)
Thriller (full)
Black Or White (full)
----------------
Now playing: Willie Bobo - Fried Neckbones And Some Home Fries (Dan The Automator Remix)
via FoxyTunes
You can say his morals were a little off, but he still was a great musician and inspired pop music in his time that has churned into a new style still seen today. He died June 25th, 2009 at the age of 50.
Pay homage by watching a few of his music videos:
Smooth Criminal (full)
Thriller (full)
Black Or White (full)
----------------
Now playing: Willie Bobo - Fried Neckbones And Some Home Fries (Dan The Automator Remix)
via FoxyTunes
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Happy, upbeat little ditty, but not super fast
If you had to describe the most generally liked style of music, could it fit in this blog-post's name? In my opinion, many artists throughout musical history gear their music towards the "happy little ditty" genre I hereby name.
Examples can be found in many of the traditional genres we know:
folk music: The Mamas and the Papas - Make Your Own Kind Of Music
Jazz: Renee Neufville and Roy Hargrove - Crazy Race
Pop: Jack Johnson - Breakdown
Classical: Haydn - String Quartet in B Flat (op. 1 no. 1)
just a few for example.
These songs appeal for the masses- they are designed to make you happy, and forget your troubles. It is interesting to call one of those traditional genres pop, when a good case could be made that each of these songs were extremely POPular in their day. In fact, that is a good correlation; pop music tends to be happy and upbeat. There are always exceptions, but the best way to get people to like your music seems to be to make slightly happy but not too frenetic music.
More music fitting in the "happy, upbeat ditty" genre:
Finger Eleven - One Thing
Coldplay - Clocks
Orbital - One Perfect Sunrise
Blind Melon - No Rain
Ben Folds - Fair
----------------
Now playing: general fuzz - comfort zone
via FoxyTunes
Examples can be found in many of the traditional genres we know:
folk music: The Mamas and the Papas - Make Your Own Kind Of Music
Jazz: Renee Neufville and Roy Hargrove - Crazy Race
Pop: Jack Johnson - Breakdown
Classical: Haydn - String Quartet in B Flat (op. 1 no. 1)
just a few for example.
These songs appeal for the masses- they are designed to make you happy, and forget your troubles. It is interesting to call one of those traditional genres pop, when a good case could be made that each of these songs were extremely POPular in their day. In fact, that is a good correlation; pop music tends to be happy and upbeat. There are always exceptions, but the best way to get people to like your music seems to be to make slightly happy but not too frenetic music.
More music fitting in the "happy, upbeat ditty" genre:
Finger Eleven - One Thing
Coldplay - Clocks
Orbital - One Perfect Sunrise
Blind Melon - No Rain
Ben Folds - Fair
----------------
Now playing: general fuzz - comfort zone
via FoxyTunes
Sunday, May 3, 2009
superb pseudo-instrumental hip hop - Bassnectar
I just heard this song for the first time. It's very impressive - great editing, and that laugh is to die for!
Bassnectar - Laughing Crescendo
----------------
Now playing: Aphex Twin - Polynomial-C
via FoxyTunes
Bassnectar - Laughing Crescendo
----------------
Now playing: Aphex Twin - Polynomial-C
via FoxyTunes
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Parodies of the Powerful Pachabel Canon still made Today!
As you may know, there are riffs that are commonly used and recycled through much of pop music in the last 100 or so years.
One is the extremely old (from the late 1700s) and yet timeless "Pachabel's Canon in D" and it's well used and reused riff.
The cello keeps the entire pattern going the entire song (acting as a basso continuo) and the entire chord progression is in root position (so what the cello plays is the same name as the chord [ex. the cello plays a "D", so the chord is "D major"].
anyway, you've heard this even if you know nothing about music... because of ALL the songs in the world that borrow at least part of this riff, such as:
Green Day - Basketcase
Vitamin C - Friends Forever
Also, a very common riff in much of today's music can be traced to the start of pachabel's Canon in D riff: "I V vi IV", like in:
Dispatch - The General (great live ver.)
