Friday, February 8, 2013
Music
The Veils song "Calliope" possesses an incredible range of emotion, swinging from angry to triumphant at times. Haunting vocals overlay a powerful barrage of instruments. Following a rhythmic chordal intro by the the guitar and piano, the two instruments slam down with a power that pervades the rest of the song. The piano subtly plays feathery notes behind a heavy wall of bass, drums, guitar and strings that reveals a hidden optimism among a noticeably dark sound. Light chords from the accordion arrive with violin and cello to reinforce the established riff as vocals howl through the chorus of sound. The song leaves you with a feeling of happiness but not without a slight sense of doubt.
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You're super effective in your descriptions of the sound though I think unless you're a musician it's hard to write about and understand sound from reading about it. I really think that you gave an image of this song with "feathery" and "a heavy wall" -which reminds me of fantasia and fantasia is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this isn't a good essay because you're completely missing yourself. It's good writing,no doubt, but this sounds like it's a music review jacked from Pitchfork.
ReplyDeleteAfter you introduce the song, I think you should take us back to the moment it became meaningful-- i'd be willing to bet that there's a reason you wanted to write about this, and to me, the reason is at least as important as the song. This is universal; make it specific, make it so only you could have written it.
Matt is right in saying that this isn't an essay. I knew that even as I was writing it, but my creativity was on vacation Friday and all I could do was write this review as I listened to the song. I will rewrite this post.
ReplyDeleteEven though I have never heard this song before I feel like I have a great idea of what it would sound like. I loved your descriptive words. I agree with Matt, and I would have loved to see more "you" in this essay. But I do love the descriptions.
ReplyDeleteLike Kayla, I've never heard "Calliope" before, but since this essay centers around the song, curiosity got to me. Enlisting in the help of Youtube, I was able to locate the song, and your details describe it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteHowever, though this essay is well-written, it does seem a little detached. I agree with Matt and Kayla about your presence being absent, and I would love to know more about your relationship with the song. Why did you choose to write about it? What does it mean to you? Do you associate it with any positive or negative memories?
I think if you answered some of these, it would add intimacy to your essay.
Did any of you enjoy the song? When I blast this on good speakers I think it is one of my favorite songs.
ReplyDeleteIt's decent--reminds me a bit of Modest Mouse's Float On
DeleteReally? Not a similarity I would have noted, but I do hear how the piano rift is reminiscent of the guitar riff in Float On. Also, after today's discussion, I think that an experience comparable to what you felt with "Aeroplane" is what I felt the first time I heard this song. The beauty astounded me.
DeleteYeah, I actually really enjoyed it! It sort of reminds me of "Something Good Can Work" by Two Door Cinema Club, and I've always loved that song. I think one of my favorite songs to blast is "Farewell to The Fairground" by White Lies.
DeleteThose were both enjoyable songs. Thanks.
DeleteOn an assignment like this, why not try something super odd, say, integrating completely subjective responses in-between each objectivish, review-like line. The essay would come from the contrast, the idea would be that you're actually musing about two o the different kinds of responses we have to art.
DeleteAs much as I'd also enjoy seeing the personal engagement piece, sometimes you might just want to play with your own voice.
Leave it to Matt to productively prod. He might have begun with his second sentence, though!
DW