I recently heard someone say that they very rarely rush out to buy an album that they have fallen in love with and have to own right away.
This got me thinking about how I used to respond to hearing something new, or even just something that I knew but loved. I remember going round to friend’s houses who had just bought a new album. Blank cassette tape in hand eager to get a copy of whatever the fruits of their pocket money had yielded. Or waiting up late at night to get a copy of a song from the late night radio show that played alternative music.
This is where I discovered bands like James, The Doors and Alice in chains.
These days there is no such desperation to hear something new, you know that you will be bombarded with options, and all you will have to do is filter out the crap to find something you like, and I think that rather than getting excited about finding something new we are just relieved that it was worth the filtering to find something you like. I know that I am exposed to so much music that it takes me so long to get through it all that I often miss things that are amazing because I have skimmed over it rather than have given it a good listen to begin with.
This also means that different people within the same group of friends, with similar tastes will often be loving the same music, only at very different times. Remember when you and all your friends had al the same records of tapes and knew the words to every song on every one of them.
So what am I getting at? I know that I have found a solution, I have artist days where I only listen to one artist for a whole day, today for instance I just listened to Ryan Adams, and discovered again how much I like his music.
When I get something new I listen to it quickly, maybe just the first two songs of the album and then decide whether I like it or not. If I do I give it it’s very own day, if not I put it aside to listen to something else that I do like.
Our iPod’s have become like our own radio stations, but we have lost the ability to change the channel and find something that we do like. There are bands that I have convinced myself that I like just because their names show up every time I scroll through my iPod, and in the same way a top 40 station brainwashes people into believing they like Britney Spears, I brainwash myself into thinking that I like a band that I actually don’t.
So here are my new rules:
1. If I would not pay to see a band live, they don’t get to be on my iPod
2. Unless the person who recommended them to me has himself been listening to them for over a week, they don’t get to go onto my iPod
3. If I cant listen to the whole album from beginning to end, no iPod
4. If I think “I could get to like this”…. no iPod
This may all seem a little radical, but I do believe that if I am to start truly enjoying music again and falling in love with well written tunes, I need to separate the good from the mediochre.
Hey everyone,
You may already be aware of this, but sadly we did NOT make it into the final round to play with Cooper Temple Clause at Koko. So basically, the competition is (for us at least) over. Finished. Thanks for coming, don't forget your coats on the way out, blah blah blah! Anyway, congratulations to the three bands who did make it. You guys rock and we'll be there cheering you on.
Those of you who have known us for any length of time will know that we've been part of a few of these competitions now, and we have never ACTUALLY won any of them. One has to wonder at this point whether these really are the best forums for the exposure of one's music. And furthermore, is it a good idea to base our opinion of our own music on the results of these things? Something tells me no: it's not as if a real listener is ever forced to choose ONE band to the exclusion of every other band in the world. Unless, of course, you've forgotten to pass on one of those myspace bulletins, and now you've been banished to a desert island by the God of Myspace with only one band's music stuck on repeat for eternity. Not likely.
Anyway, after losing another glitzy 'Battle' of the bands, I have to ask myself: is the music business a competition? And if it is, should it be?
I often feel as if I need to prove myself to other bands we play with, (not to mention our supporters) but is art ACTUALLY a competition? Shouldn't we just all make music for it's own sake? I think there comes a point where we forget that it's actually all about the music, and instead we embark on some macho mission to prove we're bigger, better and tighter than every other band. And what for? Does it have anything to do with music, or are we just compensating for the size of our ... drumsticks?
Being a good band is a good thing because it allows you to articulate better; and making people happy because we're a good band is what this is all about. But this is at odds with what the media feeds us about music, especially if you start incorporating NME, MTV or any of those ridiculous instant-fame tv-shows into any kind of reality. I guess in the classic sense of rock 'n roll, entertainers should (or do) aspire in some way to be lords over a crowd; to strut and swagger on stage in front of an adoring audience. Maybe it's a guy thing: a primal male desire to be a King of Something Big, to be the leader of the pack. Which man among you has not felt the slightest tweak of jealousy while watching a good live act with your girlfriend? Honestly, who doesn't want to be a rockstar? Maybe it's a capitalist society thing, maybe it's a male inadequacy thing. I'm not sure.
