Thursday, August 27, 2020
Fuzortion - Adventures Beyond
Adventures Beyond is an album which contains 14 short instrumental pieces. The majority of these pieces were composed using the "Final Form" organizational system. Other tracks use experimental techniques. "Final Form" is discussed in further detail separately on this blog. I will use this article to explain the concept, inspiration and origin of the album. Individual pieces will be discussed in separate entries.
Many years ago, a friend recommended a rock group to me. When asked to describe this group he said: "they sound like video game music." I did not ask him to elaborate further as I thought I understood what he meant, and purchased this band's album as soon as possible.
Upon listening to this group, I quickly realized that (while amazing and technically proficient) their music did not conform to the definition of "video game music" that had begun to form in my mind. Decades later, the time was right to analyze video game music's unique characteristics. The result of this analysis is "Final Form."
As I was studying and listening to thousands of tracks from the golden and silver age of video game music, I began to wonder why there were no bands writing this type of music using tactile instruments. There were groups which created music using digital sounds, many of which fall under the genre called "chip tunes." Some musicians cover classic video game tunes like the Overworld Theme from Super Mario Bros. or the Jungle Theme from Contra using instruments, but there was a dearth of groups composing new music, in the "Final Form" style using non-digital sounds. With Adventures Beyond I hope to change this.
The instruments used to record this album are: Drums, auxiliary percussion, conga, bongo, electric bass, mando-guitar, electric keyboards, soprano saxophone and tenor saxophone. This lineup best emulates the synthetic sounds used in classic VG music using traditional instruments.
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
1 - Hold Fast
The opening track on the album is Hold Fast. Composed in mid-2018, this piece was inspired by keyboardist/composer Jan Hammer and his numerous imitators which saturated commercial music, including advertisements, in the mid-1980s to late 1990s. The composition is meant to evoke a cigarette boat speeding through Biscayne Bay in chase of smugglers or perhaps just a recreational excursion. This tune, as well as many others on the album, are not strictly programmatic, and instead, only hint at a possible extra-musical narrative.
Hold Fast begins with a drum intro, reminiscent of the roll-off used by marching ensembles. (Introduction) A simple guitar strumming pattern follows, which helps support a short saxophone melody. This is the "Opening Statement." (Section A) The verse comes next with a square wave melody supplanting the saxophone, and a Cuban-inspired bassline providing harmonic support. (Section B) The chorus section is next and the saxophone plays the melody while the guitar plays a complimentary lick. (Section C) Following the chorus is a unison riff played by the saxophone and the guitar. (Section D) It is used to increase excitement and add a slight disorientation through unconventional rhythms and intervals. Having a wild, unpredictable texture and line serves as contrast to the more conventional sections of the piece. Afterwards the verse and chorus are repeated. The piece ends with a restatement of the opening section and short rhythmic tag. The full form is as follows:
I
A
B
C
D
B
C
A1
2 - Catacombs
Inspiration for Catacombs came from the soundtrack to Maniac Mansion and the jazz piece Giant Steps. The completed work took a life of its own during the compositional process and now resembles something else entirely. Some hints of the harmonic movement from Giant Steps can be heard between sections, as various unrelated chords are used but the connection is tenuous. A closer comparison exists between Catacombs and the Maniac Mansion Main Theme. The rhythm of the melodies are similar, as is the overall back beat, and the harmonic movements in some sections are inversions of each other. The title of the piece is an homage to the dark, yet comical, underground areas found in the Maniac Mansion games.
Catacombs begins with a bass guitar swell followed by an introduction melody played on the square wave. (Section A) Next, the guitar plays the melody for the verse (Section B) while the bass and drums play staccato rhythms underneath. A brief 16th note guitar fill connects to the chorus,
(Section C) and the Saxophone picks up the melody. There follows a bridge (Section D) where the square wave plays the melody over a staccato guitar and bass rhythm, echoing the verse accompaniment. A drum fill then leads to the restatement of the verse and chorus. Finally the piece ends with the introduction melody, this time played by several instruments for added emphasis. Composition occurred between June and August of 2019. The full form is as follows:
A
B
C
D
B
C
A
3 - Joker
Joker begins with a driving opening riff played on guitar. It serves to establish the tempo and provide a 16th note pattern which is joined by the other instruments in a unison fill at the end of the phrase followed by "Cuban triplet" hits. (Introduction) The square wave then plays the melody for the verse, (Section A) while drums and bass provide a galloping rhythm underneath. Next is the pre-chorus, (Section B) which has a semi-latin feel and melody played on soprano sax. There is a 16th note motif from the guitar in the background during this section.
The chorus (Section C) goes to half time as a contrast to the previous sections. Guitar and piano share a call and response melody; the saxophone enters halfway through this section to double the guitar. A Cuban triplet rhythm echoes the ending of section A to conclude the chorus. Afterwards, verse, pre-chorus and chorus are repeated.
There is a shift to 12/8 for the bridge, (Section D) which becomes a semi-shuffle. The instruments play a unison interlude line similar in concept to that heard on the bridge found of Hold Fast.
The title of the piece is based on Pvt. Pyle from the film Full Metal Jacket. Pvt. Pyle would speak the name of his fellow marine, Joker, in an ominous and pitiful manner. The phrases uttered by Pyle have become popular among aficionados of the film and this piece is an homage to the character. There is no connection to a DC comics villain and any resemblance to clowns, jesters, mimes or other humorous professions is purely coincidental. Joker is exciting and there are some hints of the ridiculous, but there is a subtle sadness which serves as a reminder of Pvt. Pyle's tragic fate. The full form is as follows:
I
A
B
C
A
B
C
D
C (2x)
O
4 - Yesterday's Man
Yesterday's Man begins with an accented 7/8 riff played by guitar and soprano saxophone with drums, bass and keyboards providing the hits. (Introduction) The main theme is then played by square; (Section A) on the repeat, saxophone echoes the melody. Following the main theme is theme 2 on the guitar. (Section B) Electric piano accompanies with an 8th note pattern in the background. This countermelody ends with a drum fill in triplets. Next is a restatement of the Main and 2nd themes followed by theme 3, played by soprano sax and electric piano. (Section C)
Theme 3 is rare occurrence of a bridge leading directly to a closing statement instead of a recapitulation of a previous melody. The outro (Outro) is nearly identical to the intro but with melody now also played by bass and keys on the repeat and drums providing fills in the background.
This piece is an homage to history, man's respect for eternal principles and rejection of destructive philosophies. Hope for the future begins with remembrance of the past. The full form is as follows:
I
A (2x)
B
A (2x)
B
C
O (2x)
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14 - Xennialism
This piece is based on the rhythms of a drumline cadence called "Givin' It Up Again" from the 2002 season of the Boston Cr...
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This piece is based on the rhythms of a drumline cadence called "Givin' It Up Again" from the 2002 season of the Boston Cr...
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