Jon Appleton taught me nearly everything important I know about music and composing. Here's a wonderful interview he just posted on YouTube. Enjoy his creativity and warmth!
I feel incredibly fortunate to have learned from him and remain grateful for the opportunities he provided, the wisdom he imparted, and the challenges he set before me.
His pedagogical style, what he taught, and why he taught were main drivers for my own educational efforts at the Duke University Talent Identification Program and related projects.
[Updated to include the latest version of the video. Thanks, Ray!]
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Ghost Town: Status and Preview
The album is being mastered by the incredibly talented Michael Hateley of Lotus Mastering, who has mastered such illustrious bands as Green Day, Built To Spill, Mastodon, Slayer, Neil Young, The White Stripes, Tegan And Sara, Josh Groban, Circle Jerks, Rise Against!, Linkin Park, and Sid Luscious and The Pants.
The artwork is being created by the amazing James Carriรจre, who has done the artwork for 2009's "Overcast" and the yet-to-be-released 2010 "Reflection". ["Reflection" is taking a long time because the book design is both complex and spectacular.]
The book is being designed by the lovely and award-winning Iran Narges, who has been a favorite collaborator for a decade.
I expect to have a listening/release party in a month or two.
For the time being, you can listen to these low bit rate, unmastered MP3s.
The artwork is being created by the amazing James Carriรจre, who has done the artwork for 2009's "Overcast" and the yet-to-be-released 2010 "Reflection". ["Reflection" is taking a long time because the book design is both complex and spectacular.]
The book is being designed by the lovely and award-winning Iran Narges, who has been a favorite collaborator for a decade.
I expect to have a listening/release party in a month or two.
For the time being, you can listen to these low bit rate, unmastered MP3s.
Jinsai's player:
Monday, February 28, 2011
RPM 2011: The Finish Line
It's done. RPM 2011: "The Ghost Town".
- The Empty Sky
- For the Love of Mary Lee
- Tumbleweed
- Interstate Wasteland
- The Ghost Town
- What The Wire Said
- The Crossing
Total running time: 35:56
That's not the cover image, that's a picture of my cowboy boots, used for my "method recording" technique.
CD mailed off to RPM Challenge today at lunch. As per usual, there will likely be some minor tweaks to mixes and mastering, but the record is, for all intents and purposes, done.
I will have an "official" release once I have cover art.
My 2010 album "Reflection" will also be officially released soon, as the cover art for that is taking a bit longer than planned - but it is so totally worth the wait!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
RPM 2011: Week 4
Great to have a holiday. Slow start with houseguests, but I did get to work at last. Worked on finishing up tracks that were close, and started the heavy work on "The Empty Sky".
After the gym I made final tweaks. "The Crossing", "The Ghost Town", "Tumbleweed", and "For the Love of Mary Lee" are all in the can. That leaves "The Empty Sky" and "What The Wire Said".
"Empty Sky" needs some major work. I really like it (even if no one else did!) but I have to polish it up, and that means throwing out nearly all the recorded tracks. I got pretty far on it today.
"What The Wire Said" needs vocals and a bit of structural tightening. I can probably get that done tomorrow.
Then I just have to write one more track before Sunday ends...
Day 23 - 6 songs, 32 minutes
I fly to New York for work. I listen to the existing mixes and make a few notes. Can't do anything else, between working and flying I have barely any time to think
Day 24 - 6 songs, 32 minutes
I fly back from New York, the return trip taking almost double the time the outbound leg did. I get home after midnight, my body tired and on the verge of being sick.
Day 25 - 6 songs, 32 minutes
I spend the day working at home, and the evening doing some touch-ups on the existing mixes.
Day 26 - 6 songs, 32 minutes
I spent the morning working on "What The Wire Said", redoing the vocals, adding effects and a few percussion parts, and editing and tightening.
I spend the afternoon struggling with a new track, which will be called "Interstate Wasteland". I sketch out a bit, laying down a beat, some chords, and writing far too many lyrics.
Day 27 - 7 Songs, 37 minutes
After my usual slow Sunday, I went down to the studio and started working on "Interstate Wasteland". I quickly edited the lyrics down to just 3 verses and changed the chord progression to allow for a nicer melody. I had to do a bunch of vocal experiments before I got a take I liked.
I had a few brief flashes of panic - was this totally awful? - but I powered through, adding some nice guitar parts and a few simple production touches.
I reached a point where I couldn't think of anything else to do - I was noodling on guitar, noodling on keyboards. Clearly the song was finished. Well, maybe after some backing vocals.
Touched up the mixes for "Empty Sky" and "Tumbleweed" and went to the gym for a quick workout and to listen.
Sounds pretty good. Some final touches, and "Interstate Wasteland" is probably finished. I render out WAVs, install WaveLab 7 demo, and build a potential master CD.
Tomorrow, final touches and mailing off!
Monday, February 21, 2011
RPM 2011: Week 3
Today was Valentine's Day. My lovely wife is far more important than my RPM Project. I spent my free time with her.
Day 15 - 5 songs, 27 minutes
Tonight I quickly assembled the foundation of a new song - "Tumbleweed". Clip-clop trip-hop at its finest. Needs vocals and a bunch of other fixes. But the basics are there. Have a rough melody in place. As always, wondering if the melody is any good.
Day 16 - 5 songs, 27 minutes
Extended "Tumbleweed" out to nearly final length, though it's still missing a few important sections. I laid down some vocals with rough lyrics and put a few harmonies down. Sounding pretty good. Sort of like Cowboy Shriekback rolling through Las Vegas in Massive Attack's muscle car.
I need to re-do the guitars, finish the lyrics, and maybe write a bridge and riff.
Looking like this record might have fewer songs than previous ones, but they'll likely be longer songs. That's not so bad. "Meddle" by Pink Floyd is that way.
Day 17 - 5 songs, 27 minutes
Stayed up late working on "Tumbleweed". Got Tumbleweed to correct length, including adding a longer 2nd verse and some other adjustments. I finished writing the words but it was too late to lay them down.
Day 18 - 5 songs, 28 minutes
Today I laid in more vocals for "Tumbleweed", adjusted the mix, and added a Spanish-sounding guitar solo to the bridge, and some more twang to the outro. Fixed some problems with the bass, too. It's not bad. Sounds very clip-clop trip-hop!
Day 19 - 6 songs, 31 minutes
First day of a three-day weekend, and a lot to do, as this is the penultimate weekend and I have to travel next week.
I had a bunch of clean-up to do on some of the other songs, but I wanted to get some new things down first - clean-up is good to save for short bursts and/or when you aren't feeling too inspired.
Sometimes creativity and songs just do what they want to do. I had intended to work on a faster new song, but "For the Love of Mary Lee" just wouldn't leave me alone. I spent the morning working up some flamenco-style rhythms, studying Spanish guitar YouTube videos, and by mid-day had started to pull together a nice 6/8 feel for the track, complete with handclaps.
When the Muse pulls you in a particular direction, it's best just to follow - the guitar parts came effortlessly (well, the writing - I am still a terrible acoustic player) and sounded very nice.