Blink 182 - Dammit (clean)
To show my point of view on this matter, I'll let this comic routine found on youtube explain my point of view. Yes I played the cello for this song back in middle school, and this guy is hilariously accurate!
----------------
Now playing: Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman No Cry
via FoxyTunes
One is the extremely old (from the late 1700s) and yet timeless "Pachabel's Canon in D" and it's well used and reused riff.
The cello keeps the entire pattern going the entire song (acting as a basso continuo) and the entire chord progression is in root position (so what the cello plays is the same name as the chord [ex. the cello plays a "D", so the chord is "D major"].
anyway, you've heard this even if you know nothing about music... because of ALL the songs in the world that borrow at least part of this riff, such as:
Green Day - Basketcase
Vitamin C - Friends Forever
Also, a very common riff in much of today's music can be traced to the start of pachabel's Canon in D riff: "I V vi IV", like in:
Dispatch - The General (great live ver.)
Blink 182 - Dammit (clean)
To show my point of view on this matter, I'll let this comic routine found on youtube explain my point of view. Yes I played the cello for this song back in middle school, and this guy is hilariously accurate!
----------------
Now playing: Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman No Cry
via FoxyTunes
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Making Video Games... Fun
Music is almost always present in many kinds of video games, simply because most of the time the gamer would just be "reading" their TV. Our ears would be bored otherwise.
Just as in real life, music can set the tone, or mood of a party or room, in video games, the music lets you feel like you're there, feeling the emotions the characters are.
Examples:
Star Wars Battlefront 2 - video of gameplay and music used in the game. As you may know this is actually from the movies, Star Wars. If it isn't music already composed by John Williams, they certainly impersonate it throughout this game. This certainly lets you feel like you're in the star wars universe, blasting up droids.
Resident Evil 5 - Gameplay video. This shows how intense it would be to be attacked by zombies who won't die from several shots in the head. Certainly spooky and graphic stuff. Tip: hit mute - you'd see how different it is without the music!
Some games have multiple soundtracks for you to pick. Grand Theft Auto series has a nice feature of changing your radio station of the car you're currently driving. Preview the radios on GTA 4 here (Be warned of possible cuss words). When you've grabbed a fast as heck car, you can grab some dance or hard classic rock. When you're rolling down the road with a big ol' hummer you could listen to the beats, hard n' slow. Or if you're in the mood, there are talk shows.
However, in my opinion, the best video game soundtracks revolve around those games with lots of different music that change depending on the mood of the current story.
Game Soundtracks Like:
Final Fantasy VII
Song: Hurry Faster this song is aptly named, as this is during a timed section of the game where you only have a few minutes before the building around you blows up.
Fighting: if you've played this game you cannot forget this tune. It surges the will to fight and finish the creatures you're fighting. And unlike other videogame fighting music, this goes through complex variations long before repeating itself to keep it interesting.
J-E-N-O-V-A: A mysterious boss you fight's theme. The vibrophone arpegiating down adds quite the feeling of insecurity. But, just like so many songs, it changes to a major sound for a brief horn solo.
Those Chosen by the Planet: to not spoil too much of this game, the planet picks you, the party, to save it from extinction. Meanwhile, the main villain plans to of course cause the destruction of the planet for his own power, and he meets the heroes before they're ready to fight him. So you can now identify why its so dark, as the plot thickens throughout this scene/location.
Ok I could end up posting nearly every single FFVii song because they're all incredible. Instead I'd just recommend listening to them and checking them out, here's the amazon link, because they're all awesome.
Others are generally other roleplaying games, because a shooter is gonna have well practically the same mood and storyline the entire game. A strategy game will be the same. However, roleplaying games, such as the Final Fantasy Series, have long stories where characters develop and its almost like reading a book or watching a movie, but you come in to make dialogue choices for the main character and control the party of a few heroes battling and puzzling out the realm's problems.
