Saturday, November 20, 2010

Musical Dynamics

The best music has a tendency to harmonize an emotional state with the progression of notes that are juxtaposed with lyrics that the listener can relate to on a very personal level.  With or without lyrics, the very best music can even transcend emotional states and put the mind into an escalating trance of cosmic consciousness.  This state of mind can best be described as the mystical realization of enlightenment, that is, the becoming of one with the rhythm of the universe.  This is the kind of music that overwhelms the brain with an auditory “orgasm” that shoots adrenaline down the spine and grows goosebumps on the skin.  These songs might sound unusual or even horrible at first, but once we become accustomed to them, they take hold of our sonic memory and show us pathways we never knew existed.  The more you listen to this music, the better it becomes. 

The art of music is the most expressive of forms because sound waves can reach the most amount of people at a given time.  But music is more than art too; it's an auditory metaphor for the mathematical synchronization of the equations of complex systems, often coalescing into brilliant, beautiful, celestial storms of emotional states, or systematic representations of nature.  This is best represented by the mysterious urge to dance a certain a way when you hear a type of music.  Dancing is music in three dimensions.  It extends one-dimensional melodies and written notes in two dimensions to encompass a complete form, like everything else in physical space.  All dances imitate dynamic systems that become emotionalized, using the body as metaphors to express them.  The universe itself is dancing to songs of cosmic unity, played by an ethereal dimension of waves, and the waves flow through the space dimensions like the sounds of an orchestra through an amphitheater.  It is through music that these quantum waves of dynamic change manifest into the supreme language of the universe, the instrument of God, the eternal song of existence. 

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace

2016 addition: 

 

On re-reading Infinite Jest, I can say that it is an infinite grower. Six years ago, I didn't think I'd have any nostalgia for the characters or the writing, but somehow it all got stuck in some corner of my mind that wouldn't let go until I gave it the full amount of attention it deserved. This time it was far funnier than I found on the first read. The humor has more of a satirical, dark edge that I suppose made me uneasy in my "purple prose" phase. David Lynch's influence was a lot more transparent as well, as DFW sought to reconcile "the incredibly mundane with the incredibly odd" (quoting him in an interview when asked about Lynch... exact wording is imprecise). I have no doubt that I will return to this book many times, for all its strange stories and reflections on the modern age. The novel's overarching message seems to be that there is something very wrong with the world and our role in it, but we choose not to face that problem by distracting ourselves with drugs and entertainment. 

 

2010 original: 

 

It's better to approach this as a series of interrelated short stories rather than a novel with a linear direction. The dystopian concept was interesting, and there is no shortage of phenomenal writing, but I'm not sure it has the type of progression to make it one of the all-time greats, as many people are claiming. The novel digresses too much to make the core series of events appropriately clear, and many parts could have been edited to make it shorter and more accessible. I can see how this might be one of the best books of the last 30 years because so many people can relate to all the characters suffering from addiction and depression. I didn't find it overwhelmingly funny like so many others, and on this point, I think DFW is largely misunderstood- this is a deeply sad (there are about 10 suicides or attempted suicides in the book) and pessimistic book that illuminates the psychology of addiction. On the phenomenal writing I've compiled a list of favorite or most memorable parts: 

 

Truly amazing passages that leave you in a dumbfounded trance: 

227-240 Joelle’s overdose 

321-342 Eschaton chaos 

380-386 Mario’s film interpretation of the rise of president Gentle 

692-698 Hal's anhedonic depression vs. Kate Gompert's psychotic depression 

787-795 Thanksgiving @ Joelle's parents' house 

 

Other great parts worth reading: 

27-31 Hal’s visit to the “conversation doctor” (his father) 

55-60 Gately accidentally murders a Canadian VIP 

68-78 Kate Gompert explains marijuana to a young doctor 

138-140 The bricklayer’s bizarre accident 

157-168 Jame’s Incandenza’s father narrates life in the 60’s 

367-375 Young girl’s foster father sexually abuses her sister 

395-398 The joke 

601-619 The fight 

701-714 Hal watches Blood Sister: One Tough Nun 

775-782 Maranthe & Kate at the bar 

827-845 Gately’s visitation from the ghost of James Incandenza 

846-851 Gately’s vision of the angel of death as Joelle 

958-960 Mikey’s story 

967-971 Barry Loach homeless 

972-981 Drug binge chaos 

 

fn 269 A friend of Orin’s relates Avril’s creepiness 

fn 324 Pemulis’ eccentric, hilarious dialogue in the locker room 

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The Distance to Here

 The only problem with this album is that it was promoted for the wrong genre (late 90's alternative) when it's really more of a new-age-pop-rock kind of album. So, if you were one of those mislead people who don't understand the lyrics your rating is pretty much meaningless, sorry. It's also foolish to listen to an album expecting it to sound like the artist's predecessors because you aren't listening with an open mind. Besides, the whole point of art is to explore new directions, isn't it?

For me this is one of the most beautiful albums ever. Ed has one of the purest voices in rock history, and I totally dig his Bahai-psychedelic, spiritually progressive lyrics. This is best conveyed on "Feel The Quiet River Rage", a riveting momentous wail of spiritual power, and Live's masterpiece in my opinion. This album is also the most passionate statement of love that I've ever heard. "Run To The Water" has the highest quality of poetic romanticism you can find.

So if you're not into religion, love, or psychedelics then you probably won't like it, but it's pretty convoluted that the Beatles get way higher ratings when their messages are the same.