Friday, March 21, 2008

iTunes Single of the Week: Part II (Good Feist)

On Tuesday April 5, 2005, Leslie Feist began a love affair with Apple that would culminate in the "1 2 3 4" heard 'round the world. On that day, "One Evening" from her second album, 2004's Let It Die (and 'major label' debut with Universal) was featured as the 'iTues Single of the Week.' (You don't have to go back in time to get it, though...just click on the MP3 player on the right side of the blog!)

Though she was already a longtime member/contributor to the Canadian experipop conglomerate Broken Social Scene, her first solo outing in 1999 entitled Monarch (Lay Down Your Jeweled Head) never gained much steam and, according to Wikipedia, remains out of print. I have, however, managed to obtain a VERY LEGAL copy via "The Internets," and it is with much pride and excitement that I would like to announce the beginning of a new column on A Stereo Sun! Every week (I'll try to keep it that frequent), I'll be reviewing albums that I have either a) never heard before b) am sure you all -- my 3 loyal readers -- have never heard before c) absolutely love and want to spread or d) absolutely hate but want to give another chance to. That being said, next week's inaugural review will be Feist's aforementioned inaugural rarity.

Back to April 5, 2005. I listened to the 30-second preview of the old-meets-new/80's-funk 'One Evening' and was more than happy to "purchase" the free single from iTMS (please see Part I for a definition of iTMS). Immediately, I was drawn to her jazzy, as well as the combination of scratchy sound (old) with light, flowy electronics (new). I managed, since these were my days of piracy, to obtain a VERY ILLEGAL copy of Let it Die. The mix of pleasantly obscure covers and fresh originals is surprisingly cohesive, and Feist manages to introduce herself as a musician we hadn't been introduced to often by iTMS: potentially popular, innovative, and...wait for it...wait for it......TALENTED! They didn't just put something on there because it was new, but because it was good and new!

I've seen Feist twice live, and her musical prowess and stage persona far exceed what her albums would deem her capable. Her unique use of self-harmonization (via looping) is something I haven't experienced before or since, and she opened my eyes to the possibility of using electronics during a live performance.

We all know what happens next. In 2007, Feist's third album The Reminder came out to critical and popular acclaim, reaching #4 on the Billboard Top Digital Albums (U.S.) and reaching platinum status (1 million copies sold). In September of that year, Apple again gave Feist a swift and helpful kick up the charts (she reached #8 on the Billboard Top 100) by featuring her video and song for "1 2 3 4" in a third generation iPod Nano commercial, which subsequently aired approximately 7 GAZILLION TIMES every hour on every station.

"1 2 3 4" has helped drive Feist and Apple to new heights, and she should be considered a saving grace of hope and goodness for the iTMS. Sadly, as I made clear in Part I, I haven't had much to celebrate from iTMS very often. "One Evening" is a standout 'Single of the Week,' and I cannot honestly say that I can remember one other that I've downloaded since, though I know I often have (usually ending in disappointment). Still, though, in the words of Leslie Feist herself, "the pleasure was mine."

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

iTunes Single of the Week: Part I (Bad Apple)

There are few ways for new bands to get recognized on a scale as large as having their name and a free track posted on iTunes for a week. Then why would iTunes use this power for bad? In a two-part piece of investigatory blogging, I plan to uncover the reasons behind what makes the "iTunes Single of the Week" such a miserable failure.

Since its rise to the height of the music-player world in the early 2000s, iTunes has transformed from a gawky list of tunes to a sleek, sexy coverflow of our music libraries. iTunes has overcome Windows Media Player, WinAmp (the pre-2002 media choice), and RealPlayer to become king of the mediaplaying world. What was once just a music player can now also allow us to download albums, preview them before we buy them, rent movies, buy movies, watch television, and access an array of free media that we can get nowhere else.

On paper, iTunes is a glorious invention for the age of overaccess (see: iPurgatory). In practice, though, there are two fundamental flaws in the user experience of the iTunes Music Store (iTMS) when attempting to be exposed to new music.

