WEEK 8 - OK COMPUTER

This week, I am going to share another historically important musical masterpiece. Radiohead’s OK Computer is frequently cited as one of the best albums of all time, landing on countless top 100 lists. People generally view it as the best album of the 90’s, which is extremely impressive as it must compete with Nirvana’s Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s Ten. The band released OK Computer in 1997 as their third studio album, following lukewarm critical response to previous albums Pablo Honey and The Bends. I doubt anyone at the time expected one of the greatest albums in the history of rock music to come from this particular group of English musicians, but now critics compare it in importance to the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. 

So what’s the big deal? For me, the magic comes from its innovative sound and boldness. The creative process the band undertook allowed them to experiment and take risks. They recorded the album in a gothic mansion in Somerset, England, allowing them the luxury of spontaneous working hours and intellectual space. The members of Radiohead essentially wrote their instrumental parts for each song independently, only coming together near the end of a song’s production to put it all together. The band particularly focused on using more electronic sounds, coupled with the organic textures of acoustic guitar and strings. The atmosphere of the album, needless to say, is very haunting and unusual. I guarantee if you haven’t listened to it before, it will certainly be a novel experience.

The lyrics and subject matter of the work compliment the musical soundscape beautifully. Lead singer Thom Yorke cited the writings of MIT linguistics professor and public intellectual Noam Chomsky as a major inspiration. Chomsky’s writings focused heavily on consumerism, and Yorke’s album shares a harsh criticism of modern capitalistic trends. In “Paranoid Android,” Yorke sings, “ Ambition makes you look pretty ugly / Kicking and squealing gucci little piggy,” commenting on the unhappiness and brattiness brought about by living for material gains. In an interlude titled, “Fitter Happier,” a robotic voice describes the characteristics of an ideal modern human saying, “Concerned but powerless / An empowered and informed member of society / Pragmatism not idealism / Will not cry in public.” The use of the robotic voice highlights the cold, callous nature of modern emotional expectations.

While some of the album criticizes the state of the world, Yorke also takes time to empathize with people’s emotional plights. He speaks from a very personal perspective, putting himself in the center of the chaos and confusion. At the end of “The Tourist,” he practically screams, “Hey man, slow down, slow down / Idiot, slow down, slow down,” expressing his frustration with the dizzying speed at which we feel the need to experience our lives. In one of my favorite songs, “Subterranean Homesick Alien,” he sings, “Up above aliens hover / making home movies for the folks back home / of all these weird creatures who lock up their spirits / drill holes in themselves and live for their secrets.” He takes an alien’s-eye-view of humanity and draws saddening conclusions about people’s self-denial and dissatisfaction with life.

It’s obviously not the happiest album of all time, but OK Computer certainly has profound musical and intellectual value. Listen to it here.   

WEEK 7 - APPALACHIAN SPRING

I have given myself a challenge this week. I hope to motivate you to actually listen to an entire orchestral composition. Now, being that I could never accomplish this with mere words, I have devised a brilliant plan. If you listen to the WHOLE piece, you can inform me on Monday, and I will bring you candy of your choice to class on Wednesday. Now, I’ll be using the honor system, so be prepared to pinky-swear (hand-sanitizer not included). Also, just in case you try to get cute with me, I will not count edible underwear as a valid form of candy. That means you, Nathan Graham. 

I an all of music, I truly believe that there does not exist a more powerful arrangement of musical instruments than the full orchestra. Over the past decades, popular music certainly has progressed away from this traditional collection of strings and brass, and while modern music can certainly evoke palpable emotional responses of sadness, joy, anger, and excitement, only an orchestra can generate the artistic power necessary to truly overwhelm an audience with beauty and grandeur. With orchestral music, you almost experience the sounds instead of just hearing them. I most enjoy listening with my eyes closed; it lets me focus on feeling the music internally.

Aaron Copland originally wrote Appalachian Spring for a small chamber orchestra to perform as the score to a ballet, and its original title was, in fact, “Ballet for Martha.” Martha Graham, the choreographer, later suggested the name “Appalachian Spring,” based on a poem by Hart Crane. Although many people claim to hear the distinct sounds of springtime in the Appalachian mountains throughout the piece, Copland in no way had this image in mind when writing.  A conductor later commissioned Copland to rearrange his work as a full-fledged orchestral suite, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra recorded his masterpiece in 1945. Copland earned the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his accomplishment. I like to think of Copland as the Ernest Hemingway of music. Ernest Hemingway changed American literature forever with his informal yet vivid wiring style. Many critics called him a populist writer. Similarly, Aaron Copland’s music doesn’t strive to sound obtuse or complex. Compositions like Fanfare for the Common Man serve as perfect examples of his democratizing approach to orchestral music. This is why he is considered one of the most important men in American music. Interestingly, both of these American heroes were also clandestinely monitored by the FBI for long periods of time.     

I chose to share Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland because it best embodies the magic of orchestral music described above. If you listen to the piece in its entirety, I guarantee you that your eyes will be opened to an incredible side of music you may have never heard before. Also, I will buy you candy. Watch it here!   

