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Dead chiefs + experiment

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2tuoo

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« on: November 09, 2017, 10:44:46 AM »
Hi Everybody,

this song was inspired by some Scandinavian traditional music. I wanted to see if I'm able to deliver the same feel and style, so here it goes!

If you have time for an experiment, please read on, if not, please skip to the song and lyrics.
Experiment:
I would like to ask you to listen to this song without looking at the video and then listen to it again while looking at the video.

My question is, does it change the mood when the visuals reveal another meaning?

If the temptation to peek is too strong, use the SoundCloud link at the bottom of the post


Song video:


The instruments in this track - one drum sample and my table top :)

Song Lyrics:


Dead chiefs

Dead chiefs save our village
Dead chiefs help us be
Help us grow and prosper
Dead chiefs of dead tree

Dead chiefs bless our battles
Dead chiefs make us strong
You make us victorious
Dead chiefs of this song

Dead chiefs fought our battles
Dead chiefs fade away
Famine wars upon us
Dead chiefs hear us pray

We sacrifice more chiefs tonight
Your death helps us be
Help us grow and prosper
Dead chiefs of dead tree


https://soundcloud.com/emotion-motion/dead-chiefs
« Last Edit: November 09, 2017, 12:46:08 PM by 2tuoo »
Have a great day!

refusedrevival

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« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2017, 12:17:50 PM »
Hi,

Quite strange feeling in the song ... I'm not sure if I like it or not.

I come from Scandinavian and I don't recognize this as Scandinavian music, maybe music from Lapland.

refuredrevival

Skub

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« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2017, 12:34:33 PM »
Yo 2tuoo.

I like this a lot. To my ears it conjures up images of native Americans and their old way of life.Earthy and visceral,full of mourning and yearning for what is lost and gone forever.

In the same way a photograph on this soundcloud link of an American Indian inspired me to write this a while back.
https://soundcloud.com/skub1955/an-eye-for-an-eye

I actually ran the songs consecutively,yours first and they sit very well together in terms of feel.

I'll go now and watch the vid.

Well'I got that wrong,didn't I?  :D

A very powerful song and message.  8)

 
« Last Edit: November 09, 2017, 12:39:00 PM by Skub »

2tuoo

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« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2017, 12:38:31 PM »
Thanks for letting me know,

I listened to some youtube tracks for the past week, this is how this style kinda stayed in my head, I'm 100% sure that I missed most of the small details that distinguish the traditional music of one country from another.

Now when I think about it, the Scandinavian songs did not have throat singing, that's mainly Mongolian thing. And the whole wolf thing is from Russian Eskimos. The sound in the middle is Tibetian chanting (although very short one).

I think I need to check my youtube autoplay suggestions :)
Have a great day!

PaulyX

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« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2017, 08:10:12 AM »
Hi
Interesting song and interesting experiment.
Listening to Soundcloud alone, it felt like a mix between Native American and Gregorian Monk chanting (the monks mostly in the second half when you had the vocal harmonies). I had no idea what the song was about at that stage though (avoiding spoilers here, but I just thought it was about "dead chiefs").
Then watched the video and understood straight away what you were referring to. That both gave the lyrics more meaning and relevance, but kind of took the mystery away a bit too. Maybe a good balance would be a video that hints at the meaning indirectly?
Your stuff is always interesting.
It's all too beautiful.

2tuoo

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« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2017, 09:49:51 AM »
Thanks PaulyX,

I agree, the video message is too blatant.
I can't think about a more subtle way to hint about the true meaning of this song. Any Ideas are welcome.

I think that playing with the listener's mind should balance between WTF to AHA! moment without insulting their intelligence or abanding the song altogether. A win win for the artist and the listener.

