In my other music class today, someone explained that they thought listening to music to make other activities (eg. cleaning, homework, exercising) more bearable was an “insult to music.” She thought that music should have the listener’s full attention, with no distractions. I can understand her desire for more active listening, but I completely disagree with the idea that music is only there to be analyzed. In my mind music’s primary purpose is to make things more bearable: not just the tediousness of cleaning or the physical strain of working out, but also the emotional turmoil of existing in the world. (Forgive my existential angst.)
This escapist use of music isn’t always conscious. Recently I noticed that I have a very odd habit of singing whenever my mind strays to something I don’t want to think about (usually something stupid and embarrassing I’ve done that day). It’s a completely unconscious decision: I find myself singing before the unwanted thought has even had a chance to process. What’s even stranger is that the lyrical content of the song usually matches my emotional state. For example, yesterday, after completely weirding someone out with my love of puns, I had myself convinced that I was the dorkiest person in the world. On one hand, this made me laugh; on the other hand it made me feel pretty pathetic. Later on, when the whole thing threatened to send me into another tailspin of laughter/self-loathing, I found myself singing the chorus from Radiohead’s “Just”:
“You do it to yourself, you do
And that’s what really hurts.
You do it to yourself, just you
You and no one else.”
Subconsciously I knew that all my doubt was just in my head and that I needed to move on. My brain decided to remind me of this by making me sing those lyrics. Funny how that works.
Anyways, all of this is a round-a-bout way of saying that no, it’s not an insult to music to use it as a distraction: it’s a compliment. Sitting back and analyzing music’s structure and message is important, but I think music’s true power lies in what it can tell you about yourself when you’re not really looking.
Our group has decided to post songs that we believe define the future of music consumption. I have been having a hard time finding a song that encompasses this (unless I just cower down and admit it might be “Friday”), however, I have found what I would like to be the anthem for this future. Although I am extremely tempted to provide my new music world with The Dresden Doll’s “Sing” anthem, I ultimately have chosen “The New Kid Revival” by xoxo, panda (formerly Her Space Holiday).
I think that the music industry is going through a lot of trial and error right now and that, ultimately, each artist will have to find a way to spread their music and make money (if that is the end goal) in a way that works for them individually. Whether this is joining a digital label like Chai Walla’s Boombox or going the Amanda Palmer route and relying on a loving fan base to give money willingly or to try to go be the next Lady Gaga (or Rebecca Black, god forbid), something different may work best for each individual artist/group. What I love about this song and why I have chosen it as my future anthem for the music industry is the line “If they tell us that we’re doing wrong, we’ll just turn up the sound of our songs”. Artists, producers, fans, and everybody else are going to have to get on board with trying new things and finding a model that works best and if anybody tries to stop that, kick it down… well… the music will just have to get louder. Because, really, the music is where it’s at.
Here’s xoxo, panda:
- Kylie
Well now, the music industry moves fast, and yes, I am going to refer to Britney Spears as an example. Her single “Hold It Against Me” has been an international success and spawned a great deal of anticipation for her upcoming album. The first single fuses pop vocals and incredibly clean dubstep, bringing the down tempo techno sub genre into the main stream. Femme Fatale hits stands on tuesday and is expected to feature more of the same. The album is set to feature collaborations with dubstep big timer Rusko and promises to have more filth on it than any mainstream release to date. Now the dub on this album will be clean around the edges and produced with extreme precision, while holding back on the grime, however this will still be a new direction for pop. Artist Robyn has pushed the boundaries by collaborating with the likes of Diplo, and the Black Eyed Peas’ latest release is raw electro, but dubstep as a genre is very young in itself. A couple years ago, it still referred to bassy raggae or aggressive hip hop. The point is, I suppose, that the future is going to be interesting to experience as a music lover, because of its unpredictable nature.
I am an idealist and believe that future people are going to have some higher level of sophistication, so I choose not to post Britney, and instead a song entitled “Cloudlight” by some good lookin dude from San Francisco who goes by the name Eskmo. This tune is almost undefinable, it fuses folktronica, ambient, glitch, and dubstep with a serious experimental vibe. The video is beautiful too…
I have to add a Britney…I tried not too…this is what filthy Britney sounds like
Britney Spears- “Womanier” (Borgore Remix)
With the explosion of social networking the future of music is moving more towards community based support for new music. Services like donating what you feel the artist deserves for their music is one method while another could be collaboration with fans using sites like Facebook and twitter. The actual music industry will move towards subscription based services using devices that retrieve music from the cloud rather than storing it on the actual device, this will be aided by the development of wireless broadband (ie. 4G). While the gap between artist and major labels will grow larger, the connection between artist and listener will grow stronger with the ability to connect with the audience instantly, again with sites like twitter and Facebook.
