In Memoriam

Soundtrack: "Black" by Pearl Jam

15 years ago today Kurt Cobain died.  Nobody is really sure exactly when Layne Staley died 7 years ago but it was probably this day as well.  Both of these men were the epitome of the tortured artist.  Both of these men were bullhorns for my generation.  Both of these men died tragically to the demons that haunted them.  Both of these men are missed.

Goodbye boys.

Consider donating to the Layne Staley Fund.  It is a non-profit that is dedicated to providing hope, education, support and treatment funds for heroin recovery in the Seattle music community.

Suck It, Coldplay

Soundtrack: "Love Is Noise" by The Verve

This is the newest music video from Britain's The Verve.  You might remember their big hit "Bittersweet Symphony" from about 12 years ago.  It was all over the place and then the band dropped off the radar and broke up.  They are back now and they aren't holding back.  Take a listen to "Love Is Noise" and you might find the same thing I did... infectious hooks, foot-tapping beats and Richard Ashcroft's smooth vocals tying the whole thing together.

The thing is... it's effortless.  When I compare this song to the most recent offering from Coldplay, who are trying to be the best rock band in the world, what The Verve do is effortless and fluid.  Coldplay should have stuck to their Indie-rock-gone-arena approach of A Rush of Blood to the Head because it's what they do best.

Gotta go.  I need to listen to this song about 5 more times.

Fuck RIAA

Soundtrack: “Silencer” by In Our Failure

I am sure there is at least one or two people out there in internet-land who have noticed my absence. I apologize, but the well was dry and it was time for me to take a break and let my anger get the best of me.

And it has.

I have reason to be angry. Everyone does. The music industry is still being the greedy pen of pigs it has been for years. I know I have been saying that for as long as this blog has existed, just look at my last blog entry for cryin' out loud. So in lieu of repeating myself I would like to refer you to the best piece of writing I have read in a long time. Possibly ever. A dude named Rob Sheridan has a blog. He wrote an article about the changing face of the music industry. Please read it and follow his suggestions because it is the only way things will change.

Steal This Album

Soundtrack: “The Day The Whole World Went Away” by Nine Inch Nails

So it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I apologize for the downtown but I have been feeling largely uninspired lately. Life has revolved around searching for employment and video games but there is a light at the end of the tunnel friends.

I am of course a little depressed about the state of music and the music industry. It isn’t what it used to be back in the glory days. After watching great documentaries on stories like Stax Records makes me wish that it was still about the music any more. But it is not about the music for about 75% of the industry, or so says my egotistical opinion.

Nine Inch Nails has been touring Australia recently and last night they performed in Sydney at the Hordern Pavilion. He asked about the price of his CD. Now, for some background, in international markets it is often a practice of the record companies to hike up the prices for dubious economic reasons. Last time Trent was in Australia earlier this summer he discussed this practice and slammed it.

In his follow up last night he told the audience to steal his album, a practice that I am sure would give the greedy monkeys in Metallica a heart attack. “Steal away. Steal and steal and steal some more and give it to all your friends and keep on stealin'. Because one way or another these motherfuckers will get it through their head that they're ripping people off and that that's not right.”

This brings up a moral quandary. Is pulling a Robin Hood to bring down the big bad wolf of the music industry, an industry that peripherally employs hundreds of thousands, is that right? There is always going to be a need for certain jobs, so those who have some experience will be able to find new ones. At the same time, many of these people make spit in a bucket compared to what the executives make, and every year these executives raise the price of their product a little more so they can enjoy the latest Ferrari or Aston Martin or whatever it is that gets them off.

I've made my choice. I've worked in both sides of the industry, behind the scenes and retail, and I'm going to steal, steal, steal some more. But I am not going to steal for the sake of stealing. Along with that comes supporting the artist directly. If I download the new Nine Inch Nails album (an album that I purchased, actually), I will go to their concert and buy their merchandise and support the band through the concert ticket. I also buy music from the iTunes store in order to support alternative forms of distribution. So go out there and steal and shake things up. Just don't take down everyone. Some people still need to eat.

She’s Out Back Counting Stars

Soundtrack: “Stars” by Hum

Kids these days have no idea what they are talking about when they say “I listen to Emo.” What they call Emo these days is nothing more than poppy derivative bullshit. According to a bunch of online sources including Fourfa.com and Wikipedia, Emo and “Emocore” are terms used to describe a subgenre of hardcore punk which originated in the Washington, DC music scene of the mid-1980s. One of the bands that popped up in the early 90s and actually found a little more success than some of it’s peers is Hum. I remember hearing “Stars” in high school and falling in love with the song. It was heavy, it was beautiful, it was one of the best songs I had heard. In fact it is one of the songs that made me want to write music. So, when some 15-year-old kid wearing his girlfriend’s pants and a bad haircut tells you he listens to “Emo”, he's full of shit. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you some real Emo!

The Next Pat Benatar?

Soundtrack: “Never Again” by Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson has a new album and her detractors are busy right now eating their own words. It may not be as poppy and “commercially viable” as her last album, but that is what people said about her last album when they compared it to her first album. The album is not only #2 on the iTunes top album list, it debuted on the overall charts at #2. It is also #19 on the Billboard Pop chart. That is pretty damn good for only one day on the charts. Interestingly enough Disney sweetheart Hannah Montana has the #1 album on the iTunes store right now. How it got #1 in the first place is beyond me… I am guessing a lot of tween and teen girls with their parents’ credit cards.

While these teeny boppers are buying manufactured tripe like Hannah Montana, Kelly Clarkson is growing up. This album has outsold her last two, despite it clearly being a darker, more bitter, more edgy offering than in the past. In fact, Kelly reminds me a little of a certain rocker girl from Brooklyn who made it big. I grew up in the 80s and I remember Pat Benatar well. There are some similarities in their careers. Both have professional vocal training, Pat in opera and Kelly in choir. They were both discovered at singing contests. And they both have had management troubles. But one thing is clear: they are both extremely talented singers and songwriters who aren't just the flavor of the week. Of all the American Idol winners Kelly is the only one other than Carrie Underwood who is taken seriously at all. And like Carrie she is relying on her own talent and charm to make her career, not her American Idol win.

So what is the point of all this? Despite people who are saying otherwise, Kelly Clarkson is a strong and talented musician who may not take Pat Benatar’s title of “the most successful female rock vocalist of all time,” but I think her career is only getting started. The only thing that is lacking is truly epic songs. With some hard work she can change that. So rock out, Kelly. And hit us with your best shot.

Growing Relevance

Soundtrack: ...And Justice For All by Metallica

Metallica’s progressive thrash metal masterpiece is nearly twenty years old, yet it is eerily relevant to today’s uncomfortable and bloated political climate. The album, as the name sarcastically implies, is about injustice. From the victim of war in “One” to the scathing criticism of the American justice system in the title track, the album talks about the injustices of war, politics, and the fucked up state of the world in general. I find it interesting how much of the album alludes to the current war in Iraq. “Harvester Of Sorrow” is practically a social commentary about suicide bombers.

What is most interesting are the feelings of paranoia that wash throughout the album. 1988 was a volatile year in the United States. There was plenty to be paranoid about. Not only was it an election year, but there was growing turmoil globally with the first stages of the demise of the Soviet Union. Upon becoming the Soviet Premiere in 1985, Gorbachev worked to institute a series of economic reforms that were known as “perestroika”. One of the most dynamic of these reforms was the Law On Cooperatives. This law permitted private ownership of businesses in the services, manufacturing, and foreign-trade sectors. This was a huge thing for the Soviet Union. It was the first time since Lenin’s New Economic Policy that private business had been allowed. Along with Glasnost, led to a winding down of the Cold War. Even so, people were still unsure about the Soviets. After living with fifty years of paranoia it is hard to shake that feeling off.

It was around this period of time that I was starting to become aware as a person, especially politically aware. These events were a big deal to me. I remember my mom breaking down in tears when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. I have no doubt in my mind Metallica were just as influenced by world events while writing ... And Justice For All. The album still has Metallica’s trademark apocalyptic bent, but it is more focused. The topics are less abstract and much more real. This was also the period of time that music was really starting to have a huge affect on me. In years previous what I knew of music came from my parents’ record collection and the radio. My parents have awesome taste in music so I got lucky there. But as I was starting to become my own individual, I began to move beyond what their seemingly vast collection of vinyl offered. I never really liked the hair bands of the era. Groups like Poison and Warrant were too flashy, too over the top for my taste. But then I discovered Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and soon afterwards Metallica and Iron Maiden and Megadeath. This was angry, brutal music that reflected my current distress over how things in the world were going. And today I find myself in almost the same place as I was twenty years ago: confused, angry, distressed. There is injustice in the world and I am pissed off about it. I still listen to loud and angry music. Thankfully my choices expanded greatly when I discovered punk as a freshman in high school, and then hardcore during my senior year. Punk was a great discovery because it was so much more snide and cynical than metal. Instead of pure aggression here was something that was smart and angry. And hardcore was even better because it had the aggression of metal combined with the intelligence of punk. And there was slam dancing... now it was OK to flail around like a lunatic!

Back to Metallica, this is by far not only one of my favorite Metallica albums, but one of my favorite metal albums of all time. I think as long as there is corruption and injustice and a reason to be paranoid, this album will be relevant. It is bold and grandiose and even arrogant, just like the society people in the United States are subjected to daily. But most of all, it is angry. It wants change. And it wants change now.

Year Zero

The story about the hype behind the new Nine Inch Nails album Year Zero is not a new story. But there is so much going on that there is still plenty that is new.

If you have been living under a rock, Nine Inch Nails has a new record set to drop April 17th. It is a concept album about what the United States fifteen years from now would look like if fundamental religion, mind-altering drugs in the water, and overzealous government combined to create the world of Year Zero. It doesn’t stop there, though. Trent Reznor has always been good at not only selling the fans on his work but getting them involved as well. This time there is an Alternative Reality Game (ARG) that has everyone from the 16-year-old baby bat fangirl to the staff at Rolling Stone Magazine jonesing to find out more.

In fine fashion Trent Reznor has offered the album in streaming form for all of us to enjoy, and it is nothing short of impressive. I was disappointed with the overly-commercial With Teeth. It was good, but not good by Trent Reznor’s standards. I won’t hold it against him, though. It was the first album he's done since becoming sober. I am sure getting back into the groove of pure creativity can be hard after being around drugs and alcohol for so long. But he has done it very quickly. With Teeth came out in late 2005 and here it is, early 2007, with a new Nine Inch Nails album ready for our consumption. Usually fans have to wait a ridiculous amount of time between albums. And here we are with a new album just a year and a half after the last one.

If you are a Nine Inch Nails you will probably like this album. If you are a fan of electronic music you will probably like this album. In fact, if you are a fan of music at all you will most likely love this album. It's one of those works of music that leaves you breathless, shaking your head and wondering “how the hell did he do that?” He has taken the best ingredients from the entire body of his previous work and very carefully crafted them into the best music he has put out since 1999’s The Fragile. The simple sythpop of Pretty Hate Machine meets the noisy angst of The Downward Spiral in songs like “The Good Soldier”, “Vessel” and “Capital G”. The lilting melodies of the Fragile are sprinkled throughout the entire album, especially on instrumental numbers “Zero Sum” and “Another Version of the Truth”. And With Teeth’s neo electro-punk attitude has been refined, with noisy and loud guitars and quirky synth noise giving this album frenetic and immediate pace. You’re probably going to want to dance to it all night long, and if you have a special someone that is also a Nine Inch Nails fan this album is perfect for other, uh, nocturnal activities. If you catch my drift.

So go out there and get caught up in Year Zero. Go to anotherversionofthetruth.com and uncover the truth about Parepin and the Presence. Go to bethehammer.com and learn how the Angry Sniper went from being a tool of the government to one of the biggest keys in the resistance. Go to artisresistance.com and assault your town with the downloadable flyers, stickers, and other methods of spreading propaganda. Go to echoingthesound.org and learn about the other sites and other people who are caught up in this crazy thing. Go listen to the songs at yearzero.nin.com. And then go buy the album on April 17th. You will be glad you did.

I Grow Old, I Grow Old...

Soundtrack: “Dirty Harry” by Gorillaz

Not physically old, but old in the sense that time is starting to creep up on me and I'm not certain if I'm going to be out of school by the age of 30, much less ever.

But whatever. I'm going to enjoy this next year of my life as much as I can. In a little more than two week I'll be 26, and I think that's a good age. I only want two things for my birthday: the love and adoration of my friends, and a tattoo. The love and adoration part is more important, though.

For quite some time now I have been wondering if pop culture's recent obsession with remakes, sequels, and retoolings will ever stop. From glib cover versions of classic songs to movies that are simply trite remakes of great films, the wonderful media machine that is Hollywood and the recording industry is churning out tired but familiar sights and sounds to the masses. And we are eating it up. All I have to say is, “What is wrong with you, people?!”

I think we are on the verge of seeing something new. People will only take the 80’s hair rock rehashes for so long before they discard that for something new and exciting. But will this new thing really be new? Grunge and alternative beat the hair bands before, but they fizzled out quickly. Now alternative describes performers like Hootie and the Blowfish and Jack Johnson, which is ironic since the Alternative tag represented the music underground.

Here's how I see it. Music, and other media for that matter, is like a funnel. There is a ton of stuff on the surface, far too much for anyone person to completely process. As the music industry processes everything, it's funneled towards the tip of the funnel, which represents the Consumer. Everything eventually becomes more pop-oriented as it passes through the funnel. The stuff that is most accessible to the largest common denominator is the stuff that makes it through the neck of the funnel.

So no matter how esoteric music gets, it will eventually become watered down more and more each year until it becomes pop drivel. There's nothing we can do about it, that is just the way it is. If you love music, you'll take it as it is and just grin and bear it. There's always the stuff on the other end of the funnel, after all. It just takes some sifting.

Fifteen Blows To The Back Of Your Skull

Soundtrack: “No Surpises” by Radiohead

Among the many different projects I am working on is the resurrection of an old band. One of the songs we started working on but never really did anything with was a cool and laid back version of Radiohead's “Climbing Up The Walls”. I love that song, in fact it is probably my favorite Radiohead song. It's about a mental institution, but it really strikes a chord in my life. Yeah, I feel just a little insane, sure, but it's more of what Thom Yorke sings in the chorus:
And either way you turn
I'll be there
Open up your skull
I'll be there
Climbing up the walls

I am not sure why those four little lines mean so much, but they do. And once I figure it out I'll let you all know. But that might be a while.

In the meantime, enjoy an amazing live performance of the song from the Glastonbury Festival 2003.