Archive for category Music
Life Changing Music, Part 2: The High School Years
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Music, Reflections: Self, Social Issues on August 20th, 2010
Ah, what a turbulent time! High school represents a time of both change and permanence–a time when you are able to alter the course of your own history while laying the foundation for the remainder of your life in terms of opinions, beliefs and practices. Simply put, high school is screwed up. Who really decides what they’re going to be for the rest of their lives when they’re still not legally allowed to make certain key choices about how they manage themselves? Nevertheless, these formative years often provide the core of any individual’s basic feelings on any subject, whether it’s music, art, literature or philosophy. While my interests expanded somewhat during college, this is where my roots are found. Here’s five stellar albums that have defined my opinion of what good music is.
REEL BIG FISH: TURN THE RADIO OFF
We aren’t talking advanced physics. We aren’t talking complex harmonies. We’re simply talking about fun and being cynical and humorous over situations that are out of our control. Girls, politics, the “scene,” whatever pisses you off. Reel Big Fish was the first embodiment of this sentiment for me. I had heard them prior to my freshman year (“Keep Your Receipt” EP graced my stereo that summer), but it wasn’t until December of 1997 that I was able to locate and purchase this album. I’ve rebought it once since then due to wear and tear. To this day, I can put in this album and listen almost straight through four or five times before I have to change it. “Sell Out” is a phenomenal nod to corporate idiocy in the record company and those who mindlessly follow it. “Beer” is another classic, reflecting on being dumped and trying to erase the anger (I was a clean-cut kid, so this was more vicarious than anything). But overall, something about this album’s upbeat and high-energy sound just caught me. I’ve liked ska ever since, expanding to bands like Less Than Jake, Five Iron Frenzy, Big D and the Kids Table, Streetlight Manifesto, et al. Each time, I’ve found more energy and enjoyment out of these people than almost any other form of music. Even if you don’t like ska, this album would probably provide at least one song you could jam to.
BEN FOLDS FIVE: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF REINHOLD MESSNER
This is not the first album I had gotten of BFF, but it was probably the most monumental in terms of composition and emotional impact (at least on a personal level). This album is tied closely to a certain relationship of mine that was fairly bitter when all was said and done. Some of the songs represent the glimmers of hope I tried to hold onto, while others flat out force me to abandon the dream in exchange for reality (“Magic” versus “Don’t Change Your Plans,” for example). However, after much listening, one of the songs that stood out most over time was “Your Most Valuable Possesion.” This may have been a starting point for the more experimental music I would later delve into, but at the least it was a great combination of a cool groove and impressively deep thoughts for an answering machine message. Ben Folds still rules, and he has only made himself more ubiquitous through collaborations with other artists, most notably with William Shatner (“Has Been” is incredible!). This one, unlike some other albums that may make this list, is worth an entire beginning-to-end listen.
REFUSED: THE SHAPE OF PUNK TO COME
Amazingly enough, my first run-in with Refused was relatively unmemorable. The second, though, came through MTV, which is even more incredible. The band’s “New Noise” absolutely blew me away one night while watching “Rock and Roll: A to Z.” It was beyond any measure of intense I had experienced up to that point. Rage Against the Machine was great, as was Chevelle and Tool, but only Zao competed with this band’s intensity, and they were more spooky than angry. Refused had true anger to push. Now, their earlier stuff, while still good, was just not as intriguing as “Shape.” Nevertheless, it presented them as a highly socio-political act, aiming to destroy capitalism and push for equality of classes and distribution of wealth. I was hooked almost instantly. At this time, I was rather skeptical of the government in the first place, and this only made matters worse. Even though they broke up about 2 years prior to my first listen, their words were still quite poignant. The stand-out track for me was “The Deadly Rhythm,” which incorporated jazz into its intro and its breakdown, along with incredibly chaotic beats. But this album, like “Reinhold Messner,” is a straight-through listening experience. It’s brilliant, inventive, and still totally off-the-wall when compared to other post-hardcore and punk acts. They’re very screamy, but not whiny. When I need to be invigorated, this is where I head. It’s artistic brilliance, and it was released only a short time before their demise in a basement in the United States (final concert was stopped by the police, to make things even more ironic).
