When I discovered this week’s featured artist, I wasn’t quite sure how the name was meant to be pronounced.
There were many quirky possibilities: does ‘Mtbrd’ mean Mount Bard? Motherboard? Empty Bread?
Several minutes of internet searching brought nothing, so I was about to settle on “Meet Brad” when I finally found the answer: the nom de plume is simply a vowel-less version of his real name, Matt Beard.
And…well, I’m not saying I’m disappointed. But part of me wishes I could erase my memory of finding that answer so that I could continue exploring other possible options for the creator of this week’s song.
So without further ado, I’m pleased to present a song called “Phone Call” by an artist called “Might Be Red.”
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The drum sample. It’s from a song called “Impeach the President” by The Honeydrippers, and it’s one of the most frequently sampled drum beats in history – the database at whosampled.com counts more than 800 songs that have sampled it. And with good reason; that crisp snare, the reverb-less thud of a kick drum, and the bright slurp of the open hi-hat…it’s delicious.
2. The other sample, by contrast, is one that perhaps nobody else has ever sampled. It’s from the soundtrack to the excellent movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” – a beautiful film in which a newly broken-up couple has their memories of each other erased, only to find each other and fall in love all over again.
3. At 1:33, there’s an unexpected chord change. An uplifting rise before settling back to the original loop as if nothing ever happened.
Recommended listening activity:
Accepting negative memories as part of who you are.