oslo nights

This is a quiet, meditative, minimalist instrumental piano piece, with occasional visits by vibes, fretless bass and lap steel guitar. You might want to play it somewhat loudly to hear some of the softer notes. Do you think it's finished, or should I add something?

This piece is very unusual for me, although I guess I've written at least one other thing somewhat in the same category -- my theme from "gone". Like with that one, this has sort of a liquid time signature. I started it as a 6/8 composition, but I don't know that one would really think of this as having a beat per se. I'd really appreciate any and all feedback on it. Is this just random dull nonsense?

By the way, I titled it late in the game when I realized that the vibe of it reminded me of something strange. I was born and raised in Oslo, and I used to like to sleep with the radio on. My memory is very fuzzy, but there was a certain time at night, every night, that the regular programming would end or take a pause, and then for 20 or 15 minutes or something, a little 10-second melody would loop endlessly until the top of the hour. It was a kind of waiting music that seemed to serve some kind of mysterious purpose for some segment of the population. For some reason I have the remnant of a thought about it being used almost navigationally at sea by fishermen. That obviously makes no sense, but maybe at the top of the hour there was a fishermen's weather report or something, and this music signaled that it was coming up. I don't know. But a few of the notes in my piece bring back memories of that radio melody.

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by edlundart (7 comments total)

I just watched O'Horten a week or so ago, and this feels like it would fit in -- whether I was influenced by your title or not I dunno, but that's what it made me think of. So as far as what you could add, I vote for an accompanying video with lots of snow and trains.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 2:55 AM on October 1

Hey cool, my wife and I were looking to rent that last weekend, but it was out (yes, we went to an actual video store). Did you like it? From what I've read about it, I'm happy to hear this music could go with it.
posted by edlundart at 8:55 PM on October 1

I did like it, although not as much as Bent Hamer's last film, Kitchen Stories. Check it out.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 1:24 AM on October 2

Yeah, that's on my list too!
posted by edlundart at 8:53 AM on October 2

This is really nice and relaxing. I like it.
posted by dobie at 2:22 PM on October 5

I think musically it's finished, but I would add incidental sounds, perhaps glasses or cups, or the sound of heels walking on a wooden floor. Windows closing. That sort of thing.
posted by micayetoca at 7:57 AM on October 7

Interesting idea, micayetoca, I could see that working. Certainly if this was in a movie, it would be cool if you could hear the characters' incidental sounds. I like the idea of a person or two trying to be as quiet as possible at night but not managing to be entirely soundless.
posted by edlundart at 10:22 PM on October 12