Being Renewed Day by Day

Listening to the radio one afternoon on my way home from church, I cranked the volume when a mystery song caught my ear. Philip, my brother, was in the car with me that day in 2005 and we were listening to my favorite St. Louis station – 89.1 FM The Wood. On the weekends, the music flows with little interruption and without any sort of description of the songs. It’s also non-commercial which means they play songs that don’t hit the Top 40 and verge on the obscure. So there we were, cranking this song – full of harmony but sounding like a single voice, void of accompanying instruments yet not lacking in texture. It rang in our ears and resonated in our souls and once it ended we NEEDED to hear it again. But how? Who was it? Where would we find it? Ah yes, the wonders of Google and iTunes. I’m not sure where we went first, but Philip brilliantly thought it could fit the electronic genre since the vocals clearly had been electronically manipulated. So we went to the top downloads in the Electronic genre and BINGO! There it was: Imogen Heap “Hide and Seek.”

Confession time: until then, I had little to no respect for electronica. Okay so maybe that’s not a surprising confession. However, in the past several years my ears have adjusted to the digital age of sampling, electronic manipulation, and recorded music’s electronic additions thanks to computer-produced sound. This steadily brought a producer’s job to the forefront and challenged his or her work with the newest technology. All recorded music has become “electronic.”

An attractive feature of electronic music and what keeps me coming back for more is the empowering tools that allow a solo or duo to have a full sound – all woven together in an electronic tapestry. Take Andrew Bird for example – his live music takes on much the same electronic elements as do others who use samples. Imogen Heap weaves her songs live on stage, piling loop after loop and fits them in just the right rhythm and place.

Along with the new introductions to electronic artists, one of my old favorites put out a surprise electronic album: Derek Webb. Today, Thursday February 25, 2010 ONLY you can get a FREE download at NoiseTrade.com/ of his new album Stockholm Syndrome. Check it out, seriously. A lot of hype that gradually produced doubt accompanied it’s release. The relevance of its release is doubtless for me and I listen to it more than any of his past work. Going back to his previous record The Ringing Bell I can continue to understand Webb’s growth and musical trajectory. With the release of Stockholm Syndrome, Webb also released the song stems for fans and musicians to remix and mashup on a site called SoundCloud- a hosting site for remixes, electronic sample sharing, and a place for artists of all professions to communicate and critique. girltalk is the best example I can give for an artist/producer who takes dozens of song – new and old and mashes them together in insanely imaginative ways. [note: It would be another entry to discuss the role of a dj vs. producer. I'm purposely leaving out the dj/MC which uses sampling and mashing by definition] I believe that more self-produced artists like Webb & Heap are using the ease of file sharing and inexpensive mixing software to encourage creativity among fans, allowing an almost conversational give and take of music. During SILVERDOCS 2009, I saw the documentary RIP: A Remix Manifesto which furthered my education of the issues behind mashups, music downloads and the question of freedom in media exchange and copyrights. The film goes beyond music and encouraged viewer participation through video remixing. In the end, there can be collaborative, mutually-supportive peace between artist and downloader or an intense – often money-driven – power war.

Back to the music… one critical turning point in my music listening was when I started subscribing to the KEXP Song of the Day Podcast. This (FREE!) daily bit of current and sometimes pre-released music accompanied by ablog gives context and information. Bell’s song “Housefire” was one of those tunes that eased my ears into more electronic music. Instead of hearing meaningless beeps & taps, I began to hear layers of complex rhythms and harmonies. Passion Pit was the next group to REALLY catch my attention. Let me tell you, I fell head over heels and was fully convinced that if their song “Sleepyhead” could be a person – a man – I would marry him. Ironically, or not, Passion Pit became one of Paste Magazine’s “Best of What’s Next” bands and caught the attention of NPR’s All Songs Considered as well as festivals & listeners around the country in 2008. They have a pop-driven sound. Similarly, Bon Iver gave me a taste of simpler self-produced music that verges on electronic with a few affected tracks such as “Woods” which is reminiscent of Imogen Heaps’ “Hide and Seek”… and we’ve come full circle. Before I let you go, just wanted to share a list of songs in my iTunes library & final thoughts.

