The 81st Academy Awards got me thinking about how incredible the power of the motion picture has become in the modern era. Since Thomas Edison first invented moving pictures and The Jazz Singer first brought sound to the film screen, the American fascination with the film industry has been incomparable. However, as the power of the motion picture became as dominant as it did, it's beyond a script and cinematography, it's most ideal component was, by far, music.
This got me thinking: how prevalent have the Academy Awards become in reputable music? We hear tunes every day, those magical mosaics of music that resonate in our ears and leave an everlasting impression. But do we know where they came from or what they reall mean?
There was a period in film where the musical was an elaborate part of award-winning cinema. Fantastic musical numbers like "Over the Rainbow", "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", "It's Magic" and "White Christmas" were all part of musicals and all part of the hearts of many. Even songs like Pinochio's "When You Wish Upon a Star", Mary Poppins' "Chim Chim Cher'ee" and "Chatenooga Choo Choo" have been part of Oscar nominees and winners and are unmistakeable to any music fan.
Then, we move into the modern setting: cinema moves into technicolour, special effects are blooming and the Western and War movie genres are blossoming. Yet music is still phenominal, with unbelievably memorable songs like "Moon River", "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and Dr. Doolittle's "Talk to the Animals". Finally, today, in the CGI-enriched, plot-less action-filled blockbusters, a song is still able to captivate. After a trend of Disney wins (Under the Sea, Beauty and the Beast, A Whole New World, Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Colours of the Wind, You'll Be In My Heart and If I Didn't Have You) in the 1990's and early 2000's, the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Annie Lennox, and the great Bob Dylan have also contributed excellent tracks. Even artists like Eminem and Three 6 Mafia have contributed Oscar-winners that have stuck with fans eternally.
This Oscar season, be it Slumdog or Wall-E, that song will have an unbelievably lasting impression on the public who pay $10 for pure magic.
Featured Song: Köhntarkösz (Part II) by Magma
Christian Vander is an incredibly interesting person. Not only is he the son of a renowned French jazz pianist, he has developed himself into a renowned drummer and songwriter himself. What separates him from general musicians is that he has developed his own language and sings in it as well. This has been the basis of Magma for the past 40 years. Magma is a genre creating, jazz-fusing spectacle of outstanding and bizarre sounds. For most listeners, Vander's music has a WTF factor of about 14, but move past the bizarre storytelling and vocalizations and the presence of incredible jazz, scat vocals and the fusion of good old fashioned rock n' roll are clearly present. Köhntarkösz (Part II) blends drums, organ and piano with ridiculous vocalizations and strings that make 16 minutes of purely bizarre work into something concrete and surprisingly listenable.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Perspectives on Pop Music / Animal Collective (February 10th, 2009)
In today's capitalist, sex-selling, media-driven society, what better way to sell records than pop music? Simplistic, catchy beats power into the skulls of the masses with incessant frequency and attractive stars (with extravagant egos to match) are the icons that deliver it. Today, I delve into the enigma of modern pop music: the subliminal horrors that entices the human race, the modern icons that put sexbombs of the past to shame and what exactly attracts us to this whole mess. Nothing moves product better than a healthy dose of "I'm better than you," does it?
What has been defined as pop throughout the ages has changed by generation. Between big band, country, the dawn of mainstream rock (from Chuck Berry to Led Zeppelin), new wave, grunge and Brit pop, radio play has recorded the evolution of music before our very eyes. However, to truly grasp the concept of modern pop, I believe we have to go back to the dawn of the boy band: The Jackson Five. Nothing against Michael Jackson, his music was captivating and incredible even before he dominated the charts solo, but the Jackson Five was the start of an exponential increase in materialistic music. All the chart-topping records, their expansion and materialism among the African-American community, they even had their own TV show! All in all, it was the dawn of the boy band as we know it.
From here, where else could we move but to New Kids on the Block? Maurice Starr, accredited with the dawn of the boy band era in pop music, put together catchy, memorable lyrics with supposed heart throb guys (some of whom went on to display Janet Jackson's breast, some of whom went gay, but that's not the point here) and a pretentious approach to seemingly ordinary music. Bands like N'SYNC, the Backstreet Boys, Westlife and O-Town became overnight sensations and sold millions of records.
