Culture Greyhound

I’ve heard about Spotify for years now.  Mainly that it was this “celestial jukebox with every song and album you could ever want,” which is somewhat true, and that it “wasn’t available in the US,” which was totally true.  That is, until now.

This whole thing is pretty brainless to use – basically it’s your iTunes plus millions of other tracks, all at your disposal, and for free (but currently invite-only – Klout.Com might be able to help you out.)  Connect it to Facebook and share tracks and albums with your friends.  It’s ad-supported, but you can pay up to 10 bucks a month to get rid of that, and with offline synching and mobile features.  Which seems reasonable.  I mean, we already pay upwards of 18 bucks a month for every movie and most TV shows via Netflix, why not for every song ever?

While browsing the Spotify website, learning about the product and all its features, I stumbled upon what the media outlets have said about the product.  There was the usual: “Spotify is revolutionary” and “it will change the way you listen to music” and all that jazz.  But the one that got me thinking was a comment from Stuff.TV – “the only jukebox that might make you give up music ownership for good.”

This is one of the things I think, initially, people might be reticent about in regards to Spotify.  With an entire library of music with you at all times, synched to your mobile device, that you can listen to however you want, with no restrictions, what’s the point of the iTunes store? Of downloading torrents? Digitally speaking, why would you pay for another individual track ever again?  Why would you ever open iTunes again?  I mean, you can do pretty much everything you do there with the Spotify application – make playlists, put them on your iPod or phone, take your music everywhere you go.  Some, including myself, might be hesitant to completely convert to the Spotify lifestyle – to having everything, yet none of it is yours.

The Village Voice recently wrote about Spotify and how it might affect popular music in the next decade.  It’s a great article that goes in depth about the past decades and what chart-topping tracks began the trend for that particular decade, and how we’re due for another track to turn the tides.  With Spotify added to charting stats in the future, what people stream vs. what they download could produce that track.  But will people eventually STOP downloading altogether?  Ownership purists like me enjoy having an organized iTunes library, filled with mp3s we have on our hard drives, that we can call our own, similar to the traditional ownership of vinyl, cassettes, and CDs.  But will future generations, immersed in the “Spotify culture” or whatever, see the point?  Why waste hard drive space when it’s all there to stream whenever you want it, however you want it, as many times as you want it?

Certainly Spotify could curb pirating, but I could also foresee it putting the iTunes store, as well as Zune and others, out of business, though I can’t imagine that happening anytime soon, and it hasn’t happened in other countries that have had Spotify for years.  But Spotify has certainly started the wheels turning for the music business and the consumer alike.  There has never been a product like this, and now that it’s finally in the US, I think we might start seeing it slowly making its mark on our musical lifestyles, the same way Napster and iTunes did not too long ago.

Scion A/V Presents: Black Lips – New Direction from Scion A/V on Vimeo.

Big Freedia – “Excuse” from stereogum on Vimeo.

Teddybears (Feat. Cee Lo & The B-52s) – “Cho-Cha” from stereogum on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Ringo Deathstarr – Imagine Hearts
Jacuzzi Boys – Cool Vapors
Coldplay – Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall (Swedish House Mafia Remix) (BBC Radio 1 Rip)
Ty Segall – California Commercial
Wolfgang Gartner – Illmerica

Class Actress – Keep You

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Veronica Falls – Come On Over

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Big Troubles – Misery

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Bingo Players – Cry (Just A Little) (Kids At The Bar Bootleg Remix)

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Sea Monsters – These Days

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The Disappointments:

Washed Out – Within and Without

Ernest Greene has made the age-old mistake most sophomore slumps make – he has focused too hard on form, and not on content. Abandoning the sharp pop of the impressive Life of Leisure EP for a bland, boring follow-up, Greene has created a sleepytime comp, but not in a good way.

Tyler the Creator – Goblin

Never since the invention of the good ol’ Internet/blog hype machine has an artist been so lauded and built up to impossible expectations, only to release an irredeemably bad album and lose all that praise.  I mean, man.  What a terrible record.  No one has fallen harder than Tyler the Creator.  At least, not yet.

The Strokes – Angles

This album is a giant mess, with the exception of exactly three songs. Possibly worse than not living up to hype (see above) is watching an established band return after a long hiatus and produce what is arguably their worst effort yet.  We all know the first two can’t be beaten, but it would’ve been nice to see these guys try.

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

It is apparent that, well inside their comfort zone, Radiohead have settled into trading in hooks for ambient experimentation and a lack of depth or cohesion.  There is nothing memorable here; the group phoned it in for their first mediocre album since Pablo Honey.  Perhaps this is a transformative period, and we can all look back and laugh at this stepping stone record.

