The Science of Sound

What scientists have to say about top 40...Die Antwoord kills me again...And James Blake gets visual

Let's start this off with my dislike of the day first. I never liked Die Antwoord from the start. When I first heard them, I just had an utter disgust for their sound and for their whole approach. I get that they are introducing their culture through this particular art form, but it's just a style of music I'm not privy to, and I'm not exactly a fan of their presentation. But that's just me. A lot of people like them, and that's cool too. They've released their first single from their upcoming album Ten$ion, which I'm sure some of you have already heard. Judging from the video, they've stayed true to their aesthetic, and their weirdness (ie: various insects seeking shelter on their bodies, alien faces, etc.) You can view it below:

FOK JULLE NAAIERS from Die Antwoord on Vimeo.

Also, I was quite surprised when I liked "A Case of You" by James Blake. Not saying he's a bad musician at all; I think he's extremely talented. But, a friend played me his cover for Feist's "Limit To Your Love," and while I liked his voice, I felt that he played it safe by having it sound so much like the original version. It was a courageous effort. But with "A Case of You," he uses the same melody, yet his voice is perfect as a male counterpart to Joni Mitchell. He sings with the honesty of Anthony Hagerty, and that's pretty hard. Well done, James. You can view his video, featuring Rebecca Hall (of Vicky Cristina Barcelona) below:



One interesting thing I read was that a research team from the University of Bristol claim to have come up with an equation that can solve which songs will be hits. They say it's not perfect, with only 60% accuracy, but they've concluded songs that are faster, or more dance-friendly, have been more susceptible to becoming hits. They found this to be a trend that started in the 80's, whereas hits from before then were more diverse. This could also explain why the 80's is my least favorite decade in music. You can read the entire article here.

Also, most of what I've been listening to is The Golden Hits of the Everly Brothers. I've probably mentioned this record before, but I bought it at a flea market in Brooklyn, and it was one of those good buys. So far, my favorite songs on it are "That's Old Fashioned," "Crying In The Rain," and "Lucille."

That's all I got for tonight. Peace.