Forever Young: The Shocking Power of Bob Dylan’s Live Vocal Performance I had been looking forward to this past Friday night ever since my birthday nearly a month ago. My wife got me a ticket to see the Chicago performance of the Americanarama tour, which is the heavily touted nation-wide tour that features My […]
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Two Decades: 90’s and 00’s
Two Decades: Differences between 90’s and 00’s rock radio, and what it can teach us about orchestration Isn’t it weird how pop/rock music from any given decade has such a distinct sound? Even if I’m hearing a song for the very first time, I can usually guess with reasonable accuracy the year (or, at […]
Devil in the Details
Devil in the Details: 5 great drum songs There’s something that I absolutely love about the drum set, and I have no idea what it is. Drums are incapable of carrying even a simple melody, so why am I so drawn to them as an agent of music? Perhaps it is because a drum […]
Opera for Everyone
Is Opera for Everyone? “[Elektra] will blow [teenagers’] minds! Think of the anger expressed in this piece. It’s about rage, matricide, disempowerment between generations. It’s also about revolution and not accepting the status quo. Very, very few people in the audience will find nothing to relate to in experiencing this opera.” – Sir David […]
Going Meta: Transcendence of Sonata Form in the First Movement of Mahler’s Third Symphony
Going Meta: Transcendence of Sonata Form in the First Movement of Mahler’s Third Symphony For some reason, whenever most people think of symphonies, they generally think of their first movements. Some may not even be aware that what they associate with such a massive work only represents the first part of it. But when you […]
Led Zeppelin & Identity: Analyzing “In Through The Out Door”
Led Zeppelin & Identity: Analyzing “In Through The Out Door” in the Context of an Eriksonian Identity Crisis It had always been difficult to pigeonhole Led Zeppelin’s music into something tidy and concise, but nothing from their canon stood out as much as In Through the Out Door. The propulsive, guitar-driven machismo that had […]
Pop Will Eat Itself
“I’ve tried to get into the mainstream consciousness, which is not an easy thing to do these days because it is primarily a very disposable medium… pop will eat itself” (Dekel 2010). -Damon Albarn “A Casio on a plastic beach” -Gorillaz, from “Plastic Beach” The imagery that is presented in the title track off of […]