Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone (yousendit. expires 3/6/05)

Yep, I'll admit it. This song is awesome. I can't stop listening to it. Let's break it down.

Now, I doubt Kelly Clarkson wrote or arranged the song, so the credit goes to to those people. Anyone with a decent singing voice could have sung this song, but Miss Clarkson does a fine job with her 318 vocal overdubs in the chorus. The lyrics are so-so, but it's a pop song, so we'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

A nice, simple guitar opening, with the electronic drums leading way for the vocals. The stripped down approach works well as the quiet part to the chorus' loud part. Although we haven't heard the loud chorus yet, we know it will be, since well, this is a fucking pop song and that melody in the chorus will be punded over our heads and stuck there for days.

The guitar notes alternate between an G and an E. The note B is constant throughout the chords. When the E moves to an F at the end of the phrase, it creates dissonance with the B note, which, when put in conjunction with the lyrics, is a musical signal that while there is momentary disharmony in the relationship, it too will be resolved, just like the chord will resolve itself when the F moves to the G.

In the middle of the first verse, the keyboard drops on on the quarter note pulse to mark the build up to the chorus. Very shortly, the "Since You Been Gone" vocal overdubs kick in over the rhythm section pause.

The mark and beauty of a good melody is the "less is more" mantra. Here, the main melody consists of basically 2 notes and one basic rhythm. These two notes are then expanded as necessary, including the lush harmonies. The chords underneath essentially are structured so that their movement echoes the movement of the two notes in the melody. Thus neither the chords nor the melody are competing with each other and work in a mutually happy relationship.

The second verse adds another layer of keyboard as well as other electronic blips to give it more texture. Based in the strength of the verse melody in the beginning, the listener, while still paying attention to the melody can also listen to what else is going on the background.

The second chorus is the same as the first. This is kind of like brand recognition. The listener is introduced to the melody in the first chorus, and so when the second chorus comes along, they should at the last be able to hum along to the two note root of the chorus.

The middle section is meant to break down the the earlier parts of the song. Here, the melody stays in the same range as the earlier vocals. The drums keep the same steady pace. This keeps the energy level high. If the drums were to drop off at the beginning of the mid section, it might signal an extended middle section, as it would take longer for the song to build up the energy to come into the chorus again. Lyrically this section ties together what is said in the verses and chorus and puts drives the point home.

As the vocals end, the guitar immediately takes the lead and plays the chorus riff, while the other instruments come back and help reinforce the riff. This quick transfer from the vocals to the guitar signals to the listener that the chorus is coming up next.

After two choruses, the listener should now be able to sing the words and the melody to the chorus of the song. So now that the final chorus comes in, there are additional vocal parts added before and after the main melodies. The reason this was added at the end is because the listener is used to the melody and again they can listen to what else is happening in the background of the song while still keeping the focus on the main melody.

The outro, or coda, brings back the original electronic looped drum part, so the song is able to come full circle. This section is generally quieter to give the listener a break after the loud chorus. The title of the song and opening of the chorus "Sing You Been Gone" are repeated (branding the song, yet again), so that the listener remembers (in case they forgot) the song.

Overall, the song should appeal to a very wide variety of people. The heavy vocals should appeal to anyone who likes pop music. The electronic drum beat, while it is a rock beat, is dancable, so that generally appeals to someone to something with a heavy drum beat - dance music, hip hop, etc. The chorus contains distorted guitars so that appeals to those who like anything rock related.

This is a near perfect pop song.

Animal Collective

Animal Collective - College (yousendit file. expires 3/4/05)

Maybe if I heard this song when I was 17 it would have swayed my life in a different direction. Probably not.

It's the shortest song on Sung Tongs, but I always think about the song after I hear it. It stays with me. Maybe it's the simplicity of the song. Or the complexity of the subject. Or that it's pretty funny. Or that it's very serious. Maybe it's the background noise that sounds like someone pissing on the side of the toilet bowl. Maybe I wish I could arrange the song for a high school choir to sing at their spring concert just to see the odd looks on parent's faces as the song finishes.

Snowden

Snowden - Victim Card


From Athens, GA to New York and back to Atlanta, Snowden have been getting a buzz around these parts for a while now (as well as elsewhere in the US and the blogosphere).

Fuzzed out guitars and dreamy drum beats give the vocals room to breathe and go their own way. I'll be honest: I've only heard about 3 My Bloody Valentine songs, but this song really reminds me of MBV. Take that with a grain of salt.

I love how this song just lulls and sedates you and you just got lost in the sounds. Maybe its the tempo. Maybe its the soft sung vocals. Maybe its the drums which keep the volume level of the song just above consciousness and just below awareness. No parts in this song are overdone. The song may be understated, but nothing is underdone.

Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy - The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead (yousendit. link expires 2/12/05)

Since I'm moving to Toronto at some point I feel I should start covering some music from there. I should cover some Minneapolis rock in here too. Maybe I'll deconstruct my friends' music. Wouldn't they love that.

On to Final Fantasy. I saw them (err...him) open for The Arcade Fire a couple of weeks ago. I thought his music was good, but got old by the end of the set. I would have bought a CD after the show, but there were too many people in packed against the merch table. Anyway, the songs were cool in that the layers just built opon themselves and I really enjoyed hearing that. But after the third song, it got too predicatable.

Thank god his recorded work adds a few other bits and pieces.

The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead takes one chord progression and drops all it can into it. Layer upon layer of violin, and keyboards and vocals thrown in for good measure. The vocals are a bit timid in their approach and are a little low in the mix, but that's allright. Things get fun when he drops the 32nd notes on the violin and then layers the harmony 32nd notes on top. That's my kind of thing.

The blending of the outro is a beautiful thing too. While that droning chord progression rages on in the background, a new sweet violin harmony slinks in to lay the song down.