A Genetic Taxonomy of Through-Composition in Post-Millennial ock Brad Osborn hodes College BradThomasOsborn@gmail.com Example 1: Formal Design of The Beatles, Happiness is a Warm Gun (1968) Section Section Clock Description Time I A (intro) 0:01 She s not a girl who misses much [Am7-6 Em] B 0:14 She s well acquainted [Dm Am] II C (transition) 0:44 Guitar foreshadows need a fix theme; moves to 68 time. C 0:58 I need a fix cause I m goin down [A7 C Am] D 1:1 Mother Superior jump the gun. [A7 C A7 G], alternating 9- and 10-beat groupings III E 1:4 Happiness is a warm gun [C Am F G]; du wop backing vocals continue until end E 1:48 When I hold you (each previous chord reduced from 4 beats to ) E 2:05 Happiness (44 restored, vocal improvising), ends on F minor (borrowed iv) E 2:22 2:44 Lennon s PAC on C5 begins chorus-dependent outro Example 2: Punnett Square of Through-Composed Types One-Part Forms (O) Monothematic (M) Type I: One-Part Monothematic <O, M> Polythematic (P) Type III: One-Part Polythematic <O, P> Multi-Part Forms (G) Type II: Multi-Part Monothematic <G, M> Type IV: Multi-Part Polythematic <G, P>
Osborn, Post-Millennial ock, 2 Example : Formal Design of Sleepy Eyes of Death, Mean Time Till Failure (2007) Section Section Clock Time Description (Ø) A 0:01 Fuzzy guitars and drums, iley synth loop, synth pads on twochord theme [F Am] A 0:6 Guitar lead changes direction upward over second chord A 1:07 Vocoders added to [F Am] theme A 2:12 Drums and fuzzy guitar exit, only iley synth and two-chord pads left A 2:50-4:21 iley synth faded out gradually, only two-chord pad left with soft lead Example 4a: Two-chord theme in Mean Time Till Failure (2007, 0:01 2:50) "iley" loop Lead synth Synth pads (reduction) Example 4b: hythm Section Groove in Mean Time Till Failure (2007, 0:01 0:6) Electric Guitar (overdrive and thick delay) Tremolo picking 4 w w Electric Bass Drum Set (ad libitum) F AmE 4 4 w w E. Bass F AmE
Example 5: Pro Tools Screenshot of Sleepy Eyes of Death, Pierce the Air (2009) Osborn, Post-Millennial ock,
Osborn, Post-Millennial ock, 4 Example 6: Formal Design of Mew, Chinaberry Tree (2005) Section Section Clock Time Description I Intro 0:01 Bass and drums 44 groove established A 0:04 enters [Em Am F C Em] A 0:28 [F-C] truncated progression, repeated lyric Transition 0:48 Moves to 4 II Intro 0:59 New 9-beat bass and drums groove B 1:04 returns [Em Am F C Em] B 1:5 Higher vocal tessitura, [F C] progression B 1:45 More metrical dissonance, PAC at end III C 2:05 [C Em Dm F] x2 Outro 2:7 : Sustained low C, shifting upper partials Example 7a: A Section Melody and Groove in Mew, Chinaberry Tree (2005, 0:04) In pa-ra-llel seas where would I be my first love Bass Drums said to me. Tears out for the world to see... Bass
Osborn, Post-Millennial ock, 5 Example 7b: B Section Melody and Groove in Mew, Chinaberry Tree (2005, 1:04) Piano Electric Bass Drum Set 4 4 4 4 Em Œ Œ Don't in-ter-fere part of her back was Am Œ Œ j Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ j Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Pno. E. Bass 4 fro - zen for the re - main - der of the war. 4 w F C Em Œ Œ Œ j 4 Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ 4 Œ Œ
Osborn, Post-Millennial ock, 6 Example 8: Formal Design of The Chariot, Back to Back (2007) Section Section Clock Time Description (Ø) Intro 0:01 Noise, then staccato 5 in unison A 0:20 17 groove with vocals Transition 0:54 Metrical flux, staccato groove liquidated B 0:58 9, 11 groove; vocals tacet C 1:10 44 oh my god repeated lyric Outro 1:26 1: Only drums and vocals Example 9: Formal Design of Drowningman, Black Tie Knife Fight (2000) Section Section Clock Time Description (Ø) A 0:01 Structured as one compound unit, played twice back to back Transition 0:5 Stop-time B 0:44 44, 44, 24 repeated ostinato C 0:5 Syncopated 44 groove D 1:04 Double-time way up high, looking down D 1:24 Half-time, say goodbye Transition 1:44 Stop-time gestures E 1:56 Double-kick drum flourishes Transition 2:25 78 groove with tempo change F 2:5 Different double-kick syncopated flourish G 2:46 Vocals enter at 2:56, 44 quieter, only slightly dirty