Don't devalue what others value.

I found an all to common problem with music criticism is when people trash something that they personally don't like as having no value. Whether you're a music fan or a musician at odds with a band or genre of music that seems antithetical to what you like or create, you are likely to create a distance between yourself and those who give this other music value. But, why is this bad? "I don't give a fuck about them," you say.

The worst is when you devalue an entire genre of music. You come off as very close-minded and as someone who doesn't really understand certain entities that make music. The most common genre that is devalued is hip-hop. Anyone who does this has to believe that rhythm isn't an essential part of music. Hip-hop is just a genre that is more based around rhythm and bass and less on melody. There is a hook that is looped during the majority of the song, but there is also a beat and verbal flow that moves the song forward. I've never heard anyone get worked up over a rock drummer who plays to the same cliche 4/4 rock beat.

More importantly, there are thousands or millions of other people who give this music great value. They love this music and just like the band you loved got you through hard times, these bands are doing the same for them. Their melody is moving them and gives them positive feelings. If you devalue this you seem out of touch of how they feel and are basically saying their feelings are irrelevant or wrong. This problem most often occurs between different generations. The basic emotions are the same, but the world that they exist is constantly changing. That last thing you want to do is come off as unsympathetic to the upcoming generations. Eventually, they are going to become the majority and so on.

I'll end this post with a quote from our favorite old crank.

"I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was...now what I'm with isn't it and what's it seems wierd and scary to me." - Grandpa Simpson

One nation under the clap beat.

If I explain it to someone who doesn't comprehend much about music, they'll look at me blankly. Most of the songs that you like on the radio have something in common and I'm not talking about verse, chorus, verse. It's the clap beat.

Everyone likes to clap their hands and sing along. Hell! There is even a band called "Clap your hands and say yeah!" You can clap on the two or the four or both.

One and clap! Three and Clap! Get it?

Today's clap beat jam is Big Boi's "Shutterbug." Keeping the clap on the two and the four, Big Boi (originally from Outkast) brings back memories of American wrestler turned Iranian traitor, Sgt. Slaughter.

com truise - Cyanide Sisters EP

Simple beats and hooks...interesting production. Plus, it's free.

http://www.last.fm/music/Com+Truise/Cyanide+Sisters+EP

You can definitely tell that its a work in progress style, which is possibly why he's giving it away for free. But, he's onto something which may turn into a great full-length.

the art of sampling

"It's the exact same song. He just rhymes over it."

This is a popular opinion when it comes to sampling. To an extent it's true. Some hip-hop songs don't even try to hide the fact that they're taking the catchiest part of a song and looping it. I don't know if anyone remembers P-Diddy back in the day when he was just a little Puff took the riff to Led Zeppelin's classic rock opus Kashmir, looped it and spit hot fire over the beat for the Godzilla soundtrack. It was pretty bad and the only reason the song was ever popular was probably because of the hook. But, we can't chastise an entire art-form for one of its less than adequate perpetrators no more than you can hate landscape painting for all those cheesy Thomas Kinkade paintings that your mom hangs in the bathroom.

What I disagree with most about the above statement is the word "just," as if rhyming, flowing and being a lyricist is such a trivial thing. The quote is real and is something I found under a youtube video for Herb Alperts forgotten classic Rise.



18 years later one of history's greatest MC's, Biggy Smalls, managed to just rhyme over a sample of the before mentioned song. Whether you think he was one of the greatest or not, the track Hypnotize does a pretty good job of finding the middle ground of sampling. It's not completely unreconizable from the original, but different enough to never be confused for the other. The lyrics are good, have a nice flow and do some interesting things rhythmically. To say there is no talent involved is pretty short-sighted. This song goes to show that even somewhere in P-Diddy's over-paid body existed talent when he was working with the right people and not doing his own shit.

The sun ain't gonna shine anymore

Back in 1965, this song was a sort of throw away hit for the boy band-ish group The Walker Brothers. Long before I ever knew who Scott Walker was, I knew this song and didn't really think too much of it other than that it was fairly catchy.

