One Day

At the Honours Review, we celebrate the power of interpretation. We recognize that our themes unfold differently when viewed through different eyes, and aim to capture it in full.

Here, we share with you two such interpretations. In this poem submission by Lia Calancea, we see her unique vision of the future. Accompanying the piece, one of our artists, Gyanu Lewe was inspired to collaborate with Bart Kuipers to craft a soundscape for an immersive reading experience. This innovative fusion of poetry and sound embodies the very spirit of collaboration that defines our publication.

Join us for the full unveiling of "Unlocking Tomorrow" on June 26th at the Honours Festival!

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Would you like to write for the blog? Contact honoursreviewrug@gmail.com stating who you are and what you would like to add!

Perhaps one day, you’ll wake up and breathe

Realizing the air you inhale is spaceless

And the disinterested time of numbers is timeless

Your consciousness will transcend the realms of humanity

Your teguments will intermingle with the cell that entraps you

Your skin will be made of marble

And the Interiors you inhabit will be fabricated out of your skin

You’ll wake up in a world where the organic and the inorganic fuse

Where technological singularity threatens human exceptionalism

Where humans have entered a new stage of existential morphism

Or maybe one day, you’ll wake up and breathe

Realizing the air you inhale is lightweight and devoid of pollution

Due to geo-engineering and global alignment

You’ll realize you’ve overcome cancer, surpassed your human timespan,

And lived fifteen more decades of happiness

Due to nanotechnological advancements and human genome editing

You’ll realize you can sing impeccable notes and paint mesmerizing landscapes

Climb unreachable hills and outstretch the latitude of the earth

In just one day – by taking the technocratic oath

One day you’ll wake up in a different body

The body your kids will carry throughout the centuries

The body that will either transcend mortality

Or be lost to oblivion in an utter act of brutality

One day, you’ll wake up in a different world

In a world trapped in an evolutionary state of progress

What will that world look like?

The question is yours to address.

The Case of Babymetal: Negotiating Authenticity and Diversity

Disclaimer: The contents and opinions of this blog post do not represent the views or values of Honours Review as a publication.

If you haven’t heard the name of this Japanese band by now, you have three albums to catch up on, the last one (Metal Galaxy) released less than a year ago. Formed in 2010 by three young women, Babymetal connects the worlds of Japanese pop (J-pop) and heavy metal, of ‘cuteness’ and aggression, of idol culture and its subversion; all within a genre they call kawaii metal [1]. Besides presenting a strikingly new, hybrid sound, the trio – currently duo- and the mixed reception of their work provide a potent ground of theorizing the negotiations of authenticity and diversity among metal fans today. With a few exceptions [1], however, it appears that the Western academia has not yet caught onto the case, despite the group’s global appeal confirmed by their World Tours and 2019 top position on Billboard’s Top Rock charts (as the first Asian group in history) [2]. While metal fanbases question whether Babymetal can be qualified as metal at all and whether it is “authentic”, we can in turn ask: what do such questions reveal about the “rockist ideology” [3] in its diversifying transition of the modern age?

“Rockism” has been described by Philip Auslander, a prolific performance studies scholar, as the rock-centric ideology defining authenticity in popular music. As described in his book Liveness, rock culture establishes its authenticity through dismissing or Othering the inauthentic “pop” products of the music industry: the music that does not tick the boxes of “instrumental virtuosity, original songwriting, social criticism, a stance of anger/alienation”, and primarily, of liveness embedded in the believable “spontaneity” of rock iconography. [3]

Although its aggressive guitars and rapid drums might sometimes make the instrumentals of Babymetal sound hardly distinguishable from its Western metal counterparts, the lyrics, performance, and background of the band prove questionable to anyone assessing them with the rockist lens. The elements criticized most frequently are Babymetal’s association with the (often exploitative) idol industry and produced mainstream popular music more broadly. A number of commenters on metal forums have claimed the band to be “mediocre, barely even. Total manufactured”, an “irritating cashgrab”, “overproduced, soulless modern crap” [4]; while others, including the metal vocalist Rob Zombie and KORN frontman Jonathan Davis, defended Babymetal (“They roll harder than you” [5]; “I thought I'd seen it all, but after I saw them, like, 'Wow! This is pretty intense.'” [6]). In the meantime, some hail the duo as “feminist role models” [7] (with lyrics that “engage with messages of positivity and self-empowerment – especially as they concern girls and young people more generally” [1]) and an opportunity for the positive racial-ethnic diversification of the genre. 

