06. Cold Earth (3:42)

[Cab Dreaming]

This is one of tracks that really stood out for me on the first couple of listens. One thing, is it me or is one of the pad sounds actually someone speaking? It's the one that starts about 22 seconds in, I can't really discern what it says but the first note really sounds like a time stretched "I" to me. I've convinced myself it says "I don't mind" or maybe "I bye bye" even though that makes no sense.

Also, the kids chopped up voice and the few adult sounding stabs really remind me of one of the live tracks that's out there, it's quite uptempo but I don't really know how to write down the choppy vocal, it kinda like "A ch, a boo, a ka" to start and then it's more vocalised when it kicks but it's still gibberish' like "Ah der der do, Ah Pikachu, ah doopy doo" or something and I seem to remember there's some kid that says "beautiful" at the beginning? I've made a right dogs dinner of that description but anyway yeah, it sounds like it might be the same voices to me.

Edit: this is the track I was thinking of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mfj4dnfAhs and now I've heard it again the voices are totally different to how I remembered them so ignore me.

[d e n]

If you listen closely to what seems to be the melodic pad at the beginning, you'll notice that the little staccato voice mentioned in this thread is not the only vocal sample in this song...listen to what this sound is saying, slowwwwlllllyyyy.

What time range are you indicating?

i think from 00:21 onward

i'm hearing the sounds: 'haaaaa looooooo'

[Cab Dreaming]

If you listen closely to what seems to be the melodic pad at the beginning, you'll notice that the little staccato voice mentioned in this thread is not the only vocal sample in this song...listen to what this sound is saying, slowwwwlllllyyyy.

What time range are you indicating?

i think from 00:21 onward

i'm hearing the sounds: 'haaaaa looooooo'

Ah, this must be what I was on about (I was sure I'd read this thread to see if there was any mention of it before)! It's certainly a voice, what it says though I've no idea other than a vague guess. They've done it before no? I'm sure I remember hearing that the melody line on June 9th was a voice too.

[lankydoom]

If you listen closely to what seems to be the melodic pad at the beginning, you'll notice that the little staccato voice mentioned in this thread is not the only vocal sample in this song...listen to what this sound is saying, slowwwwlllllyyyy.

Yes. Are you referring to the choir like pad as the bass kicks in at the start?

I feel like i hear it is saying something, but cannot work it out.

[soundxplorer]

When I'm not listening to the album, Cold Earth is usually the melody running through my head.

[Fireal420]

When I'm not listening to the album, Cold Earth is usually the melody running through my head.

thats probably why its going to be the albums second single.


the reason i guess its going to be, is because it was one of the first tracks previewed at a festival last month.

[mesa_lab]

Anyone know what the "one second" of super awesome audio/sound is in this song that BoC refer to in the guardian interview?

The one second burst of noise at 1:56 that comes after the sonar ping, and before the counting voice.. Noticed that the first time I listened to the track, awesome.

I noticed it too. I thought of this point right when I read that interview snippet

[mesa_lab]

The vocal blips sound like a child to me, not a woman (thinking back to Aquarius and others).

saying something like "That's -- great" and "That's -- me!" ? Really high pitched one sounds like "Cool!" to me. Not sure if anyone else hears these this way

----

Re: the song title

I agree. I don't feel like the title matches the song. If you subscribe to the idea that this album tells of an apocalyptic scenario, this sounded to me like a situation where winter has come, but survivors are in fact rebuilding. There's something hopeful and driving in the sound.

[LKaoaKSo]

This is the best groove they've ever done.

Cold Earth,.,., it's like a paradox in action. desert full of the warmth of silence and lunacy from caves. an island in the universe fresh and slyly looking at us..,.

[SmilingHobo]

I get very strong Cold War paranoia vibes from this track...the vocal samples fit in with the number station theme they had going during the RSD incident, and the general mood is very desolate (like after a nuclear war) and feels like it could be playing in the background as James Bond hacks a top secret government mainframe or something.

[purgruv]

i think from 00:21 onward i'm hearing the sounds: 'haaaaa looooooo'

Ah yeah I hear I now, I thought it was just an aural artefact of the melody, the incumbent distortion due to brothers recording method...

[lankydoom]

i think from 00:21 onward i'm hearing the sounds: 'haaaaa looooooo'

Ah yeah I hear I now, I thought it was just an aural artefact of the melody, the incumbent distortion due to brothers recording method...

It kinda sounds like the choir like voice is saying 'tomorrow's harvest'.

I could be very wrong. But it just seems to fit. if you listen it kinda follows the same syllables.

After tomorrow's harvest the cold earth will remain. Thoughts?

[sleepysilverdoor]

This track seems to be one of the more popular ones on the album, but for some reason I just can't get into it. Like, it works for me if I'm listening to the whole album all the way through, but I just lose interest really quickly when I listen to it on my own.

Am I the only person who finds this to be the weakest song on the album?

[mc10101]

Am I the only person who finds this to be the weakest song on the album?

I don't really think its the weakest necessarily, but I know what you mean about it working best in the context of the album. Having said that I could say the same for many of the tracks on TH. The album feels far more coherent as a single piece of work than any of the previous releases to me

[paul]

Am I the only person who finds this to be the weakest song on the album?

I don't really think its the weakest necessarily, but I know what you mean about it working best in the context of the album. Having said that I could say the same for many of the tracks on TH. The album feels far more coherent as a single piece of work than any of the previous releases to me

i'd agree that the album is best enjoyed in its entirety, but i have finally relented and now listen to (only a few select) tracks as one-offs. my ride to work is literally 5 minutes, and sometimes i need that fix to deal with another day full of assholes and fragile egos and work that often goes nowhere. so a single full-track evens me out and will at least get me through the gauntlet of bullshit small talk, buck-passing emails, and mouth-breathing voicemails til i can get those bloody headphones on. its kinda like a 1-hitter.

ironically it is Cold Earth that i so love as a stand alone track! i'll play it 9 out of 10 times and it immediately puts me at ease. then i can assume my role in my small office at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history in accordance with the dictates of the Party - call me Winston, thought criminal.

holy shit thats bleak. but on the bright side, i guess the realization that i work in a gov bureaucracy with a bunch of drones is half the battle! thanks again BOC.

[mondaysleeper]

lecht road..?

[mondaysleeper]

lecht road..?

cold earth


same difference in many ways

[arvy]

this track is awesome on the vinyl!

[PlacentaSand]

the best part of the track is the vocoded voice after the ping around 1:24 in the song. then right after that a very low "Yeeeaaaahh" sounding sample that's very faint. you can hear it better in the live recording from the movement event.

[chronical]

the best part of the track is the vocoded voice after the ping around 1:24 in the song. then right after that a very low "Yeeeaaaahh" sounding sample that's very faint. you can hear it better in the live recording from the movement event.

That "Yeeeaaaaahh" thing is just a guy in the crowd screaming.. Don't think it's a sample. It's not in the album version as far as I know. Would be weird.