Pentatonix and the Music They Can Teach us to “Love Again”

We grow closer and closer to the all-important date, October 21 2015. We are supposed to have evolved to the point where our cars fly and run on garbage, “Jaws” has six more sequels, and hand held video games are a baby’s toy. I will be demanding my hover board on that day. We don’t dress much like the people in Back to The Future II, thank goodness, but at least one independent musical group is not afraid to push the edges of style. For all the ways science fiction attempts to predict our future, rarely does it predict the future of music. The independent acappella quintet sensation Pentatonix manages to do just that.

Pentatonix recently debuted their original song “Love Again” on Youtube  three weeks ago, and it already has over 5.5 million views. The costume style of the video goes beyond science fiction—a strange mix of the retro style of Max Hedrum and the futuristic stylings of the citizens of the Capital in the Hunger Games. The vocal group manages to show us a unique style and take us on a journey toward the future of music in a single stroke of artistic genius.

 The champions of season three of the acclaimed NBC show “The Sing Off” have made a name for themselves with incredible covers garnering millions of views and subscriptions. No style of music is beyond their reach. Be it a Sesame Street Classic remix of “Rubber Ducky” and “C is for Cookie”, A haunting rendition of “Say Something” by A Great Big World, or their magical acappella take on Carol of the Bells, Pentatonix has covered it all. They consistently prove they can create any sound and feeling with their voices alone, and never is that more clear than in their song “Love Again.”

They begin the song together, but the song quickly explodes into a blaring electronic track. Except there are no electronics. There are no music producers with fancy sound mixing equipment. There are only voices. Five voices harmonized so well and so in tune with each other’s energy you’ll forget that you’re listening to five different voices rather than just one. Kevin “K.O.” Olusola does more than keep the tempo, coming up with more electronic musical vibes than famed Police Academy actor Michael Winslow could ever hope to imitate. Kirstie Maldonado weaves in a feminine undertone which uplifts the main theme of the song and drives home the confident feeling of the beat. Scott Hoying turns over the lead position to the incredible high male voice range of Mitch Grassi, but the songwriter provides harmony and much needed strength to the chorus. Mitch himself gives the song a genderless quality seldom achieved by today’s music. Last but not least, Avi Kaplan drops a lyrical bass vibe in the song that will motivate men and enchant the ladies.

The members of Pentatonix are veterans of the new surge in Independent music sweeping the industry. They recently signed on with Patreon, a wonderful website where artists of all types can get the support they deserve directly from their fans. In this regard the young quintet has a bright future ahead, as they are adored by their fans and are prime examples of the freedom all artists should have to create without restriction or without what a label tells them will be popular. The original song “Love Again” is a glimpse into the future of music. It is a demonstration of what unbridled creativity can make, along with stellar cinematographers like FifGen films. We may be far away yet from our flying cars and hover boards, but thanks to artists like those in Pentatonix the future of music is now.  

Check out Pentatonix at their official website for details on tours and album information

http://ptxofficial.com/

Check out the new video on youtube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F80FsZDTgn0#t=11

And support them on Patreon

http://www.patreon.com/pentatonix

Lindsey Stirling: South by Southwest and Beyond Series - Part 4 - The Journey Motif

Hey loyal bloggie land reader! Original article in black Italics

“Alright!” She says as the microphone works at last. “I think we’re ready to have a show!”

Putting a song into words is difficult, but I love trying. Art is language and language is art, and one of the most fun things about music and art is watching it translated into another art form. Be it Lindsey turning her vision for her song Stars Align into an amazing video of dance and poetic imagery, or Kuha'O Case rewriting Crystalize in a genius rendition for piano, art is a way for us to glimpse the way we are all connected. 

She is met with a unified cheer, and after a short welcome she begins with her original song, “Antigravity”. It’s a good choice to start with because it’s a high energy song laced with a flowing melody. The song gives a sense of flight in its chorus, and though it is whimsical in places it also carries a strong motif of a journey or march toward a goal. This motif of a journey with triumph at the end is found over and over in Lindsey’s music.

Interesting Note: My kids and I once attempted the dance to Electric Daisy at the end of the Assassins Creed video we made. Maybe that's why I'm partial to it and spend more time describing the dance for this one than any of the other songs. 

The journey motif is also present in her next song, “Electric Daisy Violin”. Electric Daisy is another crowd pleaser, and is particularly fun to watch for its expressive dance choreography. At the conclusion of Antigravity she barely gives the audience a chance to breathe as she crouches into a ball to begin the song. Her dance tells the tale of a flower blooming under adverse conditions, and the song becomes a jubilant celebration of these events. It is difficult to listen to Electric Daisy, no matter your mood, and feel anything less than cheerful.

At Left: Stirling is about expressive dance as well as her music 

Here she stops to pump up the crowd a little. She’s breathing heavily and already sweating, and mentions feeling out of shape from not touring. However, just watching her can make a marathon runner feel out of shape, particularly under central Texas humidity.

Shadows is hard to make as good without a Shadow to dance with, but sometimes when the light hit her just right, one would appear. 

She introduces “Shadows” as one of her personal favorites. It is also one of mine. The song holds a special place in my heart for being the first of Lindsey’s originals to reach my ears. It’s house beat and somewhat mournful melody feels like it belongs in a science fiction epic. Lindsey had a vision of a video where she was dancing with her own shadow, and she wrote the song specifically to match this vision. Perhaps Shadows is a story about turning the darkness within all of us into something cheerful, rather than something to fear. Perhaps it is just a girl dancing with her shadow from start to finish. Whatever Shadows means to each individual heart, Lindsey plays it with a passion this night, and does it justice even without her Shadow to dance with

Let me know in the comments if you like how I delve into music with words, or if this music gave you different ideas as to the motifs and meanings. That could make for some excellent discussion and maybe even a guest blog - Thanks guys!