Autoblog

One of the curses I've faced as a recording engineer is that the symphony of every day life drills itself through my skull. It can be quite distracting. People try to converse with you, and all you can focus on is the groovy rhythm coming from a rattly interior bit. Avant-garde musicians and composers have been attuned to the music life creates for many years. John Cage, for instance, wrote pieces that use big fans as an orchestral section. Cage's 4'33 would be the perfect cellphone ringtone, but until that's available, I'd settle for a piece penned by University of Maine music professor Philip Carlsen.

Inspired by Cage's work, professor Carlsen came up with "Car Life: a traffic jam session for automobile orchestra." There aren't too many traffic jams at the Framingham, ME campus where the performance occurred, but for a fleeting moment in time, you could close your eyes and imagine yourself in Manhattan. Initially, the idea was to arrange the automotive orchestra by the timbre of their horns and also incorporate warning buzzers and alarms, but it ended up as a more random affair. There was a "chorus" of Toyotas, however. Like many modern artistic endeavors, not everyone will get it. It's as much a cacophony as incidental music or musique concrete ever was, but we definitely appreciate Carlsen's goal of encouraging people to tune in to the sounds of the world as a type of music.

Click here to hear the symphony

[Source: Hemmings]

It's helpful if you like The Ataris. Hyundai is hoping to lure internet users with a banner ad that no doubt touts the free song. When clicked, the banner initiates a download, plays the song, and also pops up a 20-second commercial featuring the Elantra. You could also opt for the cellphone ringtone if you like the way music sounds over a 1/3" transducer. A second set of banners is going live as well, these to collect contact information on potential customers willingly fill out the form. A song by Secondhand Serenade is the prize for providing a free sales lead to the dealer organization.

Hyundai is angling to snag more of the 18-49 year old age group by running the banners at popular music sites like Pandora, Billboard, and Real Networks. Hey, a focused advertising effort is already better than the wide-net thing we all have to sit through on TV.

[Source: Brandweek]

First, Mercury uses Spokesmodel Jill Wagner, who apparently leaves more of an impression on viewers than the cars she's shilling. Then there's the "youthful" music likely picked by a wonk in the ad agency. The band's name is Morningwood. Yup. The very same thing that is not likely to afflict the average Mercury customer (unless they're popping those little blue candies). Either way, it's a catchy little tune called Nth Degree, and at least there's signs of life in the Mercury spots.

Tipster Tracy has pointed us to a fun little video posted on YouTube. Someone's apparently got way too much time on their hands, and chooses to create crappy animation in the modern juvenile male motif. You will not get these minutes of your life back. You've been warned, now go waste 'em!

The homemade video and actual Nth Degree are after the jump.

People who suddenly explode into road-rage when they see a lone, petite driver chatting on his or her cellular while driving a full-sized SUV now have a song that expresses their inner Death Race 2000 contestant.

The song, 90 Pound Suburban Housewife Drivin' In Her S.U.V., has only been playing for a short time on the radio but is rapidly becoming a favorite among commuters. Written three years ago by Suzanne Sheridan and Rozanne Gates, the lyrics lampoon a common sight in the US:

Oh, she's a 90-pound suburban housewife,
Drivin' in her SUV.
Talkin' on her cell phone,
Oblivious to you and me.
Kids in the back seat,
Watchin' the little T.V.
She's a 90-pound suburban housewife,
Drivin' in her SUV.

Full lyrics can be found here. With people singing more in their cars than in the shower, we hope those SUV drivers, either between calls or when surrounded by cars blaring this song, get the message. 

[Source: New Zealand Herald, Coquet-Shack, The Auto Channel]