Bashed or supported, the discourse surrounding Babymetal encompasses the spectrum of old rockist ideologies of authenticity and today’s increased importance of representation. The questions posed towards the band reflect wider issues that the originally Western-male genres such as metal face in the times when diversity comes to the fore, and when elitist stances of the past are called into reconsideration. However, the discussion is more problematic and complex than what is has often been reduced to: namely, open-minded metal fans versus, in Rob Zombie’s blunt phrasing, “grumpy old f*cks” [5]. While it is certainly true that Babymetal’s image is empowering in terms of their alternative expressions of femininity and the ways they subvert the Western rockism with J-pop influences, the duo remains tied to the Sakura Gakuin idol group and the Amuse talent agency, produced entirely by Key ‘Kobametal’ Kobayashi, with the overwhelming majority of the lyrics and the music not written by the girls, who state clearly that they had no interest in metal prior to forming the band [8]. The concern of possible “inauthenticity” might hence intersect with or diminish the values of “diversity” and subversion. If the duo doesn’t write its own songs, how feminist are their lyrics really? If their artistic direction was determined mainly by capitalist commercial necessities, how non-conformist can it get- and how exploitative could it potentially be for the young girls involved? 

Similar questions are often posed in regards to the Western pop music industry, pointing to what Auslander and others called the romantic rock ideology becoming adapted to all popular music [3]. The distinction between art and commerce, apparent in the firm high/ low culture boundaries of the past, has not disappeared completely and continues to be based on whether the primary drive of the music creation is “art for art’s sake” or a function such as entertainment or sales [9]. The combination of a genre normally associated with rockist “authenticity”: metal with the openly produced, commercial J-pop idol culture is bound to spark controversy. However, the mass success Babymetal has been experiencing by far can prove that the discourses of rock/ metal authenticity in its traditional meaning, albeit still alive, are not essential to most (even Western) audiences anymore. Rockism has entered its transitional period, and arguably, nowadays it might be representation, empowerment, and subversion of conventions (in both sound and performance) that encourage listeners to value bands; whether they ‘write their own songs’ or not. 

References

[1] Plourde, Lorraine. “Babymetal and the Ambivalence of Cuteness.” International Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 21, no. 3, May 2018, pp. 293–307.

[2] Rutherford, Kevin. “Babymetal Becomes First Asian Act to Rule Top Rock Albums Chart”. Billboard, October 2019. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8540112/babymetal-metal-galaxy-no-1-top-rock-albums. 

[3] Auslander, Philip. Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture. Routledge, 1999. 

[4] Metal-fi. “BABYMETAL: Good, bad, or holy hell?”. Retrieved from http://www.metal-fi.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=434&sid=00661afb997adc299191e3079912a2a0.

[5] Brooks, Mike. “Only Grumpy Old Fucks Could Be Mad about J-Pop Metal Band Babymetal”. Dallas Observer, September 2019. Retrieved from https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/is-babymetal-the-future-of-heavy-metal-11764339.

[6] Blabbermouth. “KORN Frontman Says BABYMETAL Is 'Entertaining As Hell,' Calls Japanese Band's Critics 'Closed-Minded'”. Blabbermouth.net, August 2017. Retrieved from https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/korn-frontman-says-babymetal-is-entertaining-as-hell-calls-japanese-bands-critics-closed-minded/.

[7] Asencio, Jenny. “5 Rational Feminist Role Models in Pop Culture”. Medium, January 2018. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@jennyasencio/5-rational-feminist-role-models-in-pop-culture-74844b423cba.

[8] Robson, Daniel. “Babymetal: 'I've never been in a moshpit. I think I'd get smashed to bits'”. The Guardian, November 2014. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/07/-sp-babymetal-interview-japanese-metal-pop.

[9] Frith, Simon. Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music. Harvard University Press, 1996.

Underground music: a genre, a statement, or a judgement?

Disclaimer: The contents and opinions of this blog post do not represent the views or values of Honours Review as a publication.

