Found out about it through Ryan North's LJ.
Some crazy conceptual artists used the results of a survey to compose the "most unwanted song". This is all you need to know:
The most unwanted music is over 25 minutes long, veers wildly between loud and quiet sections, between fast and slow tempos, and features timbres of extremely high and low pitch, with each dichotomy presented in abrupt transition. The most unwanted orchestra was determined to be large, and features the accordion and bagpipe (which tie at 13% as the most unwanted instrument), banjo, flute, tuba, harp, organ, synthesizer (the only instrument that appears in both the most wanted and most unwanted ensembles). An operatic soprano raps and sings atonal music, advertising jingles, political slogans, and "elevator" music, and a children's choir sings jingles and holiday songs. The most unwanted subjects for lyrics are cowboys and holidays, and the most unwanted listening circumstances are involuntary exposure to commercials and elevator music. Therefore, it can be shown that if there is no covariance—someone who dislikes bagpipes is as likely to hate elevator music as someone who despises the organ, for example—fewer than 200 individuals of the world's total population would enjoy this piece.
If you enjoy weird, fun, innovative music (like I apparently do), have a listen! (One thing to keep in mind is that this song came out in the nineties, and back then weird music probably didn't have as wide an audience as it would have in this sick, sick day and age. So they were actually ahead of their time!)
Oh, there's also a Most Wanted Song, but it's actually much more forgettable. Jazzy love song with R&B vocals, eh.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Black Man with a White Soul (part II)
In response to a comment (just someone asking for more details):
The film was very interesting and out of the ordinary, partly because it is in fact a silent film from many decades ago. But apart from "historical interest" the film was funny and charming in its own way. I must observe, however, that the racism was quite strong: in the plot, the successful black man still fails to get the girl because the girl could not overcome her aversion to Negroes. On the other hand, it's also entirely possible that the movie is not as much racist as it is instead about racism, with about as much insight as they could muster in those times. (OKAY I know nothing about silent films and/or racism, so I'll stop here.)
The music was excellent. This was the first time that we have heard a performance by the Novo Concertante Manila, and they certainly did not disappoint us. I cannot say anything bad about their performance, and the music (that I hear was an original composition for this movie) fit the movie very well.
The choral accompaniment really made the screening much more special and unique, almost theatrical. In particular, a scene that we both found memorable was a hair-raising dream sequence. The girl, Emma, having just met Pedro/Peter, the black man (the protagonist), is haunted by an uncontrollable fear. In her dream, Peter and his tribesmen perform a sinister ceremony inside the mouth of a gorilla, and Peter himself swoops down to her bedside to steal her away. They overlaid footage of Peter and Emma's "spirits" over footage of Emma sleeping in her bed, effectively creating a ghostly effect, which was further enhanced (in our eyes) by the soft, blurry quality of the film.
But more than the visuals, as good as they were, the choral score for this particular scene really made it shine. Imagine: in the moonlit darkness, a woman sleeps in her bed, wearing a flowing white nightgown; but the spirit of a black man in tribal costume comes, wakes her spirit, and kidnaps her in what was really a wonderful dance sequence. Creepy, beautiful visuals in the interplay of whites and grays and blacks, and all the while, a live choir (!) filling the entire cinema with a visceral (strong beats you could almost feel in your chest) yet also otherwordly accompaniment.
So, in short, the silent film itself was decent and interesting enough, but the choral accompaniment was what made the screening excellent.
The film was very interesting and out of the ordinary, partly because it is in fact a silent film from many decades ago. But apart from "historical interest" the film was funny and charming in its own way. I must observe, however, that the racism was quite strong: in the plot, the successful black man still fails to get the girl because the girl could not overcome her aversion to Negroes. On the other hand, it's also entirely possible that the movie is not as much racist as it is instead about racism, with about as much insight as they could muster in those times. (OKAY I know nothing about silent films and/or racism, so I'll stop here.)
The music was excellent. This was the first time that we have heard a performance by the Novo Concertante Manila, and they certainly did not disappoint us. I cannot say anything bad about their performance, and the music (that I hear was an original composition for this movie) fit the movie very well.
The choral accompaniment really made the screening much more special and unique, almost theatrical. In particular, a scene that we both found memorable was a hair-raising dream sequence. The girl, Emma, having just met Pedro/Peter, the black man (the protagonist), is haunted by an uncontrollable fear. In her dream, Peter and his tribesmen perform a sinister ceremony inside the mouth of a gorilla, and Peter himself swoops down to her bedside to steal her away. They overlaid footage of Peter and Emma's "spirits" over footage of Emma sleeping in her bed, effectively creating a ghostly effect, which was further enhanced (in our eyes) by the soft, blurry quality of the film.
But more than the visuals, as good as they were, the choral score for this particular scene really made it shine. Imagine: in the moonlit darkness, a woman sleeps in her bed, wearing a flowing white nightgown; but the spirit of a black man in tribal costume comes, wakes her spirit, and kidnaps her in what was really a wonderful dance sequence. Creepy, beautiful visuals in the interplay of whites and grays and blacks, and all the while, a live choir (!) filling the entire cinema with a visceral (strong beats you could almost feel in your chest) yet also otherwordly accompaniment.
So, in short, the silent film itself was decent and interesting enough, but the choral accompaniment was what made the screening excellent.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Black Man with a White Soul
This is the Spanish entry to the Second Manila International Silent Film Festival, and also the first film to be shown.
Being the indecisive kids that we are, we only decided this afternoon to watch this movie at Shangri-la at 7 pm. So we trooped off, in our student clothes and backpacks - to discover, upon arriving at the cinema, what seemed to be a roped-off wine-and-bread-sticks party. For people in suits, and their equivalents. After the initial snicker or two at the sheer ridiculousness of the suits crammed - roped! - together in such a sad fashion, it dawned on us that, hey, this is actually a Silent Film Festival, with Capitals, and these people were in on it!
