Soundtrack Analysis: Scrubs

http://idents.tv/blog/category/videos-tv/

It might seem unusual that I'm analysing the soundtrack of a TV show, considering my usual area is indie and alternative music. There is however good reason for this. Over its time on air, from 2001 - 2009 (There is no 9th season), Scrubs was able to spotlight a great deal of alternative music thanks to the efforts of the music team as well as lead Zach Braff and director Bill Lawrence. Not only did they use the music, they incorporated into the show flawlessly, using it as a tool to set the mood. The show, as well as being amazing of its on right, gave a great platform to artists who otherwise might not have recieved such wide reception.

To give you a sample of the quality music the show highlighted, i've compiled a top 10 of my favourite songs featured in Scrubs (In no particular order), although I do suggest you give the show a watch:
- Dracula From Houston (Butthole Surfers)
- Feeling Fresh (The Eels)
- Good Time (Leroy)
- Dreaming of You (The Coral)
- Missed the Boat (Modest Mouse)
- Light & Day/Reach for the Sun (The Polyphonic Spree)
- New Slang (The Shins)
- Human (John McLaughlin)
- Have It All (Jeremy Kay)
- Close Your Eyes (Young Love)

Bonus Track: Charles In Charge (The Blanks)

What did you think of my list? Did I miss your favourite Scrubs track? Leave a comment and tell me what you thought

Attack on Titan OST - Vogel im Käfig

Vogel im Käfig is one of the main musical themes.This piece is first heard in episode 1, where Eren and Mikasa witnesses their mother being eaten by a titan. It is often used in scenes where characters die and when Eren are having flashbacks, especially about his mother.

This song is sung in German; some of the important lyrics are:

"The inner fortune of people is

like colorful light which shines through colored glass"

"We will fight against our fate

We must not give in to our fate."

"With sorrow and confidence in our hearts

we show the will to move on

No one shall be willfully deprived of their life"

The instruments and vocals heard are: main vocal singer, choir vocal singers, brass instruments, strings instruments and percussion. The main vocal is needed because there are lyrics to be sung. The choir vocals contributes to the mood of humanity crying for help as a whole, and humans fighting against the titans. Orchestral instruments such as strings and brass are western orchestral instruments, they contribute to style of piece. Percussion is used for emphasis, it represents when the people decides not to give up, and to fight until their last breath.

The tempo of this piece is Largo (very slow). Slow songs make listeners feel sadness and peacefulness, also makes the song sound mournful. There are many pauses in this song, which represents change of mood and thoughts.

This piece is in Dorian mode, one of the Medieval music modes. This fits the anime series as it is set in the Medieval times.

The overall dynamics of this piece is soft. The dynamics does not change much, suggesting that the people are tired, they don't have a choice but to fight and survive. Soft dynamics represents sadness and quietness. It also suggests that people are "voiceless"; they are crying for help, but they are not heard.

A narrow range of notes are used. Again, this represents sadness.   - sadness, peace

Complementing harmonies are used and no dissonance is heard. This suggests the temporary peacefulness and relaxation.

The structure of this piece is through composed. Similar to ətˈæk 0N tάɪtn, it suggests that we could not go back in time, and the determination of not looking back.  

I hope you enjoyed this piece and my analysis! 

By Janice

Slender: The Arrival OST

image source

I absolutely love the soundtrack of the horror genre, because fear is a strong emotion, and music's ability to cause such strong emotion within audience always fascinates me. Today I will be analysing two soundtracks from a horror video game - Slender: The Arrival. 

