THEE Satisfaction: black WEIRDO Tour

Breaking the Sound Barrier

“I was doing straight rock, at another point I was doing Euro dance stuff. I realized I didn’t have to choose.”

~Jason Derülo
Whether it's on a census or a job application, we constantly find ourselves faced with the predicament of choosing our identity. The agony that can come with this decision is something Marcia Dawkins recently addressed on her blog. In her analysis, she refers to the race identification box as the "stressed out box," saying that in checking a box, an individual isn't merely doing their part as a responsible citizen, but they are choosing to associate themselves with a social category that is "never fully defined and accurate". This is due to the fact that the idea of race is loaded. It is built upon a set of social codes informed by history. Codes that essentially limit not only what a person can be and do, but also inform how that person can be seen. This predicament of choosing becomes particularly complicated when the individual is of mixed race. How can a person, let alone a young adult homogenize their existence? More importantly, how can an individual ever escape the parameters of the cage when they are constantly having to associate themselves with racially loaded terms that determine their existence?

Instead of simply accepting this logic, some artists like Jason Derülo are using the space of music to enact a different kind of politics that allows them to negotiate their identities on their own terms.

In his Jon Caramanica latest article A New Global Sound: Synth, Soul and Sample he discusses how the logic of race, particularly as it has influenced the construction of music genres has served as a roadblock to artists like Derülo who exude a global sound. He states that the music industry (much like the census) simply doesn't know how to place him. However, rather than succumbing to this logic, Derülo opts for a sound that freed from expectation and limitation. He does this by mixing music from different genres to compile his songs. In doing so Derülo is the embodiment of Andy Warhol's theory of fragmented fame. There is something for everyone in his sound and because of this, he has the ability to reach the world. For Derülo, this new sound is politics. It is artistic othering in the face of a system that pins bodies down by othering them socially. It is post-racial sound. As Dawkins states, "For this group the move to identify themselves in terms of their full complexity is a move past traditional social definitions of race... Put simply, "post" equals a future beyond race as a story of parts and wholes...a step forward in a new direction."

Mingus and Kanye Converge

Kanye Bares His Soul on Blog

Kanye's self-proclaimed God-like grandeur coupled with his mediated persona have never allowed me to get past his image. Whether he was talking about listening to his own cd while relaxing at one of his many parties or was featured in the media stealing the moment of an innocent young white songstress, Kanye's larger-than-life ego has enabled me to subjugate his artistry to the role of background. For these reasons (and a list of others), my encounter with his blog this week caught me off guard.

After Kanye interrupted Swift, the media began to speculate about whether or not this outburst could be linked to psychological instability resulting from his mother's death. However, there was something more complex at work, something I was not able to see since I never cared enough to turn a critical ear to Kanye.

This element of insanity brought me back to Charles Mingus. He too was a larger-than-life figure often portrayed through his excessive lifestyle rather than his humanity. However, upon reading his book we were allowed to enter Mingus's world of music. A world that allowed him to take his fragmented identity, an identity that was placed upon him, and desperately find a way to not only make sense of this identity, but try to write himself whole in a world that denied his existence. In this sense, Mingus was essentially writing his way out of this world through his music, but perhaps what is most interesting about Mingus and Kanye is how the construction of them in the popular imaginary obscures the element of transcendence and political progressiveness that underscores their work.

In the construction of their worlds it is critical to remember that both Mingus and Kanye, develop another language, space and time that is only palpable to those with a double consciousness. Those who know the pain of being entrapped in a physical body that deems you unworthy. Those who know what it is like to live as the underdog.

Like Mingus, it is this position as underdog that gives rise to the perpetual need to create in order to invent a world that "brings the unrealistic to reality" through the magic of music. As Kanye makes evident in his blog, the hardest thing is too agree, to succumb to the night demons who try to control your hands and feet when all you want is to survive.

The Bunker Revisited

"My people, all they want is a place where they can be people, a place where they can stand and be part of that place, just being natural to that place without worrying someone may be coming along to take that place away from them... The man playing it, the man singing it, he makes a place. For as long as the song is played, that's the place he's been looking for."

-Bechet

In the 1940s, Minton's Playhouse was a site where people could seek refuge from a world that waged war on their bodies every day. They did this by armoring themselves with music. This new musical militancy served as their destination out, a ticket to freedom, a place where they could invent a new language, space and time that enabled them to write their existence whole.

