Why do I like the things that I like, creatively speaking? After listening to my current favorite song by Mew over and over this past week, I began really analyzing the specific elements of the song that were stuck in my head making me fall more desperately in love each time I played it. While there are many types of creative techniques I am prone to having crushes on, I discovered that the use of counterpoint (in music, visual art, etc.) is something that gets me every time.

Wikipedia says, “It is hard to write a beautiful song. It is harder to write several individually beautiful songs that, when sung simultaneously, sound as a more beautiful polyphonic whole. The internal structures that create each of the voices separately must contribute to the emergent structure of the polyphony, which in turn must reinforce and comment on the structures of the individual voices. The way that is accomplished in detail is…’counterpoint’.”

Contrapuntal tunes are basically awesome songs that have individual melodies woven together simultaneously to create a whole new texture and sound. I didn’t know the language to use for this technique until recently, but now that I’ve discovered the terminology I am noticing a giant pattern in everything that I like. Were talkin’ music, websites, print design, photography…you name it! Layers are awesome; I apparently love experiencing the interaction of various combinations of organic parts which together make something even richer. I am such a sucker for texture.

So, rummaging around in my brain, laptop and other random places, I jotted down a list of all kinds of loose examples of this rad technique that give me butterflies in my tummy whenever I see or hear them. I don’t claim to be an expert at applying this term completely correctly…it has now been sucked into Brandi-land and taken on its own set of meanings and applications, no longer limited to music. The design examples are particularly inspiring, and obviously I am partial to the aural offerings as well.

MUSICAL

These songs all exemplify in some aspect a hint or hit-over-the head dosage of counterpoint (I’m quite fond of either)…whether it’s through lyrical combinations or distinct juxtaposed instrumentation. Talk about dreamy.

Mew - Special (the song…keep an ear out for the subtle “honeybee” layer…*swoon*)

Mew - The Zookeeper’s Boy (classic, dramatic Mew)

Eisley - Brightly Wound (totally seeing them in concert late April!)

Imogen Heap - Headlock (I never know which part of the chorus to sing!)

Au Revoir Simone - A Violent Yet Flammable World (as previously gushed about)

Luscious Jackson - Naked Eye (one of my first IRC downloads back in the day!)

Yann Tiersen (Amelie Soundtrack) - Soir De Fete (the Amelie soundtrack is like magic)

VISUAL

The way I interpret this technique visually is through subtle use of layering…the collage effect really. Pieces show through other pieces and create a very graphic sense of overall rhythm and depth which looks like it has been accomplished almost without really trying. Also very raw typography. I totally aspire to this kind of design, but while I have an acute eye for it, I don’t know how naturally I am able to produce it through my own hand.

{ths}

Fear Before the March of Flames

Misprinted Type

Jesus Rodriguez Velasco

Creative Work of Luis C. Araujo

Revolution Church

Kutztown University / Communications and Design Dept.

Electric Heat

PERSONAL

And here are some random items which I am involved with somehow or another that follow this theme…

Yareia’s Portfolio

Sure she’s one of my best friends, but Miss Yareia’s work is honestly just as good if not better than all the work featured above. She has an innate gift for working with objects in space, and I would pay to have several of her mixed media pieces blown up and hung on my walls. I would also pay to have her natural talent. Yar, you amaze me.

A Random Photo

This pic of me and Brit materialized out of nowhere off of a disposable camera used during a visit with Yar and Brit this summer. I don’t know how it got stuck on multiple exposures…but it looks pretty sweet! Probably much more interesting than each single photo would have been. Is that two or three combined?

Company Wallpaper

This is some desktop wallpaper I just made for the office…we are revamping our branding and I wanted to try something a little avant garde with this side of the project. Gots to love the “web 2.0″ stripes thrown in there (and yes, I understand that is not a technically sound term for the aesthetics of a site), as well as the random vintage flower.

Tags: art, contrapuntal, counterpoint, creativity, Design, layers, Music, texture, transparency, typography