Discussion Posts
Q: What other "genres" of popular music do you think are somehow "racialized". Why do you think so? What are some examples of artists breaking that mold? Explain and Provide examples.
A: Today's discussion track, "SPAGHETTII" isn't really my thing, but I really enjoy Beyoncé's wordplay. The parody of wild west tropes in verse two is especially good. The intro with Linda Martell is also great. I love spoken word in music, and I don't get to see it too often.
Another artist that strays from this generic lane to me is Fishbone with the ska genre. I feel that the modern conception of ska (or at least mine) is mainly rooted in this image of checker-plaid white guys longboarding around their suburbs with really tacky fedoras (yes, more tacky than the average fedora, I know it seems inconceivable). But that isn't what ska is rooted in at all. Ska originated in Jamaica as a precursor to reggae, itself pulling a lot from jazz and blues music of the 50s. In short, ska has deep roots as a black artform and it's great to see bands like Fishbone out there still doing wild things to their brass. Listen to "Bonin' In the Boneyard" it's awesome.
Q: Consider how Joan Jett's faithful cover of this Stones song changes the song's meaning, and tell us how you understand the song after comparing the two. If relevant, share a "subversive" cover from or related to your research topic.
A: I really liked this cover, it has a lot more energy than the original Stones track did, and I think that lends it a good bit more impact and anger. It really works. Joan Jett keeping the vindictive and (at least somewhat) misogynistic lyrics kinda flips it on its head. It turns it into this lesbian story of a woman's girlfriend leaving her for both social climbing and "betraying" her sexuality. It's super cool.
As for my research topic, I'm trying to focus on angsty and melancholic tracks within alt and indie rock. Now, I'm probably just not well-read enough, but the only covers I know of done by a band that fits within the genre is one by sElf, and even that's a stretch. "What A Fool Believes" is very faithful (and very good!), but yacht rock isn't quite what I'm looking for. Oh well.
Q: In our polarized times, in which everything seems to be a cultural battle ground, is such a reconciliation between disparate musical styles or fandoms even possible?
A: I was a big fan of this week's song. The organ backing the spoken word really made it feel just like a speech at a funeral. It made me choke up a bit. It's very effective.
I don't know if any meaningful reconciliation between disparate genres is possible at this point. Much of contemporary country music has very little in common with things like shoegaze or breakcore. Each genre reflects such wildly different ideas that, by attempting to reconcile them into something entirely agreeable to both sides, you may as well just end up with white noise. The thing is, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Different works can represent wildly different things, and that's simply the nature of art. Hell, it's the whole point! To merge these things into something agreeable for everyone will just give you mush.
Q: What do we make of this super catchy sway dance song with complicated lyrics? Perhaps its context offers a key. If it is more than an "oldie" or historical curiosity, why?
A: Parliament's song comes from the America of the 1970s, a country steeped in the tensions of the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. It discusses how many people turn to escapism through fiction or self-delusion, but that the speaker knows his life is his own, and that the anxieties of today cannot take that away from him.
I think their message is still relevant today. The tensions of today feel so palpable to me, especially as a trans person. I often find myself wanting to just ignore and escape it all; to let myself spiral. But that's no way to live, even if it can be hard to internalize. They can put my bodily autonomy on the cutting room floor, but I'm still me. Nobody else can be.
Q: In a real sense, this semester has been searching for meaning about your self-selected a topic, and once researched, something meaningful emerges. It might finding something new about your favorite artist(s); it might also be about discovering something new about yourself and your relationship to your topic through writing.
Tell us what new meaning is on this "plateau" What do you think is on the next?
A: I really liked "Plateau". It has a strong line of goofiness and refusal to take itself seriously, but still covers something very personal and a little sad. I really liked artists like Lemon Demon and Tally Hall when I was a kid, and "Plateau" gives a very similar feeling to me (albeit in very different genres).
I've been finding that indie rock is something that very personally "gets" me. I often joke to myself that, deep inside my true self, there is an angsty mid '00s suburban teen kid who hates its parents, and at this point it must be true. There's a lot of catharsis in hearing these artists put out all their angst, burnout, anger, and fear onto the table. It makes me want to do something about it, and that feels pretty damn good.
