1978-9 (And then some)

I haven't written one of these 'Best of an Era' posts since April but I've still been listening to records from a different era every month since then. I've ranked them just for fun, but I decided not to post any words here as I've been quite busy adapting to this new life in Hong Kong. But after eight months abroad, I'm ready to ease back into music criticism. So, I've decided to resume these monthly imaginary medal ceremonies. Here is the best of 1978 to 1979.

Gold Medal: London Calling by The Clash

I've never really enjoyed anything labeled 'punk'—anything other than The Clash that is. Of course, many would call London Calling an esoteric blend of many genres rather than simply punk music. Still, it's the defining album of a defining punk band so by that logic...it's punk. With these nineteen songs forming one powerful punch in the gut, The Clash's first double album did more to vindicate waning late-seventies rock and roll than just about any other record in the era. No holds barred is an understatement. This is music to awaken the beast that every clueless disco dancing teenager didn't know they had. And the best part is, it doesn't take itself to seriously. It's angst-ridden as hell but also tongue-in-cheek. Never again will there be a rock statement quite like this.

Silver Medal: This Year's Model by Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello has had a prolific career but nothing has been quite as sublime as his first two albums. After the simple but brilliant debut, My Aim Is True, Costello put out the record with an album cover and a sound that solidified him as a true nerd of rock and roll, decades before Weezer. Starting with  the surging "No Action," every song on this record is memorable; they're chalk full of clever hooks, clever lyrics and clever instrumentation. Sure, there are other words that can be applied, but pure cleverness seems to radiate from every aspect of this album. This is pop, but with a quirky side that set the stage for hundreds of snide acts that followed. And just for what it's worth, Clash guitarist Mick Jones appears on "Big Tears," making him present on two thirds of this list. What an honor for him :)

Bronze Medal: Further Adventures Of by Bruce Cockburn 

While the first two records on the list are deeply associated with the crowded, dingy venues of London, Bruce Cockburn’s Further Adventures Of is right out of the Canadian wilderness; it even concludes with a dog’s bark. Blessed with prodigious acoustic guitar skills and an expressive voice, Cockburn’s songs have titles such as “Bright Sky” and “Rainfall.” The mood of the album is serene at times but these songs are far from background, relaxation music. Many tracks are set up to evoke powerful imagery of class conflict and unrest. This record is genuine, providing thrills but no frills. It’s hard to say why Bruce Cockburn is hardly even known outside his home country.

And here's some rankings from previous months. Sorry that there are no descriptions. 

April: 1966

1. Revolver by The Beatles

2. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys

3. Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dyland

May: 1976

1. Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder

2. The Royal Scam by Steely Dan

3. A New World Record by Electric Light Orchestra

June: 2006

1. The Crane Wife by The Decemberists 

2. Yellow House by Grizzly Bear

3. The Life Pursuit by Belle and Sebastian

July/August: 1967

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles

2. Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles

3. Buffalo Springfield Again by Buffalo Springfield

September: 1977

1. Aja by Steely Dan

2. Animals by Pink Floyd

3. Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

October: 1997-8

1. OK Computer by Radiohead

2. Either/Or by Elliott Smith

3. XO by Elliott Smith

November: 2007

1. In Rainbows by Radiohead

2. Bayani by Blue Scholars

3. Nighttiming by Coconut Records

December: 2011

1. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes

2. Father, Son, Holy Ghost by Girls

3. Bon Iver, Bon Iver by Bon Iver

January: 1968

1. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles

2. Oddesey and Oracle by The Zombies

3. Music from Big Pink by The Band 

Favorite Ten of 2011

Despite not having written in this blog since June, I've still tried to keep up with the musical happenings from Hong Kong. Here are my personal top ten records of the last earth rotation. As always, it took a LOT of thought to narrow it down. Happy New Year!

10. Kaputt by Destroyer (Probably the year's best music video, specifically at about 0:41)

9. The King of Limbs by Radiohead

8. w h o k i l l by tUnE-yArDs

7. The King Is Dead by The Decemberists

6. Let England Shake by PJ Harvey

5. Strange Negotiations by David Bazan (Reviewed)

4. Oneirology by CunninLynguists

3. Bon Iver, Bon Iver by Bon Iver

2. Father, Son, Holy Ghost by Girls

1. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes (Reviewed)

And here are some more links, should you want to see what I thought of 2009 and 2010.

Moving to Hong Kong

In less than a month, I will be in Hong Kong. My life will be changing in many ways and so will the nature of this blog. That’s probably okay with you since in recent months, Page 43 hasn’t been particularly active. Fortunately, unlike the rest of China, Hong Kong’s government allows blogging so I can continue doing this. I also plan on having a travel blog that I update quite regularly. Title TBD.

Right now, I’m in a strange juncture with music. I’ve just graduated with a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree but I’m about to leave the country to do something totally unrelated to my collegiate studies. It’s impossible for me to put music on the backburner though, so you can expect me to start writing about what kind of role music plays in Hong Kong society. As a totally unique “East meets West” city, I expect to find some interesting things happening musically over there.

