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Contemporary Original Music - What is it and who is it to you?


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Old 18-12-2011, 17:48
michmcquinn
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As the title may suggest to you, I have been pondering what is original music in this modern day and age. I hear new bands everyday and I ask myself why are they using the same chord progressions, the same image, even the same lyrics, as have been floating around since the 60s.

The evolution of music is gradual, and maybe it follows a similar pattern to natural evolution in that if something worked before, the industry positively selects it in the hope it will work again. But it doesn't make for a very exciting or creative listening environment. I think I've put my point across.

So my question to you all is, what have you heard recently that you would class as "original", as something new to your ears, as something "interesting" and "exciting". Please post with an example and thoughts.

My post would be (and please tell me if you disagree with me, and why) this band from my city called "The Asps". I've seen them a couple of times, both by accident, but they did catch my ear both times.

Here is a video of them playing live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1HBP1hmNhc
(Live videos are always the place to go for the true experience!).

What I like about it is the lyrics are interesting, the vocal effects are pretty cool, especially considering it is live, and I love the idea of synths and epic sax! They are pretty tight too. Is it original though?

Let the discussion begin.
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Old 19-12-2011, 01:49
graemeSanderson
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Mich , I like the Title of the track very much, it seems to be as strong a statement as the track itself. Can I ask, why do you presume the band think they are ' original' or that this concept is even important to them? I think it naïve to assume that anything is original in the first place, bands are a collection of individual influences from other bands by its members. Part of my enjoyment in listening to music is picking out influences and similarities and there can be no doubt that the Asps know their influences because there are strands of all the bands they list as influences, running through all the tracks on youtube. Although, the singer does have a strong resemblance to Paul Rodgers especially on the track 'Seashells' , its a similiar emotion to 'Be My Friend' by FREE, would be interesting to know if he was influenced by Rodgers. So in answer to the question I would have to know if originality is something that they presume to be and also why you think this is an important factor
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Old 19-12-2011, 10:41
ICEband
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The strong area to be original in these days is lyrics. It's very hard to come up with a chord progression that is both original and enjoyable. It's easy to come up with something that's not been done before, but there's a reason why it's never been done, it's probably rubbish.
There's a finite number of chords that fit well together and sound good, and therefore there's a finite number of melodies that will fit over the top of those chords.

We're working with a new producer at the moment and it's giving us a whole new range of ideas, but I know that musically, it'll have been done before.

As a lyricist, though, I know there's scope to be different
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Old 19-12-2011, 16:55
Eraserhead
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Not much that can be original these days. Most artists just copy the past or put a small twist on an existing sound. That's not to say that a "retro" sound is bad - I quite like some retro stuff, although on the whole it mostly just makes me want to search out the original artists (not a bad thing in itself).

The last band I got excited about were the F**k Buttons, who are at least trying to do something a bit different - a sort of post rock noise using electronic instruments rather than guitars.
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Old 19-12-2011, 17:57
michmcquinn
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So far you all seem to agree on the fact that being "original" is more than having different chords. Indeed, ICEband, I suppose it is true that there are a finite number of chords and melodies that fit within these. @Eraserhead checked out F**k Buttons, Surf Solar, pretty cool man.

@GraemeSanderson - I like what you are saying Sanderson. I suppose I just thought that originality was an important part of being a band these days.But perhaps I was measuring that with too narrow parameters.

Maybe The Asps aren't trying to be original in the narrow sense of the word. However, I was reading something in the Glasgow Sunday Mail the other day about them and it defined them as being part of the

"NU NU ROMANTICS Genre"

I've never heard of that before, so I wondered if they were creating something different.

If you listen to one of their other songs, "Dark Romance":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7RzSg_wfZ4

I mean it definitely doesn't sound like ANYTHING I have heard before, indeed "Nu Nu Romantic" seems to cover it quite well. It's not quite Ultravox, Spandau or Duran Duran, but you can see they were definitely inspired by them in some form, validating this genre comment in many ways.

Check it out and see if you agree with me.

