The Blood and Veins of Machines: Glitch Aesthetics in Alexander Schubert’s “Serious Smile”

Glitchy image, source: https://www.izotope.com/en/blog/music-production/5-artists-who-are-masters-of-glitch-music.html

Technological development is tied with the concept of perfection—people believed that, through inventions and discoveries, they were able to do things that needed to be done. Every new creation of technology is supposed to be perfect, because it serves specific purposes and follows a set of rules. At least that’s what people expected from it: purposiveness, meaningfulness, and perfection.

However, everything started to change while we step into the digital age, or, as some call it, the information age. The manipulative power of the Internet and the rise of consumer technologies create an unprecedented environment. As one receives vast information and acknowledges infinite technological possibilities, it becomes impossible for one to really harness them. We lose control of basically everything, because our choices are deeply influenced by the behaviors of technologies themselves; if, at first, it was human who decided what technology should do for us, it now seems that the technology is telling us what human should do. This exchanging of the two sides leads to disillusionment: both the purpose of technology and the identity of human are lost, and people have long criticized many aspects in this situation.

But what if this “perfect” technology intentionally make mistakes? What if we no longer strive for improvement of its functionality? As a response to the existential problems provoked by the digital age, some artists propose new ways of looking at technology, and the one we are focusing on in this blogpost is called “glitch aesthetics”.

Glitches are not stranger to our technological environment. In fact, we encounter them everyday: turbulence of television signals, malfunctioning software, and instability of internet connection…all have immediate influence on our user experience, and a glitch refers to a visual or physical manifestation of an error. During a glitch, the system fails to carry out its tasks, and the failure is directly shown in ways such as flickers on a screen, an error message in the operational interface, or the skipping of a defective CD in the CD player. Art works that deal with glitch aesthetics would intentionally expose or produce these manifestations of errors in technology, and what they attempt to present through such methods, according to the art organization “GLI.TC/H”, is the exact moment of the technological failure which gives a window into the technology’s abstract system, into the internal processes of its function. For example, in the moment of a display error, the RGB lights on the screen dance in frenzy, showing its most basic constituents. These mistakes were supposed to be “imperfections”, and were to be avoided in order to let the technology function correctly; yet artists have created works that appropriate these “imperfections”.

GLI.TC/H webpage illustration, source: http://gli.tc/h/

It is interesting for me to see artists presenting the imperfection of technology, because it provokes a sense of “Frankensteinian” nostalgia: as the technology refuses to reach its original goals, it almost seems that it is having its revenge on people’s manipulation, and the thought that technology is claiming its own identities in turn calls to people, reminding them to find their authentic “selves” as well.

What will happen then, if one brings all these defects of machines back to the human body? A particular work serves especially well as an example of this concept.

Score except from Alexander Schubert’s “Serious Smile”

The score for Alexander Schubert’s “Serious Smile”, a piece written for three instrumentalists, a conductor, and live electronics, is notated completely by aleatoric methods. Word instructions tell the performers what kind of things they should do, for example, “play some high clusters” is the only thing given to the pianist in the score at times. This means that specificity of pitches is not needed for the performance of this piece, but rather other aspects which I will discuss now.

One of the most significant aspects of this piece is that it uses motion sensors to enable the performers, including the conductor, to control the sound of the electronic part, so that their physical movements trigger series of prerecorded or synthesized sounds. Many of these sounds clearly refer to malfunctioning electronic devices, collisions of metallic and plastic machine parts, and low-quality midi sound sources. Because the velocity and frequency of the occurrences of these sounds are at times directly controlled by the gestures of the performers, the piece gives the audience an illusion that as if the performers are a group of malfunctioning robots; yet, knowing that the performers are actually human, the piece expresses an unresolvable paradox, a duality of flesh and artificial parts. However, one is absolutely not able to receive this message if one only listens to the audio recording of the piece, and this is where the vital component of the piece—the visual/choreographic elements—plays its role.

Score except from Alexander Schubert’s “Serious Smile”

The score for “Serious Smile” focuses rather strongly on the ways that performers move on stage. Instructions at the beginning says that “the piece is as much a choreography as a musical piece”, and that the performers should be fully aware of their appearances on stage. Additionally, the performers are told to maintain the quality of inhumanness throughout the piece: movements should be as robotic as possible; specifically, performers should show the differences between a human and a machine through the unnatural and clumsy manner of waving their arms, playing their instruments, etc.

One of the repeated passages in this piece is called “frenzy” in the score. Performers play their instruments (or conduct, for the conductor) or move their bodies (while triggering all kinds of “error” sounds using their sensors) in a continually convulsive manner, resembling the glitches on electronic screens caused by display errors. Sudden long pauses of their movements, then, represents “freeze glitches”, indicating a loss of signals. The sound at these points, which is violent noises that happen when network connections of devices are lost, is also very important in producing this human embodiment of frozen display. Another very impressive moment for me is the passage where all the performers imitate certain human behaviors that are constantly disturbed and corrupted by each others, which resembles the effect of the mentioned skipping CD player; Alexander Schubert intentionally plays with the duality of flesh and machine, stressing the jarring incompatibility of human and robot.

