Hey gang! Almost time for that special day when we can talk openly about spreading VD cheer with all smiles and very little social ramification. In honor of Cupid's Last Laugh, and as a nod to this week of music we'll never be able un-hear (thanks Nicki Minaj & Grammy's), I'm going to be sharing some music and other fun love-related things.
After all, what's more connected to love than music? Well, besides chocolate, and crushing loss, and sex, and stilted expectations, and--anyway, music HAS to be up there, right? Right. If you're like me, you'd be hard-pressed to recall any significant relationship in your life without attaching some kind of soundtrack to it.
Be it a single enduring tune that plays in the background of all you do, or an entire decade of music your love life has marched to, music is the constant companion of the emotion for most of us.
So, without further delay, I'm going to kick off the week with a list of the top five albums from the previous year that didn't get any love during last nights Grammy Awards. Not because it's way too hip or esoteric, but simply because it wasn't included due to omission or restrictions. (#1 on my list is an example of the latter, the album will most certainly be recognized at next year's show. I hope.)
This isn't an all-incompassing list by any means, just stuff I give my stamp of approval to (and things you should definitely check out if you haven't already). In no particular order...
1. Florence + the Machine: Ceremonials
Love your ears? I do, and so does Florence Welch. The lead mistress of Florence + the Machine will caress, claw and beg your eardrums to follow her along on what can only be described as a journey through a sonic masterpiece. A masterpiece filled with 80s-esque choir-backed anthems, brooding blues riffs on love, and a visceral pounding intensity more akin to tribal music than pop. But it's pop too. And alternative. And--well, just get it.
2. Christina Perri: Lovestrong
When Christina released her single, Jar of Hearts, I thought it was a beautiful song. Sadly, I wrote her off at that, figuring, "Just another pop princess who's going to release an auto-tuned club junk album." Then she released another single that I loved. Then another, all leading up to her album's release in the spring of 2011. A release I snatched up. In most respects, it's a pop album, but Christina's vocals and the strength of the song writing carry it so much further. No, one listen through and I think you'll agree that you've heard something sneaky, yet profound. In her odes to love, loss and happiness Perri doesn't miss a beat.
3. Locksley: Locksley
Do you like your tunes more on the fun side? Locksley delivers an entire album full of infectious, guitar-laden, sunshine bathed joy. This album screams early summer day cruising with the top down. They'll remind you of the Clash, the Beach Boys, Weezer and lots of things in between. You'll have to tie your leg down to keep your foot from tapping a hole in the floorboard with this one for sure.
4. AWOLnation: Megalithic Symphony
Powerful. That's the only way to describe this album. Heavy drums. Heavy guitars. Heavy strings. Scorching vocals. Sure, it's EMO of sorts, but in the best way possible. Megalithic Symphony makes you feel like a brooding badass, but you'll also nod your head and sing along like a goofy teenage you. It's rock. It's punk. It's a concept/story album, and the story is marvelous.
5. Sarah Jarosz: Follow Me Down
If you like your music more on the understated country and bluegrass side, this album is surely one of the best 2011 had to offer. (Alison Krauss' excellent Paper Airplanes notwithstanding.) Ms. Jarosz has been an up and coming superstar in the folk and bluegrass scene for a while--and she's only 20! Already a world-class mandolin player (she was nominated for a Grammy in 2010 for instrumental performance on her first album, and started playing the instrument at 10), her voice and song writing aren't far behind. She's skilled on multiple instruments, still in college and will almost certainly be one of the biggest names in the business in the next few years.
Did I leave out your favorites? Check back tomorrow to hear a few songs that (I think) perfectly capture what an enduring love can be.
Poll results coming later this week or early next, BTW. Lots of votes so far, so it should be interesting!
Don't forget to do something sweet for your sweet! (Even if you are your sweet.)
~EJW~
Showing posts with label rock and roll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rock and roll. Show all posts
Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n Roll - What writers can learn from our cooler creative cousins
**UPDATE** Wanted to mention that this post made the current edition (3/2/11) of Ed Bajek's Publishing News Twitter-zeen. Ed features some really cool #publishing content, and I'd recommend following on Twitter. You can check it out here. (I'm under the #publishing section.)
It's Tuesday, the most useless of all days. (Unless you count leap year ... LAME) Fortunately, I'm not going to let the dregs of the week stop me from sharing a little of my brain with the helpless masses. (That's you!) You see, I'm afraid I've been thinking --A dangerous pastime, I know ...
If you immediately thought of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, you win the Cool Award!
Writers tend to twist in the wind during the best of times. Uncertainty, self-doubt and fear aren't negatives when you're a writer; it just means you're starting to take yourself seriously. After all, if you aren't sharing your work, you're not VERY serious about it, and if you aren't the least bit nervous about letting other people read your writing then you're a machine. And you know how we feel about machines around here ... THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!