This is our view of the future of the music industry
After Max suggested we do a blog on favourite cover songs I quickly realized I don’t typically enjoy covers. I am partial to Rufus Wainwright’s “Hallelujah”, but it’s treason to pick a favourite Hallelujah. And even though Johnny Cash covers “Hurt” quite nicely, I still prefer Nine Inch Nail’s original. So, of course, I resorted to Amanda Palmer again. She has covered a lot of songs and even introduced me to many for the first time. She’s done modern covers of Tegan & Sara, Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie, and even did an entire album of ukulele Radiohead covers (all beautifully I might add). She even covered The Ting Ting’s “That’s Not My Name” at a show I saw of hers in New York and actually made it fun. She does classic covers like “Hallelujah” and a pretty dope cover of Cat Stevens’ “If You Want To Sing Out”. Upon trying to find a cover song I actually enjoy I kept returning to live covers. Ones that artist’s do to pay homage to an artist, to reimagine a song (sometimes a mainstream one, and make it better), and to pay respect to those songs that have touched them personally. Amanda Palmer’s string-backed cover of “Hurt”, which she is clearly crying throughout, is so emotionally charged, so invested in the song, that I’d have to count it among my favourites. Also, Trent Reznor being a huge stepping stone to her success is a nice touch (he found her band The Dresden Dolls on youTube and invited them to tour with NIN). I wish I had been able to attend this show. The emotional performance she delivers is so impactful that I am able to forgive the tear-choked singing.
I have also seen Raine Maida do some pretty interesting covers of Billy Talent’s “Try Honesty” and MGMT’s “Kids”, as well as a hauntingly beautiful cover of The Pixie’s “Where is My Mind?” with wife Chantal Kreviazuk. (All of the covers I’ve mentioned can be found online, but I figured I’d stop bombarding everyone with Amanda Palmer. I’d recommend checking out the “Where Is My Mind?” though).
Honestly, though, other than wonderful, one-off live covers I can only think of one blatantly obvious cover I enjoy: illScarlett’s cover of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”. Which is strange because I’m only a lazy fan of illScarlett and I don’t particularly like the original song. This cover is just beautiful, though. It translates well to pseudo-reggae. It’s been nicely recorded as a Sonic Session (and airs on Sonic) but this is the best live version I could find.
- Kylie
Serena Ryder’s cover of “The Sisters of Mercy” is not only my favourite cover song, but also one of my favourite songs, period.
I first heard it on the long train ride from Edmonton to Montreal. I’ve made that trip (too) many times, and the Winnipeg-Toronto leg is endless and excruciating. Bored and lonely, that’s when I came upon this song. I remember watching the never-ending forest out the window as the first bars played. The song captured the train’s rhythm and the loneliness of the wilderness. It was one of those moments when things fall into place- when a song succeeds in expressing all those things you cannot.
Cohen is important to my family. My mother, who is generally not a “fan” of anything, adores him. My father often plays his songs on guitar. His books grace my sisters’ bookshelves. Listening to him is a way of connecting to my family. It is a rite of passage.
Strongly tied to this is my sense of Canadian identity. I grew up on a steady diet of 60s-era Canadian culture. Something about that Expo 67 era of cultural nationalism and Trudeaumania strongly appeals to me. Before university problematized everything I thought about everything (a good thing), Cohen was what it meant to be Canadian. Bilingualism, the CBC, good humoured and self-deprecating: he embodied it all. To listen to him was to be Canadian. The fact that “Sisters of Mercy” is about two Edmontonian women just reinforces these associations.
I’m not a strong believer in anything except for the line “There is a crack in everything / That’s how the light gets in.” In a world that stigmatizes depression and discourages questioning the status quo, Cohen’s work is a refuge. In “Sisters of Mercy,” Cohen says: “I’ve been where you’re hanging, I think I can see how you’re pinned./When you’re not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you’ve sinned.” Those words have brought me much comfort over the years.
Which brings us to why I adore Ryder’s version so much. To hear Cohen’s words sung by a young, female musician is powerful. We are both indebted to Cohen, and in that there is a sense of community. I first heard the song at a time when I was just beginning to play guitar and knew few people who shared either my taste in music or personal philosophy. Knowing that there were other young people who did was incredibly important. Her voice strengthened my own.
