Kuvatud on postitused sildiga muusika. Kuva kõik postitused
Kuvatud on postitused sildiga muusika. Kuva kõik postitused

esmaspäev, 11. oktoober 2021

Science fiction and fantasy in Estonian music videos

This began as a comment reply under Wateva's music video, but quickly expanded into something more.

(all dates are upload dates on YouTube, given here in the dd.mm.yyyy format)

As the comment and this blogpost expanded, I noticed roughly two phases of Estonian music video production.

Based on the songs linked in this post alone, the earlier phase spans the years 2014–2017. Its main characteristic is Estonian nature in a romantic setting, often interlinked with various elements of fantasy, as ancient Estonians were once fond of finding a spirit in each item, even a rock.

Estonian Fantasy and Nature

In 2014, Trad.Attack! released a fantasy-themed production Kuukene / Moon (15.07.2014) with the Moon as the main character in the song and video, filled with flying Estonian berries and greenery (and plenty of fan service :).

In 2015, Kõrsikud released "Tähetolm" ("Stardust") (uploaded on 15.05.2015), with space-based lyrics, including a passage of an 'angel's wings'.

In 2016, the Mother Earth theme was introduced in Kerli's "Feral Hearts" (25.02.2016), which contains strong fantasy elements set in beautiful Estonian nature.

Curly Strings also produced a magical video, one of the few having the Estonian winter as the main character: Hommik (09.03.2016)

A year after that, Trad.Attack! released a beautiful and emotionally risible song and video Säde / Spark (02.04.2017). The video depicts a flying golden spehere (a disco ball) in the dark of the night spreading around magical energy and life across the the nature of my country. As it was, Arthur C. Clarke's quote puts it best: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

The same month of that year, Trad.Attack! published Imepuu / Magic Tree (21.04.2017). The pipe sounds are perhaps too imposing at the start. But the video shows the band playing next to a "magical" tree (in Estonia, obv.), with three lights as substitutes for yellow spheres.

In the Summer that followed, Curly Strings dropped "Miks sa murrad mind" (06.07.2017), showing amazing flyover scenes of Estonian nature. No special effects or anything.

Space, science fiction, and fantasy

The second phase presents a generational shift, and so shows productions from people heavily influenced by science fiction. These would be people who got to see the various Star Trek and Star Wars movies and series, Japanese anime, and much more.

This collection totals six Estonian sci-fi music videos, released in what is a very short three-year timespan of November 2018 and September 2021.

• Nublu – tmt (tujud, mitte tunded) (17.11.2018) — the music is the main point, and the lyric video displays a shiny animation of a viewer's point-of-view traversing above the ground of a sphere;
• nublu x Mikael Gabriel – Universum (06.11.2020) — the video (feat. Valdis in a cameo) is shinier than the music, but features both space and a planet suffering various stages of apocalypse;

2021

Alone in the year 2021, Estonian musicians have released four music videos featuring heavy science fiction. (I'm not in any way claiming 'realistic' or 'hard' sci-fi.).

Much of the same energy musically and thematically is cast in their videos: dark undercurrents in music, dystopia, and apocalypse and the Earth (or a random planet) —

• Maarja Nuut & Ruum – Kuud Kuulama (NOËP remix) (01.03.2021)
• Raul Ojamaa – Moonstrk (feat. NOËP) (lyric voyage) (08.03.2021)
• WATEVA ft. Manna - Disposable Society (03.09.2021)

Thematically, "Kuud Kuulama" presents an apocalypse, "Moonstrk" has that same world in a post-apocalyptic setting as a follow-up, and Wateva's "Disposable Society" probably depicts the rebirth of Earth.

And the latest splash:

• 5Miinust – "Koptereid" (24.09.2021) — a dystopian anime cartoon in Japanese style, with car chases, blood and and gore, and a fight between good and evil. Space is probably adjunct to the main themes of the video. I won't link to it due to its adult themes, but it's searchable on YouTube.

In the first three, the dark undercurrents as one of the backing sounds (for fail of knowing a better term) are now characteristic to modern Estonian music, and the use of background undercurrents in contemporary compositions shows the maturity of Estonian-made soundscapes.

I'd noticed a similar trend in 1990s music from mostly the United States, the music of which was then at its very height, and UK and Canadian songs of that same decade, which could have erroneously been construed as having originated in America. So there was a lot of influence to and fro.

reede, 23. september 2016

A shortlist of composers for SGU

Joel Goldsmith was the score composer for Stargate Universe -- a short-lived, but high-quality science fiction tv series. His music for SGU made a lasting impression on me. The son of Jerry Goldsmith, Joel passed away in 2012, and he left very large shoes to fill.

So, here's a shortlist of musicians I would consider to compose music for any future iteration of Stargate Universe (hopefully a continuation).

People who have contributed a lot to science fiction and fantasy, and who are now major composers:
* Brian Tyler -- Best-known for his piece from Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, which featured in the first trailer for Star Trek 2009. Tyler also contributed to Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Regeneration". Track here. Tyler is now known for his work on major action movies.
* Steve Jablonsky -- Desperate Housewives (the theme is best-known), The Island, Ender's Game. Major composer, lots of movies.
* Ramin Djawadi -- Thunderbirds (film), Prison Break, Game of Thrones, The Island (additional music).

