dealership

tuesday, november 25 (03)   [link]

jane:  The Advent of the Computer-Generated Hit


An absolutely fascinating article at ModPlug reports that the Spanish company PolyPhonicHMI has developed an algorithm which uses "proprietary music analysis technologies capable of identifying music preferences of a user or the whole current recorded music market and intelligently selecting music to recommend to the user or to release as a single."


Take this in conjunction with scientific research done on how musical hooks work, how your brain can develop a musical itch, and we're not very far from ditching the human source of music. I mean, there are already uber-manufactured bands who sing formulaic pop tunes! Why not go the next step to create a Gibsonesque idoru to sing your computer-generated tunes for you?


This, my friends, is the anti-Rock.

sunday, november 23 (03)   [link]

jane:  ROCK is BACK.


In case you didn't know. Indie pop will mew itself meekly into a corner. Electroclash? So masturbatory it's an evolutionary dead end. Right now it's all about unabashed, unironic, utterly heartfelt ROCK. And I'm not talking about the Strokes. Fuck the Strokes. The Strokes suck, because they are the worst - they are FAKE ROCK.


For me the realization really hit me like - well, like a ROCK hurled by the inimitable Andrew W.K. Last summer our recording engineer played "Party Hard" for us, and while I kinda loved it, I think I also - post-ironic, post-post-modern, post-rock jaded hipster that I was - didn't really know what to make of it. Chris and I had a conversation about the album while listening to it for the first time on the drive back from Menlo Park in which we deconstructed what we thought was essentially the nihilist, despairing message of "Party Hard". I just wasn't prepared for the simplicity of AWK's message, for the eager earnestness of the straightforward four-to-the-floor music. "It's so despairing, so alienating - who really can do this seriously?" I thought. I thought of it as an almost cruel joke, tricking us into having a good time. Okay, I guess those were sort of dark days for me. Still. I hadn't run into this before.


But a couple months later, Pepito schooled me: "OK! YOU TWO ARE MAKING ME CRAZY. ILL CONFESS, LIKE ALL OTHER BRAINIACS, I TOO AM FOND OF INTELLECTUALIZING EVERY NUANCE OF EVERYTHING, BUT REALLY, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! SAVE FOUCAULT AND THIS SORTA ANALYTICAL ONANISM FOR YOUR LED ZEPPELIN AND MODEST MOUSE RECORDS. ITS TIME TO PARTY!!!"


I came to see the truth of his words. Thank you, Pepito.


I think we're all tired of the old scenester attitude of not caring (even though of course we secretly do.) Detachment is cool and all, I guess, but you know what? It actually keeps you detatched. Alienated. Afraid to invest in something.

So I made some resolutions.


I don't want to go see another band that never looks up. A band that shoegazes and mumbles and seems embarrassed by the attention. Fuck it! You're on stage, goddamnit! ENJOY IT! God knows lots of people in the audience think you're fucking lucky to be able to do what you do. And you know you are - so relax, smile, and show us that you're loving what you do.


I never want to see another snotty pouty electro duo that's more hairdo than music. Wash off the eyeliner and ditch the attitude if you want to have fun. DANCE to your own songs, don't just gesture theatrically. I'm so fucking tired of personae - carefully crafted and costumed. I just want to see musicians on stage being good at what they do, and going NUTS. I want to see the lead singer sweating and cursing and throwing off his shirt and not caring. I want to see the keyboardist lost in her own world, eyes closed and rocking out. I want to see the guitarist make love to the audience. I want to see some ROCK and fucking ROLL.


ROCK is not a musical genre, anymore. ROCK is a philosophy, it's an approach to music, and ultimately, to life. As Andrew W.K. would say, "DO all the things that you love." "Never let down." And, of course, "Party Hard." But "party" doesn't mean getting massively drunk. It means embracing life and pushing yourself to take chances on your abilities.It means putting yourself, nakedly sincere, out there without fear. It means making real connections with people and opening up to the possibilities they have to offer. Yes, it's fucking hard! Of course it's hard! And you will get screwed, and you will get hurt. You have to take it to the edge, ALWAYS put everything you can into whatever you do. You'll NEVER get anywhere in life unless you ROCK.


I've been playing music for twelve years. But this will be my first year of ROCK. I am going to throw myself in this and fucking ROCK OUT.


And you know what? It is going to rock. Hardcore. Hell yeah.