One not so low-bit styled soundtrack to a game is Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest VIII (the only one I remember playing) uses a much more classical styled soundtrack, with nearly a full orchestra you'd expect behind Aaron Copeland or Tchaicovsky. Here's a video of dragon quest gameplay and music. Music Influences: certainly newer (contemporary) music like jazz and nu-classical songs like Rhapsody in Blue.
Another trick is to have a soundtrack for different locations. In the case of Rogue Galaxy, you have different sounds in the city then out in the world. Each planet has its own style. This first starts as a video of the "jungle planet" and how it sounds in a fight at the first minute. All music is from the game at some point, and this video effectively shows what you can do throughout the game. Its combat system is awesome.
Do you have any other favorite video game songs/soundtracks you wanna share?
----------------
Now playing: Final Fantasy VII - Sandy Badlands
via FoxyTunes
Just as in real life, music can set the tone, or mood of a party or room, in video games, the music lets you feel like you're there, feeling the emotions the characters are.
Examples:
Star Wars Battlefront 2 - video of gameplay and music used in the game. As you may know this is actually from the movies, Star Wars. If it isn't music already composed by John Williams, they certainly impersonate it throughout this game. This certainly lets you feel like you're in the star wars universe, blasting up droids.
Resident Evil 5 - Gameplay video. This shows how intense it would be to be attacked by zombies who won't die from several shots in the head. Certainly spooky and graphic stuff. Tip: hit mute - you'd see how different it is without the music!
Some games have multiple soundtracks for you to pick. Grand Theft Auto series has a nice feature of changing your radio station of the car you're currently driving. Preview the radios on GTA 4 here (Be warned of possible cuss words). When you've grabbed a fast as heck car, you can grab some dance or hard classic rock. When you're rolling down the road with a big ol' hummer you could listen to the beats, hard n' slow. Or if you're in the mood, there are talk shows.
However, in my opinion, the best video game soundtracks revolve around those games with lots of different music that change depending on the mood of the current story.
Game Soundtracks Like:
Final Fantasy VII
Song: Hurry Faster this song is aptly named, as this is during a timed section of the game where you only have a few minutes before the building around you blows up.
Fighting: if you've played this game you cannot forget this tune. It surges the will to fight and finish the creatures you're fighting. And unlike other videogame fighting music, this goes through complex variations long before repeating itself to keep it interesting.
J-E-N-O-V-A: A mysterious boss you fight's theme. The vibrophone arpegiating down adds quite the feeling of insecurity. But, just like so many songs, it changes to a major sound for a brief horn solo.
Those Chosen by the Planet: to not spoil too much of this game, the planet picks you, the party, to save it from extinction. Meanwhile, the main villain plans to of course cause the destruction of the planet for his own power, and he meets the heroes before they're ready to fight him. So you can now identify why its so dark, as the plot thickens throughout this scene/location.
Ok I could end up posting nearly every single FFVii song because they're all incredible. Instead I'd just recommend listening to them and checking them out, here's the amazon link, because they're all awesome.
Others are generally other roleplaying games, because a shooter is gonna have well practically the same mood and storyline the entire game. A strategy game will be the same. However, roleplaying games, such as the Final Fantasy Series, have long stories where characters develop and its almost like reading a book or watching a movie, but you come in to make dialogue choices for the main character and control the party of a few heroes battling and puzzling out the realm's problems.
One not so low-bit styled soundtrack to a game is Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest VIII (the only one I remember playing) uses a much more classical styled soundtrack, with nearly a full orchestra you'd expect behind Aaron Copeland or Tchaicovsky. Here's a video of dragon quest gameplay and music. Music Influences: certainly newer (contemporary) music like jazz and nu-classical songs like Rhapsody in Blue.
Another trick is to have a soundtrack for different locations. In the case of Rogue Galaxy, you have different sounds in the city then out in the world. Each planet has its own style. This first starts as a video of the "jungle planet" and how it sounds in a fight at the first minute. All music is from the game at some point, and this video effectively shows what you can do throughout the game. Its combat system is awesome.
