At the risk of being controversial...
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:44 pm
Maybe it is just part of growing up, of maturing, but seriously, I am sick of music both amateur and professional. At the cantankerous age of 27 I find myself loathing 99.8% of the dross my ears are subjected to. I'm tired of technically perfect yet utterly meaningless electro; bland, clueless indie bands trying to get a record contract; of music labelled "experimental" when a more apt term would be "excremental."
Everybody bangs on about the heartless commoditisation of music by the big bad industry but rarely is anyone willing to put their ass on the stove and challenge it. But by doing what? By repeating the dull, clueless, self-serving mantra "How do I monetise my music?" By creating endless reams of stream-of-consciousness tripe where you might garner a favourable and pointless comment or two about how transparent the mix is? By adding random people until it looks like you've got lots of interest in your music? Imagine the challenge to your skill if you put half your music-making time into generating a concept before even considering sitting at that infernal computer. Imagine placing the clarity of your message above technicalities.
Music both creates and reflects our culture. Given that the Internet has made it simple to access a myriad of bands and artists, you have to conclude that if there is not much on offer but poseurs, tech-heads and dullards, then our society (the developed world) must be filled with poseurs, tech-heads and dullards. The communal ejaculation that usually follows a Steve Jobs keynote speech is testament enough to this.
But then again, maybe I shouldn't complain at the complete lack of a vision in culture, at the inability to grasp the concept that music is actually an art form, no. I mean, the overwhelming majority of us are sat at a nice, big computer in a nice, big middle class house with a nice, stable job to go to every day. Isn't that culture? No?
Everybody bangs on about the heartless commoditisation of music by the big bad industry but rarely is anyone willing to put their ass on the stove and challenge it. But by doing what? By repeating the dull, clueless, self-serving mantra "How do I monetise my music?" By creating endless reams of stream-of-consciousness tripe where you might garner a favourable and pointless comment or two about how transparent the mix is? By adding random people until it looks like you've got lots of interest in your music? Imagine the challenge to your skill if you put half your music-making time into generating a concept before even considering sitting at that infernal computer. Imagine placing the clarity of your message above technicalities.
Music both creates and reflects our culture. Given that the Internet has made it simple to access a myriad of bands and artists, you have to conclude that if there is not much on offer but poseurs, tech-heads and dullards, then our society (the developed world) must be filled with poseurs, tech-heads and dullards. The communal ejaculation that usually follows a Steve Jobs keynote speech is testament enough to this.
But then again, maybe I shouldn't complain at the complete lack of a vision in culture, at the inability to grasp the concept that music is actually an art form, no. I mean, the overwhelming majority of us are sat at a nice, big computer in a nice, big middle class house with a nice, stable job to go to every day. Isn't that culture? No?
