My song choice for Record Club is “Down” by duo Chloe x Halle. It is from their debut album, The Kids Are Alright. At the ages of seventeen and nineteen, the title has a more literal meaning as the album is geared towards a younger audience. It has themes of the album speaks on the experience of transition through the teenage years and progressing into young adulthood. I think this is why I resonate with the album with “Down” being my personal favorite. I would often hear others talking about having a go-to song which calms them down, some even take it a step further and make an entire playlist based solely on moods. As someone who listens to any and everything, I never had one.That was until I found this song, as soon as I heard it, I then began to understand exactly what a comfort song is. It is like a wave of calmness washes over me as soon as I hear this song, and based on the lyrics I can see that was exactly what they were going for.
“Down” is mainly a R&B song but other elements are also present. The opening vocals in the intro are similar to the vocals that would be heard during an opera show. These opera-like sounds are heard throughout the track. This also goes for the harmonies that the two create with their voices, which can be heard in the background. It is one of those songs where something is always going on, especially in the background. There is a mix of lead vocals that are loud and clear while the background vocals take on a more light and airy tone. During the chorus we see a change in the tempo as the bass comes in heavy. But it is not too harsh to change up the mood of the song, instead it fits smoothly as it adds to the calming feel.
The aspect of the song that sticks out the most are the vocals. The airy tone sounds beautiful and angel-like. The main message of the song is that sometimes when life is too much it is okay to sit back and relax. This would explain why the choice of sound was more light and airy instead of with more of an edge. It is especially evident in the chorus as we can hear how the pronunciation becomes different. Instead of saying slow as is, instead they drag out the word and then pronounce it as “slooowww” before they then proceed to sing down. They are acting out the word at the same time as it is being sung. It is little things like this that adds onto the serene feel of the song. As they sing about taking a moment to relax, every aspect of the song is made to replicate that exact action. Lyric wise, “Down” is a mellow anthem about taking a moment to calm your nerves. But Chloe x Halle take it a step further to ensure that this song, from the smooth instrumentals to the soft lead and background vocal arrangements, would be the perfect one to play during that time.
Terms:
R&B:Rhythm and blues. A musical style that grew out of Black American blues, boogie-woogie, Gospel, roadhouse piano/guitar duos and other influences mostly from the Southern United States.-Wikipedia Glossary of Jazz and Popular Music
Opera:A drama set to music, usually sung throughout, originating in 17th century Italy. Opera is a combination of music, drama, scenery, costumes, dance, etc., to create a complete art form.-Music Notes Glossary of Musical Terms
Harmony:A harmony is when multiple tones from multiple sources come together simultaneously, in a pleasing way. When you play all the notes of a chord, you’re creating a type of harmony. The strumming of notes on a guitar can create a harmony; an orchestra of instruments playing together creates a harmony; and two or more voices singing together can create a harmony.-Spotify Glossary of Music Terms
Bass-Name used for the largest (normally) instrument in a family of instruments. For example Bass Guitar.-Songstuff Glossary
Tempo-The pace of a piece of music is known as its tempo. Tempo can be measured by beats per minute, or bpm; classical music tempos are described by a set of terms ranging from larghissimo (very slow) to andante (a moderate speed) to prestissimo (very fast).-Spotify Glossary of Music Terms
Chorus-The chorus is intended to be the most memorable part of the song. It is repeated several times so that it sticks in your mind. Several other tricks are used to help it stick.Commonly a chorus:Contrasts with the verse, rhythmically, melodically, lyrically, harmonically and / or dynamically.A chorus is repeated at least once, both musically and lyrically. Usually several times.It is more intense, has more energy. A chorus usually has a greater musical and emotional intensity than the verse.Lyrically:The main message and /or concept is expressed in the chorus.-Songstuff Glossary
Mellow-Reduced high frequencies, not Edgy. –Describing Sounds: A Glossary
I really loved the song Dominique chose for her record club, while I was listening to it I was literally swooning to the music. That song will definitely be added to my playlist for as Dominique said specific moods. This sort of song I would listen to on a rainy or cloudy day or like a winter/summer night when you’re in a mellow mood and just want to listen to something calming. The tone of the song was very heavenly and airy. The beat drops so smoothly is doesn’t really effect the mood of the song, instead it just gets you moving along with it.
