Blog: Let's Not Get Physical - How i-pod Ubiquity has Curbed the Physical Enjoyment in Everyday Life

I love my i-pod. You love your i-pod. Everyone fricking loves i-pods. As a gadget they are now pretty much synonymous with modern culture, and as an aspect modern culture they have completely changed the way we consume music. For whilst most people probably listen to far more music everyday, because the primary mode of music consumption is often through an i-pod, their musical involvement is limited to the cerebral, with very little corporal, physical interaction with the music. With i-pod consumption, you can enjoy the music on an intellectual level, enjoying the melody, lyrics, production etc., 'til the cows come home, but in these instances the music arrives and remains purely within your own head. Apart from perhaps some moderately accepted head nods and foot taps, you are simply not able or allowed to become anymore physically involved in your music.

To me this is something to lament over; a further decline in the role of physicality within music. Physical enjoyment and involvement in music is a wonderful thing; dis-inhibiting, rejoicing and relaxing, and greatly underappreciated within "white" music culture. The benefits of more universally audible methods of consumption are manifold, from listening to tracks on your bedroom stereo, to mass consumption at clubs or gigs, one can gain both personal release and jubilation and a united sense of ambience and chemistry.

On a personal level, it really harshes my buzz when I am listening to music I love on my i-pod and I so desperately want to sing and dance and boogie on down to it, but I simply can't because I am the only person experiencing it. Because the music is confided to my own head, it would almost be perceived as akin to a mental illness to actively involve oneself in it. Not unlike schizophrenia, the voices in your head are fine, just so long as you don't make it obvious to others. I even get paranoid lip-syncing to songs when cycling now, because when I do people really do look at me like I'm a fucking nut job. 

It seems that enjoying your music through various physical acts such as singing, dancing, and jumping about are legitimate within pre-designated zones such as clubs or the privacy of your own bedroom, but not really anywhere else. I suppose up until about 15 years ago, with the invention of the walkman, music was only ever experienced in these predesignated zones, never to be previously witnessed on public transport or when going for a stroll about town. Even with the walkman, personal music players weren't the norm, mostly because they could only carry 80 minutes of music and weren't always worth the hassle, unlike the marvel that is a room of CDs carried around in something not much bigger than a credit card. Perhaps society just isn't ready for undesignated enjoyment or self-expression, especially with the monumental fear people have with presumed and/or confirmed mental illness, or even eccentricity of any kind. And indeed, people still consume music through en-masse situations; sharing glorious moments of music based ideological harmony. And I would also like to think that with the availability of plug-in i-pod speakers, people are still bopping, singing, dancing, screaming and crying to music in private settings. I know I am. And I bloody love every minute of it.

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: My Weekend in Music

My weekend in music has been relatively uneventful this week. Having spent a lot of the weekend travelling, I have been relatively glued to my i-pod, which often feels like the only possible way to wile away boring car journeys. This got me to thinking about how my portable audio technology has changed over the years, from a Sony Walkman (cassette), to portable CD player to the wonders of i-podage. I know it’s a cliché but how could we ever go back to just 40 minutes of audio on cassette tape, or CDs bloody skipping every time you moved? I’ve got over 40 days worth of constant music on my i-pod plus dozens of playlists - the choice is positive a luxury and I can tailor it to my every changing whim, which makes it the perfect travelling companion. I-pods really have crossed the boundary from novelty ala portable cassette/CD devises to being an integral part of modern life, like microwaves and mobiles, god love ‘em!

During the tedium of car travelling this weekend I have also had the opportunity to ponder properly on what I would pick as the greatest music videos of all time, ala the new/current theme on 4music. When they first advertised this (maybe a week ago), I was a bit stumped for what my hypothetical nomination might be, for whilst I enjoy music videos, they are essentially the side dish to the main course. However, now I have had a chance to consider it in more detail, I do have a few suggestions. I firstly have to nominate something by the chilis, because as a group they have done some very interesting videos over the years, and they’re commercial enough to possibly appear in the 4music line-up. My two personal favourites by the chilis are “Can’t Stop” and “Dani California”. “Can’t Stop” is really fantastic visually speaking, with sculptures influenced by the artist Erwin Wurm, and is quite novel and considered. “Dani California” on the other hand, whilst more traditional with the typical ‘band performs’ set up, is interesting for its chronology of rock music, and I have to say I love them for put The Misfits alongside The Beatles and Elvis. I also remembered Electric 6’s first video/single “Danger! High Voltage”, which had saucy light bulbs rather precariously placed (check youtube for a more visual explanation!), and the visual and audio elements do sync together perfectly. “Patience” by Take That is also pretty good, for whilst it was not particularly innovative, it did rebrand Take That perfectly, and had an almost tactile quality to that dark sandy beach that was quite appealing.