Other film and television composers:
* Ty Unwin -- BBC's documentary series: Earth, Space, Journey to the Edge of the Universe, The Incredible Human Journey, and several others.
* Leonard J. Paul -- The Corporation (documentary)
* Peter Golub -- Countdown to Zero (documentary)

Musicians who have written scores for films:
* Trent Reznor / Nine Inch Nails -- The Social Network, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (U.S. version)
* Pärt Uusberg -- In the Crosswind (Risttuules)

Musicians who should and would, given the opportunity:
* Front Line Assembly -- pioneering work in Techno-Industrial, soundtrack for the AirMech game
* Mike Foyle & Signalrunners -- Love Theme Dusk, Shipwrecked.

Composers, who generally don't write for film, but whose works have extensively been used in film and television:
* Arvo Pärt

kolmapäev, 11. mai 2011

2011. Eurovisiooni lauluvõistluse I vooru lemmikud ja tulemused

Esinemisjärjekord  Hinne Igast märkmed
 1.Poola...
2.Norra~"haba haba"
3.Albaania++
4.Armeenia~"boom boom"
5.Türgi...
finaal +6.Serbia++++/super retro ja estraad
finaal7.Venemaa.../vaherepliike vihkan, muidu oleks saanud hinnata
finaal8.Šveits++/aeglane
finaal+9.Gruusia+++/väga elav
finaal+10.Soome++++"Da-da-dam" :>
11.Malta+(shimeil :)
12.San Marino+++
13.Horvaatia++
finaal +14.Island+++/1 pluss oli musi eest ^_^
finaal+15.Ungari+++/geihümn
+16.Portugal+++/for creativity
bööö, sai finaali!17.Leedu+/nõrk, nõrk, nõrk
finaal+18.Aserbaidžaan++++

laupäev, 1. jaanuar 2011

More Ideas for SGU's Future

What I hope and pray for, is to see the continuation of Stargate Universe both as a TV show and a franchise.

My ideas (which I am sure I have written about before) for The Powers That Be:
  • Before and until anything is clear about which television network is to pick up the show, MGM should make and promote a full-feature theatrical movie with the same actors and the same creative cast. The motion picture, if production is quick enough, could be released after Season II concludes on SyFy.
  • Crazy idea: Why not market episodes as movies shown in pictures theatres? You could extend them to be at least 60 minutes long, for example, and the movie market is worldwide and not dependent on revenue from television advertisers (I don't mind product placement that is smart). Make sure to release in different countries near-simultaneously.
  • Some forum posters have talked budget cuts, which I think are wrong. If cuts still happen, then it's best to reduce the number of episodes and not compromise on actors, the creative cast and production values, all of which affect series quality to a good degree.
  • I much appreciate musical montages, so do keep these.
  • If you haven't done that yet, publish an SGU soundtrack compilation both in CD and digital formats and maybe as an add-on in DVD sets (they're not cheap anyway, so value has to be added).
  • In addition to current and very good musical selections, I'd like to hear music in SGU by some of the following acts: One EskimO/Kristian Leontiou, Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor, Frontline Assembly/Delerium (who are in Vancouver, btw), Linkin Park, Sarah McLachlan, maybe even 30 Seconds to Mars and Kanye West. All these musical acts and projects have large and/or dedicated fanbases: having a never-before-released song in some episodes of the show is likely to bring in new viewers (make sure to create positive buzz/tweet beforehand).

laupäev, 13. juuni 2009

Massive Attack, "Unfinished Symphony"

Tegemist on muusika ja videoga, mis 1991. aastast. Video filmiti katkematu ülesvõttena ning see oli tõenäoliselt esimene omataoline videote seas. Teos näitab inglise lauljatari Shara Nelsonit kõndimas mööda Los Angelese West Pico puiesteed ja laulmas, pööramata suurt tähelepanu ümbritsevale reaalsusele tänaval.

Seda videot polnud ma algselt sellel ajal näinud, kuid kui nägin, siis soovisin, et oleksin seda juba 1991. aastal näinud.

Sest laul koos muusikaga on omamoodi ajastudokument, mis näitas tükikest tõelisest Ameerikast, mis on oluliselt rohkemat kui see, mis klantspildil või massidele suunatud filmidest peale paistab. Kui ma kunagi tahaksin näidata kellelegi midagi, mis näitab Ameerikat, siis antud video oleks kogumiku üks osa.

Kompilatsioonis oleks veel järgmised filmid: "25th Hour", "Memento", "Brokeback Mountain", "Good Night and Good Luck" jpt. Võib-olla lisan veel midagi hiljem.

17.07.: Päris hiljutine kommentaar videole (inglise keeles)

19.06.2009. suri Jonny Dollar, kodanikunimega Jonathan Peter Sharp (s. 20.02.1964), kes oli loo ja Massive Attacki tollase albumi "Blue Lines" produtsent. Ta tegi veel suurepärast tööd ka Kylie Minogue' "Confide In Me" loo kallal, Gabrielle'i lugu "Rise" ning Neneh Cherry looming. Dollar suri vähki ja oli 45 aastat vana.