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Music’s Commentary on Conflict

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  Thesis Music comments on society in a palatable way by artists creating pieces that amplify what is going on in the world. Specifically, in a historical context, music can show us the past and bring insight into history. The music forged out of Ireland in response to the 30 year conflict known as The Troubles shines a light on the political violence, tragedy and suffering that Ireland endured. Irish bands U2 and The Cranberries both protested the hardships of their country through song.  Historical Context  The Troubles was a conflict in Ireland that began in 1968 and raged on for 30 bloody years till 1998. The conflict was over the decision to have Northern Ireland remain part of the UK or unite with the rest of Ireland. In the 17th century Britain claimed Ireland, a  primarily Protestant region, and it began to flourish. In south Ireland the Catholics had less resources and suffered. This is where the tensions started, which was amplified by the UK's decision t...
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MUSIC AND THE FICTIVE DREAM: “The Winner Is”- Little Miss Sunshine

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  Introduction   Little Miss Sunshine is one of my all time favourite films. I came across it a few years ago from a recommendation from a teammate and merely fell in love. The film always makes me feel better about life and family. It's such a comfort movie to me. The song I chose was "The Winner Is" from the film. It was written by DeVotchKa, a Denver based artist who also composed the rest of the music for the movie. I think it really is impactful to the plot and also all around the message of the movie.   Plot Little Miss Sunshine was released in January of 2006 as a tragic comedy that followed a dysfunctional family’s journey to a children’s beauty pageant. The film was Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' directorial debut, and was written by Michael Arndt. The film was first released at the Sundanese Festival and later purchased by Fox, launching into mainstream culture. The film begins by introducing the audience to the motivations and personalities of the m...
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The role of the performer/BABYMETAL\

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  Artist Overview   BABYMETAL is a girl group I found whilst trying to find a performer for this blog post. At first I was very skeptical of the group because of the name and that I don’t listen to Jpop but it was in the metal genre so I listened to a few songs and immediately knew I found my topic. BABYMETAL is a Japanese girl group formed in 2010 as a branch off the idol group Sakura Gakuin under Amuse Inc. The mastermind behind the group was their producer Kei Kobayashi, he envisioned a fusion of the cute Jpop idol aesthetic with heavy metal sounds. Originally the group consisted of Suzuka Nakamoyo(SU-METAL) the lead vocalist and the head of the group, Yui Mizuno(YUIMETAL) and Moa Kikuchi(MOAMETAL) both background vocals/dancers. In 2018 YUIMETAL unfortunately had to leave due to health issues and in 2023 Momoko Okazaki(MOMOMETAL) officially became the third member completing the group again. The band behind BABYMETAL is what truly makes the group legendary. Kami Band as it...
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A Musical Trip (Mongolian Throat Singing)

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Introduction     Mongolian throat singing or Knoomei is a traditional style of music dating back centuries. Knoomei origins are foggy but historians speculate that it came about in the Han Dynasty from 206 BC - 220 AD. It was created by the nomadic people of the Turkic and Mongolian regions and is today almost solely practiced in Mongolia. It is thought that Knoomei was created to scare off enemies or to further connect to the land believing that elements of the land were spirits and communicated through sounds like whistling wind or rushing water. Knoomei is a way to connect with the natural world. The nomadic people believed in animism, a belief that all natural things have spiritual essence and Knoomei is a way to interact with the environment based on this belief. When Knoomei is sung a single vocalist produces two different pitches simultaneously, often a low drone and a higher melodic tone that’s controlled by the vocal tension/mouth shape. The throat singing is practice...
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