NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/bit/listserv/allmusic/15430

Text File | 1993-01-25 | 3.4 KB | 71 lines

Comments: Gated by [e-mail]
Path: sparky!uunet!uvaarpa!darwin.sura.net!paladin.american.edu!auvm!ERENJ.BITNET!REWOICC
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Date:         Mon, 25 Jan 1993 16:18:37 EST
Sender:       Discussions on all forms of Music <[e-mail]>
From:         a mirror cracked from side to side <[e-mail]>
Subject:      Re: Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things
In-Reply-To:  Message of Mon, 25 Jan 1993 10:55:00 CST from <CV01@SWTEXAS>
Lines: 59

The Central Scrutinizer sez:
>Since economics and pandering to the lowest common denominator
>already drive the "popular" music arena,

is this really true? i've found that, given something different, most people
will be at the very least receptive to it. they may not like it, but they
will give it a chance. case in point: the sugarcubes. when "birthday" began
to get some airplay on emptv, one reason people liked it was cos it was so
different from anything they were used to (that opens the question of
whether or not emptv defines acceptance, but for the time being, we'll
ignore that).

i have no qualms about being a musical snob regarding what *i* listen to,
but i shy from being a musical snob disparaging what *others* listen to.

>I expect a continuation of the "catch-of-the-day" philosophy of "new" music.
{...}
>The resulting sound is often a weak compromise rather than a fresh musical
>statement.

while the latter is not always true, the former seems to be a fair description
of the process: some band does something strange which catches the attention
of some radio station/video channel/record exec; said entity plugs said band
bringing them some success and notority; other labels follow suit with their
own version of said novelty.

>What I look
>forward to is something along the lines of what John Zorn (or even Praxis)
>does.  A "cartoon" (or, to borrow Michael B's word -- "cutup") music that
>extracts elements from many different genres in an almost patchwork fashion
>(juxtaposition rather than synthesis?).

in zorn's case, the "cartoon" epithet, at least in my case, is due to the
music's effect on me - i often laugh out loud when i hear his work since
it can sound very ludicrous. "juxtaposition" is a better word for what
you're getting at.

i don't think that is the future of musical development though. zorn's
work is fascinating, but it's more of a curiosity than a progression. not
enough people are going to hear that stuff for it to have a lasting effect
on the musical world.

synthesis of other forms and styles into popular music can be satisfying
and developmental (paul simon's _graceland_, peter gabriel's real world
label, so on). sad to say, but that may be the best way for development
if only cos that way the most people can integrate it into their idea of
what music can be. all that the loonies on the fringe do is all well and
good, but it has little effect on what the "lowest common denominator"
will think music is or should sound like until it trickles down through
the cycle into the realm of popular music.

at the same time, i would say that it is probable that other forms of music
will sproing into existance as we find different ways to make noise. one
hundred years ago, no one would have thought that banging metal sheets
would be music and now there is a thriving japanese noize scene. go figure.

time to play volleyball.

woj