Justin Timberlake - A Man of Many Talents

I am astounded at the mass success that Justin Timberlake has achieved throughout his career as a very versatile performer and entertainer. What is most admirable about Timberlake is his uncanny ability to morph into any role (either song writer, producer, actor, or businessman) in order to attain greatness. His true versatility makes him a very strong character that is relatable to many types of audiences. He has class, talent, and a great sense of humor that enables him to thrive on a variety of stages. While I enjoy his singles because of their catchy beats and melodic sounds, I also enjoy watching Timberlake on the big screen in movies like the Social Network and laughing at his amusing persona on Saturday Night Live.

His crazy versatility makes me admire his musical work that much more. I feel that many artists’ success can be attributed to their portrayal of their great personalities. When they are able to have other outlets outside of the music that they compose, it provides audiences insight into who they truly are. While some use this for mere publicity and shallow popularity, others are true and it is reflected accurately through their music as well. Because of his wide spread of work, his talent is able to shine on multiple levels. Despite this, I feel that you can see how talented a songwriter and entertainer Timberlake is simply through his hit singles. Timberlake is one of the artists that is also able to greatly adapt to a constantly changing musical environment. He has successfully stayed in mainstream popular music because he has a very ‘cool’ aura surrounding him. His music is able to mimic this with smooth soulful vibes. His music is also very memorable and songs that I used to listen to by him years ago can be sung on command if I just read the song title. While I originally struggled to think of past songs I liked of Timberlake, songs like “SexyBack”, bring back to me very memorable melodies.

Lately, Timberlake has resurged in his musical career. While he has been busy becoming popular in many other forms of media such as the movies, Timberlake decided to return to his roots when he released two hit singles “Suit and Tie” and “Mirrors”. These songs were fresh and sounded very unique when they were first released. They stick with me and (right now at least) I’m always happy to put it on as background music when I’m driving or working. While his music may not be very deep lyrically, his smooth voice enables the fabric of the melody to merge with the soft countermelody of                the synthesized sounds. While taking a closer look at the analysis and aspects of Timberlake’s most recent hit singles, I’ve noticed that he seems like a reverse Bob Dylan. His voice is very interesting yet his lyrics are rather lacking in meaning. While artists of the past were able to tell whole stories and release impactful messages through their songs, I feel that Timberlake’s music serves more of a purpose to entertain and please people on the surface rather than deeply move them.

While the lyrics may be lacking upon in-depth analysis, I feel that I am able to ignore this for casual listening. I correlate Timberlake’s most recent style of music with the carefree attitude that was illustrated in the remade Great Gatsby movie. It might be because we just discussed this movie, but I feel that this is a good comparison because both focus a lot on production quality A LOT. The vibrant colors of Baz Luhrmann’s remake of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, greatly mirror the sonic vibrancy of Timberlake’s music that make it seem a perfect fit for party style listening. Overall, I would strongly stand by Timberlake as a multi-talented versatile artist. I greatly appreciate listening to his singles and I can’t wait to see what his new album will bring. Listen to some of my favorite hits recently:

Echotone

At first I didn’t think that this documentary would be appealing to me at first but it quickly picked up. I loved a variety of aspects of the film that made it come to life for me. They were able to effectively contrast the everyday work life of musicians with their exciting “night life” of performances and musical successes. The documentary opens with this guy who is transporting and carrying fish around during the day yet quickly shifts to an exciting scene of him playing the guitar and singing. I like this contrast because it illustrates the perseverance of artists and how people have to work to achieve success. I think this can go beyond simply musical trends because these people are doing everything they can to do what they love. It is very admirable to see people who are living for what they love and achieving pure happiness as a result.

It is also astounding for me to see my local world just a few years ago. The infrastructure and city life looked very different than how it looks today while much of it was very similar. This documentary also addresses issues of the economics behind the musical world and live performances. I thought it was very interesting to hear how Austin (just in 2008, 5 years ago!) was growing at such a rapid pace that they were worried they wouldn’t be able to maintain the infrastructure to support the widespread and notable live music business. The live music venues are a major social attraction for our city and it ultimately brings in a lot of money and revenue for the city and local economy. Seeing the inner workings of the music business resonated with me because I love understanding how things work and how society works on an economic level.

