using music as a model for photography

I've been trying to catch up recently. Well, always. But recently I was trying to thin out my CD collection and only keep those I deemed most vital. The great thing about doing such a tedious task was that there were memories long linked to each disc in some significant or insignificant way. Either an album held momentous appeal to me for years (Jane's Addiction, Nothing's Shocking) and colored my concept of what true musical artform was, or it was a CD that I heard 10 secs of one song on a listening station (Squarepusher, Ultravisitor), and bought it, listening to it once, never to be heard again. Ultimately this led me to compare the recent trends in independently produced music and the state of photography today, particularly my own.

I know many blogs and mags have done their lists a few weeks back, but I offer my convincing list of best albums and songs of the decade and the year. There are no top tens, just the best:

Best album of the 00's:

Not even close: Radiohead-- Kid A. 'nuff said. And this was at the beginning of the decade. Nothing even approached the genius of this album for the next 9 years. Not even Radiohead's next 3 albums. The next closest album I can think of is Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

Best Song of the 00's

Well, I could take the easy road and say Idioteque from Kid A, but I won't. Only because this is my list and I don't care about the logic of it. I absolutely loved, from the moment I heard them, The Fiery Furnaces. And I think, Blueberry Boat, off of the same titled album is freaking brilliant. Love 'em or hate 'em (I currently only have one friend who likes this band). I love that song.

Best album of 2009:

Vecktamist-Grizzly Bear. Brilliant album. For me, it just edged out Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion.

Best Song of 2009:

My Girls-Animal Collective. Infectious, inventive. Just a damn good song, and I couldn't think of a better one this year.

I firmly believe there is more good, creative, inventive and simply brilliant music out than ever before. I also think this is inversely proportional to the grip the record industry has on music publishing.

The internet has essentially broken down all walls between artist and audience, and this schism may furthermore cut into the profits of said artists, but what it hasn't done is quell the desire for the aforementioned to venture into the unknown and send back genius.

I sat and looked down at my CDs. Jane's Addiction, The Liars, Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse. These are all artists that, to my mind, pushed the envelope in some way that opened the door for others. And they all did so on their own terms. Each with a unique sound. In fact, in regards to Jane's Addiction and Modest Mouse, I would argue that their success foretold their creative stagnation (i.e.--J.A--Strays, and M.M's We Were Dead....). Artistic genius is found in spite of the mighty dollar. There was great music 20+ years ago, sure, if you could find it and you had the kind of friends who would sift through records to discover Pavement and The Modern Lovers. But it was difficult. We mostly listened to what was fed to us, i.e. the radio. Anyone with an original voice was pounded into submission to churn out what the record companies knew would create a profit.

I heard from an interesting source in the music industry that Jim Morrison's descent into addiction and depression was because the vision he saw for himself and his band was not what the record company saw. The record company who saw it as profitable at the time, produced this “psychedelic” rock/pop. When the record company is your only outlet, you don't have any leverage.

But what happened? The internet and the personal computer put that power back in the hands of the artist. This is (finally) where I get back to photography.

There used to be a time (the good ol' days!) when the publications held all the power. Perhaps photographers were treated better then. Perhaps they were paid a much better wage. But it also seemed to be an exclusive club. Now the playing field is leveled. There is no reason anyone can't take pictures and put them out there for everyone to see. Your success largely depends upon your vision.

That also means that you must fight through the noise to get your vision out there. Musicians fought this for a while, iTunes and satellite radio was developed (though, corporate as well) and provided the (profitable) outlet for creative genius to take root. Now we can find anything we like. And the previously unknown artists like Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear, etc. can become industry leaders on their own merit. The ability to deliver your message means that you can do it your own way, and by doing so you can take more chances. Having to fight through the noise of mediocrity means finding a unique way to sing a song (or tell a story, visually) .

Ever notice how many TV ads have catchy tunes? I can recognize a handful of them as being indie-rock songs. The Outback Song (“Let's go Outback tonight….”)? That song was written by Of Montreal, and bought by Outback Steakhouse, who then rewrote their own lyrics to the tune. The new Cadillac commercials? Phoenix-1901. There is profitability in originality.

What I'm saying is that creativity, good taste and making money is not necessarily mutually exclusive. The mucky mucks and the bean counters don't know it yet, but our weird ideas are what they need. It's up to the us to put it out there.

Since I never put together a "New Year's" post talking about resolutions or what not, I'll say it now. I plan on doing better. I plan on making better, more original images. Images that you would not have thought of. Images I wouldn't have thought of if I didn't push myself. These are images that do not have the viewer in mind any more than it's important that my message is heard. I will not dumb my images down, and ultimately the only person I'm looking to satisfy with my images is myself. This is the year I get selfish about my pictures, because I've seen music do this with increasingly impressive results.