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Stagnations

While debating over music someone used a rather odd analogy. He reminded me of this passage in The Picture of Dorian Grey about a man who had chosen not to speak any more for he though he had said everything he was supposed to say in life by the age of 30.

So we put in question the fact that maybe music has reached its 30's.

Now, this way of thinking may sound harsh and quite radical but also true in a way or another. Let me explain myself.

You know what makes art... art? It is the people, the expectorates and viewers. The artists work on expressing their feelings through their job and it is the people that receive the message those who judge if it is indeed art or not (I found a rather easy way to define how to say what's art and what's not, art most be good and beautiful and pleasant for us so if you like it, then it is art, if you don't like it it is not. In that case art is a subjective matter.)

Ok, so now we know who makes art. Now, following this logic we can also say that we not only make art ART, we also define the way it thinks, it dresses, the way it breathes. We do so by creating categories, in music, genres. By making up styles, rates and we even dare to stereotype.

I do believe that music has reached Dorian Grey's 30s but it is not the fault of music itself or of musicians but of those who make music what it is, it is our fault and those stereotypes, genres, categories, styles, etc, are the arms we chose to just make the evolution in music stop, there's a certain stagnation in music's business nowadays.

I especially condemn stereotypes also called over here as "labels".

Stereotypes are generalizations, or assumptions, that people make about the characteristics of all members of a group, based on an image (often wrong) about what people in that group are like.

I was trying to get into Amy Winehouse the other day and I couldn't but find dozens of comments on her private life and on how fucked up she is. You would think "Wow, I bet this lass makes terrible music" because fans of music, again, you would think, criticize music, but as you all know, it is actually the stereotype of that person what rules over the music they make. The typical question about image vs talent.

Many would retake this discussion by saying that their private life and their music career are two parallel things and I say NO. Professionals can and should be able to draw the line between work and life, after all, we all are multifaceted beings.

How is a metal musician supposed to be? He or she should wear black clothes and be all rude and atheist and stuff. I've seen these type of comments all over the shoutboxes of bands like Nightwish, Dream Theater, etc, etc, so I can tell.

And pop artists? Must be aesthetic, must be able to dance well, etc.

So what does this provoke? That a new, fresh artist that wants to be different, that wants to make music of several, not only one genre, for example, that wants to create a new style, that artist won't be able to be recognized because labels and stereotypes immediately condemn them for being different. This is what keeps music in a surreal stagnation.

Let's break the habit, I say, as a youtube user said in a System of a Down video

actually B.Y.O.B means shut the fuck up and listen to the song

Yeah, we can shout up about it all and let the music go back to flowing.


expectations exceeded. ears bleeding. life complete.

Tittle taken from our illustrative eardrumgenocide.

And he said so on the debut record of the Gods, Them Crooked Vultures.

And that made me think, is there an actual artist, gig, album, song, etc, that makes our life complete? That would mean that there's nothing for us to enjoy in music any more, that we can smile and say "that's it for me, I found what I needed"

You wouldn't need to look for any new music/artists, just enjoy what you collected through the years and be done with it.

We can all be very happy with our favourite artist or band, but I wonder where's that point, that ecstasy and if can be reached.



Shameless self promotion

The Last Shadow Puppets, Arctic Monkeys, The Vines, Placebo, The Beatles, The Libertines, Oasis, Athlete, Reverend and The Makers, Late of the Pier, Stereophonics, The View, Starsailor, dredg, Graham Coxon, Rammstein, Nightwish, Tristania, The Gathering, Haggard, Ayreon, Octavia Sperati, Deathstars, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Leaves' Eyes, Radiohead, Lady GaGa, Coldplay, Evanescence, Bon Jovi, Within Temptation, Epica, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Linkin Park, Muse, The Killers, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kings of Leon, Paramore and of course... Your Mum