This makes the task difficult and I'm still thinking about multitude of ways to achieve this effect. Still no idea :(

Skub - thanks! The song link really does have this vibe!
Have a great day!

moraamarolaloba

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« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2017, 01:12:36 PM »
Hi2tuoo!
Your song reminds me an american indian style, tribal style. I listened to your soundcloud first and then I watched the vid and the effect is very curious. Virtual reality describing the same human-being story  through the ancien words.
The deep voice is that of the shaman and the high voice could be that of the people (my personnal feeling).
Very different song, so much that I can't define if you wanted to check the experiment or the song.
Be well
Mora
I did not know that to live we had to die so many times
My Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAaK7mFK7fUpf1E99I1Qtow

Outss

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« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2017, 02:28:04 PM »
Cool experiment. Reminds me of something i did back in university. I do think visuals naturally amplify feelings or help convey them with the music, hence music videos. I still kind of got the same feelign though.. Not sure about the monotone singing but its your style. The lyrics are the good part of this song and the minimalism. I lke that u focused alot on what was written instead of just production
I do songs, Vlogs and beats that are H o t

www.youtube.com/outss1

ScottLevi

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« Reply #8 on: November 15, 2017, 07:20:47 PM »
Hey,

Interesting lyrics and well put together, I do like patterns with strong coupling.

Had to use the soundcloud link 'cos, you know, I'm weak :')

Wasn't sure if I was being hypnotized, because there's certainly a lure - and awesome vocal work too. Really cool that you achieved this compelling sound with just a drum sample and table-top.

1:44 'woo's did me well, snoopy ;)

I'm not as convinced by the video as I am to the song. I'm all about the emotion and pointing a song like this at a specific subject just narrows the wonder of interpretation for me.

On the experimental front though the video does change the mood, just not sure it's for the better.

All the best,
Scott.

2tuoo

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« Reply #9 on: November 16, 2017, 09:45:02 AM »
Thanks for the feedback!

moraamarolaloba - I'm glad the perception changed :). The point was switching the meaning for the listener so one song can provide 2 experiences.

Outss - Monotonous singing was not intended. It's not really my style, I'm trying to change styles from song to song. Still wrapping my head around rapping :(. This one is tough

ScottLevi - The video part is taking some of the magic away but provides an "Aha" moment to the song. I remember learning poetry in highschool. It was strange to me - the teachers writing essays and discussing for hours the "what the author meant" while the authors did not disclose their true intentions and the lyrics were relatively short. In my songs, I'm trying to show what I meant so there will be no confusion for the listener while having the benefit of being less straightforward in my lyrics. The quality or merit of the video content is work in progress, still trying to see what is the best way to serve all purposes.
Have a great day!

redrhodie

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« Reply #10 on: November 16, 2017, 06:39:04 PM »
The video absolutely changed the mood for me. It went from dark and ancient to funny. Well, funny isn't quite the right word because it was still dark. But it made me smile.

Great song. Loved the singing and drum beat.

montydog

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« Reply #11 on: November 19, 2017, 01:39:16 PM »
Hi,

This is bold, original and beautifully done. Hats off to you for stepping outside the confines of standard songwriting. No negative criticism from me. I thought it was rather beautiful.

M

finestrat

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« Reply #12 on: November 19, 2017, 01:46:51 PM »
Hauntingly weird, liked it.

Yodasdad

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« Reply #13 on: November 20, 2017, 08:21:09 AM »
Hi,

Liked this. I also was getting Native American but that could be because I have no point of reference for Scandinavian music.

Video improved it for me, giving the lyrics and the them a cleverness that I wasn't aware of before.

I guess you could achieve the same result without the video by including a subtle verse at the beginning that explains the meaning. Or even the end if you want a twist reveal that changes the meaning from the second listen forevermore.

Nicely done chief.

Yodasdad

Darren1664

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« Reply #14 on: November 22, 2017, 07:02:15 PM »
The song was quite powerful and scary. I felt like I was going into battle.

I think it is very well done and I listened before watching the video and it certainly changed the mood and added a new perspective. If I'm honest I think I prefer it without the context given by the video but that's just my personal opinion. I appreciate the effort you've put into the video and that must be a whole project in and of itself.

It's a very well crafted track and your ideas are very interesting and unique  :)