Video

Paratrooper Stuff

Chill Oof, Video, Video (other)

One time on a hairy jump in the army in too-high winds, a buddy of mine slammed into the side of a field ambulance at 30mph.

Somehow he broke no bones but sprained nearly every major muscle in his body and ended up with a huge amount of bruising. As I was talking to him later, I observed it was some sort of weird anti-paradox: he crashed into the ambulance that was needed to help him since he’d plowed into an ambulance.

He was not quite as amused by my observation as I was.

He made a complete recovery. And if you’re curious, video of the jump is below. Read the poster’s comment too. That was a very shitty jump that never should’ve happened, especially since it was done just to show off.

I know most of y’all are not used to looking at military jumps, but the paratroopers should not be moving nearly-horizontally across the screen like that.

A very bad day.

Holy shit, just noticed these comments. That was my friend!

Knows

Chill Music, Video, Video (other)

That’s a great analysis. Such a difference when you watch someone who actually knows something about music.

Rick doesn’t usually talk about percussion, so I guess I will. The rhythm part of “God Only Knows” is just as interesting and as unusual as the rest of the song. It’s all completely intentional to achieve the ends of the song. It’s structured to highlight emotional beats rather than to “drive” the song as standard percussion does in most rock songs. Sometimes the percussion just disappears altogether and then resumes to highlight and elevate a phrase.

Sleigh bells in the intro and first verse make the song feel like stepping into a shimmery fantasy. The distinctive โ€œcloppingโ€ sound in the song (perhaps coconut shells or wood blocks?) mimics a soft horse-hoof rhythm that makes one think of pastoral ease, of falling asleep in a meadow and awakening in a transformed world. Those sleigh bells I mentioned earlier make their return subtly during the instrumental interlude (just before the final chorus) and propel the fade-out, adding a soothing, ethereal sparkle. Sparse drum hits highlight repeated vocal phrases. Timpani rolls add drama and make the song feel orchestral rather than rock-like without overwhelming the progression and becoming overwrought.

Even drum phrases that might typically repeat do not. Instead, they shift and respond to the vocal lines. Check the end of the song particularly. Not one is precisely the same and all work exactly with the vocal part.

Most songs do not get better as you deconstruct them. “God Only Knows” does, though. There’s just so much in it. And it all fits perfectly.

Elle McAndrews – Tassels

Chill Music Video, Video

This is a good song, but it could be so much better with a quality producer and a tiny bit of re-work. To improve it and really make it a great song it’d need:

1) Double tracking on the vocals. This isn’t a live performance (that’s lip syncing in the vid). Use the advantages you have.

2) More dynamic bassline. It’s too static. It needs to groove. The keyboard hook is good but the bassline is a dead fish.

3) It should bump up the voice during phrases and let the instruments breathe during rests.

4) The song needs more vocal underlayering with chorus ducking during the singer’s phrases.

5) The drummer is just not very good. Use electronic drums or a better drummer.

Give me a few hours mucking around in Ableton and I could make this song a lot better.