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WRI-101: Voice, Noise, Sound, Sense.

A section of Davidson College's Writing Program, exploring the intersections of sound-studies and writing instruction.

pamullinax

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Authentic Appreciation

While it may not always be a factor in one’s enjoyment of music, the manner in which songs come to be can greatly impact one’s appreciation of them. Whether this be the cultural influences on music, the life story of the artist, or something else impacting the song, the reasons for songs being as they are, are important. These influences can help to enhance the meaning behind songs, but lack of influences can also be a downfall for them. Without true influences, songs can be fake. They attempt to be something they’re not and it results in a lack of appreciation. With music, this can manifest itself as cultural influences defining a genre or cultural appropriation ending a career. For me, this is something I have found to greatly impact my opinions on different songs and artists that I have listened to throughout this class. From Outkast and Bluegrass to Iggy Azalea, their creation of songs and how they go about it is a point I have begun to take into consideration when listening to music.  Regardless of how influence or life stories may manifest itself, whether positively or negatively, the creation of a song, and the causes for it, impact my appreciation and reception of it.

In the late 90s Outkast burst onto the hip hop scene with a new Southern Sound. They had accents, different intonations, and talked about “fish n’ grits”. While this originally caused them to be literal outcasts, it kept them authentic. They stayed true to their Atlanta roots and became representative of a whole city. Their sound wasn’t manufactured, it was natural and it was distinctly Atlantan. This kind of authentic sound is why I love their music. There are other reasons as well, such as their sheer lyrical ability and their unique beats, but it is their authenticity that sets them apart. As someone from Georgia, I can appreciate some of their references and influences more than most. They aren’t trying to talk about Hollywood or New York, but instead they have a song called “Spaghetti Junction”, an interchange in Atlanta I grew up driving though hundreds of times. This is precisely the type of reference I pointed out in my piece on them from earlier in the year, where I specifically point out how “Outkast [is] appealing to the South” due to its references and recognizable feel (Mullinax). This perfectly shows how authentic they are in their music and why is appeals to me. The authenticity of their music is a large factor in why I appreciate it so much.

In the same way that Outkast’s sound was a product of the area they came from, so too was the sound of Bluegrass. Early Bluegrass musicians weren’t trying to be some radical new sound that the country hadn’t seen before, but instead they were embracing their culture. The Irish immigrants that settled in the Blue Ridge Mountains brought with them fiddle tunes. Slaves brought over during the 17th and 18th centuries introduced banjos to the South. Over the next couple centuries, the locals simply picked these instruments up and started playing. The natural way that this style of music manifested itself helps to give it its authentic sound. Just like Outkast appealed to me because of my southern roots and my appreciation for authenticity, so too does Bluegrass. Perhaps I am biased, having grown up around it, but I also love that when songs tell stories they are real stories from the homes of the artists. Whether it be a old mountain tune or a modern fiddle melody, the tradition of Bluegrass that connects the old and new is almost unparalleled by any other genre. This is just about as authentic as it gets, and as I pointed out in my previous piece, “Just like Outkast, Bluegrass was finding national success without abandoning its roots” (Mullinax). This is a big reason why I appreciate it so much.

