Strange Soup/The Thrift Store Tape Discussion

[mechanismj]

Electronaldmcdonald2, love that name!

[Negamuse]

About finding out who makes these args, it's interesting to see that they're often accompanied by new people in the thread solving clues when it looks like interest is dropping off. Make of that what you will

They're fun and the music is often nice, I'm glad people make them. I don't know why it sounds like BoC to so many people, Im not hearing what you're hearing. Feels like the work of a different mind entirely to me.

[Sky and Trails]

Interesting take, Negamuse. And you make a good point about the clues being solved.

But I will say that I hope this stuff doesn't just disappear. It becomes a part of the lexicon for me, as I'm still fairly new here. I don't have the infinite pages of background story, just the last few years of speculation.

Finding this new music that would pop up every now and again has been THE most thrilling part of this forum experience for me. AT first, I found the Speculation Thread to be an easy way to feel good that a new BoC album was coming soon. That ran it's course.

But then I started to find pieces of music from amazing artists, with the artist often being difficult to find. I see why it would be hard to come out as someone other than BoC here, because there is such a vetting process for the really good stuff, and in honesty, I don't think many of us truly and fully listen to every suggested track that comes up in the other threads.

So, the attention goes to those who produce the most amazing pieces of music, that make us feel like we might be hearing something wholly new to our ears. The sad thing is that there's a price to pay for that, which is to be picked apart, piece by piece, until the music is no longer about the music, but about the possibility that it's BoC. And I get it, this place is all about BoC.

I'm afraid that at this point my message sounds bitter or shitty, and I promise I am not being that way. Let me try to do better...

The music is really nice. People here seem to love ARGs, and that makes sense given the history.
But it's that weird negativity that comes out. That's what turns me off and I feel like it probably prevents these new artists from coming out.

Can you imagine if you were in-person friends with everyone here and you decided, "Today is the day. I'm going to play MY music, that I made, for my friends."
It would be a panic attack waiting to happen.
Would they tear you apart, tear your music apart? Would they appreciate it but have to remind you that you're not BoC?

I don't know what my point is, so I'll make it this:

Who is behind the VHS Tapes?
Is Clayton involved?
Where did Zephyr Method ever go?
How many of these artists have there been over the years?
Would we hear this music if it weren't for an ARG element?

How can I find these people and become friends with them???

I love you all. I wish I could be around more often because I'm always afraid I'm going to miss a beautiful new piece of music.

[Brendan Standing Alone]

Finding this new music that would pop up every now and again has been THE most thrilling part of this forum experience for me.

But then I started to find pieces of music from amazing artists, with the artist often being difficult to find. I see why it would be hard to come out as someone other than BoC here, because there is such a vetting process for the really good stuff, and in honesty, I don't think many of us truly and fully listen to every suggested track that comes up in the other threads.

So, the attention goes to those who produce the most amazing pieces of music, that make us feel like we might be hearing something wholly new to our ears. The sad thing is that there's a price to pay for that, which is to be picked apart, piece by piece, until the music is no longer about the music, but about the possibility that it's BoC. And I get it, this place is all about BoC.

Agree. In addition to newer artists who had recent cryptic starts like Clayton, I maintain a playlist full of music (that to me at least) gives off classic BOC vibes. (Super subjective and YMMV.) You probably know most of these artists already, but if any are unfamiliar, enjoy.

Faex Optim, Clocolan, Dellalzade, Christ., Orange Crush, The OST, Alexander Lynch Totheark, Pbs’73, CIALYN, Ciaran Byrne, Cities of Earth, Clayton, Dr. Crow I Presume?, Near Stoic, Hidden Rivers, The Fade Beta, LoveKrafty, 4T Thieves, Cilocub, Survey Channel, Cult48, Lone, Principles of Geometry, Project Null, Rephazer, Selles, Westfallian, Redox, Synima, Sunwarper, Wukah…


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[Burning Shadow]

About finding out who makes these args, it's interesting to see that they're often accompanied by new people in the thread solving clues when it looks like interest is dropping off. Make of that what you will

They're fun and the music is often nice, I'm glad people make them. I don't know why it sounds like BoC to so many people, Im not hearing what you're hearing. Feels like the work of a different mind entirely to me.

