There is something about the sun going down so early – around this time of the year – that makes all the pressures of unfinished assignments all the more feverish. This eventuality of shorter days never crosses my mind until I finally notice that I have already fallen into a tired and somber attitude.
How easy it is to be ignorantly believing that everything is together and then quickly disintegrating into blah blah attitudes that bear no weight to anything, and in that absence of anything concrete, how disparate everything can be should you not tie each task, emotion, or thought with something that has weight and a semblance of togetherness.
By no means am I saying I sit with hopeless emptiness on my couch in my apartment as I write this blog post. No, this isn’t meant to sound depressing at all. The only reason why I remain happy is because I have to be. Also, listening to Feist’s Mushaboom helps a lot, but not really at the same time. Sometimes, if the moment is just not right, a song as happy as that makes me more tired and sad than I was before.
Another thing that helps, is writing, as much as I can. And when I am not typing or writing longhand on sheets of paper that I find strewn across my desk or in my little black notebook, I am thinking about writing. However, more broadly speaking, I keep thinking about English as an art form.
I guess what I am trying to say, is that keeping my mind occupied is a greater force to fend off the lulls of energy during this time of the year in comparison to delusional fantasies of happiness that are brought on by listening to Mushaboom.
In fear of this article becoming needlessly and annoyingly pretentious, because I am sincerely lacking material today for this blog post, I will cut this article short. I would rather not blab on about nonsense. For God’s sake, parts of this post are already nonsense.
Maybe I should just switch up my song choice, because I can’t be thinking about writing all the time, I got other stuff on my mind too.
Maybe I will listen to the It Ain’t Me Baby or some song by Haim or maybe…oh oh! I got it! Changes by Bowie.
Category: Uncategorized
Wake Up, Mr. West
So has anyone noticed the undeniable transformation of Kanye West’s music? Of course you have, what am I saying. To be quite honest, I don’t really know many of Kanye’s new songs from his recent album or follow any of his musical partnerships at the moment. From the few songs that I have listened to, however, coupled with the insane media coverage and his elevated fame and fortune as his family becomes the First Family of Fashion, it is very apparent that he has evolved as an artist. Yet, if I may give my opinion, I would say that it isn’t in a good way.
It hit me like a ton of bricks as I was walking down the street with my music playlist on shuffle. On came the loud yell of a man saying “Wake up, Mr. West, Mr. West, Mr. West…” followed by Kanye’s crisp voice as he flows his way into the start of the song. I hadn’t listened to “Heard ‘Em Say” by Kanye West and Adam Levine in a long time, but the ease that the melody of the song brought to my long walk, the power in the words that made up the song, and the way that Adam Levine’s harmony flowed over the hard beat, made me ecstatic that it came across my ears again. Then, by some mighty force of nature, another Kanye song started as “Heard ‘Em Say” faded from my ears. This time it was “All Falls Down”. Â A song that I adored when I first heard it back in 2004. Great melody, great rhymes, great music.
Given all of this greatness that entered my ears on that walk, I became aware of what everyone has been saying about Kanye West’s music. It’s nothing like it used to be. His rhythm, his words, his message, his relatability, in my opinion, has been lost in a mass of his media-influenced life. Now I’m not saying that it is impossible for people to change up what they are passionate about, how they do their craft, and how they project that to the people that appreciate it. However, I would like to say that there was something exceptionally enticing, artistic, poetic, real, and everlasting about Kanye’s music circa early 2000’s. Of course a lot has changed in his life and in the music-age among us, where certain sounds and styles are more popular than the sounds from back then. But isn’t there a way to mesh today with yesterday, Kanye?
The collaborative way in which he mixed old-school R&B artists and tracks with his poetry and rhymes that targeted repressed cultural issues was game-changing. If he were to do that again, it would still be game-changing, considering the lack thereof of rap artists that broach controversial topics in way that’s inviting and fun to the ear.
I think that it is sometimes hard to accept that music has changed from what we’ve remembered it to be when we were young and barely knew what the words meant, to now where we crave beats and words that connect with us. I do enjoy some of Kanye’s latest work like Blood on the Leaves and a few of his verses on other collaborations. I just wish that he was able to connect with whatever greatness that made his old music so unforgettable. Whatever it was, it helped him create true art.
Some Band That I Used to Know
“Somebody That I Used to Know†was surprising hit when first arrived on the music scene. It was by two unknown artists, did not seem to have a lot of mass appeal, and frankly was a little strange sounding. But, as most of us are already aware, this song was hugely popular and the lead singer/composer, Gotye, gained massive success. Unfortunately, that fame only lasted until that song was on the radio. After it got replaced by the new sound, Gotye fell out of favor with the general public and was lost amongst the other names. I personally believe that this was a mistake, as Gotye has massive amounts of talent and still has great hits stored away for future releases.
A little background, Gotye was born May 21, 1980 in Belgium, though he lives and grew up in Australia. His real name, Woulter Andre De Backer served as inspiration for his pseudonym. Woulter is the Flemish form of Gauthier, which, when phonetically spelled, gives Gotye. De Backer first got his idea for his act when his neighbor gave him his collection of records after hearing his band practicing. Gotye has so far released 3 albums, but only 2 are available in the United States. His creative styling and composition is truly unique as he goes out of way to mix sounds that aren’t usually put together. He’ll do anything from vocal distortion, to individually plucking strings of a harp, to sampling older records in order to make a sound that really inspires him. To find out more, I would highly suggest watching his video, “Making Making Mirrorsâ€.
I do not believe that Gotye gets the praise that he deserves. His art is something truly unique and it deserves praise. If “Somebody That I Used to Know†didn’t convince you of his talent, then I suggest you look up “Eyes Wide Open†or my personal favorite, “Easy Way Outâ€. Both songs are completely different experiences with differing sounds, meanings, and feelings to them. His songs are beautifully and carefully crafted in such a way that it is astounding.
In addition to the crafting of the songs, the creation of the album as a whole is also ordered fascinatingly well. The songs flow from one to another without any noticeable change. That is how an album should be made. The songs should change, but the sensation of the album should not. “Save Me†and “Bronte†are right next to each other on the album “Making Mirrors†and even though they are very different songs, they sound perfect in that exact order.
Perhaps, what I find to be the most interesting is that he does it mostly by himself. He has people play instruments rarely and has people look over his work, but all of his work is almost entirely self-made. He does not have a studio to make him sound perfect, nor does he have a sound technician to make sure that all of it is put in the right place. Gotye is a master of his craft and recognition must be given.
Marina and The Diamonds
When my friends tell me how much they love and idolize Demi, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and the like I try to jump in with my one and only pop obsession: Marina and the Diamonds. The usual response I get is, “who?” Followed by a return of discussion to the more easily recognized pop heroines of the day. These friends gush to me about how Demi is saving the world, Tay is giving voice to our broken hearts, and Bey is just queen of everything. And while I completely respect these pop heroines for using their voices to reach people like my wonderful friends, there is something missing from their vein of pop for me, something that no one provides better than Marina and the Diamonds.
Marina began playing the piano and putting her poetry to music when she was 20 years old, which is a pretty late start for someone in the pop world. The first video I ever saw of Marina’s was “How to be a Heartbreaker” from her 2012 album Electra Heart. My first reaction was that this was yet another fluffy pop song jumping aboard the modern trend of gender role reversal in music videos. I thought it was cute, but didn’t connect with any substantive message in it at first. However, something kept me coming back to it and I watched it three more times that day.
Fast forward to a couple weeks later. After making it through the entire Electra Heart music video series (yes, she did this before Bey), I was totally swept by her unique voice and poetic lyrics. The way that she uses the pop medium to expose a variety of multifaceted issues on gender and culture results in songs that are both extremely catchy as well as layered in symbolism and deep thought.
The song that broke my ambivalence toward Marina is called Primadonna. Like many of her songs, this song is full of wit, irony, humor, and depth – not a very easy thing to pull off. She artfully balances mocking the “prima donna” female trope with an explicit acknowledgement of the fact that we all have a little prima donna in us. This theme is reflected in her song Homewrecker, but this is just one side of her work. She is entirely unafraid to expose a much more raw and emotionally charged side of herself in songs like Teen Idle and Lies.
I could list, analyze, and gush about the Marina songs I love (aka all of them) all day, but beside her artistry in writing and crafting her songs and videos, she has amazing talent that is not to be overlooked. I love Rihanna, she’s so bold and eccentric, but when she gets on stage to sing, she exposes how artificial and produced her tracks are. Marina, on the other hand, has amazing control of her voice. She moves seamlessly from beautiful high notes to a smooth (or sometimes raspy, if she so chooses) deep low notes.