To take an extreme case, read the following quote, found in the cd liner of American band 'Say Anything':
'...there is greed, duplicity and hatred in every human being, especially in the greatest hypocrites of all: the entertainers among us, whose need for attention fosters a sick dream that they alone hold the key to mankind's salvation.'
That may be taking it a little too far, but in the strange world of the 'Battle of the Bands', it's easy to lose sight of why you're doing music at all: because actually it has nothing to do with far-fetched ideas about fame or adoration. Rather, being in this band of ours allows us to channel a deep desire to express something, a desire to articulate something that resonates with other people. A desire to make other people feel as good as we do when we lock in as a unit and rock our faces off. Our music is about so much more than just being on stage. It has a message to it that we think is worth putting out there, and worth you taking note of. You should know that the four of us are never as happy as we are when we're making music. It makes us feel good, and the fact that we could concievably make money out of it is an amazing (though potentially problematic) concept. Get paid for doing something you love? Wait... that's not how jobs work is it?
But it's not really about money. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of huge houses and fancy cars just as much as the next guy; but if that's what I truly wanted, then I would have taken my teachers' and peers' advice and done that BComm instead of leaving half way through a BA, and at the dawn of a promising career. So what is it then?
The performers among you will know - when the lights come up and the crowd gets tight, it's just you up there, and you're not going to get away with anything less than complete honesty. (OK, and maybe a little irony thrown in, because it's still pretty funny when you really think about it). And when you look at it like that, suddenly the significance of these competitions fades away. The idea of bands in a competition suddenly becomes completely absurd.
This career path that we have chosen is not a short-cut to fame and fortune, nor is it an excuse to get girls or to bathe in the adoring gaze of the public eye. It's very simply a commitment to creating a tangible manifestation of something that can only be experienced through listening. That's what our name is all about: that love for your favourite band that comes from identifying with something greater than you know how to describe, and so you choose instead to carve their name into your desk at school in big, bold Lightning Type. We'll never stop trying to be the best band we can, because quite simply, no-one wants to listen to a crappy band. Anyone who has ever taken the time to listen to us, vote for us, leave a comment on our page, read our drivel or tell their friends about us deserves every bead of sweat and blood that our bodies can spare.
So, even though we didn't win that competition (or the one before that) we'd like to thank you for helping us. We're not stopping for anything, and the more we push, the more we find like-minded people who are prepared to help out and help this thing to where it's going. So keep listening. And thank you again.
Lightning Type
Hey everybody!
I know it's been a while since the last blog, but
it's all for very good reasons. We've been busy with the following
stuff, which is designed to make you all happy! (OK OK, us too...)
First off, thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for us in the AKG Unsigned Heroes competition. We didn't get the most votes, but for a band that has been gigging in this country for only three months, I think we did a bloody good job drumming up support from the growing number of UK fans. HUGE thanks also to everyone back home who took the time to vote. Everyone at 5FM: you guys rock, thanks for everything. And it's not over folks! Even though we didn't get the most votes, there's a good chance we could get through to the finals based on the strength of our track 'Pressure'. We'll let you know how things pan out!
We've been recording new tracks in Carl's lounge, which has yieded some very exciting demo material. Keep your eyes and ears open, because it's all gonna be up here very very soon! Spare a thought for Graham, wide-eyed and drooling in the cold glow of his computer as he mixes the tracks late into the night...
Aside from that, we've been seeing some great bands and having a good time here in London; all the while getting inspired to kick ass at our next show. Come over and say hi: we'll be at Finnegan's Wake in Ealing this Saturday the 7th of April and it promises to be a great show! Who knows, there might even be some new tracks in store for ya!
So thanks for your ongoing support everybody, we hope to see you all soon at a show.
Lightning Type
on Pressure