I often listen to these AI-generated tracks. I find them soothing. Many of the videos, though, are wild in their AI mistakes/hallucinations. I’ve seen boats and airplanes zooming backwards, people walking through walls, each other, all kinds of things. At least once, a person launched upwards into the air, up into the sky. Now, this one below is interesting as the subject remains pretty still (he is supposed to be a whirling dervish, though), but this cloud of sand billows out from his stationary feet. Besides that, I find the colors rich and vibrant, the details nice, but the billowing sand is…odd.
Anyway, I hope your Wednesday was fantastic and that your June is off to a good start.
This song is not new, but I recently found it, and it clicked. I’ve been playing it a LOT. For me, there are songs that resonate at certain times. Generally, I move along with the semi-obessive quality, but those songs eventually are my connection to the emotions of that part of my life.
So, please check this song out, and I recommend that you give Xavier’s music some of your attention. I think it’s worth it.
Whisper in the wind sent me home I’d believe there was somethin’ more Learned so much, fell in love with you Took my chances with what I knew With the places that had stained my hands And the files that I’d stored on my shelf Spent so long in the world givin’ chase
Thought my place was some other place That I belong here, I belong with you And all of our questions belong here, too ‘Cause we been high, darlin’, we been low And all of it’s helped us grow We belong here and we deserve to dream
Every wakin’ hour of every wakin’ day I wake up to the sound of discussions in my brain I don’t know the answer and I don’t know the truth And I don’t really know what I been draggin’ since my youth But I push on, I philosophy Keep my prophecies by my side
And I hope to meet you at the gates See that light shinin’ on your face ‘Cause I belong here, I belong with you And all of our answers reside here, too ‘Cause we been high, darlin’, we been low And all of it’s helped us grow We belong here and we deserve to dream Dream
And every breakin’ hour though a little more would break And the courage could be summoned to bring about some change And the plans would form to build a brand new castle To the sky we’d soar with the wings of an eagle
Stone-cold sober with whiskey on my breath South America runnin’ through my head With you, I was taken It was you, I was not mistaken You belong here, you belong with me And all of your secrets are safe with me ‘Cause we been high, darlin’, we been low And all of it’s helped us grow We belong here and we deserve to dream
And all we want is runnin’ down the mountains And all we need is flowin’ through the trees And all we have is swimmin’ in the ocean And all we can do is be the best that we can be
All we want is runnin’ down the mountains And all we need is flowin’ through the trees And all we have is swimmin’ in the ocean And all we can do is be the best that we can be
All we want is runnin’ down the mountains And all we need is flowin’ through the trees And all we have is swimmin’ in the ocean And all we can do, is be the best that we can be
And I hope to meet you at the gates See that light shinin’ on your face
Years ago, I got exhausted by all the Halloween tropes, especially Monster Mash. I figured, “I’m sure I could create something better”. I think I have.
This is a multi-year initiative. I’ve added to it as I’ve found good tunes, and taken off ones that no longer fit my vibe.
I like to listen to Trip Hop while I’m working. Today this one popped into my feed:
What first caught my attention was that this DJ was streaming from her kitchen, which is pretty cool. Oh, and I’m very jealous of this kitchen! But then I noticed this:
A stuffed llama! I thought “That’s so cool”. And, sure, that marks me as one type of nerd. But it gets better! I then think “LLama”…Large Language Ama”. Hmmm….now if I ever build an AI platform, I’m going to call it “LL Llama”. Sounds like a stutter.
Ok, I’ve flung enough dad jokes your way. Do you like to listen to a certain type of music while you’re working? What sort?
A few days ago I heard Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca on the radio.
My brain, being what it is, wondered if Weird Al had created a Livin’ La Vida Polka version of the song. A few minutes with Google showed me that, no, Al hadn’t. And isn’t likely to. (Check out the Reddit post for the details).
But, fortunately for us, a group called The Brats (as in Brautwurst, I believe), stepped into the void.
That’s the weird way my brain works. I hope this brightens your Sunday (Monday-eve).
My friend Bill wrote a post a few days ago about the passing of Damo Suzuki, singer for the German rock band Can. I’ve always had a thing for quirky and eclectic music, so I was a bit bummed I hadn’t so much as heard of Can before now. So I commented such, and Bill recommended this album to me to learn more about them.
Tago-Mago by the band Can
I doubt many of you know that my first major in college was music. I listened intensely, absorbing how the instrumentation and chordal structure were communicating emotional energy. Sadly, I got out of practice for that kind of listening ages ago. But, back in the 80s, I studied lots of artists in depth. Not just pop, but Jazz, latin, classical, funk…my list was pretty extensive. I would give anything to have notes back from those days.
Can has a solid funk feel to me. I really enjoy the driving, repetitive bass tracks, and fluid drumming.
What struck me even deeper, though, was how easy it is to discover new music. Bill made a post, shared a YouTube video of a song. I listened, made a comment on his blog, Bill recommended an album to check out, and YouTube served that up to me instantly. All within a few-minute timeframe.
I remember getting together with friends and listening to records/CDs, and tapes. If I really liked the song, I’d see about borrowing a copy until I could buy one. In my little Seattle suburb, getting anything other than Top 40 generally meant a trip to Seattle. There was a cool record show really close to UW, and I believe the iconic Tower Records was serving Seattle’s music community back then. I love how easy it is now to discover new (old?) music.
Years ago, I grew weary of all the tropes around Halloween. I mean, come on! How many times can you listen to Monster Mash? Well, as someone who values creativity and innovation, my tolerance is low for repetition. So, I created my own playlist.
Moving beyond the clichés Halloween.
So, I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think, and if there’s anything I should add.
Lightfoot has been part of my pop-culture awareness as long as said awareness existed. For me, it was his gift of story-telling that held the most power. Songs such as The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald were part of my heart for, it seems, forever. I was pretty young when he was at his heyday, and his music seemed omnipresent.
I’m filled with sadness as another icon of my youth has died. Yet, I’m grateful that his music was such a rich part of my life.
It will not be hard to find his music over the next few days, especially his hits. So I feel compelled to feature a song that is lesser know, but one that I find delightful: Alberta Bound.
Alberta Bound by Gordon Lightfoot
Alberta Bound seemed, to me, to be the theme song for the Alberta Winter Olympics of 1988. And something about that spoke deeply to me. So, I’m delighted to share something lesser known.
May we all find joy in his music and legacy. Godspeed, Gordon Lightfoot.
Music plays a huge part in my life. One of my “gifts” is the ability to tie pretty much any phrase, event, or whatever with a song. I’ve had plenty of opportunities this week.
I’m currently working on a project with the Edmonds Waterfront Center. They have several musical activities over the course of each week. And I can hear these from my office. One of my favorites: a ukulele class. They play a wide range of songs, which often transforms me in place in time. The ukulele is a wonderful instrument that I delight in hearing. With this, I was explaining to a chum about some of the artists who have created albums with the instrument. The two that readily come to mind are Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame and Amanda Palmer.
Eddie has a great ukulele album titled, less creatively (I guess) “Ukulele Songs“. This is, perhaps, my favorite from that album.
Amanda Palmer has written some fun songs for the instrument. This one is my current favorite (FYI, not completely safe for work).
A few days later, a friend of mine mentioned her drink of choice was tequila. That always make me think of this song:
And, yesterday, while seeing article after article about AI, this song popped into my head.
Affiliating songs with events is not something I work at, just natural reflex. The results of my misspent youth, I guess.