That’s where the blog is going. I’ve decided to stop doing my little “Best of” posts as I’m always behind and I don’t really enjoy that anymore for whatever reason. Right now, I’m living on Bainbridge Island for June, trying to catch up on some music listening. A lot of great records have come out this year, one of which I’m listening to right now (Blue Scholars’ Cinemetropolis). One of the wonders of the Internet is that moving across the globe will not affect my ability to keep up with the newest records being released in the states. This makes me happy.

Over the next couple years, I’m going to do some serious thinking about doing grad school in musicology. I think being far removed from academic music study will help me evaluate if that’s something I really want to do. I’m also curious to see what ways I get music in my life in such a foreign situation. After four years of rock concerts, theory classes, ensembles, and radio shows, it’s time for something completely different.

1956-61

Gold Medal: West Side Story (Original Movie Soundtrack) by Leonard Bernstein

Even though this isn’t your conventional “album,” this was still a no-brainer for me. Not only is this among the most successful musical plays ever written, West Side Story is a towering skyscraper of purely musical achievement. By borrowing from atonal music, big band, Latin, standard classical and Broadway traditions, Leonard Bernstein captured lightning in a bottle. Though very much set in 1950s New York, the music here is timeless. “Maria” is one of the most beautiful songs that I’ve ever heard, which is appropriate based on the lyrics, penned by the young Stephen Sondheim. You’re not gonna see me use this word very much: masterpiece.

Silver Medal: Ella and Louis by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

What happens when two iconic jazz musicians get together? Well, often they fight tooth and nail for the spotlight. But on this album, Satchmo and the First Lady of Song have sublime chemistry. And behind the instantly recognizable voices (and trumpet playing), the Oscar Peterson quartet provides the perfect understated arrangement for the standards that fill up the track listing. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be present for these recording sessions. It would certainly be something you tell your grandkids about.

Bronze Medal: The “Chirping” Crickets by Buddy Holly

It would be easy to discuss how influential Holly was despite only living twenty-two years but this album is on the list simply because it sounds good. You can hear the raw confidence and feeling behind every song on this brief record. Buddy Holly changed the face of music not just because he came at the right time. He was blessed with the ability to communicate the exact sort of attitude that’s behind the best rock and roll. Bruce Springsteen once said he listens to Buddy Holly before each concert to keep himself honest. Snarling, hiccupping and wailing, Holly did things on this record that were often mimicked but never eclipsed.

Part Two

A week later, I don’t stand quite so solidly by my previous post. This has to do with a fantastic discussion on Facebook thanks to a handful of my brilliant friends. I’m a little embarrassed to be changing my stance so soon after last week’s manifesto but I’d rather be slightly embarrassed than to be too stubborn to let myself be influenced by strong arguments from other people. The truth is that the distribution of recorded music is a complicated issue that’s changing too rapidly for me to ever have a solid foundation of what’s going on. But here’s why I changed my stance:

I came to realize that the fruit seller analogy was not an accurate one for today’s market. Digital commodities are not finite, which makes it hard to accept their value like an encoded disk or LP, or an apple. Clearly, the album is of value to the listener but if you’re a stickler to the idea that the artist deserves their pay for everyone who experiences the value in their art, should authors get royalty payments every time someone checks that author’s book out of the library? (Devil’s advocate: But it’s not necessarily about experience; it’s about ownership.) But we don’t really own art to begin with; this was an illusion that’s finally being recognized in the music world. With Youtube, anyone can listen to a certain song, anytime. Listening to an entire album on Youtube on one’s iPhone wouldn’t be stealing by anyone’s standards yet a downloaded record from BitTorrent played on iTunes is? What’s the difference? More clicking on YouTube?

{Sidenote: The intellectual property debate is a fascinating topic in itself that I may digress further into some other time. As my boss at the library says, 2011 is supposed to be the year of the ebook. Holy transformation!}

It’s difficult for me to write much of this because I have this constant voice in of the destitute musician in my head, saying, “Every time I don’t get paid for an album, it’s like taking my lunch. And right now, you’re encouraging that.” But these artists need to realize that they have to change their strategy and as Daniel Ahrendt basically said, “Build a window instead of screaming at a wall.” This isn’t doomsday for musicians. It’s just a new frontier in which shrewd, talented musicians still have an opportunity to succeed. People will pay more than ever for concerts and decreased costs of advertising and recording make many parts of the musician’s life a good bit easier than they were before. As is the case with most major changes in human history, it isn’t good or bad, but simply different.

That being said, I want to end by saying that supporting the arts is one of my main goals in life. It’s why I’m a music critic, it’s why I write this blog, it’s why I love writing and performing music. I have now come to terms with the fact that though I acquire music for free on occasion, I am not contributing to any sort of decline in the music industry. Certainly, paying for music is better than not—it’s like making a donation to a cause you believe in. But I do not believe that getting recorded music for free is “stealing” anymore.

