Olivia Iacono
Misfire by Sarah Varney & Paul Frey
http://www.thirdcoastfestival.org/library/127-misfire
List of sounds and their placement in the piece:
– 0:26 pounding on microphone followed by repetitive “WAKE UP”
– 0:45 sound of opening can leads to drinking sounds leads to running
– 1:30 all other sounds fade out except music
– 1:40 repetition of beginning “WAKE UP”
– 2:13 water drops begin in the right headphone
– 2:25 mysterious noises as well as intensified music
– 2:50 music begins to quiet down which then leads to sounds of waves
– 3:50 “Let’s start” and then followed by another opening of a can
This piece began with the voice of an older man that automatically drew attention to the listener because it was something that is not heard on a regular basis. When the pounding of the microphone started, I thought of my heart pounding and automatically began to become more aware of what I was listening to. This, along with the man saying “wake up,” helped me to concentrate on the audio. As the podcast progressed, the transitions from one sound to another were very interesting and kept me alert. As one sound entered into the right headphone, it would then leave from the left, somehow giving your ears a way to concentrate, similar to how we read. Also, the violin music that was constant throughout the piece helped to tie it together as a whole.
I found the authors’ choice of sounds to be very compelling. By using the sound of thumping, it immediately made me, as the listener, become “awake.” Also, as the tempo of the sounds picked up, my interest in the piece increased. Once the soda can was opened and the drinking was completed, the authors chose to first use energizing noises, and then followed that by including relaxing noises, which made me believe that by drinking soda you can get both be rejuvenated and at ease. Toward the middle of the piece, the music intensified and the noises became mysterious. I thought the placement of this intensity was important because it was toward the point where a listener can begin to lose focus. By keeping the violin music as a consistent tie between sections, I believe that the piece was put together very well and kept the interest of the listener.