Well, almost. A new single is coming soon!
After that, Los is headed into a bonafide studio to record an EP.
Homebody (hōm’bŭd’ē) is here
myPhone
My phone’s message tone is the best. It plays a nice E suspended fourth arpeggio that resolves to a high major third. Click below to listen.
It sure beats some bullshit marimba or whatever you have on your phone.
The tone of my phone is so pleasant, I don’t even mind when people text me to “go fuck myself.” What phone is this? I’m not telling. It is the only one of its kind in existence, and I alone possess it.
In closing, I would be remiss if I didn’t also include the tab of the above chord.
E——————–16———
B—————-12————-
G————14—————–
D——————————-
A——–14———————
E—-12————————-
It’s a stretcher, but well worth the effort.
Pedestrian Signal
The NY pedestrian signal plays a high F#, like the chirp of some mechanical cricket. It’s about 15 cents flatter than a real F#, but you can still tune to it if you’re busking by the crosswalk. The F# clashes with the usual open keys of our buskers, and even our crickets don’t go that high. Usually, the volume of the signal is such that if you were already blind you’d go deaf crossing the street, but at my intersection, they keep it on the nice crickety setting. Just look to the incandescent man. I ♪ NY
MTA Melodies
There’s a place in New York City where the subway sings a recognizable tune. Since the early 2000s, commuters have noticed a musical screeching coming from certain trains like the first 3 notes of “Somewhere” from West Side Story. The first interval is a dominant seventh and resolves down to the major sixth just like in the Leonard Bernstein tune, although Bernstein stole it from Beethoven. Drag over the noteheads to listen to the MTA melody.
It begins on an F#, jumps up to a higher E, and then down to a D# to quote the Bern. The first 3 notes are in the key of B Major. Some of the trains have a few extra notes at the end, modulating down a semitone to B-flat, because this is New York City baby, and there has always been jazz underground.
The MTA says the melody is accidental. Senior subway officials claimed to had never head it before. The Canadian company responsible for the trains said that the newer trains have power choppers. These power choppers emit the tones while generating the necessary voltage to push the train forward.
Yeah, I’m sure it’s all a coincidence that the trains running through the Upper West Side sing a song from West Side Story and not some massive musical conspiracy. Just like that song we all remember by Leonard Berenstain.
Musical Cryptography
Composers love to sign their own names in musical cryptograms, because they’re super lonely. Bach signed his name in German notation: B♭, A, C, B♮(H), and this melody can be found throughout his work, just in case you forgot whose fugue you were listening to. Below I have created a cryptogram of my own name. Can you guess me? Typically, only the relevant note letters are used. Here’s another hint: E-flat is often used for the letter “S.”
Go ahead. Rumple my still skin!
(Flip your computer screen for the answer)
˙S u∀ʌƎ ɹoɟ (S ‘∀ ‘Ǝ) ʇɐlɟ-Ǝ ‘∀ ‘Ǝ
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