Today more than anything, Scott Walker has a reputation among the indie-scene (as broad as that sounds) for his more recent avant-garde albums Drift and Tilt which are admirable for his continued emphasis on music growth and experimentation, but lack any kind of major impression other than that he just doesn't give a fuck about what anyone wants out of him. But, that's what those crazy indie-kids like, right?

Long before his first five solo masterpieces Scott 1, 2, 3, 4 and Til' the band comes in Scott was the enigmatic frontman of The Walker Brothers who from most accounts back in that time could have rivaled The Beatles in popularity if only they had played the game right and broke out more in the States.

Even in this 1965 video of The sun ain't gonna shine anymore you can see that Scott Walker had a sort of darker carisma at work and a voice that that shames any of those big-time crooners of the era.

Wearing my rolex

I've kind of come to the conclusion that for now I need to broaden my blogs musical focus. There are only so much great music coming out of Portland at a time and I don't really like to focus too much on the ones already being written about.

Here's a track that I recently came upon from U.K Grime pioneer Wiley. He's a pioneer for sure, but until he dropped "Wearing my rolex" the majority of his recognition came from being linked with Grime phenomenon Dizzee Rascal. If you haven't heard of Dizzee then you're really out of the Grime loop.

This track isn't really true Grime by the standards of those who consider themselves the "Grimiest." But, it's very British and I'm a sucker for a good beat and a good cockney flow. One thing I really like about this one is that it's very much in the vain of old school hip-hop. It's focused around one material item, such as shoes or a watch rather than going on about having everything. It's very reminiscent of Dizzee's track off of last years "Maths and English" titled "Bubbles" where he flaunts his pair of Nike's. Also, I like the fact that Wiley is admitting to letting the female getting the best of her rather than demeaning her. A little different vibe than a lot of mainstream hip-hop.

Wiley - Wearing my rolex



Dizzee Rascal - Bubbles

Stumpclub: Vol. II

Music is not black and white. Some people want to write songs with great melodies that conform to the standards of what a great melody is as represented by every great pop songwriter. Some people have a shit-load of energy that they need to get out who could care less what a melody is. And then there is a whole lot of in-between.

What makes Stumpclub: Vol. 2 a brilliant compilation is that it represents this spectrum of popular music with full force. There are good examples of both extremes with a whole lot of in between. This is everything that makes the Portland scene so amazing is that even though the outside world doesn't recognize these spectrums, PDX does in spades. Not only is the music created, but it's recognized as being great music. It's a known fact that songs based on pure, raw emotion are just as good and listenable as those with amazing melodies and more predictable sounds and structures. I'm not saying Portland is the only scene that recognizes this cause frankley I've never been a part of any other scene, but it's one of the few that advertises it.

On the side of catchy melodies that will linger in your consciousness for days, there is David Evan (myspace.com/davidevanmusic) who is secretly one of the best song craftsmen that the Stump has to offer, not to mention an amazing producer. "Kill no keepers, Kill no thieves" prooves to be his best written and produced song to date.

For pure emotion and what I imagine is an amazing live show from The Penny Jam video I saw on their myspace page (myspace.com/magicjohnsonmusic), the musical group named after former Lakers b-baller, Dream-teamer and advocate for HIV/Aids prevention and safe sex. In the song Kelly the Antichrist the guitar/drum duo either hate Kelley or love her and hate Christ. Honestly, I don't really care to translate. I don't care either way, because that's not what is appealing about MG. They have the kind of caotic energy that starts revolutions and was drained out of most of us by eighteen from over-consumption of Mountain Dew.

In the middle and by far the best track of the compilation is Raggae Bob by The Hand That Bleeds (myspace.com/handthatbleeds). Even though the song doesn't have the kind of melody that you can sing in the shower, the mix of control and emotion that underline this song is commendable. I'm not sure whether she loves or hates his guy, but the ability of the bass, guitar and vocals to stagnate on the edge of creating a catchy melody or something that has no audible appeal is fucking fantastic. As someone who is always inclined to create majory key sounds, it blows my mind how they are able to naturally hug that line. This isn't something that can be faked or learned. It lies somewhere deep in the unconsciousness of THTB.

Other stand-out bands on Stump Club: Vol 2 are Hockey, Copy and Reporter.

stumpclub.org