It’s always interesting to me when creators write a sort of explanation to their creations. Whether it’s a writer, visual artist or musician, it seems that artists commonly write a sort of treatise on their work. Since I’m working on an album at this very moment, I thought it would be enjoyable and beneficial to make one of my own. Much of these ideas have been covered in earlier blog posts but I’m ploughing ahead anyway.
First and foremost, an album is a snapshot. Just like anything, it came to be thanks to a series of events. Songs are inspired my experiences or thoughts that happened to the writer around the time of the album. The artist should act as a photographer and capture as much as he can in one shot.
This isn’t to say that an album shouldn’t represent more than a particular time for a particular person. In fact, if that was all that the audience could possibly get from an album, then it would be a failure. However, the artist shouldn’t attempt anything more though the snapshot should naturally depict more than initially meets the eye. The interpretation belongs to the audience not the creator.
Nonetheless, the artist should keep the audience in mind in writing from his/her own experiences. The ultimate goal of art is to reach others through exploration of ones own expression. It’s not about screaming “Look what I did for you!” or “I don’t care what you think of what I did.” The middle path is the one that should be taken. The art should invite the listener into the artist’s world and hopefully connect somewhere along the way.
Finally, it is important to be a unique voice in the ongoing conversation of tradition. This goes back to drawing from one’s own experiences. No two people have the exact same history so therefore artists should be as varied as people are. The artist must respect those who came before him/her without modeling him/herself after any particular figure from the past.
THIS FEELS REALLY PRETENTIOUS BUT IT’S NOT. I PROMISE.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
1974
Gold Medal: Natty Dread by Bob Marley and the Wailers
This has been my favorite reggae album since I first heard it. Released after Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh went their separate ways, this is the first album with Marley taking full creative control. Natty Dread is the perfect blending of the genre’s polar emotions: protest and chill. Underneath Marley’s incredible voice, the arrangements are top-notch, featuring incredible guitar work as well as horns and female background vocals. It’s captivating from being to end, never falling into the “all sounds the same” camp of so much reggae. Instead, the nine tracks fly by, with highlights like “No Woman, No Cry” and “So Jah Seh" representing the best Bob Marley ever recorded.
Silver Medal: No Other by Gene Clark
Better than anything the Byrds ever made, Gene Clark’s solo masterpiece is one of the most underappreciated albums in existence. After founding and later leaving the Byrds, Clark recorded a handful of country-tinged albums, culminating in this crowning achievement. What makes this album so fantastic is the perfect harnessing of energy with of every song. Each track starts out innocent and unassuming but blossoms into a gripping climax that sends shivers up the listener’s spine. Recorded impeccably with the help of Thomas Jefferson Kaye, the album is a wash of wonder. This is arguably the best country-rock has to offer.
Bronze Medal: Court and Spark by Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell’s first album with a full band, Court and Spark presents Joni stepping elegantly in to the world of jazz without leaving her singer/songwriter roots. One of the finest voices of her generation, Joni Mitchell proves herself here (as always) as a master storyteller who can get more emotion across in her music than just about anyone else. This album showcases a stellar cast of session musicians, mixed together brilliantly. After meticulously writing and recording the album, Joni produced her most commercially and critically successful album yet. It’s remarkable yet somehow unsurprising that she made such an ambitious jump seem so easy.
This has been my favorite reggae album since I first heard it. Released after Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh went their separate ways, this is the first album with Marley taking full creative control. Natty Dread is the perfect blending of the genre’s polar emotions: protest and chill. Underneath Marley’s incredible voice, the arrangements are top-notch, featuring incredible guitar work as well as horns and female background vocals. It’s captivating from being to end, never falling into the “all sounds the same” camp of so much reggae. Instead, the nine tracks fly by, with highlights like “No Woman, No Cry” and “So Jah Seh" representing the best Bob Marley ever recorded.
Silver Medal: No Other by Gene Clark
Better than anything the Byrds ever made, Gene Clark’s solo masterpiece is one of the most underappreciated albums in existence. After founding and later leaving the Byrds, Clark recorded a handful of country-tinged albums, culminating in this crowning achievement. What makes this album so fantastic is the perfect harnessing of energy with of every song. Each track starts out innocent and unassuming but blossoms into a gripping climax that sends shivers up the listener’s spine. Recorded impeccably with the help of Thomas Jefferson Kaye, the album is a wash of wonder. This is arguably the best country-rock has to offer.
Bronze Medal: Court and Spark by Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell’s first album with a full band, Court and Spark presents Joni stepping elegantly in to the world of jazz without leaving her singer/songwriter roots. One of the finest voices of her generation, Joni Mitchell proves herself here (as always) as a master storyteller who can get more emotion across in her music than just about anyone else. This album showcases a stellar cast of session musicians, mixed together brilliantly. After meticulously writing and recording the album, Joni produced her most commercially and critically successful album yet. It’s remarkable yet somehow unsurprising that she made such an ambitious jump seem so easy.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Rock Criticism from the Beginning: Amusers, Bruisers And Cool-Headed Cruisers
...is the name of the book I am now reading in preparation for my culminating degree project at PLU, known as the capstone. My intention is to read the book, do further research on a specific part, write a paper, and present my findings in April or May. The book is very dense (written by three PhDs) and is about much more than history. Only fifty some pages in, I've gotten a healthy dose of Kantian taste theory as well the "field logic" of Pierre Bordieu. I'm having to deal with the paradox of scholarly study in the fairly anti-academic world of rock, but what the heck. That's nothing new to me. This book is sure to inspire new thoughts about this critical world I'm engulfed in and I'll try to explore them right here.
