Sunday, February 26, 2017
The Music Industry's Dastardly Plan
The music industry is costly. Having to pay all those humans (and Justin Bieber) to sing. But the industry has a long-term plan. Replace humans with synthesized vocals. The giveaways are the ever-increasing use of voice filters and, the promotion of vocalists whose voices sound like they're filtered. Eventually mass consumption of music will edge into the territory in which it is no longer possible to distinguish a human from a synthesized voice. (The term "vocalist" is used to distinguish whatever it is that mainstream "music" performers do and "singing". Singing means performing a song, which is form with a tune and words. The popular shows, like The Voice, that purportedly feature singing are almost entirely about vocalizing: adding notes, contorting sound, with no intent to convey the lyrics, other than giving the impression of emoting.) Think of it a race-to-the-bottom Turing Test. In contrast, no-one is ever going to mistake Leo and the Fish for synthesized sound.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Metamusical Inquiry Breakthrough Shock
Dr. Hardwick Herpes, legendary semiologicohermeneutician and metamusicologist, has revealed a theoretical breakthrough that threatens to stand the metamusical world on its head -- or perhaps he would prefer to say that it will put metamusicology back on its feet.
Dr. Herpes, who posts on this blog but has forgotten his password, spoke exclusively to Global HQ Freelton about his exciting new breakthrough.
"What we call metamusic in the semiologicohermeneutical field," he told us in the library of his rambling two-bedroom postwar bungalow in Birchmount Park, Toronto, "has always been dedicated to the elimination of non-musical standards that have been imposed on music. The field of metamusic has been muddied recently by the co-optation of the name metamusic by purveyors of CDs they claim stimulate the brain. After long consideration based on the assumption that these new metamusicians were mere conceptual bandits, I suddenly realized that they might actually have had an insight that we professional semiologicohermeneuticians could develop into a major conceptual breakthrough.
"And finally I broke through, by the simple expedient of focussing on the original meaning of the word metamusic. The word literally means 'after music,' when in fact the oeuvre of the Anachronisms, the world's greatest and definitive metamusicians, has been devoted to stripping modern 'music' of affectation and unnecessary elaboration.
"In other words, what the contemporary world calls music is in fact a corruption of music. It is literally metamusic, since it what you get after music has been corrupted. What the Anachronisms produce is music, the original outpouring of creative minds uncorrupted by later application of unnecessary technical performance standards or harmonic 'theory'."
Dr. Herpes had to leave at this point for an aromatherapy session, but consultation by Global HQ Freelton with members of the group revealed that his stunning breakthrough may have an immediate influence on the Anachro-oeuvre. Guest artist Red Slapp, for example, was so impressed that he promised to develop what he described as an ur-musical version of "Tenderly" that he hopes to record as part of the group's latest project.
Other important semiologicohermeneuticians, such as Oxford don Dr. Putyourshirtonbackwards and freelance scholar Don Zither, have yet to comment. Dr. Herpes' new theoretical position may end up exploding semilogicohermeneutical metamusicological theory or it may end up being a catalyst for the creation of more and greater music (sic). Whatever happens, history will record it as a defining intellectual moment of the 21st century.
Dr. Hardwick Herpes, legendary semiologicohermeneutician and metamusicologist, has revealed a theoretical breakthrough that threatens to stand the metamusical world on its head -- or perhaps he would prefer to say that it will put metamusicology back on its feet.
Dr. Herpes, who posts on this blog but has forgotten his password, spoke exclusively to Global HQ Freelton about his exciting new breakthrough.
"What we call metamusic in the semiologicohermeneutical field," he told us in the library of his rambling two-bedroom postwar bungalow in Birchmount Park, Toronto, "has always been dedicated to the elimination of non-musical standards that have been imposed on music. The field of metamusic has been muddied recently by the co-optation of the name metamusic by purveyors of CDs they claim stimulate the brain. After long consideration based on the assumption that these new metamusicians were mere conceptual bandits, I suddenly realized that they might actually have had an insight that we professional semiologicohermeneuticians could develop into a major conceptual breakthrough.
"And finally I broke through, by the simple expedient of focussing on the original meaning of the word metamusic. The word literally means 'after music,' when in fact the oeuvre of the Anachronisms, the world's greatest and definitive metamusicians, has been devoted to stripping modern 'music' of affectation and unnecessary elaboration.
"In other words, what the contemporary world calls music is in fact a corruption of music. It is literally metamusic, since it what you get after music has been corrupted. What the Anachronisms produce is music, the original outpouring of creative minds uncorrupted by later application of unnecessary technical performance standards or harmonic 'theory'."
