A Strange Communication

I hadn't really thought about it much before, and I think N. Gallagher makes a good if not obvious point here.

There's too much information in the world and there's no magic or mystery anymore. That's why I didn't announce I was in the studio making this album until 18 months down the line. Because it would be like, 'Yeah man I'm in the studio and today I recorded a song in my socks! And it was great man and it might turn out to be a disco song.' What's the point?' I was obsessed with the Smiths and there was none of that going on. You just waited and wondered what they were up to and then the album would come out in four weeks and it was like, 'Wow!' "

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment ... er-110923/

I accidentally found a way to build up some anticipation of new releases recently when I put the new Manic's tune at the end of a queue of tunes on We7. I had to wait an hour before it was played so it was almost like going to a shop to buy a new album and having to wait until I got home to play it.

I remember not hearing anything from my favourite bands for ages, and then a postcard would arrive announcing a new album/tour in a matter of weeks. How exciting! I'm not saying this access is all bad, because it isn't and we have to accept the world changes. There is so much information that it's difficult to limit the information you really want.

Do you prefer the extra access the Internet and social media allows or the "magic and mystery" of the older days?

there are plus'es and minuses really. I too used to love the postcard coming through the door with announcements just when you were getting really worried. Some bands just talk shite on twitter etc like noel says and some bands have websites that have nt changed for eight years. The internet is gonna be the death of most things i love eventually anyway. Record shops, bookshops, albums and books on an ipad? Fuck that i want shelves and shelves of my possessions for all to see! Call me old fashioned but i dont care and i much prefer buying the nme every week and flicking through than checking online. But thats a bit off what noel means. I dont like to know daily what anyone is up to, no. Bits of info now and again good if necessary.

While there's some truth in it, I can't help feeling that as a complaint it's on the same plain as

'Internet destroys "dignity" of celebrities, claims Katie Price'

I can related to this. With the new Girls album, I really tried to steer clear of the various streams of the album that were available, preferring with this one to go to Sister Ray and buy it and take it home and actually be a bit excited in the old fashioned sense. And Girls are on tour in the states at the moment, and their label is tweeting choice youtube footage but even there, I'm avoiding it until after I've seen them live again for myself in November. And I do think there is something to be said for popstars having a little bit of enigma swirling around them as well.

There was plenty of mystery back when, before the days of the internet, if one wanted to find out crucial information about a favourite band, it would involve scanning thru any music mags you could your hands on, listening to the one or two alternative radio shows a week. Aswell as checking tele text every day. Actually, I always found the latter the best, more often than not. The channel 4 teletext used to be ace for music news.

What annoys me most about the current state of music, is that with the internet, it's never been so easy to find great music, in a matter of seconds. Yet pop music is the worst it's ever been.

ah. Planet sound. Now that was the first thing i put on the Tele for years. Was it 540? I know it changed a couple of times but when that ended i was gutted. Earls was good. Bbc is shite.

SPT wrote:While there's some truth in it, I can't help feeling that as a complaint it's on the same plain as

'Internet destroys "dignity" of celebrities, claims Katie Price'

Bang on, Matt.

As for our Noel;
"There's too much information in the world and there's no magic or mystery anymore. That's why I didn't announce I was in the studio making this album until 18 months down the line."

As if his music's full of magic and mystery... Jesu H....

The internet is great don't knock its potential for good. People "destroy magic & mystery", not PC's. For all the tectonic shifts in the music industry I don't think there's much point in turning back to the frustrated & lonely, ennui-filled days of yore

Lancashire Fusileer wrote:

SPT wrote:While there's some truth in it, I can't help feeling that as a complaint it's on the same plain as

'Internet destroys "dignity" of celebrities, claims Katie Price'

Bang on, Matt.

As for our Noel;
"There's too much information in the world and there's no magic or mystery anymore. That's why I didn't announce I was in the studio making this album until 18 months down the line."

As if his music's full of magic and mystery... Jesu H....

The internet is great don't knock its potential for good. People "destroy magic & mystery", not PC's. For all the tectonic shifts in the music industry I don't think there's much point in turning back to the frustrated & lonely, ennui-filled days of yore

Spot on, both.

Without reading the whole thing, can't argue with what he's said in TheAlex's quote however, he's obviously saying it in the context of his own "music" and that's where his argument falls down. He's right but deluded if he thinks it applies in his or Beady Eye's case.

Lancashire Fusileer wrote:As if his music's full of magic and mystery... Jesu H....

That's what I meant - but anything else I might have meant I probably meant too.

dannynjo wrote:ah. Planet sound. Now that was the first thing i put on the Tele for years. Was it 540? I know it changed a couple of times but when that ended i was gutted. Earls was good. Bbc is shite.

I've pretty much lost track of new music since Teletext ended, PS was invaluable for tour announcements, reviews and other news without all the bullshit.

This was a nice random post to spot in the spam-busting effort.

The British Sea Power listening parties courtesy of Tim Burgess rekindled a lot of magic. I missed the first one, sort of accidentally-on-purpose, but I'm glad I participated in the second as I was hooked from then on.

I haven't participated in any since, apart from a Camera Obscura one that happened to be straight after the final BSP one.

Internet is mixing up "professionals" with the carefully engineered and marketed product artists record labels keep in their thrall. If that method becomes untennable, its no loss for the art of music.

Music is cultural. Nobody owes a musician a living, never mind the people trying to keep pet musicians as cash cows.

If music reverts back to the trade of passionate individuals who play by the grace of hobby, gigs, direct sales and YouTube income without any space for parasitic record companies, like modern bards... That sounds like a great outcome.