Melody was going to be a bit of a problem, as my original draft of "Mary Lee" was in a different key and major. I worked on it, wrote the lyrics, had something that would probably work overall.
My voice was pretty tired, and I'm not sure I like singing in the higher register for this one. So much of the rest of the record is in the low-voice/Johnny Cash vein, and the higher voice seems a little too "Broadway". I intended for this song to be one of those fado-ish extremely "emotional" types of songs, and I wanted it to be like "El Paso" and "The Streets of Laredo" in terms of its melody, content, etc. and those are on the pretty side as well. I just think it sounds weird right now.
Tomorrow I'll probably take a whack at vocals in the low octave. Might be too low. I dunno. Maybe I'm over-thinking it. Like the last few records, at this point I worry the latest song isn't as "good" as the other songs already completed for the project.
Day 20 - 6 songs, 32 minutes
Sometimes, when you think you've gone the wrong way creatively, the right answer is not to go back, but to go farther in the "wrong" direction.
I tried redoing the vocals in a low octave. No dice. And the chorus already sounded good. So I redid all the vocals in the original octave, and worked until I had a nice solid performance. I added some handclaps, more guitars, and added some subliminal Wall of Voodoo drum machine. I think it sounds great.
Went to the gym. Did some errands. I adjusted a couple of other mixes and then some unexpected guests showed up, which more or less ended my day a bit prematurely. Good news is I am within sight of the finish line.
Bad news is that even though I have 1 week left, none of the songs are finalized yet. There are some that are very close to done, but they all need tweaks ranging from minor (shaker down 1 dB!) to major (re-track all guitars and vocals, re-do drums).
I will finish. It will be a good record. But it's going to be a busy week and tight weekend...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Why Products Really Suck, Part 2
Your Team Is The Enemy
If you're like most product managers, you don't get to choose your team. You get whatever resources the company has available - engineers, QA, design, project management, and so on.
Sometimes you get a team of great people. Sometimes you get so much deadwood and burn-out cases you're afraid a spark may ignite the whole bunch.
You will almost certainly have fewer people than you'd like, and you may have fewer people than you need.
But regardless, they are your team. They are the ones who will be doing most of the actual work of creating the product.
Your job is to make sure they make the right product. And it's tricky, because without proper guidance and structure, your team is the enemy, and they will wreck your product.
Lights, Camera, Action
In many ways, Product Managers are like directors, and products are like films. The products have themes. The participants need to understand their motivation - why are they doing what they're doing? And the Product Manager needs to make it all happen.
If you don't direct them, your team will wander, literally and metaphorically. Good products come from teams that know exactly what they're building and why. Teams need to know what's important about their product - what makes it worth building? They need to know the most important use cases (things users will do with the app) and invest development effort there.
They need to know where the value in your product is coming from. Is designing a new kind of scroll bar a good time investment? (probably not, because it's not what's driving your product's value) How about a whizzy new database? (only if it's something your product relies on). Many teams wander because the individuals have their own agendas...because the product manager wasn't clear about what the team's agenda should be.
Imagine a bunch of actors on a set. They all have particular goals and takes on their characters. They may even have different acting styles. In good movies, the director works to blend everything together and pull it in service of a common goal. Gratuitous, unnecessary, or inappropriate elements are cut. The same should be true with products.
Focus
Once I worked on a software product intended for audio playback. The engineers had a very cool interface technology that allowed for some very ahead-of-its-time customization of the UI. We all thought it was neat, so we included it in the player. The code was solid, and it had minimal CPU impact...but it was a mistake.
The feature did not drive the core value proposition of the app, and actively distracted users and the company from the app's true value proposition. The sales guys were showing off that part of the product because it was visual and different. People got excited and wanted enhancements. But improving that part of the product didn't help the business. It was a huge distraction.
If you let your team drive the product, you may get a bunch of cool features and designs, but they won't cohere, and they may not drive your core value proposition.
Democracy Is Bad
On a movie set, the director makes all the decisions. Right or wrong. In most of the successful rock bands, one person makes the final decisions. Same is true of the best product teams. And that person is the product manager. YOU are responsible for whether or not it's any good.
Product management is not a democracy. Many people have opinions and perspectives, but only one person has responsibility. Some refer to the Product Manager as the "one neck to wring". The trade-off for that liability is "final cut" or final approval. Use it.
If you don't, you are not likely to end up with a great product - one that has a vision, a theme, and some bold direction. You'll get oatmeal. A bunch of things that are OK. Or you might get a bunch of stuff in a box which sort of works.
I believe the best design visions, the best products, the best art all come from single perspectives. They can be made richer via other input and may require other people to execute, but there should only be one "designer".
Don't Be A Dictator
That is not to say you should be dictatorial. You should strive to build a harmonious team. And you must listen to everyone with great care, and take their comments and concerns seriously. Build consensus where possible.
The key words are "where possible." Despite best efforts, you are going to reach a point where your team disagrees. There are many ways to drive consensus ("Fist of Five" being a good one). Don't be afraid to make a call. Just make sure you have reasons for doing it, and make sure the team understands.
Alienating your team is a fast-track to failure. You cannot succeed without them.
Fires
Most of the time, you work with grown-ups. Even if they aren't in love with the project or your decisions, they will bring their "A-game" (or at least their B-game) every day and get stuff done. But sometimes you get stuck with a bad apple.
This can be the person who simply doesn't pull their weight. It can be someone who undermines the team explicitly, by being a jerk to the team, being overly negative about the project, or who constantly argues with you about direction. This can also be someone who is talking to people in the company above you without your knowledge.
These are small fires. If you don't put them out, they can grow quickly and result in product wreckage. It might be cancellation, reduced buy-in, or just demoralization.
The first and best approach is to find out what's bothering the team member and see if you can mollify them.
But do not be afraid to request their removal from the team. Often it's best just to get them out of the picture.
Feedback
Provide lots of low-latency feedback to your team. In other words, talk to them a lot, and talk to them as the project is in motion.
Important things to do:
Up next: YOU are the reason.
If you're like most product managers, you don't get to choose your team. You get whatever resources the company has available - engineers, QA, design, project management, and so on.
Sometimes you get a team of great people. Sometimes you get so much deadwood and burn-out cases you're afraid a spark may ignite the whole bunch.
You will almost certainly have fewer people than you'd like, and you may have fewer people than you need.
But regardless, they are your team. They are the ones who will be doing most of the actual work of creating the product.
Your job is to make sure they make the right product. And it's tricky, because without proper guidance and structure, your team is the enemy, and they will wreck your product.
Lights, Camera, Action
In many ways, Product Managers are like directors, and products are like films. The products have themes. The participants need to understand their motivation - why are they doing what they're doing? And the Product Manager needs to make it all happen.
If you don't direct them, your team will wander, literally and metaphorically. Good products come from teams that know exactly what they're building and why. Teams need to know what's important about their product - what makes it worth building? They need to know the most important use cases (things users will do with the app) and invest development effort there.
They need to know where the value in your product is coming from. Is designing a new kind of scroll bar a good time investment? (probably not, because it's not what's driving your product's value) How about a whizzy new database? (only if it's something your product relies on). Many teams wander because the individuals have their own agendas...because the product manager wasn't clear about what the team's agenda should be.
