I like to think of myself as an open-minded music fan with varied tastes to match. But if you were to open up my iTunes and scan through the genres, you’d find that my eccentricities, no matter how expansive I wished they were, actually don’t stretch all that far. I’m probably the same as a lot of folks: I know what I like, and don’t often see the point in deviating from the reliable.

I can honestly say that I try my best to not to prejudge a piece of music based solely on how it’s labeled. A good song is a good song. But if you had told me a few weeks ago that I’d become obsessed with a track from an electronic/synth outfit from Helsinki, Finland, who, according to their label, mix “electronics, krautrock, noise, and even rockabilly into a hypnotic and minimal motorik groove,” I would have politely scoffed.

But here we are. And here is this track, which, despite its six-minute-plus running time, lack of vocals, and full-on embracing of lo-fi buzz (all things it had going against it from the get-go, as far as I was concerned) has been on repeat in my headphones for 10 days now.

K-X-P – Mehu Moments

So, what is it about this song that keeps me coming back? On paper, it shouldn’t have affected me the way it does, and I think that’s intrigued me even more. I decided to break it down—to quit worrying about what it’s not, and instead focus on what it is. And more specifically, how its individual parts work together to form such a rock-solid whole.

What makes it work?

There’s a thick, foreboding buzz that fires up when the track begins, but as the first pulsing synth note kicks in, it almost completely falls away, lingering only slightly in the form of what seems like a light tape hiss running throughout the song. Click to read the rest…

Here are a few great ear training resources on the web which you might not have come across:

Arranging Music for A Cappella

“This guide should get you started arranging music for your a cappella group if you have musical ideas but don’t know how to put them down on paper. It’s no substitute for really learning music theory, but if your primary concern is just arranging your favorite song, this will help get you there.”

A fantastic introductory guide to arranging music for close harmony groups (a.k.a. a cappella or the sub-genre barbershop). I’m a big fan of a cappella music, and listening carefully to it can be a tremendous way to develop your ear.

It may sound like an intimidating topic, but you’ll learn a lot even if you don’t ever start arranging yourself, and it really is taken at a gentle pace. For example, Click to read the rest…