Dogsinplastic
avuncular to no one
...is becoming a rarer commodity. As such whose do you celebrate?
Radiohead was the initial inspiration for this thread. I finally DLed King of Limbs from emusic and listened to it last night on the commute and am hitting it again this morning.
While I know part of their aural aesthetic is to ashew the conventional, it really just sounds like they're exploring sonic possibilities and enjoying the ride.
Similarly, Ani DiFranco has always pursued her muse with seeming little concern for any expectations thrust upon her. She and Radiohead also share a lack of reliance on or concern about the recording industry's models for success. They work alongside that system with great success.
Ben Harper is also one of those artists that just produces the music he likes with whomever he likes. He's had relatively modest popular success, but he keeps making the music he wants with little/no regard for hits. He worked with Dhani Harrison who's taking a similar path.
Zappa, the Dead, Pink Floyd, Yes, Dylan, the Beatles, the Clash, Neil Young, and I could go on with the list of artists within the broad scope of popular music that strived for something more, different, or new throughout their careers. Obviously the punk and metal scenes have their roots in this notion as well, but even they can fall into a cycle of regurgitation.
This is an age old "issue" in that classical, jazz, folk, and ethnic musics that have been around far longer have had fewer and fewer people striving for some level of unique and exploratory musical expression and more folks willing and even looking to follow the leader.
One needn't be doing something completely original in every or even anyway. Derek Trucks isn't rewriting the songbook or the blues rock style/genre, but he is combining voices in a different way within the form.
I realize that there are successful artists doing just what they want, but many are just churning out pablum. Of course, my pablum is someone else's notion of the height of artistic expression. Shows what I know.
Radiohead was the initial inspiration for this thread. I finally DLed King of Limbs from emusic and listened to it last night on the commute and am hitting it again this morning.
While I know part of their aural aesthetic is to ashew the conventional, it really just sounds like they're exploring sonic possibilities and enjoying the ride.
Similarly, Ani DiFranco has always pursued her muse with seeming little concern for any expectations thrust upon her. She and Radiohead also share a lack of reliance on or concern about the recording industry's models for success. They work alongside that system with great success.
Ben Harper is also one of those artists that just produces the music he likes with whomever he likes. He's had relatively modest popular success, but he keeps making the music he wants with little/no regard for hits. He worked with Dhani Harrison who's taking a similar path.
Zappa, the Dead, Pink Floyd, Yes, Dylan, the Beatles, the Clash, Neil Young, and I could go on with the list of artists within the broad scope of popular music that strived for something more, different, or new throughout their careers. Obviously the punk and metal scenes have their roots in this notion as well, but even they can fall into a cycle of regurgitation.
This is an age old "issue" in that classical, jazz, folk, and ethnic musics that have been around far longer have had fewer and fewer people striving for some level of unique and exploratory musical expression and more folks willing and even looking to follow the leader.
One needn't be doing something completely original in every or even anyway. Derek Trucks isn't rewriting the songbook or the blues rock style/genre, but he is combining voices in a different way within the form.
I realize that there are successful artists doing just what they want, but many are just churning out pablum. Of course, my pablum is someone else's notion of the height of artistic expression. Shows what I know.