Whether online, in record stores, in music magazines, awards, or even daily fan conversation, the terms such as “underground” and “alternative” are increasingly used for the classification of music releases. Either used in combination with other genres to describe a certain music style (“alternative rock”; “underground dance music”) or even functioning on their own, the underground and alternative are understood as self-evident by many. The common definition is simple: alternative/ underground is simply not a part of the mainstream. In academia, however, as early as 1996 popular music genres (as a whole) were called under scrutiny for their unstable boundaries, constructed, marketing-oriented and agreement-based nature. [1] As umbrella terms often encompassing a variety of genres based on broad criteria, the terms “underground” and “alternative” can be questioned even more so. If the core nature of such music styles lies in their implicit or explicit opposition to mainstream music rather than any similarities of conventions, technical elements, or instrumentation, then defining the underground/ alternative becomes nearly fully extramusical: based on the context, politics, or values that the bands choose to communicate. Where are the borders of the underground/ alternative music world and what requirements one needs to fulfill to qualify? Where is the mainstream in music? Despite the simplicity of its broad definition, the underground/alternative music remain contested categories, described as carrying a variety of implications by various scholars and critics; and often bands become described by alternative based on radically different or even increasingly contradictory sets of rules.

The underground as obscure

One possible difference between the underground and the mainstream music styles lies simply in the reach they have. The alternative is not supposed to be readily available, supported by the mainstream media or concerting in large arenas: it would rather be small-scale in both production and distribution, limited to the dedicated fans who found it through own searches or by recommendation. While this appears to be clear-cut enough, the emergence of online media blurred the distinction. Asking “Where is the musical underground in 2017?”, The Guardian described that the definition of the underground as “music that – by default or design – existed on the margins, with the bare minimum of exposure in conventional media” such as radio and TV was functional historically. [2] Nowadays, however, it is YouTube and social media which “are infinitely more important in promoting music and anyone can upload to them”. [2] While access to alternative/ underground music is certainly easier in the internet era, we must not make the mistake of erasing obscurity from the markers of this umbrella genre. Among others, the readily available radio/ Billboard charts, the trending section of YouTube or curated Spotify ‘hit’ playlists continue to play a role in boosting the popularity of chosen musical styles and their most well-known representatives. If those channels would be regarded the modern mainstream distributors, it would still be possible to say that underground music has less obvious media presence and can be rather found in more obscure (although still easily accessible with a click) areas of the internet (personal blogs, forums, or smaller personal playlists for instance). Effectively, it might be not the accessibility of the internet that puts the “obscure alternative” into question; but rather, the popularization of such music styles. With self-named “alternative” frequently making it into the radio or Billboard charts and popular awards such as Grammy mainstreaming the Best Alternative Music Album winners, one can ask whether (as Mark Fisher argued) under late capitalism “'alternative' and 'independent' don't designate something outside mainstream culture; rather, they are styles, in fact, the dominant styles, within the mainstream”. [3]

The underground as counterculture

In addition to their obscure nature, early definitions of underground frequently contained elements of independence from the cultural industry, rebellion, or counterculture. Kai Fikentscher described the term as “denoting a context in which certain activities take place out of a perceived necessity for a protected, possibly secret arena that facilitates opposition, subversion, or delimitation to a larger, dominant, normative, possibly oppressive environment” [4], Stephen Graham mentioned “principles of improvisation and outsider DIY organization and politics” [5] as distinguishing the underground, and The Guardian placed “cosying up to big business” and deals with the cultural industry at odds with the values of alternative music [6]. To many, listening to the underground continues to mean a statement of resistance: whether to the political system, the dominance of the Big Three labels (Universal, Sony, Warner), or the formulaic pop conventions. Yet, it would be a mistake to equate the underground/ alternative with counterculture: a simple search for definitions online yields results that confuse this distinction as well. The diversity of genres included by it ranges from the inherently political anarcho-punk/ riot grrrl/ queercore born from marginalized groups to the decidedly apolitical or even associated with high art genres such as math rock/ progressive rock/ free improvisation. While the latter group can still be seen as rebellious in a way (towards simplicity and the accepted conventions of popular music, in this case), few common elements can be identified between the two. Finally, “independence” of alternative is not free of doubts either: coming back to The Guardian’s guide, today instead of the major labels “brands have colonised the world of non-commercial music”- a large part of the ‘underground’ is becoming commodified. [6]

The underground as… elitism?