Things are going swimmingly at SSGMusic, thanks for asking. Here is a link to all I've done for them thus far. I plan to review my first concerts in October. Most exciting part: getting to present press passes to the bouncers and turn brawny ogres into obsequious gnomes. Okay, this may be an exaggeration but I am indeed stoked for going free to shows. SSG is also responsible tons of help with my writing skills. Specifically the brutally honest album review supervisor Justin Spicer.
This weekend should also kick off two of my favorite musical pursuits. I've been saying this for awhile but I AM going to start recording an album soon. I've plenty of songs in the tank; I just need to open GarageBand, turn on the microphone and say no to distractions. My second commencement will be for the second and final season of my radio show, "Disconnect the Dots." If you read these words, you better tune in this and/or any Saturday at 6:00. Let me know if you're going to listen and I'll give you a shout out!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
2003
Gold Medal: Hail to the Thief by Radiohead
Let's face it. If I keep up with this blog, Radiohead is going to be at the top of a whole bunch of these lists. They are so far above any other modern band and Hail to the Thief is just one more momentous achievement. The longest Radiohead album, this is a glorious combination of Kid A-esque electronica with guitar brilliance present throughout the quintet's career. It isn't the best Radiohead record but it contains some of the best songs they've ever recorded. "There There (The Bony King of Nowhere)" is just about as good as it gets. Thank God for Radiohead.
Silver Medal: Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Belle and Sebastian
Though clearly not trying to change the world like Radiohead, Belle and Sebastian is one of the most consistently great bands of the last 15 years. This record is filled with indie pop gems, recorded with the sort of high fidelity lacking on If Your Feeling Sinister, and nearly as phenomenal as that 1996 twee landmark. This is an album that's guaranteed to put a smile on your face without coming across as naive. "I'm a Cuckoo", "Stay Loose", "If She Wants Me" are all easily in the top ten B&S songs.
Bronze Medal: Magnolia Electric Company by Songs: Ohia
The all-American album of the decade, this record is a powerhouse. Jason Molina's project is the soundtrack to the landscape of the heartland. Eight songs that never resemble filler, Magnolia Electric Company is a blueprint for every guitar-slinging, Neil Young worshipping, rebel-rousing, prospective rock star. Guided by the visionary Molina, the band just nails everything. Every slide guitar lick, every drum fill feels so perfect. Get this gem.
Monday, August 16, 2010
1985-8
Check out my first published works here and here!
Gold Medal: Graceland by Paul Simon
Along with Bridge Over Troubled Water with Art Garfunkel, this is the legendary Paul Simon’s masterpiece. Not only that, part of the album was recorded in South Africa, introducing much of the Western world to African popular music. Graceland was hugely successful after a bit of a slump for Simon, making it the ultimate comeback album. It’s easy to see why, as these are fantastic songs with vibrant, African flavored arrangements behind them. “You Can Call Me Al” is the most famous song on the album but “Graceland” is the song Simon considers his best. The rest is just as stellar and makes for the best album ever released by someone 20 plus years into his career.
Silver Medal: Never Die Young by James Taylor
James Taylor has one of the smoothest voices there has ever been. It’s hard to describe but when he sings, one can’t help but be possessed by its…smoothness. I grew up with the music James Taylor, specifically his greatest hits and this gem of an album. I know just about every word on this record and still enjoy listening to its intricate arrangements of Steely Dan-esque jazz pop. Not a well-known album, Never Die Young is criminally underrated. The ‘80s production sound may remind some of “easy listening,” but after spending time with these songs, it becomes apparent how well crafted each and every one of them is.
Bronze Medal: TIE: Skylarking by XTC and The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths
I can’t decide which album I like more so these two albums are sharing a spot on the podium.
Skylarking is a definitive album of sophisti-pop. Despite it's catchy choruses, the music of XTC is still not immediately accessible in the way of a Michael Jackson record might be. This isn’t to say that MJ wasn’t sophisticated, but somehow XTC comes across as pop music for adults, not unlike the aforementioned Steely Dan. Skylarking is like the Beatles twenty years later, with all the production possibilities newly available. It’s a hook driven, loose concept album encompassing the long tale of a man’s romance with a woman, progressing from “The Meeting Place” to “Big Day” to “Dying” to “Sacrificial Bonfire.” With the brilliant Todd Rundgren producing, this is a high point in intelligent purely pop music.