Conceal

"Conceal" is used in the stage "Into the Abyss" where the player has to turn on generators in a mine when being stalked by Slender Man and a woman who became Slender Man's victim . This piece is very repetitive since it is designed to be looped through the game stage. This piece has changes of time signature or is free rhythm because there is no definite beat in the beginning, and the time signature changes in the middle of the game. Strings are the main instruments used are strings. This piece is in minor, and the use of pitch is very contrasting. It uses a low note as a pedal point, a sustained bass note, but in the middle of the piece, high pitched sounds were used in contrast to create the feeling of constant changing situation. Synthesised sounds are used, a soft ringing noise that is barely audible is used throughout the whole piece. Around every twelve seconds, the violins play short, quick notes in crescendo. These are possibly not strictly scripted, but played freely by the violinist to create a sense of chaos. High pitched noises are created by strings, possibly violins, by not pressing the strings all the way down and hitting the strings with the bow. This creates a screechy sound that disturbs the players and make them feel nervous. The subtle drum beat joins in when the disturbing noise starts, it creates an unsettled feeling. The screechy noise eventually fades out, so does the drum beat stops. In the actual gameplay, the soundtrack used in this stage is not the same as the soundtrack in the link provided. The short notes played by strings, drum beat and screechy noises are only used to alert the player that they are in danger.

0:00 strings, brass unison - Sustained low note - pedal point

Soft ringing noises - synthesised

0:05/0:17/0:29/0:40… around every 12 seconds

strings: short, quick notes, crescendo - not scored/unscripted

0:48 disturbing, high pitched noises made by strings (violins)

Drum beat starts - soft, syncopated

1:36 disturbing noises starts to fade out

Drum beat stops

1:46 noise completely fades out

1:54 music fades out

Flicker

"Flicker" is used in the stage where the player has to escape the burning forest and avoid being caught by Slender Man. This piece is repetitive, designed to be looped and the notes are also repeated. The tempo is very fast, suggests the player is running in this stage and creates an intense atmosphere. The time signature is 6/8. The main instruments used are strings, bass drum, and synthesised sounds. This piece is in minor, and dissonance and chromatic scale contributes to the uneasy feeling of the player and the feeling of constantly being in a dangerous situation. This piece has four sections, each sections has 16 bars, and the main changes of each section is the main note being repeated, a new instrument/sound is introduced, and the music gets louder. Synthesised sounds such as ringing noises, audio distortion, wind blowing, and static white noises are being used, a bit like the classic Slender: The Eight Pages theme (the piece is named Shadowed in Slender: The Arrival) and the synthesised sounds emphasises the Slender Man's ability to make electronic devices malfunction.

0:00 strings, repeating note

Classic slender drum beat

0:07/0:15/0:23/0:31/0:39 around every 8 seconds, every 4 bars

Chromatic scale

0:32 main note being repeated changed (lowered), with some dissonance

Drum beat softer, with ringing audio distortion

Crescendo - mp

1:04 changed (higher) also weird noisesss (wind blowing)

Crescendo - mf

1:36 changed (obvious dissonance)

Loud wind blowing noises, high frequency audio distortion sound effects

Strings echo

Crescendo - f

1:39/1:47/1:54/2:03 static sound/audio distortion

starts at third beat every 4 bars cycle

2:08 back to beginning

2:16 fades out

What is your favourite soundtrack from a horror film/video game? 

For my next blog post, I will be introducing soundtracks from Attack on Titan, one of my favourite anime/manga series! See you!

By Janice

Gig Review - San Cisco at the Enmore Theatre

Today I will be reviewing San Cisco's concert at the Enmore Theatre on the 30th of May from their much anticipated 'Gracetown' tour.

The Enmore Theatre was sold out and packed to the rafters for this gig. San Cisco came on at 7:00pm and played through a extensive set largely based around their latest album, although it did feature hits from previous records such as chart topping pop hit 'Awkward'. While the performance was musically solid the performance could have been more visually engaging although a big finale featuring the band, the opening acts and a selection of fans was an impressive close. Solo segments from lead singer Jordie were also a good break from the usual setlist formula.

Overall the gig was a success with a solid all-round performance featuring a solid setlist and performance. Some more visual aspects would have taken this concert to the next level though.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

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Neon Genesis Evangelion is a Japanese animated series produced by Gainax, and directed by Hideaki Anno. The original TV series aired in 1995, and they later made a series of four rebuild series. I'm going to introduce some soundtracks used in my favourite film of the Rebuild series, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (NOT) Redo (2012). I will be focusing on the major/minor modes of soundtracks instead of analysing individual soundtracks.