Another aspect which I consider essential to the overall effect of the piece, which was actually added by the producer of the video above—Ensemble Intercontemporain—rather than the composer himself, is the manipulation of lighting. Rapidly flashing lights enter when “frenzy” passages begin, and that changes everything: it is no longer only the players that embody the glitches, but the whole stage; now that the stage corresponds with the performers’ movements, it creates a “cyborg world”—an environment even further removed from the audience, yet, with this unique effect of magical(/cyborg) realism, one can make deeper connections with the performing “robots” and oneself. When it comes to video editing, Ensemble Intercontemporain is then free to use all kinds of close-ups to show the performers’ movements more clearly, because the lighting already indicates the interactions between the players, and not too many distant views of the ensemble are needed.

Audience has evidently realized that all the striking aspects of the piece cannot be achieved without the help of visual/choreographic design. One audience comments that the only good thing about the piece remains in “the flashing lights and the performance of the electrocuted”, otherwise the sonic aspect of the piece is generic and uninteresting, resembling other typical serial and synthesis music. Another says that the electronic part is interesting, but the acoustic playing is just appropriating pieces by Xenakis.

From these criticisms one can see that “Serious Smile” challenges the concept of music itself. In correspondence with the question of “what a machine or a human can be”, new conceptualist composers like Alexander Schubert propose the question of “what music can be”. Both questions touch the core of the digital-age contemplation, a constant denial and doubt of meanings in the era of loss of directions.

The glitch aesthetics in “Serious Smile”, therefore, is presented by a collaboration of both the visual and the sonic effects in order to express the dissonance between human and technology. While the performers “enjoy” this dissonance in the state of “euphoria and frenzy”, we as audience are violated, and the piece leaves us with questioning of our own beings.

It is then certainly surprising to see that one audience comments on the video, saying that the performance is “like a Mahler symphony”. What type of “Mahler symphony” is “Serious Smile”? I cannot find the answer. However, what I am certain is that, the visual and sonic elements in the piece speak to us in different ways. Regardless of how clear a concept is presented in a piece like this, the audience can always interpret this presentation in unpredictably varying ways, and that is what I find fascinating about new conceptualist works: composers play with concepts and illusions, and cross the boundaries of art genre and medium, not in order to set new metaphysical rules, but to open a brand new world of possibilities while revealing the internal processes of our thinking, just like a glitch—an abnormal “play” of error that shows the “blood and veins” inside.

Example of a PNG glitch, source: https://ucnv.github.io/pnglitch/

Ariana Grande’s Image

Ariana Grande‘s thank u, next first piqued my interest because of a harmonic progression that initially contains bass movement of an augmented second. Upon closer inspection, I found this song to be very enjoyable as its message can seem to be pushy toward exes as to their poor treatment of her, creating a terrible environment to which she has an extreme desire to move on or a sincere thankfulness for these experiences that she has taken part in.

There are many references to an overall sense of power and comfort. First, we see her on a bed that is very elegant and surrounded by items of non-necessity. After that, we switch to her walking down a high school hallway, with what could be assumed to be a clique. She takes over the whole hallway and is not afraid to push people around, literally. Later on we see her getting out of an expensive car and wearing what would seem to be an expensive outfit. All these extravagant and luxurious items could be a way of visualizing that she has come out of the relationships with values, such as wisdom and personal emotional strength.

I-Sorta-Exist comments:

“Omg Mean Girls, 13 Going On 30, Legally Blonde…the best movies bihhh”

This comment is in support of the whole concept for the visual aid to give added context to her situation. Mean Girls (2004) is a movie that is involving a girl coming to a new high school. After a short period of time, she is accepted into one of the most popular cliques in the school. Her appearance to most everyone in the school is a sudden popular girl who gets her way because of her new found popularity. 13 Going On 30 (2004) is about a girl longing to be popular and proceeds to wish she was 30 years old in an attempt to get away from the constant incentive to be a popular person that she was trying so hard and failing to achieve. (IMDB) Lastly, Legally Blonde (2001) describes the near perfect life of an extremely popular college student who is (the president of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, [and] Miss June in her campus calendar.” (IMDB) All of these movies would be known by most people born around Grande’s time, 1993. So these references could very well be a simple act of communication through known stories of her age group. This gives a sense of reliability to feelings that many have experienced through these romantic comedies .

