Raging Contagion
Music so good it will make you sick!
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Huntingfield – To Sheila (Smashing Pumpkins Cover)
May 3, 2012
This song is rated: 1 Pill – entry-level for music novices
Hi there, Dr. Whuzzerface here!
Big things are afoot for tomorrow and my mind can hardly wrap around the upcoming events so I find myself needing to simmer down a bit and I recall a song I came across years ago on MySpace (I know, I try to forget about the site too). Back then, I had read that there was this Smashing Pumpkins tribute album being compiled by some big indie/alternative acts (as of a few years ago) and I was pretty jazzed because c’mon, the Pumpkins had some rather rad songs in their heyday. Somehow I downloaded this song from a band’s page claiming that it was a preview of what was to come on the album but lo and behold, nothing even close to this sound is on there. MYSTERY! Was it just some band claiming that to get more publicity? Possibly. Could it be that the song was made and not then didn’t make the final cut to represent on the album? Perhaps. Is it a crying shame that no one knows this song? Definitely!
To Sheila is so soft, so entreating, that you find yourself swept away before you even notice that a clock-like ticking beat and gentle snare drum has you hypnotized. The piano starts off small, almost music-box like and the unexpected progression of the second set of arpeggios is slightly unusual but quite delightful. Granted, the singer is no Pavarotti but his sincerity makes up in spades for the finesse in his timbre. This is the kind of song you’d see on a heart-wrenching interpretation of SYTYCD, it’ll pierce your heart that much. This is probably one of the most quality covers of really any song you will ever find. Enjoy it below!
Robert Schumann – Prophet Bird
April 29, 2012
This song is rated: 1 Pill – entry-level for music novices
Dr. cheerlubber again.
I know there was a bit of a problem with the classical piece I posted last week…I investigated and it turns out the file was 14 MB! So I reduced the file size, re-uploaded, and now you should be able to listen to it~
Today’s Sunday post is a lovely, short piece by Robert Schumann, a famous and influential German composer from the Romantic era, called Prophet Bird. I first heard this when we bought an Itzhak Perlman CD after a concert of his that we went to years ago and it quickly became one of my favorites. Perlman, a world-renowned violin virtuoso, plays the piece beautifully; while I have no idea what the song title means, the piece is light and mysterious and somehow the title Prophet Bird fits.
Years later I’m flipping through some old piano books I’d never been through, and I find we have an entire Schumann compilation book. I couldn’t be happier because Schumann is a great composer, and I also discovered in that very same book was the sheet music for one of my favorite piano concertos that I had dreamed of learning for a long time (I’ll have to highlight that piece later). As I was going through the rest of the giant volume to see what other Schumann works it had, I come across one that looks nice and decide to start sight-reading it, when the melody started sounding rather familiar. Rather joyously, I realized it was Prophet Bird in its original form written for piano. I was so excited. I was actually practicing it earlier today so it inspired me to do it for today’s classical post. Enjoy!
Cut Copy – Far Away
April 27, 2012
— 2 Comments
This song is rated: 1 Pill – entry-level for music novices
Well howdy do, Dr. cheerlubber here.
Seems Dr. Whuzzerface didn’t have a post planned for today so I’ll throw one together real quick. PS, Dr. Whuzzerface’s birthday was back on Wednesday, April 25th. She’s a grown woman now! :D
Today we highlight the amazing Australian electronic band Cut Copy. Dr. Whuzzerface and I are big fans. Dr. Whuzzerface even went to a concert of their’s a few months back :0 They’ve got a lot of great tracks and no doubt you’ll see more of them here in the future, but here’s one of their songs that came up while I was on shuffle. You wanna know the funny thing? The song that played just before was Teddyloid’s Fly Away that I posted about just last week. Fly Away, Far Away? Ah hah. Get it? I mean, the length of the name didn’t even change! Only two letters changed! Just. How about that for coincidence, huh? Well anyway, it got me excited…
Far Away is from their In Ghost Colours album and it’s got a great 80s vibe to it that’s just too hard not to bob your head to. Hang around for the chorus and you’ll soon find your whole body moving. The backup chorus and the echo-y vocals just scream 80s. Enjoy Far Away by Cut Copy below!
Cut Copy’s Official Website
Cut Copy’s Facebook
Cut Copy’s SoundCloud
Gustav Holst – Mercury, The Winged Messenger
April 22, 2012
— 1 Comment
This song is rated: 1 Pill – entry-level for music novices
Dr. cheerlubber again.