Imagine a bunch of actors on a set. They all have particular goals and takes on their characters. They may even have different acting styles. In good movies, the director works to blend everything together and pull it in service of a common goal. Gratuitous, unnecessary, or inappropriate elements are cut. The same should be true with products.
Focus
Once I worked on a software product intended for audio playback. The engineers had a very cool interface technology that allowed for some very ahead-of-its-time customization of the UI. We all thought it was neat, so we included it in the player. The code was solid, and it had minimal CPU impact...but it was a mistake.
The feature did not drive the core value proposition of the app, and actively distracted users and the company from the app's true value proposition. The sales guys were showing off that part of the product because it was visual and different. People got excited and wanted enhancements. But improving that part of the product didn't help the business. It was a huge distraction.
If you let your team drive the product, you may get a bunch of cool features and designs, but they won't cohere, and they may not drive your core value proposition.
Democracy Is Bad
On a movie set, the director makes all the decisions. Right or wrong. In most of the successful rock bands, one person makes the final decisions. Same is true of the best product teams. And that person is the product manager. YOU are responsible for whether or not it's any good.
Product management is not a democracy. Many people have opinions and perspectives, but only one person has responsibility. Some refer to the Product Manager as the "one neck to wring". The trade-off for that liability is "final cut" or final approval. Use it.
If you don't, you are not likely to end up with a great product - one that has a vision, a theme, and some bold direction. You'll get oatmeal. A bunch of things that are OK. Or you might get a bunch of stuff in a box which sort of works.
I believe the best design visions, the best products, the best art all come from single perspectives. They can be made richer via other input and may require other people to execute, but there should only be one "designer".
Don't Be A Dictator
That is not to say you should be dictatorial. You should strive to build a harmonious team. And you must listen to everyone with great care, and take their comments and concerns seriously. Build consensus where possible.
The key words are "where possible." Despite best efforts, you are going to reach a point where your team disagrees. There are many ways to drive consensus ("Fist of Five" being a good one). Don't be afraid to make a call. Just make sure you have reasons for doing it, and make sure the team understands.
Alienating your team is a fast-track to failure. You cannot succeed without them.
Fires
Most of the time, you work with grown-ups. Even if they aren't in love with the project or your decisions, they will bring their "A-game" (or at least their B-game) every day and get stuff done. But sometimes you get stuck with a bad apple.
This can be the person who simply doesn't pull their weight. It can be someone who undermines the team explicitly, by being a jerk to the team, being overly negative about the project, or who constantly argues with you about direction. This can also be someone who is talking to people in the company above you without your knowledge.
These are small fires. If you don't put them out, they can grow quickly and result in product wreckage. It might be cancellation, reduced buy-in, or just demoralization.
The first and best approach is to find out what's bothering the team member and see if you can mollify them.
But do not be afraid to request their removal from the team. Often it's best just to get them out of the picture.
Feedback
Provide lots of low-latency feedback to your team. In other words, talk to them a lot, and talk to them as the project is in motion.
Important things to do:
- Talk to all team members every work day. Not just to pester them about "are you done yet?", but ask what obstacles they're encountering. What can you do to help them succeed?
- Know your team. If you want to understand your team, get to know them. Maybe your developer is slow this week because he's having personal problems.
- Eat lunch together. Buy your team lunch every now and then. Even if the company won't expense it, you can get everyone a sandwich somewhere for not that much money. It's hard to be a jerk to someone you had a sandwich with yesterday, and everyone likes the surprise of a literal free lunch. Plus it fosters communication. And I don't mean "bring in a pizza and keep working." I mean get OUT of the office, go sit down somewhere, and relax.
- Regular reviews. Periodically review the accomplishments. Praise hard work. Look for things causing problems. This is most important early in the project and at the conclusion of the project.
This stuff may seem overly basic, but I am always surprised at how often people don't do one or more.
Up next: YOU are the reason.
Monday, February 14, 2011
RPM 2011: Week 2
Day 7- 3 songs, 12 minutes
More tweaks to "What The Wire Said". Lots of writing and thinking. A bit of experimentation around a new track with a kind of old English melody. Sounds a bit too cheesy right now, but I have a verse and a chorus. We'll see how that goes.
Day 8 - 3 songs, 12 minutes
I played some of the tracks in progress for James (the amazing photographer) and Iran. Feedback was generally good. Surprisingly strong responses to "What The Wire Said", which I was not expecting. And rather muted or tepid reactions to "The Empty Sky", which I think is rather good. I think "Sky" needs mix tightening and some palette changes. The melody and underlying structure are good. Just needs refurbishing.
Still, that bit of feedback sort of knocked me off my game a bit. I had hoped to balance the moodier, slower tracks with some more upbeat stuff. Will anyone want to listen to 35 minutes of slow(cow)poke music? Will I want to make it? Will it be interesting?
Hard to tell.
Day 9 - 3 songs, 19 minutes
Today I extended "What The Wire Said". It's a bit too long now but the general shape is there. I added acoustic guitar in some nice ways and a tiny bit of JX-3P (gotta use that gear!). At 11 minutes(!) this might be the longest track I've recorded. I think it's sounding pretty good.
With the 3 songs I have so far, this feels like about 15 or so minutes, which is really great progress for such a short time.
Day 10 - 3 songs, 19 minutes
Listened to the tracks some more, but aside from some notes scribbling and a brief bit of morning picking, the rest of the day was burned with work-related activities.
Day 11 - 3 songs, 19 minutes
Had to go in to work early today for meetings and had to go to a friend's birthday. Aside from some listening, no work on RPM today.
Day 12 - 3 songs, 19 minutes
Frustration and false starts. Being Saturday, I had hoped to get a whole track done and work out. I started on one track, but realized it was far too derivative of Wall of Voodoo. As in: it sounded exactly like Wall of Voodoo. There's a fine line between homage, influence, and derivative rip-off. I was on the wrong side of that line, but it took a long time to figure that out.
I started on another track, but it felt very stiff and I couldn't get it to feel right. I pushed through sheer force of effort, but I kind of hate it.
By the end of the day, my back was hurting and I was frustrated. I can't remember so many total wipe-outs on tracks in past RPM years, but maybe I'm just selectively remembering. Went to the gym and hoped for a better day tomorrow.
Day 13 - 4 songs, 23 minutes
Got off to a typically slow Sunday start today, but I was determined to finish a track. I went downstairs to the studio and started picking on the guitar. I rather quickly came up with a nice guitar pattern for a verse and chorus.
I sketched out some words and a melody. I tried to focus on the emerging themes and vibe of the record and decided this needed to be the title track. This also forced me to lock in a title: "The Ghost Town".
I struggled to lay down the acoustic guitar - I really am a poor acoustic player. Thank god for digital editing. I think it has a nice, loose vibe, though. I spent the next few hours building up the track, adding in some low synth rumble, melodica, fake lap steel, shaker and vocals.
Lots of time spent experimenting with different acoustic samples and background ambiences.
Finished the track shortly after dinner. I think it's a good one.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
RPM 2011: Week 1
I will be posting some short notes each week about my work on RPM 2011...
