Ingrid Michaelson- Giving up

Ingrid Ellen Michaelson (born 8 December 1979) is a New York-based indie-pop singer-songwriter best known for her single "The Way I Am." Her music has been featured in episodes of several popular television shows, including Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy and One Tree Hill, as well as in Old Navy's Fall 2007 Fair Isle advertising campaign. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Michaelson

Ingrid Michaelson at the moment is one of my favourite artists, her style is so calm and collective. Also her music is very clean!

Giving up was released in 2008 in the album Be OK. The song is 4.01 minutes long, but feels much shorter when listened to.

The meaning of the lyrics can be taken in so many different directions, but it's good that it's ambiguous-it allows it to apply to more people and their individual situations.

The thing i like/interpret about the song is that it questions all the "What ifs?" of any relationship, and in some ways shows that we don't need to run out of excuses to be truly happy with someone. It's about giving up the "single life"(not necessarily to do with having a partner/bf/gf/spouse) and taking responsibility for another with out needing to think about the cons.

The whole song is very simple; vocally and instrumentally. It starts off with a small intro done on the guitar- which is the only instument through out the whole track. The soft vocals then enter the song, once again simple, yet beautiful. The chorus has a soft harmony behind it, which i think may be done by the singer herself- but i can't be certain.The second verse is more hype while keeping it quite placid. The outro is great, it has more dynamics than the rest of the song, the vocals complete it perfectly, it's a great way to end the song!

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So i realised i bragged on too much in that post. My bad!

The Polyphonic Spree- Section 17 (Suitcase calling)

Small over view of the band-

The modern symphonic rock band The Polyphonic Spree from Dallas Texas, created by Tim DeLaughter consists of 23 members and features a brass section, a classical harp and woodwind alongside more conventional instruments.

The band has been labeled a cult because of their "happy-clappy hymns about love, togetherness and the sun" and also their new style of "darker, dirtier rock numbers with telling titles like ‘We Crawl’ and ‘Overblow Your Nest’". For myself I see it as just another band- I don't find my self being addicted to them or their music. I can understand how it could be idolised by others as the band creates a lot of feeling through their lyrics- which a lot of people in todays society crave for. Depending on your mood and how well you analyse the lyrics, their songs create a huge mixture emotions of hope and love but can also do the total opposite.

Enough about the band- now the song

Section 17 (suitcase calling), i would say is one of my favourite songs of theirs that I have, maybe because it was the first and only song i had by them for a while or simply because it's great. It goes for 8 minutes and 48 seconds which sometimes frustrates me especially because there are three instrumental parts (including the intro- which is understandable- I don't mind the length of that) through out the song which make up about 4 minutes, but i guess that's the bands purpose and what they're most recognised for- I just don't have much patience. The operatic introduction is some what similar to Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, but still has it's huge differences that make it it's own song- obviously. The simple beginning of the song gives plenty of room for it to build, and the percussion does a good job in doing so. The lyrics start off in a softer, bland voice which remains through out the song, there isn't much variation in Tim's vocal tone but that's what i like about it, it's simple and not over the top. In my opinion the backup choir is lacking something, it seems too original, i get bored with it. The Instrumentals are a bit over-the-top, but that's what caught my attention in the first place, it's not something you hear in modern secular music of this genre.

The song is quite plain until about 4 minutes in, where it picks up a 'happy, feel-good' feeling to it, once again it's the backing that makes this part, with out it the song would be very similar to a Jason Mraz type of style. They go all out with the percussion and choir in this half of the song, as loud as all of this sounds, it's actually a quiet type of song. I find that the lyrics of the song are in contrast to the Instruments- the beginning of the song has the calmest back up with the "happy feel-good" lyrics, where's as when the backup is at it's full potential the lyrics are more in that grey area. It's the contrasting that keeps you on a high during the song though so it's good.

This is all i really have to say about it cause i'm tired- but all in all I enjoy listening to the song and have for a while now, so it can't be that bad.

Feel free to tell me your thoughts of the song, or this post!