Additionally, I liked that this documentary exposed the personalities of the artists that they were following throughout the film. I feel that this quality provides the audience and viewers of the documentary with a satisfying feeling that we understand that these musicians were everyday people. I was also able to see the cynicism yet continual optimism about life that these musicians illustrated as they constantly went through their everyday routine to simply perform their cherished music. By showing the artist’s personalities, I also can relate to them on a character level. This one woman said that she was doing a gig and not even getting paid for it. This shows they are truly in it for their own benefit, enjoyment and thrill.

While there were many parts of this documentary that I really enjoyed, I felt that it could have focused more on the actual performances and the music venues that dominate the musical market of Austin. I would’ve like to see more insight on the types of music that were quintessential of this time. Don’t get me wrong, they show a lot of clips revolving around the actual music, but I feel that they could’ve incorporated even more! I liked that they backed these clips of music with accounts and opinions of the consumers along with the artists because this exposed both sides of this business and social factor. Additionally, I felt somewhat confused at what was happening at times because they transitioned so often and rapidly throughout the documentary as an entirety. However, this also adds dynamics to the piece by showing not just the music or the experiences of artists, but also things ranging from album cover art to consumer opinions.

The common saying that Austin is a weird place is very much embodied by this piece of work because it exposes the vast variety of musicians, people, and types of music that adds to the overall scene of Austin’s live music. I felt especially connected with this film because it focused on a place that I was very much familiar with and thus comfortable with. Additionally, it showed the other side of Austin that I never truly knew existed behind the scenes.

Green Day’s Dookie

Green Day emits a very revolutionary sound in their album, Dookie. While the punk scene had flourished earlier in musical history, Green Day was able to revamp this classic rebellious sound. When they released Dookie, Green Day became the father of the first real punk crossover album. They incorporate so many different aspects into their hit singles off the album that every moment of the music is interesting and lively. I love how they manipulate the instrumentals in order to create a dynamic pattern to their songs. While it has its high points of excitement and building of suspense to these climactic points, they are also able to sound energetic in the low points. This diversity of pacing throughout the songs provide a fun and ecstatic vibe that constantly oozes out of the guitar and bass sounds of this album. They are able to effectively mix a strong classic punk countermelody with effective vocals and lyrics.

While Green Day does tend to mix in profanity into their lyrics, I feel that the majority of their lyrics are able to convey a lyrical poem that emits powerful and unique messages. Once again, I cherish the 90s decade because they were able to revamp the lyrical capacity of the music world while also incorporating the wildly appealing rock countermelodies. They really grabbed the old punk style and seemed to make it in ‘HD’ while refining its sound through powerful vocals as well. While some of the earlier punk bands such as the Ramones didn’t have nearly the same vocal or lyrical capacity as Green Day, Dookie illustrates that it TRULY IS possible to be universally strong. While I don’t think I would attend a choir concert if Armstrong was the lead, I feel that his voice is fused perfectly with the musical fabric of their hit singles and is able to really do justice to the rebellious tone of Green Day’s music. Additionally, I am impressed by the lyrics that they are able to compose. On the surface, this type of music wouldn’t seem to have a deeper meaning but when I actually can look at the lyrics on paper, I can really understand the deeper messages.

Musically speaking, I was also rather impressed that this trio of artists could really fill up space with their sound. This album is also rather influential because it permanently molded and changed the musical scene of modern music. While it is almost two decades old, Dookie has many catchy pop-like singles that make it seem more modern and hip. While Dookie was much bigger and a lot more successful than all of the punk bands of the 70s, they are not breaking any new ground in rock and roll. The key to Green Day’s success is that they were performing this punk style of music, which hadn’t seen the mainstream music scene in a while, very well.  The thing that they had going for them majorly was that they had some very strong relatable lyrics and attached them to this earlier style of music. This is a great example of how society slowly changes and adapts to musical styles that emerge over time.  The culture needed to grow into accepting this type of music. I feel like the 70s acted like a manner of shocking the audience initially while people responded better later on when Green Day rolled out with Dookie.

Overall, this album had a lot going for it. Green Day was able to mix together catchy rhythms, pop-like bass lines, and strong vocals/lyrics. They were able to fuse together this old cultural style of punk with new, revolutionary sounds/lyrics. I feel that Dookie was more successful because of the time period in which it was released as well as musical aspects including stronger vocals. With all of this put together into one album, it makes a very enjoyable piece of art.