I would agree with this. It would be natural for whoever was involved in the ARG to be anonymously commenting on it in this thread.

For folk wondering where it is going to go and what is going to happen next, it’s possible that the creator hasn’t got a definitive plan and is reacting to the speculation in this thread and wherever else it is being discussed, and tweaking the rollout accordingly

[Brendan Standing Alone]

As someone hinted at previously, the more I think about all of this dating back to last spring, the more I’m coming to the conclusion that ALL of these BOC-sounding ARG tracks, since the thrift store VHS tape right up to the latest Random Tunes track release, are ALL make believe… Complete and utter BULLSHIT…

This music is nothing more than the result of an AI music generator. Sorry to be a downer. There’s tons of information online discussing this emerging and powerful technology and even the risk it poses to actual artists and the music industry as a whole.

I firmly believe that someone is perpetrating this as a clever rouse and mixing-in the clunky (and tiring) ARG to keep this going. (I suspect that 1 or more people here on Twoism are actually in on this and most likely why this all goes ignored in the General New Topic Release channel.) I’m sure this person(s) is having a great laugh at our expense. Don’t mean to be abrupt but case closed. Stop chasing your tails. Prove me wrong.


https://www.vice.com/en/article/88qzpa/ ... try-future

https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/28/2357 ... o-music-ai

https://youtu.be/CrGZFaPHoz4

https://youtu.be/A-p5aX1kJDc

https://youtu.be/W3oNr8f3PWk

https://youtu.be/ybIRE2B1NkQ


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[Frindia]

How disheartening. I wondered if that was AI generated and asked a few people if they believed it to be and was assured that it was not. What a pain in the ass. Lock this thread and throw away the key. Maybe it will help from anyone continuing this mess.

[Orbited insanitarium]

I'm deeply sorry but in my heart of hearts I do not believe this music at all is Artificial Intelligence.
Apologies to you if you do, and I wish not to be called a big thicko for my thoughts. I am taking this serious tone as I imagine it would be very disappointing for the creator if they read this, their work to be demeaned to that of skynet.

Oh gang, we better than believing this is just a case of 'feed the machines'?

[Brendan Standing Alone]

How disheartening. I wondered if that was AI generated and asked a few people if they believed it to be and was assured that it was not. What a pain in the ass. Lock this thread and throw away the key. Maybe it will help from anyone continuing this mess.

I agree about locking this thread down. The more I read and watch videos online about AI, the more eye opening this tech actually is and how far it’s come along. It’s too easy for someone to use one of these AI generators to pump it full of the older legit BOC material from Random 35 Tracks Tape, A Few Old Tunes, etc., just to have the AI regurgitate a bunch of similar yet differentiated sounding tracks. Seems that the end user can even manipulate individual tracks to slightly differ them up from the original to varying degrees. Really crazy stuff. I’m officially out on all this shit. Was fun while it lasted.


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[Brendan Standing Alone]

I'm deeply sorry but in my heart of hearts I do not believe this music at all is Artificial Intelligence.
Apologies to you if you do, and I wish not to be called a big thicko for my thoughts. I am taking this serious tone as I imagine it would be very disappointing for the creator if they read this, their work to be demeaned to that of skynet.

Oh gang, we better than believing this is just a case of 'feed the machines'?

I say screw the creator. This person has strung us along too far and missed their opportunity to come forward last year. My .02 of course.


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[Orbited insanitarium]

I'm deeply sorry but in my heart of hearts I do not believe this music at all is Artificial Intelligence.
Apologies to you if you do, and I wish not to be called a big thicko for my thoughts. I am taking this serious tone as I imagine it would be very disappointing for the creator if they read this, their work to be demeaned to that of skynet.

Oh gang, we better than believing this is just a case of 'feed the machines'?

I say screw the creator. This person has strung us along too far and missed their opportunity to come forward last year. My .02 of course.


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This is disappointing to read, Brendan Standing Alone.

With so much positivity and joy this thread has brought to many, I don't like this tone you are using to express your dissatisfaction with the music. Artificial Intelligence take beside.

Everything dandy atm with you fella?

