Despite the naysayers, 2010 has been an amazing year for both hip hop and rap on the national and global levels. It’s no different here in Atlanta at the local level. I’ve heard some very impressive mixtape debuts from local emcees and Perrion “PCP” Rodriguez’smixtape Perception is no exception.
Perrion is a young emcee (probably no older than 19 or 20), but he has a nice flow and vocal delivery, in addition, his selection of beats is more reflective of a seasoned rapper/songwriter and not a rookie emcee. His sound reminds me of a mix between Pharrell, Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa. What I enjoyed the most about the Perception mixtape is that Perrion attempts to create very direct concepts and themes within his music and does not flow endlessly like many skilled, but ultimately impertinent lyricists.
Perrion is still young, but I feel if he can exploit his songwriter quality and draw inspiration from other genres outside of hip hop, similar to artists like Kanye West or Wale, he may have a serious shot at flooding the streets of Atlanta.
I’m almost hesitant to add to the blog hype of Deerhunter/Atlas Sound/Bradford Cox, but whatever. Their new single is called Helicopter and it’s really good. The song has very relaxing and lush tones that I like to hear on records.
Check out the official video for Helicopter below:
Speak Easy is Atlanta based rapper Sean Fahie. He just dropped a new mixtape called Words Have Power.I recall having a discussion with Sean about how the best albums are the ones that you can hit play once, go clean the house, cook breakfast and the record is still playing without any tracks skipped.
Words Have Power is one of those records. Sean’s flow reminds me a bit of Del tha Funky Homosapien, but his lyrical content is closer to Moka Only’s. I highly recommend this mixtape to hip hop heads who are into artists like Mr. Lif, Pharcyde, early Common and Curren$y.
Jungol has been performing around the local Atlanta and Athens areas for years and they have definitely paid their dues. Their new album Over the Sunand Under the Radar was released a couple months ago and I feel it’s one of the stronger releases coming out the Atlanta area.
One problem I’ve always had with local bands and their music is that it sounds just that – local. When you compare their songwriting and arrangements to major label groups or artists operating at a slightly higher echelon, the material doesn’t always stand out. For me, it’s not an issue of recording quality or fancy Pro Tools tricks, but writing carefully structured and witty songs. Unfortunately, I may hear three or four truly talented local acts that share these traits amongst a heap of twenty other bands.
Jungol definitely falls in the first category. I feel they write catchy and smart tunes that can be played on both experimental college radio or mainstream rock radio. I would even go so far as to compare them to more mainstream acts such as Mutemath, Elbow, or Muse. I feel their new record Over the Sunhas some serious potential and encourage readers to check out this innovative act in the near future.
The supergroup is no innovative concept. It’s a phrase that dates back to the sixties and was initially applied to rock bands. These supergroups consisted of members from already established groups who formed via label/marketing interests, their own random encounters and also previous friendships and bonds from other musical projects.
Historically, supergroups have tended to be short-lived and spur of the moment. Many musicians from popular music acts often break into their own solo careers and create their own brand independent of their groups. However, with the landscape of the music business constantly shifting and breaking up, even that has changed. Now it appears as if supergroups are a more lucrative venture in the post iTunes/digital industry and solo acts are less prevalent. Here is a list of supergroups that have formed over just the last couple years:
Them Crooked Vultures (features members of Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters)
Dead Weather (White Stripes, the Kills, Raconteurs)
Monsters of Folk (My Morning Jacket, M. Ward, Bright Eyes)
The alleged Center Edge Territory (Jay Electronica, Mos Def, Curren$y)
Scarlett Johannson and Pete Yorn
She and Him (Zooey Deschanel, M. Ward)
Broken Bells (Danger Mouse and James Mercer)
Gayngs (Rhymesayers, Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, the Rosebuds)
Slaughterhouse (Joe Budden, Royce da 5’9, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I)
Now the real question is: Will the supergroup become the new vehicle or cash cow for the music industry in the future?
There are clear advantages to forming or joining a supergroup. Of course, there’s increased visibility. The individual members are already visible stars, so why not add them all up and become even more popular? A supergroup can hopefully attain greater album sales considering the music listener/fan is not only getting one rock star, but several for the price of one. And last, but not least, because the supergroup is comprised of multiple talents, companies may be more inclined to offer corporate sponsorships and deals to the entire group as opposed to just one member.
Nonetheless, many musicians are still pursuing the solo career route. Thom Yorke, Julian Casablancas, and Kele Okereke from Bloc Party have all gone solo and received a great deal of publicity and coverage. Thom Yorke has enlisted Flea to play in his touring band Atoms for Peace and they played to sold out crowds all over the United States just a couple months ago.