Chainy MyKala comments:

“This is really everything, I’ll be honest I’ve never really been a huge fan of her, but more and more I’m finding myself drawn to her, she’s just really seems like such a good person, like her kindness in everything she does just like shines through. Ugh yep, definitely a fan now. “

This comment made me re-think my initial thoughts of what the lyrics were meaning. My interpretation, in the beginning, was that of sarcasm. Her lyrics made me think that she was thanking all of these people as a way of regretting those people in her life. With this comment, I am starting to think that there is actual gratuity to the people that, through her knowing them, taught her love, patience, pain. I also began to take the time to really think about all the lyrics instead of listening for just aural aesthetic. These lyrics upon good inspection reflect this pleasant attitude, compared to this bratty attitude I got from it through a few listens.

Manya Barot comments:

“Guys the beginning when they’re speaking…7 rings is playing

SIS WAS GIVING US A TEASER”

This comment brought an interesting idea to the table. The music video’s length is 5:30, while the single release is only 3:27. There is quite a bit of extra material in the video and I find it interesting that Grande included her song 7 Rings, because it happened to become the top single for the week of March 19th, 2019. She could not have known that this would be the case for the song, but this encourages the “popularity/success” idea. I find it highly interesting that she would include this song in the intro to the video since 7 Rings‘ content is about primarily “conspicuous consumption.” The fact that she left it out of the single is to preemptively avoid problems of copyright, as 7 Rings‘ melodic content is a blatant copy of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s and this is why when “Concord requested 90 percent of Ms. Grande’s song, and her representatives accepted without further negotiation.” (NYTimes)

I think this video is depicting how great her life is now that she has had all these experiences to better her attitude, outlook, and demeanor. Grande’s video conveys exactly what she means by her lyrics, “thank u, next.”

Photo Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Girls

https://www.directv.com/movies/13-Going-on-30-SXh6cGFtL2l5SmpIVll6OG1nUlh1UT09

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legally_Blonde

https://www.billboard.com/photos/8488625/ariana-grande-2018-woman-of-the-year-photo-shoot

“Honesty” Pink Sweat$

In what seems as a pink wonderland, David Bowden, also professionally known as Pink Sweat$ reflects his past loves through a small business owned laundromat in his music video for his first single “Honesty”. Rising in the R&B community, Pink Sweat$ shines a new light and adds a little color to R&B music starting with this single. Unlike the great R&B classic rough boys, fierce women, who sing and rap about getting lit and having sensual nights, “Honesty” is about his experience of a past relationship and the insecurities it brings, sweet yet in some ways still masculine. The lyrics focus on one main relationship but when looking at the music video, past relationships have cameos all over.

The music video first opens with children playing in the laundromat. A little girl running with her little backpac past two men playing chess introduces the viewers to Pink Sweat$, the employee at the cash register. As the music video continues it can be seen that the cash register is a reflection of his heart. When a woman spills her pink lemonade all over the floor the employee leaves the register. While the employee mops the floor cleaning up the mess with the register, his heart, unattended, the camera then directs itself towards a woman dressed in all pink with a halo of light shining around her imitating the employee’s viewpoint and impression of this customer. It can be seen that he’s into her because the lyrics “I want you” repeat over and over as the camera switches back and forth between the woman in pink and the employee.  

The employee continues to go about his business, every customer that seems to pay before they leave are all people of age, no children, no teenagers, representing his past partners. Some end well, thus paying the employee for the laundromat’s service while some end roughly. There’s an argument between the employee and one of the customers resulting in an out of order sign on one of the machines. Symbolizing how he’s been hurt from his past relationships he needs time to work on healing himself and getting over the pain, thus the out of order sign.

Many women wearing vivid colors such as blue and yellow are seen in the laundromat but the woman in pink stands out the most matching the Pink Sweat$ and well, the entire laundromat. Later on in the song, news of a mass robberer appear on a mini television. The robberer represents a woman that goes into relationships feeding off stolen hearts until moving on to the next. With the identity reveal near the end the audience can see that the robber is none other than the woman in pink. She had came into the laundromat and caught the employee’s attention while he was away from the cash register, in other words, watching over his heart. Sneaking right under his nose she ends up robbing him as well just like she did with all the others before him.

Even as her identity is being revealed, the lyrics “I want you” repeat, she is the only person that the camera focuses on when these words play throughout the video. When she robs the cash register the employee is at first surprised but in the end seems more hurt than shocked.

This video depicts so many different types of relationships aside from the one sang in the lyrics, bringing a lot of viewers to be able to relate to this video and connect with the artist. Being able to reminisce on past relationships, dwell in current ones while listening to this song has allowed many viewers to share what they’re going through and with which relationship they connected most with in Pink Sweat$’ Honesty music video.