In 2010, Rihanna appropriated music militancy and brought it to new heights in her video "Hard" after undergoing a public deconstruction that left her fragmented following the Chris Brown scandal. It was as if she went from a pop icon to a statistic overnight. The media coverage that ensued the incident always concluded by saying "She was so strong, no one would have ever imagined this could happen to her." What is peculiar about this statement is Rihanna did not attain diva status prior to this incident, yet this contrast was being made to continually propagate this idea of weakness (a characteristic that made it easy to position her as the silent, powerless victim of domestic violence).

For this reason, it is no surprise that Rihanna (like Thelonious Monk) chose to be captured in a bunker adorned in military gear surrounded by weaponry. They were both fighting off and protecting themselves against representations that stripped them of their agency and worth. In this sense, their music gave them the opportunity to control their identity rather than having it imposed upon them.

Rupture

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With the history of a well-respected pop icon like Beyonce, it comes to no surprise that dabbling in the world of spectacle is accepted and natural since she has been easing audiences into the idea of Sasha Fierce for years. I find this interesting in comparison to Lady GaGa, a figure who is only known as being overtly spectacle. While it is clear that Beyonce is fully embracing her alter ego in this colorful, slightly Tarantinoesque display, I couldn't help but think about if the roles were reversed. In other words, what challenges would Lady GaGa face if she wished to transition her role from spectacle to a respectable woman who for the most part is taken seriously. More importantly, how do we as listeners use music to negotiate and explore our own identities as we have so often seen GaGa do?

While most see popular culture and particularly pop music as being throw-away commodities, it seems as though artists and consumers are adjusting to this new world by using disposable goods (or in GaGa case, disposable characters) to their advantage. Many take a negative stance, lamenting the changes that are happening in the music world to the extent that they no longer see change as being possible. Even worse, they view political action as being paralyzed in the new marketplace. With that said, social and political problems are rendered perpetual since the tools to gain a voice are a thing of the past.

Being part of this generation of technological advancement and "disposable commodities," I'd like to believe that there is an ounce of hope somewhere waiting to be unveiled.

I find this hope in the following two areas:
Now as much as I'd like to believe that my tastes are too superior to ever be moved by pop music, I've been noticing something lately. I recently went to pick up dinner for my sister during prime dinner hour and I found myself in a sea of people all waiting for the same food my sister desired. I've never been good with crowds so as you can assume, I wanted out. However, I remained waiting growing ever more frustrated by the minute. When I got back to my car, I turned on my radio since my iPod was dead. That is when I heard myself utter the words, "Thank goodness for Beyonce," almost involuntary. Her song "Sweet Dreams" was playing on the radio and it helped rescue my from the stress I feel in a continually shrinking world. Instantly, I returned to a mentally healthier state that would have not been possible otherwise.

Contrary to the common discourse, maybe they are not all throw-away commodities seeing as how I doubt I will ever forget that unexpected experience. In other words, if we concentrated on something other than the surface, these things might be able to take us to a deeper place (one that we can't get to in the physical world).

This bring me back to this video. There are unwritten laws that dominant how popular artists are portrayed. As a result, it makes more economic sense to depict Lady GaGa taking the back seat to Beyonce in this collaboration than the alternative. Once again, this is because Beyonce has established herself as a respectable woman outside of her onstage persona. Maybe Lady GaGa is using the spectacle for a means to an end that we have yet to see. She is highly acclaimed and highly visible and I doubt people will stop paying attention to her anytime soon. Isn't that power? It may be hard to recognize in this new culture, but using spectacle seems pretty strategic since this new reign of throw-away commodities is never turning back. Power lies in the way we utilize technology and goods. In order to realize this, we need to change the way we listen so we can maintain our sanity in a seemingly hopeless and ever-shrinking world. Otherwise, we are likely to suffocate.

Sainthood

"Inspired by emotional longing and the quiet actions we hope may be noticed by the objects of our affection, Sainthood is about obsession with romantic ideals. We practice our sainthood in the hope that we will be rewarded with adoration."

In discussing their new album Sainthood, Tegan and Sara both noted that their songs are largely about love, adding that "music is love... the soul-wrenching, heart-ripping-out parts of love...[it's] the way you talk about the person you like."

