Thursday 27 September 2012

What music has done for me, and what we are expected to do in return.

I apologise in advance if this entry feels a little more disjointed than usual, but this is a subject which has been turning over in my mind for some time now, and as a result of that this entry has been in process for much longer than really should be possible. 

What I suppose I wish to begin by pointing out is that I do not believe my generation is the first generation to find solace in music, nor do I believe that we will be the last. What I speak about in this entry relates entirely to subjective moments in my life which have affected me, and in turn led me to see the effect music has had on my friends etc. I understand that this cause and effect has been happen since before my birth, and will continue to occur long after I cease to exist, and I have made my peace with this fact.

I am proud of the effect which music haves upon me. As an English person, we are taught from a young age to fear pride, in case we are torn down by it or in case it ruins us. But music gives me such strength of feeling that it is impossible to hide how proud I am of its effect upon me. Over the years, music has shaped the clothes which I have worn, the friends I have chosen to stick about with, and also the way in which I have viewed life.

But is it healthy to be so emotionally attached to pieces of music, and, inevitably, the people who create them?

Being but 21, I am part of the My Chemical Romance generation. I was there dissauding my parents that they were a 'death cult', and I was there at The Black Parade concerts, dressed as such. I enjoyed the macabre to a depth I had not enjoyed much else up to that point. I even dressed up for the more recent Killjoys concept, a notion I am no less proud to admit, despite it being at the age of 19 and not at 15. Being a part of this band's evolution has given me both friendships and relationships over the years, and has provided me with a confidence that other things failed to give.

But, looking at how invested I was then, I can not help but wonder whether it was healthy. For with the rise inevitably comes the fall, and perhaps that is just how life is.

And so, I am proud, but I also question my obsessions, my desires.

What effect does it have on us as teenagers?

I remember obsessively writing lyrics over my worksheets in High School. Music 'saved' me; it gave me new friends and it gave me a best friend which blossomed into my first long-term relationship. I will never regret how obsessively I poured over music and gave my time to it; I would go to shows three or four times a month, just to get that release of emotions that surged through me at shows. 

More recently I have been part of another revolutionary part of music history, namely the birth of Kickstarter. 

Kickstarter is an online haven for anyone gifted and poor. You set a goal, show what you want to do, and people hopefully 'back' you by gifting you money in exchange for tokens of appreciation.

Amanda Palmer has become part of this Kickstarter generation, making music industry history with her most recent album. She set out to raise enough to record, produce and release her record. She wanted to be able to afford to tour with her new band, make some beautiful music videos, and mostly she wanted to be able to give something beautiful back to her dedicated fan base. 

Her album was released recently, after her Kickstarter project raised over $1,000,000 and ensured that she would be able to do everything she wanted to do with her new album, and more. I recently wrote a review of the album, named Theatre is Evil, and posted it on this selfsame blog.

So what does this mean for the future of music? Does it change what fans expect from musicians? More often than not now, there is a pre-order bundle available. Is this set to get bigger and bigger with time? 

For the simple backing price of $25 (only the cost of a new CD, in all honestly), the backers of AFP have received beautiful quality products, which are limited edition and feel personal and special.

So what does it bode for other artists? Can musicians get away these days with only releasing music? Or do we, as fans, expect more?

Another example is Max Bemis, of Say Anything, who runs a song shop. For a set price, Max Bemis will write you a song. Imagine, your very own handwritten and recorded song, that you know was written out of your own pocket. For a fan, this is a priceless gift. For other, it is a waste of money.

Consumerism is rife even amongst the creative types. We all need to eat, after all.

Perhaps it isn't an expectation though. Perhaps we just like to feel part of something again. The music industry have kept fans at arms length from music for too long, and now perhaps it is time for those barriers to be broken. 

Music has give me a lot over the years. It has provided me with one of my first outlets for creativity, it gave me friends, and it also allowed me a space where I felt free and uninhibited. At shows I was able to forget the fact that I was depressed, or struggling with my coursework, or had argued with my best friend that day. Music has helped me forge friendships so strong that oceans can not stop their continuation. 

