Jody Whitesides

Category: Random Explorations

Come What May In The Future

I feel like I’m sitting on pins and needles wondering about Touch and if things will come what may for it. Which leads me into a new song coming out from Ian Thornley and his group Big Wreck. In the course of his music, it’s more progressive sounding than his progressive past.

What do I mean by that?

Some of my favorite songs by Ian are song that are very different in their rhythmic structure. My favorite where he mixes odd time with a tune has to be Ladylike. There’s such a cool combination going there. However, this new song of his Come What May is pushing that balance into an uptempo number that feels like it could be some sort of pop style rock song. Unfortunately it contains chords and movements that will cause most people to scratch their heads. Unlike most of his melodies, this one isn’t instantly catchy, but damn it sure has a cool movement to it.

Come What May

Break off a little piece of happiness
No body gets hurt more or less
Whatever it takes to get you through
The night is gonna have to do

Under the weight of daily bread
You’d rather wake to cake instead
Would you believe a photograph
Was all it took and all that’s left
Of missing pieces

I throw myself in the river
I need to wash my head and float away
‘Cause I know that I’ll be delivered
Everything cast adrift
Come what may

I’m fed up with the pace of saving face
I’m squeezing what I can’t replace
Fiddled with the fire ’til I got burned
With all I’ve lost you’d think I’d learned
By missing pieces

I throw myself in the river
I need to wash my head and float away
‘Cause I know that I’ll be delivered
Everything cast adrift
Come what may

I throw myself in the river
I need to wash my head and float away
‘Cause I know that I’ll be delivered
Everything cast adrift
Come what may

I throw myself in the river
I need to wash my head and float away
‘Cause I know that I’ll be delivered
Everything cast adrift
Come what may

Enjoy your day!

2014-07-17
Chandelier By Sia

Who knew that my horizons would get expanded by a Chandelier?

Happiness is knowing that you can learn, grow and expand. Such is where I’m heading in my own career. Even as little as a few years ago I would have never been into hyper lush production of a song. At least not beyond getting a good sound and making a good blend with a standard type of band setup and maybe adding a few additional sounds. Now I’m checking out songs that are humongous arrangements with track counts that number well over 48. Ones that have awesome sounds in them built in layers and layers. Such is the case with Chandelier sung by Sia. The production on this tune was achieved by Jesse Shatkin and Greg Kurstin.

What I really enjoy with this song is phrase “1, 2, 3, Drink.” There’s a really clever use of prosody in music with that part. It’s something that a musician would appreciate, but the consumer would just think “oh that’s cool.” What happens where she’s singing 1, 2, 3 is that the vocal is parsing in triplet quarter notes over the beat. Three counts getting a division of three across beats – as I said: clever. The melody soars when it hits the word Chandelier, which also has a sense of prosody thanks to the fact that Chandeliers tend to hang from a ceiling up above.

Sonically, there’s a ton of ear candy and while a pop song doesn’t have to be chock full of ear candy to be good, said ear candy can take a good song with a memorable melody and push into great. I could listen to this on repeat and be happy.

Chandelier by Sia

Party girls don’t get hurt
Can’t feel anything, when will I learn
I push it down, push it down

I’m the one “for a good time call”
Phone’s blowin’ up, they’re ringin’ my doorbell
I feel the love, feel the love

1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink

Throw em back, till I lose count

I’m gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier
I’m gonna live like tomorrow doesn’t exist
Like it doesn’t exist
I’m gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry
I’m gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier

And I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight
Help me, I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight
On for tonight

Sun is up, I’m a mess
Gotta get out now, gotta run from this
Here comes the shame, here comes the shame

1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink

Throw em back till I lose count

I’m gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier
I’m gonna live like tomorrow doesn’t exist
Like it doesn’t exist
I’m gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry
I’m gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier

And I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight
Help me, I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight
On for tonight

Enjoy your day and the song!

2014-07-10
She Looks So Perfect

There’s a tune that’s passed through my iTunes radio called “She Looks So Perfect” recently. The surprising thing is that iTunes Pop is saying that this band’s other single called “Good Girls” is the #1 on the chart. I’m wondering why the hell it is. Mostly because the first time I heard GG – I immediately was like who the hell would rip off Blink 182, RUSH?!?, Green Day and other pop punk bands so blatantly? I mean the riffs of the guitars in Good Girls were so obviously stolen it’s silly. I decided, who did it and found it was a band called 5 Seconds of Summer.

I was taken aback because I really enjoy She Looks So Perfect. It’s got that typical teen angst anthemic quality – retaining a very familiar vibe without being so blatant of a rip-off. My favorite line in the song is “She looks so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear and I’m so down; Your lip-stick stain is a work of art I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart and I’m so down.” It’s pure fun and I dig it. It’s a perfect beach/summer romance. My only hope is they’ll branch out into their own thing.

She Looks So Perfect

Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

Simmer down, simmer down
They say we’re too young now to amount to anything else
But look around
We worked too damn hard for this just to give it up now
If you don’t swim, you’ll drown
But don’t move, honey

You look so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear
And I know now, that I’m so down
Your lipstick stain is a work of art
I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart
And I know now, that I’m so down

Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

Let’s get out, let’s get out
‘Cause this deadbeat town’s only here just to keep us down
While I was out, I found myself alone just thinking
If I showed up with a plane ticket
And a shiny diamond ring with your name on it
Would you wanna run away too?
‘Cause all I really want is you

You look so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear
And I know now, that I’m so down
I made a mix-tape straight out of ’94
I’ve got your ripped skinny jeans lying on the floor
And I know now, that I’m so down

Hey! Hey, hey, hey hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey

You look so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear
And I know now, that I’m so down
Your lipstick stain is a work of art
I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart
And I know now, that I’m so down

Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

You look so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear
And I know now, that I’m so down (hey!)
Your lipstick stain is a work of art
I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart
And I know now, that I’m so down

Enjoy your summer kick off!

2014-06-05

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