Hello,
Let us get this out of the way. Previous week, I drafted the newsletter as meticulously as I could but then went to write the wrong edition number.
So silly of me. Thanks to Raghavi for pointing it out.
In that spirit, here it is Ladies and Gentlemen, the actual Discontent 29!
Video/Music
The magic behind our favourite song.
Today we feature two songs with a somewhat similar technique. In both these songs, the voice of the singer changes as their proximity to the mic keeps changing. Sort of. Being a podcaster, I have come to appreciate it when good music producers try unique techniques to emulate sounds which are familiar to us and unique, both, at once.
First up is David Bowie’s Heroes. Recently featured in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit and 2012’s Perks of being a wallflower, Heroes came from Bowie’s escape from addiction and his subsequent refuge in Berlin, something which led to his Berlin trilogy albums.
Here is the song in its entirety.
Here is a slightly technical-ish video of the song was produced.
, and
here is some more backdrop to Bowie and his Berlin sojourn.
Song number 2.
Finneas - Billie Ellish’s brother and producer - has a new album out.
His producing chops were first on display on Billie’s breakout album, Where do we go when we fall asleep?, for which he won a Grammy for Producer of the year, Non classical and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
Now he is out there going solo and this is the first track on his 2021 album, Optimist. Listen to the track first. The complete thing. Can you feel the sound changing? His voice, in particular.
A friend pointed it out to me. Finneas’ voice changes as he moves away from the stage. His voice is quite intimate when the song begins and gets distant before coming back close to the listener. Some audio magic is happening here!
Moving on further.
Podcast
A fresh podcast has arrived from Canada and it is called Limited Capacity. Podcast critic Nick Quah described it as ‘Black Mirror’ of audio. According to the official show notes - “Limited Capacity is a collection of six short stories about the strange and twisted ways we interact with the internet, and with each other. Punctuated with dark humour and surprising twists, each episode blurs the lines between horror, thriller, mockumentary and satire.”
Here is the link to the first episode - We All Hate Greg, Right?
Thread Time
I wrote a thread yesterday.
If you love history and/or warped connections between unseemly things, this might tickle your fancy.
What I been reading
Movies/TV
Humour me here.
Years from now, when they ask you if you could remember every great TV show that you saw, what would you remember?
Tough question right? We are in the golden age of TV. Of course, I include Netlfix and Prime and their ilk when I speak of TV. My point is that there are hundreds of great TV shows which come out each decade if not year. Thousands of episodes. What would you remember? Or will it all slip through into ether (brain fog?).
Skins is a show that has somehow remained with me. Definitely not because of how good the show is but perhaps when and where I saw it. It was an age and a time when whatever the characters were going through made sense.
Skins it is a British TV show about a bunch of teenagers in Bristol as they navigate sex, drugs, and well, growing up.
Btw I’m pretty sure one great reason this show will ever be remembered is for its excellent casting. Its got Gendry from GOT, Nicholas Hoult (Beast from X Men), Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, and our very own Dev Patel in his breakout role, which eventually lead him to Slumdog.
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Not sure. check this out. Here are some of the themes to give you an idea.
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Reading
A Lata Mangeshkar Interview - A new Lata interview is out. It has been a while since we heard from here. She is 92 and these days the only time when one hears from here is when she remembers her colleagues’ anniversaries on twitter (or to express support to NDA government passing farm laws).
2021 Micropgrahy award winner - Yeah, it exists. Proper size pictures of tiny things. Truly spectacular.
Annoyed by Restaurant Playlists, a Master Musician Made His Own - I may have posted this earlier but since it is a pet peeve from the pre-pandemic days, I’ll let it pass. Story of a man who took it on and saved his favorite restaurant.
From a Sale, Lace Undergarments, Never Worn. - A part of NY Times’ Moden Love series, this is about pyaar, ishq aur mohabbat but more with oneself than with a significant other.
Or when your significant other is your best friend. Or someone you met on an app. Or both. Or none. Single people are ditching love and raising kids with platonic friends
People are hiring out their faces to become deepfake-style marketing clones
Exactly what it says, people are renting out their faces. Creepy, yes. Scary? Of course. At least to me.Wherefore, qua, bonum: decrypting Indian legalese When Judge sahab gives the judgement and you are left wondering ki ‘kehna kya chahte ho’
Just Internet things
A joke about Hitler
Family dinner meets meme
Turn your journal into a website. Just one click
Nehru to Huxley. On Science
The whattttt???
One last thing
This is the end. If you enjoyed this edition
and most importantly,
Oh also, we have a Discord server. Wanna join?