Day 1
Fought with Cubase. Couldn't get the metronome working in Cubase 5.52. Still got a skeleton track down. Many pages of notes about what to make this year.
Fought with Cubase. Couldn't get the metronome working in Cubase 5.52. Still got a skeleton track down. Many pages of notes about what to make this year.
Also realized I didn't have the 1.0.2 version of ValhallaShimmer - important because 1.0.1 didn't support presets!
Beginning track is the first idea that came into my head, currently just a verse/chorus outline.
Day 2
Cubase 6 arrives. Installed. Normally I would never upgrade software in the middle of a critical project, but these can be run side-by-side. Fortunately so far it is way better than 5.52.
More guitars. Song stretched from initial ABCD structure to a more fleshed out IABCD_ABCDDDD type-thing. Started on lyrics.
Feeling extremely tired again, so this is about as much as I can accomplish, other than working on some notes in the notebook.
Day 3
Lyrics for first song finished. Not much done today other than sharpening melodies on the commute - I have to be at work extra early (8 am) and will be staying extra late (leaving after 8 pm). TIRED.
Day 4
Vocals put down in early morning before going off to work.
Can't do much else because of work and tickets to see The Church play 3 classic albums at a nice small venue. TIRED.
On the motorcycle ride over to the show, I start singing some parts for other songs. Hope I remember them.
First song is probably going to be around 4:30. Not a bad start.
Day 5
Pushed a bit further on track 1 (working title: "The Empty Sky"). Burned most of the day having a nice visit with a friend (plus two hours of driving and errands).
After dinner I started a new track ("What The Wire Said"). I am intending for this to be a long epic, but I only have time and patience to sketch it out.
Day 6
Today after a typical late Sunday morning, I expanded on last night's track, building it up to about 5 minutes. I have a long punch list for both tracks so far, and need to keep making progress overall.
Went out for a run and thought about another song. Wrote some words and a melody in my head. Got back and picked out some nice chords on guitar.
Beginning track is the first idea that came into my head, currently just a verse/chorus outline.
Day 2
Cubase 6 arrives. Installed. Normally I would never upgrade software in the middle of a critical project, but these can be run side-by-side. Fortunately so far it is way better than 5.52.
More guitars. Song stretched from initial ABCD structure to a more fleshed out IABCD_ABCDDDD type-thing. Started on lyrics.
Feeling extremely tired again, so this is about as much as I can accomplish, other than working on some notes in the notebook.
Day 3
Lyrics for first song finished. Not much done today other than sharpening melodies on the commute - I have to be at work extra early (8 am) and will be staying extra late (leaving after 8 pm). TIRED.
Day 4
Vocals put down in early morning before going off to work.
Can't do much else because of work and tickets to see The Church play 3 classic albums at a nice small venue. TIRED.
On the motorcycle ride over to the show, I start singing some parts for other songs. Hope I remember them.
First song is probably going to be around 4:30. Not a bad start.
Day 5
Pushed a bit further on track 1 (working title: "The Empty Sky"). Burned most of the day having a nice visit with a friend (plus two hours of driving and errands).
After dinner I started a new track ("What The Wire Said"). I am intending for this to be a long epic, but I only have time and patience to sketch it out.
Day 6
Today after a typical late Sunday morning, I expanded on last night's track, building it up to about 5 minutes. I have a long punch list for both tracks so far, and need to keep making progress overall.
Went out for a run and thought about another song. Wrote some words and a melody in my head. Got back and picked out some nice chords on guitar.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
TIME names MOG App in 50 Best of 2011
Coincidentally, MOG just released a very nice update to the App which went live on Monday.
The TIME magazine citation joins the Billboard "Best Streaming App" award MOG won in 2010. It is quite satisfying to be recognized (albeit abstractly), especially considering some of my history in the business.
Credit is due to the fantastic developers, visual designers, and quality assurance people at MOG. As one of my friends said, I have the easy part: the "dreaming-up" job. They're the ones who actually make it all happen.
MOG has many more great things to add, and some exciting plans for the rest of the year. If you like music, it's worth checking out. Available for iPhone and Android.
Monday, January 31, 2011
A Brief History of the Music Business: Video Talk
A talk I gave at Loyola University on the history of the music business is now available online here.
It's about an hour long and is a distillation of a number of things I've talked about over the last few years.
(Note that I am incorrectly identified as the "co-founder of Rhapsody Music". While I was the product manager and wrote the initial business plan, I was neither a founder of TuneTo.com (where the product and technology were born) nor a founder of Listen.com (which launched Rhapsody 1.0).)
UPDATED: The last, important thing? "WEAR YOUR EARPLUGS." (And disabled the auto-start...sorry about that!)
It's about an hour long and is a distillation of a number of things I've talked about over the last few years.
(Note that I am incorrectly identified as the "co-founder of Rhapsody Music". While I was the product manager and wrote the initial business plan, I was neither a founder of TuneTo.com (where the product and technology were born) nor a founder of Listen.com (which launched Rhapsody 1.0).)
UPDATED: The last, important thing? "WEAR YOUR EARPLUGS." (And disabled the auto-start...sorry about that!)
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Best Reissues of 2010
2010 continued the record industry's trend of jamming out reissues, remasters, and deluxe editions. Selling updated versions of existing products is a marketing trick nearly as old as commerce itself. Clearly, it is working for the music business.
Cynicism aside, many of the first CD releases sounded terrible for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the wrong master tapes were used or the best master tapes couldn't be found. In other cases, the tape-to-digital transfers suffered from the (relatively) poor quality of the early analog-to-digital converters.
Most of the top-shelf musical canon has already been reissued multiple times. So now the industry can turn its attention to albums more off the beaten path. Fewer sales but more devoted fans with high willingness to buy.
The good news is that in many cases, the people working on the reissues do a fantastic job, unearthing rare or lost tracks, cleaning up audio, and producing nice packaging. The bad news is these reissues are often harmed by cut-rate packaging, sloppy audio remastering, a surfeit of tracks, and too-high price tags.
Without further ado, here are the awards...
Best Bonus Tracks:
Duran Duran "Duran Duran"
Duran Duran were one of the first bands that made me hunt and search for tracks and inspired the largely lost art of locating the obscure.
Duran Duran released all kinds of remixes, singles, and 12" maxis which were only available as imports. Their first album even swapped out one of the original tracks ("To The Shore") for a hot single ("Is There Something I Should Know?") when it was widely released in the USA.
And many of those early tracks were great stuff - as good or better than what was on the record.
This year, Duran Duran continued rolling out their reissues. The best was their first album. Sonically, it's not a substantial improvement. Some argue that it sounds worse than the original release.
Of course, it includes all of the b-sides from the singles and 12" maxis, and the "Night Versions". This is less of a revelation since the previously-released "Singles" boxes put them all out there several years ago.
What it does include, however, are some demo versions that are really interesting. The demos are simultaneously both more "rock" and more "disco" than the album versions. The early version of "Girls On Film" has an awkward cadence which would be dropped for the final release version. Mostly they sound like what they are - a live band composed largely of enthusiastic young men.
Artwork and photography is pretty and comes in a nice box. Band loses huge points for not including lyrics, however, which they did even on the previous cheap-o standard release.
