Blast from the Past

 

Got empty wall space? We can help!

In an otherwise unsurprising article from the AP lamenting the further decline of album sales, I came across this awesome little nugget of information:

Ironically, as digital downloads grew, vinyl album sales also climbed. In 2008, more vinyl albums were purchased (1.88 million) than any other year since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.

According to the article, the biggest offenders were Radiohead’s In Rainbows (guilty as charged), The Beatles' Abbey Road and, strangely, Guns N’ Roses' Chinese Democracy.

But what’s causing this surge in vinyl consumption?  As purchasing music without any type of physical form seems to become more and more the norm, it seems strange that the largest and least convenient format for playing music is seeing a surge. One somewhat obvious answer is that the group most likely to still purchase music in a physical form are its most devout fans: the record collector.  Casual music listeners are content to purchase via iTunes (or, much more accurately, download their tunes for free online), but the rock music faithful still seek out hard to find CDs and vinyl records that provide that soothing hum as it spins on the turntable.

Second, vinyl is hip. Even if you don't have a record player, vinyl albums make for great wall decor. Urban Outfitters has been selling record album frames for the past several years, and even Hot Topic is in on the action, selling new vinyl albums for a variety of bands (including the Radiohead LP).

And therein lies one major answer: even with the album collectors and hipster decorators, the truth is that vinyl is more available today than it has been in decades. More bands are releasing new albums in the antiquated format, and more stores--like the aforementioned Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters and numerous independent record shops--are offering these versions for sale.

Oh, and many of these vinyl albums come with an added mp3 download of the album. How about that for the best of both worlds? I, for one, am sold.

Conundrum/Congratulations

Which came first, the music or the misery?  A famous question from Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, many times the music is greater when the misery comes first. Some of the greatest, most heartfelt, honest songs and albums have grown from that pit-of-darkness, that inescapable sense of despair. Without it, artists like Elliott Smith, Radiohead and countless others never would have written the albums we love to hear and vent our own miseries to.

But what happens when these musicians take the Partridge Family’s lead and (gasp!) get happy? Bands like Aerosmith certainly took a turn for the worse after kicking their drug habits, but what about misery addition? What happens then? 

 

Zooey and Ben...Gettin' hitched!

Time will certainly tell for Ben Gibbard, the lonesome bard for Death Cab for Cutie. It will be interesting to see if the indie rocker’s repertoire will still consist of cleverly poetic, albeit unrequited, love songs as the shaggy haired frontman has recently become engaged to actress and She & Him chanteuse, Zooey Deschanel. 

Wipe your tears, though, indie boys. Deschanel may be off the market, but it may not mean the end of Gibbard's lonesome cries. Hopefully, though, it will lead to a guest spot on the band's next album, sickeningly cute though it may be. Misery or no, may this new mine produce even greater Death Cab fodder than that found on Narrow Stairs.

Not so festive

[Originally posted July 10, 2008]

I hate festivals. There is nothing less awesome about a live show than thousands of people hanging around catching sets for bands they don’t really even care for.

For example, exhibit A:
It’s Bonnaroo 2006. Radiohead is playing their headlining show. I am totally stoked and super-excited until the entire group of about 15 people beside my friend and I begin to discuss how much Radiohead sucks and that nobody is there to see them. Instead of leaving, they proceed to yak about it for the entire rest of their set. So cool of them.
[As a side note, Radiohead is one of the biggest, best and most influential bands on the planet, so I think there were a little off on that one.]

ANYWAY, Yesterday I hit up the Warped Tour. I had specific work-related reasons for going (and those worked out) but overall I was somewhat unimpressed. With a few exceptions, I hardly saw anybody actually seem excited about being there. It made me profoundly sad.

So in addition to unenthused audiences, add in crappy sound and the fact that most of the time you can hardly even see the band. Woo hoo! Rock and ROLLLLLLLLLL!!! Yeah.

Warped 2008 did have its highlights. We got to catch an acoustic set by Cobra Starship in the press area. Though I am pretty unfamiliar with the band, it was a pretty entertaining thing to catch, and a lot more whimsical than the acoustic press-only set by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah braintrust Alec Ounsworth than I caught during Bonnaroo ’06. It was nice break from the lengthy distance that plagued the rest of the day.

Now, I’m not elitist enough to say that I won’t attend shows larger than the smallest of venues (I like it when bands I enjoy finally get their due), however I prefer concerts where you get a chance to connect somewhat with the band. If I want to hang out with my friends and goof off, I pick up a bottle of something and invite everybody over and consult my iTunes. Not go to shows and disrespect the band and others in the audience.

Or maybe I’m just getting too old for this shit? Nah…