Who needs lyrics?
When I am in the type of mood that I want to put on some music and just let myself drift away into it I often opt for something that contains no lyrics. Without a lyrical front man I find the music requires less concentration and inspires more imagination. There is no one telling a story, I am basically just taking the song name and the music composed under it to draw my own conclusions as to how one lead to the other. I also hold a very high respect for artists that are able to produce listen worthy albums without a lyricist, it is not often anymore these days that a bands actual music is center focus. Most songs on the radio now are written by several people (not the band) and they are told how to perform it. So it is refreshing when a band not only writes their own, but they are so good at just playing music that is the whole show people pay to see. My first example below really highlights what I am talking about. I paid money just to watch him play his guitar. No band, no singer, just him, his instruments, and his amazing talent.
Andy Mckee: The Art of Motion
When I first saw Andy play in a YouTube video I was blown away not only by the awesome music he was playing but by his very method of playing the guitar itself. He was holding a beat by slapping the body of the guitar while hammering on the chords to play the melody with his other hand without strumming or plucking. Even the people I showed his videos to that weren’t fans of the music were impressed by his skill and unorthodox, yet incredibly brilliant way to play the instrument. The melodic tones mixed with slaps and knocks on the body completely supplements the need for a supporting band and lyrics are the last thing on my mind when I listen to him jam. His album The Art of Motion is one I can listen to from start to finish without ever having to skip a track. Below are a few videos of him playing some of my favorite songs from that record. If you are a beer drinker I find his music to pair nicely with a subtle brown ale or stout of your choice, while I think a smoker will find a fine indica to compliment the listening experience.
Told you he was awesome.
Particle: Launchpad
The first time I listened to Particles Launchpad album I think I had a mild acid flashback. The jam bands psychedelic mixture of guitar effects and synthesizers left my senses overwhelmed by a sensation of “holy shit” and “this is like drugs for my ears.” The album was produced by Tom Rothrock (Beck, Moby, Foo Fighters) and was received very well by even mainstream news outlets like New York Times and Rolling Stone.
Each of the songs on the album flows seamlessly into the next almost as if they never stopped playing while recording the entire album. If you aren’t paying attention you might even miss that a track ended and another started. I have seen lots of genres used to describe the group, and I think jam-trance would be the most suitable of them. They have a very melodic yet upbeat and fast jam style which at the same time pulls you into a trance of lightening fast guitar riffs with accompanying effects and funked out bass lines. Some songs seem almost a mix of a techno beat to jam band melodies which they accomplish better than any other band I’ve heard attempt to pull off the same sound. To be fair they do have a use a few samples that include a small amount of speaking, but no true “lyrics” to be heard. Here are a few examples of their work from the album I am referring to:
These two bands are hardly the tip of the iceberg, but while most people seem so focused on the vocalists of most groups I just wanted for a moment to put the limelight back on the people making all that other noise. Music calms even the savage beast, without it I think we would all be lost. From Frédéric Chopin to Danny Elfman, I don’t want to imagine a world without instrumentals. Fuck, even to this day Tom and Jerry is my favorite cartoon. No spoken character lines, only music to guide you through the onscreen antics. Maybe I am the last of a dying bread, but I love that shit.
Ben Johnson
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