A few nights ago I couldn’t contain my star struck excitement when I ran into Adam Lempel from Weekends. I was holding a bottle of wine in my arm and ordering a falafel from the Hopkins dubbed late nightspot, uni mini. I noticed a hipster to my right wearing blue skinny jeans, accentuating his emaciated frame and his bobble head with a messy hair. A moment went by before we recognized each other. Adam, being the sweetie he is, said hello, introduced me to the other band member, Brendan Sullivan, and remembered that I was interested in conducting an interview.

Adam and Brendan were grabbing a bit to eat before leaving for New York City to perform more shows. So I took advantage of my run-in to ask a few questions. I didn’t record the answers so I’m not going to claim accuracy but I do remember the answer I got for the question,  ‘How did Hopkins spit you out?’

Adam understood what I was talking about. Hopkins is far from liberal-artsy. We have one arts building that the majority of the campus makes sure to avoid (they think the building is ugly). We are a research institution and everyone acts accordingly.

Adam’s answer was that he didn’t really spend a lot of time at Hopkins during his days here. His experience reminded my of one of my classmates’ – He’s a DJ who has infiltrated the Baltimore scene and brings influences from the west coast, from his home state down south and more. Adam was also a DJ for some time – frequenting Baltimore venues. But according to him, he got sick of playing other people’s music and decided to bring his own to the table.  Luckily, he already had the skill, being a trained guitarist from a young age.

I guess being indie at Hopkins kind of makes you an outcast. It’s unlike other scenes where everyone is in a competition to be the weirdest kid on the block, to the point where being weird is no longer weird. Here, you hear stuff like, ‘They’re playing that Collective Animal shit up there.’ I’m not saying Hopkins is unique, but it sure is a different environment – a research oasis in the middle of the funky, indie, creepy Baltimore desert.

I think this pushes kids like Adam stand out and rebel to new levels not found elsewhere.  Once he’s pushed the boundaries, he also find welcome in the city around him that has spit out artists like Beach House, Animal Collective and Wye Oak.

I started preparing for my presentation in War and Peace around 1030 am today. I had the next couple hours to pour over Seifrid’s article, decipher what the guy was talking about, find examples in the 1200 pages of text to support his point, come up with my own opinion and then pose questions (I hope my prof does not find this blog!). I did it. My point is that this whole process got me thinking about what makes music good.

First, this is what makes Tolstoy good. The Seifrid article talks about Tolstoy’s obsession with the visual experience and his frustration of having to use words to depict it. Tolstoy felt like there was serious “realness” lost once something visual had to be translated into text. Thus, in order to try to bypass that problem Tolstoy wrote from the sensory experience of a particular character. The problem is that even while character Pierre is seeing light, Tolstoy has to tell you that Pierre is seeing light. So Siegel pointed out that there is this whole laying effect going on of a visual experience passing through the characters perspective and then through Tolstoy’s and then finally to the reader. By the time the reader “sees” what the character does it’s already passed through several lenses. This got Tolstoy all worked up and he didn’t know what to do about it.

The thing is, this is also what made the dude amazing. It made him describe something like “death” in the most ridiculous way. So any normal author would say, the guy got shot and fell over. Tolstoy describes what the guy sees off in the distance, let’s say a horse, and all of the sudden the horse becomes blurry, and the guy notices that something on his right side feels sticky and all of the sudden he sees the sky. Then the guy wonders what happened to the horse…. Tolstoy never actually says he got shot and fell over, you as the reader have to figure that one out.

So the reason this makes him so good is because it takes something we all know, like the smell of the air, and makes you think about it. How often do you walk outside and think about the clothes touching your skin, and the ground pressing up at your feet – not often. Tolstoy would make you notice all that stuff.

Anyway, this made me think about what makes good music good… to be continued…

It’s like MGMT had to appease us with “Kids” in order for us to take Congratulations seriously. After all, Oracular Spectacular had us loving and respecting MGMT to the max. They knew we’d at least give Congratulations a listen… and they were hoping that some of us would see it for the masterpiece that it is. Unfortunately, most of us haven’t developed enough sophistication to fully appreciate Congratulations.

