Today, I shall begin railing on popular music. And then possibly drop my latest eco-auto idea.
I think more people should listen to the band Muse. I have often told people that they are the music version of blockbuster cinema. People look at music (generally) so differently than other forms of media. They want "honesty," "realism," and - frankly - whining. Why not have some drama in a purely fictional sense? Why not have intense, emotional music combined with real technical prowess?
I love guitar, but guitarists' guitarists (Yngwie, Vai, Satriani, Johnson, etc.) are unequivocally lame. That ridiculously self-indulgent aural manure does nothing for me. Stevie Ray Vaughan combined technical virtuosity with fiery passion like few before or since. Matt Bellamy from Muse is a great musician and composer, but his energy is mind-boggling. Plus, the fact that he fits in a pint carton of milk never ceases to amuse to the point of a random chuckle.
I saw Muse this last September (at UVSC - how funny that one of the world's biggest bands made it to an obscure college gym in Orem), and they put on a show to end all shows. Fast or slow, they infuse their music with such energy that one cannot help but be affected. For those crazy enough to even be reading this, I strongly recommend some good Muse listening - but not really their radio singles, per se. I would start with a good version of their songs "New Born," "Plug-In Baby," "Time is Running Out," and "Sing for Absolution." By the way, it is also a great idea to find their Later with Jools Holland performance of "Feelin' Good" and their live version of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" on YouTube.
Back to Stevie Ray Vaughan, or, hereafter, perhaps just SRV. He was more than a capable musician with an uncanny ability to make his songs transcend his admittedly mediocre voice. He could sing and play songs that would be at once both blue and joyful. He could blast so much energy through his music in just one note, basically every musician alive today ought to put down their instruments. I would rather hear him hit one note, than listen to a good 99.8% of the junk coming out now.
As a guitar wannabe, I love his tone and his ability to communicate any emotion. Just as you don't have to speak a foreign language to catch the gist of impassioned speech or rhetoric, you can understand SRV's guitar playing. There is a version of "Leave My Girl Alone" where his guitar sounds like an frustrated and angry Latin person. It is uncanny. I love good music, and my tastes are still leaning toward exciting, but I am ever welcoming of new music. I am open to suggestions. I am open-minded, yet still I am quite picky.
More on that later. . .
2 comments:
Hey hey HEY! Some people connect to the "whining" emotionally the way you connect to your personal favorite. Back off the Haterade. Well, you don't have to; it's your blog. But, I will take this opportunity to say that music is SUBJECTIVE and OPINION IS NOT FACT buddy. And, I will here unequivocally and unabashedly state that I can't help liking FERGIE! You heard me! Not so much talent, but I still enjoy her songs. To the max. Turn 'em up every time! Yeah baby! I'm G-L-A-M-O-R-OUS!!
I have to agree that everyone should at least try out Muse! I love it too! Definitely start with the familiar re-do's you suggested. But as you know I am of the mind that familiarity breeds contentment! I enjoy the songs on the radio because I know them. And a lot of times they are just catchy. You know that catchy is important to me! So yes it is good to have all of the fantastic music that you love so dearly, but I would never want all of the other musicians to stop playing!! I need something for Ellen to dance to everyday (haha), and SRV probably wouldn't cut it for that!! You know its true!
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