Back again with another classical Sunday post. Today we feature Mercury, The Winged Messenger by Gustav Holst, movement number three of his The Planets suite, undoubtedly his most well-known work. While his most famous composition of his career is probably Mars, Bringer of War from the same suite (which was no doubt the inspiration for every early, epic space opera movie score), I enjoy the light-hearted Mercury just as much. Still easing you guys into classical with another short song, but this time featuring a full orchestra, whereas the past two Sunday classical posts featured small ensembles. Don’t worry, I’ll get around to introducing you to full symphonic movements shortly enough (get excited!). c:
Mercury, The Winged Messenger is quick and light and you can perfectly imagine the messenger god flitting frantically to and fro (hooray for alliteration!). He flies in and out through just about every section of the symphony, always keeping things moving. I have to say my absolute favorite part of this piece comes when the full orchestra starts building into a crescendo starting around 1:26, and when the cellos come in at 1:36 with a racing line. It’s quite subtle in the scheme of things but in my opinion, it’s the cellos that launch the orchestra into the song’s climax. I actually only really picked up on the line about a year ago, surprisingly enough, (after having been somewhat familiar with the piece for quite some time). The melodic theme that the violins and the trumpets belt out is great too, but there’s something about that cello line that gets me excited. You may have to listen for it a couple times before you recognize it, but I think you’ll see what I mean by it’s the cellos that are responsible for that climax. Orrr you’ll see that I’m just a bit odd and that line is of no consequence to you at all. Things quiet down quickly again after that, although don’t slow down, and the rest of the song simply follows Mercury around as he finishes delivering the last of his messages, just like any other typical workday.
This may be more analysis than you ever wanted to hear on a short classical piece (not like you’re really listening to this anyway), but oh well. This blog is as much for me to get my ideas and thoughts out as it is for you to consider them.
Crystal Fighters – Earth Island
April 20, 2012
— 1 Comment
This song is rated: 2 Pills – intermediate musicologist level
Hi there, Dr. Whuzzerface here!
I’ve been on a sort of folk kick recently in my personal music perusals (could be due to the fact that I went and saw Andrew Bird in concert) so when I came across a band with a style described as folktronic, I knew I had met the genre of my dreams. Folk AND electronic can exist in the same song? H yeah, and the Crystal Fighters are just the band to slay any reservations you may have about trying it out. The more I read about Crystal Fighters, the more I wish I could join their band. You see, although their name sounds sci-fi-aristic, it was actually a name inspired by one of the members reclusive grandfathers, who had written a partial opera in a secluded part of Basque toward the end of his life. When going through his belonging after passing away, she found this incomplete work and enlisted the help of her friends, and future band-mates, to finish it. Undertaking this endeavor, they also discovered folk instruments of the Basque region that they have since incorporated into their electronic brilliance.
If I were to quickly describe this song, I would say it sounds like a mix between Prince and Asteroid Galaxy Tour. Yeah, I just said that. Really though, it starts off with pizzicato strings, followed by the most riotin’ pitch-bended organ I’ve ever heard. I’ve probably listened to this song about 30 times today alone and the thing that stood out most to me in the lyrics is that, in a matter of speaking, this isolated planted we live on is an island, so yes, I do live an island-lifestyle. Boo ya.
Last thing…. last TWO things I will say. There is a specific instrument called the txalaparta I want to you listen for around 1:36 (it’s literally wooden planks on a sawhorse, but it’s another Basque folk instrument they utilize a lot). The second thing is to make sure your neck is loosened up because this song is a headbanger! There, have fun!!
TeddyLoid – Fly Away
April 19, 2012
— 2 Comments
This song is rated: 2 Pills – intermediate musicologist level
Dr. cheerlubber here.
I was going to wait to post this song later and post something a little easier on the ears instead…but let’s face it, I’m going to be posting some real interesting tracks sooner or later so you might as well start getting used to it now. Not that this song is too out there, but electro/house music just isn’t for some people, hence the 2 pill rating. I had to post this today because it came up as I was riding my bike around last night to take my mind off some things and I thought I could partially relate to the lyrics. They’re not anything unique or deep, and in fact they play a very minor part in the song as a whole, but I felt like it applied to me a bit at that time, so why not. This track comes from the young, talented, Japanese producer TeddyLoid. The kid is only 22 for heaven’s sake! He became a professional beatboxer at age 15 and has been DJing since 18, quickly gaining praise and exposure. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on any of his future releases. Fly Away was made for the soundtrack of the 2010 anime Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt...I know the name might be a little off-putting, but this is Japan we’re talking about. I’ve only seen one episode of the show, and while it had colorful, smooth animation, was funny and at times NSFW, what really caught me was the electronic soundtrack, something not commonly found in anime soundtracks. Fly Away is definitely my favorite track from the whole soundtrack. It’s super addicting and has quickly amassed play counts from me. Hope you enjoy it just as much below!