1: The 30-second preview or sample.
When you decide to explore your options before buying an album, the iTMS often allows you to listen to a brief clip of the song(s) that you are about to buy. Unequivocally, these are 30-seconds taken from the middle of the song. I admit, Apple would be hard pressed to provide potential listeners and buyers with the entire track, but it is often unfair to both the listening party and the musicians selling their music to include only 30 seconds of each song. At the same time, allowing listeners unlimited music privileges would ultimately render previews pointless altogether, as no one would bother to buy the music. Perhaps a longer preview of, dare I say, an entire minute would be more appropriate? It is hard to make judgments about songs and albums when you've only heard small out-of-context snippets. The preview already in existence is better than nothing, but doubling it might even educate listeners better before they spend their money (and what major corporation wouldn't want to do that?).

To its credit, iTMS does offer valuable news information, such as the annual 'State of the Union Address,' or Brian William's exclusive NBC Nightly News interview with then-departing Prime Minister Tony Blair, and even Stephen Colbert's revolutionary lampoon of Asshole -- er, um, President -- Bush at the 2006 Correspondents' dinner. Musically though, and music should be a priority for the iTunes Music Store, there is much to be desired. Which leads me to my next point...

2: The iTMS free weekly downloadables; most notably the 'iTunes Single of the Week' (not including the also free 'Latin Single of the Week').
Every Tuesday, iTMS gives users a wide array of free downloadable material that ranges from TV pilot episodes to LOST previews to the only worthwhile freebie, the 'Discovery Download.' The free pilots are usually pretty awful-to-mediocre looking shows (i.e. New Amsterdam, Journeyman...really any quality FOX programming), but the 'Discovery Download' is often a gem. Old school blues, experimental jazz, Brazillian samba-pop...I'll admit that I've gotten some valuable additions to my library from the 'Discovery.' However, iTMS doesn't advertise this free feature at all. It falls into the background, overshadowed by the likes of free TV shows and, especially, the 'Single of the Week.'

The Single started out as a great way for small, independent artists to get some sort of national (even international) recognition. Can you think of a better way to build a fanbase than to have billions of people viewing your iTMS featured song? There is no radio station that reaches as many people as iTunes. I can remember a time, years ago, when I consistently checked my iTunes every Tuesday to give the Single a listen or two. In fact, many may not remember this, but Feist and her song "One Evening" from her debut album Let It Die were featured on the 'Single of the Week' years before the iPod Nano commercial featuring "1 2 3 4" made her a superstar (more on her in Part II). The Single used to be worth the attention it got on the front page of the iTMS. But over the past year-plus, iTunes has severely lowered its 'Single of the Week' standards. The genres are now invariably noisy rap/hip-hop/electronic or popcheeseacoustica, as evidenced by the fact that of the Singles thus far in 2008 and through the entirety of 2007, all but 5 were able to fall under the broad and conveniently all-encompassing labels of Alternative (whatever that means), Pop, Rock (which inexplicably includes Matt Nathanson), Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B/Soul, or Electronic/Dance. Is it possible that no music has been made for 15 months that breaks the boundaries of these genres? If you've ever been to a music festival or a jazz club or a jam session of any sort, you know quite certainly that the answer is absolutely not. There is a plethora of unconventional music being played and recorded and put on stage at clubs around the world, and it is the responsibility of one of the largest remaining music retailers to expose us to it all!

I haven't downloaded a free Single from iTMS in well over a year. If you look at the user reviews, which one would expect to be quite padded by the fact that the general public has Godawful taste in music (see: Nickelback), most of the songs that I've refused to download for free (the fact that they are for free and I refuse to download and keep them should be telling enough) have been given ratings of only 1 or 2 stars out of a possible 5. With the opportunity to expose millions to a musically viable and creative new artist, you'd think that Apple would pull their heads out of their asses and give us something worth listening to.
______________________
Part II is soon to come...

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Radio from 1995 - Present

When I first started listening to the radio independent of my parents, say around 1995, Mix 105.1 was the way to go. I never really had a concept of what other kids were listening to, other than Alanis Morrisette, which is why I have never owned a Green Day's Dookie. (Note: Once I found out everyone loved Dookie I went down to CD World and gave it a listen. Is it enough to say that I still have (and will) never own a Green Day album?) Every Saturday morning at 10, Casey Kasem would go through the weekly Top 40, in order of course. I relished every poppy sugar-soaked chorus and every melodramatic over-distorted bridge.

