Independence Day

Most of the music that hits the mainstream, and also the average brain the quickest, is immediate, punchy, upbeat music. Think of it, the most primitive form of music (I can think of) is tribal or African music. The drums are nearly always upbeat, chanting or chorus is encouraged, and a sense of release and glee are synonymous with the performance. Naturally, music evolves, but also retains some of those primal traits.

Then why is it the slow ballad-type song is so prominent these days? Acoustic based music is very popular indie terrain now, with an emphasis on single performers (Joanna Newsome, Devendra Banhart, Sufjan Stevens, etc.) and their personal, intimate and mostly slow-tempo songs. Have we forgotten to dance?

Not everyone. Obviously, I’m mostly speaking to underground music fans who like this stuff. Hip-hop is still churning out a furious rate of wonderful singles (David Banner’s “Play”? Good God.), dance is alive and well through Madonna and others, and Billboard pop chart music hasn’t seemed to put out a ballad of any importance in the last 5 years, to my recollection. And again, many indie or underground music fans love this shit even if they don’t admit it. Still, the ballad is alive and well for them.

Why is this? As a hobby or pastime, music collectors and fans have more steadily gotten away from the social aspect of music, or even enjoying it as an event rather than a constant thing. Instead, we now rely heavily on websites and internet information, a faceless, endless and constant tool for us to stay informed about new music, all while eliminating the personal contact of talking with your record store clerk or friends. Not only that, downloading has allowed us to binge on tons of new sounds that we may not even care for. Noise music has sprung forth through the frenzy, a music so strange and personal – for real, who can you share this music with if you don’t have hipster friends? The internet has allowed this lonely communication where we can learn about new things, consume them and express our opinions, just like me in this blog.

This is not to say that the internet is “at fault” for anything. If anything, it has exponentially increased the music idea pool faster than before and introduced us previously unseen forms of sound. But the majority of that underground music is personal, the community is shrinking.

Now maybe I’m wrong. Am I just not out communicating about music? Seeing or meeting the right people? Voicing my opinion enough? Or, am I right – just another faceless voice in an independent music chatroom?

(With that, a wonderful record to enjoy by your lonesome, and something that I was going to try to weave into the above, but couldn’t: Doveman’s The Acrobat is a great record of breathy vocals and soft arrangements. This one undoubtedly reminds me of wintertime – bare trees, cold breath, but looking out from inside, warmth radiating off the fire. Yeah, the songs are sad, but there’s something optimistic lurking right underneath. Spring is right around the corner after all…)