band, or genre over another? For instance,
one might say comparison across genres
is akin to comparing apples and oranges,
and stick to the best bands within a certain
genre alone. Even going by such narrow
boundaries, problems arise: genres have no
concrete or absolute nomenclatures, and
even if they did, this would mean only the
progenitors would have any value, since the
definition of a genre would invariably be
based on them. Another view might hold
technical mastery, of music theory or of
instruments, to be the yardstick, and while
this may be all encompassing, it will however relegate bands and entire genres that
are almost universally acclaimed and vastly
influential. The influence of musical output on select individuals, especially other
musicians. This acknowledges the impact
of such output on the music of today, and
hence its role in defining what constitutes
‘music’ as such. Such a measure, which is
generally embraced by music critics in some
form or the other, has the flaw of not being
current: one might have to wait for years
or even decades to recognize musical impact. An absolute form of musical ranking,
therefore, eludes and resists characterization, and to obtain a satisfactory classification, all these approaches need to be used
in conjunction with each other rather than
in exclusion, along with a healthy dose of
intuitive grading borne of exposure.
Comparing music inevitably brings to
light the issue of dogma. There always exist views which hold certain bands/people/
genres as paramount, or worse, as inferior
or ‘not music’; such attitudes reflect resistance to and parochial non-acceptance
of change The more infamous of these
perspectives is the so-called ‘Rockism’, an
outlook which holds ‘rock’ - infuriatingly
vague as the term may be - to be the form
of music, and worships rock artists of all
eras with unquestioning devotion. Kelefa
Sanneh published a famous critique of this
in an editorial published in the New York
Times titled ‘The Rap Against Rockism’,
where he points out the subliminal racist
and sexist undertones of this perspective.
Non-acceptance of any aspect of music is
tantamount to some form of social bigotry,
since music is inextricable from its creators,
and their world views. This, however, does
not preclude one from having personal
tastes, so long as one does not decry others’
personal tastes, a fairly reasonable thing to
ask for.
Appreciating music has the effect of
broadening, or at least transforming, one’s
perspectives. New music, as characterized
by scenes or by individuals, owes its novelty
to the difference in perspective between
the general public and the artists involved;
it acts as a mirror reflecting mutating soci-
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The Shoreline
etal ethos. When a certain music is characteristic of a community, it serves both as a
window into their lives and customs, and as
vehicle of cultural exchange. As an example,
pre-War blues in the US was the music of
oppressed African-American sharecroppers,
and its lyrical content provides insight into
their outlooks and circumstances. As it influenced Chicago blues which was the predecessor of rock, it caused - at least to some
extent - the transfer of perspectives between
two previously stratified sections of society,
and had a role in bringing them together.
The underground, though it remains
The Demise of Dignity
By Vaishnavi B. M.
As she slumbered through a calm night
Dreaming of a fantastic world, so bright,
She was woken up by the scorching sunlight
Revealing to her, her dark plight!
Her dignity was destroyed heartlessly!
Her vitality was tested ruthlessly!
Her purity was snatched away brutally!
As she sat there, pleading helplessly!
She could only see her predators walk
without fear,
As the world moved on, paying no heed to
her tear.
All that she could see was injustice, so
severe
-That her dearest life, to her, was no longer
so dear!
She vanished behind the curtains of time
But her pleas rang a vibrant chime.
But alas! here, there are neither ears to
listen
Nor hands, for a fair world, to christen!
The cartoon titled ‘Playin in the band...
first and last in a series’ (from the fanzine
‘Sideburns’)
Here, your best friend is mere silence
And a routine it is, dignity’s demise!
Whilst goodness is buried in a deep crevice,
Brutality is looked up to, with praise!
…
relatively unseen, has effected far-reaching,
and very visible, changes in modern society.
With the advent of the digital era, it has become progressively easier to discover and
procure music that would once have been
very localized and inaccessible. Hence, the
only prerequisite to be able to listen to new
music is an open mind - or should I say ear.
Granted, many times it might sound strange
or forbidding at first, but persevering will
yield great rewards: the more you learn to
like, the more there is to like. I would, therefore, invite you to undertake this musical
journey, cross boundaries and explore whole
new worlds, or at least this same world in
wholly new ways
.