On Music

As i type this i'm sitting at my computer right now listening to Easy Tiger by Ryan Adams for the umpteenth time. Ryan Adams is most often criticized for not allowing himself to be edited, for putting out too much material too quickly. It's true he is incredibly prolific almost to the point of being overwhelming to a fan like myself. However amidst such calculated albums from bands like Radiohead and Coldplay i find myself listening to Ryan Adams again and again. What i hear in his music is a passion. Not a passion to reinvent himself with every album but a passion to play music with friends for friends. His sound hasn't changed significantly from his first solo outing to his latest with the exception of of the "Fuck you record label" album Rock and Roll. He has worked with different producers and even different bands over the course of his nine released solo albums(He's planning to release a box set of unreleased albums sooon) and yet every time it sounds like him. He plays and records what he feels when he feels it and it gives every recording something special whether it's Jacksonville City Nights with its traditional country feel(i recommend playing it back to back with Sweetheart of the Rodeo) or the all over the map Love is Hell.

I won't deny that Coldplay and Radiohead are great bands and i do anticipate each release. I wish that they didn't think so much about their music though. I understand the concept of putting an album out as a whole piece of art and wanting it to be perfect before the masses snatch it up, but i can't help but think that they are missing out on something. The Beatles released 12 studio albums between 1963 and 1969. How's that for prolific. What i think is missing from many major recording artists work is something that was a necessity for bands in the early 60's. It's what causes people to get interested in music in the first place - that stirring in your stomach when you hear the rhythm and the melody and the chord changes. Music should come from the gut. It's the reason i'd rather listen to old Coldplay B-sides and unrleased tracks than anything off XandY. Often B-sides are the throwaways, the point in the studio when the calculating ended and the goofing off started. People want to hear music when it's fun. An audience can always tell when a band is having a good time whether it's on a stage or a CD.

The stories i'm most excited about hearing are the ones in which an artist or band decided to keep that song that was written and recorded in an hour because the feel of the tune was undeniable. A song means something to a fan because they recognize themselves in the music. When the song finally reaches the audience after months and years of fine tuning the artist often doesn't feel it anymore. The context of the song is forgotten. I think that's why there are such general lyrics these days. The songs are meant to be for a generation to sing along with, to graduate with, to be married to. At the same time music is being stripped of it's power to the individual in favor of reaching the masses. We musicians need to be careful that our over-reaching goals for our songs don't make us forget what really matters. The power of music to make a fan want to get up and shake their ass, or shout in protest or profess their love still exists. It's still what moves people to love music, it's still what moves me.