Music for Bugs

Background

YouTube is filled with aesthetic playlists and soundscapes meant to capture every vibe and micro niche imaginable. From imagining you're a princess secretly researching about your mother while plotting to overthrow your father to magic volcanoes to imagining yourself in the Star Wars universe and more, there is something to capture every inch of the imagination. As a writer, these can all be quite invaluable when trying to immerse myself in the worlds I create. I did, of course, pull these examples from my own playlists.

For this piece, I'm going to focus on something truly micro; bugs and what they inspire.

Music for Bugs - Camiidae

Spring is upon us here on the West Coast, and with these warm weather comes blossoms, sprouts, sunshine, and all the little critters meant to pollinate those flowers, eat the fresh produce and also the detritus, and scare the heck out of me when I stumble upon some of them.

Camiidae, an artist from Argentina, saw an inspiration from bugs. Per their website, it all started with drawing these creatures, and soon morphed into a desire to create music that "went" with each bug they drew. The full album, pasted above, is comprised of nine different songs: Weevil, Butterfly, Treehopper, Moth, Isopod, Bumblebee, Scarab, Spiny Spider, and Tortoise Beetle. I will be going over each individual track.

1. Weevil

Ryan Howard of The Office says it best: "Weevils! What a crazy word, man."

Weevils are beetles, and while often regarded as pests ("It's weevil season... They lay their eggs inside of the unripe beet root." - Dwight Schrute) they are sometimes used as biological control for different sorts of destructive insects.

This track, filled with xylophone, piano, and some string backing, presents an adventurous tune for our beetle friend. There is also a medley of birds and what seems to be a wooden wind chime as well. It perfectly encapsulates a hot summer day spent in the mottled shade below a skyscraper sized tree (for a weevil, that is). I can feel the heat and the slight breeze in this bright music.

2. Butterfly

Thou spark of life that wavest wings of gold,

Thou songless wanderer mid the songful birds,

With Nature’s secrets in thy tints unrolled

Through gorgeous cipher, past the reach of words,

Yet dear to every child

In glad pursuit beguiled,

Living his unspoiled days mid flowers and flocks and herds!

- Thomas Wentworth Higginson, "Ode to a Butterfly"

Butterflies have captured the human imagination for millennia. What is it about these critters that makes us pause and watch in amazement as they settle down on a blossom or take wing?

The whimsy of the piano and light string accompaniment in this one suggests a soft breeze for a butterfly to float on as it flits from one flower to the next. The rustling grass that occasionally comes to the foreground brings to mind a curious observer following this winged wonder around in its adventure. I believe I also hear some occasional thunder crashing as well. Perhaps a nod to the butterfly effect? Or rather a springtime backdrop in which thunderstorms are becoming a more common occurrence with the seasonal shifting weather patterns.

3. Treehopper

Treehoppers are relatives of cicadas that have evolved to become expert mimics that often look like leaves or thorns on trees. They are also known to form symbiotic relationships with ants and geckos by providing sap from piercing plants and trees with their unique horns.

This track, featuring piano, light percussion, birdsong, and also moving water conveys a more pensive mood. The treehopper is of course known for its ability to camouflage and its desire to stay hidden from predators. Rather than flying whimsically out in the open like the butterfly on the previous track, this bug has a much more humble life, which is reflected in the softer yet hopeful notes of this song.

4. Moth

on the one ton temple bell

a moon-moth, folded into sleep

sits still

- Buson, 18th century Japanese poet

Another winged wonder that has inspired poets and artists of all manner for generations, the moth-inspired track feels much more like nighttime. A direct contrast to its other album companions, but still falls in line with a warm weather theme. In the background, it sounds like the croaks of frogs and flowing water. There is still a tad bit of birdsong, which to me suggests summer. During the hottest parts of the year, it's not uncommon in my area for birds to continue singing well into the middle of the night. They did have to miss out on hours of communication during the heat of the day, afterall.

If the other tracks are a warm day, then this one is a humid yet lively night. Sitting on the porch, string lights illuminating the night, and a blaze of stars across the inky sky - all while a moth settles down onto the wall just a few feet away from you.

5. Isopod

Now what is an isopod?

I recognized this one from many hours with my nose buried in a dinosaur book as a kid. It is indeed an ancient species (there are around 10,000 different types according to NOAA) that are related to crustaceans like crabs and shrimp. Half of isopod species are ocean-based!

This track makes me envision a determined pill bug (a variety of isopod that most of us played with as kids; roly-poly!) on a journey across the forest floor in search of something to snack on. Perhaps he has to stop and hide from a moment while a predator dashes or swoops by, his antennae twitching as he waits for the threat to pass. Then he's on his way again, to the languid yet peppy tune of this song.

6. Bumblebee

How doth the little busy bee

Improve each shining hour,

And gather honey all the day

From every opening flower!

- Isaac Watts

My favorite track. This is lying on a blanket in a meadow, a pleasant springtime breezing rolling over you as big, puffy white clouds pass over you. Wildflowers are all around you in every possible shade of purple, pink, yellow, and white. Lazily, the worker bees move from one flower to the next, their fuzzy behinds dusted with golden pollen, their legs full of the stuff, their flight speed slowing just a tad as they grow tired in the sun as well. The piano, strings, and various other instruments really do help evoke that pleasant windy sound. I can smell springtime too, those verdant notes that announce winter's end and a new season's arrival. Perhaps rain will come in a day or so, but for now, the sun is out, and all is well.

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,—

One clover, and a bee,

And revery.

The revery alone will do

If bees are few.

- Emily Dickinson

7. Scarab

Perhaps the mere mention of this beetle reminds you of The Mummy, or at the very least, real ancient Egypt. Scarab beetles were in fact considered a sacred being in ancient Egypt as it was believed that they rolled the morning sun over the horizon each day.

This track begins with a sweeping, desert-like wind, crickets, and what sounds like a sort of nocturnal bird. I think of an insect hard at work while much of the rest of the world sleeps, and take a moment to image the sacred space they held in bygone civilizations. We are all a part of a great symbiosis, each species a building block to its own niche and environment. This song is a triumphant yet lowkey homage to the jewel-colored beetle which have been held in reverence throughout history.

8. Spiny Spider

I'll be honest - I did not like looking this one up! In fact, I did not look this particular critter up at all. I will say though, that I do understand the innate value these beings hold to their ecosystems. I admire the intricate handiwork of these garden friends, and wish them well in their journey outdoors and away from me!

The tune of this track does make me think of a spider spinning its web at night, patiently and diligently weaving back and forth, back and forth, until its trap is perfected. This is also the first track (I believe) to feature a guitar backing, which adds to the summertime ambience. I can tell just how much this little guy inspired Camiidae, and I can certainly appreciate that.

9. Tortoise Beetle

Tortoise beetles are aptly named, as many varieties do seem to look like tiny turtles. The tune of this track even reminds me of a tortoise lumbering through the grass and picking up little fruits along its way. But, in terms of the bug, I do think of the beetle being nestled onto a leaf, lying perfectly still as the breeze sways it. While tortoise beetles might snack on garden plants, the damage is mostly negligible as they do not group together. This is a solitary insect most of the time.

This is the second track to feature a guitar, and its presence adds some nonchalance to the vibe. This is not a beetle on a quick mission, but rather one which moves slowly, as do many things on a hot day.

That's All!

Well this has certainly been different from what I usually post, but was a fun exercise nonetheless. I enjoy seeing people's passion projects, and can even appreciate bugs when the occasion calls for it. I hope you'll take a listen to these tracks and check out Camiidae's other work!