Lastly, it is necessary to question the value judgements carried (often perhaps subconsciously) in the classifications of underground and alternative music. Besides the counterculture element, Stephen Graham pointed to “aesthetically challenging or complex” as a distinguishing quality of underground music [5], and the research by Gamaliel Percino, Peter Klimek, and Stefan Thurner supported a correlation between the decreasing ‘instrumentational complexity value’ and increasing sales of music styles [7]. Within the underground communities, one can often find a pressure for “originality” and “authenticity” regarded as the markers of music quality. Those constructed terms are sometimes what leads to the perception of the underground as “better” or more “art-like”, echoing the privileging of Boltanski and Thevenot’s Inspired Value world (the principle of creativity as crucial in art) [8] and the XIX century expressive individualism (the cult of artist as a genius) [9]. While this is certainly not true for every underground music fan, often the “alternative” genre prefix signifies a mildly elitist tendency to detach from the core culture perceived as too well-known/ commercial - as such, it might be means to elevate oneself above the tastes of the majority: to the domain of art that cares about the ‘real’ artistic expression first and foremost.

 Conclusion

With the variety of possible classifications and blurred boundaries between the underground and the mainstream, dubbing a band “alternative” is a construct carrying a lot to be unpacked. From expressing obscurity and rebellion to a veiled value judgement, underground music styles have different levels and certainly are not homogeneous. All in all, how one chooses to describe their music on the line between alternative and mainstream might tell you more about their extramusical priorities than their music taste. When dealing with the ‘underground’ or ‘alternative’ music then, it is always interesting to ask: what does calling this band “underground” really imply?

References

1. Frith, Simon. Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music. Harvard University Press, 1996.

2. Petridis, Alexis. “Where is the musical underground in 2017?”. The Guardian, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/music/ng-interactive/2017/oct/09/where-is-the-musical-underground-in-2017.

3. Fisher, Mark. Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?. Zero Books, 2009.

4. Fikentscher, Kai. "You Better Work!": Underground Dance Music in New York. Wesleyan University Press, 2000.

5. Graham, Stephen. Sounds of the Underground: A Cultural, Political and Aesthetic Mapping of Underground and Fringe Music. University of Michigan Press, 2016.

6. Aroesti, Rachel. “No alternative: how brands bought out underground music”. The Guardian, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/music/ng-interactive/2017/oct/16/no-alternative-how-brands-bought-out-underground-music-timberland-red-bull.

7. Percino, Gamaliel et al. “Instrumentational Complexity of Music Genres and Why Simplicity Sells”. PLOS One, 2014.

8. Boltanski, Luc and Thévenot, Laurent. On Justification: Economies of Worth. Translated by: Catherine Porter. Princeton University Press, 2006.

9. Madigan, Patrick. “Expressive Individualism, the Cult of the Artist as Genius, and Milton's Lucifer”. The Heythrop Journal, vol. 54, no. 6, 2013.

Productive with Music

The studying girl on one of the most popular YouTube Lofi Hip Hop mixes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FlxM_0S2lA.

Disclaimer: The contents and opinions of this blog post do not represent the views or values of Honours Review as a publication.

Walking through the library during the exam period, simply searching for your own study spot, makes it quite clear what the opinion of most Groningen students on joining music and studying together is. Headphones and earphones are omnipresent in the study areas just as much as they are present at gyms; allowing everyone to immerse in their music of choice to help them perform the task at hand better. Such a pattern can be seen as a symptom of today’s so-called ‘iPod culture’, in which the habit of mobile listening allows one to privatize space and time (1), tailoring it to their own needs; but at the same time, the continued growth of its prominence may suggest there are more advantages to studying, working or exercising with music than simply a sense of self-controlled privacy.

YouTube and Spotify playlists such as “Lofi Hip Hop Radio: Beats to Relax/ Study to” and “Lofi hip hop radio-chill/ study beats” (or, more traditionally, “Mozart - Classical Music for Brain Power”) are swarmed with views, mostly from stressed college and university students in their exam periods. At the same time, multitasking and any kind of sensory overload are never recommended to improve focus and efficiency: so wouldn’t we be better off being productive in silence?

The iPod culture might have only started with the 21st century, but background music has been a concern of workplaces (as well as restaurants or shopping venues) already in the 1930s and 1940s; not to mention there are ideas of songs lifting up the workers’ spirits dating back even to Ancient Greece: such as “the sound of whistles, of flutes and fifes to encourage the work-folk” in Aristophanes’ Acharnians (2). Perhaps the most prominent industry attempting to control moods with music was American Muzak. Drawing on multiple artists’ work, the brand released recordings for all sorts of settings, from lounges to factories. Some of their albums meant to relax, other to make one spend more; or to effectively boost one’s productivity. For this last purpose, the company came up with Stimulus Progression; a remedy for the “industrial efficiency curve”, or more commonly called “fatigue curve”. The tunes were sorted by mood (from Gloomy to Ecstatic) and chosen exactly to stimulate energy when it was at the lowest; at the same time combat monotony in periods of hyperactivity. Reports of the effectiveness of Muzak’s invention included a reduction in stress, better concentration and work results: for both factory and office workers (3). 