Finally I listened to the third Strokes album First Impressions of Earth in its entirety for the first time on Friday, and was very impressed. Obviously I was familiar with a lot of the tracks from the album, but had never experienced it as a collected work. I’d always dismissed the Strokes as I was soooo unimpressed with the frankly over rated This is it, so its nice to discover they have got something to offer that is more interesting and enjoyable.

See this at herecomeseveryone.org http://t.co/IHd2gYu 

Obituary/Review of Last Wookies Gig: The Avenue, Newbury. 12th February 2010.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away may seem like a slightly clichéd, obvious way to introduce the Wookies, but actually the epic, fantastical heritage of Star Wars lends itself aptly to the group's sound and conceptual scope. Their music generally is a diverse chronicle of lengths and suites, time signatures, voices and timbres; at times pounding, raucous and thick, yet also maintaining a thread of the unassuming and soft. An air of nursery rhymes, fairytales and folklore are considerably referenced through both lyrical aspects and musical references to 70s prog groups such as Pink Floyd and (early) Genesis, and prog-folk ala Pentangle. Indeed, to my over-trained ear, these influences are prolific and obvious within the Wookies music, but don't let that put you off - their music has not a shred of the usual narcissism, arrogance and pretention that is so synonymous with prog, whilst maintaining prog's positive qualities of interest and diversity.

Such mythological influences have been clearly reflected within the group's most recent EP Sparks, with tracks such as "In the Forest" and "Doomsday" solidifying that penchant. Sparks was played in its entirety on Friday's gig, and these most recent of tracks certainly received the best response from the audience. Whilst this was the Wookies' home crowd, with friends, relatives and associates a considerable percentage, they seem to have a good following, with the majority of the audience being familiar with their repertoire and openly involving themselves with the music through dancing, singing and cued handclaps. The crowd clearly got a lot of pleasure from the Wookies' set, and coupled with the band's light-hearted, comfortable and clearly veterand performance and stage presence, the upbeat and positive atmosphere was palpable and enjoyable.

The group's actual performance on this last of all Wookies' gigs was of good quality; their set was sturdy and tight, and musicianship was pretty much faultless. All of the Wookies are fantastically accomplished musicians, able to collectively keep to complicated time signatures, riffs and licks. They present a curiously united front, where no instrument or singer takes major precedence for too long, and there was an amiable essence of camaraderie about their performance. At times they presented a thick wall of sound, but unlike Phil Spector the Wookies have managed to elucidate the higher and mid frequencies so the depth of the tracks still ring true and do not turn into a muddy mess. All the sonic aspects of the group's presentation have clearly been well planned - they have a lot of kit including a mighty guitar peddle-board, though it must be said that their performance still felt organic and not over cultivated.

That the Wookies now cease to be in their previous incarnation is a sad thing. The previous work that they have presented to us in the past has not only been of good quality at the base level of instrumentality, but it has also been innovative and different conceptually and sonically. Whilst they themselves have categorised the Wookies with the likes of Muse and the Mystery Jets, I feel they had a certain quality that was more unique than those bands - more quirky, niche, and very refreshingly English. Indeed the very English-ness of the Wookies permeates their whole sound from the pronunciation of their vocals to the subtlety of their virtuosity; to me their sonic qualities could almost evoke the smell of rain and dead leaves. And whilst English exploits in the music industry are very successful at the moment, few acts are unequivocally English, as the Wookies have been. But as this quality is only one aspect of their charm, I'm sure that the new incarnation of the Wookies will continue to be musically excellent. One does hope though that they manage to maintain some of their unique character, albeit in a shiny new fashion.