I see how long this post is getting, but I genuinely feel that even this does not do her justice. In her music, she advocates for women’s rights, a deeper thinking culture, and a more intellectual breed of pop in a wonderfully poetic way. The best part is, she really does have the world talking. Instead of the usual heap of trolling and superficial commentary, her videos receive comments discussing and opening up the songs to the many possibilities of meaning, almost in the same way one would for a piece of literary criticism. Her work is sparking an highly intellectual and interpretive discussion about culture and art.
I highly respect this artist and encourage you to check out her other songs, especially the acoustic versions she has released. Stay tuned for her upcoming album FROOT; she released the first track from the album earlier this month.
Costumes & Candy
Growing up, I loved Halloween. For an evening I was able to pretend to be someone or something else and be rewarded for it with a bucket filled to the brim with various fun sized candy bars. On Halloween you forgot your troubles, ignored your homework and became a princess, a cowboy or whatever else struck your fancy. While the night had to end and you still had to do your homework, Halloween was different than just playing dress up. There was a purpose, Halloween meant a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup in your lunch box everyday for the next two weeks, wrappers stuffed into jean pockets and lingering compliments on the originality and craftsmanship of your costume. For most people, Halloween is a once a year opportunity to lose themselves in someone else but, for me, that was never enough and so I found theater.
I suppose the connection between Halloween and theater is a bit odd to make. Yes, they both involve costumes. Yes, those involved typically are boisterous and uninhibited. Yet for me, this is not where the similarities end. There are many reasons that I love theater but as a performer the ability to find myself in someone else and to lose part of myself for an hour or four (if it happens to be unedited Shakespeare or Handel) is a near addictive experience.
But then it’s over. The curtain falls and the person you became disappears as the part of you that you left behind returns. Instantaneously you are transported back to exactly where you were just a few hours before; your troubles return and impending deadlines demand your attention. Yet, just like Halloween, the actual event may be over but your efforts have not been for naught. You are welcomed back from who you pretended to be to the person you are as the audience applauds your accomplishments. The next day, your name appears in the paper with (ideally) a glowing review as all your friends compliment your performance and promise to come see the show as soon as they get the chance.
That’s the magic in Halloween. For one night, everyone gets to experience the joy of performing without the stage fright, memorized lines and months of rehearsal. So however you celebrate tomorrow night, I hope you have as much fun as I have on stage and that you revel in your reward.
Omne Trium Perfectum
Three. Two. One…
…is said to be a lonely number, two is a pair, and three to five is a few. A half dozen is six, a dozen twelve, and everything in between is several. Thirteen is a baker’s dozen, twenty is a score, and more than that is numerous. These are some methods of describing the universal language in the English language. Numbers, although a global constant, are perceived in numerous (ha) lights. By analyzing linguistic structures, one can see the odd variety in numbering systems in different languages and cultures. In French, for instance, the difference between 16 and 10+7 contrasts the English system of 12 and 10+3. There are many of these oddities that differentiate the philosophies behind numbering systems. But there is a universal perception of numbers in art. For art, three is a special number.
When looking at a two-dimensional illustration–a painting or photograph–you will notice that most of them follow the Rule of Thirds:Â a principle of balance and composition for objects in space. This guideline suggests that elements in a visual design should be placed along equally-spaced horizontal and vertical lines on a canvas, which is therefore divided into three horizontal and three vertical grids. For some scientific reason, we are aesthetically-drawn to images following this rule.
Also in art, it is typically good practice to use an odd number of focal points. While certain principles of continuity enable groups of four or six to be aesthetically pleasing, most often an odd number of objects–such as three–serve for good balance in composition. It is said that our eyes are often drawn to the center of an image, so by placing an object in the center with secondary objects on either side, we establish not only symmetry, but some odd (as in ‘not even’) form of balance. Three makes this simple.
Humans like three. Not only in visual art, but in the written word as well. This is especially evident in fairy tales, such as “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” the “Three Little Pigs,” and the “Three Blind Mice.” In Latin, this principle is phrased “omne trium perfectum,” which translates to “all things in a set of three are complete.” When three pieces are presented together, a perfect balance is found. The Rule of Three leaves a good taste in the mind; a sense of completeness and satisfaction. It is said that we often remember things in groups of three. In Christian and Catholic faith, there is the Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Caesar, in saying “veni, vidi, vici” establishes his narrative in a triad–I came, I saw, I conquered. In much of literature, such as Three Musketeers and the Three Spirits of Christmas in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, three appears again and over again. So what?
Numbers are universal, but their embodiment in language and culture are relative. But three manifests itself in the universal language of art. There’s something special about it. Although odd, it brings us balance, clarity, and satisfaction.
