03. Let’s Change the Way We Critically Think.

Originally published June 28th, 2024

Have you noticed a societal trend that has perpetuated since the introduction of social media? There are probably several. One of the ones that truly bothers me is our ability to fairly rate things. I love to cook. When my kids were younger, I would get two responses; “that was delicious,” or “that was disgusting.” Now, maybe my ability to cook has a polarizing affect on people, or there is a lot of exaggeration going on. What’s wrong with saying, “l Iike the flavor of this casserole but next time, could it be a little less spicy?”

It’s everywhere though. That movie is either awesome or shit. That song is trash. This song is fire. I refuse to accept that our tastes are so magnetic. We have just lost our way in the social media boom where we have been trained to scroll quickly to the next thing. Where the worst is just as recognized as the best. Why does “Friday,” by Rebecca Black have just as many streams on Spotify as “Rain,” by the Teskey Brothers? 

Well, just like Vince Vaughn did in the movie Dodgeball, I want to make champions out of the Average Joes. The people who have not had the recognition that their music deserves. Because, in the large span of the center, there is some extraordinary music.

If I were standing in a lecture hall and asked each one of the readers to raise their hand if they have heard of Brandi Carlisle, most would raise their hand. In recent years, she had been entwined with many powerhouse artists in the music industry. I was introduced to Brandi Carlisle about 15 years ago. I had a friend tell me about this song called “The Story.” We ended up pulling it up and listening to it. There is a particular moment in the song that, to this day, gives me chills. Right as the song builds into its climatic end, her voice cracks. It is completely distinguishable. And it is absolutely stunning. She was once asked about the moment and why it was left in the song. I am paraphrasing here, but her response was something like it was technically wrong but emotionally perfect. I happen to agree.

Some of the music that I review may have technical flaws. I will look past that. We should all look past that. There might be something great beyond the flaws. 

One last example: I played in a band several years ago with a friend I had from high school. In high school, this guy was an amazing singer. He was actually a first chair 1st Tenor for the All-State Chorus in Tennessee. In the state of the music capital of the world, that is very impressive. However, after high school, he lost some of that ability for a list of reasons, most involving around a big problem with substance abuse. A problem that inevitably made the tenure of our little 3-piece band short lived. Though his voice was faded, he still remained a phenomenal guitar player and his ability to compose music was borderline genius. I can’t stress the importance of that word because it’s not intended to be taken lightly. His composition ability stands out. He had recorded a list of demos he wanted our band to perform. Using a cheap guitar, a cheap mic, and a cheesy drum track machine that you can hear on a beginner keyboard, as well as the equally cheesy bass guitar effect, we listened to this songs. The production value was very bad. His voice was pitchy and muddled. And the music was genius. I still listen to that demo sometimes just to try to better my ability to transition when I am practicing my own instruments. I thoroughly enjoy this demo and there is some really BAD production value in it. 

That is where I want the readers to be when they listen to some of the music I review. Some of the music may have terrific production value. Some of it may not. Some of it may have elements of music that are missing- like, maybe it is an instrumental band or composition. There will still be great elements that exist within each of those constructs. We just need to take the TIME to hear it.

With that being said, this will be the last introductory article. Next up will be my first review. Thanks for reading!