Here you can post songs and music videos which you feel would be good inspirational material for our band.
Since we would like to keep an open approach, as we do not wish for any boundaries or limitations when we feel like going out of our mind, any kind of references will be welcome. Just please keep in mind that for obvious reason (read: available resources) the general style we will achieve may end up in the ranges of electronic rock, alternative metal, industrial, experimental.
As previously stated in the production synopsis, some of our personal all-time favorites are Metallica, System of a Down, Serj Tankian, Rammstein, HIM and Björk. We have posted links to a couple of our favorite songs from each of these authors so to give an idea of what elements / feelings we have in mind. But this should not limit your choice - we are really all up to discover new bands and fall in love with their style thanks to your suggestions!
So just give a shot - both Youtube and Spotify links are very welcome.
David Devant were one of those bands that was deliberately unhinged and silly on the surface, but there was a dark message at the heart of it.
They were very very underrated, IMHO one of the best British bands of the 90s.
Anyway, here's their best song (Ginger), weirdly enough performed inside a mental asylum:
Do you feel born out of time?
Does all the world seem behind you?
You must be ginger
And when you walk down the street
Do people tread on your heels?
And wag a finger?
Have you got plans in your head?
You wish they'd all go drop dead?
Because they don't understand
They think you're from another land
Ginger
It's not the same for you
In another life maybe
We'll all be ginger and free
Do people tell you you're wrong?
Won't let you feel you belong
in their club?
You're an outsider
And when they shout freckle face
It makes you feel out of place
You're in the dentist's chair
Open wider
Pretty good indeed. I love the scene in which the whole group is standing in suits. And once again, its very interesting to see how somewhat cheerful music can be combined with sad lyrics and striking images switching in between glamor, violence, and daily life.
Despite their name Madness didn't really write many songs about mental illness, but this is about a homeless man who has lost everything (his life, family, his wife, his home) because of psychological problems.
Actually that is one direction I completely agree we should explore. Very dark lyrics contrasting with a cheerful music would make perfect sense for a "crazy" band like Insanity Streak! ;)
I know this isn't the style you wanted, but I love the contrast between the cheerful optimism of the music and the deeply depressing story they're telling. It seems even more tragic when the music sounds happy.
I tried to think of music that is directly connected with mental institutions as a theme.
Graeme Revell: The music of Adolf Wölfli
(Adolf spent practically all his life alone in a room in a mental asylum. He never had a single instrument, but he had books about the theory of music and he imagined what the music could sound like, so he composed a lot. Revell has interpreted his notes which are always also parts of paintings... brilliant stuff!)
Bauhaus: Antonin Artaud
(well the song is like a summary of Artaud's life of insanity and creativity and involves a couple of good lines about madhouse too. plus it's a damn good song!)
Pearl Jam: Why go
(a simple, angry and very desperate lyric, touching song, why go home if it's worse?)
Eels: Electro-shock blues
(being locked up after a series of crises in mr.e's personal life
is the whole theme of this brilliant album).
David Bowie: All the madmen
(this joyous aspect of insanity is something we shouldn't forget!)
I've added what I could find of the advised titles to our Spotify playlist. Cannot thank you enough for the excellent references, Jaakko, it is truly great having you on board!
Please keep going and suggest as much material as you wish. I am listening.
Thank you for taking the time to explain, Carl! I also finally found the time to see/listen to them all (long live the weekend!)
Psilodump: I have to agree completely about the video. I can definitely see something of this kind for Insanity Streak. Great colors indeed, the increased saturation works perfectly. The 8-beat is excellent, just as well. It's wonderfully psychotic and suitable to the kind of insane world out there... love it!
Combichrist: Dark, noisy, and yet an understandable text. YES. Something towards dance like this would definitely work just as well. Extremely powerful match in between lyrics and images. The beginning of the video has a great impact, even with its simple text. Next thing I know, I am struggling to resist jumping around moshing over here. Wearing my straitjacket of course. ;) Seriously, the video also has some rather interesting elements to it. Uniforms/government officials always do the trick. And the inserted black and white shots are extremely powerful.
We definitely need one of someone being taken, restrained, and locked away in an isolation cell...
Feindflug: I am familiar to the band, actually, although I'm kinda cautious towards them for the same reason you mentioned. Good beat, although I feel it misses some strength compared to the previous samples.