Juicy

In the 1990’s, Chirstopher Wallace, known as The Notorious B.I.G or simply Biggie Smalls, was the definition of rap and street Hip Hop to East Coast audiences. Growing up in a single parent house in the middle of Bed-Stuy only to become one of the biggest names in the Rap industry, Biggie became an incredible source of hope for the working class as well as the black community as whole throughout New York City. And so, as a way to keep that hope and inspiration going, in 1994, Biggie released “Juicy”: a song detailing the events and motivation he had in his life that made him keep moving forward. The way in which Biggie Smalls writes his lyrics with such an inviting, understandable flow as well as creates a music video that so aptly portrays the moments he discusses in his life is the reason why I believe this to be one of the best songs and music videos made in the 1990’s. And so, without further a do, here is Notorious B.I.G’s Juicy

Looking at the first 30 seconds of the music video (which is predominantly the dedication of the rap), we as an audience can already see the three main facets of Biggie’s life that he is going to present: his early childhood as a crack dealer living with his mom, his life in prison, and his life now as a rapper. Biggie also perfectly syncs the aspects of his dedication with the actual subjects (i.e during the lyric “To all the people that lived above the buildings that I was hustlin’ in front of called the police on me when I was just tryin’ to make some money to feed my daughter” Biggie is being shown being arrested in an undercover drug bust and the following lyric “And to all my peoples in the struggle” he moves to a shot of a corner in Bed Stuy where a huge crowd of people are standing expressionless). Biggie then moves into the first verse:

It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up! magazine

Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine

Hangin’ pictures on my wall

Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl

I let my tape rock ’til my tape popped

Smokin’ weed in Bambu, sippin’ on Private Stock

Way back, when I had the red and black lumberjack

With the hat to match

In this stanza, Biggie heavily relates to the young audience members listening to his music. Here he is as prolific rap idol having a childhood very similar to any other kid growing up in the 80’s. With this passage, Biggie can be seen in a prison cell (as he was for 8 months when he was 18) hanging cut pictures of people he got out of Word Up! Magazine; an activity which most normal people did in their childhood (minus the prison part!). With instances of drinking cheap malt liquor, shooting dice in the streets, and eating sardines from the can appearing in his lyrics and music video, Biggie is ultimately stating that he was just like everyone else growing up in Brooklyn in that he didn’t have any luxuries.

The chorus then directly addresses the audience with a message of determination and hope. It states that kids shouldn’t let anything “hold them back” and should “reach for the stars.” This is the moment in the music video where Biggie presents the payoff of reaching for the stars. He is seen at a beautiful house with a full pool and pool house partying with a huge amount of people having fun. Albeit a great well written chorus, this is actually one of my favorite Easter eggs in the song. The melody of this hook, as well as the beat, and backtrack are all sampled from the same song “Juicy Fruit” by Mtume, which is why the song is called “Juicy.”

As far as the rest of the verses, Biggie explains that while it may be hard to picture a living a lush life without being deep in low level crimes, it is certainly possible as long as you keep trying and flip from negative to positive thinking. He shows this lush life through the maids he has bringing him and his friends champagne as well as owning his own Sega Genesis (which Michael Che believes he very well could have afforded one even before he was a rapper). In short, Biggie Small’s “Juicy” promises a better future to people who are true to themselves and take advantage of the world around them.

As it seems, a lot of people have taken a liking to this message and Biggie Smalls has in recent times become somewhat of a pop culture icon. Reading through the comments of this official music video, I saw how much Biggie’s style and words meant to his listeners. One listener named Ricardo Zúñiga commented, “This song inspires me so much to push myself and make it big. It’s my anthem. I’m as broke as could be, but I’m putting myself through college… I’m fortunate to be able to live at my mom’s, but unfortunately, she can’t help much beyond that, since she works as a janitor earning minimum wage. And my father is equally as broke. But this song motivates me to keep pushing. I know I got what it takes to pull my family out of this poverty.” In my mind, the meaning of this song completely got through to this person, who is trying to live life to the fullest and achieve his goals. The majority of the other comments, like that of Charcoal Head, talked much more about his flow. They write, “This guy was a lyrical genius! His flows were smoother than water, and the beats Biggie sang over were raw.” Biggie was known as the king of flow with a style that couldn’t be matched by any other rapper at the time. Finally, an incredible number of commenters talked about the ways in which you could compare Biggie to rappers of today. This was usually to display that idea that 21stcentury rappers are much more fragile than older rap artists. For instance, Shady wrote comically, “Biggie and Tupac had beef because Tupac thought Biggie got him shot. Drake and Meek Mill are beefing because one tweeted about the other.” Although this comment was probably out of jest, it is a firmly held belief that modern day rappers like 6ix9ine and Drake don’t live up to the same intensity and strength as 90’s rappers like Tupac or Biggie. These were profound artists and, especially in Biggie’s case, constantly searched for progress in the people around them.

