Comments on: The Sky Is Calling

By: Warburtron

Warburtron — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 04:25:40 +0000

Joseph G – Yes, Kim confirms she was inspired by that quote, and was trying to get more Sagan in there. Highly likely we can look forward to playing “Name that quote” in later songs.
As someone who has been a fan of Kim’s for a few years, and a fan of Phil’s for longer, it’s terrific having the two of them in each other’s gravitational pull. I figured they’d get along.
Popular culture is a fantastic and underutilized medium for raising awareness about space exploration and science in particular. Whether we’re a fan of Kim’s particular style of music or not, the visuals and lyrics push a pro-science agenda that needs encouraging.

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:27:02 +0000

I won’t be surprised if Boekbinder ends up being commissioned to do songs for sci-fi movies.

By: Martin Bonner

Martin Bonner — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:46:55 +0000

I wonder if she has contacted Dr Brian May. As well as being a proper astrophysicist, he knows a bit about music.

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 00:55:08 +0000

@ ^ Joseph G : Could well be. Hadn’t made that connection myself but very plausible.

By: Joseph G

Joseph G — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:06:30 +0000

I love that video! Though did anyone else keep pausing it to try and figure out what each diagram was? Or was that just me?

Also, I wonder if the song is a nod to Carl Sagan? One of his better known quotes:

“The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars.”
-Carl Sagan, Cosmos, Episode 7

By: Joseph G

Joseph G — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:56:51 +0000

Sigh. Apparently if I ever want to fulfill my dream of having hot, geeky, creative women constantly contact me, I’ll need to become a noted astronomer and start my own blog

By: Carlos

Carlos — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:22:36 +0000

Awesome!, really like the lyrics and the link with astronomy and science.

By: bb

bb — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 07:50:44 +0000

I like 80s pop and irish folk song voices, so it’s a nice song overall. But: the universe isn’t nice, it’s amazing, mind blowing and surprising. So this music just isn’t adequate for the topic.

Something like Bach’s Mass in B-minor where man feels small confronted with something incredibly great and even a nihilist like Nietzsche was utterly impressed. Look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-QFj59PON4 and maybe you’ll get what I mean. Master Kubrick knew why he chose that kind of music.

By: Louis

Louis — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 07:50:01 +0000

Awesome!

This reminds me of a Youtube video about a metal song based on the golden ratio. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBgQPSUTWVM) Not exactly everyone’s taste, I know, but the theory behind it is quite interesting (The fact that it is Prof Phil Moriarty from Numberphiles providing all the theoretical/mathematical input and some of the guitar and vocal tracking makes it twice as cool!)

Perhaps Kim could write something based on the orbital ratios of the planets in our solar system? Kind of like a “music of the spheres” type thing? I’m sure that would produce some very interesting sounds as well. (That is if she hasn’t done so already.)

It also ties in quite nicely with an older post of yours titled “The song of killer electrons”.

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 05:15:20 +0000

Superluminous (i.e. beyond merely brilliant) song. Cheers. 8)

Loved the juxtaposed technical drawings on astrophotos / Cassini footage & the shift into colour on the solar flare and Soyuz launch especially.

Wonder if Kim Boekbinder has met Marian Call and what wondrous stuff they could produce if they collaborated together?

Just one suggestion / request if I may, please, for Kim Boekbinder’s next one – would love to see some more Deep Sky Objects included; eg. Magellanic Clouds, Eta Carinae nebula, planetary nebulae, spiral galaxies such as Whirlpool galaxy M51, Triangulum galaxy M33, the marvellous spiral NGC 2997 and maybe the odd colour comet image in this mix as well? Plus some short captions possibly for some of the images? (Just some hopefully helpful ideas & not meaning to be too greedy or critical, sorry.)

- A.k.a. astrostevo