The Triangle
Have you ever heard an album and thought, “why is that so good?” Have you ever wanted to build the perfect playlist for your best bud or lover? Have you ever listened to a particularly good bop and wondered…”what is that song about?” The Triangle is here to answer those questions and more.
Once Upon A Time...
...Albums were artistically confined to the two sides of a vinyl record constituted by no more than 13 songs. A 'mix tape' was limited by the recording time on a cassette. Real decisions had be made in the preparation of either. Curation was an artform all its own. Now, streaming services eliminate the need for curation. Digital albums can be dozens of songs long. Playlists are boundless, directionless catalogues. Neither the album nor the mix tape have benefited from this loss.
The Triangle is an effort to reclaim curation for the modern era. It is a framework that functions in two ways:
Analysis
In listening to the lyrics, sound and feeling of a song it can be plotted on The Triangle, and its meaning understood. Whole albums can be 'triangulated' and the overall vibe of the work deduced. Perhaps a work is particularly edgy, or perhaps it starts that way and softens over time. If one song doesn't fit the vibe or another defines it, triangulation is the key to uncovering why. A listener can use The Triangle to focus their attention on aspects of a song or album and come to conclusions.
Construction
Clusters of songs can be triangulated to build out a playlist that perfectly encapsulates any mood or vibe (like A Spy on a Plane Early in the Morning or A Vampire Walks into a Chic LA Dinner Party). Rules that govern an album also govern the creation of these playlists. There can only be 12 songs, with the option for a 13th bonus track. The lead song has to be the hook and the final song has to wrap up the vibe. The middle songs work together to simulate a 'record flip.' The 4th song is always the 'anchor.' The only other rule is that an artist gets just one song on a given playlist. Through The Triangle, a playlist can take a listener on a highly curated journey based around a very niche vibe. The endeavor takes work, but the end result is a perfectly encapsulated moment.
The visual depiction of The Triangle is the full range of human emotions. Broadly speaking, there are three categories: Wanted It, Got it, Don’t Want It Now. These sit at the corners of The Triangle. The middle triangle is formed by the mid-points between these extremes. The mid-point between Wanted It and Don’t Want It Now is Withdrawal. These emotions are further crystallized by the mid-points between those – the mid-point between Wanted It and Withdrawal is Bankruptcy. Tessellations of these little triangles form Vibe Corridors, like the Don’t Want It Now-Got It corridor, or the Lonely Boy-Quivering corridor. Furthermore, each inner triangle has its own identity. The Nostalgia-PARTY!-Dirty Boy triangle (and coincidentally, the center of The Triangle) is Love.