But the question still stands as to whether or not the “supergroup model” will supplant other economically viable business models in the entertainment industry. It’s hard for me to personally point out many flaws within this model, but time will tell. In the meantime, readers, please feel free to leave comments and opinions on supergroups. Is the supergroup the remedy to an ailing music business?
*FYI, this article was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend. Thanks for the great feedback Katie!
Big K.R.I.T is a rapper I heard about via Creative Control. I’m a huge hip hop fan, but right now I can count on one hand the number of rappers that I’m honestly psyched about. I feel Big K.R.I.T has potential and may experience some mainstream success if he has the right people behind him.
This video is from his new album Krit Wuz Here. The album is being released on May 3. For more about this artist, click here
The Doves are one of my favorite groups. They’re from Manchester, England and have been working together as a trio for at least 15 years. I first heard about them on pre-reality tv show era MTV and they were doing an artist spotlight on various indie acts. This was around the time their first album Lost Souls was being promoted and not many people were familiar with the group or their previous band Sub Sub.
I’ve been a hardcore fan since that initial release and now Doves is in the middle of releasing a greatest hits album called The Places Between. Usually I’m not a fan of best of/greatest hits compilations, but with these guys I can make an exception. This disc serves as an excellent opportunity for new people to connect with the band and have their own unique Doves experience.
“An artist’s job is to be a witness to his time in history.” – Robert Rauschenberg
As I read the above quote and relate it the current music industry, I feel frustrated and confused. I feel as if too many artists are telling monotonous and one-dimensional monologues in a world full of very vivid and complicated dialogues. I think what happened to challenging the establishment? What happened to standing up to the man and pointing your middle finger at him? What happened to all the filth and the fury?
For the past three or four years, music listeners and musicians alike have been engaging in this happy go-lucky courtship of nice, apologetic pop tunes, glamorous lifestyles rid of malcontent, and generally good vibes. Looking at some of the most current and even dying trends (glo-fi, shoegaze revival, hipster rap), music has been in a very cozy and comfortable state for a while now.
At one point in time, we were fortunate enough to rely on the indie and underground scenes to voice alternative opinions and bear the brands of the counterculture. Now many indie acts have gone pop and are exploiting the pop trends. I can name a million groups that want to imitate the glittery pop sounds of MGMT, Waaves, Vampire Weekend, Neon Indian or Beach House. And none of them have a unique message that speaks to any particular demographic. It’s as if they want to make music that is as friendly and unassuming as possible – the new motto is don’t create conflict, enjoy what already exists.
I suppose the real question is, are artists morally obligated to produce material that questions the status quo? Is it our duty to have an ulterior motive and stand for something greater than music?
One of the last records that really moved me was Fleet Foxes‘ record. It’s such a lush and beautifully written record with all kinds of ambient sounds and nuances woven into the tapestry of the album. But there’s nothing threatening about it, it’s just magnificent songwriting, but does not challenge any kind of system. I think about artists/activists like Rage Against the Machine and wonder what happened? Do musicians no longer feel as if we are entitled to voice our opinion on politics, social injustice, and crimes against humanity?
I think about John Coltrane composing “Alabama” or Bob Dylan writing “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.” Or I reminesce about The Clash and Bad Brains’ social and anti-political messages. Even Metallica and Slayer personified symbols of brutality and rebellion back in the day. I don’t see too many people mimicking those gestures and I wonder…have we left an “era of cool” and moved into an era of complacency?
I don’t even recognize resentment or defiance in many of the youth these days. I see teenagers who enjoy going to coffee shops on the weekend and downloading the latest Drake or Lady Gagasong onto their ipods while sipping white cafe mochas. Kids wearing plaid shirts, horn-rimmed glasses, and Vans. Teenagers who check Pitchfork Media religiously – they remind me of yet another clique-ish and “hip” social group whose lifestyle has filtered into the mainstream. I almost miss the weird goth kids with the huge Jnco jeans and black eye liner who hated the world.
Nonetheless, as this article comes to a close, I cannot find clarity or truth. And the only way I can find inspiration is from you, the readers. I encourage you to leave comments and debate the questions within this post. Tell me I’m wrong, tell me I’m right, tell me I spelled something wrong. Either way, voice your opinion – is it still the artist’s obligation to be a witness of his or her time in history? Or are we moving in the opposite direction?
