‘The White Lotus’ score makes me ANXIOUS. Here’s why.

I love Cristobal Tapia de Veer's music for 'The White Lotus,' but it's stresses me (and a ton of other people) out, and I wanted to see if I could figure out why.
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#TheWhiteLotus

[@BrianKrock]

At 7:22, when I’m talking about the first three pitches of a b minor scale, I ALMOST re-edited the video to include the theme from the KZbin channel this is MONSTERS … but I didn’t have time. Still, I freakin love how simple and effective that intro music is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJC1iKedpM2mfck

[@beansperkins]

I’m surprised you didn’t call out the Dies Irae by name tho

[@lfb256]

@@beansperkins Same! I kept yelling "It's the Dies Irae!" at the screen 😂

[@philonico]

the music rather makes me feel emotions of madness and joy. A desire to be delirious, to be funny, to play the fool, to play stupid as in the scene where he takes drugs

[@AsNatureIntended13]

Yeah I feel that, too ! It makes me wanna go wild and give in to madness because it feels fun to do so while listening.

[@philonico]

@@AsNatureIntended13 Oh yeah

[@jbeeee42]

I listened to a podcast with the composer today and he explained that the kind of war-cry vocals carrying the melodies were intended to sound human-but-not-quite, like something's slightly off (uncanny valley). A human couldn't quite make those sounds, but we can tell they came from a human somehow.

[@kushalbhabra]

What's the name of the podcast?

[@jbeeee42]

@@kushalbhabra I think it was the podcast "Working" (by Slate)!

[@HijraVii]

Thanks ! Aha

[@HijraVii]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4XJeqmja7tmjqc

[@nightowl8477]

Well yeah. It's Cristobal.

[@billjones7063]

The D-C#-D-A is the "Dies Irae" ("Day of Wrath") motive used by most every serious (i.e., "Classical") composer since the Middle Ages, first by Tomas of Celano (1256), and notably by Mozart in his "Requiem," and, I think, "Don Giovanni," lots of Liszt, and many times by Rachmaninoff ("Isle of the Dead" and the finale of his "Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini.")

[@hmartin7660]

I can't believe he didn't mention this lol

[@danegreenwood1427]

I just finished the show and immediately looked for an analysis on the score. I’m not gonna pretend I understood even half of what you said but incredible video its great to know others feel the same about the score. Keep it up!!

[@mggentry]

This white lotus theme is for a temple in Legend of Zelda that never got built

[@Nick-pt6sl]

Incredible video! I'd add that I think a large part of the reason the theme is so unsettling is because its first four notes are the dies irae, which has been used in hollywood for decades to invoke a looming feeling of death and unease. This transcription and analysis of the soundtrack is very well done

[@Temporary-nd5tb]

I just watched the show and can’t stop listening to the music, there’s a lot of tension in the percussion that reminds me of the feeling I have when listening to Varèse’ Ionisation.

[@WThomas]

Wait till you listen to season 2 score

[@philonico]

I thank you for all his explanations, I love this music and the series is really fantastic.

[@ZahaviX]

It’s one of my favourite pieces. I dance to it every time I hear it. I’m from the Caribbean and I appreciate the tribal vibe the music gives. BRAVO Cristobal!

[@oceansoflorewi]

That menacing tribal beat gave me life! It was perfection. I was so gutted when the theme changed in s2 but then i fell for that one for different reasons.

[@jeffgraham9241]

There's something uncannily off about the arrhythmic way the beat and the instruments sit right outside of the pocket. Like at the end, the two woodwinds playing the minor third don't even match on their entrances. That kind of off-beat sensibility has a really subtle but PROFOUND subconscious effect that is just...beautifully spooky. I kind of think this theme might be a masterpiece, for a million little reasons that you only imbibe after MANY listens. Great Channel and analysis @Brian Krock.

[@dolucasduarte]

just finished watching the show and i was like "i need to find out how they did the music in this". thank you for the cool content

[@rebeccahall3917]

Thank you- such a brilliant analysis. Loved the sense of primal foreboding in this theme..! Love the bass recorder -awesome in the mandalorian theme

[@blakedowns3715]

One of the best channels I’ve come across on KZbin for obscure music content. Keep up the good work!

