I still don't fully believe that I will make it...but, I may graduate from university!
My final thesis will be about music, rock music.
I will use a theory by David Huron. He is into evolutionary biology, cognition and some music. His thery explains a whole lot. He has come up with a theory about expectation and paints music as a process in five steps that involves imaginative responses, tension responses including arousal and attention, a prediction response (was it as I thought/felt), the usual quick and dirty fight or flight response plus a response that involves cortex as well. His book "Sweet Anticipation" is a must.
Why do I write this?
Because I need your help! Please search for your individual "high points" in the following songs and take notes on the time that has elapsed:
Radiohead - Paranoid Android (I must be sure to get participants :)
Pixies - Debaser
It may be an intervall, a moment, good lyrics, musicianship, a feeling or whatever!
A few words about why is always welcome!
My work further involves a personality test (in swedish, sorry to say), quantitative and qualitative questions.
Your entries in this thread will not be used in the thesis. But to those that are interrested I may mail some results!
Paranoid Android- Right when Thom goes into the Rain down, rain down lyric. The beginning riff is awesome too but that switch from the frantic "Why don't you remember my name" to the reaching towards the heavens "Rain down".... it's one of the best moments in music history.
I'm definitely up for participating in this thread. I know the very first note in Debaser gets me going.
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Definitely me too. Feel free to point out if the music take a "dip" at some moments. And, I did chose these songs to get a broad spectrum of experiences of rock music from "experienced" listeners and in the same way being able to attract subjects who have preferences for both songs.
High points for me:
Debaser: 8/10 (my grade)
0.01- base sound
-0.04 sounds lika a razorblade
0.08 dip
0.21 effect of guitar and verse start
0.36 screams! good effect
0.49 refrain
1.00 dip: tired of refrain
1:06 song takes off again
1.16 screaming
1.44 dip: losing momentum
1:52 dip: losing even more momentum
2:03 some variation, guitar sound
2:18 guitar sound
2:46 good ending
A few thoughts: plus for variation, and the sound which is "sane". first few listens: "what is this"! "it's good", "have I let this stand unlistened to for three years?". Of course this song is shamelessly using all the simple tricks, yet, it doesn't sound as anything else. High on aesthetics, high on energy, i get happy just to hear the first seven seconds, then the song is not perfect, but it holds together nice. They are introducing the band? More to come? "perfect album opener"