The Mission: This is quite... well, different. Understand what you mean about confusing people with contrasting lyrics and images. ;) Cannot say I am impressed by the video, but I suppose one could see the running and dancing scenes in the fields as silly enough to become crazy and perhaps almost appealing. When shot differently, of course.
Agonize: The electronic beat is simply brilliant. The shouting works with the timing, and indeed feels very well matched! I just wish I could understand the text a little better. I always have the feeling that I miss something when I cannot understand the words all the time. But I already covered this in some of my previous shots / comments.
Röyksopp: Speaking of contrast... this video quite beautifully disturbing. I cannot even begin to explain. But thanks for sharing!
Aphex Twin: Truly psychotic. And I must say that in this case, not being able to understand the text works, as one cannot always truly understand the essence of the nightmares and voices in their head. Definitely one of the directions we should experiment with.
Nachtmahr: I actually know this band, this being one of my favorite songs. As you already said, one must appreciate the way they are able to match the beat and noise to actually produce something melodious. This is one of my desires for Insanity Streak, although that does not need to happen all the time. Confrontational lyrics can be extremely effective. May make it tricky to sort out whom within the fanbase really understands the point and who takes things too literally... but is it not always like this, whatever the music? Again, this is rightfully something to draw inspiration from.
Demoscene reel: Nice beat, fine animations. Maybe too happy, though. ;)
Plastic: This is darker, and definitely appeals...
Conspiracy: Space, the final frontier... ;) But seriously - I love how the feeling and images "deteriorate" from cheerfulness and peace into a psychotic/claustrophobic urban environment. And then the meteorites... or are they being bombed? Bwahahahahaha... I feel so evil... KABOOM! The deserted city landscape after the explosion reminds me of nightmares I had in my youth following the Chernobil incident. Hmm...
Farbrausch & Neuro: I must agree with you. It works absolutely perfectly in its simplicity. Love how the image suddenly changes to something technological... and how the 8-bit sound somehow closes the circle bringing us back to the Psilodump feelings. I am extremely impressed by how the music "breaks down" and changes to a completely different state of mind after having found temporary stability in the beat. Quite an interesting trip you have proposed us! Again, thanks for sharing.
Perplexer: As before, good sample of how different beats / layers can merge into a symphony and find their own equilibrium together for a while before breaking down changing to something different.
All in all: I am absolutely sure we can learn and treasure something from each of these samples. Again, many thanks for sharing, Carl. Your contribution is greatly valued!
Psilodump: simple live-video. Along what I think you are aiming for.
Colors look good. Simple costumes, but strange world. Lady goes into bathroom, guy in SCUBA, driving lessons... insane. I actually heard the 8-bit version first, which got my attention.
Combichrist: it's good music to dance to. Noise combined with impersonal voice. simple beat.
Feindflug: tends to pick up on historical themes sometimes mixing quotes from various war-movies, but also classic music into their songs.
Though not Nazis themselves, their style appeals to that crowd because they have several songs dealing with that theme.
Nachtmahr: somewhere in between the previous two. Despite beat & noise they manage to cram in some nice melodics. Semi-offensive (confrontational) lyrics that can be easily misunderstood for a desire for violence. Not as cheesy as Rammstein.
Agonize: similar to Nachtmahr. Manages to effectively combine the noise with a synthesizer.
Aphex Twin: this one should be obvious. And it's funnier than Rammstein.
The Mission: more your classic Goth. But they also have happy songs.
Sometimes screws with you with uplifting music and negative lyrics.
The video sucks.
Demoscene (Plastic, Farbrausch, Conspiracy, Perplexer,...):
incredibly small videos (several KB), low system requirements, nice music to even nicer videos. You can find more at http://scene.org Maybe you can get some coders together, and have some demos running in the background of your videos/performances.
Farbrausch: simple, but effective video. Thought the flower tendrils might work. Also like how they mix d&b, ambient, 8-bit, and pop together.
Wee, this is going to take some time to listen / watch through... :P
I wonder if you would be willing to list your favorite elements from each of your proposals? So that we all can understand whether we share the same idea/feeling about this project?
Hmm... now that I think of it, I should probably add more comments to my own shots to explain my sample choices... ;)
Going live... that would be a like a dream! Distance...well, I've been going to to Finland once every 2 months in average during the last 6 months. And I will be there again in July (for Finncon, working for the WAM minicon, maybe a chance to meet?). In general, I love traveling, and I try to fly abroad once per month as much as I can. So things could be combined...
