Institute for the Study of Culture (IKV) U.

of Southern Denmark (SDU) Campusvej 55, Odense

Seminar Series
Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound

Thursday, March 3, 2016

3:15-5 p.m. in U66
Available online at https://c.deic.dk/p9kwehb2rdj/; password = “music”

“So Complete in Beautiful Deformity:”

Hearing the Rhythms of Meshuggah’s obZen
Olivia Lucas is a doctoral candidate in music theory at Harvard
University. Her PhD research explores three avenues for analyzing
extreme metal music: loudness, rhythm and environment. Her work
appears in the Journal of Sonic Studies, the volume Modern Heavy
Metal: Markets, Practices and Cultures, and has been presented at
conferences in the US, UK and Europe. Via Adobe Connect.

Abstract: This talk uses the rhythmic complexity found in the music
of Swedish death metal band Meshuggah as a pathway to discussing
broader issues in extreme metal analysis. Meshuggah’s music is known
for combining a rigid 4/4-based song structure with looping riffs in a
variety of meters. Some riffs, however, further complicate this structure
by seeming to begin in media res, resulting in rhythmic patterns that can
only be heard to cohere retrospectively and with repetition. Focusing on
songs from the 2008 album obZen, my analysis moves between
conventional transcriptions and spectrograms, with an eye (and ear) toward questioning what
each can tell us about musical events. In addition to opening up a revealing perspective on
rhythmic structures, spectrograms assist in making this presentation inclusive to those
unfamiliar with musical notation and formal music theory. This process shows how music
theory and extreme metal can work together, as music theory assists in untangling the
rhythmic complexities of music like Meshuggah’s, while extreme music helps critique some
of music theory’s assumptions about temporality.
All are welcome – also via Adobe Connect
Adobe Connect Meeting Room = https://c.deic.dk/extrememusic
Password = ”music”
Sign-up is not required, but is appreciated, please see
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheAestheticsofMusicandSound/events/