I'm a fan of lists. I'll admit it. Maybe that's one of the reasons I like "High Fidelity" so much. He's got his top 5s for just about everything. And it's fun to argue and agree with the critics and fans when it comes to end of the year lists. For the past two years, Paste Magazine has had a surprise pick for the top album of the year, which after further review, makes sense (2007-The National, "Boxer". 2008-She & Him, "Volume 1").
This year has been yet another rough year for the music industry. CD sales were down 27% in the last quarter, while radio had a revenue drop not seen since the'50s. Some say it's the recession, which is partially to blame. Others say it was a down year for new releases. I'm not buying into that one. There were plenty of great releases, from indie favorites to big name pop artists. CDs and radio are just on the outs, plain and simple.
I'm including three lists here: my 10 favorite albums of the year (plus two honorable mentions), my five favorite songs of the year (again, plus two honorable mentions), and just for the hell of it, my five favorite movies of the year. Music and movies have so much in common and are kind of dependent on one another, so even though this is a music blog, I decided to just go for it.
The great thing about making a "best of" list is I went back to listen to my favorite albums of the year just to make sure I had the order right. In the process, I heard things I missed before, I changed the order several times, and I just had a great time listening to great music. Down year for the industry or not, there was still plenty of good stuff to go around.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2008
10. Justin Townes Earle, The Good Life
Ok, so I admit it, I have a penchant for twang. This is pretty much a traditional country album. There's plenty of talk about drinkin' and bein' lonesome and hard livin'. That's what real country music is all about, though. And if that's what you're into, this album is a treat. Justin Townes Earle is the son of folk, protest singer-songwriter, Steve Earle. What he produces here is an achievement in songwriting, but is also a boost for traditional country, and a way for the younger Earle to set himself apart from his legendary father. Have a bottle of whiskey and your cowboy hat ready when you put this one on.
9. Ezra Furman & the Harpoons, Inside the Human Body
These guys just finished college, damn it! And they're so good! Ezra's got quite an unusual, raw sort of voice, but it lends well to his frantic style and quirky songwriting. I've heard comparisons of Ezra Furman to Conor Oberst, which then leads to the inevitable comparison to Bob Dylan. Yeah, there's that, merely because people always feel the need to find "The New Dylan". But don't do that please. Give the guy his own due, which he deserves. There's a nice blend of good 'ol rock and roll, mixed with original songwriting, and youthful energy. This is a band to watch in the next few years to come.
8. Dr. Dog, Fate
I can't say enough about this band. This album is filled with songs that will take you back to an earlier era, but also stand on their own here in the present. I've always enjoyed the band's low-fi, direct approach, and this album provides plenty of that. There's also a somewhat dark aura that lingers throughout the album, like an impending doom. The album feels like albums used to feel--cohesive, and not just a random mixture of songs. A talented rock band at its best.
7. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
I love to put on this album nice and loud and proceed to dance around like an idiot. It's a big sounding album with great beats and layers of sound and energy. Much to my disappointment, I guess these guys aren't very good live, but if they can keep putting out albums like this, one can overlook that fault. This is a great summer album, that also contains one of my favorite lyrics of the year, "Shock me like an electric eel." Can't be shocked much better than that.
6. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Here's another great summer album made by equally maddeningly young, talented musicians. Arrgggh, what have I done with my youth! This is a fun album filled with African beats Paul Simon would have loved to have had, intellectual references, escape from vampires in New England, and tuneful melodies. I think they also have the best sweaters in rock & roll.
5. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
This is a beautiful album, start to finish. It's a quiet, heartfelt masterpiece, sung by someone who obviously knows heartache, but at the same time, knows how to translate it into something amazingly lyrical and transcendant. My favorite song of the year is off of this album. Just saw them on Letterman the other night and he played with three drummers. The previously alluded to favorite song was the one he played. Good stuff, through and through.
4. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
My Morning Jacket is one of my favorite bands around right now. I was a bit nervous about this album, because I heard they were trying some new things. I've talked about experimentation in this blog, and frankly, sometimes it turns out really, really badly. But not here. The album starts out with three un-MMJ-esque songs that delve into the realm of dance/electronica/Prince. Then with track four, a more familiar sounding band appears. What a statement to make with the first part of your album. I've heard some fans weren't too happy with the direction of "Evil Urges", but I think there's plenty on here that fans of their older work can get into too. I think that this album is their best so far, and I look forward to what Jim James and Co. come up with next.
3. TV on the Radio, Dear Science
TV on the Radio's previous release, "Return to Cookie Mountain" was a huge critical success. One always wonders how a band can follow up something like that. Well, TV on the Radio just went ahead and followed it up with another masterpiece that reaffirms them as one of the most creative bands around. They somehow manage to successfully mix elements of rock, hip-hop, electronica, and really what can only be called "sound". Every moment of this album is engaging. And the high register vocal style of the lead singer is about as unique as you can get. And unique hardly scratches the surface in describing TVotR.
2. She & Him, Volume One
Who would have guessed that Zooey Deschanel would be this good? I wouldn't have. In fact when I first heard about this concept of M. Ward joining up with the actress from "Elf" and "Almost Famous", I think I let out an audible sigh. I think most people did. But then you hear it and realize, "Wow, this is good". You kind of expect it from M. Ward. He's proven himself as the real thing within the "indie-rock" scene. But Zooey Deschanel? I'm amazed. She pulls off several styles perfectly. Her voice can be tender, soulful, rough, sensitive, and powerful. And M. Ward backs it up with some serious acoustic picking. They just announced that there will be a Volume Two and I'm hoping they cover Dusty Springfield, The Ronnettes, and Patsy Cline. If this album proves anything, they could probably pull it off.
1. Fleet Foxes, Ragged Wood
I challenge you to find harmonies more amazing than the ones created by this band. From the very first notes of this album you feel like you are listening to something not of this world. I feel like the songs were pulled out of some unknown part of the atmosphere or out of some magical land where wood nymphs and fairys frollick amongst talking trees and gnomes. Not to be a broken record, but once again, these guys are in their early '20s!!! And this is their debut. It is an amazing achievement in acoustic, new folk, indie-whatever music. It's just damn good. It's hypnotic and like European chocolate for the ears. Rich and tasty, with an amazing aftertaste.
Honorable Mention--The Hold Steady, "Stay Positive"
The Rural Alberta Advantage, "Hometowns"
BEST SONGS OF 2008
5. "Great DJ", The Ting Tings
4. "White Winter Hymnal", Fleet Foxes
3. "Take Off Your Sunglasses", Ezra Furman & the Harpoons
2. "Electric Feel", MGMT
1. "Skinny Love", Bon Iver
Honorable Mention: "Shout Me Out", TV on the Radio
"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", Vampire Weekend
BEST MOVIES OF 2008 (at least from what I've seen so far)
5. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
4. WALL-E
3. A Christmas Tale
2. My Winnipeg
1. The Dark Knight
Well, there you have it. By no means is this a comprehensive list. I haven't the time or money or energy to have heard every album (or seen every movie) of 2008. As much as I wish I could do this full-time, and my God do I wish I could, I don't. One day, maybe. But until then, I'll do my best to immerse myself in great music, literature, movies, and whatever else is there for the viewing/listening. It's a nice way to spend life. And every so often, amazing, life-changing things happen from all of it.
Let me know what you think. What did I miss? What did I get right? What did I get wrong?
And on a side note, I'm working on the launch of The Hidden Chord Podcast, to debut this January! It's going to be the best podcast that anyone has ever heard!
Showing posts with label indie rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indie rock. Show all posts
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
The One That Got Away
I'm kind of frustrated right now, I must admit. I'm trying to distract myself from the prospects of going out to my roommate's karaoke bar where I will no doubt drink too much and butcher one of my favorite songs in the process of trying to impress girls who are probably too young for me and too drunk to walk. Yes, slight impairment of the opposite sex may be good in that I just might seem a little more attractive and charismatic that I actually am, but it's a fine line between that and sloppy drunk. And once they or I reach the sloppy drunk point, well, all bets are off and I'll stumble home to get not enough sleep before a long day of work. All around, it would be a bad idea. Hense the need for a distraction.
The problem is that my distraction, music, isn't coming to me like I had hoped. Each month I get new downloads from eMusic and today is my "refresh" day. Usually it kicks in later in the day, so I just checked about five minutes ago and it hasn't given me my 40 new downloads for the month. Arrgghhh!!!! Yes, it's true that I have over 4500 songs on my iTunes, most of which I haven't even heard, but there's something exciting about something new. It's like cracking open the cellophane on a new cd, or showing my age and/or dorkiness, a record. You don't get that new smell from the download, but still, it's exciting.
Is it still exciting? I'm not sure if it is for the vast listening public. Sales are down across the board. I mean, the general business model for record labels these days doesn't hardly even consider the retail end of things. The money is in touring and merch if you're lucky.
Yeah, there are many reasons for this, but my mind started wandering a bit, once again hopelessly trying to avoid the karaoke bar, to a different theory. Indulge me for a minute while I open up my bizarre thought process.
I went to eMusic and I was excited about checking out two albums in particular. 1.) The new album by Of Montreal that is pretty well hyped and rightly so, as this is a good band that people expect good things from. 2.) The new album by The Rural Alberta Advantage, who I just heard recently for the first time because of a free track given out by eMusic. I dug it, so I was curious to hear more.
Of course, I have to wait until the damn downloads refresh, but I noticed something. Montreal, Alberta--Canada. Thank you, I know, I am master of the obvious. It's a talent I can't explain, nor can I impart to others. But then I started thinking about how I've been into Sigur Ros a lot lately and have really enjoyed some of the bands that have come out of the Saharan region of Africa, like Tinariwen and Etran Finatawa. Rock music has become quite international since it's "birth" in the '50s. Then I thought for a minute--maybe it's just spread out too much.
I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all. In fact it's brought a dimension into the music that the Chuck Berry's and Bo Diddley's of the world never could have dreamt of. But while this is exciting, I think as it keeps straying and fracturing and pushing into new un-thought-of grounds, its original core is lost a bit and it gets harder for the general public to follow. "Scenes" don't really exist anymore. I feel like rocks last real movement was grunge and the whole Seattle scene and after that fell apart, things were never quite the same for rock music.
And a lot of that happens to be a matter of timing as well. At around the same time, technology was beginning to change the world drastically. Physical product and media lost their strangle hold on the business and things began to open up. More people than ever have bands as social networking sites and easy to use home recording software make it seem like any idiot can do what the so-called big stars had been doing for half a century. And maybe that's it too. Maybe rock music lost a bit of its magic when everyone became a participant.
But here I am going on a tangent. But I think all of this is connected though. I think as people got bored, the truly talented decided to take new leaps and take risks and hope that a certain segment would follow. And I think it's that certain segment that also began to expect quality and substance over the drivel radio has been putting out for quite some time now and from what the amateurs on MySpace try to shove down their throats. Here lies the opportunities for the Tinariwen's and Sigur Ros's of the world to make their mark. It's also good timing for a band like Vampire Weekend who relies a lot on international influence and discerning "art-rock" lovers.
But look at the Billboard charts these days. These are just numbers, mind you, that have as much meaning in terms of quality as the tarnished old statues known as the Grammy Awards. That's right, ultimately nothing. However, it gives one a bit of an idea where the pulse of popular music lies, at least in the grand scheme of things. It isn't with any of the ones I listed above. Sure, an indie act charts high every so often, but it's usually a flash in the pan, I think out of sheer curiosity more than anything.
Let's be honest, though. There is no more "rock music". Just like there is no single definition for hip-hop, or electronic, or country, or any of the labels of the past. I think the effect that is going on right now is that so many unique niches have opened up that it's nearly impossible to market music on a large scale. In the days of '60s AM radio, you could turn on a station and hear everything from Neil Diamond to The Beatles to Aretha Franklin. It was all in one place. But the world has changed and radio has changed. The major labels try to fight it, but it already happened. Popular music has been freed from the clutches of the few and is now a true world democracy. It belongs to one and all, but ironically this amazing phenomenon has killed the industry.
Ultimately, like I said before, it's not necessarily a bad thing. The music hasn't died. Far from it. The music is more alive and vibrant than ever. And I have a feeling that as we continue to learn about and exchange ideas with our global neighbors, it is only bound to continue to get more interesting. And my original thought about Canada may not have been the best example. Our hockey loving neighbors to the north have been contributing for quite some time. And oh, there's that island nation known as the United Kingdom who's had a few decent bands over the years too. But now the world is such that it is possible for a more diverse selection of nation's peoples to contribute as well. I think the world is such too that the possibility for a larger diversity of ideas is available for artists as well. Things that were maybe taboo or too "outside-of-the-box" for major labels to handle, are now available because the majors just don't have that say anymore.
The only risk that underground or indie or whatever you call this pool of music runs is the potential for pretention. Rock music has always had a sort of "every-person" appeal to it, but every so often strays into territory that is elitist or too ego-filled for its own good. It's bound to happen to a certain extent. But I don't think it will matter. That music will have its niche and others will come along and fill a less pretentious niche.
So even though the industry may be "The One That Got Away", I have a feeling we are just at the beginning of an exciting time for rock and all popular music. There are a million different directions everything could go into. Hopefully it won't come to a point where it is so splintered that no one cares to put in the effort to seek out the good stuff.
But for now it's still relatively easy for those who don't mind a little effort in exchange for a large reward. And there will always be word of mouth, no matter how technologically advanced we become.
But now, my rambling ideas must stop (I don't think my high school English teacher would approve), as my downloads have finally refreshed. I have successfully resisted the temptation of beer and karaoke. For the millionth time and counting, thank god for great music.
The problem is that my distraction, music, isn't coming to me like I had hoped. Each month I get new downloads from eMusic and today is my "refresh" day. Usually it kicks in later in the day, so I just checked about five minutes ago and it hasn't given me my 40 new downloads for the month. Arrgghhh!!!! Yes, it's true that I have over 4500 songs on my iTunes, most of which I haven't even heard, but there's something exciting about something new. It's like cracking open the cellophane on a new cd, or showing my age and/or dorkiness, a record. You don't get that new smell from the download, but still, it's exciting.
Is it still exciting? I'm not sure if it is for the vast listening public. Sales are down across the board. I mean, the general business model for record labels these days doesn't hardly even consider the retail end of things. The money is in touring and merch if you're lucky.
Yeah, there are many reasons for this, but my mind started wandering a bit, once again hopelessly trying to avoid the karaoke bar, to a different theory. Indulge me for a minute while I open up my bizarre thought process.
I went to eMusic and I was excited about checking out two albums in particular. 1.) The new album by Of Montreal that is pretty well hyped and rightly so, as this is a good band that people expect good things from. 2.) The new album by The Rural Alberta Advantage, who I just heard recently for the first time because of a free track given out by eMusic. I dug it, so I was curious to hear more.
Of course, I have to wait until the damn downloads refresh, but I noticed something. Montreal, Alberta--Canada. Thank you, I know, I am master of the obvious. It's a talent I can't explain, nor can I impart to others. But then I started thinking about how I've been into Sigur Ros a lot lately and have really enjoyed some of the bands that have come out of the Saharan region of Africa, like Tinariwen and Etran Finatawa. Rock music has become quite international since it's "birth" in the '50s. Then I thought for a minute--maybe it's just spread out too much.
I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all. In fact it's brought a dimension into the music that the Chuck Berry's and Bo Diddley's of the world never could have dreamt of. But while this is exciting, I think as it keeps straying and fracturing and pushing into new un-thought-of grounds, its original core is lost a bit and it gets harder for the general public to follow. "Scenes" don't really exist anymore. I feel like rocks last real movement was grunge and the whole Seattle scene and after that fell apart, things were never quite the same for rock music.
And a lot of that happens to be a matter of timing as well. At around the same time, technology was beginning to change the world drastically. Physical product and media lost their strangle hold on the business and things began to open up. More people than ever have bands as social networking sites and easy to use home recording software make it seem like any idiot can do what the so-called big stars had been doing for half a century. And maybe that's it too. Maybe rock music lost a bit of its magic when everyone became a participant.
But here I am going on a tangent. But I think all of this is connected though. I think as people got bored, the truly talented decided to take new leaps and take risks and hope that a certain segment would follow. And I think it's that certain segment that also began to expect quality and substance over the drivel radio has been putting out for quite some time now and from what the amateurs on MySpace try to shove down their throats. Here lies the opportunities for the Tinariwen's and Sigur Ros's of the world to make their mark. It's also good timing for a band like Vampire Weekend who relies a lot on international influence and discerning "art-rock" lovers.
But look at the Billboard charts these days. These are just numbers, mind you, that have as much meaning in terms of quality as the tarnished old statues known as the Grammy Awards. That's right, ultimately nothing. However, it gives one a bit of an idea where the pulse of popular music lies, at least in the grand scheme of things. It isn't with any of the ones I listed above. Sure, an indie act charts high every so often, but it's usually a flash in the pan, I think out of sheer curiosity more than anything.
Let's be honest, though. There is no more "rock music". Just like there is no single definition for hip-hop, or electronic, or country, or any of the labels of the past. I think the effect that is going on right now is that so many unique niches have opened up that it's nearly impossible to market music on a large scale. In the days of '60s AM radio, you could turn on a station and hear everything from Neil Diamond to The Beatles to Aretha Franklin. It was all in one place. But the world has changed and radio has changed. The major labels try to fight it, but it already happened. Popular music has been freed from the clutches of the few and is now a true world democracy. It belongs to one and all, but ironically this amazing phenomenon has killed the industry.
Ultimately, like I said before, it's not necessarily a bad thing. The music hasn't died. Far from it. The music is more alive and vibrant than ever. And I have a feeling that as we continue to learn about and exchange ideas with our global neighbors, it is only bound to continue to get more interesting. And my original thought about Canada may not have been the best example. Our hockey loving neighbors to the north have been contributing for quite some time. And oh, there's that island nation known as the United Kingdom who's had a few decent bands over the years too. But now the world is such that it is possible for a more diverse selection of nation's peoples to contribute as well. I think the world is such too that the possibility for a larger diversity of ideas is available for artists as well. Things that were maybe taboo or too "outside-of-the-box" for major labels to handle, are now available because the majors just don't have that say anymore.
The only risk that underground or indie or whatever you call this pool of music runs is the potential for pretention. Rock music has always had a sort of "every-person" appeal to it, but every so often strays into territory that is elitist or too ego-filled for its own good. It's bound to happen to a certain extent. But I don't think it will matter. That music will have its niche and others will come along and fill a less pretentious niche.
So even though the industry may be "The One That Got Away", I have a feeling we are just at the beginning of an exciting time for rock and all popular music. There are a million different directions everything could go into. Hopefully it won't come to a point where it is so splintered that no one cares to put in the effort to seek out the good stuff.
But for now it's still relatively easy for those who don't mind a little effort in exchange for a large reward. And there will always be word of mouth, no matter how technologically advanced we become.
But now, my rambling ideas must stop (I don't think my high school English teacher would approve), as my downloads have finally refreshed. I have successfully resisted the temptation of beer and karaoke. For the millionth time and counting, thank god for great music.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A Welcome and an Explanation
Welcome to The Hidden Chord, a quest blog if you will, dedicated to uncovering and understanding the magical moments that popular music has to offer. I was thinking about calling it "The Moment", but that one was taken and really I wasn't too thrilled with it. Then I thought of the line in the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah" that goes, "I heard there was a secret chord..." The Secret Chord!!! How mysterious, yet enticing! But not surprisingly, taken as well. The Hidden Chord will have to do for now. I think it says something about my objective, though--the uncovering of something thats maybe un-uncoverable. The moments of magic are often fleeting and hard to describe to others. Kind of like when you hear a joke for the first time and you and everyone else think it's the greatest thing ever, but when you try to recreate it for someone else, it just doesn't work. Maybe it was the particular place or time or group of people. For whatever reason, the moment passed.
Here's the inspiration for this blog/podcast. There are a few inspirations actually. A colleague of mine told me that everytime he goes to SXSW he always has a particular SXSW moment. A particular performance will move him to want to buy the artist's whole catalog. It will become a sort of marker for the whole experience. SXSW is a great venue for magical moments. This year, I had a few. They're the type of moments that you audibly say to yourself, "wow". They make you want to remember all the little details of the experience--what things look like, smell like, feel like, who you are with, what you are drinking/eating--just so you have a reference point later on to try and relive it, even if you know you can't. For example, I don't even know the name of the band that was playing, but it was a perfect moment. It was near the end of the week in Austin and I went to one of the more interesting venues I've ever been to: the top of a parking garage in downtown Austin. It was a typically hot day and there was plenty of free/cheap booze to be had, which is also typical of SXSW. I was with a band who I consider friends, and with a new friend I just met during the week. There was something about the music this band from Brooklyn was playing, combined with the hot sunny day, the wind in people's hair, and the amazing view of Austin that just made me feel like, "Yeah, this is what it's all about". The image is engrained in my mind.
Live music has the greatest potential to create moments like this, but when I stop and think about it, there are plenty of times recorded music has evoked a similar reaction. I like keeping the iTunes library on shuffle and occasionally something will pop up that I haven't heard before that makes me stop in my tracks and really listen. It's so easy to have good music as a backdrop, but sometimes a song will just have a certain pull to it where whatever it was you were doing no longer matters. What is it exactly? Or I think of hearing The Beatles "Love" album in the 5.1 digital surround sound for the first time and feeling like I was hearing The Beatles again for the first time. All I wanted to do was sit there and soak it in. The Beatles have created a lot of those musical moments for me. And somehow, have done so for many others as well. What is it about them?