Check out some of their songs below:

Mid-90s: RATM and Weezer’s Blue Album

As the 1990s progressed throughout time, the musical world slowly evolved away from the pop-like sounds of the 80s and standard bubble-gummy sound that bands from hair metal were making widespread. Bands adopted a much heavier sound which became widely popular in mainstream music. As time progressed the 90s transitioned into a music style that was more heavy within the lyrics yet had a lighter happier sound. While we got a glimpse of some of this heavier sound with bands such as Nirvana, I think it is even more accentuated in the mid-1990s with other bands. And, the 90s returned to talent which is mighty refreshing!

A prime example of this early anger would be Rage Against the Machine (RATM) where they began to merge the profanity and style of heavy 80s rap, the anger of pure rebellion, with crazy guitar/bass chords. The constant pounding of the beat along with this dynamic yet heavy countermelody makes me simply want to bang my head to the rhythm. While their hit single “Killing in the Name” is definitely one of the most rage filled songs I’ve heard in a while (which would make sense given the band name), it still had great appeal to me. I felt a side of me come to life from within that felt like pure rebellion. I also feel that the arc of the song was dynamic enough to keep the audience engaged throughout the entire work.

Another band that was probably even more influential on history than RATM would be Weezer. Weezer arguably has influenced a lot of modern day music through its unique style that made them ultimately stand out. The Blue Album is a very interesting piece of work. For some reason a lot of their songs sound familiar but this might due to the fact that they so greatly impacted current music styles. I would say that Weezer has a lighter feel than RATM but still utilize heavy guitar/bass sounds among a fast-paced beat throughout many of their songs. What I especially enjoy about Weezer is that I am able to actually understand what they are saying even though they are able to also maintain a relatively loud and intense countermelody. They seem to like to alternate and contrast between this heavy bass with lighter more pop-oriented vocals. I think this makes their music have a wider appeal to audiences and is probably a cause of why they became so widely popular. For the audiences that love a sick beat or a wicked guitar melody, they deliver. For audiences that love the pop feel of lighter vocals and catchy verses, they deliver.

I’d like to spend the rest of this blog talking about the Blue Album by Weezer because there is just so much to listen for in their music! I love how the contrast they emit throughout their songs. If you were to just listen to the main countermelody without lyrics, you would probably classify it as standard classic rock (although I’m also hearing influences of indie rock styles in the mix). The lyrics resemble the lightheartedness of bands from decades earlier in the 60s. The lyrics remind me of the Beatles because they discuss innocent topics such as love yet there is a certain level of skill that went into composing the message. The lyrics are meaningful yet simplistic and ultimately add another side to their songs. They lyrics on other levels are actually sad. They are intellectual yet self-deprecating. Weezer is able to apply a positive connotation to some lyrics that are actually quite depressing. It is simply mind-blowing how they are able to so greatly contrast. The songs and messages off the Blue Album can be relatable and I feel that many others would also have this opinion about the music.

During this time we also see the mild influences of the underground seen in which indie rock was just starting to bubble to the surface. I hear a lot of influences blended together in Weezer including the Beatles and even grunge artists. They somehow adopt the lighthearted feel of pop bands and mix them with the heaviness of earlier 90s bands such as RATM. Weezer is definitely an influential and talented band. Compare RATM’s single to some of Weezer’s:

Why Jazz and Rock Aren't All That Different

While many may argues that rock and roll did not have its roots until the early fifties, after analysis of earlier time periods, I feel that jazz had a major influence on what would later become the heart of rock and roll. After World War 1 came to a close, many people viewed life in a much different manner than their elders and antecedents ever perceived. They didn’t simply want to conform, but the people wanted to live. Thus, they adopted many secular values and partook in many wild activities that drove home the rising attitude of rebellion. Up until this point in modern history, I feel that the younger generation had never had a vibe of pure defiance. Due to the cynicism from the war, people began to defy authority and their values greatly differed from their more conservative parents. This concept of rebellion was adopted in music through the genre of jazz. This rebellion would later influence the heart of rock and roll. Thus, I see a very strong connection between jazz and rock while many others may consider the two genres completely different from one another.

During the time of the Lost Generation and the age of the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age was ushered in. Accompanying a new society where life’s pleasures were enjoyed and morals shifted towards more carefree attitudes, jazz music provided a fun setting for people to simply let loose. During the twenties, many people mixed and interacted in speakeasies which were illegal bars where bootlegged alcohol was served. People merely wanted to enjoy themselves and jazz music made this easier to accomplish. Its recognizably catchy beat and rhythms enabled an exciting ambience to be attained in a society where freeing oneself from previous morals and letting loose was everything.