According to Attention System‘s bio, they, “manage to fuse electronics, post-punk and ’80s synth pop creating a sound that is fluid and marketable, familiar yet different, sinister yet playful. They’ve been compared to The Faint, The Presets and Does It Offend You.”
Yeah – they do that. I just label their music as slightly dark synth-pop/electronic in the vein of the Killers. But some of the guys in Attention System look like they might rob you in a dark alley and ironically I don’t get that impression from the Killers. So maybe these bands should trade names.
Either way, Attention System is releasing a cd called Wait For My Signal and I had the opportunity to sit down with their bassist Chris Edmonds and discuss the new record.
Let me throw some of the hard-hitting and gritty questions first. When and where did Attention System form?
CE: Attention System came together here in Atlanta around August of 2008. We all knew each other from playing shows together with our previous bands. For numerous reasons those bands had fallen by the waist side and all of these loose elements were kind of floating around town. I had a feeling something good was going to come out of that. I’m pretty happy with the results so far, I feel lucky to be a part of it.
What musical projects have you and your bandmates participated in prior to Attention System?
CE: Too many to count to be honest. None of us are originally from Atlanta, so I’ll just limit it to the bands we’ve worked with once we arrived here. Slow Motion Crash, Creve Coeur, Leechmilk, Siberia My Sweet, The Sexual Sideffects, The Villains (Athens), Liquid Image, Nigredo, etc.
You were a founding member of the stoner metal band Leechmilk and now you’re in a synth-pop/electronic group. What caused the sudden change of heart?
CE: Well, that didn’t happen all of sudden. Leechmilk disbanded in 2001, I had started playing sludge metal stuff in New Orleans around 91 or so. That was ten years in that genre. It meant a lot to me and I was there in the beginning of it. When I lost Leechmilk I kind of lost myself for a while. I didn’t pick up my instrument for three years. I was completely disgusted and had “retired” in my own mind. I couldn’t even go to shows. I hated to go see other bands get off because I knew what it would do to me. I just ran away from everything.
Eventually I started going out to see bands that were in different genres. I could at least cope with that, it didn’t freak me out at all. After a while I just decided it was time to get back in. I had to do something different to keep my interest level high. It’s not easy being in an original band…if you aren’t excited about what you’re doing you will not put up with the hardships for long. Doing something different was essential for me.
Attention System is releasing a new record called “Wait for My Signal.” Can you tell me about the songwriting process behind some of the songs off the record?
CE: This record represents our first year working together so the process itself evolved over that time. The earlier songs were part of the learning curve, blending the electronic elements of our sound with the more organic, traditional, rock instrumentation and it took time to develop. It took a few songs before we started to notice a template that worked for us. To be honest, I feel like that evolution is still in process. Sometimes I think we are just now reaching our terrible two’s and this record reflects our infancy in many ways.
For us it’s pretty rare for someone to walk in with a finished product. Normally a member will bring in an idea and present it to the rest of us – if you get that big eyed look from everyone around the room then we know we’ve got a good starting point.
What are your favorite songs on “Wait For My Signal?”
CE: I’m kind of fond of the ones with the bass cranked way up in the mix!! HA (laughs)! No, let’s see, I can’t help, but like the ones that I’ve seen crowds get off on first hand. Maybe they’re the stronger tracks and that could explain it. I just know that Siren’s City gets a reaction every time. In every city, every crowd without fail, the same goes for Miss Machine. The energy that we get from the crowd for certain songs can change everything. That’s why we play live. We could sit in the bedroom and please ourselves (laughs - did I just say that!) or we can get on stage and see what the public has to say about it. Everything that made it onto this record has passed that test, I doubt that we would ever put anything out that didn’t
Considering the current music business climate, more and more artists are going digital with everything. Why did you decide to release a cd at the local level?
CE: Two reasons , one was a business based decision and the other was more personal. We’re not in any position to limit ourselves at this point. We need to use every medium available to get our music into peoples’ hands. We’re still working hard to get our name out there. A large percentage of press that’s available to us at this point is “review” oriented. Most media outlets that would review our record would prefer a physical copy. It also makes a better impression than sending them a digital record. The physical copy also gives us something to sell on the road. It helps with gas money and if we pair the record with a t-shirt for a price break, we can move more of everything.
The more personal part of it is similar to the reason people carved things into stone tablets for thousands of years. Music comes from the ether, it’s created in your mind, the digital world just can’t satisfy that unexplained urge to introduce your work into the real world. If you spend a year creating work that’s important to you, the thought of never holding it in your hand can be unbearable! Plus, we decided our van was too clean for any respectable rock band. We needed more stuff all over the floor (laughs)!
