it's not all that often that critical theory is applied to music. when I am asked to be critical about something I assume that I gain license to be brutally and fairly honest about a body of work. earlier last week I was asked to take a listen and give feedback for an album that my friend had recorded produced and written by himself in his home studio. straight away I knew i'd be dealing with a solo album. solo albums are very monotone sounding for the very fact that they are done by the same person the entire way through with little to no output from anyone outside of their realm of consciousnesses. don't get me wrong -- i've known and can cite several amazing solo albums. I have been listening to this album for about a full week now and I have come to some fairly solid conclusions. I have tried to keep them objective as possible, but I also share some of my beliefs and opinions within.
the melodies, harmonies, chord progressions and lyrics are all great. very poignant and there seems to be a theme that interleaves and meanders from song to song throughout the album. this is a great thing in itself. many albums are not cohesive as they lack a distinct thematic trajectory. I guess we can call these 'concept albums'. we all know that feeling when we listen to something but there is still something 'missing' or something we quite don't like that we just can't put our finger on. something within the minutiae of this body of work was ignored or neglected.
the soul of any work of art is transferred from the brain of the artist onto 'canvas' via intention. seeing that this is a musical work, we can refer to the canvas as a sonic canvas. art is a process wherein an infinite amount of variables can occur during the transfer of an idea from the brain onto a canvas. most of the time, if not all, these variables are controlled subconsciously. if the artist is too consciously focused or preoccupied on the end result of their intention, I believe it taints or spoils the artwork. refinement is a risky thing. don't fix it if it ain't broken. how do you know if it isn't or is broken? that is what distinguishes a seasoned artist from an amateur.
in the case of this individuals musical work, all of the surface level expressions were there and they were quite impressive. but there was still something that wasn't right about it. you can take the most unattractive of gemstones polish it and tumble it to beauty. however, in the end it is all in the hands of personal subjectivity and the real 'soul' of the entity. the soul of art is very rarely paid attention to. only the most experienced of artists and producers can recognize and bring to fruition purity and honesty.
the entire point being is that I believe that the soul of a piece of artwork lies in the artist including the human element into her or his work. I define the human element as flaw and imperfection. the dirt. the mess. expressing your vulnerability. if you don't put your own soul on the line, it is difficult to meet the one main requirement of art: empathy. if you record every single note and lyric to absolute perfection, it becomes self serving. art is not meant to be self serving. ego should not taint artwork. this is why I believe that refinement is a risky thing. don't be afraid to be ugly or to be vulnerable. don't refine to the point of no return or the work will lose its soul. if you can't be honest with yourself, than you can't expect anyone else to be honest as they see and perceive themselves through your artwork.
music by nature is a collective process. it is about sharing. this is why I am an advocate against creating works of music totally on a solo basis. symphonies take many muscles and tendons to make the muse. a tribal working song needs air from more than one pair of lungs. birds purposely sing a call and return.
perfection is found in the most unexpected of places -- most of the time perfection is just beneath the nose of imperfection. artwork should never be used solely as a means to transcend being human. that would be a gross and paradoxical denial. it's ok to be flawed -- that is where a wealth of beauty lies. so the next time that you hear something that is good but it doesn't quite add up to or FEEL like a great experience - just ask yourself: is it just too perfect?
[qualia are the souls of experiences]
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