Because of the tight connection between jazz as a rising music genre that embodied the rebellious attitude of the time with these illegal activities, many blamed the music for the sinful actions of the people. Jazz was classified as an evil influence on society and even associated with communism by the few who weren’t part of the movement during the Lost Generation and Roaring 20s. In actuality, jazz simply mirrored the views and morals of the day. While the society’s elders and authority figures tried to stunt the growing rebellious vibe that was a result of World War 1, jazz enabled the younger generation to express their feelings. Jazz acted as the backdrop to a variety of illegal speakeasies and became a major part of the rebellious activities that took place behind closed doors during the age of great parties and wild nights of the 1920s. The music that was created was not influencing the people; the people were shaping the music.

Jazz ultimately inspired change in society towards a more hedonistic attitude on life. In its very essence, jazz is all about trying new things and solely based off of endeavor. People simply wanted to have fun with their new (and empty) morals. At its heart, jazz is classified by several key characteristics including swing, syncopation, improvisation, and bent notes. Swing and syncopation are closely related and are based off of adding accents and stresses on different notes/times in a song. This innovative technique provided jazz with the classic catchy and rhythmic beat that made people of the time want to get up and dance. Bent notes also illustrate jazz musician’s desire to alter music and change the style. Lastly, improvisation cultures creativity. All of these major aspects of jazz directly reflect the desire for change on a variety of levels and a shift in overall societal views. Rock and roll is also all about endeavoring into the unknown, thus, there are several strong links between these two genre powerhouses.

Many of jazz’s great artists had their humble beginnings playing in the illegal speakeasies of the 1920s including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Bojangles Robinson, and Ethel Waters. Their catchy and hip music enabled all of these artists to greatly impact the musical world as well as reflect societal change through art. To get an idea of my comparison between jazz and rock, listen to two hits from either genre and look for specific similarities in attitude, tone, and general feel. Check it out:

Radiohead – The Bends + "Creep"

Radiohead first became commercially successful through their hit single “Creep”. It was a standard angst filled pop song but Radiohead quickly developed into something revolutionary. On some levels, The Bends contrasts the sound that Radiohead emitted through their first album’s hit single “Creep” because they begin to endeavor into new instrumental techniques. I like that they were attempting to find their own in the music world but this experimental process sometimes produced unappealing sounds throughout the album that made its singles rather hard to listen to at times. While the beginning of the album in “Planet Telex” is intriguing and unique, the harsh howling of wind gave me a headache with its shrillness. At other times, such as in “My Iron Lung”, I felt that they threw in random parts during the instrumental break that did not fit in with the rest of the song’s main countermelody. This blaring randomness sounds simply like noise and I personally feel that it detracts from the fluidness and overall quality of Radiohead’s singles.

Despite these awkward quirks that Radiohead tried desperately to work into their music, I generally found their music unique in a good way. The heavier texture of singles on The Bends makes it appeal to a different type of audience as “Creep” but I feel that I can get used to this type of music. The slow progression in popularity of this album supports my general feeling of this music growing on people. I think when The Bends initially came out, it probably came as a shocker to many of their fans, but as they began to realize that Radiohead was doing revolutionary things with their music that would set the stage later, the singles became more successful.

The thing is, while on the surface Radiohead’s second album may seem to greatly differ from their initial hit single, I personally feel that a lot of important qualities stayed the same or improved as time progressed. Their songs still maintained a steady pace that was spiced up with dynamic instrumentals intermediately parsed throughout the melody. Their songs still have the classic vocals of Thom Yorke which is so influential on giving the songs their heart and soul. One thing I love about Radiohead is that they are able to have powerful instrumentals and countermelodies while still preserving the main melody in the vocals. Yorke’s vocals provide so much talent and dynamic to the song. While they are mainly soft (in “Creep” and The Bends) he is able to add various fluctuations in his tone (and utilize a formidable false setto) that provide effective shifts in the song. His voice is able to make songs either extremely powerful or melancholy.

Another thing that Radiohead succeeded at later on in their discography is that they began endeavoring into deeper lyrics that embellished upon larger ideas. There were many powerful lyrics in the few singles that we were exposed to from The Bends and I feel that when these are paired with a strong, melancholy melody, a great deal of emotional weight can be derived from this. Their utilization of guitar strums and keyboards in revolutionary ways also enabled the power to bleed from each of their songs.

