Week 18.1

Context*:  Robots becoming self aware
Emotion*:  strangeness
Other:  flashing lights, dancing subprocesses

Week 17.1

Context*:  The ionosphere plotting against humanity

Emotion*:  Dread, fear of the numinous

Other:  Something beyond human understanding

We seem to be on a space-oriented binge lately.  This one is full of strangeness, lots of synthesis.  Sort of in e minor, sort of e synthetic.  Some kind of starspawn, an abominational offspring of the two.  This one went better.  Working on the actual website et all.

~græy

Week 16.2

Context*:  A trucker named Jug swears vengeance

Emotion*:  Jog don't have no 'motions

Other:  Ennio Morricone with a dash of Johnny Cash

That one didn't go as well.  I tried to mix in some sprinkles of Cash, some classyness from Morricone, and a bit of disturbing cacophony from something 'Lynchian' like Lost Highway.  And didn't do particularly well.  But the new schedule is set, so it's done and up.

~græy

Week 16.1

Context*:  Space pool!!!

Emotion*: Supremacy

Other:  Cosmic shattering of planets for my enjoyment

Space Pool!  Well I started out trying to make it enjoyable and fun, but then I realized that this is 'cosmic shattering of planets'.  Slightly sinister.  Just a bit.  So I went with some crashy dissonance, this one is mostly synthesized to make it more in the science-fiction vein.

~græy

Week 14.2

Context*:  A kitten playing
Emotion*:  Silly and happy
Other:  a meow at the end

The hardest part was getting a cat to meow into the mic.  Usually, it's no problem, screaming over the smallest inconvenience is a daily occurrence.  Sometimes they scream for no reason, then forget they're screaming.  This time I had to go find a sound effect, because they just would not make a sound, like some kind of kitty oath of silence for their monastic order.
This one's simple, ABC sections, I went with some 'playful' sounding instruments, glockenspiel, toy piano, some silly choir bits and a grain synth I made special.

Week 10.2

Context*:  Fleeing from an accident you caused

Emotion*:  Panic, guilt and dread

Other:  guitar as percussion

This one starts out with numbness, the realization of what has been wrought, and then blooming panic, guilt and fear.  And then a crazed escape.  I'm not sure why it moved off into harmonic minor, with a very Arabic feel.  It felt right to ratchet up the dread.  And it makes a nice thick, swirly texture.

Ten weeks in.  Thanks for your submissions, and your continued support!

~græy

Week 9.1

Context*: 70's gritty cop drama

Emotion*: 70's gritty cop drama

Other: 70's gritty cop drama

The theme to our hypothetical 70's gritty cop drama shows all the drama, all the action, all the mirrored aviator sunglasses and top-down; violently colored sports cars, all the drama, all the racially insensitive sidekicks, all the action, all the drama, all the thinly veiled TnA, and all the drama from your favorite television programme.  Our mustachioed caucasoid hero probably drives a car.  He probably wears sunglasses and doesn't play by the book.  He probably gets the girl.  And he probably solves crimes.

Synths horns, synth pads, rhythmic synths and strings.  I tried to make it high intensity and cheesy.  Like a delicious mixed-cheese casserole.
It was nice to do something cheesy, instead of the abstract artsy submissions.

~græy

Week 8.2

Sorry for the delay

Context*:  Sick in the hospital
Emotion*: creeping anxiety
Other:  Sterile machine beeps

Seems like all I'm doing is atmospheric.
Went with a glitch approach.  Delays on everything, except the square heart rate monitor noise.  Did a lot of additive synthesis.  I tried to think of noises you'd hear in the hospital, and a far away radio came to mind.  So that's what the filtered violin is, playing some happy, half-remembered music somewhere else.

Again, not my best, but all these 'out there' submissions are making me work to come up with something.  Not saying I wouldn't appreciate something that I could take a more melodic approach to.  Like 7.2.

~græy

Week 7.1

Context*: Contemplating philosophical questions

Emotion*: Frustration turning to epiphany

Other: Strings, Violins, Drums, Guitar (acoustic)

Building anticipation, some simple chord changes and a basic resolution. I tried a few approaches to capture frustration without changing the mood, but none of them seemed to work out. So the frustration aspect isn't strong. I think the build up to the B section (the epiphany) is nice, and I like dropping everything out to let the pizzacato viola take us there, almost saying “oh, of course, it's so simple.”

~græy

Week 6.2

Context*: Robbing a bank while somnambulant

Emotion*: Sweet (w/threat of death)

Other: Staccato

So, robbing a bank while sleepwalking?

Well I structured this in three parts, the beginning of a dream (subject falls asleep and drifts away), the middle, happy section of the dream (subject is happily armed and dangerous, robbing the bank), and then the growing realization that something is very much not right at B (subject is not so sure this is still a dream).
I tried to keep a simple, light tone (monosynth) and a set of vibes to give it the 'sweet' request that carries the melody and the chord progression
There are several textural bits that I tried to layer under the 'sweetness' that add dissonance, keeping a threatening undercurrent
And staccato?  Well, I used the vibes, and there is a violin part, but that's more marcatto.  Well, it'll have to do.

~græy

Week 4

Four!

Context: An amplifier falling apart

Emotion: Certainty

Other: Gentle made abrasive

Another more textural and atmospheric.  Listen with headphones, there's some lower tones that don't really come through on crappy speakers (laptops).  Actually, I'd suggest to always use headphones if you don't have decent speakers.  It really does make a difference.

I used a bitcrusher on a set of drums and a few of the guitar parts.

This one is a lot like week 2 in the way I approach.  Melody wasn't really important, the color of the instruments was.  This one needed to be warm and clangy, unlike the cold detachment of W2.
I decided to do a sus4-major repeated chord progression, and detune it as the song went on.  It gets a little painful.  The synth pad adds a lot to the texture, and there are some crunched drums thrown in.

~græy

Week 3

Context: You've gotta hurry!

Emotion: frenetic

Well, this one didn't feel like it came together.  But it's done.

I tried to use quick runs (in this case, piano and pizzicato violins/violas) to create some more frantic motion.  

I do really like the rhythmic synth

But it's not my best

~græy

Week 2

Context: Lost in the airport

Emotion: Isolated, Numb

Other: Dream-like

I focused more on creating the emotion and keeping the texture etherial.  I used absynth and a couple other synthesizers, and I tried to keep everything cold and square/harsh.  It stays floaty, thins out at the bridge, then winds its way out.  The glitched drums are jarring and especially effective at pushing the anxiety.  There's a percussive bell instrument (synth) that plays out of time and flails into missed notes and accidentals that takes over during the bridge, and adds to the un-reality.
In retrospect, I think it should fade out for starting at halfway through the B section.

Again, much more atmospheric and textural than melodic.

Keep on submitting!

~græy