25 Top picks for KEXP’s Song of the Day electronic songs:

• Dan Deacon “Paddling Ghost” (5/19/09)
• Bon Iver “Skinny Love” (3/31/09)
• The Arch Cupcake “Rubix Dude” (5/11/08 )
• Booka Shade “Charlotte” (7/15/08)
• The Dodos “Fools” (7/21/08 )
• El Ten Eleven “Jumping Frenchmen of Maine” (4/14/09)
• Faunts “Alarmed/Lights” (4/1/09)
• High Places “Head Spins” (10/9/08)
• High Places “From Stardust to Sentience” (11/20/08)
• Le Loup “Beach Town” (10/19/09)
• Kinky “Fuego En La Fabrica” (3/3/09)
• Lusine “Two Dots” (9/2/09)
• Man Plus “A Ghost is a Ghost is a Ghost is a Ghost” Remix (12/19/08)
• Miike Snow “Animal” (6/8/09)
• Miike Snow “Burial (DJ Mehdi Remix)” (3/11/09)
• Moby “Pale Horses” ( 7/23/09)
• Peter Bjorn & John “Nothing to Worry About” (2/25/09)
• The Pinker Tones “Fugaz” (6/3/08)
• School of Seven Bells “Iamundernodisguise” ( 11/19/08)
• Zion I “Caged Bird Part 1 (feat. Brother Ali) (4/16/09)
• Telepathe “So Fine” (2/30/09)
• Stellastarr* “Freak Out” (7/21/09)
• Nino Moschella “Continue to Call” ( 6/23/09)
• Passion Pit “I’ve Got Your Number” (11/3/08)

Click, read, download & enjoy! If you want more reading, there are several other blogs like SoftSynth Blog who shares their 25 top electronic albums of the Decade. Many other songs and artists are worth exploring in this discussion and as I barely scratch the surface, I’m finding more. Have you heard a song that inspires you to dance or mix it up? Leave a comment and pass it on!

Highlighting next week:
On the Big Screen – Oscar Predictions! I’ll be giving my predictions for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards which happen Sunday March 7th, so read ahead & tune in!

The Premiere Season of Glee from FOX proved to be a HIT! With the 2010 Golden Globes wrapping, Glee is onto the second half of Season 1 with bragging rights to the best comedy/musical TV show of the year. I just happen to be in agreement. Perhaps it’s because they pulled out the stops covering hit after hit in musical selection. Perhaps it’s the brilliant casting of superb triple-threat acting, singing, dancing stand-outs such as Lea Michaels & Matthew Morrison, Chris Colfer and Amber Riley. Or maybe it’s the comedy and quirkiness from Jane Lynch & Jayma Mays. Whatever it is (and Glee packs a punch) I love it.

Why it works: Glee is the culmination of FOX’s successful reality series American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance and Disney’s hit High School Musical trilogy plus the humor/music combination in many episodes of The Simpsons. The reality shows, AI & SYTYCD, showcase rare, raw talent like the Kelly Clarkson/Susan Boyle voices and the Tabitha & Napoleon Dumo choreography we all love. But in order to get to the perfect performances & well-synced choreography we must endure the pain of disappointment and at times, horror of the not-so-talented. Glee is a gold mine of chill-inducing, pitch-perfect, light-blazing performances. While some scoff the reality-TV fad, audiences young & old can justify watching Glee because the performances are from the professionals & the songs are from their very own iTunes library: Journey “Don’t Stop Believing,” The Rolling Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” Van Halen “Jump,” John Lennon “Imagine” and well, you get the picture. Younger audiences will love it too! With songs like, “Gold Digger,” Rehab,” “I Kissed a Girl,” and “Single Ladies” they keep it relevant.
Another evidence of their musical success: Mashups.
Beyonce/Hair “Crazy in Love”/”Hair”, Bon Jovi/Usher “It’s My Life”/”Confessions Pt. 2″ and Beyonce/Katrina & the Waves”Halo”/”Walking on Sunshine” mixing old and new.

