Don’t Get Sentimental

The song “Blueprint²” is featured on Jay-Z’s 2002 album “The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse.” The beat on this song initially caught my attention because it’s very epic sounding and very familiar, although I couldn’t figure out where I knew it from.

Later, after doing some reading on the Jay-Z vs. Nas feud I realized that this song was chock full of punches towards Nas. Then after some further reading on “The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse” I found that the sample came from “The Ecstasy of Gold” by Ennio Morricone, from the score to “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”

The way I became familiar with “The Ecstasy of Gold” is not through “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” because I have never seen it sadly enough, but because it is one of the songs on Metallica’s “S&M” album which was recorded live with the San Francisco Symphony. Apparently Metallica has been using it as their intro music for their concerts since 1983. I had no idea. Apparently the Ramones also used the song for the same purpose.

Ennio Morricone as you may or may not know is a very well known Italian Academy Award-winning composer who has done film soundtracks and scores for tons and tons of movies.

The use of this classic and epic piece as a sample in a hip-hop song is simply brilliant. The producer on the Jay-Z track is Charlemagne, who I have never heard of before, unless he is the historical figure Charlemagne King of the Franks. And I don’t think he is. Below is a studio version of “The Ecstasy of Gold” in youtube video form, the song “Blueprint²” by Jay-Z, and the live Metallica S&M version of “The Ecstasy of Gold”.

Jay-Z - Blueprint²

Metallica - The Ecstasy of Gold

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So recently I started reading a book called “Mutants” by Armande Marie Leroi. It’s a really cool book about people born with what can be seen as extreme genetic mutations (conjoined twins, cyclops, etc.), and the myths and legends of monsters and demons that were built around them throughout history. The book goes about explaining these mutations in a very accessible and scientific way, and removing all of the stigma associated with what were once perceived as “monsters.” It really gives you an appreciation for all the things that had to go “right” for most of us to come out “normal.”

With the idea in mind that legends about monsters and other creatures may have a scientific explanation, and that most of these legends are just hype and exaggeration, I logically went to Wikipedia and started looking for more monsters. I soon found an article on cryptids, which are creatures whose existence has been suggested by legends and the like, but has not been scientifically proven. Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Jersey Devil, and others fall in this category. I soon started digging through the list of cryptids, and stumbled upon an article called “Bloop.”

Several times during the summer of 1997, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration detected an ultra-low frequency underwater sound off the Southwest coast of South America, using U.S. Navy equipment originally used for detecting Soviet submarines. The sound that was recorded matches the audio profile of a living creature, although for an animal to make that sound, it would have to be much larger than a Blue Whale, and there is no known animal that could have produced that sound. Here is the eerie underwater sound, in youtube form.

To date the source of the “Bloop” remains unknown, and has become a source of speculation. Many explanations involve giant squid, in the style of the Kraken most recently portayed in “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Others have suggested that the monster from “Cloverfield” may have been the source of the mysterious “Bloop.”

One of the more interesting theories is that the “Bloop” was made by the Cthulhu, of H.P. Lovecraft’s most famous story, “The Call of the Cthulhu.” The Cthulhu is an extraterrestrial being that can be found deep beneath the ocean in the city of R’lyeh. It is usually described as a human-like creature covered in scales, with an octopus or squid-like head, claws, and wings. The interesting part about this theory is the coincidence between where the “Bloop” came from, and where the city of R’lyeh is located. Check out this map.

So along with being utterly fascinated with the information I’ve just presented to you, you may be thinking, “but Marcelo, what does all this have to do with music, and why in heavens is it on your music blog?” Well young grasshopper, here is my coup de grace. I am about to complete the great trifecta (in slang terms meaning “a set of three”, not horse racing terms because I didn’t do it in order) that is “music, pop culture, and anything else that comes to mind.”

The “Bloop” is prominently featured in the Dntel song “Life is Full of Possibilities,” on the album of the same name. It’s really even more eerie to hear the sound put to music. Dntel does an excellent job of creating a really creepy and dark ambiance based around this mysterious sound.

Those of you who do not recognize Dntel by name may be more familiar with him as the producer for The Postal Service. In fact Ben Gibbard (vocalist for The Postal Service) and Dntel first worked together on the song “(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan” also on the album “Life is Full of Possibilities.”

I have also featured the Metallica song “The Call of the Ktulu” which is a variation on the title of Lovecraft’s aforementioned story, “The Call of the Cthulhu.” I just thought it was also appropriate for this post.

So there you have it. Underwater monsters, giant squid, extraterrestrials, science fiction/horror/fantasy writers, movie references, Dntel, and Metallica. Tune in tomorrow for my weekly feature “Saturday Morning Samples.”

Dntel - Life is Full of Possibilities

Metallica - The Call of the Ktulu

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