Do you have any other favorite video game songs/soundtracks you wanna share?
----------------
Now playing: Final Fantasy VII - Sandy Badlands
via FoxyTunes
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Electrojazz
One of my favorite types of music is Electronic music influenced by jazz. There are vast types of electronica that have touches of jazz:
Upbeat DJ'ing like DJ Shadow's Organ Donor or Mouse On Mars's Twift is vastly influenced by jazz - scratching and drumbeats in most DJ sets are syncopated and active... and although it may have a slight structure, it is modified as the song progresses: sounds may be added, removed or the artist changes what sounds are accented as the loose pattern repeats.
Electronic Rockers like Kenna (listen to Hell Bent or possibly the ironically paired, Bent's Invisible Pedestrian) use lots of jazzy/hip hop drums, and very jazzy singing - as Kenna's singer sweeps and swells through the notes, and mixes in blue notes, those impossible to play on a piano. Albeit, these songs portray a fairly new style of jazz-electronic combo: riffy-jazz. Artists provide a syncopated sound, but there isn't a lot of improvisation or variation.
There are some darn-near impossible artists to fit into one category of electronic - but have no fear, cause electrojazz is here. Electrojazz is an umbrella category made by myself, but here I'll list a few links to a couple I'd consider electrojazz for lack of better term.
upbeat-crazy electrojazz
µ-ziq - Secret Stair pt 1 and 2 also Octelcogopod (µ-ziq is generally awesome but prepare yourself for the unexpected!)
Venetian Snares - Einstein-Rosen Bridge
not so crazy electrojazz
Nomo - My Dear
Gorillaz - Don't Get Lost in Heaven (demo ver)
General Fuzz - Cream
slower-smooth electrojazz
Skalpel - 1958
The Kingdom - Fade (free mp3)
Squarepusher - Duotone Moonbeam
As this blogpost progresses, I progress towards the slower side of electronic and jazz - next is IDM (intelligent dance music) with fantastic-and-active-heavily-jazz-influenced percussion:
The Orb - The Box
Cujo - Cruzer
2 different sides of Four Tet - Glue of the World and Sun Drums and Soil
Ulrich Schnauss - Blumenwiese Neben Autobahn
Speedy J - The Fun Equations
and many others!
Jazz influenced electronica shows how the classics still greatly help define and create music of today and the future. Jazz is almost 100 years old and many artists still make jazz-styled songs. Heck, even classical music influences electronic. Some IDM artists feature a few songs throughout their albums that practically sound like something Mozart or Chopin wrote hundreds of years ago that someone remixed: ex: Four Tet's Untangle plays this awesome and triad-arpeggiating harp loop. listen for 1-2 mins at least to get the whole effect. Some are much more obviously classically influenced, like Aphex Twin's super calm solo piano work (lol?) Nanou 2.
----------------
Now playing: DJ Shadow - What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1)
via FoxyTunes
Upbeat DJ'ing like DJ Shadow's Organ Donor or Mouse On Mars's Twift is vastly influenced by jazz - scratching and drumbeats in most DJ sets are syncopated and active... and although it may have a slight structure, it is modified as the song progresses: sounds may be added, removed or the artist changes what sounds are accented as the loose pattern repeats.
Electronic Rockers like Kenna (listen to Hell Bent or possibly the ironically paired, Bent's Invisible Pedestrian) use lots of jazzy/hip hop drums, and very jazzy singing - as Kenna's singer sweeps and swells through the notes, and mixes in blue notes, those impossible to play on a piano. Albeit, these songs portray a fairly new style of jazz-electronic combo: riffy-jazz. Artists provide a syncopated sound, but there isn't a lot of improvisation or variation.
