When I first started blogging, it was a little difficult. In many ways it still is. I have been writing essays now for ages, but writing anything outside of that seems totally foreign to me. Blogging has been a good way to break away from that type of writing. I am forced to think and write differently and get away from that really defined mindset. There are no outlines, no set parameters, and no worries. But although these certain problems in essays are decidedly lessened in blogging, there are still some tough spots. Breaking away from formal language and writing, for one, has been the toughest spot for me. I cannot help but think “I am supposed to be saying it this way…” or “That needs to be a little better sounding.” These things are certainly important, but not quite as much as in an essay. In a formal writing type of environment, finding a “voice” is sometimes difficult. In blogging, one gets the chance to foster that kind of thing. I feel that I do have a ways to go to break out of that mold, but I also feel like I am on the way. Overalll, keeping a blog has been a good experience –one that I will continue after the class is done.

As I said at the beginning, I would love to write for a magazine like Paste. In keeping a blog, I am trying to focus on things that would make good stories or at least good editorial sections for magazines like that. Of course the writing is much more unorganized and informal than would suit a magazine, but I guess the ideas are what I am going for. Writing about music bought an enjoyment to writing that was not always there before. That is not to say that I did not enjoy writing, but now I just enjoy it more. I have also gained more knowledge about music as well, which is nice. Overall, blogging seems to be a pretty cool thing, and soon I will posting more.

Now, its off to that last final: British Literature 1660 – Present….

I have yet to figure out how some bands last for a lifetime. The fact that some not only continue to make music together, but also still enjoy doing it is hard to understand. R.E.M. is one of these bands. Almost 30 years together and 14 albums later, R.E.M. is still going strong. Not only are they still around, but they are still relevant and seemingly on top of the world. They had a recent headlining appearance at Florida’s Langerado Festival, they are about to start a small U.S. tour this summer, and their new album Accelerate has garnished the band some of its best reviews in years. Who would have thought that this small Athens band would not only make it, but would have lasted this long?

R.E.M. began in Athens, GA in 1980. They released their first single “Radio Free Europe” in 1981 for a small independent label called Hib-Tone. In 1982 they signed I.R.S. Records, the label with which they would remain until they reached mainstream success with “The One I Love” in 1987. In the time they were “underground,” they were easily one of the most important bands in the country –at least in hindsight. Audiences may not have known it then, but R.E.M. was at the forefront of alternative music. They were not only at the forefront of it, though, they pretty much created it. They bridged the gap between the punk rock of the late 70s and the pop of the early 80s and molded it into a sound all their own. It is easy to look back and see what they were doing then and recognize trends that they helped shape, although audiences might not have known it at the time. All the right bands were listening to R.E.M. and so they started something big.

Throughout their career R.E.M. has always sounded like them. Michael Stipe’s  voice and lyric style, Peter Bucks guitar work which was equal parts the Smiths and the Byrds, Mike Mill’s melodic bass and trademark back up vocals, and Bill Berry’s unique, often propulsive drumming molded perfectly together to sound like no one else. Over the years their sound has matured and changed, but for the most part nothing has changed. Bill Berry left in 97 but the split was amicable and he still remains close to the band and even collaborates with them at times. in the end, “Radio Free Europe” sounds nothing like “All the way to Reno,” and that is the most remarkable thing. They have never pigeonholed themselves and have always done things on their own terms. They may have had a miss with Around the Sun, but that’s okay. They pulled it off again with Accelerate.

The first song I remember hearing from R.E.M. was “Man on the Moon” and I have loved their music ever since. I have recently begun to get back into them, and more than ever. In recent history I have never been more excited than to hear “Supernatural Superserious” played on the radio. Not only was I reminded that R.E.M. is still relevant, I was reminded that the radio can play some good music every now and then. Somehow R.E.M. has stayed relevant and important almost 30 years after they came together. Heres to one of the best bands in world. Probably the best if you get right down to it…

The idea of top ten lists has always intrigued me. Just knowing the “best of the best” holds a kind of aura or power. I mean when one knows the best they know the best, and who doesn’t want to know that? Let someone else do all the thinking.  In reaitly, though, the whole thing is subjective. Who is say really what is better than something else? Perhaps a group or person well educated on a subject can make such claims and get pretty close to the actual bests. Who knows. Most of the list are still simply opinion. Anyway, when done by a group or panel, it may be a little easy to pick such coveted lists. On ones own, however, it is a totally different story.

