Future of music …
It kind of has a Daft Punk meets Kanye West sound . . .
Cool sample . . .
At first this song slightly annoyed me, but then that crazy jazz chords at the end made me like this song.
These will be the songs of the summer ‘09.
Taking Justin Seriously
Last summer, I came across an article about the then-to-be released album “Futuresex/Lovesounds.” In it, Justin Timberlake discusses how, in making the album, he wanted to really push the boundaries of pop music and bring something new. And since being released, Justin Timberlake’s “Futuresex/Lovesounds” has been at the top of the charts with almost continuous airplay on the radio: the former front man for the boy band Nsync has created a classic.
We all can remember (or try to forget) the time of sex scandals and tepid political discourse, the time of complacency and indifference, that decade of non-events: the nineties — the brief period of Pax Americana following the Cold War. Those were the days, when people simply didn’t care, and what seemed to have any value or importance lied in the past. This inglorious end of the 20th century when any sort of cultural energy had seemed to have reached its peak in the fields of Woodstock, NY in the summer of 1969, and ever since had gradually dissipated, when the post-post modernist this and thats decided that everything had been said and done and quietly receded into the background. This was the time of America’s greatest musical contribution: the boy band — yes, that toxic mix of corporate marketing, desire for empty spectacle, and unoriginal musical composition divorced from the least bit of passion or interest. It was like music had scrapped the barrel but didn’t realize it because we either were too busy making money off it, or too busy making fun of it. But really what would the music have been otherwise? For years pop had been just the artificial creations of a greedy industry (since when can art have anything to do with an industry). Any remaining elements of that genuine age of good music had finally degenerated into an orgy of extravagant concerts, bizarre videos, and worthless, forgettable so-called music. And it is with great gratitude and appreciation that we were allowed to say to this time: “Bye, Bye, Bye.”Admittedly, this age isn’t completely gone and to a large extent continuous to exist. But it does so with an interesting trend pushing against it: The desire for the genuine. And although this trend produced the reality show, which too became a victim of the “producer,” this emerging push for what is real is gradually changing the cultural landscape and beginning to pay off. Enter Justin Timberlake.
My first impression of the solo work of Timberlake was disappointment. His “Justified” album seemed like the arrogant attempt by a talent-less boybander trying to prove himself. It wasn’t until I took a second look and saw the importance of it. In “Like I Love You“, it is the simple one chord vamp on an acoustic guitar which provides for the entire song’s structure. At first this seemed over-simplistic and boring. It seemed even laughable — I can just imagine poor old Justin struggling to write one song without his precious music producers guiding the way, and the only thing he could come up with was a dumb one chord guitar riff. But then as it got stuck in my head and reluctance in liking it gave way, it struck me. This guy is breaking all the rules. He did something daring. He actually wrote his own song. He abandoned the sacred temple of electronica for an acoustic guitar and people liked it. It was like something within that sewer of the superficial crept up, something real, and gave us something to really enjoy. And it was this experience which made the release of “Futuresex/Lovesounds” worth anticipating.
I knew just by hearing his excitement in that article that it was going to be good. Here’s this guy who has, to his exclusive credit, made a name for himself and really sees a value in what he’s doing. You can just see in him someone who really values the music which came before him, someone who strives to contribute to the American pantheon of great music. And so right when it came out, I got it. And I listened over and over again. I couldn’t get enough of it and by the time I finally overcame my obsession with it, everyone else started to get into it and now I can’t escape it, so I decided to throw my two cents in.
There’s a couple of reasons why I love this album so much. First, it’s simplicity. You can just hear the organic growth of one simple theme or baseline into a full-fledged song. It’s such a throwback to the Soul movement of the 60’s and 70’s. It’s funky and has some great drum beats. But it’s also novel. The combination of beat boxing, the nuanced use of the synthesizer, and the creativity of its lyrical and musical song writing all make for a great experience. And then there’s Timberlake’s voice, a white kid getting away singing falsetto is rare, but he really does it and does it well. What I think makes it such a great album though is that it breaks pop music’s cardinal rule: Thou shalt not deviate from the singing in deference to the music. Those musical interludes are truly original and exciting, especially the song “Lovestoned.” What a daring move to extend the ending of this already awesome song with a meandering musical digression resolving into a completely different theme! It is like he gave absolutely no consideration to what any music executive or radio DJ thought. It is the clear act of a true artist: the defiant expression against the existing stereotype. And although I doubt he provided the arrangement, the string arrangements have Justin’s simple and genuine touch written all over it. The album as a whole is simply remarkable, without one dud on it.
But just as masterpieces of the Jazz movement can’t be solely attributed to one single person, neither can “Futuresex/Lovestoned”. The other genius here is music producer Timberland. Another titan in search for the genuine music of the 21st century, Timberland continues to bring fresh and vibrant ideas to the old concepts of pop. From Missy Elliot to Nelly Furtado, Timberland is redefining the role of the music producer and it’s no different on this album. His contribution can’t be overstated. What a contribution these two have made since “Justified.” It’s really encouraging to see the stale mold of pop music being broken and letting artistic collaboration do its thing. It really does remind me of the various collaborations and combinations of the Jazz age, that burst of creative energy which comes only when music is allowed to go where it wants to.
Well as you can probably tell I have a man-crush on Justin Timberlake. I really don’t want to overstate it. I don’t think he’s the next Mozart or anything, but I think he represents a potentially positive trend in pop music and the culture at large. Not only Justin, but others are breaking that stale mold of the artificial. There really seems to be a need to hear something real, something genuine even if it’s not earth-shattering. Is there any wonder why the top songs these days come from American Idol? — People want something real. It was like the start of this new century provided a sort of shock which made us wake up and look around and say “Maybe everything hasn’t been done. Maybe there’s more.’ And although he’s only a small contribution to this growing trend, Justin Timberlake represents something real and something which genuinely is striving for the artistic. I’m not sure if he’s gotten there yet, but I’m looking forward to hearing what he does along the way, and to see who joins him.
Attention Radiohead:
Thom Yorke’s “The Eraser” was a nice appetizer, but we’re looking for the main course. I’m hungry, and my patience is wearing thin . . .
