More Music?

Hating on 'today's music' is just making you an annoying, angry, grump. Please stop.

I'm going to let you in on a secret, there isn't much that's unique to your favorite band. They probably haven't done anything too revolutionary with music. Actually, they probably used the same chord progression as Justin Bieber. YES! Your precious Led Zepplin used the 50's progression, Justin Bieber used the 50's progression, Madonna used the 50's progression (but I like to think she would call it the ice cream changes). The 50s progression is I - vi - IV - V ( I don't actually know much about chord progressions, but I know in C major it's C - Am - F - G). I can play your rock music back to back with pop music. Oh, the humanity!

Ok, here's the thing, pop music, for the most part, is repetitive, made for that masses, and diluted. It's designed to be sold. I hate it, you probably hate it, we both probably have hummed Shake It Off at least once. But this mass produced music is not all the music that this age has to offer. There has been bad pop music, and there will continue to be bad pop music. I think everyone can agree with that.

No, my problem is the fact that people actually believe the music industry as a whole is dead. There are people who think it's going to crash into the ground and from the ashes will rise a new, better generation of music. History is due to repeat itself, and just like in the 20's and all through the last hundred years, music is evolving, and some people are being grumps about it.

The fact is, today we have a million new ways to create music. We can throw together some beats at a computer, or we can sit down a play with a guitar for hours on end. Both will make music, but one way always seems to get incredible backlash. Since the guitar is a much more traditional way of doing it, people perceive it as more sincere. Who is to say that person at the computer didn't put thought into it? Maybe they thought the whole song out, each note.

My personal favorite band is The 1975. They were a band for about 10 years before they started trying to get their music out there and it shows. Their first album is a compilation of what they sounded like over 10 years. They have classic guitar/bass/drums/keyboard/vocals songs, but also very heavily produced songs. They still take music seriously and they plan out every ridiculous part of their albums.  I don't know how someone can say something about how everyone in the music business is in it for money, or how nobody cares about their songs anymore. If you stopped and listened to the artist, regardless of whether you liked the music or not, you know that they care.

Not only that, you have plenty of artist taking 'risks' still. Karen O's debut album, Crush Songs is strange and, uncomfortable at times. It's incredibly raw and under-produced, with singing that sounds almost distant, and still very gentle. Or if not risking the underproduction, you risk the overproduction. St. Vincent's most recent, self-titled album, is almost intergalactic. Nearly all the music is produced via technology and her lyrics are far from what's considered social acceptable. To say music now is void of risks is to look solely at what you want to see.

Maybe it's just that people don't want to listen to anything to do with new music, so they label it with scary and bad. Kind of like what old people to with technology.

Imagine Dragons

I, I BET MY LIFE, I BET MY LIFE, I BET MY LIFE, that if I have to hear this song one more time, I might just cut my own ears off.

That's only a slight exaggeration because not only is that song annoying, it's disappointing. 3 years ago Imagine Dragons came out of nowhere, with a killer debut album. It was original, and unique, but not in a way that felt forced. They didn't have any eyes on them, and they made the music they wanted. The Music they wanted, and miraculously, music people wanted to hear. Their song 'It's Time' became the theme for Perks of Being a Wallflower, and shortly after, 'Radioactive' became the theme for the Host, two movies I was incredibly excited for. Next thing you know, I own the album and it's on repeat.

Flash forward a year or so, 'Radioactive' has run its course on pop radio as a coveted crossover song, and I had long since taken the album off  repeat. Imagine Dragons had earned a fan base though, and you can't go long without producing before the pop culture fan base gets bored. So 'Monster' came out. It was okay but ultimately forgettable. While it still sounded somewhat uniquely Imagine Dragons, the lyrics were boring. I think it's around that time I checked out, stopped caring. Actually, I wish I stopped caring. To be honest, I wasn't even aware the band had put out a new song till it was already in heavy rotation.

The second I heard 'I Bet My Life' I was angry. This? Not only did they think writing a song so terrible was acceptable, they thought it was okay to release it as a single, instead of burying under the rest of the album. This song is the definition of generic pop. It's boring, but not so boring that people stop listening, and the chorus is repeated back enough times you know it by heart after one listen. Scratch that, the chorus is yelled at you several times. The verses have an inkling of the bands former sound, you could tell its Imagine Dragons, at least. Now, don't get me wrong, I am all for a band's evolution of sound, changing and growing. Marina and the Diamonds actually call each or her albums 'eras' making sure she doesn't revisit the past in her new albums. Heck! I re- fell in love with Fall Out Boy after a 5 year hiatus and a completely different sounds. It’s fantastic and they do it gracefully.

Imagine Dragons, however, didn't evolve, no they sound more like they were genetically mutated. 'I Bet My Life' takes what the band used to be, at least the most popular parts of their music, and smashed it together with traditional pop music song construction. In fact, there is no doubt that Imagine Dragons have become more distinctly pop. 'I Bet My Life' vs Other Pop Songs, vs 'Amsterdam' by Imagine Dragons. The pattern is not quite as strong in 'I Bet My Life' as other pop songs, it's a millions time stronger than the non-existent one in Amsterdam.

