Increasingly, bands are finding ways to make their music, and its application, more diverse. Simply releasing an album doesn't necessarily cut it anymore because we are so eager to be stimulated constantly, and in a variety of ways, that just listening to the music is often not enough to hold our attention.
On top of this, music and musicians are beginning to be seen as capable of so much more than just releasing albums. Take Kanye West for example. As much as his behavior can be infuriating, it's undeniable that West has talent. In fact, he's shaping the trajectory of rap and hip hop with his sampling of classical music rifs, and use of non-traditional harmonies and song structure. For his latest album, West also produced a 34 minute video which is essentially a narrative in visual form to accompany his tracks. If you've ever seen any Matthew Barney films, you'll definitely be able to make comparisons between the two. The video is strange, non-linear, non-verbal, but epic in its scale and set design. I'll also add that the cinematography is beautiful and the pairing of rap songs with such a visually jarring film is an entirely new and different sensory experience.
The New York Times recently did a segment about the band TV on the Radio and their new full-length album video. The band completed music videos for all ten of the songs on their album and are editing them together to create a cohesive, feature length film. While the Times framed the band's work as never having been done before, what TV on the Radio is doing is part of a new movement on the part of artists to demonstrate that their artistic talents extend beyond music.
It is also about changing the way we think of music. With the advent of MTV in the 80s, music videos became a standard accompaniment to at least one song on an artist's album. Now, however, musicians are expanding that to include full-length videos which provide visual context for their music. It is expensive to produce these videos, and there is almost no way to make a profit from them, so it is unlikely that this will become the new norm. For a new generation of genre-benders, however, music video is beginning to have a whole new meaning.
I find these new developments in music interesting. It's not anything new though. Rather it seems like the music industry is trying to grab hold of the cult classics that worked so many years ago. Look at the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" and Pink Floyds' "The Wall." Both of these titles are films from two of the past's most prominent and famous bands. Both titles are for an album, but also for an accompanying movie. "The Wall" is a great look at the creation of the rock opera while "Yellow Submarine" was more of a cartoon, acid-trip that accompanied some well placed music.
ReplyDeleteDid you read the piece on Condo in The New Yorker? It talked specifically about KW soliciting this album cover, trying to get the most controversial one he could, the one most likely to be banned.
ReplyDeleteI totally did! Great article.
ReplyDelete