Back on topic: If you mix in a little industry turmoil and a few changes to 'The Path' to becoming a a so-called legitimate writer--well, let's just say I've seen headless chickens with more grace under fire.
I'm like so many other aspiring writers. I want a solid footing for my dreams to launch from. I need to know that I can not only reach the stars, but somehow stay in orbit once I'm up there. Unfortunately, an already winding path has become mired in deep fog, and clearly seeing the destination is no longer possible. In fact, just anticipating the next bend in the road has become a challenge.
Where will my chosen profession be in 5 years? How about 1? Will I be helped on my way by a professional, or will I do as so many are doing and make my own way? Will I even have a choice? Interestingly enough, I'm not even sure this kind of thinking is limited to aspiring writers. I read so many blogs of longtime authors trying to resurrect their careers and find some sort of foothold in the morphing industry.
As a fan of history, I tend to look to the past when future answers are elusive. While I'm certain the publishing industry hasn't ever quite faced a change like the current one, some of our artistic kin have. I think we can look at the music industry, the art business and the movie industry for a few landmarks to indicate where this old trail is taking us. Today I'll talk about the music business, and in coming posts I'll examine the other two.
MUSIC - The First Frontier ...
I was perusing a recent issue of Sound + Vision magazine (it's a mag for tech geeks and Audio/Video nerds--like me!), and stumbled across this excellent interview with Smashing Pumpkins singer, Billy Corgan. If you aren't hip to the 90s grunge music scene, you should know 'the Pumpkins' were alternative music icons from the decade. They had numerous hits and were prone to doing experimental rock albums in a time when it wasn't welcome.
You see, by the end of the 90s record companies were looking for radio-friendly pop (think 'NSync) and wanted bands to focus on creating 'sure thing' music that would inspire teens to purchase Compact Discs. The myopic thinking was a result of this called the Internet, which was starting to catch on to the point that many people had it in their homes. Some people were even choosing to consume their music digitally. It was a turbulent financial time for the industry, and it simply wasn't prudent to take risks.
(Does any of that sound familiar?)
Fast forward 10 or so years. The Pumpkins didn't make a lot of music in '00's. Like many bands they lost members, weren't interested in shifting their musical sensibilities with the times and simply got old. Corgan is now 43. I guess your perspectives will change some from the age of 25 to 40. At any rate, Corgan still wanted to make music, and with the social media boom started by MySpace, he saw an opportunity as so many musicians have. It was a opportunity to go directly to the fans.
When asked about it by S+V interviewer Mike Mettler, Corgan responded, "You build your own world with your own rules. And people will visit it, believe me."
How profound is that? You carve out a spot, and do what you do. The people that want what you're offering will find it, and those that don't won't. The thing is, in the modern music business this is simply how things are done. Are there record companies still around? Sure, and they're still responsible for most of the music you hear on the radio. But I have to ask: how many serious music listeners get their content from the radio as opposed to 10 or 15 years ago? I'd wager not many. Most of the music aficionados I know go directly to their music of choice via iTunes. They listen to what they want, when they want, with their portable music players. They rarely set foot in a store to browse for music, and instead rely on word of mouth and iTunes suggestions to find new music.
Don't get me wrong, the music business has definitely had its share of casualties in the transition from mainstream to global-stream (so to speak). Major record companies have downsized, and obtaining their support as a musician is more competitive than ever. The adjustment hasn't been easy for the artists, either. Particularly when it comes to defining success. It seems a big record deal and a multi-city tour are no longer the industry standard of success. Or as Corgan states in the interview, "How do I ascertain success in the modern era? I just feel it. I have to feel it."
So here's what I propose. Let's learn from the music business. As writers, perhaps we need to re-think our definitions of success. Maybe success is more fluid than what we've known in the past. For some, it will undoubtedly be the same; you'll be a success when you land that agent and see your book on a shelf. For others, it might mean having 1,000 dedicated readers online who lap up every .99 cent offering they upload to Amazon.
While many have decried the Internet as depersonalizing, based upon what Corgan says in his interview, I think just the opposite has happened. The Web has deeply personalized everything. Artist no longer need to strive to reach everyone. They simply need to reach their fans.
In the end, maybe the path to publication isn't quite so clear, only because there are now several paths to choose from.
-EJW-
It's Tuesday, the most useless of all days. (Unless you count leap year ... LAME) Fortunately, I'm not going to let the dregs of the week stop me from sharing a little of my brain with the helpless masses. (That's you!) You see, I'm afraid I've been thinking --A dangerous pastime, I know ...