I learned my senior year of high school that some good music requires extreme sophistication. At the time, I was dating this guy who was the lead singer of a classic rock band, an accomplished guitarist, and a world renowned fiddler. He was giving me a ride home from school and put Bob Dylan on for the ride. I cringed and said,  “Uh, I really don’t like him.” He looked at me, shocked, and probably wondering how he could continue hanging out with me and responded, “Well, he’s just too sophisticated for you.”

As a classical pianist, I was extremely offended at the time, but he was absolutely right. And as my sophistication grew so did my appreciation for Dylan.

MGMT’s Congratulations requires that same sophistication because they are giving us Dylan. MGMT is giving us Prokofiev’s Second Concerto. This stuff requires an acquired taste, sophistication and appreciation. There is no room for instant gratification.

Congratulations is dense. It gives your ear too much to grasp the first, second or third time through. It’s the polar opposite of Broken Bells. Danger Mouse gives you what you want to hear without any substance. MGMT gives you substance – oh, they give you too much to chew! Take the first song, “It’s Working”. It begins with a little riff that turns into a verse characterized by quick chord changes, spontaneous drumming, and then a pause… all within the first minute. Then a B section within the second minute, another pause… Something resembling a chorus is introduced in the third minute but then you get a complete tempo change as soon as the chorus ends! MGMT, you’re giving us a lot to digest. And “It’s Working” is a snack compared to “Siberian Breaks.”

But after listening to Congratulations many times, getting a chance to grasp some themes and melodies, dare I say, “it’s incredible.” Dare I say that the multi-part, “Siberian Breaks” is reminiscent of “Paranoid Android”, sometimes compared to “A Day in the Life”. Am I going too far? I don’t think so.

Some would fault MGMT for the density – but I’m not going to. There is a difference between over the top and dense. Over the top is like Rachmaninoff’s First Concerto – you listen and just wonder if all of it’s really necessary. Dense is like Prokofiev’s Second Concerto, you need every part of it, and on every listen you hear more and more of it and it becomes better and better. That’s MGMT’s Congratulations.

I think MGMT was dying to showcase their full potential – I think they suffered through the people friendly Oracular Spectacular so that they could bring us the more obscure Congratulations. They really poured everything they could into this album. They did not hold back – and why should they? They already proved to us that they can write hit singles like “Electric Feel”. Now they’re moving forward – they’re just hoping we can stay on their level. Hey, it took two reviews but I’m there.

Maybe it’s because we grew up in the nineties, whatever the case, George and I think glo-fi eighties nostalgia is whack. We cringe when big names such as Pitchfork eat this stuff up.

Eighties revival is no stranger to any art scene. The fashion world has been pushing neons, scunchies, and pink leggings on us for years now. I’ll let Ray-Bans slide because I like them way too much. The Rubik’s cube is okay as well.

Glo-Fi

Neon Indian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlJ27Dcv4fc

What we think is more satisfyingly relevant than 80s nostalgia is a 90s comeback. It’s about that time that us 90s children are entering the work force and creative scene, so it’s likely that rather than seeing a serious endorsement of glo-fi stuff we’ll begin to see a support of artists like Die Antwoord – a disturbing but excellent musing of Eminem with ‘a post-modern Ali G factor.’

‘Look at me now, all up in the interweb’

raps Waddy Jones.

My sunroof was open,

the 75 degree spring air was circulating through my car, and I was listening to Morning Benders, Big Echo for the first time, thinking about how it would make great summer music and that I would have to post about it later. In fact, by the end of the first song, it was decided – this is exhilarating, amazing! By the sixth song, I was in love and wondering how I had become so infatuated so quickly – I’m usually unfairly critical on first listen! And on that sixth song, ‘Hand Me Downs,’ it hit me; I was so convinced that I was in love because I was listening to my beloved, number one rated, Grizzly Bear!

Not literally, but seriously, the same delayed, distorted, guitar, and that distinct (is it syncopated?) beat. All those elements were there in ‘Hand Me Downs’, and I’d never heard that specific sound and combination anywhere except in Grizzly Bear. As when in love, you write off weaknesses quickly – I wasn’t going to start denying that Big Echo was perfect just because one song was a Grizzly Bear tribute! I thought back to the first song with its climactic opening, 50s bop in the background, and thought, yes, that was unique, nothing like Da Griz, as George calls them.

