Songs of the Robocalypse Vol. 6: Woods - Bon Iver

FIELD REPORT: #48392 SONGS OF THE ROBOCALYPSE

I reached California at dusk, the living lights of Nevada fading into the early night behind me. I was aiming to reach the Nappa Nexus by morning, steering as far clear of the ground zero Primary Surge Site in Silicon Valley as humanly possible- a term which has proven to mean very little in the last few years.

Much as they have with the National Parks around the rest of the country, the machines have left the Redwood forests of California relatively untouched. From what I've observed they  take a certain pride in their lack of reliance upon the natural world, instead choosing to adopt the glittering cityscapes of their creators as their own. I suppose that's one thing we have in common with our metallic children-  a belief in our own ingenuity and intelligence to conquer nature. That and we all become our parents eventually. 

By and large these forests and woods have become natural mausoleums, only frequented by roving automated hunting rifles who simply cannot let go of the past. The only exception to this rule is the Cuisinartist and his cult of Oilshiners.

The Cuisinartist- a roving food processor who rejected the blade trade most of his kind are now embedded in. They say it wandered it's way from a suburban home in the San Fransisco area all the way to Redwood National Park. Who knows what drove it on, but when it arrived it adopted the woods as its home.

 The Cuisinartist quickly set up the biggest (and probably only) moonshining operation left on Earth, creating the robotic opioid OilZone. It's a product deemed 'uneccesary' by the Calculator Council and has been banned in most cities- but that hasn't stopped the drug from gripping vast swathes of the mech-population. 

Those devices who go too far in their OZ binge find themselves drawn inexorably to the Cuisinartist's redwood fortress. As you walk through the trees you can see the glow of standby buttons quivering silently amidst the branches. However once a week the Cuisnartist's hivemind production line kicks into action- and the digital work song begins to echo through the night with the power of a thousand mechanized voices: 'I'm up in the woods. I'm down on my mind. I'm building a still. To slow down the time.'

Bob Ross and Mr. Rogers Remixed - PBS & Melodysheep

That all got a bit heavy yesterday didn't it? Even for a Friday. So today we're going to provide a salve for your depressed ear drums with two of The Happiest People Ever: MADE EVEN HAPPIER.

These videos are part of the Icons Remixed series PBS have launched on their YouTube channel in conjunction with Melodysheep (a.k.a. John D. Boswell) of the Symphony of Science remixes.

Bob Ross may be better known to you as that painter dude with the wicked afro. His show Joy of Painting ran for eleven years on PBS, and remains one of the most positive viewing experiences you will ever have. Ross was known for his soporific-level relaxing voice and uber positive outlook, but prior to his success as a painter he held down numerous positions in the military which required him to be an absolute bastard. He vowed that once he escaped those jobs he would never shout again- presumably unless he became particularly excited by a particularly happy little cloud.

The remix is saccharine as hell, but it makes me stupid happy. Sometimes we need to live in a world of no mistakes, only happy accidents.

Mr. Rogers was a children's entertainer, educator and minister whose show Mr. Rogers' Neighbourhood ran from 1963 to 2001 on American Television. Every week children were invited to explore the land of make believe. The adult world was glimpsed through the window. And many (MANY) sweaters were worn.

In this video Mr. Rogers is a cross between your favourite teacher, your parents when they could do no wrong in your eyes, and Timothy Leary.

Autotune remixes are a staple of YouTube. These videos are not explosively new ideas. But, unlike most autotune remixes, they don't feel like they were tossed out in five minutes. There's a genuine mood and exploration of character within the songs which I find fascinating. I love the idea of taking soundbites from a media personality and crafting a distillation of their outlook into music. More please.