By hotclubtwo 
Looking to invigorate your auditory gatherings? Move beyond tired genre battles and predictable decade throwbacks. Instead, challenge participants with stipulations like “Songs featuring unconventional instruments” – think theremins, melodicas, or even vacuum cleaners making percussive appearances. Or try “Tunes that mention a specific location” – from bustling city streets to tranquil mountain peaks – encouraging lyrical storytelling.
Consider crafting stipulations that spark analytical listening. A stipulation such as “Recordings with notable tempo changes” compels entrants to identify and highlight musical shifts. Alternatively, explore the emotions evoked. “Tracks that evoke a specific color” – such as “Songs that feel blue” – requires subjective interpretation and can generate surprising submission selections.
For advanced assemblages, intertwine stipulations. A constraint like, “Instrumentals released before 1970 utilizing a minor key” will certainly test participant knowledge and digging skills. Don’t be afraid to get granular. Another good example is “Artists with more than ten studio recordings who feature a kazoo solo somewhere in their discography”. The more intricate, the better.
Genre Bending Challenges
Mashup Mania: Blend two seemingly incompatible sonic styles in a single creation. Example: Bluegrass Reggaeton or Operatic Grime. Judgement criteria: seamless integration and originality.
Genre Roulette: Spin a wheel with diverse stylistic categories. The randomly selected pairing becomes the contest’s foundation. Enforce strict adherence to both genres.
Deconstructed Genre: Select a popular stylistic direction, then strip away its core characteristics, replacing them with unconventional sonic elements. Goal: create something recognizable yet utterly distinct.
Global Fusion: Merge traditional sounds from two disparate cultures into a fresh soundscape. Focus on the instruments, rhythms, and melodic structures from those cultures.
Genre Evolution: Track a specific stylistic progression over several submissions. Begin with its origins and progressively evolve it towards an entirely novel expression.
Instrumental Swap: Recreate a popular composition from one stylistic form using only instruments characteristic of another. Example: A heavy metal anthem performed solely on classical instruments.
Time Traveler’s Tunes
Craft a compilation pretending you’re a time tourist, selecting sonic artifacts from distinct epochs. The challenge: each submission *must* accurately reflect the era’s dominant style *and* incorporate lyrics hinting at temporal displacement.
Epoch Selection & Authentic Sound
Specify clear parameters: participants select a specific timeframe (e.g., Victorian era, Roaring Twenties, Synth-Pop 80s). Scores favor compositions genuinely reflecting stylistic traits. Example: a track emulating a 1920s blues number, featuring a vocalist lamenting “strange contraptions” and “horseless carriages.” Submissions deviating significantly from established sonic identities incur point deductions.
Lyric Integration: Subtlety is Key
Avoid blatant references. Instead, promote clever wordplay. A punk anthem from the 70s could mention “plastic trees” or a “sky scraper plague.” A Gregorian chant might oddly describe “glowing rectangles” viewed within a “stone enclosure.” Success hinges on artful integration, enhancing the overall narrative.
Bonus Points: Award added value if the creation contains a covert sample originating from a completely different time period. Example: embedding a brief, distorted snippet of a modern EDM beat within an otherwise faithful recreation of a big band swing piece.
Pro Tip: Encourage participants to include a brief (50-word max) “travelogue” accompanying each submission. This mini-narrative describes the fictional circumstances under which the track was “discovered” in the given era, enriching the listening experience.
Movie Soundtrack Gems
Nominate “Purple Rain” (Prince) if the assignment calls “songs that became films”. Conversely, if the prompt suggests “songs FROM pictures that were unexpectedly huge”, consider “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile; its cultural sway transcends the movie.
For a collection focusing on cinematic scores, Hans Zimmer’s work on Interstellar is a contender. The score’s organ swells are striking, and it’s readily identifiable. Alternatively, Ennio Morricone’s compositions from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly define a genre.
If searching entries that were initially obscure, “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies gained exposure following its inclusion in Fight Club. It shifted from a cult favorite to a recognized piece.
When the assignment is for overlooked pieces, “Dead Man’s Bones” (Ryan Gosling’s project) for the film Blue Valentine is appropriate. The songs complement the story’s tone, showcasing raw emotion.
