It's pretty rough, if you listen to the audio in the article. You can just about make out the words and the key, and the fact that there's some kind of harmonic resolution on "the wall", but the rest of the harmony and melody don't really seem to be there. Still, amazing that even this is possible.
it's interesting, if u asked me to be honest about it, i would say that's pretty close to how i actually perceive songs in my head when i have something stuck in there. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think i can imagine all of the instruments of a song at once while replaying a song in my head. There's like the words (if I know them), and maybe like the broad melody and the accents from other instruments, but that's about it.
Interesting, for me I can hear the song vocals and instruments in my head exactly like listening to it, but I can't play an instrument or sing on key...even though I know exactly how it should sound
I feel like this could just be a result of your brain being very good at fooling you into thinking you perceive something when you don't. It's kind of like how you can "see" a huge landscape in very fine details, but really the only part you actually see well is the centre of your visual field.
I would disagree with the fooling, because if I try to sing I know its bad or wrong instantly because I have the full audio clip in my head to compare to. I can describe it in extreme detail, and recall the bass line, guitar, other instruments, even the unique vocal sound from a singer, and even direct somebody in how/why they don't sound like the song. i just have zero muscial ability on my own. Now if it is drawing though I can recall in 3d and draw a map or house plan down to fine detail after seeing it once and even decades ago. It's like what they call those flashbulb memories.
Faces I would say are fooled in my head as you said about landscapes. I can visualize somebodies faces somewhat, but couldn't draw them very accurately. And names I will often forget if I haven't seen the person in a long time.
The brain is weird. My wife does not know what I look like if she closes her eyes. I had sent a picture of a coworker before and she asked when I shaved my beard? I'm like that isn't me. LOL
I don't mean to say that you would be incapable of imagining each of the details of a piece. What I mean is that at any given moment, you're only paying attention to a small part of the piece while your brain fills in the rest with an approximation so it appears as if you hear the whole thing at once.
i can make out a couple words in my head but generally i cant hear the lyrics to a song in my head. I can hear the tone and pacing, but i cant hear / remember the lyrics unless ive specifically made an effort to memorize them.