Over the years, Tegan and Sara have retained a simplicity that is pleasant and refreshing. Despite of this simplicity, I always feel a sense of depth when listening to their music which is particularly notable on one of their first gems "Walking With A Ghost" when those drums kick in.

In Sainthood, they manage to retain their simplicity while pushing what we have come to expect from them musically. The changes are subtle presenting themselves as infusions from various genres we have not seen T&S dabble in prior to this. With that said, Sainthood has the capacity to be everything the girls set out for it to be. Being inspired by love gone awry and Lonard Cohen's "Came so far for Beauty," the musical elements of this album take us back by building up a sort of nostalgia. At the same time, they advance T&S's talent through the "quiet actions" they hope might be noticed. They build by engaging in genre blending. Here, we see musical elements of the past being utilized in new ways to win our hearts over.

This comes forth most noticeably in T&S's "Red Belt" and "Northshore."

In "Northshore," we are given a punk rock throwback in the form of fast-paced guitar riff accompanied by vocals that, uncharacteristically for T&S, are as quick as the guitar introduction.

In "Redbelt" we are given classic T&S. It's a familiar beat made famous by Rod Stewart in "Some Guys Have All The Luck." Of course, the girls speed this beat up and make this song theirs by adding a few touches. Among these touches is the most brilliant element of this song. The girls infuse a raw, acoustic-feeling guitar beat primarily in the chorus of the song giving the impression of authenticity. During the chorus, they take this even further when they state, "kneel to condition all the feelings that you feel." They expertly do exactly this in a way that is, for the most part, undetectable.

You can hear "Some Guys Have All The Luck" and "Red Belt" here.Utter Brilliance playlist by Weeiner

What I like most about this album is that it needs to grow on the listener. With that facet in mind, Tegan and Sara's brilliance becomes increasingly clear since they were able to musically represent all of the artistic ambitions they had for this project. I think this stands out best when T&S say, "we practice our sainthood in the hope that we will be rewarded with adoration." They stick to what we known in their lyrics and tone that tend to embody a desperate honest plea for love. However, because they stick so closely to this to the point of sainthood, they are able to push forward and create new by using the old elements we have come to love. And like love, especially the obsessive kind that T&S often sing about, this album grows on us even though we may not notice much of it on first listen.

Explorations in Sound

SOUL: The animating and vital principle in humans, credited with the faculties of thought, action, and emotion and often conceived as an immaterial entity.

Prior to seeing the Scratch documentary and visiting Dublab.com, I had no idea that a large portion of what I consume musically is the result of bricolage. Or at least, I never really thought about it as a reconstruction of the past to create new. What these two music projects brought to mind is how unconscious people are of what they are hearing when they play music. On a surface level, there is no history. There is the desired world we create by infusing our lives with the sounds of our pleasure. Yet, what we build by infusing our lives with music is precisely what musicians aimed to do through the exploration of sound. It's as if the music itself was imbued with this goal via the artist's hands when it was being created. For this reason, the music, regardless of whether it is reconstructed or not, can never be separated from it's original maker. It carries messages and meanings to people across distant lands. It spreads ideas, thoughts, calm and joy. It can bring us to tears. It can motivate. It does all these things through sound. Thus, we would be in denial to shrug music off as surface entertainment. Music is endowed with a soul. It carries the spirit of the artist. With the introduction of bricolage, it carries not only one soul, but the souls and histories of many. At the same time it spreads, it also connects us.

In The Singing Neanderthals, Mithen proposes that music is a sort of auditory grooming that advanced from the actual grooming we now see today in primates. He says its function is to share, through co-production, a complex set of signals that say, "you and I are the same types of people." He even goes as far as to say that language formed as a form of vocal grooming because it enabled a single being to connect and show appreciation for others simultaneously. Taken in consideration with the idea of bricolage as audio piracy, it seems absurd to even suggest that the artists of plunderphonics are engaging in acts of theft. If music is a spirit and its sole means is to connect, it doesn't belong to any of us. It is free. If anything, the selling of music is degrading its true value.



And for those of you wondering how the soul of music sounds when it comes to compositions check out Part 1 of "10 Years of Future Roots Radio" at Dublab.com. I recommend beginning the track at 01:14:00 to hear Bradford Cox of Atlas Sound. The way the notes drift in and out is a great example of the music's attempt to connect. Of course when this sound is recorded and made immaterial, it is the embodiment of the soul of its composer.