For action-packed films, “Adagio in D Minor” (John Murphy) from Sunshine brings a sense of foreboding and grandeur. Its use creates dramatic impact.
Consider “Streets of Philadelphia” (Bruce Springsteen) from Philadelphia if the objective is evocative tunes that captured the spirit of a movie. It conveys themes of social issues and personal struggle.
For animations, “Let It Go” (Idina Menzel) from Frozen is inescapable. Its catchiness generated a cultural phenomenon.
For comedy movies, “Stuck in the Middle with You” (Stealers Wheel) from Reservoir Dogs is a blend of dark humor and tension. Its position during the torture sequence cemented its notoriety.
If the brief involves foreign film work, Joe Hisaishi’s compositions for Studio Ghibli’s projects like Spirited Away capture childhood wonder. They add depth.
Wordplay & Lyrical Twists
Assign a song-selection challenge centered on clever wordplay. Consider “Songs with Double Entendres,” challenging contributors to locate tracks using lyrics that have multiple meanings. Or, try “Homophones in Hit Tunes,” focused on tracks featuring words that sound alike but have distinct meanings and spellings.
Misheard Lyrics (Mondegreens)
A competition focused on misheard lyrics presents comical possibilities. Submitters must provide both the actual line and the commonly misheard version, proving its popularity through online search results. Award bonus points for particularly amusing or creative misinterpretations.
Oxymorons & Paradoxes in Pop
Devote a selection session to songs using oxymorons (contradictory terms, e.g., “bittersweet”) or paradoxes (statements that appear self-contradictory but contain a deeper truth). Examples range from Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” to Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android.” Scrutinize lyrical intent to avoid literal interpretations.
Q&A
My friends and I are relatively new to Music League. Some themes feel a bit…open-ended. What’s a good way to make a theme more specific and engaging for newer players?
That’s a common concern! Vague themes can be overwhelming. Instead of a broad theme like “Love,” try “Love Songs That Aren’t Actually About Love (e.g., songs that sound romantic but have hidden meanings).” Or, instead of just “80s,” go for “80s Songs Used in Movies.” Specificity sparks creativity and prevents people from just grabbing the first obvious song that comes to mind. Think about constraints that force people to really dig into their music knowledge.
We’ve been playing Music League for a while, and some people always seem to win. How can I introduce a little more randomness or level the playing field so everyone has a shot?
Introduce themes that rely more on personal interpretation or are slightly absurd. For example, instead of “Best Driving Song,” try “Songs That Sound Like Colors” or “Songs That Would Be the Soundtrack to a Terrible Commercial.” These kinds of themes encourage subjective choices and decrease the advantage of someone with just a vast music library or strong opinions. You could also implement handicaps for previous winners, like requiring them to choose a song with a specific keyword or artist.
Our group sometimes struggles to find songs that fit a theme. Are there resources or tools besides our own collections we can use for inspiration?
Absolutely! There are many resources you can tap into. Songlists on websites like RateYourMusic, Spotify, and even forums dedicated to music discussions can be a goldmine for finding obscure tracks that fit a theme. Searching for keywords related to your theme can often reveal hidden gems. For example, if the theme is “Songs About Space,” searching for “space rock,” “cosmic folk,” or “sci-fi music” might lead to less mainstream choices. Consider using tools that analyze song lyrics for relevant themes.
How do you handle songs that are arguably *almost* but not quite fitting the theme? We have some serious debate sometimes!
Establish clear ground rules upfront regarding interpretation. For example, you could implement a “judge’s call” system where one person gets final say. Or, hold a quick vote if there’s significant disagreement. The key is to agree on a process beforehand to avoid lengthy arguments and maintain the fun atmosphere. You can introduce fun penalties for bringing up the song too many times.
I want to make my Music League rounds more educational. Do you have any theme ideas that can introduce people to new genres or eras of music?
Definitely! Themes like “Songs From a Country You’ve Never Visited” or “Music Genre You Know Nothing About” can be great starting points. You could also have “Songs by Artists Who Inspired [Well Known Artist]” to guide people to discover new musicians while still having a familiar reference. Or, consider “Songs Released the Year You Were Born,” prompting research into a specific historical period of music. Provide links to introductory articles or playlists for the chosen genre or era in advance to help guide players.