Ultimately, this reissue serves to validate the quality of the band's early work and the freshness of their sound, without wearing out its welcome.
Too Much of a Good Thing:
Arcadia "So Red The Rose"
Propaganda "A Secret Wish"
Sometimes, reissues rekindle your love for an old favorite. And sometimes it's like having dinner with your ex-wife: too much, and you remember why you stopped listening in the first place.
The reissue of Arcadia's "So Red The Rose" is fantastic. Seriously. It sounds great. It includes rare videos and specials. A whole second disc of bonus tracks including a whole single I'd never even heard before.
The artwork is mostly an improvement, though the credits contain some typos and fail to reproduce the full artwork the way the initial CD release did.
I also like this record a lot - in some ways, it's the best "Duran Duran" album made, even though technically it's not Duran Duran.
But 2 CDs filled to the rim is a bit much. There are a number of remixes of the same tracks (single versions!) which aren't tremendously different from the album mixes - this is the sort of stuff that makes collectors happy, but makes most listeners reach for the "skip" button.
Propaganda's "A Secret Wish" is also a study in obsession.
Originally released in 1985, "A Secret Wish" was the first album by a new band signed to Trevor Horn's legendary Zang Tuum Tumb label (whose name, like his band "The Art of Noise", comes straight out of the Italian Futurist movement).
The album is a masterpiece of orchestral synth pop. The new (at the time) Waldorf PPG synthesizer is mixed with sampled strings and the unusual voices of the singers to produce something dark, Teutonic, and Expressionistic. Their hand is tipped with "Dr. Mabuse", which also features a sly homage to musique concrete at the beginning. David Sylvian played guitar on the record, even.
The band fell apart after this record, losing one of their female singers and most of their momentum. Their much-anticipated second album (featuring Derek Forbes, Simple Minds' amazing bass player) was not very good. And then they basically broke up.
In 1985, I remember looking at the CD version, which I could not afford, and marveling at the technical information presented on the back, including the producer indicating which songs had digital clicks and "overs". Then I realized the mix durations were different from the vinyl album I had...were they different mixes?
I never was able to find out. The CD version I bought many years later sounded just like the vinyl.
This year, Propaganda's masterpiece received the Deluxe treatment. Turns out the producer did a separate set of CD mixes after the "analog" mixes were done and sent off to the duplicator. These CD mixes are considered the definitive versions, and the original "analog" mixes are relegated to the end of disc 1.
The CD mixes are surprising in a few details. They're not necessarily "better", per se, but they show how nuts the producer was going, clearly obsessed with the project and adding breakdowns, build-ups, crazy string sections, and so forth. The songs stretch out, taking their time through their intros. One is over 11 minutes long.
I suppose it's fitting that music that has been so obsessed over by creators and fans deserves this kind of treatment. You get the definitive album - all 9 tracks, now with great sound. It's all anyone could ask for. But then there are the six analog mixes right after. Didn't I just hear this?
And then there's also disc 2, which features all sorts of odds and ends, including "rare cassette-only promotional mixes". 11 tracks, which are nearly all remixes of the same 9 songs you just spent an hour with.
Too much! Back on the shelf for now!
Way Too Much of a Good Thing:
David Bowie "Station To Station [Super Deluxe Edition]"
Start by noting the original album "Station To Station" consists of 6 songs. It barely hits its 38-minute running time due to the long introduction on the title track.
It is a classic of the rock canon and one of Bowie's better and more listenable records.
The reissue costs more than $100.
It consists of 5 discs: the original album, the 1985 remaster, 2 live CDs, and a disc of singles mixes. To clarify, you get the original mastering (too murky!) and a new master from the original tape (too tinny!), a live concert spread across 2 discs, and a disc with slightly different mixes designed for radio.
They throw in vinyl versions of the original album and live set.
There's also a DVD with more than one set of high resolution and 5.1 mixes of the same 6 songs.
Because that's not enough, they throw in a bunch of other junk, too: liner notes with "never before seen photos", a poster, replicas of backstage passes, concert tickets, fan club folders, membership cards, bio sheet, and some buttons.
It's a great record, essential listening. But the rest of it is the definition of overkill.
Most Welcome Sonic Improvement:
The Cure "Disintegration"
When this record came out, I listened to the vinyl and thought it sounded murky. It had the tired rock disclaimer "this music was meant to be played loud", which meant the band had mixed it too loud and due to the Fletcher-Munson curve, it was going to sound weird unless you actually played it back loud as well.
"Disintegration" is a really good record. It took me a while to realize this when it first came out, but seeing the band at Great Woods sealed the deal for me. If you only listen to one record by the Cure (as many recommend), this should be it.
The remaster largely fixes the murky sound of the original at the expense of adding a bit more unneeded compression (an unfortunate trend in nearly all of these reissues, which I suspect will allow the labels to release "full dynamic range" versions in another 5 or 10 years!)
The "Deluxe Edition" throws in 2 more discs. One is the set of demos for the entire record. Like most Cure demos, these are relatively boring: they're rough versions of the album songs, sometimes instrumental, generally nearly identical to the final versions except not as nicely recorded. No real revelations here, nor anything even die-hard fans will revist.
The other disc is a reissue of "Entreat" (called "Entreat Plus"), a live concert where the band performs the entirety of "Disintegration". The Cure are a great live band, and their live recordings tend to be quite solid. "Entreat Plus" doesn't disappoint, but like many of the reissues this year, by the time you've finished this disc you've heard the songs on the album 3 times. That's a bit much for anyone, and while The Cure play well, they do play the songs just like the album, so again, not much discovery here.
The better sound makes it worth the price of admission, but try to track down the single-disc remaster!
Biggest Surprise:
Nine Inch Nails "Pretty Hate Machine"
It's not fashionable to like Nine Inch Nails anymore, and if you do, it's not fashionable to like this record. The remaster, however, is rather exciting.
It sounds great - arguably the biggest sonic improvement and best overall sounding record of the bunch. I couldn't find a playback system that didn't make this sound amazing.
It's also become an interesting historical document. Some of the tracks on the album have not aged well, but the good stuff ("Head Like A Hole", "Terrible Lie") still sounds ahead of its time.
The record sounds unusually drenched in reverb by today's standards. Otherwise its bracing digital textures sound even fresher today than they did back when it was released 20 years ago. It's easy to hear why this record was so influential for so many aspiring musicians. It's also very easy to hear Trent Reznor's influences - "Down In It" is clearly derivative of Skinny Puppy's "Dig It" (which Reznor freely admits), and much of the rest of the album pulls from various flavors of the near-industrial music of its time.
Cynicism aside, many of the first CD releases sounded terrible for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the wrong master tapes were used or the best master tapes couldn't be found. In other cases, the tape-to-digital transfers suffered from the (relatively) poor quality of the early analog-to-digital converters.
Most of the top-shelf musical canon has already been reissued multiple times. So now the industry can turn its attention to albums more off the beaten path. Fewer sales but more devoted fans with high willingness to buy.
The good news is that in many cases, the people working on the reissues do a fantastic job, unearthing rare or lost tracks, cleaning up audio, and producing nice packaging. The bad news is these reissues are often harmed by cut-rate packaging, sloppy audio remastering, a surfeit of tracks, and too-high price tags.