In return I have given music my devotion. I have spent money on shows, on merchandise. I have given music my heart and, at times, my entire focus. And I am excited to welcome a new era to music, the Kickstarter generation, where I am able to give more than £15 for a CD, or for a t-shirt. I am able to give something to help creation. That's pretty fucking special. 

And so I remain proud. I may have been obsessed, devout, determined. But I have always been excited to be a part of music, of a moment in time that will remain alive for a few, and now I am even more excited to spread this moment out wide, to see it given a platform in the form of Kickstarter. It seems I will always be young at heart for music.

Again, I apologise for the scattered way this entry has fall upon the page. I have edited it back and forth, and in all honesty; I don't have the fucking answers to the questions I am asking, and therefore can only ask and wonder. 

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Theatre Is Evil - Review


I never intended for this blog to become a space for reviews, but times call for a change.

Amanda Palmer recently released her newest full-length studio album, and as a kickstarter backer I received my download code in the email a few hours after the album dropped in the UK. I've not had my full package through in the post, but I couldn't wait any longer to hear the full album. I've been awaiting it rather anxiously, and after catching a section from a song in a local HMV, I was pretty desperate to get a listen.


With the digital download comes a whole heap of other lovely things, including a stencil .pdf, a lyrics booklet which is full of all of the lovely artwork, not to mention tos of photos from during the recording of the album. With the download you also recieve a whole shed load of B-sides and older tracks that I've previously have had the pleasure to listen to. I won't focus on particular songs, or B-sides, but here are my immediate thoughts on the album as a whole.

A lot of the album feels like a huge stage production fighting to take place, grabbing your attention at every corner. I want to do big dance kicks to songs, and beat my chest with my fists whilst crying in the rain. Some of songs of this album bring me to tears, for example The Killing Type, and others are complete joys to listen to, like Do It a With a Rockstar.

Hauntingly beautiful, The Killing Type has that nostalgic pain in it that comes with memories. There isn't much else to say, bar that this song has such a quiet desperation in it that almost makes it difficult to listen to. The honesty in AFP's lyrics kills me every time. The vocals are what bring me to my knees, but make sure to watch the video as well for a very beautiful, very hurting video.


From the grand opening echoes of Do It With a Rockstar, you feel transported. This is a fighting song, a siren song. It feels like a fist fight with a friend when you're drunk and handsy. I genuinely love this track; it has spark and punch and it kicks you in the balls and then gets down on its knees to kiss the bruise better afterwards.


This album, with its crying and shouting and screaming, feels like an extension of the community which AFP has created for herself and the artists she surrounds herself. Perhaps it is merely due to the notion of its creation, with the roots of this album based in Kickstarter territory, but AFP has a way of making the listener feel like more than that. I am never passive when listening to this album; I am constantly enjoying, singing, dancing, crying. It is fun and very, very AFP and I can't wait to dance to all of it at her show in October. 


Overall, the album is a beauty. I'm perhaps used to more vocals and more piano, but there are certainly enough haunting ballads on here to satisfy those cravings. AFP's album does something a good album should do, which is grow from what was started in the previous album. Where her previous full-length felt very much a solo session, this album feels like a full-blown polyamorous love affair of music and lyrics. I'm sure as time passes I will grow to adore the dark with the light, the hurt with the humour. But for now I'm content to let it settle over me like moss and take root. 


If you like the sound of it, or have been wondering whether to try listening to it or not, then I have to urge you to try it out. Amanda Palmer does this amazing thing where she allows you to pay whatever you want for her music; whatever you can afford or think it is worth. I urge you all to download this album, give her a shot, and give her what money you can in order to show her your thanks for creating such a wonderful, vibrant album.


Amanda Palmer says that we are all the media, and from the way this album has been born, grown and released into the wild, I truly feel invigorated towards music once more. In a time where music is growing stale, and fans are being guilted into paying large sums for what they are told is the 'privilege' of listening to new music, AFP is (unsurprisingly) doing something completely different, and she is finally getting the recognition she has long deserved.