[@ricardopace76]

This is pure gold! Thank you for the brilliant analysis!

[@VS-rt8um]

His work on Utopia incorporated a lot of human hums/breaths(?) also which i absolutely loved and noticed he did the same approach for White Lotus, as you explained here. Love his work! And great video!

[@shepcatsaba]

Terrific work and great presentation 👍

[@westernmonk6036]

Great video! You did such a good job at articulating the things that I could not

[@georgew260]

BRIAN I'VE BEEN WAITING GAAAAH SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK!!!

[@frankfrasca1480]

Love the score and it really elevates and makes the show! Great discussion!

[@rumpelRAINS]

He's back!

[@JohnnyJohnathan]

Indeed

[@adriatic.vineyards]

Woooo!

[@pjross923]

Absolutely amazing!!!!!

[@autumnmnmn]

glad to have you back brian!

[@BrianKrock]

thanks, Niall!

[@baroqueasb6097]

Love your work Stash

[@mikechatt]

Brian is absolutely the most underrated youtuber on the platform.

[@aloc23]

nice video and thanks for sharing this great music! never heard of this series before here in germany but sounds interesting.. and the theme song is great too! first notes also remind me of dies irae

[@megwings11]

This deserve a million views! So brilliant and interesting, and this video is just such high quality. :)

[@doodlefisher234]

Love this analysis!

[@gregac1984]

First of your videos I’ve seen, I’ll watch more. I love this music and your insight was so interesting

[@damianpress]

I find this music totally relaxing. Like the Exotica reference you made, it's has this weird refreshing juxtaposition that doesn't follow musical cliches.

[@djmanmachine]

This score was mind-blowing to me. One of the most refreshing score I've listened in the past years

[@oceansoflorewi]

Omg same !!! No one gives a f*** anymore with tv openings and themes literally either dont exist at all or its a measly 5-10 seconds. Rubbish!!! What people dont understand is a masterful opening score is an immersive part of a series experience and becomes utterly subconciously addicting as we get into the story.

[@evetsnitram8866]

I was much more moved by the X Files theme.

[@djmanmachine]

the X-files it's a thirty-year-old mythical theme, like many other television series. It's a big tune, but it uses normal formulas at the time. In this case it is different. It will never be a song recognized by the masses, but in terms of production.

[@melissathwaites415]

Amazing break down. I found this song so haunting but couldn't put my finger on why

[@carollutz8253]

LOVE this!!

[@Snortgirl]

FANTASTIC Thanks Brian

[@octavemarbot8474]

Thank you! Very interesting!

[@colinjackson4761]

The music in the movie “melancholia” made me super anxious but in a beautiful and mysterious way. I haven’t seen this show, but the music seems to suit it in the same way as the composer did for melancholia. You have a gift for gift for breaking down contextual/cinematic purposes in music.

[@jjakes1930]

great video! i'd recommend listening to the "Dinner" piece from The White Lotus season 1. To me, it invokes a high level of anxiety. It sounds like hyperventilating while hiding from danger or something. And of course it sounds super "primal"

[@riley.....]

i let my recommendations run on autoplay after watching this video, and something about dius irae came up!! i dont know anything about this stuff, but it sounds kinda inspiring for the white lotus melody, very spooky!! very tropical dread!!

[@ethangloverfilmmusic1411]

Great video! I think you're spot on with why the music creates a sense of anxiety in people. The 'mindhunter' intro theme also does this by using a completely un-quantized rhythm and a repetitive yet unpredictable melody. I think unpredictable music is often good at creating anxiety in listeners, especially regarding rhythm.

[@nicktardifbass7]

I just finished the second season and was reminded of your two videos, and then I was reminded of how great your videos are. We need another pandemic so you can go back to this full time! Ha!

