We are in the midst of what is our usual primarily gray and overcast winter in eastern Pennsylvania. For anyone who follows our blog you’ve noticed that it’s been over three months since our last post. The reasons for this bring us in to a discussion on the nature of creativity and how events in your life affect your ability to be creative. The quick version of our multi month’s absence: in October through early November my wife and I went on our annual hiking trip. As always our trip through several National Parks presented us with incredible views, challenging hikes and an experience that you wish would never end.
When we get home the experience usually sends my creative juices flowing. I was anticipating the same thing happening after this trip. Unfortunately almost from the moment we got home ‘life happened’. No need to go in to details. We’ve all been there – one difficult situation after another. Every time you think you’re in the clear something else hits the fan. Here’s where the ‘nature of creativity’ comes in to play. It’s hard to be creative when you’re constantly ‘putting out fires’ in the real world. And if it continues for any length of time it becomes difficult to get any momentum going. All the creative work you want to accomplish becomes ‘maybe tomorrow’. I’ve seen this happen with bands I like and whose work I follow. They suddenly fall off the face of the earth and you hear nothing new from them, sometimes for years, sometimes forever. Most of the time you never know what happened. If they’re a more well known band you might come across an article detailing band drama or disasters in their personal lives. The creative spark is somewhat fragile. You have to work to keep it going, but it’s very easy to lose at a moment’s notice. So for all of you creatives out there, you’re not alone when you hit that patch of darkness. All you can do is try to work your way through it.
With all that being said, let’s browse through this month’s music. Maybe something you hear will spark creativity in your life or give you a different perspective on the situation you’re in.
First Up: Lorelle Meets The Obsolete – ‘Dinamo’
We’re going to start this month with some crunchy grinding noise. The bottom line sound in this song that keeps it going is the drums. The drum sounds are kept crisp and clear. The snare has snap, but they’ve kept the mids of the drum very present in the mix. The same type of clarity is present for the kick drum and cymbals. The drums are fairly loud in the mix. Depending what type of song you are playing it could turn in to ‘drum overload’. But if a lot of the other instruments in the song are free flowing as they are here, having the drums high in the mix s a necessity. The bass also is relatively high in the mix. They’ve added a nice buzz distortion to the bass. So in this tune the rhythm section is used like a canvas with the other instruments painted on top. The vocal is at a similar level in the mix, but almost seems buried due the huge amount of reverb added. With these three elements holding the song together the other parts like guitars and keyboards and synths are allowed to ‘free form’ on top. When you hit the two minute mark the synths are split pretty heavily to the left and right channels. That splashes some extra flavor in to the song. This section is followed by returning to the simplicity of the straight forward drum beat and buzzy bass. The song ends as it began, adding the reverb drenched vocals back in. The song is a great example of music that is used to create a mood rather than tell a straight forward lyrical story on top of melodic instruments.
Next Up: Mystic 100’s: ‘Windowpane’
Let’s move on to a different style of music and mixing. The drums are placed across the stereo field as you would hear them live. Kick and snare more to the center with the other drums lying to the left and right as you would hear them if you were standing in front of them. They’re kept audible but lower in the mix. The bass is centered but is also kept low in the mix – you feel it’s presence more than hear it unless you consciously try to pick it out. The vocals are centered in the mix, but are still not heavily pushed forward. Part of this feel of lower volume comes from the reverb placed on it. The most up front part of the mix is the guitars. Two guitars are placed in extreme stereo, one in the right channel and one in the left channel. There is distortion on the rhythm guitars, but the the high end frequencies are boosted, making them stand out from the other instruments. This gives the song a early 1970’s feel, a bit towards Americana or even slightly country. When a lead guitar comes the band sets it right in the middle – a little more mid frequency than the rhythm guitars making the lead feel softer and different than the rhythm guitars. At the 3:12 mark all the instruments pull back to give the song a nice change of pace. This is a great technique for a song that is mostly driving forward. When all the instruments come back in full force you really feel it, which wouldn’t happen if everything remained at the same dynamic level through out. I’ve read that the band based their album on their use of LSD (thus ‘Windowpane’). Very trippy indeed.
Finally: Son Volt – ‘Arkey Blue’
It’s always fun to start a rock song with a cool guitar riff. What makes this song’s arrangement interesting is that the song starts with the riff, but doesn’t rely on it to carry the song. The riff runs through the first 22 seconds of the song. The expectation is usually that this riff will be what defines the verses through out the song. But at 22 seconds the riff stops and is replaced by softer guitar arpeggios and piano. The drums also go from straight forward snappy kick and snare to a much softer shuffle. This conscious change in tone is a great way to shift the song to what the writer wants to emphasize. Instead of a stomping rock song, the tune becomes all about the vocal and lyrics. The opening draws you in and makes you pay attention. That attention is then moved over to the lyrical content. I would expect that this was the writer’s intention. Music is enjoyable on many different levels. As a song writer you get to decide what the purpose of the song is. It can be to move the audience’s body, or it could be to get across a message through the lyrics. This song definitely has an environmental message it wants to put out. It’s obvious through out the lyrics and content of the video. The mix of the song is perfect to put the message out front. The guitar chords are softened with a chorus like effect. The piano is crisp but mid tones are highlighted in the mix. There’s soft organ flowing through the song. The snare shuffle fits perfectly. When the vocals are doubled and harmonized it is done in a subtle way. Everything is built to emphasize the lyrical content. Much of the video is passing through the open spaces of the west and southwest. Having driven through these areas it would be a great song to blast with open windows as you drive. For the final cherry on top, the song ends using the riff it began with. Beautiful and emotional.
One More: Molly Tuttle And Golden Highway – ‘Alice In The Bluegrass’
Wanted to end with one of my favorite current artists. Molly Tuttle And Golden Highway have been spinning out gems for a few years now. I wanted to include this song for a few reasons. A while back the band did a version of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ in an amazing bluegrass style. Here they take the Alice In Wonderland tale and craft their own version of the story in to a awesome bluegrass tune. I also like having the in studio video of the recording. You can see the amazing technical ability of all the members of the band. The band shows you can perform at a faster pace (although a lot of the bluegrass they play is much faster) without resorting to sloppy playing. No crutches like over driven amps or tons of effects pedals needed. I do love FX on many songs – if bands use them correctly to create a particular sound or feel. Here you have instruments, microphones and roll to tape. Sit back, watch and enjoy.
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