Let’s be honest, it was hard to call myself a fan of HSM 1,2,&3 when they’re geared toward 8-15 year-olds, but with catchy tunes and sharp choreography, it was I who dragged Nick (9) & Zack (7) to the theater for the third installment. Glee was just what I (and the thousands of other 20-somethings who secretly watched HSM) needed. With Glee, I can still enjoy song, dance, PLUS mature story-content and witty humor but in a more acceptable & predictable format -the TV Dramady series.

A reviewer I admire, Rachael Maddux of Paste Magazine, recently wrote a Season 1 Reveiw, gave it a “respectable” 51 out of 100 and pummeled it due to it’s lack of realistic plot points & far-fetched props/costumes during musical numbers. I am disappointed with this review and join ranks with the opinions of three online commenters that follow the article. Trish says, “GLEE is great satire with fantastically executed musical performances. To me, it’s like a mash-up of the best unexpected covers from American Idol with Friday Night Lights-loveable characters.” The show gives me more of what I secretly want when watching American Idol – good song choices, good voices, good performances, and a little DRAMA.

Maddux does bring up some clear issues with the show:
“…most of the characters’ wounds are self-inflicted, the natural consequences of self-serving lies and deliberate manipulations of friends, family and co-workers. There are some exceptions, some challenges and conflicts parlayed into teaching moments with all the saccharine wisdom of an after-school special. But, for the most part, every moment of character development is merely an excuse to unveil another dark layer of these people we’re supposed to identify with, root for—even love.”
So yeah, I’m not a fan of how the characters lie and manipulate in order to make things better… is the “happy ending” worth the frustration it takes to get there? Additionally, the writers of Glee aren’t afraid of sex, sexiness, and sexuality. I realized this very quickly. From the topics of Glee Club member, Kurt’s sexuality to teen pregnancies to the sensual dance numbers that only sickened me at times, Glee might just be a bit obsessed. At the same time, the show brings up several other hot-button topics such as physical & mental handicaps, marriage & faithfulness, and the all-American “just be yourself” campaign. One other shallow mention in the mix: religion. Two references to religion I can recall are when the pregnant, gold-cross-necklace wearing “Christian” cheerleader is outspoken about abstinence and when Puck decides to date Rachel because he’s a Jew & she’s a “good-looking Jew” and he wants to make his mother happy… hm. So spiritual.

Besides the music, the character rivalries are my favorite plot tent-poles of Glee. Mr. Scheuster vs. Sue Sylvester. Even the somewhat sketchy Mrs. Terri Scheuster vs. wholesome guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury keep me watching. Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester is nearly perfect and the comedy that ensues between Sue and Sheu is belly-laugh worthy!
(see this & more great Sue Sylvester Quotes)

Will: ”I will destroy you”
Sue: ”I am about to vomit down your back.”

Lynch is pushing 50 and is JUST now on my radar with this role plus her recent role in the Meryl Streep movie Julie & Julia. That’s not to say she hasn’t been working the screen for a while. Check her IMDB listings. Keep an eye on this one. Paste Magazine covered an article about Matthew Morrison’s rise to fame and his move into recording that voice I’ve come to love. At first, I was mostly disturbed by the white-boy-trying-to-pull-off-hip-hop (not to mention trying to be the “cool” teacher) but then I watched and realized he had the vocals & moves to make it work. I predict he’ll stick to what he knows and offer an album of covers & sound-alike-broadway tunes.

That brings me to my final cheer about Glee. It’s bringing back Broadway!
With musical guest appearances like Kristen Chenoweth (who I LOVE) and musical numbers like “On My Own” from Les Miserables and “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” from Guys and Dolls, it’s a sneak peak of the Broadway stage. I could go on about Lea Michele as Rachel Berry and her incredible vocals that make me want to jump a train to NYC to see Wicked or Chicago. Whew. This is why I love Glee.
So congradulations on winning a San Fransisco Review.)

Highlighting next week:
I’m trying to keep up with my pattern, so tune in next week for a perspective on electronic music and how my tastes have changed over the past few years. Highlighting KEXP’s Song of the Day Podcast, Imogen Heap, David Byrne, Booka Shade, Passion Pit, High Places, Animal Collective, and *gasp!* Derek Webb. Thanks for reading!