There are some darn-near impossible artists to fit into one category of electronic - but have no fear, cause electrojazz is here. Electrojazz is an umbrella category made by myself, but here I'll list a few links to a couple I'd consider electrojazz for lack of better term.
upbeat-crazy electrojazz
µ-ziq - Secret Stair pt 1 and 2 also Octelcogopod (µ-ziq is generally awesome but prepare yourself for the unexpected!)
Venetian Snares - Einstein-Rosen Bridge
not so crazy electrojazz
Nomo - My Dear
Gorillaz - Don't Get Lost in Heaven (demo ver)
General Fuzz - Cream
slower-smooth electrojazz
Skalpel - 1958
The Kingdom - Fade (free mp3)
Squarepusher - Duotone Moonbeam
As this blogpost progresses, I progress towards the slower side of electronic and jazz - next is IDM (intelligent dance music) with fantastic-and-active-heavily-jazz-influenced percussion:
The Orb - The Box
Cujo - Cruzer
2 different sides of Four Tet - Glue of the World and Sun Drums and Soil
Ulrich Schnauss - Blumenwiese Neben Autobahn
Speedy J - The Fun Equations
and many others!
Jazz influenced electronica shows how the classics still greatly help define and create music of today and the future. Jazz is almost 100 years old and many artists still make jazz-styled songs. Heck, even classical music influences electronic. Some IDM artists feature a few songs throughout their albums that practically sound like something Mozart or Chopin wrote hundreds of years ago that someone remixed: ex: Four Tet's Untangle plays this awesome and triad-arpeggiating harp loop. listen for 1-2 mins at least to get the whole effect. Some are much more obviously classically influenced, like Aphex Twin's super calm solo piano work (lol?) Nanou 2.
----------------
Now playing: DJ Shadow - What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1)
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Album Review: Dream Theater - Octavarium
Dream Theater, kings of progressive rock n roll, come out with this extremely metal, classical, rock of all types-influenced album, Octavarium. (for sale on Amazon.com). Even though they're metal-esque, most people I play Dream Theater like them, just not those expecting death metal, or someone expecting something less edgy and intense than Foo Fighters' hard stuff (i.e. Best of You)
Open up links in a new tab so you can listen while you read:
Root of All Evil: a great In-Your-Face very loud and fun track with a relatively simple song structure. No typical-of-DT long and super progressive solo yet! I give it ****.
The Answer Lies Within: DT's chill side, this slow song features acoustic piano, orchestra, and pure-voweled singing. It's songs like these that remind you that all of Dream Theater's members are classically trained rockers. ***
These Walls: Wow! An awesome slow-but-fast prog rock song with chill verses. With great guitar riffs and pedal effects, DT's keyboardist, Jordan Rudess's excellent arpeggios, and super active drums on Mike Portnoy's gigantic kit. Yes the strings, acoustic voice and piano are still in this song too, and they add a great tone. My favorite part has to be the choruses: that's the drummer, Portnoy harmonizing with lead singer James LaBrie! *****
I Walk Beside You: A fun feel, and very diverse compared to DT's normal sound. They never cease to change their sound with something new combined with the old. ****
Panic Attack: With lyrics all about the super anxiety of having a panic attack, (a pyschological issue generally in your brain making you think you're suffocating when you aren't) and a very hard, fast, metal feel. They continue to progressively change the groove to something new throughout the song. Very good if this is the style you like. The musicality is limitless - tight harmonies, super steady beat as an ensemble, active drums... the list goes on for around 8 minutes of a rockin' beat. ****
Never Enough: A wierd introduction in this live version of the song makes much more sense if listened in the album straight through. Panic Attack (track 5) leads into track 6, Never Enough. This is a great prog rock song, similar to DT's old style but still unique in its own way. The electronic keyboard sounds are pretty intensive and effective. *****
Sacrificed Sons: the creepy introduction, again DT has a continuation in Octavarium as Never Enough leads into Sacrificed Sons. The introduction is actually real recordings of newscasters broadcasting the events of 9/11/01. The song and lyrics haunt you, and let you remember exactly how the event took place. It is done excellently. This song starts slow, and in case you couldn't guess, DT speeds it up halfway through with some fantastic groove/solos between the guitar and keyboard. *****
Last but not least....