MXPX: LET IT HAPPEN
In the summer of 1998 I met up with Seth Pederson at LTC (Leadership Training Camp, a week-long United Methodist camp in South Dakota). We actually met on the pretense of me playing Jars of Clay’s “Flood,” but his Reel Big Fish t-shirt caught my attention. We soon learned that we had extremely similar musical tastes, and within only a couple days we had become best friends. After camp, he and I got together and shared music and life stories. One of the bands that came up from his side of the musical sphere was MxPx (an abbreviation for Magnified Plaid). While I had heard Green Day beforehand, I hadn’t heard anything quite this fast or chaotic. If memory serves me, Seth played “Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo” for me, but I couldn’t find that album when I went to buy one, so I ended up with the B-side collection “Let it Happen” instead. Here’s what I remember of my first listen to this Christian punk group: we were in my bedroom in Madison, and Seth said, “Listen to this!” When he played the first song from the album, I thought it was faster and crazier than anything I had ever heard before that point. In fact, I really didn’t like it. Reel Big Fish was much more moderate in its approach, and Green Day was a slower version of this style. But it didn’t take many listens before I decided that this band was worth the purchase. “Let it Happen,” although only a B-side collection, was a great representation of the band’s early and later days, up until probably “Teenage Politics.” This album provided the foundation for much of the group’s musical style, and many of the songs on it are still favorites of mine (“Swingset Girl” is awesome). Worth every penny of my $12!
Life Changing Music, Part 1: Most Influential Albums from Middle School and Before
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Music, Reflections: Self on March 5th, 2010
There are certain songs, bands, albums, ideas that hook you when you’re young and change forever your opinion of what music should be. Before my middle school years (1994-1997), I based my musical tastes largely on two things: my parents’ music and the music on Top 40 radio (the latter provided mostly bad rap and corny pop, other than the occasional nuggets of Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Weezer, but I knew little of them at that point). Needless to say, I was limited to MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice and Debbie Gibson. Don’t get me wrong, there are merits in any music that anyone listens to, but my tastes were not very widespread. Now, my parents’ music, on the other hand, was much more interesting. The inclusion of everything from Buddy Holly and Elvis to Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull made me understand how fantastic music could be. So, this is essentially where my story should start.
THE BEATLES: ABBEY ROAD
If there’s one Beatles album that I truly listened to before I was in eighth grade, this is it. It was their last official recording as a group, although there were a few more releases before anyone knew John, Paul, George and Ringo had parted ways forever. The album is a conglomerate of unique compositions, with each member of the band contributing some very diverse elements. “Come Together” makes a big impact on almost anyone right away, but I found that “Something” and “Golden Slumbers” stuck with me the most as I got older. I don’t know what it is about this album, but something in its style epitomizes how I see the Beatles: it’s different from their start, but it seems to be a full-circle approach. You don’t feel like it’s the end, even though you know that it is. They still have the bluesy influences and the catchy tunes and lyrics (thanks mostly to Paul McCartney), but there’s a certain darkness to the sound, a quality not unlike relaxing your lungs after a long and panicky performance, the final breath out. You get a bit of a grin on your face, and then you hang up your instruments and feel satisfied that you’ve done something incredible. If you haven’t gotten into the Beatles (or don’t know who they are), this is one of the better places to start. It’s not too out there, but it isn’t the pop cliches that some of their earliest stuff seems to be. Still, listen to “Beatles for Sale” to get an idea of their roots, just as a balance.
LED ZEPPLIN: IV
Chuck Klosterman says in “Killing Yourself to Live” that every boy, at some point or another, falls madly, deeply, irrevocably in love with Led Zepplin, believing firmly that there never was–and never will be–any greater band on earth. Led Zepplin’s “IV” was the album that brought me to that conclusion in my years before high school. Yes, you eventually grow out of that opinion, but the band still lingers there long after you’ve changed your favorite. The first time I remember putting this album in (I had found it in my dad’s collection and subsequently commandeered it) I felt like I had listened to it a hundred times before. “Stairway to Heaven” was the song that felt most familiar. I had heard of it, but I was pretty sure I’d never heard it. But it felt natural. It was cathartic, poetic and completely nonsensical, all in one long, drawn out path of fascinating sound. But while it is a shining gem in Zepplin’s collection, I’m more attached to songs like “Black Dog” and “Rock ‘n Roll,” mostly because they led me to more fascinating choices later in my life. “Stairway” was safe in comparison. Now, I also listened to “III,” and it is a great album as well, but “IV” was much more formative to me. It felt less experimental, more organized. More of a whole album feel, to be honest. Call it what you will, but Led Zepplin “IV” was one of my top albums for years.
