John’s “As Can Be” used for a deconsonantation experiment
To some of you, this might be a weekend WTF. To some others, perhaps, a start to an interesting discussion. And I think I just made a new word, as I have never heard of deconsonantation before.
Stephen Boyd, aka DJ Empirical used As Can Be, the opener to John's debut solo album Niandra LaDes And Usually Just A T-shirt for an experiment. The song was edited out so all the consonants were removed from it..e.g. its first line "When you've got a clean smile" is now something like "Euiaeiai". The author explains it this way:
My theory here was that since melody is carried in vowels (as opposed to consonants), if one were to edit out the consonants, all that would be left would be a sort of "concentrated" version of the song. I think the results were pretty interesting.
You can download As Can Be (Quahogs' Vowelized mix) at this URL. And in case you have done something pretty wild with an actual reason to any other song, it would be nice to know.
Also, I assume you all know that Untitled #2 is known to be a totally different song when reversed, that Well I've Been contains a long monologue by the late actor River Phoenix when played backwards and that Enough Of Me and One More Of Me blend into a single song when combined.
You might also want to check out:
Niandra LaDes And Usually Just A T-shirt
A basic lecture on melody
I think first of all, melody is carried in the rythm and once you cut out the vowels, the rythm gets lost.
True, but this guy cut out the consonantes.
I posted a youtube video a while back where I took untitled #2 (with the reversed solo throughout the song) and I reversed the actual track so you could hear the reversed solo as he actually originally played it, if that makes sense…It’s really interesting because I only intended to do it so I could hear the solo forwards, but it creates a whole new song in itself, it’s pretty magical:
(here’s the link :S):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uVxgPYeWqk
without all the space inbetween, the notes become irrelevant…..removing the intended emotion, or should i say, reaction, out of the song. for me this doesnt do anything to be honest, fair play at the attempt though
It sounds like a cd that is skipping.
i guess what u said makes sence but isn't a melody a sequence of notes anyway, if you cut the lyrics you cut the notes they were sang in and the music played around them so the one note doesn't follow on to the next one as it should…..
interesting idea though so well done
i need to hear 'enough of me' and 'one more of me' combined !! anyone know of a mix on youtube or something so i can listen to it ?
actually yes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEXX8vrfo3g
Wow, that's so clever and really interesting…thanks for posting!
Iva, sorry for bothering you, but do you have the link to the interview where John talks about Enough of Me and One More of Me being able to be blended into just one song? Thanks in advance.
Looks like I mixed things a bit (and thanks for the correction), he says one is the reprise of the other in Guitarist, March 2009 interview. But I swear I read it explained more explicitly somewhere! Perhaps I dreamed of it?
My recent post Gricka mi se juče / Craving Tomorrow
one more of me and enough of me really DO sound extremely good together… i'm so impressed right now! blew me away!
Wow, I didn't know this. Makes my Sunday! Thanks! Now I know why he sang in that deep voice. Did someone just discover this or did John tell us to mix the songs?
I'm sorry but the Enough of Me and One More of Me blend is not so amazing. John said one was made from the other so of course they would fit together to and extent. Same with the lyrics. The Empyrean was a concept album so the songs are all connected in a way. The chord progression is the same and the melody is similar. I was actually expecting something a little different. To me it just seems like common sense or maybe I missed something. To each his own.
true. its not two songs musically, just one song with two different orchestrations. the lyrics are different, that makes the difference mainly, but thats irrelevant to the music.
Didn't he say that the strings on One More of Me were recorded for Enough of Me, but he decided it was better without them, so he just made a whole new song out of them, and One More of Me was born
Not exactly. He said the strings were planned to be used for Enough Of Me but that, once the string quarter was available, the song was already mixed, so he decided to make a reprise of it with strings and some basic elements only.
My recent post Gricka mi se juče / Craving Tomorrow
Do you have the article where he talks about this, Iva?
back when i heard one more of me and enough of me blended together, i didn't really like it this way that the two songs are over each other, so i made a version where one of the songs is on the left and the other one is on the right. it's uploaded here: http://www.mediafire.com/?qymjodzwmtr . (headphones advised:))
Nice idea petya, though it sound a little out of sync. Towards the end the snare drum of Enough of Me should align with the high key/organ notes of One More of Me, as that is the 2nd and 4th beat of the bars
What I'd really like to hear though is the strings and organ from One More of Me isolated and mixed into Enough of Me. I think the strings, organ and guitar solo could be really mind blowing together.
That mix is definitely interesting ! i wasent too blown away, i prefer the songs individually, especially 'one more of me'- one of my favourites from the empyrean ! but the fact that they can be mixed and were previously meant to and having similar titles etc i find to be extremely beautiful and makes the songs even more special as individual pieces !
I am more amazed at the 'Enough of Me' and 'One More Of Me' mix. I knew both had similar structure but it never struck me that both songs are that close. The timing and everything. To most ears it probably sounds like John couldn't be bothered to write another song out. But all John fans know he is always making ways to express things through music, and this is surely quite genious! (Enough of Me in a high pitch, as to represent heaven. One More of Me in low pitch as to represent either current life or hell. – The Empyrean (front cover))
This is similar to taking a classical composition's lead melody score, and taking out all the spaces and sustain, leaving only the hits of the notes themselves. These experiments prove that space and embellished nothingness are as much a part of the experience of melody (and music) as the notes.
I find that sometimes our speech's use of constonants becomes a hurdle in laying out vocals, so deconsonantation – which is a very cool word indeed – is not altogether without virtue. If you leave the space where the constonants used to be, you're only left with the problem of conveying what you'd do with (complete) language, and the realistic possibility that it might sound a bit silly. The're pop screens, de-esser filters, and towels-on-microphone techniques in our world of technology though, making it a purely art-for-the-sake-of-art endeavour.
Would love to read, where John Talks about the album… Link?