Any other bands "putting a small twist on an existing sound" as Eraserhead so eloquently put it?
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Old 19-12-2011, 20:09
graemeSanderson
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Don't get yourselves even worked up about lyrics, words are lexemes, stick them together in the general syntactic form you're language uses, English for example is Person verb object, as in ' She drove the car' , I mean how original can you be in the confines of language even? The answer may lie in Semantics ( word meaning) if you can use the right collection of nouns and transcient verbs, you can create motion in a song. IF you ever read a Stephen King novel, you will get the impression the story has actual movement. This is because King is a master of cognitive linguistics, understanding the correct way to use Rhetoric to create this allusion. The secret lies in verb use, past tense verbs build the picture nicely, but throw in transcient metaphorical present tense verbs and you are in for one hell of a trip.
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Old 19-12-2011, 20:22
Smudged
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So which member of The Asps are you mich? Or their manager perhaps?
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Old 19-12-2011, 20:27
Hayden
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Two brand new posters

Subtle as a flying brick.
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Old 19-12-2011, 20:41
michmcquinn
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@Smudged & Hayden - haha I wish! I have kind of been flaunting them though I'll give it a rest. Have you any suggestions to add to the discussion, RE original music you have been listening to?

@GraemeSanderson - are you talking about syntax? In mind syntax is always associated with subtlety and allowing the listener/reader some freedom to interpret your message using the power of our language. That's not something I've really seen in much music these days. I mean, I can't think of any pop song that allows for any freedom of interpretation, they have to spell out there message (which generally concerns love, requited or otherwise or, more banal, sex).

If you can show me a song that makes good use of syntax, I'd love to hear it.

Mich
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Old 19-12-2011, 20:50
Smudged
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I have suggestions but I'd rather hear more about The Asps.
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Old 19-12-2011, 21:08
graemeSanderson
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John Lennon wrote ' There's nothing you can do that can't be done' , this is a great use of syntax and semantics, This type of sentence has many meanings, If you take the first phraze ' There's nothing you can do' , this sentence highlights defeat, ' that can't be done' , the second phraze turns the first one upside down, In other words ' Nothing you do is exceptional because somebody else can do it aswell' , that's one semantic interpretation, another one could be, why bother doing anything because its all been done. Or on the other hand, this can mean go for it, do your best and you will achieve anything because everything can be done. Originality can come by making people thing about something and Lennon was a master of this
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Old 19-12-2011, 21:44
Eraserhead
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Thread flagged as spam.

Merry Xmas chaps
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Old 19-12-2011, 22:10
michmcquinn
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Really? I don't think that's really fair. This was a genuine post about original music.

No-one else has really recommended anyone, apart from you Eraserhead, at least originally, and while GraemeSanderson's ideas are interesting, he is referencing the Beatles, which isn't contemporary. I just happened to be into the first band and recommended and was using them as an example. It's not my fault no-one else recommended anything.

As a mark of honour, another good artist, which I think is pretty original, is Teen Daze, from BC Canada. Check him out. http://www.facebook.com/teendaze He's coming over to London in April, which is exciting.

Also "College", http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colleg...35471936470314 he had that single from the film "Drive". Original? Well, he makes a point of trying to revive the 80s sound. But in this particular track, he had a great vocalist in with some really powerful lyrics, great use of syntax "you have proved to be a real human being, and a real hero", just great. It's an original take on an 80s song.

I think if anything is spam, it is your last post, along with Hayden and Smudged. Not adding to the discussion at all.
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Old 19-12-2011, 22:21
graemeSanderson
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When you say chaps are you referring to me or smudgen, you can mark me as spam all you like I was just browsing
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Old 19-12-2011, 22:27
snickerdoodle
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Well its pretty old
but
M.I.A. - Arular
the critical response is incredible!
Metacritic gave it 88
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Old 19-12-2011, 22:36
michmcquinn
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That is a top suggestion in fact, she got a lot of stick for whatever reason in the public, but I hadn't really heard anything like her before. Then again she comes with a whole different cultural background to the standard white American/British song writing attitude, which must have been something to do with why this was interesting and exciting to our ears? (Before you say, I know she is ethnically English, but I just mean her race).
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Old 19-12-2011, 22:40
graemeSanderson
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Wait a minute, Erazerhead I've just youtubes The F##kbuttons and their track ' Bright tomorrow' has an almost identical intro to The Asps track ' Littleman' ... I propose you are in on this .....
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Old 19-12-2011, 22:40
snickerdoodle
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That is a top suggestion in fact, she got a lot of stick for whatever reason in the public, but I hadn't really heard anything like her before. Then again she comes with a whole different cultural background to the standard white American/British song writing attitude, which must have been something to do with why this was interesting and exciting to our ears? (Before you say, I know she is ethnically English, but I just mean her race).
yeah i think some people suggested she was promoting war. she was highlighting how bad it was!
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