guitars. H :27 Instrumental 44, ascending guitar lead Outro :48 4:10 Solo bass guitar under held chord Example 10: Formal Design of Dillinger Escape Plan, Sugar Coated Sour (1999) Section Section Clock Description Time (Ø) Intro 0:01 Virtuosic guitar and drums A 0:0 Fragmented th -note patterns B 0:28 Ascending scale patterns C 0:40 Quiet guitar solos leading to grand pause with ride cymbal D 0:5 74 repeated ostinato D 1:17 74 continues with rolling bass drum and solo guitar feature Transition 1:28 Stop time gesture introduced E 1:9 Stop time gestures build 54 groove F 1:51 Vocals enter over new groove Outro 2:15 2:24 Disintegration of groove into pulsed snare rolls
Osborn, Post-Millennial ock, 7 Example 11: Intro and A Section Groove in The Chariot, Back to Back (2007, 0:20) (screamed) Electric Guitar (drop A tuning) Drum Set 2 8 2 8 2 5 # # # # r # r # r # r # r # r 2 8 5 2 5 2 free time: "this is the last chance you get!" r J 17 r r r r :5 r we both know we're both gon - na die there's a 17 # r # # # r r 17 r :5 diffe rence withyou andi you want peace but re fuse the fight, so shake hands # # # r # # # r 1 1 1 1 1 r 17 with change to night. # # 17 ΠJ - Bathe... 17 j J r 1
Osborn, Post-Millennial ock, 8 Example 12: Section A of Drowningman, Black Tie Knife Fight (2007, 0:01) (screamed) Try and stab me mo - ther fuck - er you Electric Guitar (Tuned up a 12 step in Drop D#) Drum Kit can't hit what you can't see all these lights are blin - ding Let's (voice 2) go! let's do it! let's go! you sack of shit let's go! let's do it! let's go! you sack of shit.
Osborn, Post-Millennial ock, 9 Example 1: Section D in Dillinger Escape Plan, Sugar Coated Sour (1999, 0:5) (screamed) Electric Guitar (distorted) Drum Set 4 7 Y ΠΠY Π4 7b b 4 7 Take a bow, you de - serve it. Eat shit, you earned it. b b ΠY Life would be b b so much bet-ter if you did not ex - ist. ΠΠ# n b b b b J 6 Example 14: Formal Design of adiohead, 2+2=5 (200) Section Section Clock Time Description I Intro 0:01 Low D with channel switching, spoken: That s a nice way to start, Johnny A 0:14 Guitar riff [Fm Fsus2E] establishes F minor key and 7-beat tala A 0:25 Vocals enter: Are you such a dreamer [Fm Fsus2E, F7E- D7 Gm Fadd6 CE] A 0:5 I lay down the tracks, Section A s two-part motivic structure now apparent B 1:22 It s the Devil s way now, voicehi-hat and guitar polyrhythm II C 1:54 Abrupt change to rock-steady 44, full band, overdriven guitars, etc. [Fm FmE D- C, E- D- C] You have not been paying attention D 2:26 Instrumental interlude [A-F and B-C dyads]; sets up groove for E E 2:9 [B- F] motive in voice and guitar in parallel sixths E :01 Drums drop out, vocal solo, drums re-enter
Osborn, Post-Millennial ock, 10 Example 15: Section A in adiohead, 2+2=5 (200) Electric Guitar (drop D tuning) bb b b b b b b 4 7 bb b b 7 bb b b 4 nw Are (wchannel switching) Introduction Fm (C, Db, B-natural=motive x) Fm j j n Fsus2E (or) Csus4E j j j j n j n you such a dream - er to put the world to rights Fsus2E I'll stay home for - ev - er where two Fm Fsus2E F7E Fm Fsus2E (C-F-C-G-F-E= motive y) and two 2 Œ Ó j j n j j n bb b b j j j j b b b b j j n n j n b bb b b al - ways makes (a) fi - ve. D7(Vii) j b b n b b # j b n j n Gm(ii) n n n n j J n n Fadd6(cadential) C(V#)
Osborn, Post-Millennial ock, 11 DISCOGAPHY The Beatles. The Beatles ( The White Album ). Apple, 1968. The Chariot. The Fiancée. Solid State, 2007. The Dillinger Escape Plan. Calculating Infinity. elapse, 1999. Drowningman. How They Light Cigarettes in Prison. evelation, 2000. Mew. And The Glass Handed Kites. Sony, 2005. adiohead. Hail to the Thief. Capitol, 200. Sleepy Eyes of Death. Street Lights For a ibcage. Sleep Capsule, 2007.. Dark Signals. Mass Movement, 2009. *This presentation builds upon a significant amount of research and transcription I conducted as part of my dissertation, which is available for downloaded on the web, along with recordings of the transcribed examples: Osborn, Brad. 2010. Beyond Verse and Chorus: Experimental Formal Structures in Post- Millennial ock Music. PhD diss., University of Washington. <https:digital.lib.washington.eduxmluihandle17715910>