Dr. Herpes had to leave at this point for an aromatherapy session, but consultation by Global HQ Freelton with members of the group revealed that his stunning breakthrough may have an immediate influence on the Anachro-oeuvre. Guest artist Red Slapp, for example, was so impressed that he promised to develop what he described as an ur-musical version of "Tenderly" that he hopes to record as part of the group's latest project.
Other important semiologicohermeneuticians, such as Oxford don Dr. Putyourshirtonbackwards and freelance scholar Don Zither, have yet to comment. Dr. Herpes' new theoretical position may end up exploding semilogicohermeneutical metamusicological theory or it may end up being a catalyst for the creation of more and greater music (sic). Whatever happens, history will record it as a defining intellectual moment of the 21st century.
Labels: Metamusic
Monday, June 07, 2010
Divine Tragedy marks yet another landmark
Some things should be left alone. For example, I admire the Coen brothers a great deal but I cannot bring myself to watch their remake of The Ladykillers. In the visual arts redoing is outright fakery. No-one can now paint Guernica. Music is different. It's meant to be performed. My esteemed colleague, Hardwick Herpes, has pointed out that our society has an unhealthy obsession with technical standards of performance. The Anachronisms, as metamusicians par excellence, have made a career of paying no attention norms and standards so it is not surprising that their latest release revisits that staggering work of meta-art, Themes from the History of Time. The lads have redone several individual pieces before but this is different. Clearly the Anachros have no fear about metaphorically changing the smile on the Mona Lisa but to us fans the news that this is what they were up to caused great trepidation. Themes has always been on pedestal: a majestic solo project by Sid that, astonishingly, achieved a merger with is own subject - i.e. became itself part of the unfolding legacy of homo sapiens.
We needn't have worried. Again quoting Hardwick, a consistent feature of the Anachros' oeuvre is that the album is the "unit of analysis". As the mainstream musical world continues to move towards free-for-all of individual videos and downloaded singles the Anachros have drawn line in the sand. Themes is a collective piece and they've preserved that but, in typical fashion, embellished it. The central song in transforming themes from a masterpiece by Sid Herpes to Divine Tragedy, a new Anachro masterpiece, is the track Extinction. Interposing this song with the original Herpes compositions lifts the whole album into a different dimension; it locates human follies within the ultimate "narrative" - that of evolution. Coupled with the hypnotic melody, this track sets up a transcendence of the original subject-matter (as if that were possible) that is built upon by the other additions - a reprise of Cosmic Space Fart, which is so appropriate, Names for Evolution and Politically Correct Renaissance Man.
Maybe the Anachros could even pull off a musical version of The Ladykillers.
Some things should be left alone. For example, I admire the Coen brothers a great deal but I cannot bring myself to watch their remake of The Ladykillers. In the visual arts redoing is outright fakery. No-one can now paint Guernica. Music is different. It's meant to be performed. My esteemed colleague, Hardwick Herpes, has pointed out that our society has an unhealthy obsession with technical standards of performance. The Anachronisms, as metamusicians par excellence, have made a career of paying no attention norms and standards so it is not surprising that their latest release revisits that staggering work of meta-art, Themes from the History of Time. The lads have redone several individual pieces before but this is different. Clearly the Anachros have no fear about metaphorically changing the smile on the Mona Lisa but to us fans the news that this is what they were up to caused great trepidation. Themes has always been on pedestal: a majestic solo project by Sid that, astonishingly, achieved a merger with is own subject - i.e. became itself part of the unfolding legacy of homo sapiens.
We needn't have worried. Again quoting Hardwick, a consistent feature of the Anachros' oeuvre is that the album is the "unit of analysis". As the mainstream musical world continues to move towards free-for-all of individual videos and downloaded singles the Anachros have drawn line in the sand. Themes is a collective piece and they've preserved that but, in typical fashion, embellished it. The central song in transforming themes from a masterpiece by Sid Herpes to Divine Tragedy, a new Anachro masterpiece, is the track Extinction. Interposing this song with the original Herpes compositions lifts the whole album into a different dimension; it locates human follies within the ultimate "narrative" - that of evolution. Coupled with the hypnotic melody, this track sets up a transcendence of the original subject-matter (as if that were possible) that is built upon by the other additions - a reprise of Cosmic Space Fart, which is so appropriate, Names for Evolution and Politically Correct Renaissance Man.
