Did I ever tell you I get carried away about music sometimes? Well head on over to the endorsements section (aka Stuffs) and read on. And don't blame me if your musical taste sucks and you don't like it!
This weekend, I spent an awful lot of time lying on my bed, staring at my crazy-ass colorful OpenGL screensaver, and listening to Orbital albums for the first time in over a year. Ever since being introduced to them by Shawn Wall, Rich Doty, and Bill Rodgers, Orbital has struck me as the project that defines what "electronica" should be. Perhaps it was the uh ... state of mind ... I was in at the time, but the same tingly awed sensation I felt years ago in college I felt again listening to the packaged genius that is In Sides. I don't know how many of you have tried sitting around on a Friday (oh and Saturday) night doing nothing but relax and listen to music, but I highly recommend it. Don't expect, however, to be perky the rest of the weekend. Perhaps it's time to lay off this "relaxation" nonsense for a little while ...
I'm sure you're thinking "okay hippie, what should electronica be then?" And I say "Duuuude it's all about the mindset man! Can't you feel it flow?" Well hopefully I won't say something that innately ridiculous, but if I ever do, you are free to hunt me down and smack me. No really. In my minute, worthless-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things opinion, electronica should be modern day's reply to classical music. You know, violins, tympani, flutes, etc. etc. Or is that an Orchestra? I know one of them is only string instruments. Shit if only I could remember what Sarah taught me long ago. Regardless, electronica should serve as a reflection pool for a musical form that hasn't really changed all that much since God knows when. Yes, classical has changed. But the basic format is still the same. Same instruments, same conventions.
If you don't agree, give an objective listen to Orbital's In Sides and at the very least, even if you don't like it, you'll see what I'm talking about. Epic songs that have several movements, and so much layering you often can't tell the difference between one instrument and another. If you really listen and isolate, you can hear that single instrument and appreciate how it blends perfectly with the other pieces of the song to create an impressive whole. The way the composers (the Orbital duo goes beyond simple sequencing) manipulate sound envelopes, stereo imaging, and sequences is pretty inspiring. Lay there for ten minutes and listen to "Girl With the Sun in Her Head" and I tell you, it's nearly an emotional experience. Listen to both parts of "The Box" and hopefully you'll see why I rave about this.
Indeed, I do tend to take things very seriously when I am "relaxing," (witness the Battle Royale incident in which I was still awed by the movie a week later), but every time I listen to In Sides and to a lesser degree the earlier tracks of The Middle of Nowhere I get chills. It's why I get all up in arms and frothing when people say "techno" is nothing but beats and some blips and bloops. Yes, awful danceclub tripe like "Sandstorm" (a truly repetitive and shitty dance anthem that has unfortunately become synonymous with "techno" and is what every layperson who knows nothing about "techno" thinks is the definition of anything remotely electronic) is indeed beat-heavy and should burn in techno hell for its lack of originality, but this is the real deal. No, I'm not talking about John Kerry, and yes, I'll probably get busted for using that slogan considering you can copyright just about anything these days.
Do you think I can copyright the word "asshat?" Shawn may have said it first, but whoever gets the copyright owns it!
Regardless, get yourself a copy of In Sides and give it a listen. Unless you like Britney Spears (mindless 90s/00s garbage), Bon Jovi (stuck in the 80s), or Dave Matthews (just plain garbage), you won't be disappointed.