What are these moments? Why do they happen? Who are the bands/artists out there that are eliciting those types of reactions? What are their "wow" moments? To me, this is what popular music is all about. I think of why I first started liking rock music and it was about the music. Something about those guitars and the beat and the voices. And it has spread for me into not other genres too: alt-country, trad country, folk, hip-hop, jazz. Occasionally something just has the right combination to make things click for me, whether it's the music, the lyrics, or something totally unexpected. But that's what it's about. I once was under the delusion that maybe I could find a way to make money from being involved in the music industry. But that's not what it's supposed to be about. For awhile, the corporate world owned music and had a firm hand over what we were buying and listening to. But thankfully, things have been changing. Rightfully so, the corporate music industry is crumbling and the means of distribution are in the hands of indies, the artists, and we the listening public. Some will cry and fret about how it's all changing, but it's about damn time! My only worry is that the artists who create these great works can find a way to make a living. But the great thing about creative people, who care more about their art and less about the money, is they find ways to make it work. There are plenty of people out there to help support them as well, who carry the same music-centric view. The majors never cared about the music and that's why their empire is crumbling.
So this blog will exist to highlight those amazing artists and amazing moments. I hope to get a monthly podcast going very soon as well that will give an "every-fan" view and give an extra spotlight to the bands that matter. I want to eventually take submissions from people too, that document their own "moments" with music. Things are all really pretty rough right now, but the proverbial ball is now rolling.
Here's the inspiration for this blog/podcast. There are a few inspirations actually. A colleague of mine told me that everytime he goes to SXSW he always has a particular SXSW moment. A particular performance will move him to want to buy the artist's whole catalog. It will become a sort of marker for the whole experience. SXSW is a great venue for magical moments. This year, I had a few. They're the type of moments that you audibly say to yourself, "wow". They make you want to remember all the little details of the experience--what things look like, smell like, feel like, who you are with, what you are drinking/eating--just so you have a reference point later on to try and relive it, even if you know you can't. For example, I don't even know the name of the band that was playing, but it was a perfect moment. It was near the end of the week in Austin and I went to one of the more interesting venues I've ever been to: the top of a parking garage in downtown Austin. It was a typically hot day and there was plenty of free/cheap booze to be had, which is also typical of SXSW. I was with a band who I consider friends, and with a new friend I just met during the week. There was something about the music this band from Brooklyn was playing, combined with the hot sunny day, the wind in people's hair, and the amazing view of Austin that just made me feel like, "Yeah, this is what it's all about". The image is engrained in my mind.
Live music has the greatest potential to create moments like this, but when I stop and think about it, there are plenty of times recorded music has evoked a similar reaction. I like keeping the iTunes library on shuffle and occasionally something will pop up that I haven't heard before that makes me stop in my tracks and really listen. It's so easy to have good music as a backdrop, but sometimes a song will just have a certain pull to it where whatever it was you were doing no longer matters. What is it exactly? Or I think of hearing The Beatles "Love" album in the 5.1 digital surround sound for the first time and feeling like I was hearing The Beatles again for the first time. All I wanted to do was sit there and soak it in. The Beatles have created a lot of those musical moments for me. And somehow, have done so for many others as well. What is it about them?
What are these moments? Why do they happen? Who are the bands/artists out there that are eliciting those types of reactions? What are their "wow" moments? To me, this is what popular music is all about. I think of why I first started liking rock music and it was about the music. Something about those guitars and the beat and the voices. And it has spread for me into not other genres too: alt-country, trad country, folk, hip-hop, jazz. Occasionally something just has the right combination to make things click for me, whether it's the music, the lyrics, or something totally unexpected. But that's what it's about. I once was under the delusion that maybe I could find a way to make money from being involved in the music industry. But that's not what it's supposed to be about. For awhile, the corporate world owned music and had a firm hand over what we were buying and listening to. But thankfully, things have been changing. Rightfully so, the corporate music industry is crumbling and the means of distribution are in the hands of indies, the artists, and we the listening public. Some will cry and fret about how it's all changing, but it's about damn time! My only worry is that the artists who create these great works can find a way to make a living. But the great thing about creative people, who care more about their art and less about the money, is they find ways to make it work. There are plenty of people out there to help support them as well, who carry the same music-centric view. The majors never cared about the music and that's why their empire is crumbling.
So this blog will exist to highlight those amazing artists and amazing moments. I hope to get a monthly podcast going very soon as well that will give an "every-fan" view and give an extra spotlight to the bands that matter. I want to eventually take submissions from people too, that document their own "moments" with music. Things are all really pretty rough right now, but the proverbial ball is now rolling.
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