books month at the vinyl score music newsletter
Hi!
Sort of a slow month as music mixes go, but the one that we got (20220108?) was golden. Donald Fagen, David Byrne, Walkmen, Bachelor... fun times. I'll do it again soon.
This month I wrote up a couple of books I got out of the library - but first, breaking news that pertains to streaming, and the virus, and royalties...
Artists Leaving Spotify Over Vaccine Misinformation
As I write this (at the end of January) a small handful of artists are taking their work off Spotify, who funds and profits from at least one podcast that's highlighted of promoted bad and wrong ideas about the virus.
https://twitter.com/rossgrady/status/1487268704870141954I don't have a whole lot to say about this, except that I've been really confused about why there aren't more artists taking their work off of Spotify because it's a bad deal for them. (I suppose Neil Young might be one of the few people who has control over his own stuff, and otherwise it might be up to your record company.) Young's stand reminds us of the dangers of misinformation (to our health, to our neighbors, and to our democracy) and of the ways that our own habits of consumption can promote ideas we don't agree with. But there's an even better reason to skip Spotify and support musicians and venues directly: it's because Spotify doesn't engage with the music industry on terms that are fair or sustainable. But either reason's good enough for me.
A Book I Read (I)
I just got done with Mark Mallman's "The Happiness Playlist", which I recommend. I don't know a ton about Mallman's music, but the couple of times I've seen him have been great. (He did an acoustic set with Dick Valentine of Electric Six way back when, and I am pretty sure I saw him open for Andrew W.K.) But "The Happiness Playlist" is a journal of some dark times - he deals with the death of his mother, struggles with terrible anxiety and night terrors, and tries to settle into a life that feels at all normal. He fights depression with a playlist - only happy songs, and only 50 of them - that became his exclusive musical diet.
It's tough to write about pain and depression, but "Playlist" finds relatability through metaphors and clear-eyed storytelling. My impression of Mallman beforehand was that he was maybe a little goofy or jokey, but after even just one chapter I had a new appreciation for him. He is seriously funny. I'd hoped for a little bit more about why he loves these songs, or why they make him happy, but maybe there's not a whole lot left to say in the sixth decade of "I Feel Good". But maybe the book is just a companion piece to the playlist itself:
*Oh hey there's one other time I saw Mark Mallman, and it's when I hung out after an Electric Six show in 2014 and happened to see Dick Valentine talking to a friend of his. I had the friend take this picture:
And then the friend, Mark Mallman, pretended to be upset that I didn't recognize him.
I am connected to him like three other ways but that's a story for another time.
A Book I Read (II)
I'd been aware of David Byrne's "How Music Works" for some time, but it never occurred to me that I could request it from the library. (It's been a little spotty in terms of availability - I'm not sure if it's out of print or just kind of rare or what.)
I didn't finish it (someone else had the idea to request it from the library, apparently) but it's good. Byrne tries to tell the story of his musical career while at the same time describing the history of music. That's... ambitious. I wasn't entirely sure I believed every interesting factoid he wanted to share about the entirety of human musical expression (some of those chestnuts are a little too perfect, and none of them are terribly well sourced), but if you're going to get a guy to tell you about how technology changed music and how music changed the world, then it might as well be David Byrne.
I have never seen David Byrne live. His American Utopia (filmed on Broadway by Spike Lee) is highly recommended (if a little sketchy on the transition from "here's a concert" to "hey, be happy" - but again, that's just what you get with David Byrne these days).
#MWE
https://twitter.com/imgarysuarez/status/1484181937509986305One thing I'm doing in February is listening to an album I've never heard in its entirety and responding to it on Twitter. I have a draft of my list going, but I have a couple of hours to rework it before February starts. I'm already a little intimidated by the challenge, but mostly excited.
Calendars
I was pretty concerned about bad mask manners, breakthrough cases, and variant unknowns, so I didn't get out to anything in January. (Sad, after what was a big December.) Jeff Rostenstock shows as "rescheduled, TBD" in my ticketing app - so it wasn't only me feeling shaky. The touring industry is coming back a little slowly. I'm supposed to be at Dessa in two weeks - I think the wave should be well down by that point, but we'll see.
In February, and of interest (with actual plans in bold):
- Sat 5: Ghost and Volbeat are at Target Center. I have liked a lot of Ghost's stuff. I have yet to like anything by Volbeat.
- Sun 6: CHAI is at the Entry, the home of the smallest names in the world. They are on the new album from Gorillaz, one of the biggest names in the world. I don't know that I'm interested enough to check it out.
- Thurs 10: Atmosphere at First Avenue. I'm watching to see if this show moves - if it does then Dessa probably does too, I'm thinking.
- Sun 13: Still have those Dessa tickets.
- Tues 15 + Wed 16: War on Drugs is at the Palace. That's a good place for them. I did listen to that album everyone likes. I don't quite get it yet.
- Wed 16: Sleigh Bells is in the Mainroom? I saw them there over a decade ago. Maybe my first show at a fancy balcony table (except I only won the First Avenue Twitter trivia contest)
- Thurs 17: Lucy Dacus is in the Mainroom. I last saw her in 2016, opening for Hamilton Leithauser. Her newest album is good.
- Sat 19: Cory and the Wongtones is in the Mainroom. Cory Wong is part of (related to?) Vulfpeck, who are funky enough.
- Sun 20: Tyler the Creator is at Target Center. I don't think I would survive this.
- Mon 21: Faye Webster, frequently featured on indie pop playlists, is at Fine Line. I have liked her stuff.
- Thurs 24: I have never seen Son Volt but I know they are a big deal. I like some of their stuff and maybe this is my vibe.
Things are going to be way more interesting in March. And I have to listen to a record every day in February!