[@lsoutherlandjennings9751]

Excellent analysis

[@melkiyad2504]

Damn, you figured those sounds out a 100% :D amazing

[@kmiller15211]

The theme really reminded me of the theme to the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, which I also find very unsettling. Unintelligible human voices evoking animals, and an unmistakable groove.

[@mishafox2957]

Stunning explanation for an incomparable score

[@steviebeavie1]

That A diminished->B minor move sounded a lot like Fat Freddys Drop, something like the Ernie song. Good vid, thanks Brian, subbed.

[@nickbecerra9580]

Great video! I’d be super interested and in your thoughts for the version for season 2

[@Tycahal1991]

EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987) 'Suo Gân' makes me anxious (probably because I was 6 when I frist saw the movie, and it indused me with nightmares of being lost on a war scenario)

[@Thijs-Kuiken]

isn't it just alluding to the movie trope in which death is announced or referred to musically by using the Dies Irae theme? He puts it in an interesting context with all the samples etc :-)

[@BrianKrock]

Yea. Honestly, this is one of those “obvious things that somehow I missed!” 😳

[@chaotic_raisin]

the composition doesn't make me feel anxious at all but i appreciate this break down (heh heh breakdown cause yk, the show...). instead the score makes me embrace all the madness and arbitrary lines we draw over our primal brain

[@parsa.mostaghim]

missed your videos 👀🎻

[@JakHorn]

Congrats again on another great video! Will have to check that score. A particularly inoffensive piece of music that did unsettle me quite a lot some 20 years ago was the end titles of Ravenous (1999) Mostly because the cannibalistic context of the music... And the PolyMeter of course. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5bGqpuBl8d-qdk How much have my ears evolved since! An unrelated question, I need to get a device to open music scores in PDF, which one do you use in this video?

[@flyboy008]

The white lotus score is AMAZING to me personally!

[@JeffreyGold]

Aren't the first 4 notes the first 4 notes of the Dies Irae (in a different key)?

[@joncombridges]

Thank you! I really got a new appreciation for the amazing score of The White Lotus. I'm just starting to produce my own electronic music. If you have any learning suggestions, I'd love your input. Thanks again.

[@yanikq]

Now binging it. Didn't find it particularly anxiety inducing just was puzzled by why I was constantly getting flashbacks to paranoid android by Radiohead. Pinned it down to the similarities between the repetitive playing of the track called "manchild" and PA

[@KQCNT]

what did change in the season 2? could you explain it please?

[@JeffreyGold]

Come to think of it, I wonder if this ostinato piece of the score to Bertolucci's score to BESIEGED was an influence: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3rSo357iqmKeZI Extra: One of the other piano pieces in the score: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGW0nZyupth3psU

[@broadwaybroad]

I love the music.

[@irishfergal]

Great analysis. There is also the horrifying uncertainly as to where the beat is. I couldn't quite believe that the free floating melody resolved in a 4/4 beat. This shift disturbed me until I learned to wait for the theme's main beat. Disturbance and anxiety firmly established, the effect of watching and listening to the series urges us to feel contempt for the characters, followed by an unbearable need to root for them, to save them. Voila.

[@MarioGodoyMusic]

Great video! That Dies Irae melody has to be 100% intentional. Check out the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast about the Dies Irae and its use in media music. It’s great.

[@BrianKrock]

Will do! Thanks, Mario.

[@smallsignals]

You made it sound like there were two different Mike Whites relevant to the topic. Second video of yours. Inaccuracies and imprecisions in both

[@RickLag8514]

Rewatching Season 1, I realized that the music has as much character development as any of the actual characters.

[@laurence3671]

I’m interested to hear what you have to say about the season 2 opening credits theme. Slightly different. Slightly more melodic.

[@JeanneBook]

I just played this music on repeat to make me alert since its like a music to warn you that something bad is about to happen, The very first time i heard this I feel this hunting feeling and that I am the prey.

[@JeanneBook]

I just watched white lotus 1 yesterday and I'm gonna binge 2 soon.