If you immediately thought of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, you win the Cool Award!
Writers tend to twist in the wind during the best of times. Uncertainty, self-doubt and fear aren't negatives when you're a writer; it just means you're starting to take yourself seriously. After all, if you aren't sharing your work, you're not VERY serious about it, and if you aren't the least bit nervous about letting other people read your writing then you're a machine. And you know how we feel about machines around here ... THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!
Back on topic: If you mix in a little industry turmoil and a few changes to 'The Path' to becoming a a so-called legitimate writer--well, let's just say I've seen headless chickens with more grace under fire.
I'm like so many other aspiring writers. I want a solid footing for my dreams to launch from. I need to know that I can not only reach the stars, but somehow stay in orbit once I'm up there. Unfortunately, an already winding path has become mired in deep fog, and clearly seeing the destination is no longer possible. In fact, just anticipating the next bend in the road has become a challenge.
Where will my chosen profession be in 5 years? How about 1? Will I be helped on my way by a professional, or will I do as so many are doing and make my own way? Will I even have a choice? Interestingly enough, I'm not even sure this kind of thinking is limited to aspiring writers. I read so many blogs of longtime authors trying to resurrect their careers and find some sort of foothold in the morphing industry.
As a fan of history, I tend to look to the past when future answers are elusive. While I'm certain the publishing industry hasn't ever quite faced a change like the current one, some of our artistic kin have. I think we can look at the music industry, the art business and the movie industry for a few landmarks to indicate where this old trail is taking us. Today I'll talk about the music business, and in coming posts I'll examine the other two.
MUSIC - The First Frontier ...
I was perusing a recent issue of Sound + Vision magazine (it's a mag for tech geeks and Audio/Video nerds--like me!), and stumbled across this excellent interview with Smashing Pumpkins singer, Billy Corgan. If you aren't hip to the 90s grunge music scene, you should know 'the Pumpkins' were alternative music icons from the decade. They had numerous hits and were prone to doing experimental rock albums in a time when it wasn't welcome.
You see, by the end of the 90s record companies were looking for radio-friendly pop (think 'NSync) and wanted bands to focus on creating 'sure thing' music that would inspire teens to purchase Compact Discs. The myopic thinking was a result of this called the Internet, which was starting to catch on to the point that many people had it in their homes. Some people were even choosing to consume their music digitally. It was a turbulent financial time for the industry, and it simply wasn't prudent to take risks.
(Does any of that sound familiar?)
Fast forward 10 or so years. The Pumpkins didn't make a lot of music in '00's. Like many bands they lost members, weren't interested in shifting their musical sensibilities with the times and simply got old. Corgan is now 43. I guess your perspectives will change some from the age of 25 to 40. At any rate, Corgan still wanted to make music, and with the social media boom started by MySpace, he saw an opportunity as so many musicians have. It was a opportunity to go directly to the fans.
When asked about it by S+V interviewer Mike Mettler, Corgan responded, "You build your own world with your own rules. And people will visit it, believe me."
How profound is that? You carve out a spot, and do what you do. The people that want what you're offering will find it, and those that don't won't. The thing is, in the modern music business this is simply how things are done. Are there record companies still around? Sure, and they're still responsible for most of the music you hear on the radio. But I have to ask: how many serious music listeners get their content from the radio as opposed to 10 or 15 years ago? I'd wager not many. Most of the music aficionados I know go directly to their music of choice via iTunes. They listen to what they want, when they want, with their portable music players. They rarely set foot in a store to browse for music, and instead rely on word of mouth and iTunes suggestions to find new music.
Don't get me wrong, the music business has definitely had its share of casualties in the transition from mainstream to global-stream (so to speak). Major record companies have downsized, and obtaining their support as a musician is more competitive than ever. The adjustment hasn't been easy for the artists, either. Particularly when it comes to defining success. It seems a big record deal and a multi-city tour are no longer the industry standard of success. Or as Corgan states in the interview, "How do I ascertain success in the modern era? I just feel it. I have to feel it."
So here's what I propose. Let's learn from the music business. As writers, perhaps we need to re-think our definitions of success. Maybe success is more fluid than what we've known in the past. For some, it will undoubtedly be the same; you'll be a success when you land that agent and see your book on a shelf. For others, it might mean having 1,000 dedicated readers online who lap up every .99 cent offering they upload to Amazon.
While many have decried the Internet as depersonalizing, based upon what Corgan says in his interview, I think just the opposite has happened. The Web has deeply personalized everything. Artist no longer need to strive to reach everyone. They simply need to reach their fans.
In the end, maybe the path to publication isn't quite so clear, only because there are now several paths to choose from.
-EJW-
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