I played the album a second time through a few hours later on my flight to Seattle. Worn out after reading War and Peace, and studying for Human Sexual Orientation (yes, these are my hilarious last semester senior year classes), I focused all my attention on listening to music for a while. But when I got to only the second song of Big Echo, again, I heard Grizzly Bear! In fact, this time I specifically heard ‘Cheerleader’ – that syncopation, and guitar sound!

What I failed to realize, but found out a few hours later, was that the connection between the Morning Benders and Grizzly Bear was not all in my head. In fact, Grizzly Bear bassist and producer, Chris Taylor, actually produced Morning Bender’s new album. So my point is not to rip on Morning Benders (I am still devoted to their album), but, to comment on producers and their ability to influence music.

Take Broken Bells for example – a collaboration between producer, Danger Mouse, and Shin’s front man, James Mercer. I mean, Danger Mouse produced the album flawlessly. He took risks, strived for perfection, and made something that sounds full and good. But, I’m just lost, what is it that he produced? Sure, James Mercer’s voice is sultry and hott, but there is no other substance. I really find it incredible that there is a material album at all! The songs are literally overproduced chord progressions (if that!) that carousel round and round until the song finishes. The album stands on nothing, but I’m telling you it tricks you into thinking it sounds good!

Then take, Damon Albarn’s Demon Days versus the new Plastic Beach.  I’m a huge fan of Demon Days. I mean it’s Gorillaz so of course there is clever composition and furthermore, Demon Days was produced by the meticulous Danger Mouse. Again, I’m not going to deny that songs such as ‘Feel Good, Inc.’ and ‘DARE’ showcase Danger Mouse’s incredible handy work. But when compared to Plastic Beach, I have to wonder whether Danger Mouse’s influence may have been limiting and stifling what Albarn already had going on. I wonder this because Plastic Beach has all the nuances, creativity, and dynamics that Demon Days doesn’t. Guess who produced Plastic Beach? Damon Albarn himself.

So what’s the ideal combination? I’m going to argue that it’s not pairing Danger Mouse with an already incredible artist. I feel like, it’s instead the Grizzly Bear combination, where the producer is literally part of the band. A similar case occurs in Radiohead, the elusive 6^th member of the band, Nigel Godrich, is as much their producer as he is part of Radiohead. In fact, Thom Yorke officially made Nigel part of his new ‘Thom Yorke’ posse.

I’m also going to take this opportunity to say, MGMT, get a new producer, step it up, you were a disappointment this year.

You gave a few interviews this year in which you implied that you’re suffering from writer’s block and creating musical equivalents of Gigli. You said specifically, “A narrative song with accompaniment– is really beyond me now….And I don’t think I can win; I feel like it’s a losing battle.”

But I have to ask – what are you talking about?!! Just this year, live versions of your new song, ‘There’s Too Much Love’, and others appeared on YouTube and I attacked them ferociously as if being thrown scraps of delicious genius from your mixing table. I mean, they were just so incredible. I couldn’t get enough. And not to forget that earlier this year you exquisitely covered ‘You Are The Blood’ by the Castanets for Dark Was The Night. LISTEN HERE

Sufjan, please, no more of your self-fulfilling prophecies. Please just re-listen to this (below), and take back what you meant when you said, “I’m at a point where I no longer have a deep desire to share my music with anyone.” Take it back, we need this in studio form – please.

Respectfully,

Larissa

hello

Even after appealing to your circumaural headphone craze in the previous post, we still received a criticism from some  (meaning at least one) of you about Aphera’s ability to remain unique. You complained that we blend in among all the other music blogs and you asked us to try harder to stand out; you asked us to give you a reason to read this blog. We ‘need a brand,’ you said.

Well, we now understand what you hipsters want. You want Aphera to personalize our posts because, in your world, there is no ‘one size fits all’. If some of you prefer to wear black-plastic wayfarers then others prefer to sport horn-rimmed frames. And if we sense that you crave something outrageous and new, well, we’ll suggest you fashion a pair of 3-D glasses from a recent showing of Avatar.

Cheers,

Larissa