The song that i chose is “Get It Together” by Indie Arie. From the lyrics of the song, to the beat and the tone, entirely it’s so mellow. The genre of this song is neo soul, it was released in 2002. This was the first song that popped into my head while listening to the song Dominique chose. Anyone who’s watched shark tale must be familiar with this song. This is my go to song, for whenever i want to listen to something soft. With a low beat. Just like the song “Down”, this song also creates a harmony with a few voices during the chorus. The backup singers come in and out of the chorus, with a constant slow tempo. I love the lyrics of this song, it’s very uplifting, an example “no matter what anybody says, what matters most is what you think of yourself.” The lyrics just add on the to the softness and calmness of the song. Towards the end her pitch goes high and then she sings back in her normal tone. The transition is almost like a climax in the song, yet continues the subtle tone that it is in.
TERMS:
Neo Soul: Heavily based in soul music, neo soul is distinguished by a less conventional sound than its contemporary R&B counterpart, with incorporated elements ranging from funk, jazz fusion, hip hop, and African music to pop, rock, and electronic music. Wikipedia
Beat: In music and music theory, the beat is the basic unit of time, the pulse, of the mensural level. The beat is often defined as the rhythm listeners would tap their toes to when listening to a piece of music, or the numbers a musician counts while performing, though in practice this may be technically incorrect. Wikipedia
Harmony: A harmony is when multiple tones from multiple sources come together simultaneously, in a pleasing way. When you play all the notes of a chord, you’re creating a type of harmony. The strumming of notes on a guitar can create a harmony; an orchestra of instruments playing together creates a harmony; and two or more voices singing together can create a harmony.-Spotify Glossary of Music Terms
Chorus: The chorus is intended to be the most memorable part of the song. It is repeated several times so that it sticks in your mind. Several other tricks are used to help it stick.Commonly a chorus:Contrasts with the verse, rhythmically, melodically, lyrically, harmonically and / or dynamically.A chorus is repeated at least once, both musically and lyrically. Usually several times.It is more intense, has more energy. A chorus usually has a greater musical and emotional intensity than the verse.Lyrically:The main message and /or concept is expressed in the chorus.-Songstuff Glossary
Mellow: Reduced high frequencies, not Edgy. –Describing Sounds: A Glossary
Tempo: The pace of a piece of music is known as its tempo. Tempo can be measured by beats per minute, or bpm; classical music tempos are described by a set of terms ranging from larghissimo (very slow) to andante (a moderate speed) to prestissimo (very fast).-Spotify Glossary of Music Terms
Tone: An interval consisting of two semitones, that is a whole step.The particular sound of an instrument or voice, as well as the performer’s particular coloring of that sound. https://www.freemusicdictionary.com/definition/tone/
Pitch: Pitch is the frequency of a sound—how high or low it is in relation to other sounds. A high frequency, produced by rapid vibration, creates a high pitch; a low frequency, produced by slow vibration, creates a low pitch. The chromatic scale contains 12 musical pitches.－Spotify for Artists
I love the song Dominique shared with us for record club. It definitely had that entrainment quality; it was hard to stay still and not vibe in some way to it. Chloe x Halle have a unique lightness and angelic sound that still makes me want to dance. I’m grateful that Dominique shared this with us. It’s already been added to my playlist.
I chose a song I felt had similar qualities, ‘Goodie Bag’ by the artist Still Woozy. In this song you can certainly hear the R&B influences. The artist uses his falsetto voice during the chorus and to harmonize with himself in the verses. His falsetto and harmonies give this song a similar airy feeling to ‘Down’. Just like ‘Down’ the bass comes in heavy after the initial introduction of the song. I feel that it holds the tempo and balances the lightness and creates the strong entrainment that these songs share.
Terms
Bass: The lowest part in a musical composition.
Entrainment: The synchronization (e.g. foot tapping) of organisms to an external perceived rhythm such as human music & dance.
Falsetto: Male voice above usual bass or tenor range, an effect accomplished by using only half of the vocal cords.
Harmony: When two or more individual notes are played simultaneously to form a cohesive whole.
R&B: Rhythm and blues. A musical style that grew out of Black American blues, boogie-woogie, Gospel, roadhouse piano/guitar duos and other influences mostly from the Southern United States.
Tempo: Time, the overall speed of a piece of music.