–Becky Smith-Mandin
Owen Pallet or Final Fantasy as he’s sometimes know as plays an interesting mix of violin and piano music, using multiple loops to create the sound a of a big band when it’s actually only him on stage. I saw him play at the Myer Horowitz a couple years ago and his show blew my mind. The way he records his samples and loops them live is incredible, if you were outside the doors you would for sure think there was a 4 piece band playing inside. Owen has two covers that are really good, This Modern Love by Bloc Party and Fantasy by Mariah Carey. For this post I chose the Bloc Party cover just because the youtube video is better quality, but if you dig it you should definitely check out his cover of Mariah too.
-Logan
The first cover that came to my mind was Yoav’s “Where Is My Mind” cover of the Pixies classic. It definitely catches the softer, more vulnerable side of the song, and uses some pretty cool effects in his version. Live, he sings into his guitar for the intro, as you will see in this video. He’s also a fan of loop pedals and uses one to perform most of his songs live (which actually convinced me to get one – hands down the coolest pedal out there!). This South African singer and guitar guru is definitely not one to be forgotten, as some of you may have after his most popular song “Club Thing”, also a great tune! I wanted to find a live version of this song to show him using the loop pedal, so this is the best one I could find, so enjoy!
Another cover that I couldn’t resist posting is Buffalo Springfield’s “Expecting to Fly” performed by Metric. Metric has been my favourite band for almost 6 years now and this cover reminded me why I still love them. They stick to the original fairly closely, adding strings and of course, Emily Haines’ sultry voice. The version I’m posting is Emily playing it solo on the piano, which I might actually prefer. It’s stripped down to its sweetest core, and will absolutely draw you in. It’s a very good song to fall asleep to I might add.
-Tasy
I was trying to decide which cover tune to post, flipping between 3 of my favourites. I pondered a bit, buried my head in contemplation, then finally said ‘fuck it’. So I’m gunna throw ya tha trifecta..
#1 My very animated friend , who we shall refer to as ‘boss’ for the sake of his privacy, is a huge Daft Punk fan. Their Alive 2007 album and Gogol Bordello’s Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike are pretty much the only things we’d listen to in Boss’s car. When I heard this cover of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger I knew at once that Boss needed to hear this song. I played this for him one foggy evening, we listened through the entire song, start to finish in complete silence. When it ended, Boss looked downward, as if in deep thought. He then looked up at me slowly with a serious face. The kind of serious face one might make when they are trying to reach out to someone. His honest eyes found mine, as he spoke in a ‘from the heart’ kind of way, “Yeah dude, that’s a really good song.” It got Daft Punk diehard ,the Boss’s approval, so that means you should like it….
Voilà la Pompe Moderne “Plus Dur, Meilleure, PLus Rapide, PLus Fort.”
#2 I consider the Elliott Smith discography an essential piece to any music collection. If you have it, that means that you are probably a cool person. I was feeling blue one cold afternoon, sipping on some looseleaf, and drowning my sorrows in the beautiful imperfections of Elliot Smith’s voice. The man who made the ultimate sacrifice for his art, who’s music typically accompanies me when the goings are a little tough, did not keep me down but instead uplifted me on this particular day. It kind of reminded me to think about beautiful things again….
In all its simplicity, I present to you, Elliott Smith “Harvest Moon.”
#3 In my adventures to Europe in the summer of 2009, my friend and I took a little detour in our travelling plans to end up in Hamburg to see Bon Iver live. We hit a little road block along the way, when we discovered that there had been a venue change. Well actually it took a while before we came to that conclusion, having searched from top to bottom this abnormally large building where we had anticipated the concert would be. We ran into this super cool german couple, who were in the exact same predicament as us, and with my moderate German language skills and some crazy hand gesturing we sorted the whole thing out. The couple crabbed the whole tab for taxi, wishing us happy travels and we entered the venue. We took our spot along the balcony looking down from the right of the stage. The place was packed and the people were eager. Bon Iver took the stage to massive applause, then after a rambunctious introduction the band started playing. Justin Vernon brought his lips to the microphone, silencing the crowd. He had this incredible way of shutting up a crowd, but holding every bit of energy in the room. A crowd caught in a trance, collectively mesmerized…
With the help of Phil Moore from the Bowerbirds, Bon Iver “Lovin’s For Fool.” (Originally recorded by Sarah Siskind)
In class on Thursday our discussion, our debate, seemed to totally disintegrate when the topic of women’s sexuality was brought up. All intelligent opinion was thrown to cat-calling and defense on either side. I had my opinion, but thought it best to keep my voice out of the situation once we digressed from the topic of sex. Our heads just do not seem to be clear when we try to intelligently talk about it.