As time wore on, my interest in the Top 40 did not diminish. In the car we'd listen to Billy Joel, The Beatles, and James Taylor, and I never resented my parents for exposing me to their music. In fact, I loved it. But every weeknight at 9pm, until I was about 14 (1999) I would head up to bed and put on Z100's "Interactive 9 at 9." People would call in and vote for their favorite song (New York's self-proclaimed #1 Hit Music Station), and I would almost inevitably fall asleep before #1 was announced at about 9:45. It's OK, though, because the next day when I listened to the Z, the same 9 songs were invariably played ad nauseum for 24 hours. I'm not all that convinced that there were more than 9 songs in the station's entire rotation. In fact, my reporter in the field, Mr. Adam Baker, works in an office space in which Z100 is still the standard fare for listeners throughout the day. He says that he has heard approximately four hours of that rubbish each day and of the Top 40, he thinks the station plays about 30 on a continuous random loop. According to his expert calculations, each song gets at least five or six plays per day that he hears. Looks like not much has changed in a decade.

Then, the fateful day arrived on which one Cliff Gerber got his driver's license (more than a year before the rest of us). Way back in 2001, the most alternative station on the radio in central NJ was G106.3. It served primarily the Shore area, but most of the time our reception was OK, and our ride to school was soundtracked by such indie-rock legends as John Mayer (during his 'Room for Squares' phase) and Jimmy Eat World. Actually, there were very few others. Some Foo-Fighters here, some Michelle Branch there, but really all we heard each morning during our 20 minute ride were three things: a long stream of commercials interspersed with 'No Such Thing' and 'The Middle.' Every day. Controlling the radio was new to us as newly licensed passengers, so it seemed excusable.

What is not so easy to overlook is that by the next year (2002 - 2003), when I was a senior, I should have already mastered the radio. Unfortunately, G106.3 was still the predominant alternastaion programmed into my presets. The same general alt-rock, the same entertainment news updates -- it was essentially just MTV on the radio. And the rest of the stations were no better. I simply reprogrammed most of my parents' presets into my first car (Buick Regal, circa 1992) without considering the following facts: one played oldies, one played classic rock (Q104.3 is still a staple of my radio experience), and the rest were either light rock or commercial pop. And, of course, all are owned by ClearChannel.

During my senior year of college, I took a photography course. The dark room TA's gave us a constant flow of NPR, and I'm sorry to say that aside form the occasional Car Talk, I had virtually no NPR experience. After hundreds of hours developing and cropping, dodging and burning, my love for NPR was planted, cultivated, and in full bloom.

It took me almost 22 years to discover the joy of public radio, and I haven't listened to a non-Q104 commercial radio station in over a year. Between 88.7 (jazz out of Newark), 96.3 (classical from ancient to contemporary), and NPR New York affiliate 93.9 WNYC (talk, music...the works) all of my bases are covered. Now the BBC World Broadcast has taken the place of Scott and Todd's asinine morning show, and my commute to work is filled with the joy of Ira Glass's This American Life podcast.

If you have never listened to this, I would say that no art has effected my life more over the past several months than TAL. It's honest and real and one of the most uplifting, heartwrenching, emotionally charged things I've ever heard. Perhaps what makes it so special is the precise and deliberate use of music throughout each presentation, but whatever it is, it is well worth listening to if you never have before (www.thisamericanlife.org).

WNYC gives me Brian Lehrer in the morning, Ira Flato presenting Science Friday for All Things Considered, SoundBites (which exposes me to a wide array of new music), and countless other consumerist-free, commercial-free programs that are entertaining without being gratuitously in-your-face like most sound-effect-ridden morning shows or afternoon shockjockfests. Of course there is something for everyone, but it's even more telling that it can be everything to so many (at least in terms of radio). Even though I sometimes feel like a twenty-two year old with the musical bitterness of a grandparent (not mine exclusively, but mine included -- and I'm not so sure she'd like Nine Inch Nails...or Jose Gonzalez for that matter), I am absolutely happy to admit that commercial Top 40 radio stations are not for me, and I'm a little ashamed that they ever were.