Without further ado, here are the awards...
Best Bonus Tracks:
Duran Duran "Duran Duran"
Duran Duran released all kinds of remixes, singles, and 12" maxis which were only available as imports. Their first album even swapped out one of the original tracks ("To The Shore") for a hot single ("Is There Something I Should Know?") when it was widely released in the USA.
And many of those early tracks were great stuff - as good or better than what was on the record.
This year, Duran Duran continued rolling out their reissues. The best was their first album. Sonically, it's not a substantial improvement. Some argue that it sounds worse than the original release.
Of course, it includes all of the b-sides from the singles and 12" maxis, and the "Night Versions". This is less of a revelation since the previously-released "Singles" boxes put them all out there several years ago.
What it does include, however, are some demo versions that are really interesting. The demos are simultaneously both more "rock" and more "disco" than the album versions. The early version of "Girls On Film" has an awkward cadence which would be dropped for the final release version. Mostly they sound like what they are - a live band composed largely of enthusiastic young men.
Artwork and photography is pretty and comes in a nice box. Band loses huge points for not including lyrics, however, which they did even on the previous cheap-o standard release.
Ultimately, this reissue serves to validate the quality of the band's early work and the freshness of their sound, without wearing out its welcome.
Too Much of a Good Thing:
Arcadia "So Red The Rose"
Propaganda "A Secret Wish"
The reissue of Arcadia's "So Red The Rose" is fantastic. Seriously. It sounds great. It includes rare videos and specials. A whole second disc of bonus tracks including a whole single I'd never even heard before.
The artwork is mostly an improvement, though the credits contain some typos and fail to reproduce the full artwork the way the initial CD release did.
I also like this record a lot - in some ways, it's the best "Duran Duran" album made, even though technically it's not Duran Duran.
But 2 CDs filled to the rim is a bit much. There are a number of remixes of the same tracks (single versions!) which aren't tremendously different from the album mixes - this is the sort of stuff that makes collectors happy, but makes most listeners reach for the "skip" button.
Originally released in 1985, "A Secret Wish" was the first album by a new band signed to Trevor Horn's legendary Zang Tuum Tumb label (whose name, like his band "The Art of Noise", comes straight out of the Italian Futurist movement).
The album is a masterpiece of orchestral synth pop. The new (at the time) Waldorf PPG synthesizer is mixed with sampled strings and the unusual voices of the singers to produce something dark, Teutonic, and Expressionistic. Their hand is tipped with "Dr. Mabuse", which also features a sly homage to musique concrete at the beginning. David Sylvian played guitar on the record, even.
The band fell apart after this record, losing one of their female singers and most of their momentum. Their much-anticipated second album (featuring Derek Forbes, Simple Minds' amazing bass player) was not very good. And then they basically broke up.
In 1985, I remember looking at the CD version, which I could not afford, and marveling at the technical information presented on the back, including the producer indicating which songs had digital clicks and "overs". Then I realized the mix durations were different from the vinyl album I had...were they different mixes?
I never was able to find out. The CD version I bought many years later sounded just like the vinyl.
This year, Propaganda's masterpiece received the Deluxe treatment. Turns out the producer did a separate set of CD mixes after the "analog" mixes were done and sent off to the duplicator. These CD mixes are considered the definitive versions, and the original "analog" mixes are relegated to the end of disc 1.
The CD mixes are surprising in a few details. They're not necessarily "better", per se, but they show how nuts the producer was going, clearly obsessed with the project and adding breakdowns, build-ups, crazy string sections, and so forth. The songs stretch out, taking their time through their intros. One is over 11 minutes long.
I suppose it's fitting that music that has been so obsessed over by creators and fans deserves this kind of treatment. You get the definitive album - all 9 tracks, now with great sound. It's all anyone could ask for. But then there are the six analog mixes right after. Didn't I just hear this?
And then there's also disc 2, which features all sorts of odds and ends, including "rare cassette-only promotional mixes". 11 tracks, which are nearly all remixes of the same 9 songs you just spent an hour with.
Too much! Back on the shelf for now!
Way Too Much of a Good Thing:
Start by noting the original album "Station To Station" consists of 6 songs. It barely hits its 38-minute running time due to the long introduction on the title track.
It is a classic of the rock canon and one of Bowie's better and more listenable records.
The reissue costs more than $100.
It consists of 5 discs: the original album, the 1985 remaster, 2 live CDs, and a disc of singles mixes. To clarify, you get the original mastering (too murky!) and a new master from the original tape (too tinny!), a live concert spread across 2 discs, and a disc with slightly different mixes designed for radio.
They throw in vinyl versions of the original album and live set.
There's also a DVD with more than one set of high resolution and 5.1 mixes of the same 6 songs.
Because that's not enough, they throw in a bunch of other junk, too: liner notes with "never before seen photos", a poster, replicas of backstage passes, concert tickets, fan club folders, membership cards, bio sheet, and some buttons.
It's a great record, essential listening. But the rest of it is the definition of overkill.
Most Welcome Sonic Improvement:
When this record came out, I listened to the vinyl and thought it sounded murky. It had the tired rock disclaimer "this music was meant to be played loud", which meant the band had mixed it too loud and due to the Fletcher-Munson curve, it was going to sound weird unless you actually played it back loud as well.
"Disintegration" is a really good record. It took me a while to realize this when it first came out, but seeing the band at Great Woods sealed the deal for me. If you only listen to one record by the Cure (as many recommend), this should be it.
The remaster largely fixes the murky sound of the original at the expense of adding a bit more unneeded compression (an unfortunate trend in nearly all of these reissues, which I suspect will allow the labels to release "full dynamic range" versions in another 5 or 10 years!)
The "Deluxe Edition" throws in 2 more discs. One is the set of demos for the entire record. Like most Cure demos, these are relatively boring: they're rough versions of the album songs, sometimes instrumental, generally nearly identical to the final versions except not as nicely recorded. No real revelations here, nor anything even die-hard fans will revist.
The other disc is a reissue of "Entreat" (called "Entreat Plus"), a live concert where the band performs the entirety of "Disintegration". The Cure are a great live band, and their live recordings tend to be quite solid. "Entreat Plus" doesn't disappoint, but like many of the reissues this year, by the time you've finished this disc you've heard the songs on the album 3 times. That's a bit much for anyone, and while The Cure play well, they do play the songs just like the album, so again, not much discovery here.
The better sound makes it worth the price of admission, but try to track down the single-disc remaster!
Biggest Surprise:
It's not fashionable to like Nine Inch Nails anymore, and if you do, it's not fashionable to like this record. The remaster, however, is rather exciting.
It sounds great - arguably the biggest sonic improvement and best overall sounding record of the bunch. I couldn't find a playback system that didn't make this sound amazing.
It's also become an interesting historical document. Some of the tracks on the album have not aged well, but the good stuff ("Head Like A Hole", "Terrible Lie") still sounds ahead of its time.