It could have been done rather well, I’ll admit, but they didn't take the time. The lyrics, the part that always made the band for me, were thrown to the wayside, and as much as I loved the fresh vibe the band gave off, it could hardly carry the band through the next album. Especially since they're next album is just a diluted version of who they used to be. They just threw it together and hoped no one would care. That's what bugs me the most, it sounds like they just stopped caring. There is almost an unwritten contract between artist and listener, like the listener will stay with the artist through whatever creative endeavors they take on, as long as the artist keeps caring about the music they are making.

This unwritten contract violation is the real problem for me. I've seen many artists I loved put out pop albums, and although they feel like simpler, dumbed down versions of the band, I still felt like they cared. Imagine Dragons stopped caring, when it came to ‘I Bet My Life’ and that's what hurts. Like so many other artists, they didn't bring about this ridiculous change for themselves. They saw people liked what they made and probably decided to try to stay the same while not staying boring; try to mix in some terrible pop inspired component instead of what they wanted. And so, down came the curse of pop music, to never sound sincere. Please don't assume I mean 'popular' music either because the term 'pop', like music itself, has evolved. Pop is its own genre, its own genre categorized by insincerity. Songs written by other people to boost your brand, managers breathing down your neck, and vaguely lyrics written to be related to. It's a scene. A scene ‘I Bet My Life’ was desperately trying to be a part of.

When it’s all said and done, ‘I Bet My Life’ the worst offender on the album, but the other songs they've so far released, are close being. The majority of the album just sounds like I said, a diluted version of them, a simpler version of them, and a less genuine version of them. Overall, the album is not bad, far from good, and disappointing. 

Let this be my final goodbye, Imagine Dragons. You know where to find me if you choose to start making music you care about again. Farewell.

Slam

Chasing Home: The idea of 'home' has always been a favorite of mine. This idea of picking up and moving yourself across the country, but still calling somewhere else home, it's confusing to me. When I leave my small, not town, no, hamlet, I hope I can cut ties. I don't know where I'm going, but I know the ties would make it hard to move. I so, I really liked this one. Holly managed to spit the word out in rhythm, but also remove the venom from it. Although I don't love much angrier, venomous slam poem, I still like falling into the beat of any of them. You didn't always have to listen to the words, because she got her point across with just her voice, and that’s pretty important.

Bitch Poem: "Bitches who want their 23 cents back" god, I love angry poems. This aggression that could change a world, makes you shut up a listen. The desire to reclaim word that have been used against us, it's powerful. The best way to take an argument and turn it around. They can’t insult you if you accept the insult.

3: Whether intentional or not I was kind of really insulted. Maybe it was just me but it sounded like she was telling me I'm not a real women because I enjoy wearing makeup or recently bought 604 pages of advertisements called Vogue. The idea that the length of your dress dictates how much of a woman you are is both what she was trying to fight against, but also what she preached. She tried to mask a lot of non-acceptance with some pretty rhymes. I think instead of telling women not to dress a certain way, we should tell them to dress however they want. I does not matter if her dress is to short, to tight, to low cut, you cannot judge a person's sense of self-worth from their clothes, and you cannot decide who they are dressing for. She made it sound like she was better than everyone else, that she had more dignity, because she covered her skin and didn’t wear makeup.

4: I feel unqualified to make any comment. With women, I have the experience, but with race I have none. It's an oppression I don't understand, I can’t voice opinions because my opinions are uneducated. To say, I've never seen it is to admit I'm blind. My "I think" means nothing because it matter much more what they feel. 

Ella-Ella-Ella

It's the all-American dream, right? Rags to riches. Diapers to Dior. You always read about it. It's happened to someone, we promise. The start of the poem almost feels very much like somebody is trying to convince you that, no, this really is possible, look at all the people that have done it. If these people can do it, so can you. At least that's what it feels like, propaganda almost.

The poem goes on to narrate a very dark version of the Grimm fairy tale, Cinderella. There's something that feel almost distorted about it though, it's like looking through glasses with a prescription just a little bit too strong. Sexton commentates the story while telling it, describing the ball as "a marriage market" as her opinions seep into the story. Not only that, she drops plot points from the story to make it seem just a little bit more twisted as if to only create further sympathy for Cinderella. I think Sexton purposely made Cinderella's life more miserable so that when she 'makes it' it's even more impressive.

(I wrote more, but blogger deleted it. and I don't really remember it.)

