Ocean Mind

The title of my post is the title of a podcast I listened to today, from CBC Radio's Ideas show. It was all about the society of whales and dolphins, and how their culture is the oldest on Earth - which of course makes me, and possibly a good deal of human beings - consider what a culture is. I know my first thought of culture is an anthropocentric one; we are the most advanced beings on the planet, and we created the idea of culture as it exists today. But oh, humans, we are not as intrepid as we think. We're not the first, just... the fanciest.

What's this have to do with music? I don't know, who's asking? I am? Hm. I suppose I should answer me, before I stop speaking to me because I ignored my question.

Ahem.

My favourite thing about whales and dolphins - might as well call them cetaceans, since that's what they are and it sounds so much more academic - is their song. Clicks and groans and whistles, given a somehow mythical and haunting quality when found echoing through the reaches of the ocean. And musicians of a peoplier variety have done what they can to emulate or use whalesong - two come to mind immediately. Incubus' The Warmth has some cool guitar work as bookends, and at just about 11:20 into Pink Floyd's Echoes - with a comfortable 12:00 still to go, of course - David Gilmour's take is surreal. He is one of my favourite guitarists for a reason, and that reason is how atmospheric he can get with his sound. I'm not often a fan of 23:00 songs - if you can't say what you have to say, all that's left to say is, "Cut" - but I can get into the chill stuff from time to time.

So, if you haven't given a lot of thought to the beauty of nature's own music, you should definitely check out "Ocean Mind", parts 1 and 2. They're available through CBC Radio's podcasting site, from "Best of Ideas". While you're there, peruse. Look around. Dig, people. You might find something you like.

That's also Canadian.

Oh yes.

Dancin' In The Street

So. This comes a week late, but let's blame that on time zones or cyber-traffic jams or something like that. But, if you are a week behind in your reading as I appear to be in my writing, Motown kicked off its 50th anniversary celebration last Monday. This is the start to a whole friggin' year of concerts, albums, museum exhibits, you name it.

It's hard to believe Berry Gordy's little homemade studio - the wonderfully named Hitsville, U.S.A. - in Detroit is 50 years old this year. The time just flies. I mean, at the time, I was only -28 years old, and here we are already. Seriously, though, the Smithsonian has declared the "Motown sound" (which I will attempt to explain) a distinct part of American folklore. That's substantial. Quite very indeed substantial.

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The author would at this point like to warn you that the next paragraph is rife with music-geekery. If you don't have much interest in little details of musical production, feel free to skip ahead.

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So, think back. Pull out the classic songs from this era of music history, give them a listen. There's a distinctive reverb in all the songs - what a lot of people classify as the "Motown sound". Where did this sound come from? Well, apparently Gordy would transmit what was recorded in the basement of Hitsville to a speaker in the attic. This attic was empty, except for that speaker, and a microphone at the other end. So the Vandellas, Miracles, Temptations, all of 'em, sang across that empty room, and the rest is, as they say, history. At least, that's my favourite story of the behind-the-scenes tricks that make the magic happen.

If you're just joining us from the disclaimer, welcome back. I do hope you can think back on the oldies you maybe grew up with. I know it was half of my musical diet until I was in my early teens. There's obviously something special about the writers and the performers who came together half a century ago, because these songs get covered to this day. It's an homage no musician should be afraid to pay. And as listeners, we are perfectly within our rights to get out there and dance in the streets.

As for something to listen to... as you can see, I've given you a taste already. And there are just so many to choose from that defined that generation of music history... but you could start here. This and that, the other thing... drink it in!

PIRACY!

I'm not a watchdog for any legal organizations or anything, but whilst looking for tabs for Donovan - Sunshine Superman, I stumbled across this about the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and their Digital Music Report for 2009 (it's linked in the story below - stop asking so much of me!).

According to NME.com, there's been tons of downloading going on. How much? See for yourself. It's in the billions, I'll tell you that much. That being said, they've also recorded six straight years' worth of growth in the digital music industry. So maybe it's a case of the money-makers asking for gold when they've already got silver. Let me know what you think.

And if all this hubbub's got you in a tizzy, take a walk in the snowy tranquility. I'm just kidding, it's a pain in the ass getting around out there right now. And it's cold. And I don't want to - alright, alright, sorry. Bring some summer with you.

Sounds About Right

With all the technology in the world well on its way - if not completely switched over - to digital form, I'm worried that the qualities of music. Yes, it is easier than ever to produce music neatly nowadays, and the effects you can play around with are as limitless as your imagination. But do we need producing a professional sound to be child's play? Artists like Kanye West and T-Pain love to use Auto-Tune, and it's becoming a legitimate instrument in the music business. Thank goodness singers no longer need to stay in-tune so much, as long as they're ok with sounding like a robot.

That is, until robots themselves gain sentience and begin recording albums themselves, with such pitch perfection that humans will never again grace the Billboard charts, as the era of our robot overlords is ushered in over the airwaves.

Ahem. Can't say enough for the dramatic.

While it's a purely qualitative aspect of music - which is in itself judged solely on personal opinion, of course - I think there is a significant difference found when you run any instrument through a computer versus an analog recording machine. It's razor-sharp, yes. It's very easy to manipulate, yes. But there's a certain warmth, a humanness, a je ne play quoi about an analog recording. Plus we might get to hear what these guys' actual voices sound like.


Listen up to maybe the coziest song ever recorded. Preferably on vinyl, if you can.
Tony Bennett - The Way You Look Tonight

*Apologies for the French pun earlier. I don't know what came over me. That's the LAST time I eat French toast before writing.

Ze Future

What you're juuuust about to read is the first of a series of blogs on the future of music, as I see it. But more specifically, how it affects you and I as consumers of music. There are plenty of factors at play here, in regards to technology, and it seems to have everyone in a tizzy. (Did he just say 'tizzy'? I blame the schools.)

So, here's my take on the whole issue of downloading music. Be it legal or piracy, be it a problem for musicians or legal watchdogs, let's have a look at the future. Didja bring popcorn?

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Conor Oberst (a.k.a. Bright Eyes) once lyricized, "The future hangs over our heads / and it moves with each current event..." So what's hanging over our heads right now? Nothing less than the future of music as a medium - that is, how we're going to get our grubby mitts on some new tunes. The current events moving this future along? The lines drawn, whether real or imaginary, between the music labels, the policing groups (notably the RIAA), and the consumers. We, the consumers, have been getting away with lots and lots of downloading without paying for the songs we're downloading. Napster had its heyday, and there's also been KaZaA, Limewire, and others with their turns in the limelight - ah. That is by no means meant to be a pun on the aforementioned downloading service... but I like it, now that it's there.

But with this freedom and expression of the Web 2.0 ideals of user-created interaction, comes legal repercussions from those who are saying, "Hey. Wait. That studio time cost us money, the mixing cost us money, and you know for damn sure that our manager takes a cut. Where's our money?!" The labels that front artists the funds aren't getting funds back. There's a bit of a gap in the nature of our economy. Granted, the RIAA lunging after consumers and nailing 15-year-olds with billion-dollar lawsuits seems like overkill, but I've not known watchdogs to be underwhelming.

The question we all have to ask ourselves is this: Just because we can get something for free, does that mean we should? I won't bother comparing this to cars or furniture or any other physical possessions, but it's worth asking yourself. If musicians are suspected of using someone else's music, they can and will be sued. It's not fair to allow one copy of an album become accessible to an unlimited sea of listeners who will then have no reason to buy said album. Simply put, if you want to hear a new album, buy the album.

So how do I feel about illegal downloading?

Here's how.

Measure One

I am a music fan. There are a lot of me out there - except they're all you. Except for me. The point is, there's no shortage of people who love music, who live music, who ask of music many questions. The question can be simple; the question can be unanswerable. But we can always look for a response, resonating somewhere.

If a song plays and no one's around to listen to it, does it still make a difference? Let this be an impossible question to answer. That is, if there is music, be present. Listen in, love it or hate it, and think about it.

Every post I give, I will name a song that either played during, inspired earlier, or was brought to mind by my bloggination. Go ahead and do the same, if you'd like to.

Oh, and don't be afraid to eat chocolate.

Check:
Bedouin Soundclash - Music My Rock