5 Fridays is an ongoing series that features the release of a brand new single every Friday during months that happen to have, well, five Fridays. Each monthly series is based around a unique theme and every single released reflects that theme. For our October 2015 series, we will be celebrating our favorite holiday with some of the best scary music pop culture has to offer.
For the fourth week of the series, we are putting our own spin on “Promise (Reprise),” the most haunting piece of music from the most chilling video game of all time, Silent Hill 2. Hey, what’s with that weird dog over there with the headset…?
Get it here: http://vsq.io/slnthll
Stream on Spotify: http://vsq.io/slnthllsptSave
Available Now: VSQ Performs the Main Titles from Beetlejuice #FiveFridays
For the second week of the series, we are paying tribute to Danny Elfman’s carnival-esque theme for Tim Burton’s wild and weird supernatural comedy Beetlejuice. Hey, this is a pretty good look for us…
Buy here: http://vsq.io/vsqbetleFF
Listen on Spotify: http://vsq.io/betleFFSave
Just like great books, movies and art, you can keep re-visiting some songs to find new nuances you didn’t noticed before. Whether it’s a sigh between chords, a scratch on the strings or even a cough before the chorus, these small human elements can add an endearing quality to music, reminding us that songs are not magical, mechanical products but hand-crafted pieces of raw human creation.
Pink Floyd's "Mother"
Albums that also serve as movie soundtracks (e.g. Pink Floyd’s The Wall) can be expected to have more “human” elements to them, as they’re based on human stories. Some of the non-musical sounds from The Wall movie are left in the accompanying album for a more multi-dimensional sound: From cash registers “cha-chinging” and hearts thumping to school teachers screaming about meat and pudding. I recently noticed a more subtle sound – a deep sigh at the beginning of “Mother.” It’s a fitting auditory relief after the schoolyard chaos in "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" and a welcoming beacon to the initially soothing musings in “Mother.” While not entirely musical, the sigh fits perfectly within the song.
Fleetwood Mac's "I Don't Want to Know"
Another charmingly human moment in music is the squeak Lindsey Buckingham’s fingers make when they slide down the strings of his acoustic guitar five seconds into Fleetwood Mac’s “I Don’t Want to Know.” Author Chuck Klosterman pointed out this detail in Killing Yourself to Live, calling it “the definitive illustration of what we both loved about music; we loved hearing the inside of a song.” He told this to Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy in an interview. Tweedy agreed, adding that he always thought of Buckingham as someone who wants to control every element of his music, so this little “crack he couldn’t sparkle over” was indicative of the greater truth that “nobody can control anything, really.” It’s amazing what a just a little scratch can do.
The White Stripes – “White Moon”
While The White Stripes' Get Behind Me Satan earned them a Grammy Award and other accolades, it almost didn’t make it to the mixing room. Recorded in Jack White's semi-haunted Detroit home studio, the album seemed to be cursed with failing equipment, leaky ceilings and other misfortunes. Some of these “hauntings” are audible on songs like "White Moon" (a song that even references an ex-girlfriend “ghost”), where drummer Meg White’s bell set falls over with a crash near the end. Giving listeners a hint to the recording location, Jack White's house phone can be heard ringing about 2:50 minutes into "Take Take Take."
Looking at more White Stripes songs like Elephant’s "I Wanna Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart," the band has a history of leaving in these little sounds that others might take out – and by keeping them in, The White Stripes distinguish themselves as charmingly true to the authentic, imperfect process of creating music from bare hands.
Check out Vitamin String Quartet tributes to all of these artists!
More Bricks: The String Quartet Tribute to Pink Floyd
Download on iTunesThe Vitamin String Quartet Tribute to Star Wars has arrived and it's here to paint the epic journey of Anikan Skywalker and company through lush string arrangements. Violin, viola and cello transform dramatic songs such as "Tales of a Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force," "Imperial March" and "The Clash of the Lightsabers" and touch on a new level of classic.Tracklist
Download on iTunesVSQ takes the stage with Vitamin String Quartet Performs Broadway Hits, a collection of rich string arrangements that are as bold as those belting it out in the spotlight. Violin, viola and cello beautifully reinterpret classic tunes such as "The Phantom of the Opera," "Seasons of Love" and newer hits such as "Defying Gravity" and Time Warp." The show must go on.
Tracklist
Mamma Mia (originally performed by the cast of Mamma Mia)
Defying Gravity (originally performed by the cast of Wicked)
The Dark I Know Well (originally performed by the cast of Spring Awakening)
Another Day (originally performed by the cast of Rent)
Time Warp (originally performed by the cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Medley: Aquarius/ Let The Sun Shine In (The Flesh Failures) (originally performed by the cast of Hair)
The Guilty Ones (originally performed by the cast of Spring Awakening)
The Music of the Night (originally performed by the cast of Phantom of the Opera)
The Phantom of the Opera (originally performed by the cast of The Phantom of the Opera)
Seasons of Love (originally performed by the cast of Rent)
Castle on a Cloud (originally performed by the cast of Les Miserables)
Theme from an Imaginary Musical (inspired by Broadway music)
Download:http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/vitamin-string-quartet-performs/id367174562Tracklist:
1. Any Way You Want It
2. Only the Young
3. Wheel in the Sky
4. Faithfully
5. Don’t Stop Believin’
6. Separate Ways
7. Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’
8. Stone in Love
9. Lights
10. Who’s Crying Now
11. Open Arms
5 Fridays is an ongoing series that features the release of a brand new single every Friday during months that happen to have, well, five Fridays. Each monthly series is based around a unique theme and every single released reflects that theme. For our October 2015 series, we will be celebrating our favorite holiday with some of the best scary music pop culture has to offer.
For the fourth week of the series, we are putting our own spin on “Promise (Reprise),” the most haunting piece of music from the most chilling video game of all time, Silent Hill 2. Hey, what’s with that weird dog over there with the headset…?
Get it here: http://vsq.io/slnthll
Stream on Spotify: http://vsq.io/slnthllspt