WEEK 6 - COURTNEY BARNETT

I hope you are prepared for a brand new addition to the extremely long list of super cool people from Australia, or awesome Aussies, as I call them. Now among such names as Cate Blanchett, Steve Irwin, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and the Hemsworths stands Courtney Barnett. This singer/songwriter from Melbourne received the “breakthrough artist” award from the Australian Recording Industry and a “best new artist” Grammy nomination this past year. Her sudden fame and recognition came largely from a spectacular album released in spring of last year, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I just Sit. It was the 6th best album of 2015 according to RollingStone and universally earned critical acclaim. 

Courtney plays guitar and sings. Her voice has the extremely unique ability of sounding harmonious and beautiful when she so desires or deadpan and dry when she sings her clever lyrics. Her current band simply includes herself, a bassist, and a drummer, but this group still manages to create a powerful 90’s rock sound with modern attitude. Songs like “Pedestrian at Best,” and “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party,” perfectly embody this hard-hitting retro sound centered around rhythm guitar and drums.

The true charm of Courtney Barnett’s music comes from her brilliantly crafted lyrics. I personally think she is one of the most talented lyricists in music today. Her songs can range in tone from witty and satirical to melancholic and pensive. The chorus of “Pedestrian at Best” pokes fun at her newly found fame and its fickle nature. She sings, “Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you / Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you / Give me all your money, and I'll make some origami, honey / I think you're a joke, but I don't find you very funny.” Or this very funny story in “Avant Gardener” about her experience in an ambulance after an asthma attack: 

The paramedic thinks I'm clever ‘cos I play guitar

I think she’s clever ‘cos she stops people dying

Anaphylactic and super hypocondriactic

Should’ve stayed in bed today

I much prefer the mundane.

I take a hit from an asthma puffer

I do it wrong

I was never good at smoking bongs.

In another song, “Elevator Operator,” she tells a darker story about a man who skips work one day to take an elevator to the roof of a building. He says, “I'm not suicidal, just idling insignificantly / I come up here for perception and clarity / I like to imagine I'm playing SimCity / All the people look like ants from up here / And the wind's the only traffic you can hear.” As funny as her more up-beat songs are, I think it is her heavier songs that really demonstrate her impressive range of abilities as a songwriter and musician. Please watch her performance of “Dead Fox” on Conan. The song provides a hilarious take on capitalism’s relationship with food, nutrition, and the environment. If you like it, I recommend you check out “Depreston” next. Enjoy!

     

WEEK 5 - STEVEN WILSON

Welcome back to the best blog on Earth! Im just kidding, your blog is the best; no blog could ever surpass that work of fine art. I am writing today to share with you my personal favorite musician of all time. I’m not saying that this artist is the most talented musician/songwriter ever, but I do think his body of work is one of the most impressive of any active musician today.

Steven Wilson is an English singer/guitarist/bassist/pianist/composer whose music is most closely tied to the progressive rock genre. Progressive rock emerged as a reaction to more traditional “Rock ’n Roll,” which critics called simplistic and formulaic. Progressive rock emerged to disprove those notions, so songs are usually fairly long (7-10 mins) and explore various musical themes throughout the piece. While Steven Wilson’s music generally follows this trend, he also incorporates many unique elements, like electronic sounds and synthesizers, jazz sections, and heavy rock to create his music. 

The main reason I admire Steven Wilson so much as a musician is because I respect him as a person. The music industry today has become overrun with egotists, sideshows, talentless puppets, and a myriad of other profit-driven acts that completely fail to contribute anything useful to music. Steven Wilson, on the other hand, is one of the most humble, hardworking, creative, and honest musicians I know of. He dedicates himself fully to every song and album he produces and puts a tremendous amount of thought into every detail of the process, from lyrics, to music, to album art. 

Wilson’s entire career has been a long battle against compromising his artistic integrity to make more money. In his first band, Porcupine Tree, he wrote countless songs about the internal conflict of making the music he wanted to make versus producing a more commercial product to make him famous. Luckily, he never gave in, and his work today remains incredibly unique and inspiring. Each album sounds vastly different from the last, demonstrating his curiosity and fearlessness in exploring new genres of music and creating original works. Today, Steven Wilson has earned the respect of many of the most world-renowned bands from the previous decades like Pink Floyd, Yes, and Jethro Tull.

Steven Wilson’s most recent album, Hand. Cannot. Erase., came out in 2015. It is a concept album inspired by the life of Joyce Carol Vincent. Vincent was a woman from London who had a job and was quite popular among her friends, but when she died suddenly near Christmas one year, her body was not found for nearly three years. Steven Wilson explores the alienation and isolation modernity and technology has brought to our culture throughout the album. His band features Guthrie Govan, often called the greatest active guitarist today, and Marco Minnemann, a brilliant drummer. Listen to the opening song of the album, “3 Years Older,” which sets the tone of the entire piece. Wilson’s bold approach to creating modern progressive rock manifests itself beautifully in this song. If you enjoy it, please listen to the whole album!