REM – Collapse Into Now

At least Radiohead was progressive – most REM albums are always claimed to be a “back to basics” or “return to form,” but this time it’s for real.  Unfortunately, Stipe, Mills, and Buck forgot to bring the sharp melody and memorable kick back from 1995, and the result is somewhat dated and underwhelming.

The Overrated:

James Blake – S/T

This is a noble debut from an up-and-comer; it shows promise, warts and all.  Apparently the critics didn’t notice most of the album is not necessarily songs, but experimental sound and structureless production.  Maybe in the future Blake can rein it in and produce an album worthy of all the praise it’s getting.

Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo

I guess I’m missing something here, but the sheer uninspired tone of boredom Vile likes to deliver his songs in is just grating to me.  I don’t pretend to understand why this album has received the unjust praise it’s received.

Foster the People – Torches

It’s Maroon 5 trying to replicate the hits of MGMT.  It’s repetitive.  Its success is uncanny and undeserved.  “Pumped Up Kicks” is the prime example for an album of one-note structure beating you in the head until it’s stuck in your brain.  Just because you can’t stop singing it doesn’t mean it’s good.

Juliana Barwick – The Magic Place

I have to give credit here – what Barwick has tried is pretty creative.  The main instrument here is layers of Barwick’s haunting voice, and the result is original and intriguing.  Unfortunately, it’s also frankly boring, especially for an entire album.

Bon Iver – S/T

There’s just not enough here to warrant the praise this sophomore slump has been receiving.  I feel this is a transitional album, that Vernon just needs to get his creative juices flowing again, instead of letting the celebrity status take control and half-ass a disc that only picks up on the last two tracks.

The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow

The Nashville duo of Joy Williams and John Paul White have delivered a stripped-down, beautiful debut LP most critics have ignored, with the exception of the always South-of-center Paste Magazine.

The Civil Wars – I’ve Got This Friend

Ringo Deathstarr – Colour Trip

The Austin shoegazers have honed in on their songwriting knack to bring a pretty stellar, exciting new take on the Loveless-esque, 80’s craze that’s been all the rage these days, resembling a more lo-fi Pains of Being Pure At Heart.

Ringo Deathstarr – Do It Every Time

Witches – Forever

The Athens group will likely receive a plethora of R.E.M. comparisons, and while the Buck/Mills influence is certainly heard, Witches prefer an even gloomier, simpler approach, and the results, eventually spellbinding, will grow on you.

Witches – Creature of Nature

Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong

LA-based, ATO-repping Dawes continue their Laurel Canyon rock on this, their second album, a more polished, sonic production with simpler arrangements, focusing on sharp melody and a theme of being restless.

Dawes – How Far We’ve Come

Not In the Face – Bikini

Emulating the finest traits of guitar/drum duos before them (Black Keys, the White Stripes), Austin’s Not In the Face (coolest band name ever) have concocted a lo-fi bluesy, punky, poppy ear assault.

Not In the Face – Way To Go Baby

Back in the 90’s there were still a few country artists and groups on the radio that were embodying the spirit of the old sound – nowadays they’re nowhere to be found, and when they go that route, they all but disappear from the dial.  Along with Dwight Yoakam and Patty Loveless, Miami-based the Mavericks were probably the most successful in the neotraditional realm of popular country music, winning Grammys and charting numerous times in their successful six-album run.

My dad bought What a Crying Shame and Music For All Occasions on CD when I was nine, and I probably listened to them more than he did – they became regular go-to favorites for me.  Leader Raul Malo has since embarked on a modestly successful solo career, but it is my hope the group will reunite for a summer tour or something akin, preferably touring with the aforementioned Yoakam.  Hey, I can dream….

The Mavericks – Foolish Heart

The Mavericks – Here Comes The Rain

The Mavericks – O What A Thrill

The Mavericks – What A Crying Shame

The Mavericks – All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down (featuring Flaco Jimenez)

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Common feat. Nas – Ghetto Dreams
Cut Copy – Blink and You’ll Miss a Revolution (Toro y Moi Remix)
Fanzine – Low
Chromeo – When the Night Falls (Breakbot Remix)

Brooklyn freelance beatmaker Clams Casino has stated he is tired of the rat race of trying to collaborate with MCs to rap on top of his slick, ethereal productions.  He says the beats just lay around for months, waiting for someone to write a rhyme for the finished track.  It’s understandable – rappers have busy schedules, and one could argue these sounds are best heard as instrumentals.

Those in favor of the latter, myself included, have a strong EP as evidence – the newly self-released Rainforest EP.  Taking cues from West Coast hip-hop and sonic dance producers like Burial, Clams Casino unleashes his spaced-out, boogie-worthy, nature-themed creations to the masses as purely instrumental tracks, and the result is quick five ones, with a lot of awesome going on in each.

Clams Casino – Treetop