Many readers may not be aware of this, but you have a long history of working behind the scenes within the music business. Where do you predict the industry will move over the next five to ten years? Do you feel that the era of giant superstars is in its last and dying stages?
CE: That’s a tough one man…things are pretty bleak right now. In the next five to ten years, I predict that the main vehicle for music consumers will be an app. It just seems logical to me. More people are embracing the technology each day, soon there should be a large enough market share for it to be a viable option. It appears to have the ability to make everyone happy. If a band releases a record via app they have more control over the purchase amount and the content as a whole. The fan gets something a little more satisfying than a few songs for a few bucks. They get a constantly updated “link” to the band, artwork, news, blogs, tour dates, special releases, you name it. They have you in their pocket for good.
When I was 14, I would have flipped out to have a Metallica app in my backpack! I think that’s worth $10 – $15 as opposed to $0.99 per song downloads.
So what killed the music business, was it the crappy bands on myspace, the rampant downloading, or all the fat, greedy puppetmasters who control the Big Three – or is that simple?
CE: The music business as a whole is having problems because of downloading. I don’t care who denies it. It’s right there in the numbers – when these companies are having trouble making profit the first place they make cuts is to anything in the “risk” category. That mainly means NEW unproven artists. Offering a new artist a record deal is similar to an investment, when times get tight the investment funds dry up in a hurry. Without new artists things tend to get boring pretty fast!
That’s where things are for the time being. It’s a never-ending loop of rehashed, reworked, repackaged derivative versions of things we’ve seen before. You have to admit it’s getting pretty lame when rock music gets its ass handed to it by the out of control oversexed rebels in the world of golf (laughs)!
If you were starting a band right now in 2010, would you do anything differently?
CE: Not a single thing.
For more about Attention System, click here. The band’s cd release party will be at the Drunken Unicorn on April 17. Get a free copy of Wait For My Signal with the purchase of a ticket.
*Gavin, Chris would like to thank you and Surrounded by Light for helping to coordinate the show. Also Mario Panebianco took one of the photos.
Mr. Ze Pequeno, I am a regular subscriber toTiny Mixtapes and I check your website every day. Tiny Mixtapes is one of my favorite music sites because not only do you write good album and film reviews, the site takes a more political approach than other music blogs. The minds behind Tiny Mixtapes recognize that there is a need to discuss politics and tackle gritty issues and I applaud you and your co-workers for your valiant efforts. Many of the articles you write are very credible and take strong stances on otherwise nebulous and cloudy subjects.
Ze, as I clicked on your article“Five Problems with the IFPI Digital Music Report,” my heart fluttered. I blushed and was prepared for yet another torrid and breathtaking affair with a Tiny Mixtapes commentary. However, what I read disgusted me and left a bad taste in my mouth as if I had ingested month-old rotten eggs.
In your article you discussed various parts of the IFPI Digital Music Report and provided harsh criticisms as to why it was a poor representation of 2009, blah, blah, blah. The point is you’re wrong on this matter and I’m going to tell you why. I’m going to dissect the solutions that you presented to the music industry, point out the fundamental flaws in your argument and turn the mirror on you.
1. Stop selling records, start selling artists.
This is a wonderful statement and I totally agree with this. But wait, then you say, “The industry’s implementation of “360 deals,” which give labels a stake in every aspect of an artist’s business in return for managing and marketing those aspects, is a promising start, but more needs to be done in exchange for increased profitability.”
Wait – so you’re saying the 360 deal (which takes a cut of not only the artists’ record sales, but also cuts into their touring, merchandise, and promotional revenue streams amongst others) is the solution?! Artists were already paying back major labels on less than 15% of their entire revenue (the standard major label contract looks like this in the end; Major label 88%, Artist 12%) and now you propose that labels cut even deeper into their other sources of income and that will solve the artists’ problems. In addition, you said that, “more needs to be done in exchange for increased profitability.”
More, like how much more? Should recording artists just give in, put on some stilettos and skanky high shorts and parade around the track for more money for their pimps ie 360 deal contracts? Mr. Pequeno, a 360 deal is not the solution for artists these days. Giving someone else more control over all your sources of income is foolish in a day and age in which all the revenue streams are drying up. If you cannot control your own product through your own mediums and create your own branding reflective of whom you truly are, that is a problem in the 21st century music business. The key is to maintain control over your intellectual property and utilize labels for what you need out of them, it’s not the inverse. A simple distribution deal can be much more beneficial for an artist who has already invested time in building up their product and brand and targeted it at the right markets.
