An Insight & Alt-J

Alt-J's upcoming album is much anticipated, and for good reason: they make hauntingly beautiful, distinct, and lyrically confusing songs. Now don't get me wrong - I am a HUGE Alt-J fan - but sometimes their live performances aren't the best. However it's not because they aren't good musicians, or their sound is off, but because I truly think they are a band that is meant to be enjoyed through recordings. Their melodic nuances and complicated variations in electronically-made sounds are extremely hard to get across in a live performance setting. Even on Alt-J's latest spot on KCRW lead vocalist Joe Newman said that they were "a band more about tracks than playing live".

This being said, I recently read David Byrne's book, "How Music Works". Upon listening to Alt-J's performance on KCRW, it automatically reminded me of this following passage:

"The performing skills, not to mention the writing needs, the instrumentation, and the acoustic properties for each venue are completely different. Just as stage actors often seem too loud and demonstrative for audiences used to movie acting, the requirements of musical mediums are somewhat mutually exclusive. What is best for one might work for the other, but it doesn't always work that way." (pg. 23-24)

(So after reading THAT I guess I had one of those things...an epiphany? Nah, I don't wanna seem that prophetic.)

In our day and age when criticism is hidden behind a screen potentially thousands of miles away, people are oftentimes quick to judge about an artist's performance. However taking Byrne's argument into consideration, some artists are just meant to be enjoyed via a recorded medium. Likewise, some artists who are great performers in a live setting may not always come across via recorded technology because they're more about the "energy" or the "feel" of the audience and the venue.

So while we criticize Taylor Swift and today's pop stars of the like, we should be mindflul that they are marketed and packaged quickly to get the most record sales for their label. Their songs may come across when we listen through speakers and headphones, but may not during a live performance. It's two different worlds. Hey - if we can let it go for Alt-J, maybe we should cut some of these other popular acts some slack.....or not.

#livemusic