YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

After reading Bradby’s “She Told Me What To Say” (uploaded additional materials) and Alan Watt’s “The New Alchemy (http://www.psychedelic-library.org/alchemy.htm)”, choose one recording from the West Coast Rock playlist and discuss what you hear in detail, drawing on at least one claim or observation in each of the articles. Focus on analyzing at least two of the following three aspects of the recordings:

1. Instrumentation what instruments are being played? Are there differences in the ways their sounds are being produced as opposed to traditional rock and roll? How does the style of playing affect the mood or feel of the song and any changes in the mood over the course of the song?
2. Lyrics How do the lyrics of the song express the sentiments of the counterculture movement? How could Watts description of his own experience of psychedelic experience, or Ginsberg’s beat movement, be reflected in the ideas or sounds of the music, or vice versa? Do aspects of the singers delivery of the lyrics affect your interpretation of the lyrics and, if so, how? Make reference to Watt’s essay, as well as explicit quotes the songs’ lyrics, in your reply. For extra credit, make reference to Bradby and assert a concept of gender identity in reference to one of your chosen songs.
3. Melody How would you describe the melody? Are they pop i.e. simple expressions of an emotion like sadness, or happiness, or are they something more ambiguous? Which musical traditions of the past might inform the melodies? How do formal changes throughout the song affect the mood and meaning of the song?

Your response should be about 300-600 words long. Proof your work to make sure your peers will understand your argument and your ideas.  Please write clearly and concisely, with the goal of developing conversation with your peers.