GLENN MILLER: CHATANOOGA CHOO-CHOO (The Best of Glenn Miller)
Not really specific to this album, but it’s the one I had in my collection first–Glenn Miller was my first introduction to really fantastic jazz music. It branched out from there to Benny Goodman, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Stan Getz, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, but Miller was first. “In the Mood” was one of my favorites in middle school, and I even got to play it in jazz band. I had an early leaning towards saxophone, mostly because of 80′s bands that included sax in their music, but jazz was quickly becoming a passion of mine. This particular album contained a bunch of Glenn Miller’s big hits, including many vocal tracks that I pretty much passed over. I wanted stuff like Tuxedo Junction, Pennsylvania 6-5000 and other great classics. Stuff I could jam with, dance to. No lie, I tried to get all my friends to listen to jazz, but few of them took to it. If it weren’t for Miller’s music, though, I may have never learned to appreciate jazz as much as I do now.
GARTH BROOKS: ROPIN’ THE WIND
Those who knew me prior to my college years knew that I was not a country fan. Not in the least. The one exception, though, was Garth Brooks. I started listening to Brooks because a few of my friends had talked about his music and started singing it. I thought I’d give it a try. Funny thing, after a whole lot of country music hating, Garth demonstrated the brighter side of country–catchy melodies, great sing-along potential and a knack for mixing humor with some pretty rough subjects (“Papa Loved Mama,” for example). My favorite song from this album, though, is “The River.” This is a great message and an incredible melody, one that I sang to every time I heard it–and still do to this day. If I had to pick one artist that pushed me into the realm of “country enthusiast,” Garth Brooks is the guy. I highly recommend any of his albums, but this was the one I got when I was in middle school.
THE BEACH BOYS: ENDLESS SUMMER (a greatest hits collection)
Yes, it’s just a “greatest hits” album, so no real meat to the structure, but the Beach Boys represent something magical about American culture, especially during their heyday, but also far past the 1960′s. Even “Kokomo” represents an awesome time in my childhood (singing with my family as we road tripped around the country!). But when it comes to just great music involving cars, girls and good times, the Beach Boys’ brand of pop is unrivaled (okay, Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffet have a spot in this category, but seriously, where did it all start? That’s what I thought). Whether it’s “Fun, Fun, Fun” or “California Girls,” you can jam. But if you want to get a little deeper, “In My Room” and “Good Vibrations” provide the slightly more contemplative side that Brian Wilson became famous for. No true American can deny the fun that the Beach Boys bring to those who have heard them. Also, as a bonus, I got to see the Beach Boys live in Sioux Falls when I was in middle school! Yeah, they were older, but they still carried the same attitude, which made it awesome.
A Semi-Seasonal Blog…What’s Wrong with That?
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Music, Updates on November 28th, 2009
Okay, okay, so for the two or three of you watching this blog, it has been FOREVER since I’ve posted. Sorry. I am on Twitter, though, so little updates are available there. Perhaps I’ll add a link…!
But for those of you who want something to sink their teeth into, I’m afraid I’ve let you down. So, I’ll try to make a little more out of this in order to provide more complete ideas when the ideas come.
PERSONAL UPDATE: I will soon be a father. And Jenn and I now own a house. I am very excited about both of these developments in our lives. I am 99% sure I’m ready to be a dad, leaving the other 1% for being scared crapless. I’m sure being a dad is wonderful, but it frightens me that I have a chance to significantly shape a living being’s life, possibly more than any other person or thing in this little human’s life. Is anyone with me on this? I hope so…
LESS PERSONAL INFO: I recently had a discussion with my friend David about genre history, definitions, qualities, and a few hundred other issues concerning the development of the music we know today. I’m thinking about diving into some of these issues and seeing what comes up. If anyone has any suggestions as to the direction of this particular discussion, please let me know. I’m really hoping to crank up this particular area in order to give this blog a little more purpose and direction. What good is a blog if it has no content?
Well, I thank the people that read this, even if it is only occasional. I’m sure that’s almost all my fault. I apologize for that. I hope I can give you a little more in the future.
IN THE WORKS: I’m putting together a list of my most influential albums in my musical experience, breaking it into three distinct periods: middle school and earlier, high school, and college and beyond. I’m hoping to have the first section done soon. Maybe. It’s been sitting a while, but I’m going to try to bring it up to date. I’m also probably going to do a basic analysis of Christian versus secular music (watch the sparks fly on that one…). Thanks, David, for giving me some inspiration!
Till we meet again!
Review: mewithoutYou “Brother, Sister”
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in God, Music on March 22nd, 2009
mewithoutYou: Brother, Sister
It’s no surprise that mewithoutYou’s most recent album, “Brother, Sister,” offers a heady dose of unusual and unsettling music, but this album is still beyond this band’s typical realm of shouted poetry and spoken-word intensity. The first two albums, “[A-->B] Life” and “Catch for Us the Foxes,” both possess a capturing sense of closeness, with detailed, poetic lyrics and a clear struggle to gain control over life’s many situations. However, “Brother, Sister” seems to take that emotion a step further.
