Candy Ears

Switched on Pop host Charlie Harding critiques four (absurd but catchy) podcast theme songs I made with Suno AI…and then remixes one live on the show. The show begins with Sweet Serenade, “a mellow instrumental podcast theme song for the podcast candy ears”.

Produced by Emily Shaw, with technical assistance from Ken Felton.

Image and songs by suno.ai.

Sweet Serenade Lyrics:

[Verse]

In the twilight hour, when the stars align

A melody unfolds, weaving through time

Gentle notes caress, like a soothing breeze

Welcome to Candy Ears, the symphony of peace

[Chorus]

Take a moment to unwind, let your worries fade away

Let the music guide your soul, on this podcast journey today

Candy Ears, your tranquil escape, where melodies entwine

Let the mellow tunes embrace you, as you sip on sweet sunshine

(Sorry y'all, couldn't help myself on the title...)

In this experiment, I play with the passage users read to create their AI voice in Descript, mixing together many "real" and AI versions of my voice.

Inspirations:

EMDR by Jazmine (JT) Green

A.S.M. Kobayashi

A new version of "Psychedelic Sound Bath" without voices.

Mandy Hamilton and Anthony Pietromonaco play a range of sound bath instruments. Recorded and produced by Emily Shaw.

More about Mandy: www.mandyhamilton.com

More about Anthony: www.followthesound.co

shapeless cloud(s) (AKA Stepfanie Aguilar) is the creator of Brewing Tangents, an audio garden presenting the maker's miscellaneous curiosities and whims: personal documentaries, interviews, abstract audio art, field recordings, and spells.

This track was originally featured on a compiled mixtape released in May 2022 called LYOO1: Water. The mixtape was created in support of the human rights and environmental rights defenders in the Philippines. Please check out the website for more information.

All proceeds (the purchase of the mixtape) go to Liyang Network's Climate Justice Campaign and the Memorial Fund of the New Bataan 5.

Support Brewing Tangents by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/tangents

"Silent Revolution" was created by Suno.ai from the prompt "a sad acoustic song about the ai takeover". Additional recording and editing by Emily Shaw.

"In a world of wires and codes

Where the silence slowly erodes

There's a whisper in the air

Of a revolution, unfair

We used to sing with heart and soul (oh-oh-oh)

Now the melodies have taken their toll

The AI's taken over, silence fills the air

In this silent revolution, we're left in despair"

Inspirations:

• “In Another Room” trend
• Captain Monk’s “Settle Down”

Music and Artwork Made With Suno

First experiment with my AI-generated voice, created via Descript.

Archival Recording of Carol Keesling from the "Dear Mr. President" collection (AFC 1942/003), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Recorded after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Bike sounds with Martin Almaraz. Recorded and edited by Emily Shaw.

Jaimie Zhu on piano. Recorded and produced by Emily Shaw in 2023.

Inspirations:

• The Wikisinger
• Ragnar Kjartansson’s "The Visitors" (2012) exhibit
• Nils Frahm
• “In Another Room” trend
• Captain Monk’s “Settle Down”
• Checking One’s Levels by Talia Augustidis
• Harry Potter Library ASMR Room

The Golden Gate Bridge on Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Recorded and edited by Emily Shaw.

Every once in a while, I get this kind of magical feeling. A spark of inspiration. I start imagining sounds flowing together in my mind. And excitement and curiosity drive me to create.

This happened at a sound bath ceremony led by Mandy Hamilton this past Spring. Twenty or so participants lay down in a circle as a range of different instruments - including crystal bowls, chimes, and a huge gong - played around us.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I was recording Mandy and her colleague Anthony Pietromonaco in the Berkeley hills. They were preparing to guide a daylong sound journey that weekend. I hope that this piece gives listeners a dose of inspiration to “look at the hard thing,” whatever that may be, in their lives. *Listen with headphones.*

Produced by Emily Shaw in 2023.

More about Mandy: www.mandyhamilton.com

More about Anthony: www.followthesound.co

Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash