Tag music

The Internet, Music, and You

Peter Jones Leave a comment

Or, the joys of being a music fan in the modern era.

Truth be told, there just isn’t a better time in the history of the world to be a music fan. Really, we live in a golden age of music.

At least in my opinion.

I know that there are those who would claim that the advent of digital downloads, file sharing (Napster anyone?), and even music streaming services have been a huge detriment to music. And I can see where those people are coming from. Sort of. Yes, I understand that the value of music has significantly diminished in the eyes of the masses. People simply aren’t going to the store to by CDs anymore. Especially not for the prices we used to pay. $18.99 for a disc at Sam Goody, anyone?

And terrestrial radio is becoming less and less important for artists. It certainly still has its place, but nothing like it used to. No one is tuning into ABC, CBS, or NBC at 8:00 pm to catch the newest Madonna or Michael Jackson video (that used to be a thing, I swear!). Fewer and fewer people are buying true stereo systems anymore. Gone are the days of the big speakers with a turntable, dual cassette decks, tuner and 10 band equalizer (but I can still see the one we had growing up).

The music superstar is becoming a thing of the past. There are still huge hits, and artists that can sell out and pack stadiums.

But gone are the days when everyone knew the biggest artists, regardless of your musical preferences. I mean, I tend to be pretty broad in my musical knowledge, but just take a gander at who are winning “awards” these days and you’ll see what I mean. Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Lil Nas X are all winning Apple Music Awards (for whatever that may be worth), and while I recognize the names of all of them, I couldn’t recognize a single song from any one of them if my life depended on it.

So, yes, music has changed. The majority of people get their music through some streaming service, that perhaps they pay for, and in many cases they don’t (whether it is ad supported or they are sharing logins). I get it. It’s different and that box has been opened and can never be closed.

So, for those pining for the old days of music when you either had to listen to the radio, buy it on vinyl, cassette or CD (or go through the hassle of recording it off the radio or from someone else, because piracy has always been a thing), I will say just this:

“Ok boomer.”

Seriously, times have changed, technology is amazing, and find a way to embrace this new era of music.

The internet has allowed for an amazing disintermediation of music. It allows direct connections between artists and fans in a way never before seen. In some cases, it has actually allowed us to go back, in essence, to the patronage model of music. Yes, there are bands I support on Patreon, paying them a certain fee monthly to help support them. In exchange, they share videos, do Q&As, share insights into their touring, songwriting, and other practices. We get a direct look behind the curtain and get to be part of the creative endeavor.

Some do it better than others, but those who realize that this direct connection is really going to be what matters, seem to really be more successful. It doesn’t take much. I purchase a fair bit of physical media directly from bands. Maybe merch, maybe the occasional CD, and most often some vinyl. And frequently there is a little slip of paper in the package. A handwritten “Thank You” for supporting the band. And you know what? I keep those. I appreciate them, and I am now that much more invested in the band, and will be right there next time there is something I can do to support them.

Of course, I’m in a weird minority here. Few people are quite as hardcore when it comes to music as I am. But there are enough of us crazies out there to make it worth it. And the artists who embrace this direct connection are cultivating long lasting relationships with their fans in a way never before possible. I mean, look at that postcard I received today. A simple gesture from someone in the band Witherfall, to send me a Christmas/Holiday postcard because I have supported them buy purchasing some of their merchandise in the past.

Because of that simple, human gesture, I’m now that much more of a fan.

And that is how it can be. It enhances the listening experience, because we have that personal connection with the artist. It makes a difference, and makes me that much more excited to be a music fan in this day and age.

Christmas = Good. Christmas music = Not so much

Peter Jones Leave a comment

I find this time of year sort of fascinating, at least when it comes to music. Let me just start off by saying that people have very, very strong feelings about Christmas music. Very strong.

And really, it goes both ways. Strong positive feelings, and strong negative feelings.

It is interesting, working in the OR, to see the differences in opinions. See, we pretty much always listen to music while operating. It is just part of the background sound of the OR. There are lots of sounds, anesthesia machines with their myriad noises, suction devices, lasers, warming blankets, etc.

And music. It is one of those things that, unless someone is very new to the OR, if music isn’t playing (with some circumstances being exceptions), we all just sort of feel like something is off.

So, there are those who love Christmas music and can hardly wait until it is deemed appropriate timing to start playing it. Much to the chagrin of many. You see, generally speaking, the surgeon gets to pick the music. So if the OR staff aren’t on board, it can be a difficult day full of listening to music you may not like. Just ask those who have to work with me and put up with my music. I get it.

But Christmas music is a different beast all together. Any genre of music can have Christmas songs. Sure, there are more than a few metal Christmas albums. And country, and pop, and classical, and maybe even rap and hip hop? I’m guessing, because I don’t really know there. Yet Christmas music has that ability to transcend genres. That is one of the things that can make it so good. Or so, so bad.

I love classic Christmas music. I mean, we are talking the classic carols here. I love choral versions of those classics. Or instrumental. Doesn’t matter the genre either. If it is a tastefully done version of one of the classic Christmas songs, I actually really will enjoy it.

Sadly, those songs get butchered time and time again by artists trying to do something new with it. I have heard versions of “Silent Night” that never fail to bring tears to my eyes. And I have heard versions that have me wanting to stab my eardrums to never have to hear them again.

And don’t get me started on poppy Christmas tunes. All of these more “modern” Christmas songs can just go jump in a lake, thank you very much. No, I don’t care that you saw mommy kissing Santa Clause. Or that it’s cold outside (that song creeps me out big time). Take your chestnuts and shove them where the sun don’t shine! And your two front teeth and hippopotamus were cute. When you were 4. Now? Grow up.

So there it is, the grinch in me. I don’t play Christmas music in the OR. There needs to be an oasis from the terrible, terrible festive tunes out there. I’d like to think that is part of my calling in life. To provide that shelter from the crap storm that is the vast majority of “popular” Christmas music.

After all, someone needs to fight the madness. Might as well be me.

The way forward – Or where do I go from here

Peter Jones 1 Comment

November has come and gone. And with it, I met my goal for this blog. I successfully wrote an article daily about a different album. I’m glad I did. There are lots of reasons, but the primary reason is, I set the goal to do so and met it.

While I wrote reactions to different albums, I found it becoming easier to get the words to flow. Mostly. Some days were more difficult than others. Some albums just forced me to struggle a bit to come up with the words. And struggle is a good thing. It is how we improve, how we become stronger.

At the same time, while struggling at times, I found that there were times I didn’t want to write about a particular album. I wanted to write about other aspects of music. Maybe it was an announcement of some sort. Perhaps I had been thinking about other aspects of music (I did write an article about how black metal is quickly becoming the most fascinating sub-genre of metal).

And so, with the 30 albums in 30 days goal being met, I plan to continue writing, just perhaps in a slightly different way. I will still be doing album reactions. However, I will also be writing articles that are more topical in nature. Heck, I will even include some articles about how I listen to music. After all, I have purchased more pairs of headphones over the years in search of the perfect pair than any sane person. The least I can do is see if others can benefit from my stupidity.

So, I hugely appreciate those who have been reading, and hope you will continue to do so, even as the content broadens in scope.

Allegaeon – Apoptosis

Peter Jones Leave a comment

Three years ago I had a video recommended for me on Facebook. It was of a cover of the Rush classic “Subdivisions” but a band named Allegaeon. I’d never heard of them before, but it was a Rush cover, and a great song to boot. So I decided to check it out.

What I heard was a faithful cover, but not a copy, that sounded excellent. Suddenly I was intrigued. Who was this band? Apparently this single was being released in anticipation of an upcoming album. The title of the album was Proponent for Sentience. Ok, that’s cool too. A little more digging and I find out these guys are apparently a death metal band. So, now we have a death metal band covering Rush, and releasing an album about artificial intelligence. And then there was the back catalog. Songs like “Dyson Sphere”, “1.618” (that would be the numerical approximation of the golden ratio), and “The God Particle” demonstrated that these guys were also firmly rooted in and writing songs about science.

That freaking rules.

And I really fell in love with the band and their music. Seeing them live on the Proponent tour reinforced that they are amazing musicians, and super chill dudes. So I was all on board for their 2019 release Apoptosis (another scientific term).

What we have, then, is another slab of technical, progressive death metal, with scientific themes. If that doesn’t make this album stand out a bit, I just don’t know what will. The playing is excellent, as always. The songs are intricate, heavy, and progressive. But most importantly, and one of the thing that sets these guys apart from so much other “tech death” is the fact that they really focus on melody.

All of the songs are just that, songs. These aren’t just collections of riffs played as rapidly and ferociously as possible. Riley, the lead singer, can growl with the best of them, but also has a really nice, clean vocal when the song calls for it. Moments of classical, acoustic guitar are peppered throughout (with an entire interlude type track consisting of just that). These songs are musical. Still, the playing is extremely technical, but it doesn’t feel mechanical, automated. This is music written by and played by people who understand and love music.

I love me some tech death. But other times, you really want songs that center around melodies. And that is what sets Allegaeon apart for me. Overall, I do think I prefer Proponent for Sentience over Apoptosis. But that also could be due to the fact I’ve been jamming to Proponent for the past three years, and only have a few months with Apoptosis. Again, saw these guys live on this tour and the brought it. They play with energy, passion, and a love for the music. It translates through in the music. While still relatively young, their first EP dropped in 2008, Allegaeon have become one of my favorite bands, and Apoptosis is a worthy entry in their oeuvre.

Cloudkicker – Beacons

Peter Jones Leave a comment

At some point (I’d like to think I’m not alone here), I started to dive down the djent rabbit hole. I don’t remember what started that dive, but I stumbled across one of three key albums. Not sure which came first, but it was probably either One by TesseracT or Periphery by Periphery. Something about the down tuned, palm muted, chugging sound got to me.

I’d heard Meshuggah, having listened to them since Nothing dropped years before. But for some reason, I hadn’t tied them to the whole djent thing. And, frankly, I still don’t. Meshuggah is Meshuggah. Honestly, they stand on their own.

As part of that dive into djent, I found a blog with a whole host of recommendations. And there, they mentioned Cloudkicker. A one man project, releasing music on Bandcamp, I promptly went and started checking out Ben’s music. There were a number of EPs, and one full length previously release. And then there was Beacons.

This is instrumental music. Some people have a hard time with instrumental music, for reasons that continue to evade me. I’ve pretty much always loved instrumental music, both with a love of classical music (Baroque music especially), but also because of my love of Rush growing up. Songs like “YYZ”, “La Villa Strangiato”, and others were some of my favorites. And now, here was more guitar driven instrumental music. I ate it up.

Disclaimer: I’m not sure that I would, personally, toss Cloudkicker into the djent camp, but I think that label is pretty stupid anyway.

Nonetheless, what we have on Beacons is guitar heavy, instrumental music, with loads of dynamics. Yes, there are heavy, chugging sections. But these are balanced by clear, non-distorted guitars, quite passages, and moments that build strong atmosphere. Beacons just flows, right from start to finish. It tells a story through the music and the titles. The beauty of instrumental music is that it affords each person to create their own story.

It is the flow of Beacons that creates such a powerful narrative. It feels less like a collection of songs, and really harkens back to the idea of a whole composition, with each song more of a movement. While there aren’t necessarily recurring motifs throughout the album, it still has a cohesive feel that permeates all the tracks. The playing is excellent, Ben is a wonderful guitarist. Much of the other instruments are programmed, but surprisingly don’t really feel like it. This really has to do with the strength of the writing and just how engaging it is.

I love pretty much all Cloudkicker albums. But Beacons stands apart. It is a powerful piece of music that still feels fresh, engaging, and powerful. It is an emotional journey, and an album I recommend to everyone without hesitation.