Anyway it wasn't really so bad, although as the cinema was just beginning to fill up, I couldn't shake the feeling that some of the people standing around (and obviously part of the proceedings in some way) were looking at us amusedly.
The silent film was to be accompanied by live music, for this film provided by the Novo Concertante Manila, and in fact we found the members of the chamber choir sitting in formation up front right by the screen. So, it turns out that we fortuitously decided to attend a silent film exhibition with the score provided by a live choir, which I'd suspect isn't such a common occurrence? In any case, it must be double the culture points?
It was a strange experience, having a choir a few feet away rendering a score for a blurry old racist (but also charming funny) silent film. The score was consistently good (I'd say excellent, but I don't have the authority and am crippled by a fear of failure and a lack of self-esteem OH WHOOPS did I say that out loud).
The film's ostensible flaws (blurriness, racism) were for the most part just artifacts of its context. Of course it would appear blurry to modern viewers, since cameras have improved astronomically since then (and the blurriness isn't entirely a flaw, either, since (a) it looked pretty at times and (b) when it isn't pretty, at least one gets used to it after the first few scenes). The racism (apparent from just hearing the title), well, it was an era before political correctness, and perhaps a more complex, redemptive plot just couldn't be fit into the film, using the techniques of the time.
The other entries in this year's festival also seem interesting; it's really too bad that their schedules mostly don't work out with ours. Ah, well, at least I can say that I've seen at least one silent film (with live music!) in my life.
Being the indecisive kids that we are, we only decided this afternoon to watch this movie at Shangri-la at 7 pm. So we trooped off, in our student clothes and backpacks - to discover, upon arriving at the cinema, what seemed to be a roped-off wine-and-bread-sticks party. For people in suits, and their equivalents. After the initial snicker or two at the sheer ridiculousness of the suits crammed - roped! - together in such a sad fashion, it dawned on us that, hey, this is actually a Silent Film Festival, with Capitals, and these people were in on it!
Anyway it wasn't really so bad, although as the cinema was just beginning to fill up, I couldn't shake the feeling that some of the people standing around (and obviously part of the proceedings in some way) were looking at us amusedly.
The silent film was to be accompanied by live music, for this film provided by the Novo Concertante Manila, and in fact we found the members of the chamber choir sitting in formation up front right by the screen. So, it turns out that we fortuitously decided to attend a silent film exhibition with the score provided by a live choir, which I'd suspect isn't such a common occurrence? In any case, it must be double the culture points?
It was a strange experience, having a choir a few feet away rendering a score for a blurry old racist (but also charming funny) silent film. The score was consistently good (I'd say excellent, but I don't have the authority and am crippled by a fear of failure and a lack of self-esteem OH WHOOPS did I say that out loud).
The film's ostensible flaws (blurriness, racism) were for the most part just artifacts of its context. Of course it would appear blurry to modern viewers, since cameras have improved astronomically since then (and the blurriness isn't entirely a flaw, either, since (a) it looked pretty at times and (b) when it isn't pretty, at least one gets used to it after the first few scenes). The racism (apparent from just hearing the title), well, it was an era before political correctness, and perhaps a more complex, redemptive plot just couldn't be fit into the film, using the techniques of the time.
The other entries in this year's festival also seem interesting; it's really too bad that their schedules mostly don't work out with ours. Ah, well, at least I can say that I've seen at least one silent film (with live music!) in my life.
Free Wifi!
Unexpectedly, there is at least one unsecured network at the Shang food court! Thank you, "linksys".
Watching a silent film (with live music!) later. Wooo.
Watching a silent film (with live music!) later. Wooo.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Back online, bitches.
Oh my, forgive me that uncharacteristic vulgarity, but it is awesome to have internet access at home again. After more than a month of having no phone line or DSL, it feels a little odd to be back online. I feel almost out of practice (as if being on the Internet were a profession or skilled pursuit)!
So of course I blame this sudden development for my complete and utter non-productivity this weekend. The biggest timesucks have been: INTP Central, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4), and Full Metal Alchemist.
Been trying to get into using TiddlyWiki, to not much avail. It seems to be too much for my purposes; I don't, at the moment, really have that much information I need to keep track of. Just a basic (rudimentary, even) to do list, schedules and deadlines, a few journal entries here and there.
Hrm. Well. Life hasn't been very exciting recently, to tell the truth. Still just a student, plugging away at the same things. It may be senior year, but so far it hasn't really sunk in yet that I'm going to be graduating (and looking for work and/or a career, getting forcibly assimilated into the mainstream, etc etc) soon.
Speaking of work, I may have to get into another racket pretty soon. I've nearly depleted what money I had managed to save up over the last year with the article-writing and that one-month call center stint. Hrm. Student blues.
So of course I blame this sudden development for my complete and utter non-productivity this weekend. The biggest timesucks have been: INTP Central, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4), and Full Metal Alchemist.
Been trying to get into using TiddlyWiki, to not much avail. It seems to be too much for my purposes; I don't, at the moment, really have that much information I need to keep track of. Just a basic (rudimentary, even) to do list, schedules and deadlines, a few journal entries here and there.
Hrm. Well. Life hasn't been very exciting recently, to tell the truth. Still just a student, plugging away at the same things. It may be senior year, but so far it hasn't really sunk in yet that I'm going to be graduating (and looking for work and/or a career, getting forcibly assimilated into the mainstream, etc etc) soon.
Speaking of work, I may have to get into another racket pretty soon. I've nearly depleted what money I had managed to save up over the last year with the article-writing and that one-month call center stint. Hrm. Student blues.
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