[@matterman872]

I was literally just listening to Martin Denny for the first time before this on a random playlist and watched this while scrolling cause I thought it looked interesting

[@timsieho9122]

Omg this guy is so attractive

[@austincrawford9604]

9:24 excellent I'm gonna take one for the team and print it out so I can pirate it

[@rayrichardartiaga1560]

3:37 Second season? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@breezus3928]

Talk about the Season 2 remix theme!

[@reneetucker1193]

I hear variations of dies irae. And that's why it's so spooky!

[@bradygalen7660]

great video. this music is something else ain't it?

[@themollyrhubarb]

I live christobal I originally watched white lotus because of his work on utopia

[@synesthesia7511]

Break down season 2!

[@djago0]

Interesting analysis. Good piece of music, too. I can't help but think it was strongly influenced by Hans Reichel - check out Yuxo, for example, especially the tracks Bubu and his friends and Le Bal (but it's all good, and highly recommended if you like the White Lotus music): kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZC3mKaImMmrrtE

[@only4crap]

mooooooore! more, not moore

[@catherinehiltz8634]

Your video came up on auto play immediately after watching Cristobal’s Rolling Stone feature on how he wrote this. Was made on a Maschine while he was tripping, some of what we hear as melody is actually just mistakes with his performance on the pitch ribbon. Sometimes things are super clever and intentional, and sometimes you’re just high 🤷‍♂️😂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/rn68gXSuiM6og9Esi=zcTMPZtSWdPkGUgc

[@lynnebarnes3840]

RED RIGHT HAND

[@melkiyad2504]

Hahah +1 for the Mike White comment xD

[@annala2956]

Beato

[@Cloudshaper]

I feel like the melody line is heavily inspired from New Slaves from Kayne West. It is also very unsettling.

[@leowanenchak53]

Dies Irae

[@Lee-fi4vo]

How strange is it that composers can MANIPULATE our human emotions with composition???

[@BenjaminIstvanCseko]

For me, the music is unsettling and innegligible because it sounds like a sophisticated, escalating alarm.

[@wali5912]

Cristobal Tapia de Veer is unfortunately very problematic on the instruments he used and his whole impression behind creating it. It’s really cringey

[@wali5912]

He used human bones and banged them against drums

[@rockstarjazzcat]

@@wali5912 😳

[@lottnio8207]

It is interesting to see that an American to show has such strong opinions as White Lotus. But maybe it’s not so surprising given the rise of Trumpism etc. White Lotus strongly criticises anti-colonialism and racial and sexual minority rights. All minority characters (main roles) in the show are incompetent or bad in some way or other. They try to achieve their goals by using wrong methods. The makers of the show don’t seem to have much trust to their capabilities as the end is not happy for them. The show is not overtly racist or homophobic but the point seems to be that going too far with minority rights has bad results. For example the anti-colonialism of the racial girl causes a native man to commit a violent robbery in order to correct past wrongdoings towards natives. She escapes prison herself but is left with a bad conscience. It is not shown does she learn from her mistake or does she continue her quest using dubious or even criminal means. Other example is the incompetent gay hotel manager (remote resemblance to Basil Fawlty character). He ends up dead after trying to revenge, in a very nasty way, a guests complaints of him (which process almost destroys a new marriage). Show makes a very strong point and tries not to hide its opinion about minorities and how the rights or talk about rights can go too far or take wrong routes. I don’t agree with the opinion since I think many representatives of minorities don’t go too far or try to achieve their goals by wrong means or are incompetent but the show shows what many people in America think and of course it is obvious that the end doesn’t justify the means.

[@usumalcolm]

I think you really missed the point, it does criticize colonialism, and calls out removed activism and the elitism that doesn't understand any of the actual minority experience. Taking for granted this fake gratitude minorities have to present to front of office for ideas and culture they already possess but are expected to smile as it is being sold back to them like it's new.

[@lottnio8207]

@@usumalcolm The show presents minorities in bad light and not a single minority character is good. These kind of presentations reflect the current situation in the US and pave the way for the second coming of Trump which will be bad news for minorities (and most of the non-minority population too).

[@lajeanette33]

I felt that with the « flight attendant » theme song.