21 Savage’s Deportation Being Discussed with New Released Track ‘A Lot’

21 Savage’s music video ‘A Lot’ sparked immense attention from the public with excellency of music & lyrics & video altogether, but also his arrestment on immigration status. His Album I Am > I Was, was in the top chart for two consecutive weeks after its releases, earning him Grammy Award nomination, with over 3.3 billion on-demand streams in the US. In his ‘A Lot’ music video, visual is unfolded as if telling a story and it dramatically augments the meaning of lyrics. In his track ‘A Lot’, he raps about brings his personal life story to the music – about his friend who was shot during a drug dealing, reality that money ineffective in solving personal plights, gang violence, trauma, and his fear. Rap is a sublimation of a speech/thoughts/novel transformed into an art form that often becomes a mirror of an individual’s personal stories. However, it sometimes becomes an issue where the boundaries to be set up that reveals how much of personal stories one opens up with the world. It is the question of how comfortably enough a person could open oneself that does not detriment their public images. 21 Savage spoked,

“People will be going through a lot of stuff, but you’ll never know what they’re hiding behind their smiles. Like, nobody would ever know that I wasn’t born here.”

The immigration issue has been one of the hottest topics in the US with the presidency of Donald Trump. It is a predicament to many people who don’t get publicly mentioned nor being much cared from society.

21 Savage was arrested on Super Bowl Sunday in Atlanta by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ironically less than a week after performing his track “A Lot” at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

https://youtu.be/opKizJadkzA

He performed with substituted lyrics where he shows compassion for immigrants and people who struggle to immigrate to the US. “Been through some things so I can’t imagine my kids stuck at the border / Flint still need water / People was innocent, couldn’t get lawyers,” (January 28). According to ICE, 21 Savage is originally from the UK and has been illegally staying in the US with his expired visa. Bryan Cox, the ICE spokesperson, iterated that the arrest was on a “targeted operation with federal and local law enforcement”. 21 Savage’s legal team stated that he was originally born in the UK, however, legally arrived in the US at the age of 7 (in 1999). He has been ongoingly present in the US for almost 20 years, but visited the UK in 2005 due to his uncle’s death, and returned to the US with H-4 Visa. H-4 Visa is “granted to spouses or children under the age of 21”. The visa was expired a year later it was granted in 2006. In 2017, he applied for a U visa, which is “a visa for victims of certain crimes” and his status is still under review. He has been acclaiming that he is from Georgia, Atlanta, and 3 of his children are all lawful US citizens.

All of these Youtube comments are mentioning about his visa status and his revealed UK citizenships:

21 Savage’s lawyer appeared on Good Morning America on February 15th, publicly acclaiming that he was targeted because of his music, fame, and ICE allegedly manipulating the incident to convey the message to non-US citizens. He spent nine days behind bars and was released on February 13th, with a granted bond. According to the most recent news, his hearings on deportation that was scheduled on April 9th has been postponed to no specific dates to come. He has expressed his fear of deportation – “The worst thing was sitting in there not knowing what was going to happen, or when it’s going to happen. Whenever I went to jail before, it was, ‘You’re being charged with this and going to court on this date.’ But immigration ain’t like that. You’re just being held.” Additionally, a fear of losing the home that he identifies with –

“the possibility of me not being able to live in this country no more than I’ve been living in my whole life.”

When an artist publicly brings their voices up, they automatically become the target of governments, organizations, and people. However, they sometimes bring hope to the other groups of people. The big voices become an incentive to one individual, bringing the confidence to fight back to the unjust, biased, prejudiced world of overflowing problems. Artists’ lives depended on what they put on to the markets is daunting and frightening. However, intrepid voices are also the ones that constantly transform our society to be a better place for us all.

‘A Lot’ by 21 Savage – Official Music Video

Additional articles worth reading ->>

The Wonder of Sesame Street

The wonder of Sesame Street

Television and media has grown into a major influence through out pop culture. With the power tv has, stations such as pbs, Public Broadcasting Service, grew to become a prominent provider of educational programing. Shows like “Sesame Street” help to expose kids to certain situations providing them with problem solving skills and a stronger sense of social interaction.

Sesame Street began by Joan Ganz Cooney and the Carnegie Corporation’s vice president Lloyd Morrisett. Their goal was to provide educational programs to kids ultimately preparing them for preschool and further social situations. In 1968 the show was funded with an $8 million grant. Provided by Carnegie, the Ford Foundation, and the US govt. Through Cooney’s study, “Television in Preschool Education”, Sesame Street evolved hoping to better prepare young children to the classroom.

Writers of Sesame Street created the goal of appealing to kids at the same time as appealing to adults, “But the rule was you should never go over the heads of the kids. Anything that appealed to adults had to either appeal to the kids too or be something that they didn’t need to know.”

On April 12, 1973, Stevie Wonder visited the famous neighborhood to hang out and perform some music. Having Stevie Wonder on the show the was a huge success because he embodies all the characteristics of the show helps promote the shows goals. He helped to break down racial, gender, and socioeconomic barriers for children and their parents. Stevie wonder not only performed but he interacted with characters such as Grover, trying to help him sing. He also composed a song about the show entitled “123 Sesame Street”. This song featured a talkbox, an instrument/piece of technology that provides an additional timber to your voice similar to a vocoder.

