Album Rating: 5.0

@AC I agree with Jac, lifeless advance was the last song I got into here

You had me at "more melodic". I'll definitely check it out.

Album Rating: 2.5

This is essentially Vermis with richer production. I dig it tho.

Album Rating: 3.5

Vermis wasnt this melodic.

Album Rating: 4.0

This is basically show tunes

Album Rating: 4.0

Your life school determines your deathschool.

Album Rating: 4.0

Holy shit. Who sent you?

Album Rating: 3.5

whose fuckin alt is this

Album Rating: 4.0

HE FUCKING KNOWS SOMETHING

Album Rating: 4.0

Wut

Album Rating: 4.0

I’m already en route. Playing dumb can’t save you.

Album Rating: 4.0

Whomever you're visiting will really be surprised.

Album Rating: 4.0

Oh I’m bringing your ass a surprise

Album Rating: 4.0

What is it? And why? Theres a quarantine right now

Album Rating: 4.0

This is an “essential” visit.

Album Rating: 2.5

listening now !

Album Rating: 4.0

I hope you like it! I worked really hard.

:D ok

Album Rating: 4.5

@MementoMori

The reason I’m “less than skeptical attitude towards culturally transcendental archetypes” is because I don’t see how, on the one hand, you’d agree that we all evolved from common ancestors, which would necessitate that we share some similar psychology merely by being a part of the same species; yet this fact in no way translates to anything universal in terms of human psychology that would find certain culture appealing, as opposed to psychology that’s culturally and/or individually determined and independent of humanity as a species. It also doesn’t seem to fit with the evidence, meaning the prevalence of certain archetypes and the wide acceptance of certain modes/methods of artistic creation across cultures often with very otherwise difference cultural histories, and often separated by great geographical difference. I have cited evidence of their prevalence, namely the monomyth and the wide acceptance of tonality. I’m not sure how/why you think these things are merely relative. Yeah, you can elaborate on the monomyth with various stages so that not all examples neatly fit, but the fundamental aspect of “start at home, adventure out, return home” is simple enough that you can note it in stories across cultures. The other details may change, but that fundamental structure doesn’t.

Even hypothetically, I’m not sure how science could “prove” the existence of such archetypes; but I also don’t see why the burden is any more on me to prove the existence of such things as opposed to being on you to prove that culture is independent of evolutionary psychology, or that evolutionary psychology wouldn’t produce any such universal archetypes. If you accept evolution, then it would seem rational to infer there WOULD be such universal archetypes among the same species, as opposed to none existing.[1]

Album Rating: 4.5

@MementoMori

When we start shifting from discussing “tonality” VS “atonality” to discussing “which specific tonal patterns exist within each socio-cultural contexts and why…,” that’s the point where I would agree with you that cultural studies is a more useful tool than evolutionary psychology, because we’re no longer talking about something nearly universally accepted (like tonality itself), but the varied forms in which tonality can take across different cultures, including varied scales, chords, and structures. So that would be the point where our views would likely start to converge on the importance of cultural relativity.

So that leaves the composer discussion. You could equally say that the cultural environment of Japan or America today is very different than 19th century Germany, and yet Wagner and Mahler are beloved composers of many contemporary listeners in both countries. So clearly there is something about their music that has managed to appeal across time/cultures in a way that Schoenberg’s/Webern’s hasn’t managed to appeal in any time and culture. A socio-cultural view might help explain why Schoenberg/Webern felt free to break away from tonality, but not why their music has failed to capture the hearts and minds of people the way Mahler and Wagner has.

I also disagree that something like chaos and order is wholly relative and unable to be studied scientific. Look at the link I provided about atonality. The very nature of chaos is unpredictability while order is the opposite. The fact is that listeners find atonality unpredictable, and, guess what, it’s been used to represent “chaotic” aspects in film music. We should think that’s merely coincidental? [2]