After my last article it struck me that I don't post music recommendations on this blog. Instead they've all been dumped on Facebook where they become part of that mushy landscape, receding into the past almost immediately, never to be seen again. Given that I take quite a lot of time to listen and advise, this seems somehow inappropriate. Music does not have an expiry date.
I am going to change that by going back through my archive. Because my previous advice was never constrained by what was recently recorded or released. I come across music at hazard and do not have the journalistic need to promote only the new.
I am also considering compiling together the hundreds of reviews I've posted on other websites, written under an anonymised name. It seems a shame that they go to waste. But the amount of work to convert the files is concerning. Considering that it's only, you know, my opinion. Perhaps no-one cares. And I don't do this for my ego.
A good review?
But if you are like me, you love a good review. What this means is that you trust the personality of the writer enough to take a chance on their recommendations. Not that you always agree with them, because such is impossible.
Something I feel lacking in this 21st century is the ability to find good reviewers. Basically, they all suck. Because they have no personality I can discern. Instead, they are driven by imperatives I don't find interesting: the need to be current, the need to be cool, and the need to write 1000 words when 20 will do. OK, perhaps that was always the way, back when I read New Musical Express and Melody Maker, and sometimes (ugh) Sounds. But in those days it was obvious. There was less artifice. Or, perhaps, just as much artifice but shared as an understanding between writer and reader.
There is no shared anything any more, because all relationships are transactional and fragmented.
Why listen to me?
Well, if you are already here on my blog and have read this far, the question has been answered. The scope of music I have heard and enjoyed is enormous. I have no artificial barriers to "taste" or any other such discriminant. I might cover just about any genre, from anywhere.
About the only thing that consistently doesn't interest me is over-produced pop. But no-one needs reviews of that anyway. Apparently it is ubiquitous. Instead I will focus on delightful surprises that upset the norm... and which hopefully you've never heard of.
My reviews will be short. I have nothing to prove, no deadlines to meet, no money to make from word counts.
I don't listen to the radio; I don't watch TV; I never see an advert. I live in a self-curated media bubble that allows me to stay aware of the world, but on my own terms. I am as free from commercial influence as possible. In part this is because I can't function as an artist otherwise. In part because my environmental sensitivities dictate this course of action.
So if I do recommend an album that is hyped in all the media channels I won't know this. It might happen!
Why Bandcamp?
I will focus on Bandcamp for several reasons. First, Bandcamp is easy to link to. And you can listen for free, so there are no barriers to checking out new music.
Second, they provide the phenomenon known as Bandcamp Fridays when they give up their profit margin. So all the money goes to the artists. I honestly don't know why they continue to do this, but I continue to exploit the possibilities. Throughout the month I wish list albums I am interested in. Then I buy them all on one day.
Third, most alternatives to Bandcamp are streaming companies. Their exploitation of musicians is hundreds of times worse than the old megacorps that people used to hate. I took all my music off streaming years ago and use no apps. I don't find it difficult to download files and then transfer them to whatever device I might need for listening. That is absolutely the least one should do for musicians and composers.
Fourth, Bandcamp provides music in uncompressed audio (FLAC) at a quality that is indistinguishable from the original masters. You lose nothing. Most streaming services use formats that suck the music dead.
(And, no, this is not an argument for the snake-oil that is "high resolution" music.)
About fixed media
I avoid fixed media as much as possible. Vinyl, aluminum, and plastic all contribute to the destruction of the environment and tamper with the sound in some way. If you wish to collect records on 12" discs of discarded polyvinyl chloride that is your business. But you are supporting the oil industry (where do you think PVC comes from?) while needlessly compromising the sound.
(Aside: As I write this as I am preparing some of my own music for cassette release because... well, it's complicated. The music is all about cassettes as a format in a historical context. So I am making an exception.)
Likewise I won't hate you for buying vinyl (and you can do that on Bandcamp) so long as you are aware of your choices. But please don't try to convince an audio engineer that this delivery method is in any way superior to the master tapes/files. And did you know that every vinyl album has been through a digital stage for mastering? So there are no true analogue formats.
OK now I am beginning a rant. See. I am a reviewer.
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