Octavarium: Possibly the best 24 minutes of my life was when I first heard this song. Yes, it's exactly 24 minutes long, and you'll love nearly every minute of it. Think of it much more as a classical showcase of the ensemble of Dream Theater, with five fluidous movements after a lengthy overture/introduction played solely by one person - the keyboardist/electrical steel guitarist, Rudess.
I give this song ****** on a 5 star scale!
Movement 1: Someone Like Him
A man tells himself to be extraordinary, going through his life. "I don't want to be someone like 'Him' " is said often in this movement. However, he ends up finding out too late in his life that he is indeed like "Him". This story continues for about 8 minutes. If you don't wanna listen to this entire song, speed up to 8:45 and get to the better parts later!
Movement 2: Medication (Awakening)
The man supposedly fell asleep for three decades, and he wakes up to a doctor trying to help him stay awake, but he falls asleep again, trapped in his body.
Movement 3: Full Circle
The best part of this song in my opinion starts at about 12:20 and goes for the next 8 minutes. Lyrically, this spans movements 3 and 4. Mvmt 3, named Full Circle, features several alliterations from music, pop culture, literature and history. They also sing of a style ''Everything ends where it begins''.
Movement 4: Intervals
Extremely progressive and changing dramtically, 16:30-19:53 shows all the different styles of music that DT have ever considered an influence - rag time, classical, rock, opera, prog classic rock, metal, and some I don't even know. Calypso? whatever it's great. I read somewhere that the wierd vocals spoken in the background in one part here are all quoted from other songs on the album.
Movement 5: Razor's Edge
You're listening to the most epic, long Dream Theater song ever to be made in a studio. Of COURSE its going to have a huge build=up, slow-down, powerful concluding section. The track and album both feature multiple musical themes that reoccur within multiple songs... and the only time the main "Octavarium theme" resolves most impressively fulfilled (perfect authentic cadence in theory) is at the end of this song. It's also of note that the song ends with the same low note as the album had in its start with Root of All Evil.
You've just listened to Octavarium! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do!
----------------
Now playing: Muse - Butterflies and Hurricanes
via FoxyTunes
Open up links in a new tab so you can listen while you read:
Root of All Evil: a great In-Your-Face very loud and fun track with a relatively simple song structure. No typical-of-DT long and super progressive solo yet! I give it ****.
The Answer Lies Within: DT's chill side, this slow song features acoustic piano, orchestra, and pure-voweled singing. It's songs like these that remind you that all of Dream Theater's members are classically trained rockers. ***
These Walls: Wow! An awesome slow-but-fast prog rock song with chill verses. With great guitar riffs and pedal effects, DT's keyboardist, Jordan Rudess's excellent arpeggios, and super active drums on Mike Portnoy's gigantic kit. Yes the strings, acoustic voice and piano are still in this song too, and they add a great tone. My favorite part has to be the choruses: that's the drummer, Portnoy harmonizing with lead singer James LaBrie! *****
I Walk Beside You: A fun feel, and very diverse compared to DT's normal sound. They never cease to change their sound with something new combined with the old. ****
Panic Attack: With lyrics all about the super anxiety of having a panic attack, (a pyschological issue generally in your brain making you think you're suffocating when you aren't) and a very hard, fast, metal feel. They continue to progressively change the groove to something new throughout the song. Very good if this is the style you like. The musicality is limitless - tight harmonies, super steady beat as an ensemble, active drums... the list goes on for around 8 minutes of a rockin' beat. ****
Never Enough: A wierd introduction in this live version of the song makes much more sense if listened in the album straight through. Panic Attack (track 5) leads into track 6, Never Enough. This is a great prog rock song, similar to DT's old style but still unique in its own way. The electronic keyboard sounds are pretty intensive and effective. *****
Sacrificed Sons: the creepy introduction, again DT has a continuation in Octavarium as Never Enough leads into Sacrificed Sons. The introduction is actually real recordings of newscasters broadcasting the events of 9/11/01. The song and lyrics haunt you, and let you remember exactly how the event took place. It is done excellently. This song starts slow, and in case you couldn't guess, DT speeds it up halfway through with some fantastic groove/solos between the guitar and keyboard. *****
Last but not least....
