The song was written as an experiment with sound effects. I thought it would be interesting to choose sound effects in Garage Band and seeing if I could write a song around them. Seeing as I don’t have lyrics in my songs I try to develop a story though the sound. So incorporating sound effects seemed a way to do this.

This song is about what happens when you don’t service your UFO often enough. Just hope a fellow traveller is going past and has jumper leads.

Would you like to be stuck in space with a broken down UFO?

Listen to the song on MacJams here.

What do computers talk about? And don’t they sometimes sound a little frantic?

This is an experimental piece. I was interested to try writing a tune using some of the sound effects that come with Garage Band.

Have a listen at MacJams: Frantic Computer

After a couple of years break I have sat down and composed stuff and GarageBand again.

The latest tune by my alter ego Green Chilli Music is Up and Down.

An attempt to use the less is more technique in song writing. It only uses 6 loops, with some effects. Trying not to sound like someone tried to stick all the favourite loops into one track.

It works on some level, but is maybe a little repetitive. And ends abruptly.

So, as time permits I’ll work on an updated version.

In the meantime go check out the new track: Up and Down 20091020

Edit 23 Nov 2009:
A version where I updated the end has been uploaded: Up and Down 20091022

Which got me thinking. How many songs can you think of that relate to science? Is there a good list?

There are the themes from Weird Science, Weird Science, and from Electric Dreams, Together in Electric Dreams, for starters.

I found that NewScientist started to put together a Top 10: Science Pop Songs list back in 2007. Unfortunately not all the YouTube clips linked to still exist. But it is quite an extensive list, including those in all the comments.

Well the SMH has a list of tracks apparently used for torture. Music used in American military prisons on detainees during interrogation for the effect of: sleep deprivation, culture shock, and disorientation.

Now, while I can see how some things could be considered torture, the Barney Theme Song for instance. I think that there are probably better Metallica tracks for the purpose than Enter Sandman.

Of course it begs the question: Are the American military paying all the royalties due for public performances?

A list of the tracks:

1. Fuck Your God – Deicide
2. Die MF Die – Dope
3. Take Your Best Shot – Dope
4. White America – Eminem
5. Kim – Eminem
6. Barney Theme Song – Barney The Dinosaur
7. Bodies – Drowning Pool
8. Enter Sandman – Metallica
9. Meow Mix TV commercial
10. Sesame Street TV theme
11. Babylon – David Gray
12. Born In The USA – Bruce Springsteen
13. Shoot To Thrill – AC/DC
14. Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
15. All Eyes On Me – Tupac
16. Dirrty – Christina Aguilera
17. America – Neil Diamond
18. Bulls On Parade – Rage Against The Machine
19. American Pie – Don McLean
20. Click Click Boom – Saliva
21. Cold – Matchbox 20
22. Swan Dive – Hed P.E.
23. Raspberry Beret – Prince

So, after not touching GarageBand for 2 years I thought it was something to try again.

I wanted a piece that didn’t require too much effort, and matched my relaxed mood. Using just samples I put together my tune.

The next day I used images from stock.xchng to create the chilli on a fridge image. And uploaded the tune to MacJams.

Though after 2 years I’m a little rusty, and the song needed some tuning. Fixed the volume and shortened the intro.

The final version can be found at:

Chill out Chilli 2

Had been using Pandora for a while. Nice project that creates virtual radio stations based on your tastes in music. But it seems that has all gone done the tube for non-USA Internet citizens.

Previously Pandora only asked users to enter a US ZIP code to verify that they were US citizens. (I wonder how many users had a Wikipedia ZIP code?) As of a few days ago Pandora has been forced to filter by IP address. So now when you try to use the service you get a Pandora restricted page.

I am sorry to see this service go, and the Pandora people are sorry as well.

• Pandora: Breaking Pandora’s Heart… (3 May 2007)
• Pandora: Canada (14 May 2007)

A search of Google brings up a number of version of the lyrics, mostly differing on what the doctor does, as well as sheet music and CDs with the song on it. Unfortunately finding the song as a sound file is another thing.

So where at 11:30pm do you find a song for a small child who is not sleepy?

iTunes music store it turns out. If you search for “Miss Polly” there are 33 listed songs. Two of the listed songs are pop music, with the rest being the nursery rhyme. So it is quite a popular song to record it seems. Ok, some of those listed are the same recording on different albums, but still quite a big list. And I was interested to find amongst the list an RnB version of the rhyme.

One of the better versions:

The RnB version:

Included below are lyrics familiar to me.

Miss Polly had a dolly
Who was sick, sick, sick,
So she called for the doctor
To be quick, quick, quick;
The doctor came
With his bag and his hat,
And he knocked at the door
With a rat-a-tat-tat.

The SMH reports that the minister for communication is considering amendments to the copyright legislation that legalise this media/format shift. You will be allowed to turn your CDs into MP3s, and be allowed to record a TV show to watch at a later time (but only once).

The proposed changes do not legalise media shift of DVDs.

• Cutting crime as easy as MP3 (SMH, 14 May 2006)
• New laws to limit use of TV recording (SMH, 15 May 2006)
• Dumb and dumber: copyright law change(SMH, 15 May 2006)