At the same time, however, another trend started: the pop starlet. While every era of music has had sex appeal, never has the appeal stemmed from such a young age. Artists like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera took control of the scene with simple songs and schoolgirl outfits. Aguilera even took it a step further, making "whore" seem like an acceptable term (ironically, the controversial Dirty and the powerful ballad Beautiful were both on the same album). This could only lead to the inevitable: pop dominance of modern music. Nu-metal bands like POD and Linkin Park, along with pop punk bands like blink-182, Green Day and The Offspring, all received airplay, but they were nothing compared to the colossus that was pop.
Today, the trends continue. While bands like Nickelback are challenging the pop stereotype and soft rock like Coldplay and The Fray continue to surprise (mostly through Grey's Anatomy), powerful stars like Rihanna, Beyoncé, Lady GaGa and various others overpower us with their infectious beats and sex appeal. However, there is also the emergence of the anti-star, beginning with Pink and progressing through Katy Perry and Lily Allen; the beats remain incessant but their situation is acknowledged and enlightened through mockery and some genuinely fascinating influences.
Additionally, between 2005 and 2009, the evolution of "Disney pop" has become apparent in the masses. Incessant tripe such as the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus hit the masses early with family-friendly pop music that parents can appreciate and are more than happy to convert into a Hannah Montana life. If there were anything beyond the ownership of the Disney corporation driving this music, there may be a shred of appreciation, however, this is corporate music at its most refined, targeting those easiest to target. I'll have none of it.
So why do we do it? What inside us sells our soul to the contempt-driven mess that is pop music? Most likely, the biggest culprit is access. The apathy towards music in society is apparent; no one wants to browse the Internet or go to a record store and take a chance on music anymore. We're perfectly content with the mix of incessant beats that blare from the radio into our waiting skulls, who are eager to absorb and retain those melodies. And what receives radio play? The music that generates the most revenue. Today, big budget bands only get bigger while those struggling to make it scratch and claw for even a single time slot; some make it, many don't. Ironically, most of these bands have a vast sense of what music really is, whereas those on the radio barely have a clue.
And so I sit, listening to bands no one's ever heard of in my basement, wondering where the world's music is? We all have different tastes and different perspectives, and I can appreciate all of them, but what perspective can the world have on its melodies when corporate America chooses them for it? The answer, it seems, is sung to a different tune.
Featured Song: "My Girls" by Animal Collective
Off their new spin, Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective sound more like an actual band rather than an experimental freakshow (experimental freakshow in the best, most critically-acclaimed way). My Girls, the second track, sounds the most like a single I've heard from the band, with an intreguing beat that sounds almost other-worldly over a bizarre, familial set of lyrics. I can't get it out of my head.
Featured Album: "Merriweather Post Pavillion" by Animal Collective
Already dubbed as the best album of 2009 (we're in February, for those who keep track), Animal Collective throws us something the experimental band from Baltimore has never done before: a completely listenable album. Fusing somewhere in between experimental, psychedelic and noise rock, the niche they have carved on critics' Top 10 lists over the past 5 years has been unmistakeable. Yet, where Allmusic and Pitchfork have fallen in love with them, the listeners haven't (I'm still trying to figure out 2004's Sung Tongs to this day) . But fear Animal Collective no more music lovers, they've finally perfected their craft. Between them and TV on the Radio this year, experimental noise rock has grown leaps and bounds in the listenability department.
As for the music itself, organized chaos is still the best way to describe it. Primarily, overlapping electronic and instrumental samples hit the listener in every direction, but fuse together with Avey Tare's unique vocalization. Look to songs like My Girls, Summertime Clothes and Lion in a Coma for the album's most hook-ridden tracks; and to In the Flowers, Daily Routine and Taste for a more experimental brand. My personal favourite is the spacey soundscape of Bluish, with My Girls coming in at a close second. All in all, if you can appreciate this genre of music, or even if you can't, this is an excellent place to look for something new.
Overall: 9/10
Sound: 10
Quality: 9
Lyrics: 8
Impression: 8
Production: 10
Tilt: 9
What has been defined as pop throughout the ages has changed by generation. Between big band, country, the dawn of mainstream rock (from Chuck Berry to Led Zeppelin), new wave, grunge and Brit pop, radio play has recorded the evolution of music before our very eyes. However, to truly grasp the concept of modern pop, I believe we have to go back to the dawn of the boy band: The Jackson Five. Nothing against Michael Jackson, his music was captivating and incredible even before he dominated the charts solo, but the Jackson Five was the start of an exponential increase in materialistic music. All the chart-topping records, their expansion and materialism among the African-American community, they even had their own TV show! All in all, it was the dawn of the boy band as we know it.