Although authenticity has been a reason for me loving certain music, the lack of it can have the opposite effect. Iggy Azalea’s music has always been under scrutiny due to her past. It’s not that she has a criminal record or that she was trying to run away from bad decisions. In fact, in a way it’s because she has none of that. While that’s not entirely true, the reason she is scrutinized is due to her not quite fitting the mold of rap despite desperately wanting to. She didn’t have the hard life growing up that so many rappers did. She didn’t face racism for her skin color. She didn’t have any of the negative experiences that so many rappers use as fuel for their songs. That being said, some of her music was well received. It wasn’t that she was a bad lyricist, though many people may disagree. It also wasn’t that her songs were bad. She managed to find plenty of commercial success early on with hits like “Fancy”, which managed to hit the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 list. While the rapping and beats were there, a good performance doesn’t always mean a good song. I pointed this out in my previous writing when talking about how Taylor Swift “delivers a great vocal performance….but she still failed to do the song justice” in reference to her cover of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “September” (Mullinax). Just like Taylor Swift, Iggy Azalea’s problem wasn’t just with her actual music, but the way it came to be. Iggy didn’t respect the genre or the culture surrounding it. On many occasions she was called out for this blatant disrespect and it let to her downfall. She wasn’t authentic in the realm of rap. She didn’t fit the bill and instead became accused of cultural appropriation, disrespect, and more. For me personally, her lack of authenticity is a large part in how I responded to her music. It didn’t sound real. It sounded fake, as though someone were doing a poor job pretending to be hardcore, which is exactly what happened. She wasn’t authentic, and that is why myself, and many others, couldn’t like her music.

Authenticity or the lack thereof became more apparent to me throughout my writing as the biggest factor in my appreciation of music.

Citations

Mullinax, Paul. “The Southern Sound of Then and Now.” Writing 101: Voice, Noise, Sound, Sense, March 24, 2019,
http://www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com/blog/uncategorized/the-southern-sound-of-then-and-now/

Hope, Clover. “The Making and Unmaking of Iggy Azalea.” Jezebel, Jezebel, 2 Nov. 2018, jezebel.com/the-making-and-unmaking-of-iggy-azalea-1797030869.

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The Manufactured Soundscape

The Soundscape of a library is one that is encountered daily by most students at Davidson College and impact their study habits. In this project, I compare and contrast the different levels of of the library and how their different soundscapes came to be and what kind of environment this creates. I look at furniture layout, architectural design, and even how different purposes on different levels create positive feedback loops to help sustain the soundscape. The recordings show the different feelings created by different types of soundscapes which impacts the type of studying done in an environment, from relaxed to serious.

            The Davidson soundscape is one that combines both natural, urban, and educational influences for the betterment of its students. While some soundscapes are simply a result of how a place took shape, something like a college has more intentional meaning behind the design of its spaces. For Davidson this is most evident in the Little Library, a space designed and regulated to have unique soundscapes on the different levels. While the entire building is meant to be a study space and a place for students to come when they need different resources, these amenities present themselves in a specific way on each floor.

            To properly understand soundscapes and how I will talk about soundscapes, first I need to establish the terms I will be using to talk about it. In Schafer’s piece “The Soundscape” he identifies different types of sound. There is noise, which he defines as the sounds that have become such an integral part of the environment that they blend in and are mostly unnoticeable. There are keynotes which stand out and catch our attention. There are also signals which stand out like keynotes but also deliver information, such as an alarm or a ringtone. Lastly there are soundmarks, which like landmarks, we seek out or make for the purpose of listening to it. These are the terms I will be using to talk about the three levels of the library and how they sound.

            The first floor of the library is almost contradictory in its sound. It is simultaneously a place where students flock everyday and yet despite the numbers, it is relatively quiet (at times). There is still plenty of noise on this floor. From the hushed conversations around the room, to the click clack of a computer, or the flipping of pages and pens, the room is full of sounds that have become part of the environment and become ignored unless you are aiming to listen to them. Occasionally a signal will pierce the calm but active soundscape of the room. This could be in the form of a computer alerting its user that it is low in battery or a phone letting someone know they are getting a call. These sounds are ones we are always ready to respond to. Even if it is not my phone ringing I may check to see if I have any notifications waiting for me on my phone. If I hear a computer saying it needs to be plugged in, then I will check to see how my computer is doing. As time passes when I sit in the library, I may occasionally hear a tour group come in. This sound is distant but is enough to make me more aware of my surroundings. It becomes a keynote in a way. Because it gets louder, I almost wake up from ignoring the sounds around me and suddenly become more aware of the presence of others. In most cases, these distractions would cause students, myself included, to listen to music. Having music available as a soundmark helps me to turn signals and keynotes into noise, or the sounds I have learned to ignore. Its almost like how stubbing your toe makes you forget all about how your hand hurts. Even if music isn’t perfect silence, it becomes the only thing I hear. All of these sounds can change. As the sound levels of the room ebb and flow, so too does the definition of these words. What normally might be noise in a louder environment can become a keynote in a quiet one. When the library becomes more still, even the scratching of pencil can be heard more clearly cutting through the silence, changing it from being a noise to a keynote that brings me back to awareness of the world.