The objectification of women by men is not new. It is overt. It is obvious. It is impossible to miss. And given the history of women’s subordination to men and the long-lasting effects that this history has engrained in us, it is important. But what is more important to me is how women, as showcased in our class, often get so up in arms about a woman choosing to display her sexuality. The suggestion that when Lil’ Kim raps about enjoying sex, in revealing clothing no less, that she is objectifying herself, that is ludicrous to me. “Why can’t she do the same thing with more clothes on?” This was brought up. My response: Why should she have to?
Lil’ Kim is merely sexualizing herself which is exactly what I think Marky Mark is doing. It was suggested in class that Mark Wahlberg is objectified in a similar fashion to the way women are consistently objectified. I would have to strongly disagree with this. Is he sexualizing himself? Certainly. Is he being a smart businessman? Definitely. But I just do not think he is being objectified. He isn’t being portrayed as simply a sex object for women. After all, he is the center piece of the video and not merely a nameless, sexualized body.
I definitely think men are objectified in our society (does the entire Twilight franchise not do this?), but the problem lies in that it is not as obvious, prevalent, or as serious as the objectification of women. It is rare to find a video of a woman surrounded by naked men, men there solely to serve the sexual needs of said female. However, there are countless, countless depictions of the opposite in the media: women as sex objects for men. I certainly believe that these images are harmful and perpetuate the subordination of women, but I also believe there is something more useful to be done than to criticize these images.
Would it not be more useful to reclaim our sexuality? Only then, with time, can these images, attitudes, and stereotypes be changed. If women’s sexuality is no longer taboo perhaps we can reach a parity with men in this arena. It just simply isn’t useful to deny our sexuality, it is practices like this that began our sexual subordination in the first place. I’m not claiming that all women need to proclaim themselves rampantly sexual, but to deny that we have any sexuality at all is incredibly harmful. So, I for one have to admire Lil’ Kim, Madonna, even Lady Gaga. These are the women who will promote change and I can stand behind that.
And, to conclude, a song from Amanda Palmer. She is an incredibly important female that I would include in the list above of women advocating for sexual parity. This song was released, for free, after her departure from her label. I think it speaks to exactly what I am trying to argue. It also references NWA’s Fuck The Police directly which ties in nicely to our hip-hop/rap/objectification of women debate.
While us white folk spend lots of time discussing the negative impact of gangsta rap on the communities we live in, it seems to have been lost as to who this music “belongs” to. The reality is that the african american community is an oppressed people, still subject to racism. In our 203 class yesterday it was made clear through some presented statistical evidence that clearly shows that the black society is suffering. The socio economic status and life styles lead by African americans differs greatly from that of the average caucasian. Who am I to deny them their music? I will agree that its impact isn’t positive, but I don’t go to bed every night with the sound of gun shots echoing in my neighbourhood. Music is highly personalized commodity, and I enjoy my freedom, therefore it would be hypocritical to deny others of theirs. Just like I, the white man, has a number of different musical voices to reflect a number of different realities that I live with, the black community has theirs. For every promoter of violence, there is a voice of strength, and it becomes up to the individual to fill their mind with the words most appropriately reflect how they see the world through their own eyes. It is another culture that I won’t even try to begin to understand, because I will never know what it is like to be black.
some G stuff…
“Ain’t no motherfuckin’ game, we been livin’ this for real // When the government is workin’, real niggas never squeal” lyrics
“shit, cuz that judge looked just like the motherfucker that our ass on the boat, and made me a nigga” lyrics
“This is for grown looking girls who’s only ten // The ones who watch videos and do what they see // As cute as can be, up in the club with fake ID // Careful, ‘fore you meet a man with HIV // You can host TV like Oprah Winfrey” lyrics
While following Amanda Palmer’s antics in Australia and New Zealand I came across an interview she did for New Zealand’s Webstock. It is very interesting and discusses use of twitter for self-promotion. The co-founder of The Pirate Bay, a downloading site in New Zealand, is also interviewed. His statement about how if an artist does not want his/her music shared or downloaded then the music simply cannot be released was quite brilliant.
It’s a very interesting interview that ties into some of the topics we’ve been discussing in class.
Ghost Cousin is an independent Edmonton based impressionist pop ensemble. The group’s first song “Big Dig” was written in 2008 and their first group performance was in January of 2010. They are currently remastering their debut EP ”Landscape of Animals”.
Biography
All members of the four-piece band were born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. David and Mathew Letersky are brothers. Matthew Gooding and Shane are childhood friends of the brothers. All four members attended the University of Alberta. David and Matthew have undergraduate degrees in English and Computer Science, respectively. Shane is currently enrolled in an economics major and Mathew is studying music. Shane and Mathew were in a band in high school that disbanded due to artistic differences. Following this the four guys joined forces to form the group Gone Savage. Gone Savage was self-described as a rock band with no particular musical style. In order to facilitate a fresh start the members changed their name, Ghost Cousin, and subsequently their sound.The three main influences, as described by the band, are Steely Dan, Midlake, and Grizzly Bear. The stylistic influences of Radiohead and Sergeant Pepper-era Beatles can also be heard in their music. In fact, the song “I Wanna Hold Your Otter Hand” was titled after the group viewed a Beatles documentary, a direct reference to The Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”. The band chooses not to limit themselves to any one particular style, but instead try to find the balance between their music being interesting to listen to, fun to play, and energetic. The band toured throughout July 2010 encompassing fifteen shows stretching Vancouver to Halifax. The tour was internally known as the “Profit and Pleasure Tour”. While they struggled with lack of exposure, the band considers the tour a period of growth despite its ambiguous reception. The band’s live performances are notable for their unique stage arrangement that feature the drums at the front of the stage. This is largely due to the fact that Mathew is both the drummer and the lead vocalist. Currently, the band is remastering their previously released EP ”Landscape of Animals”.
Band Members
Mathew Letersky – drums/vocals
David Letersky – keyboard/vocals
Shane Hauser – guitar
Matthew Gooding – bass
Discography
EPs:
Landscape of Animals
Associated Acts
National Security Council, Scrapbooker, Consilience
One of my co-workers is the drummer from the local band Ten Second Epic. I decided to recite the chorus of his band’s late single “Count Yourself In” to him. My approach for this blog assignment was unique due to the plain fact that I wanted to see how someone would react to being randomly confronted with their own work. I didn’t decide on using him/his band for this blog assignment until I spotted him at work. I quickly decided on the idea, looked up the lyrics on my phone and off I went…
“’Cause we don’t care enough. (We don’t care enough)
So don’t hold it off.
You’re what gets me off (gets me off)
And gets me through long and sober days.
You don’t deserve to be unnoticed.
You don’t deserve to be treated like that.
We’ve gone too far to be unnoticed”
I recited the lyrics in a voice greatly lacking emotion so initially, he assumed that I was mocking him and his band’s work, although masking his feeling by an awkward, confused smile. I waited with glowing eyes and a look of mischief in silence for his reaction. All I managed to get out of him was a lack luster… “Thanks, that was great.” As he walked away I explained the reasoning for what just transpired and he remarked, still slightly perplexed, “Hah, I thought you were making fun of me.”
I chose to recite a lyric to, naturally, my charming mythology professor. Interestingly enough it ties in to Tuesday’s lecture as to why nobody is writing about politics or war anymore. Written in 2003, here’s Metric’s chorus for the song “IOU”
“Every ten year old enemy soldier think falling bombs are shooting stars sometimes,
But she doesn’t make wishes on them,
When she wishes, she wishes for less ways to wish for,
More ways to work toward it,
Ten year old enemy soldier,
Our falling bombs are her shooting stars.”
I found this lyric to be extremely relevant for the time, although I wasn’t old enough to really appreciate it or know what it was about until a few years later. I chose it because I thought it would spark up a conversation, but the response I got from a confused looking professor was “That was strange.” He went on to say that the part of his mind that thinks about war doesn’t associate with the part for popular music. I was surprised to hear this to say the least. Has popular music culture drifted so far from politics and social issues that the associations are no longer made? I’d like to think not, and while there are a few musicians who write about serious issues, the absence is overwhelming.
Arcade Fire is pushing this boundary now, especially with “The Suburbs”, and they have made their way into the ‘mainstream’. Most of today’s youth doesn’t like to hear about war, they want something fun to dance to, as long as it has a beat and they can sing along. The media knows this, and as an industry, it thrives on giving the youth, their target audience, what they want. There are always exceptions, but if this leads to an uneducated generation, something is going wrong. We need to have some involvement, with the media being our main influence, I believe we need more artists like Metric and Arcade Fire.