The record sounds unusually drenched in reverb by today's standards. Otherwise its bracing digital textures sound even fresher today than they did back when it was released 20 years ago. It's easy to hear why this record was so influential for so many aspiring musicians. It's also very easy to hear Trent Reznor's influences - "Down In It" is clearly derivative of Skinny Puppy's "Dig It" (which Reznor freely admits), and much of the rest of the album pulls from various flavors of the near-industrial music of its time.
Friday, December 31, 2010
2010's Greatest Hits
My 12 Greatest Hits of 2010:
Happy New Year!
- January: Started a new full-time job at MOG. As the year progressed, my good fortune was reinforced. Unemployment is high and expected to remain so for a few more years; I am still surprised at how much I'm enjoying my new job. I have great colleagues.
- February: Despite a massive computer failure and near-loss of valuable data, I managed to complete my RPM record "Reflection", and people like it! Full release coming soon...
- March: Showed surprisingly complete demos of both MOG apps at SXSW to the press, got good reviews
- April: Wrote a new song for pop-punk band Victim Nation
- May: Attended the wedding of my good friends Rich and Humu; traveled back east to see my cousin Claire get married and see other friends and relatives.
- June: Played guitar with The Disciples of Vice.
- July: Launched both the MOG iPhone and Android apps!
- August: Got fitted for custom shoes and boots.
- September: The new and improved Sid Luscious and The Pants debuted at the Portola Festival. Had a nice getaway at a resort.
- October: The MOG app I built won Billboard's "Best Streaming App of 2010", beating the Rhapsody app (which I also built!) and the Thumbplay app.
- November: Spent a nice Thanksgiving with relatives in Napa and met my brother's fiancee. Congratulations to them both!
- December: Celebrated 10 years as a couple with my wonderful wife. And my friend Sid Luscious played a show at the Great American Music Hall.
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Favorite New Music for 2010 [updated]
I listened to a lot of music in 2010, including most of the albums on most critics' lists. Some were pretty good. Most were terrible. I won't pretend that my selections here are comprehensive or definitive, but I enjoyed all of these records quite a bit.
Album of the Year: Gil Scott-Heron - "I'm New Here"
This record embodies many artistic virtues. It's heartfelt, honest, modern, and brief. Rather than hiring The Roots and recreating the sound of a classic 70s album, producer Richard Russell keeps it contemporary. Like Gil Scott-Heron himself, the album sits somewhere between rap, hip-hop, jazz, and blues.
There are only a few actual songs on the album, but like the chocolate chips in a cookie, this makes them even more special. The rest is spoken word or mood pieces. It's barely a half-hour long. But I love it, and everyone I played it for loved it as well.
Listen to I'm New Here.
Silver Medal: Neil Young - "Le Noise"
Neil Young is 65 years old, and not in the best of health. He could certainly be forgiven for either retiring or putting out a nice, quiet, lazy record.
This year he delivered "Le Noise", an album that felt like the work of a (forgive the pun) young musician. And I mean that in the best way possible. "Le Noise" delivers the kind of concept and production that typically only new musicians go for.
The album is just Neil Young and guitar. But it's mostly electric guitar. So rather than old folky/fogey strumming, Neil Young (and producer Daniel Lanois, for whom the album is punningly named) unleash billowing clouds and roaring oceans of guitar noise, feedback, and looping delays. Only a young musician would have the bravery and excitement about the sound and material to say "you know what, it doesn't need drums or bass or anything. Release it like that." (though I'm awaiting the inevitable "remixes" where people drop drums and bass on top).
But he isn't some tyro - he's a veteran songwriter, singer, and performer, and that means the album also has a sure hand, excellent performances, and solid songs.
Replace Neil Young's name and voice with anyone's, and this record would have likely topped many critics' lists. And again, he keeps it brief - about 35 minutes start to stop, which makes it easy to digest as a whole listening experience.
Listen to Le Noise.
Pop Category: Robyn - "Body Talk, Part 1"
As a songwriter and as someone who "follows the music industry", I listen to a lot of popular music in different genres. Today's modern pop music is really dumb. Willfully stupid. Awful.
This sort of idiocy is embodied by Kesha. Everything about Kesha - production, image, and overall vibe - is crass, cynical, depressing pandering to the lowest common denominator.
So if you want to dance and you want something that sounds good on the radio and you need a blonde pop tart to present it, what do you do?
Robyn is your answer. Produced in the same Swedish gene labs as Abba and other pop superstars, Robyn released 3 EPs and an album this year, all called "Body Talk".
It's great Top 40 radio dance pop, full of synthesizers, drum machines, and bright, harmonized vocals. No Auto-Tune singing robots.
What sets Robyn apart from everyone else? Songwriting and emotion. Robyn writes wonderful melodies (and unlike Kesha, she writes her own material). She sings with emotion and a big, solid voice. And her lyrics aren't half bad, especially when compared to the scribbling that most other pro songwriting teams hand in.
"Body Talk, Part 1" is a great example of pop music circa 2010. Solid songs, and again, brief. I think it's a better listening experience all the way through than Part 2, 3, or the full album. However, make sure you also check out "Indestructible", which is a really strong song missing from "Part 1".
Listen to Body Talk, Part 1.
Instrumental Ambient: Robin Guthrie - "Carousel"
Robin Guthrie played guitar in Cocteau Twins, and his solo records sound like Cocteau Twins albums minus the keening vocals. I find this to be a great improvement.
Shimmering chorused clean electric guitars twinkle like snowflakes or city lights. There's the occasional synthesizer or electric piano. On some tracks drums splash and crash in the distance. The tempos are slow and dreamy.
It's surf music in space, or at the bottom of the sea.
Yes, it can be a little same-y at times, but it's pretty. I found myself playing this at work a lot and probably listened to this more than any two of the other albums on this list combined. Some of it is quite beautiful, and a few of the pieces are evocative and emotional. Another short record, too!
Listen to Carousel.
Hip-Hop: The Roots - "How I Got Over"
Everyone is gushing over the new Kanye West album. I can only assume that Kanye's hype and obnoxious public persona are what they're really paying attention to.
There's no other reason for the public to continue to ignore or underrate The Roots. Real musicians playing real instruments, writing their own hooks rather than sampling others. They can rap. They have lots of friends. But they don't jump up on stage in front of people and say outrageous things.
They made what may be their best overall album this year. While it doesn't really have a track as immediately arresting as "Get Busy", nothing else out there really sounds like this. It's a rare hip-hop record filled with the joy of making music rather than the joy of posturing.
Like many of my favorite albums, this really grew on me over time this year.
Listen to How I Got Over.
Late To The Party: Iggy Pop - "Preliminaires"
This record came out in mid-2009, but I didn't really listen to it until this year. It's a "fake jazz" album, according to Iggy. It's also a sort of sci-fi concept album, brief, and in some ways similar to the Gil Scott-Heron album.
Iggy's voice sounds wonderfully rich, deep, and weathered. He's got a synthy cover of "Insensatez", a New Orleans-ey stomper ("King of The Dogs"), and a tip of the hat to some of his old stuff ("Party Time").
But my favorites are the slower, darker numbers like "I Want To Go To The Beach" and "It's Nice To Be Dead".
