Snuggle sounds

Can't get myself out of this Library trip I'm on this week, so I'm not even gonna fight it. This one may be a bridge too far for some in terms of its audio gumminess. But again, when you're this far down the rabbit hole, your moral compass is mostly useless. So many ridiculous made-for-TV moments come to mind, but I'll let my friend Terence's reaction be the word on it: "perfect accompaniment to a sumptuous dinner, prepared tableside by an expert waitstaff, in a rotating restaurant that offers commanding views of both the marina and municipal airport." Indeed-o.

Unit Six - Snuggle

Genetic sequencing

Why do I love sequenced synth patterns so much? The way they've been deployed since mid-70s Tangerine Dream, they're basically a tacky form of the warm, interlocking melodic rhythms of the Steve Reich school. They're also so central to the sounds of film music I grew up hearing that they feel like a part of myself. Some say we live in a culture of chintzy illusions, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I'm attracted to cheap knockoffs like a moth to light. Here's a fine example of such a dinky pleasure. Plus, a synth fretless bass solo!

Frederic Rousseau - ADSR

Mystery ambient

Maybe it's a symptom of an overly multi-tasked life, but these days I often just want music that floats in the air and doesn't shock or even tug at my attention. Interestingly, it's the music that doesn't seem to care much about what I think that perks my ears up the most. There are many obvious ambient classics out there, but I really love it when Library composers step up and take me to a new, happily mysterious place. I wonder what documentary or French commercial might've put this to use.

Guy Boulanger and Edgar Vercy - Cormoran Blesse

Burnt candle

Busy times. Across the board. So much that I didn't even have a quality minute to share a song yesterday. Barely so today. Burning the candle at both will surely burn you out. I'm not sure if this library jam represents disease or cure. Probably both. Be sure to listen to the end for some sweet flute action.

Teddy Lasry - Traffic

Future Olympics

Oh man, the endless treasures of vintage Library music. You have to discard some chaff, but the effort yields precious rewards. This one should soundtrack some sort of futuristic bloodsport competition. Or a videogame version of it. Or whatever wild stuff you do this weekend.

Gerard Gesina - Big Green Espace

Afterlife entrance music

If yesterday's song seemed fitting for a funeral procession, this one leaps into the imaginary next step — a passage into the crystal kingdom of infinite whatever. And who doesn't want to be there? It's a little cartoonish, but that kind of agreeable over-the-topness is what Library music does best. The real question is why has no rapper sampled this yet?

Bruce Mitchell & Rick Miller - Space City

Theme Week - À la bibliothèque, bébé! (5/5)

Let's close out Library week like the champs we are. I love that there's a whole species of music meant to soundtrack Olympic-scale victory. But again, for me, it's the mundane moments that most deserve to be accompanied by such heroic sounds. So in that spirit, let your weekend laundry or grocery shopping chores be magnified by this track.

Simon Haseley - World Power

Theme Week - À la bibliothèque, bébé! (4/5)

Maybe it's weird, but I like my ambient sounds to be a little troubled, with a peacefulness that suggests some disturbance under the surface. The steady bass flange and mysterious fluttering synth on this one make me feel like I'm backstroking over soft ripples that are not nearly as placid as they appear. And the shore is very far away.

Serge Bulot - Fumee

Theme Week - À la bibliothèque, bébé! (3/5)

One summer during college, I had a habit of getting baked in the morning and then proceeding on my mellow way to the supermarket to buy a whole lot of things that made no sense. Most of the groceries would eventually go bad in the fridge, the concept of the ingredients having passed into the ether by early afternoon. Everything about those little excursions — my mismatched clothes, the gentle swerve of my driving, and the very absent expression on my face — comes back to me as this track plays.

Geoff Bastow - Bubble And Squeak

Theme Week - À la bibliothèque, bébé! (2/5)

Part of the fun of Library music is imagining what kind of film/commercial/radio show you would use the stuff for. A lot of it just begs for B-list sci-fi or car commercials or European variety shows with lots of sight gags. Oh and porn, naturally.

This one's a little tricky. I'm hearing serious 'spaceship landing in the cornfield' mysteriousness with a nice helping of exploring dark caves with a trusty flashlight and sidekick. At the same time, I want it to be playing when the hero is at home washing dishes and watering plants when suddenly [insert ghastly/tragic/supernatural event that inexplicably occurs], after which he sighs and eats dinner. Meanwhile, I don't have a clue about what the album cover is getting at.

Alan Shearer - Tom Brousse

Theme Week - À la bibliothèque, bébé! (1/5)

Hey you filthy gluttons, time to put down your 4-day-old leftovers and pay attention to a few treats that sound great even well past their expiration date. I'm gonna devote this week to some of my favorite Library jams. It's a world well worth exploring, given how many really good composers happened to find work in production music. I like the idea of undermining starry-eyed notions about music somehow being made without commercial considerations coming into play. Sometimes singing for your supper gets you an unexpected piece of immortality; maybe via a mid-'70s British cop show. Or this, if you're really lucky.

This week is all about people who made stock music sound anything but. If you're not familiar with the golden age of Library music, you should head over to these excellent sites. Meanwhile, let's start with a zippy little number for making your way down the crowded avenue of your choice.

John Fiddy & Sammy Burdson - Busy Street