Week 1 - Becca

To start this out, I must say I like the fact that iTunes offers a few free downloads, because I have managed to come across a few unique songs that have really made me think. In fact the song “Norway” by Beach House is something that is incredibly hard to describe, but at the same time a fascinating song to listen to. Multiple times over the course of the song there are musical distortions that the only way I can even come close to describing is like an ill Hawaiian motif, or like when a cassette tape would get played too much after a while it would sound sort of stretched. That what the song sounds like, but it’s intentional. While there are lyrics in the song, it appears to be that the music has higher importance. The lyrics in this song don’t really make the most sense while listening to the song because I was more focused on the music accompanying the words. If you broke the song down into the distorted part of the music can be used as a way to set a feeling of unease or uncertainness, or it could fit in well with a few absurdist shows because it has that unique quality to it.
Speaking of unique sound qualities, something that caught my attention is the sound of walking in the snow. There are actually many different sounds that can come from this act. What you get is dependent upon a number of different things like is the snow slushy or solid, is it loose or has it been compacted by lots of people walking on it previously, is there salt in it, what type of shoes are you wearing while walking in it? The different factors create a sound that is unique, but still familiar.
Slushy snow has the nice squish and a slight rustle almost like stepping through a lot of little loose paper scraps. The slushy sound you get reminds me of being a kid, because it’s the closest thing to puddles in the winter time, and let’s face it…jumping in puddles is a lot of fun no matter what age you are at.
Solid snow that has been packed down has a creaky crunch to it which is reminiscent of listening to a person chew something very loudly, or like intentionally crushing up cereal. However, if the solid snow is still loose what you get is a mostly a muffled footstep. The creaky crunch though seems to be more of a hurried step. The more audible the crunch the faster a person is walking almost as though they are trying to get somewhere, or just to get out of the cold. On the flip side, the softer snow seems like a more hopeful and contemplative sound. Like time is not as much of an issue.
When there is salt on the ground along with the snow it reminds we of walking on top of a bag of chips (minus the explosion if you don’t open the bag). This one too appears to be a more hurried feeling and a bit unsettling. It’s almost as though the crunch of the salt is trying to send a warning to the walker (or the person in front). Honestly every time I walk on salted snow in the sidewalk I feel like I am being followed because the crunch makes me think that there is something right behind me.
It’s really strange though how much difference there is though in what sounds come from a seemingly normal act of just walking in the snow.