Would Muzak be one’s best call to get productive with nowadays too? At least when trying it out myself, no miraculous effects faced me; close to no one seems to use Stimulus Progression when working these days probably for a reason. This reason could be our current ability to customize our own study playlist without having to rely on ready-made background music, the change in music tastes; or simply, the availability of an alternative. 

 Despite having a possibility to play their favorite music while studying, the aforementioned “study playlists” or “study streams” especially of the lofi (low fidelity) hip hop/ chillhop genre (as explained by Ryan O’Halloran, “a slightly more rugged flavour of general hip hop” (4)) with looped animations of focused people or adorable raccoons working tirelessly gain millions of views; and according to their comment sections, help countless young adults study and pass their exams. The music itself is rather monotonous, downtempo, foregrounding the beat; with a “muffled drum machine pitter, a few lazy nocturnal synth beams, perhaps an entranced, elliptical vocal sample sourced from self-help tapes, ancient cartoons, Nintendo 64 games, or public-access flotsam” (5); plus the unavoidable lofi element of vinyl-like crackles (4). It has been be argued the appeal of this sort of playlists lies in their direct reference to the nostalgia for beats and aesthetic of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and Toonami, or the importance of the moving image of productivity, or the ease with which this kind of calm, repetitive music blends into the background (5). 

Such claims so far, are not a result of any academic studies; however, the researches made before on music and focus, music and mood control, as well as music and memorizing can be of guidance when understanding the phenomenon of lofi study music streams from their auditory side. So far, it has been argued that:

• Listening to music before a task can improve attention and memory (6); 

• Liked and disliked music with vocals/lyrics are both equally distracting during a task (6); 

• Emotionally neutral music has a better effect on memory for those with previous musical training, while subjectively pleasurable music works better for those without it (7); 

• Music with simple musical structures and without lyrics can boost productivity especially on repetitive tasks, for those used to working with music and having control over the music they choose to listen to (8); 

• Last but not least, music can block off undesired sounds in the environment that could potentially be distracting to conscious attention: such as someone sniffing, whispering or typing on their laptop as it often happens at the library (9). 

This is just a part of the relevant research; however, it can begin to point towards the source of lofi hip-hop popularity. Instrumental, simple, background, indistinct, and rather neutral but at the same time pleasurable, the streams seem to play into most, if not all, requirements for music successfully blocking off outward noise, boosting productivity, while at the same time is hardly distracting. The nostalgic elements of the playlists make sure the beats blend right in with what we are used to, not drawing too much attention, and the loop of studying characters are relatable, motivating, and just the right visual fit for the music. Although, or perhaps because the lofi streams don’t seem to follow the Stimulus Progression ideas Muzak suggested, rather sticking around the neutral/ a bit down mood levels, they work better for our generation.

After all, it’s common we start studying already stressed, somewhere in the middle of the fatigue curve: what we need isn’t just stimulating energy and motivation, but also relaxation, and a chill study environment of our own in the pacing world. 

Sources:

1. Bull, Michael. “No Dead Air! The iPod and the Culture of Mobile Listening”. Leisure Studies, Vol. 24, No. 4. Routledge, 2005. http://asounder.org/resources/bull_nodeadair.pdf.

2. Aristophanes. The Acharnians. Project Gutenberg Etext, 2002. http://www.dominiopublico.gov.br/download/texto/gu003012.pdf. 

3. Lanza, Joseph. Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong. University of Michigan Press, 2004.

4. Alemoru, Kemi. “Inside YouTube’s calming ‘Lofi Hip Hop Radio to Relax/Study to’ community”. Dazed Digital, 2018. http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/40366/1/youtube-lo-fi-hip-hop-study-relax-24-7-livestream-scene.

5. Winkie, Luke. “How 'Lofi Hip Hop Radio to Relax/Study to' Became a YouTube Phenomenon”. Vice, 2018. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/594b3z/how-lofi-hip-hop-radio-to-relaxstudy-to-became-a-youtube-phenomenon.

6. Perham, Nick. “Can preference for background music mediate the irrelevant sound effect?”. Applied Cognitive Psychology, Vol. 25, No. 4. Wiley Online Library, 2011. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/acp.1731.

