Melanie Martinez and Edward Scissorhands

Today I have some eclectic music for you by the artist known as Melanie Martinez. I had no idea that she was a contestant on the X-Factor! It is kind of incredible to see how different her sound is compared to other X-Factor contestants. Melanie Martinez has such an original and creative sound and look to her, something I can really appreciate! I think a great way to describe Melanie Martinez is surrealist flow. Her music doesn't necessarily have a very "set in stone" structure. While her songs do have a specific pattern they follow, the structure of those patterns allows for a lot of wiggle room. Her music has a dark and dream-like feel to them, painting pictures of scenes out of a Tim Burton film. Her music is almost jarring, enough so so that the tunes stick in your head for a long while afterwards. There is a sense of having pop tendencies to the songs, but that theatricality her songs have make it an absolute masterpiece. Added to that is the lyrics she writes and sings. The name of the song definitely is a red herring because once you start listening to the lyrics, the darkness ensues. In this song, Melanie Martinez sings about the supposed "perfect family" which hides the truth of drinking, drugs, and infidelity. Seems a little more off kilter from what the song name says doesn't it? But I think that packs such a punch with what the whole point of the song is! Honestly, it is quite genius. Now this is a remixed version of the song, but it definitely still keeps with the original sound of the song. The mood and tone that Melanie Martinez wanted to set in the original is still there with this one, despite the fact that there is more percussion work and added synths. A lot of that consistency comes with the inclusion of the harp in both versions of the song. The harp gives the song an eerily pop tune, which is perfect for this song. The electronic work done in between verses in this song still has those dark undertones while having lighter melodies on top. Jai Wolf really killed it with this remix because of how well he adhered to the song. He took the song and made it his while also making sure we know whose song he remixed. Melanie Martinez is an up and coming artist for sure, but is also one that has the potential to go really far. Her music is mystifying and eccentric to say the least, but it is also incredibly captivating and a great listen. I won't lie, it is hard to listen to her music passively because it has the ability to shake you awake, but it is definitely worth it. Today's instrumental song is from the movie Edward Scissorhands. Surprise, surprise, it is a Tim Burton movie. But when you hear this song, you will understand what I mean about Melanie Martinez. There is that old carnival, vaudeville kind of sound to these scores, the kind of sound that has a little bit of steam punk and a little bit of the off kilter. And I absolutely love it! Danny Elfman is a highly underrated composer in my opinion. He composes these vivid pieces and never fails to deliver the weird sounds we can't pull ourselves away from. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!