Specifically, the performance of Stevie’s hit song “Superstition” from his recently release album “Talking Book”, provided the viewers with “6 and ½ minutes of concentrated happiness”. In recent and current times of the Vietnam war as well as the cold war, Stevie Wonder was able to transcend happiness through a television screen with his infectious smiles and dancing. Sesame Street was exposing their audience to genuine live music inspiring kids to be creative and happy in their lives. It becomes immediately apparent the importance of community and how to interact and communicate with others. Through communication the band is able to provide a groove that feels good leading to has a climax within the music.

Stevie was a child prodigy himself but at the age of 23 he is able to relate to all the kids on set, all the kids watching, and all the adults, providing inspiration to learn about and perform music. He proves how amazing performing can feel and how fun making music can be. Kids on set are filmed going wild dancing due to the infectious feeling. The prime example is the kid hanging off the fires escape moving uncontrollably. Kids are able to express themselves through dancing in this high-energy environment filled with enthusiasm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFlxh9I6Bw4

Lastly, one of the most powerful parts of this performance was the diversity present on set. Kids of different races were dancing together as if nothing else mattered in the world. Members of the band were different races yet they were coexisting, working together to create something amazing. The setting of the show is in an urban neighborhood implying different economic backgrounds and the leader of the performance is a blind man. Yet, for the 6 and ½ minutes of music nothing else in the world seems to exist. As the viewer you get a “Glimpse into the utopic possibility of a place, neither child- nor adult-oriented but simply human”. The performance teaches kids the power of community and to be accepting of everyone no matter what. The power of music is thoroughly evident.

Through comments on Youtube, you can see the noticeable impact the performance had on others from various parts of the world.

  • https://slate.com/culture/2016/12/stevie-wonders-1973-performance-of-superstition-on-sesame-street.html
  • https://www.npr.org/2015/08/24/433512375/in-new-memoir-maria-tells-us-how-she-got-how-she-got-to-sesame-street
  • https://ultimateclassicrock.com/stevie-wonder-sesame-street/
  • https://www.biography.com/news/sesame-street-history-hbo
  • https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/03/friendship-files-sesame-street-songwriters-behind-put-down-duckie/585895/

All I Ask of You

Music video can have a huge impact on the song — it can either enhance the feeling/meaning of a song or completely ruin the song. Of course, this is a based on subjective opinions. Andrew Lloyd Webber is most well-known for his Broadway music in his film productions. One of the most famous of them all is the Phantom of the Opera, which is also highly recognized for its incredible soundtracks. The song All I Ask of You is a great depiction of how the video/camera techniques work with the music itself to produce the music video that is highly praised by thousands of audiences.

The setting of the video already creates an atmosphere that relates to the character of the song, a snowy, dark day. It begins with an instrumental introduction that is a series of chords leading to the singing. The third chord is such a magical change that lines up directly with the drop of the rose. Once the singing starts, the camera switches focus depending on whose singing and that really allows the audience to engage with the music and video simultaneously. Worthy to note, the frame switches to a glance of Phantom at 1:20 and that enhances the intensity of the scene. Additionally, they do a good job of connecting the lyrics to the physical actions. For example, when Raoul sings “Let me be your shelter…” he hugs Christine and these little actions is what makes the song more powerful. Also, just throughout the video, the camera angle zooms out when it reaches more climatic moments, allowing the audience have a fuller sense of the atmosphere. One of the most heart-wrenching scenes is when Phantom sees Raoul and Christine kiss and the camera captures the entire frame, which makes the scene that much more captivating.

One comment said, “I always had a sinking feeling that Christine was betraying the phantom, that she left his deep devotion to her for a petty boy who gave her flowers and was nice to look at, until I realized just recently that Christine’s love for Erik is Stockholm syndrome, and Raul is leading her out of a lifelong deception and swirling nightmare geniusly designed by Erik to trap her. I listened to this song for the millionth time once and realized that until she loved Raul she didn’t realize what she had wasn’t true.” This person’s in-depth observation of this music video shows that Webber and film director succeeded in their production because the commenter was able to capture how the actions are related to singing to portray certain feelings. Their reaction is definitely a good representation of what the music video is trying to display. Another comment said, “Probably THE most romantic song I’ve ever heard.” This person’s reaction is clear that the emotions of the song were delivered effectively, in order for the audience to feel emotionally connected. Additionally, another viewer commented, “Andrew Lloyd Webber: a freaking genius.” Just this one sentence is enough to show how powerful the music video is. With all these positive reactions, along with many more in the comments section, it is clear that this video evoked their meanings and feelings successfully. On another note, as I scrolled through the comments and actually did not find any negative observations, which is also a sign that the video was effective. All these comments show that technology allows us to directly communicate our thoughts or find relatable comments to agree with. It also expands the diversity of audiences because everyone is able to search for it.