7. Klemm, William R. “Does music help memory?”. Psychology Today, 2013. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/memory-medic/201312/does-music-help-memory.

8. Haake, Anneli B. “Music at work: distracting or beneficial?”. Music at Work, 2011. http://musicatwork.net/music-at-work-distracting-or-beneficial/.

9. Burnett, Dean. “Does music really help you concentrate?”. The Guardian, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/aug/20/does-music-really-help-you-concentrate. 

The Vinyl Craze; Retromania of Our Age

Disclaimer: The contents and opinions of this blog post do not represent the views or values of Honours Review as a publication.

Introduction

Not so long ago, when visiting my friend in her room, I noticed an old vinyl record of The Beatles on the shelf. Intrigued, as it certainly wasn’t there before, I soon learnt that she has bought it in a second-hand shop for quite a low price, which certainly would not be surprising–if it was not for the fact that she does not have a gramophone, nor does she intend to buy one. The record was going to just stand on her shelf, unused; she simply bought it as a collection item, following the vinyl craze of our age.

This boom for the old audio formats, starting in 2006, is a peculiar development, and an unexpected one. With the advent of mobile digital sound technologies and cheaper CDs, one might have thought the vinyls will soon become forever obscure, like symbols of nostalgia, perhaps only kept alive by hipsters of the same sort that still purchase cassette tapes (1). But, according to Pitchfork, this once-forgotten format feels closer to the mainstream than it has in decades- vinyl sales keep rising and currently peak in 2018 (2). With a high demand, the supply follows, and many of the most popular artists decide to release their albums on vinyls along with the CDs, creating a new supply, in an ever-increasing cycle. The industry is doing great and the trend is becoming more widespread with every year. One question is left: why do people still buy vinyls, having so many simpler options? Multiple answer can be found: in the nature of sound itself, but also in the concepts of authenticity, retromania, and cultural capital.

The Vinyl “Sounds Better”?

A frequent argument of the fans of collecting vinyls is that the LP (long-playing) records simply sound better than their CD counterparts. These people proudly call themselves audiophiles, for whom the subtle differences in sound in different audio formats matter a lot. The public debate on the issue is, however, two-sided. From the technical side, both vinyls and CDs seem to have their advantages. The process of sound reproduction would speak in favor of analog (vinyl) recordings mostly due to the simple fact that the original sound is always analog; and needs to be fractured when converting to a digital format, and reconstituted when it’s played out. Recorded and replayed digitally, CDs have a chance of losing or altering the raw sound wave, even if the changes are minor and hard, if not impossible, to hear. Vinyls as analogs do not need to convert and fracture the sound, as a result being more true to the originally recorded audio (3). On the other hand, CDs enjoy advantages such as a higher available range between the loudest and the softest sounds, lack of the gramophone’s mechanical noise, precision of speed, and longevity–no matter how many times you’ll play the CD out, it will sound the same, while the vinyl would begin to deteriorate (4). From a more human-centric perspective, Pitchfork explores how the “cheap and bad” mp3s led to the digital format as a whole becoming perceived as such, while there can be, of course, great variance in the quality of CD sound (5). In addition, it can be argued that the true special element of the vinyl audio lies more in the distortion that it introduces, a home-like warmth and a sense of closeness that the analog sound can introduce in opposition to more “mechanical” digital sound, rather than in the accuracy of it (5).

Authenticity and Retromania

A quite interesting pattern to notice about the sales of vinyl records is the massive lead that the rock genre enjoys in that industry (2). As such, it needs to be considered whether the concepts of authenticity and fidelity (described by Philip Auslander as crucial to the conservative, exclusionist rock ideology) might be at play in generating a large part of the vinyl craze. Drawing from the technical vinyl properties (as described in the previous paragraph), the perfect reproduction of the original, live sound wave may be of importance to hardcore rock fans even if they cannot really hear a difference–only as an expression of authenticity. In the rock ideology, what really matters is liveness, put in opposition to the “fake”, mechanical Other of pop (6). Extending this binary opposition of the “real” versus the mechanical to the raw, distorted analog sound and the flawless, converted digital audio, it is easy to understand why rock fans could feel drawn to vinyls more than to CDs. The authenticity ideology is less conservative in other genres but may still play a role in LP record sales, especially when it comes to buying older music in its original format–but in this case, authenticity crosses its path with the domains of retromania and symbolic capital.