For me, today’s list is more a list of favorites than “bests.”– music is so subjective and as much as I like music, there is no way that I know every album ever. So, I am going to try my hand at making a list of my top favorite albums. These lists often come in the form of desert islands lists and almost always limited to 10. I thought, why does it have to be a desert island? And why does it have to be ten, after all? Does everyone (let alone anyone) get stranded on desert island? Do they happen to just have 10 albums? I didn’t think so either. So lets get stranded anywhere we want and have 11 albums instead of ten. Plan? Great.

Top 11 albums with a little explanation:

11. Document- R.E.M.

Simply put, this is an awesome album. By the time this came out, the band had already well established their sound. Not only did they (pretty much) invent alternative music, they continued to define and redefine it. The album is excellent start to finish and has such a variety. Every song sounds like them, though, and that is the great part. Not surprisingly this is their last album before their move to a major label. Favorite tracks: “Exhuming McCarthy” and “King of Birds.”

10. Vs.- Pearl Jam

Every time Pearl Jam plays a live show, they play like its the last they are ever going to play. To me, this is that same idea but translated to an album. Although not as popular as their first album, I think the variety of material is excellent and their growth as a band is phenomenal. Favorites: “Animal” and “Leash.” P.S.  “Leash” alone could make this top ten list.
9.  War- U2

If all you have heard from U2 is The Joshua Tree than you are missing a whole other side of them. Basically, this is post-punk meets new-wave dance beats. Favorites: “Two Hearts Beat as One” and “40.” (See my last blog for more on this album)
8. Grateful Dead (Skull and Roses)- Grateful Dead

It took me a little while to get into the Dead. They were a kind of acquired taste for me I guess you could say. After hearing a couple things that I liked from this album, I got it. Soon after, I became obsessed with it. The roots, country sound is central to this period in music, and as evidenced by this album, no one did it better. From the opening of “Bertha” to the closing of “Not Fade Away/Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” the album is excellent. Favorites: “Not Fade Away/Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” and “Playing in the Band.”

6. Graceland- Paul Simon

I love this album because I have never heard anything else that sounds quite like it. Paul Simon was good before this album, but the fact that he could pull off something like this is just remarkable. It is a combination of African Music, Zydeco, roots music, and pop. Somehow it works. Favorites: “Homeless” and Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes.”
5. Billy Breathes- Phish

Phish has always been know more for their sound than their songwriting, and this album is certainly evidence of that. This is not to say that their lyrics aren’t important or interesting, because they are, but its just that the music almost overshadows them. The album combines all of their strong points: a good sense melody, psychedelic tendencies, a small (often forgotten) folk side, and even some of their more notable uses of Latin inflected grooves. Favorites: “Taste” and “Prince Caspian.”

4. The Band- The Band

I’ve tried really hard to stop listening to this album all of the time, but I can’t. I love how The Band always feels like an ensemble more than just “one guy and his band” kind of feel. If there are solos they only take up a couple measures and never seem to be the center of the music. There is, in fact, only one guitar solo on the whole album. Their country, rock, folk, R&B sound is always paired with the lyrics that would put almost anyone else’s to shame. There are always a few lines that will get some laughs as well. Favorites: “Across the Great Divide” and “Rag Momma Rag.”
3. Darkside of the Moon- Pink Floyd

What I like about this album is that runs together like a full work, kind of like a symphony. As far as compositions go I would say it is one of the best of all time –even ranking up there with some of those symphonies. Its sounds cliche to say it, but there has never and will never be anything that sounds like it. In addition to the ground breaking music, It also touches on major themes of carpe diem, war, money, and the mind without ever sounding over done. Favorites “Breathe” and “Us and Them.”
2. London Calling- The Clash

If they were “the only band that matters,” than this album could be “the only album that matters.” “Train in Vain” was the first song that I got into on the album and that is why I had to buy the album. After buying the album, what held me was the horns. How did the Clash come up with this? A mixture of punk rock, roots rock, reggae, jazz, pop, and R&B mixed with touches of a full horn section. (The horns are not on all the tracks, though.) All throughout high school this was the album that I most listened to. I am just starting to revisit them. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them anymore, but it is just that I listened to London Calling probably more than humanly possible. Now, after a couple year hiatus, I am back and more into them than ever. Clearly, withdrawal is not working. Clearly. Favorites: “Rudie Can’t Fail” and “Wrong ‘Em Boyo.”