            While this soundscape is not all that unique, the reason it has come to be is. The reasons behind the manifestation of this has to do with the purposes of the space. First and foremost, it is a study space. This is why so many people come together and yet there is still almost a hushed vibe to it all. While it is quieter than most spots on campus, the first floor still has plenty of background sounds thanks to the set up and purpose. Beyond just being a study space, the first floor of the library is great for working in a group or with friends in a social environment. This is reflected in the furniture throughout the room. There are long tables that can accommodate large groups and loads of tables for smaller groups. Also, these places where people may study are not strictly separated. You can see clear across the room without any visual or auditory obstacles. What results is a more relaxed environment. The space is not so stressfully quiet that you can’t work but it also isn’t so loud that you routinely get distracted. It is for this reason that the space was designed like this.

The library’s second floor soundscape has some similar features to the first level. You can still hear faint conversations from the floor below, but they are more dampened. The sound of typing and pages turning is still apparent, even more so than on the first floor. When I am up there I can hear the sounds of lights humming and the AC working. Each cough, sneeze, and movement stands out far more than before. More than anything when I’m there, I become aware of my own sounds. I hear the typing, my breathing, and my shifting more so than before. It’s nice and its quiet but not unsettling. There’s enough background sound from the space around me that I can still settling into my own bubble.

The explanation for this floor’s soundscape is the same of the first floor in that is meant for a certain type of studying. On the second floor study spots are more isolated. While there are still tables for a couple of people, these are separated by bookshelves. This dampens the sound of the area and isolates each study spot. Also on this floor are study carrels, desks that while connected, have dividers between them. This creates more isolation allowing for more focused and individual studying. This individual studying also means there are less people on this floor. With less people, there is bound to be less noise as well. While the second floor is certainly much quieter than the first level, there is still plenty of ambient noise from people studying. They are focused on individual work but are not concerned with keeping the space silent. Part of the ambient sound comes from the design of the floor as well. The stairs walking up the second floor have a large opening that is connected to both the first floor and the entrance. On the other side of the floor is a balcony of sorts. It leaves a large open area in the ground connecting them to first floor. Both of these spots let sound trickle in from the floor below. It isn’t nearly as loud but the conversations and movement below is still heard on the second level. What this creates is a relaxed environment that allows for serious study. The people there can focus and do good work but still be surrounded by others and not feel alone in their work.

While the first and second floors have a feeling of focus without isolation, the basement is much different. Down there it feels as though there is nothing but me. All I hear is the faint sound of the AC through the walls. I cannot even tell if anyone else is down there. There is no typing, no pages, no scrawling of pens, just me. Each time I shift my weight I feel as though I am interrupting someone’s work. I try to calm my breath as to not disturb the silence. Even as someone walks by, it feels empty. Each clack of my keys sounds like the dropping of a shampoo bottle in a shower; loud and disruptive beyond what I thought it was capable of. I don’t want to adjust my position for fear of my backpack making a sound. I am legitimately worried about creating sounds.