The older vinyl recordings specifically may be subjected to a particular type of authenticity drive related to the memory- something the music critic Simon Reynolds calls retromania–an addiction to the past that our age specializes in. A part of his argument for the reasons of vinyl popularity is its “freaky” format–recording the voices of often dead musicians and long gone bands in a form that replicated the sound wave exactly, without fracturing; a ghost medium that once dead is now coming back (7). The return to the past through the vinyl can give the listener a thrill, a feeling of nostalgia, of being back in the past–even if the practice of collecting older vinyls is often, in his opinion, superficial and selective (7).

Cultural Capital

Listening to vinyls can be important to people in terms of sound, ideology, feelings, and memories; but these arguments hardly explain why some, like my friend described in the introduction, invest in LP records they will probably never actually listen to. Hoarding and collecting is a phenomenon that is not only specific to humans; but an interesting idea that can explain why is it the vinyls rather than CDs that most collectors decide to fixate on enough to spend money on just possessing them, is Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital: a capital that is based on the cultural value of goods, experiences, and skills: such as the value of famous art works, a high school diploma or a learnt language (8). According to Bourdieu, the cultural capital is eventually indirectly transferred into economic capital, and hence is worth spending money on. In the case of vinyls, one can argue that possessing a collection of vinyls is quite prestigious, regardless of whether they are actually listened to. Prestige in turn, in Bourdieu’s terms, rises one’s social/class position significantly, eventually contributing to one’s economic position (8). Most vinyl collectors are probably not consciously seeking economic profit from their hobby, but prestige could already be an important factor for them–either to show off to friends, impress strangers, or justify claims to being regarded a true music fan... and a true audiophile.

Conclusion

Behind the simple statements of “vinyls sounding good” or “vinyls being special” a whole set of theories, and underlying, hidden concepts can be spotted-this brief article presents only some of the possibilities. Because of that, LP records can appeal to many different people, and are entering the mainstream rapidly; and as the trend expands so does the desirability of vinyls. If no new craze breaks the cycle, we can be sure that the vinyl obsession is here to stay-and generate the highly needed profit for the music industry in the era of battles for copyright.

Source for images: see (2) in Bibliography

Bibliography:

1. Auslander, Philip. Liveness. Performance in a mediatized culture. Routledge. London/New York, 1999.

2. Bourdieu, Pierre. “The forms of capital”. In: J. Richardson (Ed.) Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education, New York, Greenwood, 1986.

3. Hogan, Marc. “Is Vinyl’s Comeback Here to Stay?” Pitchfork, 2018. https://pitchfork.com/features/article/is-vinyls-comeback-here-to-stay/.

4. Is the sound on vinyl records better than on CDs or DVDs?”. HowStuffWorks, 2000. https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/is-the-sound-on-vinyl-records-better-than-on-cds-or-dvds.htm.

5. Reynolds, Simon. Retromania. Pop culture’s addiction to its own past. Faber and Faber. New York, 2011.

6. Richardson, Mark. “Does Vinyl Really Sound Better?”. Pitchfork, 2013. https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/29-does-vinyl-really-sound-better/.

7. Tufts University. “Does music sound better on vinyl records than on CDs?”. Phys.org, 2016. https://phys.org/news/2016-07-music-vinyl-cds.html.

8.  Wells, Jonathan. “Why the return of the cassette tape is a hipster trend too far”. The Telegraph, 2016. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/style/why-the-return-of-the-cassette-tape-is-a-hipster-trend-too-far/.

Sounds of the Summer

Disclaimer: The contents and opinions of this blog post do not represent the views or values of Honours Review as a publication.

Above all other seasons, summer notoriously produces dozens of songs released in its name. During the warm months, whether on holiday, or just consuming various media at home, it’s impossible to avoid hearing this year’s “summer hit” or multiple contenders for the title. The phenomenon is much older than most would expect: Already from 1958 (which crowned Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)) as its summer hit one of the most influential online music magazines, Billboard, keeps track of the fluctuations in songs’ popularity throughout the summer months, eventually releasing a “Songs of the Summer” chart (1). Last year, Despacito had an early start (from January 2017), quickly getting predicted as that years’ top summer song, and winning without problems; in 2018 there is some more competition–specifically between Drake’s Nice for What and I Like It by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin (1). While the majority of the public, as reflected in the ratings, enjoys the joyful, casual atmosphere brought with the summer hits, they have also gained some disdain: Especially in regards to their simplistic nature, commodified character, and temporary fame. This position is one known already from the beginning on the twentieth century and has always accompanied the developments in pop music. Right now, it’s the summer songs that are seen as a peak of easy money-making, commerce, dominance of the marketing and industrial values over artistic ones. But what is the sound of summer really about? And is it as easily predictable, as some claim it to be?