(I’ve heard that this little built-in audio player WordPress supports doesn’t seem to work on some browsers…I’m not sure whether it’s the file or the player but I’ve tried hosting this particular file on a different site. If it still doesn’t work for you let me know and I’ll try to figure out another player)
Vacationer – Trip
April 18, 2012
— 1 Comment
This song is rated: 1 Pill – entry-level for music novices
Hi everyone, Dr. Whuzzerface here!
It’s around this time of the year that I start getting a traveling itch. Maybe it’s the fact that in the summer, it’s hot enough here to blister your feet walking in the grass, but really, there’s something about this particular location of Earth in the solar system that makes me want to hit the road and skip outta town. That’s exactly how I came across this song, I was prepping a playlist for a road trip and this song found its’ way to my ears. It was PERFECT!
While reading through a post, I saw that Vacationer himself had an accurate synopsis of the reason for the song, the way it will make you feel, and work behind it:
“Most people do not take vacations often enough, some not at all. Quality vacations let us recapture that feeling of childlike exploratory freedom, which we seem to experience less and less frequently as we age. We can have fun without worrying about the familiar consequences presented to us regularly in life. Taking a good amount of time away from our daily stresses allows us to return to our lives refreshed and better equipped to handle whatever comes next.
The eastern seaboard’s foremost relaxation specialists have teamed up to compile this unique collection of serenity-inducing sonic arrangements. The audio program you are about to experience was designed with the sole purpose of relaxing the listener and sending their mind on a well-deserved trip. No airfare needed, no reservations. Simply settle in, relax and enjoy; Vacation from anywhere at anytime.”
Couldn’t, can’t, and won’t say it better myself. And on that note, may listening to this song take you on a much-needed trip from reality!
Camille Saint-Saëns – The Aquarium
April 15, 2012
— 1 Comment
This song is rated: 1 Pill – entry-level for music novices
Dr. cheerlubber est ici!
Today’s Sunday post features one of my favorite composers of all time, Camille Saint-Saëns (pronounced something like cuhmee saysaun). You know with a name like that you’ve got a Frenchman on your hands. Saint-Saëns is a composer from the late-Romantic period and was also known as one of the best organists in the world at the time. He has many famous works (most of which you’ll probably see here sooner or later); this particular song is from his The Carnival of the Animals suite, which was supposedly his favorite work to compose. You might also recognize this song from the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, although I didn’t quite enjoy the movie version and much prefer the rendition I have here. The Carnival of the Animals has many great movements but The Aquarium is probably one of my favorites. It sounds so magical and mysterious and I think it’s a very unique-sounding song. I could listen to this song over and over and it’s a positively perfect song to fall asleep to. Enjoy this beautiful work below!
Alex Winston – Sister Wife
April 14, 2012
This song is rated: 1 Pill – entry-level for music novices
Dr. cheerlubber here.
First off, let me make an apology to Dr. Whuzzerface for apparently making it sound like she will only post boring mainstream music in my last post. Have you heard all that she’s posted? Does that sound boring to you? Nay!! But whatevs. I’ll just not try and describe our tastes anymore and let you figure it out yourself. :0
Today I present you with Alex Winston’s “Sister Wife,” a delightful pop-folk song about polygamy and the difficulties of sharing one man. Her unique voice lends a nice rustic, raw sound to the song. A song about polygamy may sound a little unconventional but she turns it into a whimsical satire. Take a listen below!
Check out her official website here: Alex Winston
Dr. Dog – Lonesome
April 13, 2012
This song is rated: 1 pill – entry-level for music novices
Hi there, Dr. Whuzzerface here!
It’s late so I’m gonna keep this short and mostly to the point. I’ve been a bit (enter song title) lately and I’ve been dwelling on it more than I should. Then while watching Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, I saw that a band as rad as Dr. Dog knows how I feel. This song has a gritty folk-rock feel and it’s rather uncomplicated with the beat, guitars and banjo but very pleasant to listen to. The lyrics are rather simple as well with the chorus shouting “What does it take to be lonesome? Nothing at all” and how true that is. On that “note”, I hope you enjoy it and that you are not feeling lonesome at all this weekend. Happy Friday!
Raging Contagion 