2. Let the customers decide how they want to pay their artists.
I read this and immediately a red flag popped up in my mind. Let the customers decide how they want to pay their artists hmmm…they won’t pay anything.
Mr. Pequeno, we live in tough times and purchasing cds, going out to the movies, eating out on the weekends, those are all luxury items/purchases. Some people really do have to make the decision of whether or not they can purchase lunch for the day or buy their favorite artist’s cd.
But I will admit, I am cynical and jaded. However, my cynicism is steeped on the grounds of fact and true evidence. If someone can get something for free and not pay for it, they will do it. If they can find a 320 kps mp3 online that has the same sound quality, music, and even the record information encoded into the track, they will download that track without a moment’s hesitation. Few people have the integrity and common sense to view their favorite artists as not just entertainers in this separate realm of pop culture aside from the real world, but as hard workers and vendors who have to utilize the world of business and commerce in order to make a decent living and get their music out to the masses.
You criticized and belittled Stephen Garrett, the executive chairmen of Kudos television, for saying that piracy and illegal downloading has killed the jobs of electricians, drivers, carpenters, and the common man. What do you think most musicians are doing for a day job and primary source of income aside from their music?
To make matters worse, you used the notorious Radiohead/NIN model as a shining beacon of how fans will pay loads of money for music and it’s all based on personal choice. Too bad Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails initially relied on and heavily profited off the old music business model. If I was Thom frickin Yorke of course I would let my fifty million fans decide how they want to purchase my music. If I only receive sales from 10%, that’s still five million fans! Do you think Joe Schmoe has five million fans or even 1500 fans?
3. Release materially digitally when it’s done
I can’t complain with this clause too much, you do make a good point. Nonetheless, an artist’s album can be leaked by numerous sources aside from the artist themselves. All it takes is one greedy, overzealous studio intern and your album is leaked all over the streets. Half the time it’s not even the real tracks circulating the web, it’s old and unreleased material or just fake tracks period. You can browse Youtube for ten minutes and find all kinds of phony, fraud tracks. In these cases, the artist is not releasing their material prematurely, but someone else who has uploaded the track.
Overall, if an artist releases something digitally when it’s complete or unfinished, it won’t matter once everything is turned into an endless string of zeroes and ones. The minute that record hits the digital market, anyone can turn it into a bit torrent and upload it onto any system that has an Internet connection and a hard drive. In essence Mr. Pequeno, this is not a solution because it does not address the real issue at hand. It’s a temporary band-aid at best, but nothing more.
You made a few other outlandish and ignorant comments in your article, but I won’t bounce off of those just because this article would end up being too long-winded and honestly it’s a waste of my time.
Mr. Pequeno, I wrote this article because I had to. I understand your vantage point, but your strategy was flawed upon conception and your delivery was shoddy. You paint this picture of the music business being run by greedy corporate pigs and rich wolves out for fresh blood (btw I have met several artists operating at the local/DIY level who are just as self-involved and egotistical as major label CEOs). There are some aspects of the music industry that certainly reflect a more corrupt and insidious nature, but the entire industry does not reflect that.
Record labels were started to sell records and that’s it. They were not designed to handle the booking and promotional aspects of an artist’s tour or coming up with creative merchandise to sell an artist as a brand or product. They did all of these things to fuel sales of the music and artists relied heavily on major labels at one point in time because they needed them for distribution. It was an era without convenient home recording equipment and readily accessible music technology, many of the older record labels owned and controlled elaborate studios and musicians needed them just to record.
Mr. Pequeno, you have used the same irrational strategy that your opponents utilize consistently and I wonder if you even realize it. If you don’t, I’m telling you. Your “solutions” are not solutions, but quick ways for an artist to bury themselves six feet deep. You stated at the end of your article thatTiny Mixtapesis a small music blog and probably won’t make much impact on the music industry. I’m no journalist, but I recognize that this is not true. One should always be selective about their choice of words, but especially when they’re posting a think piece online to be viewed by all of the world. It doesn’t take a bachelor’s degree in journalism to realize that.
I’m not going to provide any counter solutions to your “solutions” in this particular piece. I may do that later on down the line, but for now realize that what you say and post via a legitimate music blog should not be taken lightly. Put some genuine thought and charisma into your articles, prove to me as the reader why your points are valid and don’t recycle impractical statistics from useless sources to make your point.