As we can see, this music video delivers a strong performance through the coordinations of the music, actors, and directors. This is personally one of my all-time favorites and a huge reason is because of how well every aspect of video comes together to create the memorable experience of one of the most romantic songs. : )

KNOWER and The New Age of Shock in Art

More and more our modern society seems to be catering itself towards the attributes of shock value. Los Angeles based electro-funk duo “KNOWER” is no exception to this. The band consists of vocalist Genevieve Artadi along with drummer and keyboardist Louis Cole, who create a sound which borrows elements of uptempo funk music and pairs it with complex jazz harmony and bold EDM production techniques. Sam Ribakoff sums up the effects of their music, “If you’ve heard any of Knower’s music, you can imagine how losing one’s mind can be a possible side effect.”

Shocking ones audience is nothing new in music or any sort of art. In a New York Times poll, readers were asked what they thought was the most shocking piece of art from the past century. While Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” placed 3rd in the poll, it is noted that the recent performance of the work by the New York Philharmonic did not cause any stir. This is testimony of the fact that our culture has desensitized itself to things that were once surprising. Naturally, catching the attention of an audience with music and visual is immensely more difficult for Artadi and Cole today than it was for Stravinsky approximately a century before.

Excerpt from Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” which shocked audiences for its outlandish dance routines in 1913

Louis Cole discusses his own mentality when writing music for KNOWER in an interview. To emphasize that he writes for the sake of listener’s reactions, he states that he tries to write “A chord progression that makes you feel like you’re happy but also like getting stung by bees”

It doesn’t stop there. Knower is notorious for sporting a wardrobe that matches the level of absurdity in their music. Here we can see Louis Cole dressed in an absurdly oversized corn t-shirt that could double as a Halloween costume, while Genevieve sports a rain poncho and her hair put up in a style that matches the size of her own head.

Perhaps the best example to demonstrate just how intense KNOWER’s work can be is the music video for the song BUTTS T**S MONEY.

The concept of the song is simple, “Butts and tits and money, Cause I’m broke and ugly.” The lyric seems to note a reliance on sexuality to promote music. Vocalist Genevieve Artadi demonstrates this within the video. She is shown thrusting with hands on her hips and even riding an inflatable swan while wearing a bathing suit. These visuals bring the lyrics to life and make the subject matter a very real thing.

Sonically, the song has an intense impact, featuring Cole’s strong and funky drum beats, a fat sounding bass synth, and Artadi’s screaming line “GIVE IT TO ME NOW.” The music video only further emphasizes this powerful sound; at the start of the chorus, a CGI visual is used to show two penis shaped rockets shooting through Cole and Artadi’s heads. This is followed by flashing lights of the word, “SEARING,” aggressive dancing from the band, and a multitude of green screened Genevieve Artadi’s. When questioned on this creative concept, Cole responded, “We just go with what looks cool that has like a off the bat visceral impact.

Seemingly, Cole’s mission is achieved with the video. In the comments section, many reference drugs to stress this impact of the experience. Youtube user Skeepan writes, “Holy fUCK this is not the shit you watch when you’re high. I say this not at all because I was high when watching, but because I had to make sure I wasn’t in the middle of the video.”

KNOWER has a message and is set on being heard. By implementing such extreme visuals to a song that is already so vivid in its message and its sound quality, Cole and Artadi create an experience that is heard through all the noise of the modern world. 

“Django Jane”

First things first: if you’ve never heard of Janelle Monáe, you need to check out her “Emotion Picture” entitled “Dirty Computer.”

The entire video is around 49 minutes long, and it’s worth every second. The music and lyrics are paired with rich, thought-provoking visuals, including the infamous “pussy pants” from the song “PYNK.”

The music and visuals work together to empower the female body, focusing in particular on the black, queer, female body. The title, “Dirty Computer,” sets up a theme throughout the “Emotion Picture” of a futuristic world where white “cleaners” attempt to “cleanse” Monáe and her friends of their “dirty” memories. I interpreted this as a reflection of white society’s ongoing efforts to suppress blackness; to “whitewash.” As the video progresses, it becomes clear that the “cleaners” are trying to erase Monáe’s individuality and suppress her intersectional identity. Monáe says, “This album is about celebrating other Dirty Computers who have been pushed to the margins of society. This album is about reckoning what it means to have your rights trampled on and to face opposition, perseverance.”

One video from “Dirty Computer” that stood out to me was that which accompanied the song “Django Jane.”

Again, the musical style, lyrics, and visuals work together in this piece to promote Monáe’s intersectional identity. She says Django Jane is, “a response to me feeling the sting of the threats being made to my rights as a woman, as a black woman, as a sexually liberated woman, even just as a daughter with parents who have been oppressed for many decades. Black women and those who have been the ‘other’, and the marginalised in society – that’s who I wanted to support, and that was more important than my discomfort about speaking out.”

It would be impossible for me to understand every visual reference in this video, there were three aspects that stood out to me:

First, the video visually explores the idea of power. One website interprets this visual depiction as follows: “Janelle sits atop a throne reminiscent of West African royalty, surrounded by black women in studded leather jackets and shades… It’s a marriage of African and African American—shared blackness interpreted in a rap song.”