From here, where else could we move but to New Kids on the Block? Maurice Starr, accredited with the dawn of the boy band era in pop music, put together catchy, memorable lyrics with supposed heart throb guys (some of whom went on to display Janet Jackson's breast, some of whom went gay, but that's not the point here) and a pretentious approach to seemingly ordinary music. Bands like N'SYNC, the Backstreet Boys, Westlife and O-Town became overnight sensations and sold millions of records.
At the same time, however, another trend started: the pop starlet. While every era of music has had sex appeal, never has the appeal stemmed from such a young age. Artists like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera took control of the scene with simple songs and schoolgirl outfits. Aguilera even took it a step further, making "whore" seem like an acceptable term (ironically, the controversial Dirty and the powerful ballad Beautiful were both on the same album). This could only lead to the inevitable: pop dominance of modern music. Nu-metal bands like POD and Linkin Park, along with pop punk bands like blink-182, Green Day and The Offspring, all received airplay, but they were nothing compared to the colossus that was pop.
Today, the trends continue. While bands like Nickelback are challenging the pop stereotype and soft rock like Coldplay and The Fray continue to surprise (mostly through Grey's Anatomy), powerful stars like Rihanna, Beyoncé, Lady GaGa and various others overpower us with their infectious beats and sex appeal. However, there is also the emergence of the anti-star, beginning with Pink and progressing through Katy Perry and Lily Allen; the beats remain incessant but their situation is acknowledged and enlightened through mockery and some genuinely fascinating influences.
Additionally, between 2005 and 2009, the evolution of "Disney pop" has become apparent in the masses. Incessant tripe such as the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus hit the masses early with family-friendly pop music that parents can appreciate and are more than happy to convert into a Hannah Montana life. If there were anything beyond the ownership of the Disney corporation driving this music, there may be a shred of appreciation, however, this is corporate music at its most refined, targeting those easiest to target. I'll have none of it.
So why do we do it? What inside us sells our soul to the contempt-driven mess that is pop music? Most likely, the biggest culprit is access. The apathy towards music in society is apparent; no one wants to browse the Internet or go to a record store and take a chance on music anymore. We're perfectly content with the mix of incessant beats that blare from the radio into our waiting skulls, who are eager to absorb and retain those melodies. And what receives radio play? The music that generates the most revenue. Today, big budget bands only get bigger while those struggling to make it scratch and claw for even a single time slot; some make it, many don't. Ironically, most of these bands have a vast sense of what music really is, whereas those on the radio barely have a clue.
And so I sit, listening to bands no one's ever heard of in my basement, wondering where the world's music is? We all have different tastes and different perspectives, and I can appreciate all of them, but what perspective can the world have on its melodies when corporate America chooses them for it? The answer, it seems, is sung to a different tune.
Featured Song: "My Girls" by Animal Collective
Off their new spin, Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective sound more like an actual band rather than an experimental freakshow (experimental freakshow in the best, most critically-acclaimed way). My Girls, the second track, sounds the most like a single I've heard from the band, with an intreguing beat that sounds almost other-worldly over a bizarre, familial set of lyrics. I can't get it out of my head.
Featured Album: "Merriweather Post Pavillion" by Animal Collective
Already dubbed as the best album of 2009 (we're in February, for those who keep track), Animal Collective throws us something the experimental band from Baltimore has never done before: a completely listenable album. Fusing somewhere in between experimental, psychedelic and noise rock, the niche they have carved on critics' Top 10 lists over the past 5 years has been unmistakeable. Yet, where Allmusic and Pitchfork have fallen in love with them, the listeners haven't (I'm still trying to figure out 2004's Sung Tongs to this day) . But fear Animal Collective no more music lovers, they've finally perfected their craft. Between them and TV on the Radio this year, experimental noise rock has grown leaps and bounds in the listenability department.As for the music itself, organized chaos is still the best way to describe it. Primarily, overlapping electronic and instrumental samples hit the listener in every direction, but fuse together with Avey Tare's unique vocalization. Look to songs like My Girls, Summertime Clothes and Lion in a Coma for the album's most hook-ridden tracks; and to In the Flowers, Daily Routine and Taste for a more experimental brand. My personal favourite is the spacey soundscape of Bluish, with My Girls coming in at a close second. All in all, if you can appreciate this genre of music, or even if you can't, this is an excellent place to look for something new.
Overall: 9/10
Sound: 10
Quality: 9
Lyrics: 8
Impression: 8
Production: 10
Tilt: 9
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