The experts seem to say so. The phenomenon attracted the attention of Spotify and along with the holiday company First Choice, and the music intelligence agency The Echo Nest, they researched summer songs basing on five basic variables: Tempo, energy, danceability, acousticness and valence (see the image below) (2). By comparison with average song ratings, patterns have been drawn, clearly indicating how summer hits could differ from the regular, all-year songs.

While tempo stayed the same: Mostly due to the pre-established human “preferred tempo” for energizing, which was already uncovered in a 2002 study to lie between 120 and 130 bpm (faster than usual heartbeat) (3), other variants went through quite expected adjustments. A summer hit, consequently, is supposed to have higher energy, higher suitability for dancing, and be more positive, while also using more artificial music-making techniques than an average song (including post-production sound manipulation, and use of instruments such as synthesizers or electric guitars) (2). Eventually, the experts claimed that they have devised a formula for a perfect summer hit from their findings, reckoning that it lies in the average pattern they uncovered (2). The known patterns for success affect also the summer hits like they do in the majority of the popular music industry: In terms of song length (the eternal 3-4 minutes) and structures (the domineering verse-chorus-bridge form). Last but not least, it’s easy to notice the recurrent themes of the music videos that accompany the summer hits (beach, party, social activities, love), as well as the consistent way in which these songs are released and marketed: Usually beginning its rise to fame at the beginning of the year, to peak in the early summer months, so that they become played basically everywhere: From festivals to holiday resorts.

Still, the formula for the summer song cannot be applied to each years’ instance. The claims to an ability to devise a perfect summer song or predict what it could be are quite far-reaching, as the average doesn’t necessarily represent the differences in the top summer songs–even just looking at the last decades, year by year, something slightly different seems to be catching the publics’ attention. 2011’s winner (LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem) was significantly less acoustic than the 2013’s (Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines); 2014’s top summer song (Iggy Azaela’s Fancy) wasn’t half as energetic and danceable as 2012’s (Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe); and 2005 (Mariah Carey’s We Belong Together) brought rather reflection than upbeat positivity (1). Some of the summer sounds are more party than summer-related; other don’t cater to either of these categories. Despacito was a surprise both in the terms of language (as an overwhelming majority of winning songs so far were in English) and the victory of the reggeaton genre over the more popular pop or hip hop. Rather than becoming part of a similar, typical group, summer songs seem to align with the tastes of a certain year, becoming a symbol for it. As a result, contrary to the popular belief, their fame doesn’t disappear as fast as it forms. They are not gone as soon as summer ends: Most of university students could now probably recognize all the top summer songs back to 2003 (Crazy in Love) or earlier (1); clubs replay them constantly, even years afterwards, and even in the middle of winter. They become symbols of easy going fun, trademarks for a certain year, and separate entities, not always forever attached to the “summer” label.

It may be easy to create a summer hit that would recreate the commercially successful patterns, use the known elements and stylistics, and as such, cater to the tastes of the public looking for fun in the hot weather. Yet, consequently, it seems that each year the public wants something new in addition to the scheme–hence, the newest sound of the summer would always be, in a way, surprising, specific, even unique, and lasting longer than the summer charts. Truthfully enough, the music industry controls many elements of these releases: Songs’ length, structures, tempo, or marketing procedures cannot be changed too much for a hit to make it to the top. Nevertheless, it would be an overstatement to say that there’s nothing more than commerce to the summer songs–after all, even the most relaxed audiences look for some memorable spark of originality or inspiration in the schemes.

Works Cited:

1. Billboard Staff. “Summer Songs 1958-2017: The Top 10 Tunes of Each Summer”. Billboard, 2018. https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/513524/summer-songs-1985-present-top-10-tunes-each-summer-listen. Accessed: 6.08.2018.

2. Griffiths, Sarah. “Formula for the ultimate summer song revealed: Popular tunes are energised and have just the right amount of 'danceability'”. Dailymail, 2015. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3070604/Formula-ultimate-summer-song-revealed-Popular-tunes-energised-just-right-danceability.html. Accessed: 6.08.2018.

3. Moelants, Dirk. “Preferred Tempo Reconsidered” from: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition. Adelaide: Causal Productions. Sydney, 2002.