Listening Assignment

Terry Riley in C has an upbeat sound. The different sounds together reminds me of waves with the intensity increasing and decreasing. The music overall is interesting in that the sound is rich and intense without it being loud. I also noticed that the notes used in the song are within a cord. It’s interesting that the notes change over time, which is noticeable if you scrub through the song and that certain bars repeat.

John Chowning- Stria

I find this piece very spooky and dark. The chimes add a sense of uneasiness. The beginning honestly sounds like when you walk past a grandfather clock and the chimes hit against each other randomly but with a menacing vibe.

Steve Reich -Come Out

I find it very interesting that the entire piece is just an audio clip of a guy saying come out to show them.  At the beginning I thought that was buffering because there were dead spots I then realized that it was actually apart of it. It’s also cool that the words get stretched and distorted over time. I like how the sound is together in the beginning but eventually split on both sides like multiple people saying it to eventually it being indistinguishable. If only my ears felt the same way.

Iannis Xenakis- Concret PH

This one sounds like glass is being tumbled in a steel drum lined with needles with its best friend fire. I find this one to be a bit easier on my ears compared to Come Out.  

Phil Spector Wall of sound-

The songs are super catchy I actually recognize a few of them that would play on the radio especially Be My Baby by The Ronettes. A lot of the songs are doo wops and they all has a nice pace that is easy to sing along to with lyrics that are easy to understand and that tell a short story. It sounds like these songs would be played on jukeboxes.

Pet Sound

I didn’t think I would know most of the songs on this album but within the first five seconds of Wouldn’t It Be Nice I recognized it off the bat. I liked how the songs included different instruments like flutes and strings. I really like the song Lets Go Away for a While. It sounds nothing like a rock band and is quite soothing and calm.  

George Martin

The songs he worked on with The Beatles vary differently in style from song to song but overall they are very smooth with some being quirky and surreal and others being more pop.