Maybe the Anachros could even pull off a musical version of The Ladykillers.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Anachronisms Rule Non-Shock
Once again the leadership of The Anachronisms in the music industry has been confirmed. At Sunday's Grammy Awards, not only did the group win no awards, but it was not mentioned even once during the "ceremony". This is the 29th consecutive Grammy production during which the position of The Anachronisms as the antithesis of the bland, hackneyed, unstimulating, derivative, and inauthentic trash that Grammy electors love to "honour" has been confirmed by the insistence of the patrons of the pedestrian on acting as if The Anachronisms, and metamusic as a whole, do not exist.
When asked to comment on this latest confirmation of The Anachronisms as the leading group of any kind, anywhere, Anachronism Sid herpes replied "What?".
Once again the leadership of The Anachronisms in the music industry has been confirmed. At Sunday's Grammy Awards, not only did the group win no awards, but it was not mentioned even once during the "ceremony". This is the 29th consecutive Grammy production during which the position of The Anachronisms as the antithesis of the bland, hackneyed, unstimulating, derivative, and inauthentic trash that Grammy electors love to "honour" has been confirmed by the insistence of the patrons of the pedestrian on acting as if The Anachronisms, and metamusic as a whole, do not exist.
When asked to comment on this latest confirmation of The Anachronisms as the leading group of any kind, anywhere, Anachronism Sid herpes replied "What?".
Labels: Metamusic
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Is MetaMusic metamusical?
Up to about a year ago a www search would have turned up this site, the Anachronisms site and related sites and random junk. Now a search is dominated by commercial purveyors of a kind of muzak that uses sounds of nature and sundry "relaxing" sounds. Ironically this itself may be metamusic as, indeed, muzak may be.
How can this be? The answer is suggested by a latent masterpiece, perhaps soon to be hidden no longer. I refer to Sid Herpes’ unreleased Themes from the History of Time (known to aficionados via bootleg tapes) which begins with God composing a song, inspired by -- the noises of wind and foliage. Thereby creating music -- or metamusic? Word has it that the Anachros have made Themes their next project, once the current album, provisionally titled, Extraordinary Renditions, according to well-placed sources, is complete.
The answer, I suggest, is that music and metamusic constitute a dialectic built into the very DNA of Western civilization. The dialectical relationship only became apparent in the late C20; before that the logic of the law of contradiction ruled, with Music seemingly opposed by non-music. Thanks to the pathbreaking work of the Anachronisms the true paradox is revealed. We await the next synthesis with bated breath.
Up to about a year ago a www search would have turned up this site, the Anachronisms site and related sites and random junk. Now a search is dominated by commercial purveyors of a kind of muzak that uses sounds of nature and sundry "relaxing" sounds. Ironically this itself may be metamusic as, indeed, muzak may be.
How can this be? The answer is suggested by a latent masterpiece, perhaps soon to be hidden no longer. I refer to Sid Herpes’ unreleased Themes from the History of Time (known to aficionados via bootleg tapes) which begins with God composing a song, inspired by -- the noises of wind and foliage. Thereby creating music -- or metamusic? Word has it that the Anachros have made Themes their next project, once the current album, provisionally titled, Extraordinary Renditions, according to well-placed sources, is complete.
The answer, I suggest, is that music and metamusic constitute a dialectic built into the very DNA of Western civilization. The dialectical relationship only became apparent in the late C20; before that the logic of the law of contradiction ruled, with Music seemingly opposed by non-music. Thanks to the pathbreaking work of the Anachronisms the true paradox is revealed. We await the next synthesis with bated breath.
Monday, July 16, 2007
"Art is art to the extent that it rejects conventional ways of looking at the world and instead attempts to project itself into the world" (J-I. Ange).
"Le monde n’est pas un produit de l’art, et l’art n’est pas un produit du monde" (Roland Barphe).
That is what fucking art is, and what it means to fuck art. You don't fuck art by writing "People tell me you're wasting my time/Keep wasting it, baby, because it feels so fine." "Baby," indeed.
"Le monde n’est pas un produit de l’art, et l’art n’est pas un produit du monde" (Roland Barphe).
That is what fucking art is, and what it means to fuck art. You don't fuck art by writing "People tell me you're wasting my time/Keep wasting it, baby, because it feels so fine." "Baby," indeed.
Labels: Metamusic
Monday, July 09, 2007
I would remind Sid that no matter what he thinks (as described in his last post) of our advice, if he'd listened to me and his mother he'd never have ended up writing his soppy love song "That Way." Of course, Sid is our son, so we have borne up silently under the opprobrium, but we believe it's time he lost his fascination with Lawrence Welk.
Labels: Metamusic