Many people will dismiss this album because they only want to see Iggy smearing peanut butter on his lithe frame and yowling about TV Eyes and his Lust For Life. But Iggy is 63 - nearly the same age as Neil Young - and this is a much more age-appropriate record (for Pop and for me!) without being embarrassing! It's the kind of album that reminds you for all of his stage antics, Iggy Pop is an artist.
Listen to Preliminaires.
[UPDATE] Other Notable Albums:
10 years after the "digital revolution" little has changed. The iron grip radio and MTV held over taste-making, the public ear, and stardom has been replaced by Pitchfork and other blogs and various internet sites and memes. Look at most of the lists people cite and you'll see a tremendous amount of similarity. This is more due to the effectiveness of PR machinery than a true consensus on how "great" some of this music is.
Still, plenty of good stuff came out this year.
Up next: 2010's bumper crop of reissues!
Album of the Year: Gil Scott-Heron - "I'm New Here"
There are only a few actual songs on the album, but like the chocolate chips in a cookie, this makes them even more special. The rest is spoken word or mood pieces. It's barely a half-hour long. But I love it, and everyone I played it for loved it as well.
Listen to I'm New Here.
Silver Medal: Neil Young - "Le Noise"
This year he delivered "Le Noise", an album that felt like the work of a (forgive the pun) young musician. And I mean that in the best way possible. "Le Noise" delivers the kind of concept and production that typically only new musicians go for.
The album is just Neil Young and guitar. But it's mostly electric guitar. So rather than old folky/fogey strumming, Neil Young (and producer Daniel Lanois, for whom the album is punningly named) unleash billowing clouds and roaring oceans of guitar noise, feedback, and looping delays. Only a young musician would have the bravery and excitement about the sound and material to say "you know what, it doesn't need drums or bass or anything. Release it like that." (though I'm awaiting the inevitable "remixes" where people drop drums and bass on top).
But he isn't some tyro - he's a veteran songwriter, singer, and performer, and that means the album also has a sure hand, excellent performances, and solid songs.
Replace Neil Young's name and voice with anyone's, and this record would have likely topped many critics' lists. And again, he keeps it brief - about 35 minutes start to stop, which makes it easy to digest as a whole listening experience.
Listen to Le Noise.
Pop Category: Robyn - "Body Talk, Part 1"
This sort of idiocy is embodied by Kesha. Everything about Kesha - production, image, and overall vibe - is crass, cynical, depressing pandering to the lowest common denominator.
So if you want to dance and you want something that sounds good on the radio and you need a blonde pop tart to present it, what do you do?
Robyn is your answer. Produced in the same Swedish gene labs as Abba and other pop superstars, Robyn released 3 EPs and an album this year, all called "Body Talk".
It's great Top 40 radio dance pop, full of synthesizers, drum machines, and bright, harmonized vocals. No Auto-Tune singing robots.
What sets Robyn apart from everyone else? Songwriting and emotion. Robyn writes wonderful melodies (and unlike Kesha, she writes her own material). She sings with emotion and a big, solid voice. And her lyrics aren't half bad, especially when compared to the scribbling that most other pro songwriting teams hand in.
"Body Talk, Part 1" is a great example of pop music circa 2010. Solid songs, and again, brief. I think it's a better listening experience all the way through than Part 2, 3, or the full album. However, make sure you also check out "Indestructible", which is a really strong song missing from "Part 1".
Listen to Body Talk, Part 1.
Instrumental Ambient: Robin Guthrie - "Carousel"
Shimmering chorused clean electric guitars twinkle like snowflakes or city lights. There's the occasional synthesizer or electric piano. On some tracks drums splash and crash in the distance. The tempos are slow and dreamy.
It's surf music in space, or at the bottom of the sea.
Yes, it can be a little same-y at times, but it's pretty. I found myself playing this at work a lot and probably listened to this more than any two of the other albums on this list combined. Some of it is quite beautiful, and a few of the pieces are evocative and emotional. Another short record, too!
Listen to Carousel.
Hip-Hop: The Roots - "How I Got Over"
There's no other reason for the public to continue to ignore or underrate The Roots. Real musicians playing real instruments, writing their own hooks rather than sampling others. They can rap. They have lots of friends. But they don't jump up on stage in front of people and say outrageous things.
They made what may be their best overall album this year. While it doesn't really have a track as immediately arresting as "Get Busy", nothing else out there really sounds like this. It's a rare hip-hop record filled with the joy of making music rather than the joy of posturing.
Like many of my favorite albums, this really grew on me over time this year.
Listen to How I Got Over.
Late To The Party: Iggy Pop - "Preliminaires"
Iggy's voice sounds wonderfully rich, deep, and weathered. He's got a synthy cover of "Insensatez", a New Orleans-ey stomper ("King of The Dogs"), and a tip of the hat to some of his old stuff ("Party Time").
But my favorites are the slower, darker numbers like "I Want To Go To The Beach" and "It's Nice To Be Dead".
Many people will dismiss this album because they only want to see Iggy smearing peanut butter on his lithe frame and yowling about TV Eyes and his Lust For Life. But Iggy is 63 - nearly the same age as Neil Young - and this is a much more age-appropriate record (for Pop and for me!) without being embarrassing! It's the kind of album that reminds you for all of his stage antics, Iggy Pop is an artist.
Listen to Preliminaires.
[UPDATE] Other Notable Albums:
- LCD Soundsystem "This Is Happening" is a more consistent album than "Sound of Silver", but because it sounds almost exactly like the last record, it's less transcendant. Still very good, though
- Bryan Ferry "Olympia". I really wanted to like this record more. I dug the remixes of "You Can Dance" more than the album version, though. Still pretty nice.
- Underworld's "Barking" started off pretty strong but failed to keep up all the way through. It's also very much "more of the same" from them, which is both very good and very bad at this point. I really liked the first 3 tracks.
- Devo's "Something For Everybody" was a great album the first few times I listened to it. Then, like bubblegum, the flavor wore off. The brickwalled mastering hurt my ears. The record runs at least 4 songs too long (brevity is the key in 2010, guys!), and Devo undermines their own breathtaking cynicism with some open-hearted ballading. I can't tell if they're joking or not, and that's a bad thing. Still, when you first hear the robot disco grooves of songs like "What We Do", it's hard not to start doing bad new wave dancing.
- The new Kanye West album had a couple of good tracks on it, but these were offset by the relentless hype as well as a few tracks that were so amazingly, jaw-droppingly bad I could not get all the way through them.
- I really wanted to like the Big Boi album. I thought it was boring.
- Most of the 3rd Harold Budd & Clive Wright collaboration album "Little Windows" was good, but I have a hard time recommending it to anyone who doesn't think Harold Budd is a genius. And many of Clive Wright's tracks should be half as long and lighter on the vibrato.
10 years after the "digital revolution" little has changed. The iron grip radio and MTV held over taste-making, the public ear, and stardom has been replaced by Pitchfork and other blogs and various internet sites and memes. Look at most of the lists people cite and you'll see a tremendous amount of similarity. This is more due to the effectiveness of PR machinery than a true consensus on how "great" some of this music is.
Still, plenty of good stuff came out this year.
Up next: 2010's bumper crop of reissues!
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