My Speech

I was, am, and will be Julie, but even that isn’t consistent.  I change on an hourly basis.  I’m not being deep and perceptive, either, I rarely carry the same beliefs through the day. It’s hard to imagine myself liking anything long enough to have it shape some facet of my personality, except for maybe music. I’ve never sat around a campfire without music, never ate dinner with my family without music, and these days, I find it hard to go to sleep without music. It’s become perpetual. Walk from my sister room to the living room, to my bedroom, and there will be at least 3 songs on. There is very rarely silence in my life, no, there is never silence in my life. [J1] 

In 2008, my family and my uncle’s family camped our way out to Nova Scotia. That trip I heard “hey there Delilah, what’s it like it New York City” no less than 5000 times[J2] , closely followed by “you can stand under my umbrella-ella-ella” at probably 4000 times. The first song played at my school dance was “I got that magic in me.”  I was almost born to Living La Vida Loca, and I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor always brings my mum and me to our feet. Memories have been formed around music for me. It’s not just memories though. My dad doesn’t talk about his father much, but there’s this strange emotion that comes across his face every time Johnny Cash’s version of Hurt comes on. For a moment, I get it. The only time I can picture my dad’s ‘worst year ever’ is when he’s listening to that song. As weird and twisted as it sounds, my empathy comes from music. Oh, you’re in love, is it like La Vie En Rose or A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More ‘Touch Me’? See, know I get it.

 I’ve meticulously mulled over melodies[J3]  like some people mull over verses in the bible. On Sunday’s I wake up to the acoustic versions of songs my mum has given me over the years, and I’ve found a place of worship in between waking up and getting out of bed. I’ve grown up without religion and though I can’t say for sure, music might be the closest thing to one I’ll ever have. Maybe it’s over dramatic but at times when I feel as emotionally stunted as an 18-year-old boy I guess music reminds me that saying things like “I’d be an anchor, but I’m scared you’ll drown” is both cheesy and not going to make you any less strong. It’s this idea that I can’t say it, but somebody else can so that’s ok. Or, on the flip side, nobody is going to say that to me, but I can find a song who will say it and damn it! It’ll mean more because it’ll be in song form! I’ll always find music that relates to me, and if not, I’ll just play the same songs again, and again, and again.[J4] 

Music has become the second skin I wear to keep warm.[J5]  It’s gone out and had experiences I haven’t but it’s brought the good and bad back to me. At times, I’ve lived almost vicariously through music, learned what it feels like to live three minutes and forty-six seconds in somebody else’s shoes. And I want to try to do that as much as possible. Because of that, the idea of there not being music on is strange. I’ve fallen in love with countless people, countless different ways, through music. Been through heartbreak, and heartache, set to a minor progression. I’ve never needed to wonder if music is the food of love[J6] , I know because I’ve been binge eating since I was a child, and I hope I’ll never have to stop.

                             

---

 [J1]Metanoia

 [J2]Hyperbole

 [J3]Alliteration

 [J4]epizeuxis

 [J5]metaphor

 [J6]Allusion 

Efface

"I’m no more your mother
Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow
Effacement at the wind’s hand."
-Morning Song, Silvia Plath 

Not going to lie, I googled the definition of effacement. 

Effacement (verb)
1. to wipe out; to do away with; expunge

Here's a not so secret secret: Babies make you feel old. Nothing about having to care for every aspect of a childs life make you feel young. Nobody has ever gone "Wow, I feel so youthful and full of life when I have to get up a two a.m.!" I think what's happening is the baby is reminding Plath of her own mortality, and she's trying to distract herself from it. Many times people have children so they can live on in their children. You put so much of your time into your children, you've given so much of your self to them that it's hard for you not to live through them once you are dead. It's feels like Plath is saying "I'm not really your mother, I'm just raising you so I can forget my own eventual demise." Apparently it didn't work, or her head probably wouldn't have gotten so close to that oven. Too soon? 

More Found Poetry

A Poem About A Debut Album As Told By The Lead Singer, Pieced Together By A Third Party. 

a record of idealization,

of antiquated memories,

kind of faded splendor

of art and the idea of situationism

a contrived thing

everything we do is stylized

posing your identity

without being attention-seeking

Acquire stimulation changes, 

unpredictability is what defines us.

yearning to achieve my own potential

To bleed into humanity

Needlessly romantic,

this perpetual cycle of creativity.

Hopelessly romantic,

we've lived; we've grown up.

from http://iamhighvoltage.com/2013/07/27/the-1975/

A Poem Found By Dropping the Excessive Parts Of A Song. 

Count you out,

Your on your own.
Then I found myself alone.

Through all the trouble,
within my walls.
All I've done defeats me.

what can I do,
If you're not here?
where can I go?

You want me to tell you,
Need to hear about it.
Then I found myself alone.

As subtle as I can,
I'm forgotten, I'm forgotten.
Assume that nothing needs me

From the song Everybody's Watching Me by The Neighborhood 

ps. i'm sorry about the weird highlighting?

I Found A Poem

We Had A Dream 

what will go down in history,

whose symbolic shadow?

America of the Fierce,

its vicious racists

For whites only

justice rolls down like waters.

Go back to the slums 

in the valley of despair

The Negro's discontent will not pass.

To make justice a reality

would be fatal for the nation.

We must be guilty of wrongful deeds.

we shall always march

on a lonely island of poverty

seared in the flames of withering injustice.

the Negro is not free.