Blog Four: Song Deconstruction

Bon Iver-Skinny Love

LISTENING FRAMEWORK

                                              SONG: Skinny Love by Bon Iver

LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)

Source— The guitar and later the bass drum along with stomping and clapping.

Time/Tempo— Somewhere between Adante and Moderato

Groove— Light, flow

LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation— Guitar, bass drum, stomping, clapping

Structure/Organization— Intro/Verse/Verse/Chorus/Verse/Repeat Chorus/Verse/Finale

Emotional Architecture— Builds overtime by adding something other than guitar and his voice by adding in bass drum, clapping and stomping.  Adds more than just a simple guitar riff and becomes louder on the chorus along with stronger singing.

LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

 -        Height— Low chords mixed with higher chords to create nice balance. Has a higher singing voice.

 -        Width— Longer bass tone of chord on guitar and most prominent in left ear (panned left). Quite balanced overall.

 -        Depth— Makes guitar loudest at points to keep bass in background and sometimes reverses.

Childish Gambino- I Got This Money

LISTENING FRAMEWORK

SONG: I Got This Money by Childish Gambino

LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)

Source— Bass drum, bass guitar, synth

Time/Tempo— Allegro

Groove— Pulse, behind the beat (the synths  are mixing behind the bass in the beginning and throughout piece)

LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation— Bass drum and general drums, bass guitar, synths, guitar, chimes

Structure/Organization— Intro/Chorus/Verse 1/Bridge/Chorus/Verse 2/Bridge/Chorus/Finale

Emotional Architecture— Builds up to verse two and then afterwards goes back to a less climactic song, but then builds back up after the last chorus in the finale.

LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

-     Height— Chimes high, voice is high and some synths are high while the bass drum and guitar are very low, along with some of the synths.

-     Width— The guitar part on the bridge is a bit more panned to the right. Overall, the song has a natural panning sound due to the synths, but it is actually quite balanced between the right and left.

-     Depth— The bass drum is most powerful at the beginning and then the pulses of the synth become louder. Later on the Synths layer over the chimes. Also, the guitar is most prominent in the chorus and then the drums layer over the guitar. There are some vibes on the last chorus that are strongest and suddenly the synth and drumset take over. A lot of depth was given naturally through the synths as well.

“Skinny Love” by Bon Iver and “I Got This Money” by Childish Gambino are extremely different from one another.  There are a couple comparisons that can be made between the two.  They relate to each other when it comes to melody.

Each melody sounds different overall, but when you break them down into components, there are similarities.  Both songs are very catchy.  I have found myself walking around singing them more times than I can count.  Along with being catchy, they are simple to sing.  The melody is something you can hum along to or sing to if you know the words.  These songs are very simple in regard to the melody alone.  They have higher range melodies for the most part.  “Skinny Love” is a bit lower, but they are not at a low range. 

In every other regard, I find the songs to contrast a lot.  The lyrics in “Skinny Love” are meaningful with a strong message behind them.  Bon Iver requires the listener to give it some thought, while Childish Gambino sings about the fact that he has money and wants to spend it on a woman.  “I Got This Money” is repetitive whereas “Skinny Love” is more complex.

Both songs have almost opposite musical quality.  “Skinny Love” is a slower-paced song with regular and simple rhythm.  The intensity is soft during the verses, and loud during the chorus.  The pitch of the song is pretty moderate.  It has moments where it is higher, but is something I would consider to stick within the middle range.  The timbre of the song is very simple and balanced.  It has normal pitches and not much panning.  “I Got This Money” is opposite of these qualities.  The speed of the song is fast, allegro.  The rhythm of the song compliments itself.  The bass in the song is regular, while the synth sounds are irregular.  It is very loud for the most part.  The pitch of the song is high overall, but the bass drives the song forward for the most part.  Its timbre is complex.  The synths allow for a natural panning between right and left and the pitches of the song are high and low.  As for the organization, it is pretty sporadic, but can be followed lyrically.

“Skinny Love” and “I Got This Money” are on two sides of the spectrum.  Not to mention they are different types of music.