1. John Barleycorn Must Die- Traffic

At only 6 tracks long, this is my favorite album. Kind of like Darkside of the Moon, this whole album runs together perfectly, and to great effect. Every measure, every sound, every note counts. There is a sense of urgency that runs through the entire piece. I got this record (on record, actually…) in Atlanta at a place called Wax and Facts. I brought it home and put it on immediately. Within the first few seconds on “Glad” I was hooked and have been ever since. The organ, the piano, the loose percussion, the strange sounds, not to mention Steve Winwood’s voice. I can listen to this album anytime and any place (certainly a desert island). I had seen Steve Winwood play live before when I had no idea who he was. Like the album, I had never heard anything quite like it. I was not surprised to learn when I looked on the sleeve to John Barleycorn that many of the songs were played the night I saw the show.

Obviously, if someone told me that I was only allowed to own 11 albums, no more and no less, (kind of like in Speed when the bus couldn’t go below 55 mph, except it would be an amount imposed on the number of cds I could own) I would own these 11 albums. More than just desert island albums now, aren’t they?

Sometimes, artists, albums, or even genres take a little while to grow on us. The expressions “getting into” or “acquiring a taste for” something can easily apply to this type of thing. As music listeners, we are attracted to the artists or albums that are immediately pleasing to ears, which is easy to understand. I, for one, have certain styles and artists that I prefer over others. I can also be a little closed minded at times towards something new or that did not immediately grab me. I have found, though, that the music that takes a while to grow on me, often seems to stick with me the longest.

I was recently watching a documentary called Before the Music Dies which brought up the point of getting into music. Most of the artists featured throughout the film were unique, and were attempting something different with their music. Surprisingly, –or not surprisingly, depending on how you look at it– many of the artists were not immediately received by an audience or given much of a chance by their record label. The radio is a huge force in determining which artists are popular and which are not, and it is no surprise that they favor artists who are immediately received and easy to latch on to. Unfortunately, “easy to latch on to” and “immediately received” often translates into bland and generic. One speaker on Before the Music Dies argued that if something doesn’t immediately grab our attention on the radio, we are apt turn the channel to something else. Although this idea may work for a business model, it turns music into a formula rather than artistic expression. Room to let music grow on us is nonexistent in this type of system. Not surprisingly, then, many unique and creative artists will never get heard on mainstream radio.

Unfortunately, there is not much room for finding different, “acquired taste” type music on the radio, but nonetheless, you will always come across it. A couple years ago I borrowed a Phish DVD from a friend. I had been getting into jam bands, but had not heard them yet. After putting in the DVD and watching some, I was kind of turned off by the band. They just weren’t my style, I guess. A little while later, while in the car with the same friend, we listened to a Phish cd, but this time I was absolutely blown away. Nothing had changed with me, but for whatever reason I was really into what I heard. We listened to each track in its entirety, and maybe the music just kind of sunk in that time. (The cd was also one of their earlier ones, and their style was a bit different then, but that is a totally different story…) Maybe it was my friends excitement about the cd that got me hooked, or simply the fact that I just gave it a chance. Whatever it was, I was in.

In another case, I was introduced to the band Gomez. If you have ever heard Gomez, you may understand what I mean when I say that some of their music simply has to grow on you. Well, Split the Difference was disk that required some “growth time.” In fact, it was not until I heard some of their later, more accessible songs played on the radio that I really began to like the band. After hearing those songs and the buying the cd from which they came (How we Operate), I wanted to revisit Split the Difference. How we Operate had some of the experimental elements of Split, but their was a larger balance between the experimentalism and accessibility. Hearing bits and pieces of the band’s earlier sound scattered throughout this later disk got me ready to go back to the more experimentally inclined earlier stuff. Like with the Phish cd, I still had to give the music a chance, and like that experience, I have a new appreciation for the band and style of music.

Finally, I come to U2. Its easy to look at U2 and see an immediately accessible, arena-ready band. However, there is another side to them. This side, in the form of War, took me a little while to adjust to. I have always been into The Joshua Tree because of its open, ambient sound and loose, drawn out melodies. The sense of atmosphere throughout the album just really drew me in. And with the resurgence of the band with their most recent two albums, I was quite familiar with their sound as of late. I was pretty into what I heard. As most people do, I sought out some more of their music to see what else I liked by the band. I came to War. Obviously, I knew the songs “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Years Day” but I had never heard anything else. I bought the  cd ready to be enthralled. After a quick browse through the cd, however, enthralled I was not. (To be continued…)