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Most of the soundtracks in Evangelion: 3.0 are in minor key, emphasising the main character Shinji Ikari's confusion, anxiety and sorrow throughout the film. There are only four soundtracks that are in Major mode (excluding 'From Beethoven 9' as it is used for irony). Only two of these are used to express emotions related to happiness. 'Quatre Mains' is a lively piano duet performed by Shinji Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa, and it is a piece that expresses the most joyful emotions. Their first interactions are playing this duet together, establishing a bond through music. The use of major key of this piece makes audiences experience the happiness with them, especially because that is the first time they had seen Shinji smile genuinely. The wide range of notes give the audience a cheerful and alive feeling. 

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'Qui veut faire l'ange ait la bête' is a calming piano piece that is played in the background when they stargaze together. They discuss their views on life and the world, and Kaworu tells Shinji that ‘I really was born to meet you’, making him feel important for the first time in his life. The music gives the audiences a sense of calmness and contentedness, as the melody is gentle and soothing. Moreover, these two soundtracks that are played when Shinji is alone with Kaworu. This highlights the nature of their relationship - Kaworu is Shinji's only source of comfort and happiness, which is a point that will also have a great impact on the film later on. In contrast, 'Dark Defender' and 'The Anthem' are in Major Key to express the sense of victory in battle, but not happiness. 

What do you think about the use of soundtracks in Evangelion Q? Do you like how the tracks mentioned above contrasts strongly with most of the other tracks in the film?

For my next blog post, I will be discussing about soundtracks from a horror game, either Slender: The Arrival or The Last Door. See you!  :) 

By Janice

Unsigned Artist Spotlight: Lord Nelson and the Funky Fantoms

One of the goals of my posts is to introduce people to great new artists that I think aren't getting enough exposure and with that in mind I make my post today about a great new unsigned band, Lord Nelson and the Funky Fantoms (LNFF).

The band has just come onto the scene in Sydney after originally forming in high school after guitarist Will Jones and drummer Anthony Dominic stealing convinced rival band singer James Turner  and bass player Joe Faukner to join them. The band then set about developing their sound and laying down tracks.

Their sound blends funk, surf and rock and gives them a dose of alternative flavour with powerful riffs and unusual sound sources

LNFF's debut self titled EP is set to be released in November so for the moment the only way to hear them is to see them live. They have a gig coming up on the 12/10/15 at the Manning Bar. Make sure you check them out!

My Top 5 Tracks of the Year So Far

Circa Waves released their album 'Young Chasers' to great success this year.
http://www.lollapalooza.com/2015-artist/circa-waves/

This year has featured a heap of huge tracks from a huge assortment of artists and genres and to pick just 5 songs is absurd. That being said I’m going to do it anyway.

In no particular order…

•  T-Shirt Weather – Circa Waves: This is the perfect track with summer just around the corner bringing images of sunsets, road trips and the beach to mind.
• Cream on Chrome – Ratatat: Off their 5^th album ‘Magnifique’, this track features sublime guitar work, littered with catchy riffs and a pumping solo. This is one of the top tracks of the year despite the band being strictly instrumental.
•  Sadness Disease – Urban Cone: With a nuanced blend of electro and indie pop, Urban Cone’s latest offering is an instant classic. Catchy hooks, thoughtful lyrics and synths a plenty is what makes this track a must hear.
• Perfect Picture – I Know Leopard: 10/10 would listen again. Nothing else to it.
• Too Much Time Together – San Cisco: It was hard to pick just one of the tracks off their latest album ‘Gracetown’ which is possibly the best album of the year. The track features a well crafted chorus with a pop sensibility, punchy drums and a synth line that’ll be stuck in your head for days.

What do you think of my top 5? Do you agree or disagree? Did I miss any amazing track? Comment bellow and let me know what you think.