The Smiths are one of the most important alternative bands ever. The seductive baritone of Morrissey above the guitar chorus of Johnny Marr along with the steady rhythm of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce is an instantly recognizable sound. With their magnum opus, The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths accomplished the cohesive album that will forever be a shrine to alienated youths everywhere. Songs like “Meet Me at the Cemetery Gates” for example, seem to speak a language that resonates so strongly with this demographic, singing about an existentialist trip to a graveyard. “So we go inside and we gravely read the stones/all those people, all those lives/where are they now?/with the loves and hates and passions just like mine.” The Smiths would only release four albums but their mark on music is monumental. "If a ten ton truck kills the both of us/to die by your side/well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine."
Gold Medal: Graceland by Paul Simon
Along with Bridge Over Troubled Water with Art Garfunkel, this is the legendary Paul Simon’s masterpiece. Not only that, part of the album was recorded in South Africa, introducing much of the Western world to African popular music. Graceland was hugely successful after a bit of a slump for Simon, making it the ultimate comeback album. It’s easy to see why, as these are fantastic songs with vibrant, African flavored arrangements behind them. “You Can Call Me Al” is the most famous song on the album but “Graceland” is the song Simon considers his best. The rest is just as stellar and makes for the best album ever released by someone 20 plus years into his career.
Silver Medal: Never Die Young by James Taylor
James Taylor has one of the smoothest voices there has ever been. It’s hard to describe but when he sings, one can’t help but be possessed by its…smoothness. I grew up with the music James Taylor, specifically his greatest hits and this gem of an album. I know just about every word on this record and still enjoy listening to its intricate arrangements of Steely Dan-esque jazz pop. Not a well-known album, Never Die Young is criminally underrated. The ‘80s production sound may remind some of “easy listening,” but after spending time with these songs, it becomes apparent how well crafted each and every one of them is.
Bronze Medal: TIE: Skylarking by XTC and The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths
I can’t decide which album I like more so these two albums are sharing a spot on the podium.
Skylarking is a definitive album of sophisti-pop. Despite it's catchy choruses, the music of XTC is still not immediately accessible in the way of a Michael Jackson record might be. This isn’t to say that MJ wasn’t sophisticated, but somehow XTC comes across as pop music for adults, not unlike the aforementioned Steely Dan. Skylarking is like the Beatles twenty years later, with all the production possibilities newly available. It’s a hook driven, loose concept album encompassing the long tale of a man’s romance with a woman, progressing from “The Meeting Place” to “Big Day” to “Dying” to “Sacrificial Bonfire.” With the brilliant Todd Rundgren producing, this is a high point in intelligent purely pop music.
The Smiths are one of the most important alternative bands ever. The seductive baritone of Morrissey above the guitar chorus of Johnny Marr along with the steady rhythm of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce is an instantly recognizable sound. With their magnum opus, The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths accomplished the cohesive album that will forever be a shrine to alienated youths everywhere. Songs like “Meet Me at the Cemetery Gates” for example, seem to speak a language that resonates so strongly with this demographic, singing about an existentialist trip to a graveyard. “So we go inside and we gravely read the stones/all those people, all those lives/where are they now?/with the loves and hates and passions just like mine.” The Smiths would only release four albums but their mark on music is monumental. "If a ten ton truck kills the both of us/to die by your side/well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine."
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Seattle Show Gal
As of this last weekend, I officially got the job with Seattle Show Gal. The site is growing fast and though the term blog might make you think of something small like this, SSG is getting a ton of traffic and growing every month. I'm really stoked to be a real music journalist and I've already started getting assignments. Nothing's been published yet but my bio's up and you can check that out if you'd like.
I'll probably be fairly busy with that and may not post as much here. At the very least, I'll have links to my album reviews and previews. Part of what's exciting about working there is being held to a high standard. I love doing Page 43, but let's be honest, is anyone really going to say anything if something I write is junk?
I've put the album on the back burner for awhile but I guarantee it will be done before the end of the year. I'll post my Best of 1985-8 post soon. For now though, I need to write a concert preview for SSG.
I'll probably be fairly busy with that and may not post as much here. At the very least, I'll have links to my album reviews and previews. Part of what's exciting about working there is being held to a high standard. I love doing Page 43, but let's be honest, is anyone really going to say anything if something I write is junk?
I've put the album on the back burner for awhile but I guarantee it will be done before the end of the year. I'll post my Best of 1985-8 post soon. For now though, I need to write a concert preview for SSG.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
What's Next?
A couple of potentially exciting things may happen in August. First off, I plan on recording my third EP over the next three weeks. I have lots of material lined up so I hope that recording goes smoothly and I have something to be proud of by the end of the summer. I'm not totally satisfied with the songs but I never am so that's no surprise. I will be posting the EP as well as past recordings on bandcamp.com when I finished. You will know when this happens. I'll obnoxiously advertise through Facebook.
Secondly, I have applied to work as an album reviewer for and up and coming blog called Seattle Show Gal. I heard about this from my friend and current SSG writer, Dan Ahrendt. My "audition" is to review an album called Beachcomber's Windowsill by a British band called Stornoway. The review is in the works at the moment, due on Monday, the 2nd. Cross your fingers! If I get the job, I'll be a real life music critic!
That pretty much sums up what I've been thinking about in regards to writing/writing about music. The weather sure is beautiful eh?
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