Hello!

My name is Conor, the new intern here at Sound and Music! Part of my role here is to ensure the smooth-running of the British Music Collection website. As part of this, I felt it would be important to introduce myself to you, the visitors to the Collection. Having explored the many, many different compositions and scores here on the British Music Collection, I have assembled a Soundcloud playlist of the tracks I feel particularly standout to me as my favourite parts of the entire Collection.

Clay Gold – Airtight Orange Plastic Coffin

Most pieces of music in the British Music Collection have clear, distinct sounds being made by easily recognisable instruments. What I like about Clay Gold’s pieces, this one in particular, is the fact that the distortion of the sounds makes you think about what you’re listening to. With a traditional piece of music, you know that a guitar strum is coming from a guitar and the drum roll from the drum, but with this piece you have to think about what exactly you’re hearing. Gold’s tracks stand out because they remind me of early Marilyn Manson albums, in which the songs were made up of strange noises but put together in a way that makes it sound tuneful.

Chris Corcoran – A Piece (...of Birthday Cake)

This is a very calming piece of music. What stands out about this track is that it may sound simple, as it is short to be played on a single piano, but it is also very melodic. You may recognise the familiar tune of ‘For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow’ as a part of this song. Including that traditional music in this song helps the listener familiarize themselves with the song.

Benjamin Gaunt – 16th Century Horror II - Superhuman

This piece caught my attention as it reminds me of the soundtrack to a silent movie. As such, it is easy to visualise a scenario using this music in the background. This track is very complex with lots of jumps from softer to harsher tones. This helps preserve the listener’s interest throughout the piece. This particular track is a part of a bigger story which includes two other parts. From start to finish, it feels as if it the music keeps changing until it reaches a climax. All three songs together have progress like a story being told.

Laura Reid - Fullmoondances

I find this piece to be very impressive to me. Only one flute is being played, but so very well that it makes a widely varied range of sounds. Like some other songs in this playlist, this track feels like it is progressing akin to a story being told. The tune has highs and lows throughout the track which speeds up towards the end for an attention-grabbing climax.

Jack White - A Dream of Men

This piece of music is very lively and fast paced with lots going on. The first thing you may notice is the vast range of different sounds and noises that are part of the track, from a common sound like rainfall to spoken dialogue. You might have to listen to the track twice to catch everything happening.

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