oobudubudduba **finger ran over the lips noises**
Say the word table until you forget what it is. Okay, thanks.
Here is a collection of songs that I keep on the small metal stand next to the bookshelf. I place them there because I like to picture the songs mocking the books with all their carefully crafted articulation and prose.
All of these songs share a similar disposition: they see language and shrug. They’re uninterested in its precision and instead, in spots, use the art of emotionally backed and vocal-y delivered nonsensical noises to convey. And in certain ways, they express more profoundly than the books.
And so I—a serial personifier—like to sit on the couch and snack on the tension. The songs lounge playfully with tongue-in-cheek, while the books vibrate on their shelves with rage as rationale burns a hole through their neglected pages.
But, here, take the songs, hold them, feel them for what they are and not for what my lapses in sanity claim. You will find chants, scat singing, mumbling, shouts, and guttural extractions.
I’d recommend starting off with “Moon Over Montana” for some friendly scat singing (1:44-2:15) to introduce and warm up the tongue toward the idea of venturing outside of all its trained articulation.
And then next jump over to “Ce n’est que de l’eau.” (2:05-2:20 and 3:08-3:20) Because aren’t all songs in an unfamiliar language non-lexical? Maybe enough of a foreign language will also train the ears to stop straining for meaning and allow you to peacefully float away down the river of feeling.
Then maybe you’ll be ready for singing that is more trance than melody in the song “Women in Late” by Giovanni Venosta, whose album is aptly titled “Improbable Music For People Who Aren’t Very Disposed.” I find if I properly sink into this song, I also forget or no longer care about words and will spend part of my day letting people paint their own meanings over my silence.
Another one is “Alien Blues” by Vundabar, whose angst might be needed depending on what the silence is filled with.
And “Bizness” by Tune-yards, I think is a good song to circle back to as it stitches some sort of balance with its non-lexical background vocals woven into the lyrics. It kind of puts its arms around the bookshelf and the small metal stand and says stop foolin’.
Anyways, music rules and will still always be the favorite child of human expression. Hope you enjoyed the browse around, and hope you are inspired to incorporate some grunts and shrieks into your next interaction.
Here’s a bonus song with some semantic satiation where repeated words dissolve its integrity to the point where it becomes non-lexical (kind of like what happens when you say apple over and over again): “New in Town” Life Without Buildings (2:10 - 3:00). It’s also a bonus because the accent its sung with tickles both my juvenile and poetic brain.
***I put my links in spotify because I strongly believe in accessibility when it comes to art but please consider listening to them on Apple Music where they get more financial support. Or better yet, buy some merch or throw them some dough where available.