The Music of Johnathon Coulton
by Seahawk

One of the commonly asked questions in the OOC forum is “What kind of music do you listen to while playing AQ/DF?” In answer to that question, I thought I'd take a moment to discuss what several members of the Forum Moderating Staff have been listening to recently: the music of Jonathan Coulton.

 

Jonathan Coulton is a former software writer who, in 2005, quit his regular job to pursue a career in music. He is currently a Contributing Troubadour for Popular Science magazine and the musical director for John Hodgman's Little Gray Book Lectures, and also maintains his own website at http://www.jonathancoulton.com where fans can listen to and

download his music. One of his initial projects on his site was his “Thing of the Week”, in which he produced and released a new song each Friday for a year. These songs cover a wide variety of subjects and genres, ranging from a Podcast-safe Christmas tune in the style of “Alvin and the Chipmunks” to the heart-felt tale of a software programmer

who dreams of a better life. Most of his songs are original, and the handful of cover tunes (including a folk-styled remake of “Baby Got Back”) have been given a dose of Coulton's own unique style. The best part is that, even for someone who shares my eclectic tastes in music, you find yourself relating to many of his songs... there's a little something for everyone.

 

Another interesting aspect of Coulton's music is that he releases most of his music under a Creative Common License. This means that fans are free to use and distribute his music, provided that they make no profit from it and credit Coulton's site in the process. This has led to many fan-based projects and videos, many of which can be found on

sites such as YouTube where they help attract more attention to his music. It also means that all of Coulton's music can be listened to on his website for free, and downloaded for free as well with the appropriate browser plug-ins. You can also contribute at $1 per song to purchase the download if you want to help support Coulton and his efforts.

 

Describing the varied style of many of Coulton's songs is tough; suffice to say if you're a fan of They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, “Weird Al” Yankovic, or just enjoy pop/folk styled music, you'll probably find something you like. Some of my personal favorites include “SkullCrusher Mountain” (a tale of an evil genius and the woman he loves),

“Re: Your Brains” (How can you go wrong with a song about zombies in the workplace?), and “I Crush Everything” (about a misunderstood giant squid). I highly recommend checking out his site; I can almost guarantee you'll find something you enjoy.