Speaking of stealing, I am SO ready to watch Ichiro and Figgins annoy the crap out of opposing pitchers! Happy opening day everyone!

Downloading Music

As I’ve mentioned a few times over the past few months, I’ve been working on this music criticism capstone project to complete my music degree. It’s now less than a month a way and I’m hard at work. Yesterday, I interviewed Jeff Leizawitz, an adjunct PLU faculty member who used to be a rock music critic. We talked at the Kelley Café here on campus at PLU and the conversation was absolutely fascinating. We covered a lot of ground in about an hour but what stuck with me most was what he had to say about illegal downloading. He didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know, but it’s had me reconsidering the way I acquire music.

I’ve personally never illegally downloaded music but I’ve gotten A LOT of albums from friends, which is really no different when it comes down to it. It’s getting recorded music for free, plain and simple. As an active recording artist, Jeff told me that he has been screwed over by the system big time. He told me that for every one hundred albums acquired by music consumers, only five are legitimately paid for. I have no idea how well-founded that is, but if the numbers aren’t that stark yet, I’m sure they will be soon. So basically, musicians are spending hours crafting something very valuable in their recorded music, and are getting one twentieth of what they would get in a perfect world.

Like I said, this isn’t really anything new to me. It’s been fairly clear that ever since music became transferrable as computer files, the money-making days for recorded music were all but over. But does that make it okay to perpetuate the trend? Because the majority is acting one way, is it not worth it to hold your ground?

When I first started collecting music in middle school, I burned CDs. Then I stopped and tried to replace them all with the actual albums. Then I started acquiring music for free again in late high school. It may seem strange that someone as obsessed as I am would be so wishy washy about this, but that’s the truth.

Until Monday, I hadn’t really thought twice about acquiring music illegally in quite some time. Music is my lifeblood and if it’s available, I’ll find a way to get it. But can one really deny the fact that downloading a song is like stealing an apple from a fruit seller? It’s just that no one’s watching when you steal a song, and there aren’t a limited amount of downloads available. Still, our basic economic system has people paying for things that other people produce for a living. As a believer in the power of the arts, it seems that I would not be one to shortchange these artists.

But the problem is, I’m not exactly a rich man. In the past I’ve justified it by saying I must have music and must have food and shelter, but I can only afford food and shelter, so sacrifices must be made, selfishly at the expense of the musician. But that’s no good. I may change my mind again in a week, but right now, I’m going to do what I can to keep the recording industry alive. I just proposed a weekly column with SSGMusic where I feature one album a month. I’d get it for free, but with permission of the artists and with the potential to raise their income through my words. Who knows if it will work, but this is my current solution.

So I don’t want to be like that annoying vegetarian friend who tells you you’re a murderer every time you eat a hamburger; I'm probably more guilty than most people reading this. But I do think it's important to realize that music isn’t a charity. Artists are real people, as hard as that may be to believe. If you don't want to stop downloading, find another way to support the arts. Music will always exist but unless we’re careful, recorded music as we know it could drastically change in a short amount of time.

2005

Gold Medal: A Piece of Strange by CunninLynguists

Don’t judge a book by its cover. And for that matter, don’t judge an album by its cover. And for the matter, don’t judge an artist by its name. Lo and behold, a Christian themed hip-hop album by a group with a blatant sexual innuendo as a moniker is probably my favorite rap album ever made. A Piece of Strange is the story of a man, just out of jail, trying to get back on his feet. He finds himself tempted (see apple on cover) by women, crime and drugs and ends up sucked in to this world of sin and finds himself in Hell, only to eventually see The Light. The story is powerful but what really sets this record apart are the beats. Kno is truly a master producer.

Silver Medal: The Long March EP by Blue Scholars

Yes, this is an EP. Yes, I may be biased because I met the two members of the Blue Scholars. Yes, much of this is inspired by the Chinese communism of Mao Zedong. Nonetheless, I hardly had to think twice about including this incredible record at number two. Each song is an eye-opening anthem for the struggling middle class. Each song makes you want to get up and do something about the problems of the world. Each song keeps you listening to every passionate word from the mouth of MC Geologic and grooving to every beat courtesy DJ Sabzi. “I heard a few heads say that hip hop is dead. No it’s not. It’s just malnourished and underfed.”

Bronze Medal: Illinois by Sufjan Stevens

I used to be annoyed with how long this album is but because there is so much variety here, it's quite alright. Illinois has since become an indie classic and it has to do with the fact that he's possibly the most unique, cutting-edge pop musician alive. This album is all about the state of Illinois, and uses baroque pop, tender acoustica and minimalist vignettes to paint a complete picture of Sufjan's magnificent vision that was just coming into focus on Michigan and then was distorted into something completely different on Age of Adz. A master craftsman, Sufjan Stevens' work will undoubtedly stand the test of time.