Octavarium: Possibly the best 24 minutes of my life was when I first heard this song. Yes, it's exactly 24 minutes long, and you'll love nearly every minute of it. Think of it much more as a classical showcase of the ensemble of Dream Theater, with five fluidous movements after a lengthy overture/introduction played solely by one person - the keyboardist/electrical steel guitarist, Rudess.
I give this song ****** on a 5 star scale!
Movement 1: Someone Like Him
A man tells himself to be extraordinary, going through his life. "I don't want to be someone like 'Him' " is said often in this movement. However, he ends up finding out too late in his life that he is indeed like "Him". This story continues for about 8 minutes. If you don't wanna listen to this entire song, speed up to 8:45 and get to the better parts later!
Movement 2: Medication (Awakening)
The man supposedly fell asleep for three decades, and he wakes up to a doctor trying to help him stay awake, but he falls asleep again, trapped in his body.
Movement 3: Full Circle
The best part of this song in my opinion starts at about 12:20 and goes for the next 8 minutes. Lyrically, this spans movements 3 and 4. Mvmt 3, named Full Circle, features several alliterations from music, pop culture, literature and history. They also sing of a style ''Everything ends where it begins''.
Movement 4: Intervals
Extremely progressive and changing dramtically, 16:30-19:53 shows all the different styles of music that DT have ever considered an influence - rag time, classical, rock, opera, prog classic rock, metal, and some I don't even know. Calypso? whatever it's great. I read somewhere that the wierd vocals spoken in the background in one part here are all quoted from other songs on the album.
Movement 5: Razor's Edge
You're listening to the most epic, long Dream Theater song ever to be made in a studio. Of COURSE its going to have a huge build=up, slow-down, powerful concluding section. The track and album both feature multiple musical themes that reoccur within multiple songs... and the only time the main "Octavarium theme" resolves most impressively fulfilled (perfect authentic cadence in theory) is at the end of this song. It's also of note that the song ends with the same low note as the album had in its start with Root of All Evil.
You've just listened to Octavarium! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do!
----------------
Now playing: Muse - Butterflies and Hurricanes
via FoxyTunes
Update on my Back
Hey there; I have good news on my back. I received an epidural shot, that got me back to school and classes and driving in no time. I had narcotics, muscle relaxants, met with multiple doctors, and all that jazz, but I finally found one that would provide me with plenty of pain relief right at the source, my L5S1 lumbar disc. I still am in recovery, and my energy is currently predominately aimed towards school work and class.
But, I have found the time to make a new blogpost for ya'll this afternoon. Stay tuned for the next more musical post!
----------------
Now playing: Kid Spatula - Tugboat
via FoxyTunes
P.S. I dunno if you've ever heard of Infected Mushroom, but they make some of the most incredible, diverse electronic music out there. Some are in their own genre, some trance, some rock, and some that touch everything else. Here's their newest album, Vicious Delicious, on Amazon. The previews do not give it full justice, so here's a link to streams of the full songs.
But, I have found the time to make a new blogpost for ya'll this afternoon. Stay tuned for the next more musical post!
----------------
Now playing: Kid Spatula - Tugboat
via FoxyTunes
P.S. I dunno if you've ever heard of Infected Mushroom, but they make some of the most incredible, diverse electronic music out there. Some are in their own genre, some trance, some rock, and some that touch everything else. Here's their newest album, Vicious Delicious, on Amazon. The previews do not give it full justice, so here's a link to streams of the full songs.
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