In this album, singer Aaron Weiss seems to unlock a slightly darker side to his already mystifying observations on both the simple and complex things that put life into perspective. With thick metaphors and even thicker analysis, Weiss weaves the stories of lost sailors, curious children and confused adults into an almost seamless quilt of human existence. The opening phrase, “I do not exist,” is uttered at the very end of the record as well, but the mood changes dramatically in the two identical statements. From “Messes of Men,” the listener gets the impression of man’s hubris while also discovering how clouded our view of this world actually is. It’s a song about the sea, but it is quickly seen as a metaphor more than anything else. From there, the listener goes through a kaleidoscope ride of images, including God’s fury, His love, and the blessing that this life can bring.
It’s hard to describe the purpose of this record as a whole, but the interlude-like songs that join together the different major sections of this album tend to put out a very apparent picture of our curiosity, the contrasting view of our right to this world’s treasures, and the final picture of our dying days. In between, we see our struggle with the concept of freedom (the metaphor of the peacock in the zoo in “A Glass Can Only Spill What it Contains” is especially poignant), our hope to coax others into our control (“C-Minor”), our fear of damnation, and our consequent realization of God’s ultimate power over us. It’s about faith, it’s about acceptance, it’s about objecting to the wrongs of the world, and it’s about finding love in all things.
But that’s just the lyrics. The music itself is exploratory and introspective at the same time, reaching to new realms with its instrumentation, but without leaving the comfort of the band’s typical formula of build-and-release. However, the shout-out-loud feeling that the past albums held has been hushed slightly, leaving only a couple truly high points in the music that go beyond a completely chilled volume, including the ending of “C-Minor” and the close of “O, Porcupine.” This may disappoint some listeners, but the album shows so much growth and development as a whole that no one can fault mewithoutYou for trying something unique. Still, fans of the old albums should feel comfortable with this one for its use of melodic layering, intimate arrangements and focused lyrics. It’s almost trance-like at times, leaving the listener drained by the time the final track fades out with a softly plucked harp.
But the message is clear: find hope and love in the world, knowing that God is the ultimate being, leading our lives into the right places through His love and passion for us. And this is what comes of the last few lines:
“I do not exist,
Only You exist,
I do not exist.”
Quick Update and Trying Something New…
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Music, Reflections: Self, Updates on March 17th, 2009
So, as you may see by the past dates on this blog, I’ve been rather inactive. Of course, it’s not for lack of desire. I’ve been wanting to write, but I just haven’t been taking the time to write. So, today, I’m trying something new. Windows Live has just started offering this “Writer” application (available through downloading the newest version of Live Messenger) that allows you to write blogs on your desktop environment. I’m not sure if it’s really worth the while, but hey, it gives me an excuse to try this out.
Maybe having this added application will keep me mindful of the possibility of blogging more often. Maybe not…but we’ll have to see!
Maybe there’s some good way to get on track…like a theme or something. Should I be writing about something specific, or should I just be writing the most random thoughts possible? I don’t know. Perhaps someone has some insight or even a suggestion for me. I like music, but I just don’t spend much time analyzing and writing about it anymore. That may be a good thing to focus on, especially since the Internet is full of fascinating music. Well, if you have any good suggestions, just pass them along. Become a member of my blog, write a post, whatever you feel necessary. I need some reason to update this sucker!
A Shout-out to my Choir peeps
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Music, Reflections: Others, Reflections: Self on October 28th, 2007
A little too gangster for this white boy, I know, but I do want to give props to my four All-State Chorus students for their accomplishment this weekend. We went to Rapid City to sing with 928 other choir students and almost 200 orchestra students–the best in the state–and my kids were absolutely excellent. All four of them behaved, obeyed and even volunteered to help with everything. It’s amazing how great your job can be.
The flipside, of course, is that I have not seen my wife in almost four days. I miss her dearly and can’t wait to get back home. I’m also looking forward to our own comfy bed. Nothing like a good night’s sleep. Then, back to reality.
But it won’t be so bad. I’m looking forward to digging away over the next week at our Veteran’s Day pieces, getting everything put together in the few rehearsals we have left before the big performance. And after that, it’s Christmas time. Boy, the year zips by quickly. And in less than a month, I’ll be a quarter-century old! Yikes! Well, at least my insurance will go down. That’s always a nice thought.
I’m hoping to write a little more of just about anything. That’s kind of my goal–music, stories, love letters, whatever. Just something. I need some creativity. My wife and I have been doing some paintings together for wall art, and I want to do more of that as well. But it’s all a game of time, so I’ll have to budget some extra relaxation into my schedule in order to do some of that fun stuff.
Thanks for stopping by. Good night all.