8/20 - 9/2 Ph00t's Favorites - Part 1
Our staff member ph00tbag (AKA Sonic Rainboom) wanted to give a shout out to a lot of very special tracks this week. The first of 2 parts!
Celestorm - Fighting Dragons
Fighting Dragons really takes off about halfway through. The last half of the tune features some really cool duets for the guitars that re-contextualize the melody as something of a battle between the two voices. Especially in the verses, Celestorm has some really cool relationships between the two guitar parts.
It's cool how effective it can be to simply add parts to a particularly evocative chord progression until they coalesce into something more than their sum. It's also kind of disappointing that fewer musicians really try to achieve that effect, because it's often the simplest music that tugs the hardest at the heartstrings. REDD does this very well here, in When it Rains.
Agents of Discord - Brony Anthem
Sampling is an oft-disparaged, and ofter-misunderstood form of expression. Brony Anthem is there to try to change that. The idea here is that there is a creative value in taking elements from the creative environment you find yourself in, and bringing them together in a novel experience. You may know all of the tunes whose elements appear in Anthem, but it took a different kind of creativity to see how they could all come together.
Starbreeis - We are Different
One Starbreeis is enough to make me lose control of most motor function. Two is just overwhelming. And she does accents, too! It all becomes just too much in the chorus, where the harmonies give me chills. I always find it cool that Starbreeis releases many of her tunes as a capellas, too. It lets the whole focus of the tune rest on her amazing voice.
Wubbaducky - Monster Lullaby
Wubbaducky always does something in every tune that makes me unspeakably happy. In Monster Lullaby, that something is the gated pad that kicks in halfway through the first minute. He's written it in such a way, as well, that it emphasizes the kick that's already emphasized by Wubbaducky's characteristic sidechaining. For such a slow tune, I'm still drawn into its rhythm by that decision.
I'm always really happy to be blown away by artists I've never heard of, so Kat Vwy's appearance not long ago had me absolutely giddy. Vwy's voice has that sultry, loungey texture that is just like caramel. I hope to see much, much more of this vocalist in the future.
Jay Stansfield - The Ballad of the Crystal Empire
This is another artist that I hadn't really head of before, but am very happy to have heard about, now. Jay Stansfield's rendition of the Ballad of the Crystal Empire employs his wonderful voice to great effect, and I love his use of drums. This tune is a part of Society of Poor Academic's project, A Little Bit for Charity, so definitely check out the projects bandcamp and buy the tune if you dig it.
Mogul Dash ft. The Lyde Octave - Neverends
This tune has so many wonderful things going on. I absolutely love it. Obcviously, the music box sample just lowered my defenses to begin with. The synths in the intro have such unique sounds. The synth line in the chorus is a great compliment to the vocals. The choral vox in the breakdown are a joyous surprise. Then, the sample used for the snare drum sealed the deal for me. Something about that ring in the tail suits this tune so perfectly.