This visual theme compliments lyrics like,

We gave you life, we gave you birth
We gave you God, we gave you Earth
We fem the future, don’t make it worse
You want the world? Well, what’s it worth?

Second, another prevailing visual theme was Monáe’s outfit: the tuxedo. At one point the lyrics say, “Remember when they used to say I look too mannish, Black girl magic, y’all can’t stand it…”

Monica Miller writes in the Journal of Contemporary African Art, “Described by Monáe variously as a “superhero uniform,” a “weapon,” “armour,” and essential for her “time travel,” the tuxedo seems, above all, to be a vehicle for promulgating progressive ideologies of race, gender, and sexuality.” She goes on, “[Monáe] creates wildly inventive visual narratives for her music in which her body and its tuxedo are worked in the service of revising oppressive histories and creating alternative futures.”

Third, the album in general celebrates and de-stigmatizes the female body. The image below appears only once in the video, accompanying the lyrics, “…And hit the mute button, Let the vagina have a monologue.”

The lyrics themselves send the message that men need to listen to women; that women demand the space to be heard and acknowledged. The visual reference itself may come from from Sebastian Lelio’s film “A Fantastic Woman,” about a transgender woman whose identity is at odds with the identity ascribed to her by society. However, an even earlier source for these references may be a photograph by Armen Ordjanian. Eric Kohn writes, “Ordjanian’s photograph is a feminist meditation on a woman seeing her identity reflected in her physicality, while the shot in Lelio’s movie implies the feelings of a woman whose gender identity transcends the limitations society imposes on her, and Monaé seems to be exhibiting a more explicit message of female empowerment in a vicious battle of the sexes.” Clearly Monaé’s use of this image, and previous meanings associated with this image reinforce her dialogue on female identity, empowerment, and resistance.

Unsurprisingly, the Youtube comments for “Django Jane” are overwhelmingly positive:

Monáe says, Dirty Computer is a gift that I feel very honored and privileged to give. I hope that all the Dirty Computers around the world feel heard, feel seen, and feel celebrated.”

“Like A Prayer” Controversy

Madonna burst onto the public scene in 1984 with her hit song “Borderline.” She quickly gained popularity and began to cause controversy with her “inappropriate” behavior. For example,she posed nude for Penthouse Magazine, creating “raunchy” fashion trends for young teenage girls, and making trashy movies that completely flopped. Her songs and music videos are no exception, with her new and innovative style. This blog will focus on her hit “Like A Prayer,” which definitely has its share of controversy.   

The first section that caught my eye when watching the music video was the image of the burning crosses while Madonna sings to the camera. When I first saw this section I instantly stood up from my chair and called my friend in the room because I couldn’t believe it. The cross is the symbol of Christianity and is a serious symbol that is normally not to be messed with (like a national flag). Seeing the cross engulfed in fire, symbolizing a destructive force, is very disturbing whether you are christian or not because we are always taught to not degrade one’s beliefs. Not only are the crosses burning behind her, but she isn’t even doing anything to stop it, therefore she’s a cross burner! I’m then conflicted because at this point the only time i’ve seen crosses burning have been related to depictions of the the Ku Klux Klan, which brings me to my next point.

Another controversial topic during the time period of this video is the scene where Madonna is being caressed and kissed by a man of color. While I personally feel that love has no boundaries, most people in America think otherwise. Unfortunately, the depiction of the white woman being the essence of true beauty was very strong during this time period, hence why you would never see a depiction of a white man and a black woman. Personally, I am inclined to believe that Madonna is in love with this man given that she sings “I hear you call my name, and it feels like home.” This makes me believe that when she hears this man’s name it makes her comfortable and feel safe as she lays on the ground in front of him almost as if his presence acts as her security.

The next scene that catches my eye is the scene of her randomly falling from the sky..At this point the lyrics she sings are

I hear your voice, it’s like an angel sighing

I have no choice, I hear your voice

Feels like flying

I close my eyes, oh God I think I’m falling

Out of the sky, I close my eyes

Heaven help me

This leads me to believe that her love for this man is almost a religious emotion. The symbol of her falling from the sky proves how hard she is falling in love. Strangely enough a priest eventually catches her and propels her back up into the sky.

Lastly, I would like to focus on the most important scene in my opinion which is the portrayal of Madonna witnessing a group of white men abusing a woman. Suddenly, the “Jesus” like black male enters the scene, however now he is dressed in normal human like clothing. As the man runs to rescue the woman the white men flee the scene leaving him alone with her. When the police finally get to the site they assume that the black man has committed the crime and arrest him, all while Madonna watches from a distance. I personally believe that Madonna wanted to include this in the video to make the statement that people of color have a terrible reputation of being criminals and even this “Jesus” like figure was misunderstood.