Lastly, I feel that Radiohead’s album was able to slowly succeed due to the fact of the changing music society. The way that people consume music greatly influences the success of various types of music and how music is created and produced. Although The Bends was not initially accepted into mass popularity when it was first released, I think the way the musical world was constructed enabled them to slowly build into success. As society developed into a world of consumers of singles rather than albums more, the individual songs off of The Bends enabled it to become more exposed to a wider audience. As people began to enjoy certain songs, I think they probably thought they would give others a chance as well. Additionally, this was around the time when music videos were blowing up in popularity. Radiohead, in order to keep up with the times, created many music videos to publicize their songs and illustrate the meaning of them. Keep in mind, this is the same band who first came out with the “pa what you want” album sales plan. While some music videos of theirs simply detract from the power and mood of the songs, I feel that others effectively convey a message (although sometimes cryptic at times). As we progressed throughout their discography, I was impressed at how the music video quality improved at a rapid rate.

Overall, I enjoyed all of Radiohead’s songs because they were able to effectively blend soft vocals and tone with powerful and intense countermelodies at times. By throwing meaningful lyrics into the mix, I feel that this band was very revolutionary.

R.E.M. - Automatic from the People

R.E.M takes on a very different perspective of rock at this time. Due to the fact that the genre has greatly diversified throughout history, it opened up a variety of styles to emerge. R.E.M takes on a much softer vibe that makes their music take on a tone of peace and tranquility. Although they use many classic rock instruments to push their main countermelody (like bass and electric guitar), the way that they manipulate these instruments to serve a smoother sound makes me want to sway to the lulling melodies. While not all of their songs are slow, their deep bluesy and alternative rock influences from previous decades greatly molds a steady tone throughout the album. This connectedness also serves to tie together the entire album which I always greatly appreciate. Some of the songs are faster paced while others are a bit slower, but they all seem to utilize a calm countermelody.

A lot of the time, bands rely too heavily on their instrumentals and countermelody in order to push across their main message and be appealing to the audience. In the case of R.E.M, the countermelody is just that, a COUNTERmelody! It serves its purpose of backing up the main vocalist. R.E.M perfected a great balance between the slow instrumentals and comforting vocals. While the vocals are high-pitched at times and remind me a lot of Simon and Garfunkel from the 60s, it blends well with the soft bass line and slow guitar strums.

Another thing that I found appealing in their music that seemed rather consistent throughout the album in its entirety was the way that they were able to build up during their individual songs as well as maintain an album story arc. By starting slow and calm in the beginning of their songs, R.E.M provides themselves room for building in intensity. In some of their slower songs at the beginning, they are able to develop a level of dynamics later in the music. When bands use their instruments to play soft sound as R.E.M does skillfully, I tend to forget the true power the instruments actually have. When R.E.M builds in volume and intensity, their countermelodies become more complex and I am quickly reminded of the power music can emit. I also found it mildly humorous when we stopped listening to this album and listened to the next band because the volume/intensity was night and day. But, R.E.M makes a little calm niche for themselves in the relatively insane ecosystem of music.

On a daily basis, I would say that I am a relatively passive listener. When I analyze music, however, I definitely look for some substance in the lyrics as well as having a strong audio skill. I want something that can make me bob my head to the beat, sway to the melody, as well as leave the listening experience impacted by the lyrics. One definite strength in R.E.M’s album Automatic for the People is that they have strong lyrics side by side with calm, down to earth vocals/countermelodies. They remind me of many current bands centered around indie-rock because they are reverting back to a down to earth vibe and refocused on substantial lyrics. Without directly staring at a set of lyrics for a song, I rarely can identify that the lyrics are strong and impactful. I have learned over the years how to  analyzing poetry for meaning and symbolism and doing this with song lyrics is very similar. However, it is definitely hard to consume the art while also looking for lyrical depth. R.E.M’s album made it rather easy, though, which I much appreciated. I could directly identify lyrics that came from the heart and I connected with. I think part of this is lent to the fact that the instruments didn’t overpower the calm, soft vocals and the slow tempo made it more understandable.

R.E.M differed from a lot of what we’ve recently listened and I felt that this was very refreshing. In the midst of wild rock bands like Nirvana and other harder rock 90s bands that emerged at the beginning of the decade along with the rise of hip hop as a genre, R.E.M makes a serene oasis for themselves by putting a majority of their value on lyrics and calm vocals. While hip hop and bands like Nirvana also have this reliance on quality lyrics, it is more blatantly obvious for R.E.M because of the more down to earth nature of their music.

Check out some of their songs. I personally liked their first two songs most. It’s rather calming.