But what could I really do on stage?
What I mean is... I've been told I can learn proper singing by some bloke auditioning me once for a choir but I never learned due to being a rebellious teenager with interests in heavy metal rather than sacred hymns. I also took drumming lessons around the same time (15 years ago) but I never continued due to needing the time for my studies. I am all up to moving, dancing, falling and doing stunts. I'm all up to shouting/singing/learning to drum as well as I can. Just a couple of weeks ago I was at a fantasy event and I ended up "dancing" on stage together with other random people for a folk metal band I'd never heard before that day and I will probably never hear again. But would this be enough?
Truly, I would very much welcome a chance to perform with/for someone able to appreciate my attempt to share feelings and enthusiasm with them... assuming I can be up to the task out of sheer force of will. I just almost do not dare express my desire to do so, for the fear of being unable to accomplish it and disappoint myself! But would I like to? Well heck: YES! So I say, let's aim for it?
As for the style - I shall be honest. Pure industrial metal doesn't right feel like what I am after. Elements of it, sure thing! Fooling around in all kind of genres, sure thing! But constant cavernous voices and noises do not hold long-term appeal to me. So far I have experienced them as walking in a battlefield filled with corpses. Now, if I came across one corpse, or a few ones, I'd be shocked... but after seeing a thousand, one becomes immune to the feeling, somehow. At least imho.
But then again, perhaps I simply never came across the right industrial metal music. So if it is lack of exposure and knowledge which I am suffering of, that is something I am willing to cure. If you have Spotify by all means feel free to add as much as you like to the collaborative playlist.
Last but not least... at the risk of sounding lame... I will repeat that all of the songs I have posted as references move my heart and spirit because of their lyrics in conjunction with their music. And each one of them conveys at least some feelings similar to those I would like to share through the music I dream for Insanity Streak.
I understand it may not exactly be what you had in mind either... but if this is something we can compromise about, alternating a more melodious / classical song with clear sung lyrics to an extremely noisy industrial one... then I will have to say that the foundation of the band may lay just within our reach.
Or perhaps, just perhaps... it has already happened!
Thau will ist my command :) I'll answer all the posts here.
The idea of "fooling around" is clear in my mind. That's what the "Oi baby" is for. I'm not proposing it as the main direction of the band either.
The industrial metal / Jan Hammer with occasional Vangelis moments would be my dream for the band. Nice massive computer generated backgrounds with live musicians.
The function of the band must also be clear from the very beginning: Shall Insanity Streak do live gigs? The going live is a totally another genre than just typing your computer. If we go live with the computer sounds we need a computer guy / DJ grooving on the stage to be believable.
The next clip: I used to play in the same band with the left most guitarist. We talked alot about live performance. The do the acrobatics live too.
I've seen too many good bands who just stand with their mics and have nothing to say or contribute to the audience. Unblugged is a different thing. Unblugged is a true test of the band: If a band can't perform without electricity, it's not a good band. The songs and the playing must kick in with out electricity.
PS: I'm ready to go live. actually looking forward to it. .. But the distance ... Live over the internet?
Aaah... the "classic" electronic sounds... quite a strong contrast with the previous industrial metal shot. And yet, you managed to post some of the most memorable songs of the kind (Oxygen 4, Popcorn).
So yeah - even though admittedly this may be going a slightly bit too far off, in a way it's still all good! In fact I love the fact that you would post something so different: makes me feel pretty secure that we are right on the same wavelength about the need to experiment and merge different types of sounds. (With moderation of course. I still want a rock band and as the production leader I am going to be a friendly dictator about that, stamping my feet on the floor whereas necessary, hehe)
Now the "only" problem remains finding out which element of which type of music would match to which lyrics.
PS: I cannot help but giggling at "Oi beibi". Cannot take it seriously, but I also cannot deny its merits in a way. A very weird way. ;)
The sound is in many ways similar to SoaD (as to be expected seen he was their the lead vocalist / songwriter) although the lyrics can be considered more "political". Maybe even too much in a way, but these are still themes which I feel relevant to Insanity Streak.
Welcome aboard Armath! I will check your links and post some feedback to them as soon as I can. Seeing the genres you are in, I am however already getting a good feeling about this all. Very very glad to have you on board, and looking forward to your contributions to the production!
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BTW "ginger" is British slang for queer ("ginger beer" = queer)
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