shut up and listen

• low register vox
• slow tempos but with fast internal rhythms
• simple base structure (3 or 4 chords per song) but intricate parts interwoven
• repeated melodic phrases over changing chords

01 ‘Terrible Love’ – High Violet (2010) – The National

1. lines broken mid-word

04 ‘Little Faith’ – High Violet (2010) – The National

• low register vox
• slow tempos but with fast internal rhythms
• simple base structure (3 or 4 chords per song) but intricate parts interwoven
• repeated melodic phrases over changing chords

• slow, acoustic gtr picking – fret buzz
• bass note on last chord of pattern
• shuffling background noise adds atmosphere – is it a loop?
• vox enter, doubled and harmony
• crackling ‘percussion’ enters – vinyl surface noise as rhythm
• no spoken word samples
• 2 mins in, dble vox overlaps a bit like a round
• great lyric
• after vox finish; extra melodic inst (elct gtr?)
• crackling increases

KEY IDEAS to plunder

1. shuffling background noise adds atmosphere – is it a loop?
2. crackling ‘percussion’ – vinyl surface noise as rhythm

• plucking, delay, gtr rhythm
• chords and vox together, on 1s
• acst gtr picking fades in
• percussion enters
• builds to crescendo
• no spoken word samples
• strings at the end

KEY IDEAS to plunder

1. plucking, delay, gtr rhythm
2. chords and vox together, on 1s

• starts with spoken sample
• rhythmic sfx
• bass loop, 3/4
• lots of sfx
• phone ringing sfx
• break, then switches to 4/4
• layers of spoken word samples

KEY IDEAS to plunder

1. layers of spoken word samples, overlapping
2. switching from 3/4 to 4/4 and back again