      The earie feeling of being in the library’s basement is again created by the intended purpose of the library. The basement has strict rules when it comes to sound. You are supposed to be quiet. Not just trying to keep it down but being near silent. No music, no talking, and nothing disruptive is allowed don’t there. The unsettling feeling created is compounded by the structure and design of the basement. The ceilings down there are much lower than the rest of the library. Along with this, the entrance to the basement is entirely sealed off. There is a glass wall and thick door to ensure no sounds from upstairs will disturb people working. The layout is similar to the second floor with tall bookshelves blocking off the study spaces so that no interaction between students is even feasible. What this environment creates is a place that alerts you to any amount of sound at all. Any motion or presence can be detected almost immediately. It also causes people to want to be quieter. When people hear themselves move because of how quiet it is, it prompts them to remain quieter and thus creates a positive feedback loop.

These three study spaces are each designed to manipulate their soundscapes for the benefit of the type of work that occurs in each space. While on the first floor there is more open space for conversing, on the second flood there is more separation between students, and in the basement floor there is total isolation.

  1. Schafer, R. Murray. “The Soundscape,” in The Sound Studies Reader, edited by Jonathan Sterne, 95–103. New York: Routledge, 2012.
  2. “TEDTalks: David Byrne–How Architecture Helped Music Evolve.” Performance by David Byrne, TEDTalks: How Architecture Helped Music Evolve, TEDTalks, 2010.

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The Southern Sound of Then and Now

OutKast was instrumental to the rap scene of the late 90s and early 2000s and changed the national dynamic of hip hop. By finding success they proved that good hip hop didn’t have to come from New York or L.A. but that it could come from anywhere. Their unique sound helped give the South a new musical identity in a way that they hadn’t had before. In a way they were the first to usher in the Atlanta rap scene, now one of the most well respected in the business. While it may not be their most intense song or their most lyrically active, “Hey Ya” is without a doubt their most recognizable track. The upbeat tempo and energy helped to cement its place as one of the most iconic songs of the last 20 years. Despite the lively sound that the song emits, the lyrics are shockingly depressing and discuss the artists’ troubles with commitment and relationships. This meaning is hidden beneath the beat and rhythm, but in Avriel and the Sequoia’s folksy cover of the song, the song becomes more focused on the vocal talent of the lead singer Avi Kaplan and the meaning behind the lyrics. With a slowed down and acoustic version of the song, the audience can more clearly understand the emotional pain of the artists, but this defeats the original purpose of the song. Andre 3000 meant for the lyrics to be buried underneath he beat and rhythm. The lyrics say that they are “in denial when we know we’re not happy” which is echoed by the happy sound of the song. The song itself is a representation of being in denial about the painful truth that is hidden in plain sight. While the bluegrass cover is a beautifully sung and has a unique take on the song, it fails to deliver the same meaning as the original song. In most cases this would constitute an ignorant and daft cover of a song, but what saves this version from butchering the original song is the cultural identity of the music found in both renditions. The bluegrass cover of “Hey Ya” works because it culturally appropriate to the South.

           To understand how cultural identity, or the lack thereof, can make or break a cover consider last year when Taylor Swift released a cover of “September” by Earth Wind and Fire, an iconic song that has more energy and joy than almost any record in history. Unfortunately, this energy and joy that are integral to the song’s continued success is exactly what Taylor Swift left out. In her rendition of the song, she drastically slows the tempo down, plays a banjo, and gives the song a more somber message about looking back on old times with remorse rather than nostalgia. She delivers a great vocal performance, and the banjo playing is a nice throwback to her southern roots, but she still failed to do the song justice by eliminated what the song stood for. For many people, Swift’s cover was not only insultingly inconsistent with the original, but it also represented a white artist making monetary gains off a black anthem. On top of this, the groove that made the original so widely loved, and was part of what made the song a black anthem, was removed entirely. By doing so she lost the cultural identity that song had. While there is more than one problem with her cover, it was this that put the nail in coffin. 