[April 7th]

I got the impression I ruffled a few feathers when I asked if AI could have any part in this. For what its worth, this is what AI did with Wouldn't You Like to Be Free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJgibAWjmZc

I think there's a case to be made against the thrift store tape being AI. Although I am satisfied that it probably isn't BOC. It's highly unlikely that the Redondo Vacuum and Janitorial commercial would have aired on British or Scottish regional radio, I don't think they would have backed up on VHS, the tracks are shorter than typical BOC tracks and artificially aging things with software doesn't seem like their style. They modified a VCR to record Semena Mertvykh.

I like the music though. Whoever -- or whatever -- created it.

[Brendan Standing Alone]

I got the impression I ruffled a few feathers when I asked if AI could have any part in this. For what its worth, this is what AI did with Wouldn't You Like to Be Free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJgibAWjmZc

I think there's a case to be made against the thrift store tape being AI. Although I am satisfied that it probably isn't BOC. It's highly unlikely that the Redondo Vacuum and Janitorial commercial would have aired on British or Scottish regional radio, I don't think they would have backed up on VHS, the tracks are shorter than typical BOC tracks and artificially aging things with software doesn't seem like their style. They modified a VCR to record Semena Mertvykh.

I like the music though. Whoever -- or whatever -- created it.

Good take. I had forgotten about that Wouldn’t You Like to Be Free track being AI generated. That was a year ago and the technology has only improved by leaps and bounds since.


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[Eliotsworld1985]

Every track that I've listened to, generated by AI sounds like complete trash, or at least when the AI recreates music in the style of. Yes, it has recreated several sound-a-likes, but when you listen to it, it still sounds poor quality as if it's being ran through a bit crusher. Just like when AI generates "realistic" voices, you can still hear the imperfection that gives it away. Sure, it's not outside the realm of possibility of it being AI generated, but it's also not outside the realm of possibility that there's an individual that sat down wrote and recorded the music. As far fetched as it is, this idea of it being long lost recordings of BoC isn't out of the realm of possibility either. I'll say it again,,,,after all,,,we're not talking quantum physics or string theory here. I think it's less likely to be AI.

[Eliotsworld1985]

Every track that I've listened to, generated by AI sounds like complete trash, or at least when the AI recreates music in the style of. Yes, it has recreated several sound-a-likes, but when you listen to it, it still sounds poor quality as if it's being ran through a bit crusher. Just like when AI generates "realistic" voices, you can still hear the imperfection that gives it away. Sure, it's not outside the realm of possibility of it being AI generated, but it's also not outside the realm of possibility that there's an individual that sat down wrote and recorded the music. As far fetched as it is, this idea of it being long lost recordings of BoC isn't out of the realm of possibility either. I'll say it again,,,,after all,,,we're not talking quantum physics or string theory here. I think it's less likely to be AI.

Edit: What I mean to say is, that with AI, you can hear a lot of digital artifacts when it recreates in the style of. By all means if anyone knows of an advanced program open to the public where you can recreate BoC with just a few text prompts, I'd sure love to know.

[Electronaldmcdonald2]

I say let it continue. Since you don’t have definitive proof it’s not BOC, it should definitely stay open.

I think the idea that it’s ai is a little bit far-fetched. The ai art is very impressive, but useless without a skilled artist to write prompts for it. Even then the anatomy is totally bizarre.

I just think people here are too scared to believe it is in case they feel silly when its revealed to be someone elses work. Like a big bunch of Dana Scullys, saying “no, aliens don’t exist” despite being stood right next to one!!

Occams Razor, the duck test, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one (paraphrasing I know)

[Electronaldmcdonald2]

Theres another video btw. With a track list this time

[Fredd-E]

Occams Razor, the duck test, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one (paraphrasing I know)

The simplest explanation is usually the correct one indeed. Just have a look at this artwork and tell me you honestly believe this is truly created by BoC.

I rest my case.

[Electronaldmcdonald2]

That cover art is extremely dodgy, I’ll certainly agree with you there. But isn’t all their cover art pre- twoism a bit shaky looking

[Eliotsworld1985]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_RHHHyN9wQ&t=1062s
This is certainly the original creator of the Thrift store vhs tape. A second video entitled "Last" was posted. At 22:35 those same clouds appear from the original thrift store tape, but this time the camcorder zooms in on the same sky and you can hear the actual audio in it's original form. I think this the end.