The Postal Service made a beautiful, emotional song out of Such Great Heights. The cover, by Iron and Wine, is no less so. The two songs attempt to capture a similar emotion, but go about it in very different ways. Every aspect of the song is different, from tempo to arrangement. The Postal Service has a much fuller sound, with more instruments. The various sounds are mostly synthetic however, aside from the vocals. The tempo is almost twice as fast as the cover, giving it a much peppier and younger feel. The organization of the song is simply layers of sound added onto loops. The melody of the song is almost fully driven by the lyrics because all other sounds are adding to the beat.
In Iron and Wine’s cover of Such Great Heights, the tempo is slowed dramatically. Every texture is stripped, apart from the vocals and a single guitar. The song maintains constant growing intensity, with no drastic jumps forward or back. The shill highs and impossible lows are exchanged for a single driving melody, which also sets the rhythm and tempo. The emotional architecture feels much greater, even though the songs been slowed and lessened. The lyrics have greater intensity and a slightly more varying melody. The timbre sounds less refined and smoky. As a whole the song feels like it carries much more weight.
The song was written about undying, passionate love. It has beautiful meaning and is emotionally manipulative. The Postal service has a consistent upbeat tempo. The result in a rushed feeling, not how true love should feel. The lack of real instruments lacks the authentic feel as well emotional feel. As a whole the piece feels oddly juvenile for a song about lifetime commitment. The slow pacing of Sam Beams version feels more thought out and authentic, a sole man and his instrument singing of love. The lack of percussion adds to the sincerity. There is little to distract from the solemnity of the vocals. The gradual build draws you in at an almost unperceivable rate. While both versions of the song are amazing, the cover simply captures the sole of the song with much more success.
LISTENING FRAMEWORK - Postal Service
(SIMPLIFIED)
LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)
Tempo [slow, medium, fast]
Fast
Source [where is the rhythm coming from?]
synthetic drums
Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]
energetic, emotional, happy
LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)
Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]
synthetic drums
Structure/Organization [how is the song built? Order, patterns, etc.]
repetition with its beat, with layers added in during different parts
Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]
the song grows from start to finish
LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)
Balance
- Height [high and low of frequency]
a constant low frequency is heard throughout
- Width [stereo panning left/right]
no panning
- Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]
very loud, many sounds at some points
LISTENING FRAMEWORK - Iron and Wine
(SIMPLIFIED)
LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)
Tempo [slow, medium, fast]
Slow
Source [where is the rhythm coming from?]
strumming of guitar
Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]
Slow and sincere, deep
LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)
Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]
Guitar
Structure/Organization [how is the song built? Order, patterns, etc.]
Single instrument with one vocal
Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]
remains consistent until the end
LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)
Balance
- Height [high and low of frequency]
does not vary greatly
- Width [stereo panning left/right]
no panning
- Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]
2 sources of sound, soft and quiet
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