            Clearly, the cultural identity in a song can help the song to find success, but it can make doing a cover of such a song tricky, especially for a song by Outkast, a group who’s cultural identity was different than anything both hip hop and the South had seen before. During the 80s and early 90s the rap scene was dominated by East Coast (New York) and West Coast (California) rappers. Icons like Tupac and Biggie lead the charge and turned hip hop in America into a very divided culture that didn’t allow for other styles to be welcomed. For rappers in the South this meant they must identify with one or the other, and they did. Despite roots in places like Tennessee, Houston, and New Orleans, rappers would often emulate the ganster rap of the West Coast or the sexually charged story telling of the East Coast. This same phenomenon happened in Atlanta where groups would ignore their southern identity in favor of commercial success across the country. This is where Outkast differed. Their style embraced the culture of Atlanta and the South as a whole as was reflected in their lyrics and sound. In “ATLiens” the group displays their southern roots in their chorus by saying “Throw yo hands in the ay-ur / And wave ’em like you just don’t cay-ur / And if you like fish ’n’ grits and all that pimp shit / Everybody let me hear you say oh-yay-yur!” The use of two syllables instead of one and the mention of fish ‘n’ grits show both how the lyrics themselves are changed, as well as the manner in which they are performed. In their song “Rosa Parks” Andre 3000 recruited his step father, Rev. Robert Hoda, to play harmonica on a mid-song breakdown giving the song the feeling of a hoe down that welcomed all to come to the party. The cultural differences of the South are also seen through songs talking about Cadillacs instead of Mercedes and chicken wings instead of hot dogs.

Not only was Outkast appealing to the South, they were appealing to the true working class of the South. Modern rap from Atlanta has plenty of big names but so much of what they say is about the money and fame they’ve acquired. Even once Outkast reached this level of notoriety, they kept telling stories of poverty and struggle, crime and regret, relationships, tragedy, and more. These melancholy themes may not have been understood by all, but they were deeply respected by the working class of the South, both urban and rural. Using this formula Outkast was able to find major success in the early 2000s, winning 6 Grammys and many other awards, but they started off with a lot of backlash. Because they were different, it was almost as though they were fighting against the rest of the country for not only success but respect. This culminated at the 1995 Source Awards where Outkast accepted the award for best new artist. After receiving jeers and boos from the crowd when walking up, Andre 3000 summed up what all of the South was thinking when he said “The South got something to say.”

Outkast showed the country what true southern identity was through their use of music, and while they were some of the first people to do this through hip hop, Bluegrass had provided the South with a musical cultural identity decades before in a similar way. In the early 1900s, the South was a melting pot of cultures from the people who had settled there in the centuries prior. There were many Irish and Scottish immigrants living in the hills of Southern Appalachia, along with the ancestors of slaves from the many plantations in the coastal plains of the South. These cultures each brought music along with them. From the British Isles, immigrants brought fiddles and step dancing and from Africa slaves brought banjos. What resulted was a type of music that hadn’t before been seen. Over time locals brought in other instruments. The Italian mandolin was brought in to add a percussive off beat. The guitar was introduced to add a fuller sound. And the upright bass was added to provide a deep thumbing rhythm. This unique mix of instruments created a sound that was uniquely southern. In time this traditional music shifted and changed until it became what is now known as Bluegrass. This new genre found commercial success thanks to Bill Monroe. Before him, nearly all bluegrass was played in barns and living rooms across the South, but it hadn’t yet reached the radio. This wasn’t to say that there was a lack of talent in the genre. In fact many performers during the pre-Monroe era found success after Monroe broke the mold. What helped Bill Monroe was his access to get on a national stage. He was integral, not only in establishing the new style, but also in introducing the country to this southern sound. The southern accents and references to southern landmarks had not been heard on a national stage yet. Just like Outkast, Bluegrass was finding national success without abandoning its roots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcTjv4i-mak

In the same way that Outkast had appealed to the working class of the South, so too did Bluegrass. The common themes throughout hip hop and bluegrass are very similar. By talking about things like crime and regret, relationships and their pitfalls, tragedy, and more, bluegrass appealed to the poor rural family of the South. We see these same things in rap. Whether it be a song about the regret one feels even years after committing a crime and seeing the consequences like we see in “Rounder” by Mandolin Orange and “Crown” by Run the Jewels, or being in denial about a failing relationship like we see in “Hey Ya!” by Outkast and “Redeye to Raleigh” by Mipso, there are many correlations amongst the topics these genres revolve around. This is part of what links bluegrass and southern rap of the late 90s through their cultural identity. Both genres have a distinctly southern sound that is expressed through lyrics and diction, both genres were born from and appeal to the working class and their struggle, and both genres were an expression of a community that was ignored on a national stage until a champion came along to help break the mold. Although Avriel and the Sequoias’ rendition of “Hey Ya” might be missing the groove and energy of Outkast’s original song, because it keeps the cultural identity of the South the cover works as a southern anthem in the same way that the initial recording does.  

Citations

  • Carmicheal, Rodney. “The Making of OutKast’s Aquemini: Andre 3000, Big Boi and Cast Look Back on a Classic.” CreativeLoafing, 24 June 2010, creativeloafing.com/content-168326-The-Making-of-OutKast’s-Aquemini. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.
  • Fire, Earth Wind &. “Earth, Wind & Fire – September (Official Music Video).” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Jan. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk.
  •  “Former Pentatonix Singer Avi Kaplan Delivers Cooler Than Cool Bluegrass Cover of Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya!’.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 21 July 2017, www.imdb.com/news/ni61328218.
  • Grem, Darren E. “‘The South Got Something to Say’: Atlantas Dirty South and the Southernization of Hip-Hop America.” Southern Cultures, vol. 12, no. 4, 2006, pp. 55–73., doi:10.1353/scu.2006.0045.
  • Mipso. “Red Eye to Raleigh.” YouTube, YouTube, 17 July 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcTjv4i-mak.
  • Orange, Mandolin. “Mandolin Orange – ‘Rounder’ (Official Audio).” YouTube, YouTube, 5 May 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCFzqWcVuZg.
  • OutKastVideoVault. “OutKast – ATliens (Video).” YouTube, YouTube, 30 July 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktc9hsSfUck.
  • RunTheJewels. “Run The Jewels – Crown (Official VR 360 Music Video).” YouTube, YouTube, 4 May 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCNzOQ2Ok8s.
  • Scoggins, Michael C. The Scotch Irish Influence on Country Music in the Carolinas: Border Ballads, Fiddle Tunes and Sacred Songs. History Press, 2013.
  • Wanshel, Elyse. “Taylor Swift’s Cover Of An Earth, Wind & Fire Classic Is Pissing People Off.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Apr. 2018, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/taylor-swifts-cover-of-an-earth-wind-and-fire-classic-is-pissing-people-off_us_5ad0f015e4b016a07e9c2d10.

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Hiwa K Response

As we’ve begun to talk about soundscapes and what can be conveyed through sound without a voice, I focused on the audio aspects of Hiwa K’s pieces more so than their visual counterparts. The piece who’s audio stuck out to me the most was “This Lemon Tastes of Apple”, a video taken during a riot of some kind. In the video we see (and hear) two men playing a harmonica and a guitar through megaphones. This ominous sound that they play, combined with the screaming and chaos in the streets creates a very surreal scene. The screams and shout of men nearby on their own might be unsettling but the underlying tone of the song creates an overwhelming sense of dread in the listener. As though it were a background song in a movie, the tune adds depth to the piece in a way that helps it become accessible to the audience. Not everyone knows what a riot sounds like, and the majority of those who do have only ever heard it in the news, however everyone knows what long, low pitched, and intense music means. We’ve learned this through music, TV, movies, and more. Video games more than most forms of media with change music to indicate what the situation means. Hiwa K uses this same understanding from different forms of media in his piece in order to allow his audience, a group who is very removed from the violent riots, to better understand the intensity and chaos of the riot.

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