The Death of the Album
Chuck Klosterman Reviews Chinese Democracy
Apart from being one the most brilliant pieces of music writing I’ve read in a while, there’s something Klosterman wrote that really grabbed my attention.
I really enjoyed Klosterman’s review of Chinese Democracy too. But to be honest, his theory on the album being dead was the one part of his review I took issue with. I love albums and don’t think they’re dead yet. My favorite bands are still those that made “albums” as opposed to singles. Bands that are more enjoyable when you commit yourself to paying attention to them for 45 minutes to an hour without interruption.
I hope I don’t sound like the musical equivalent of John Travolta in Pulp Fiction when he interjects that he doesn’t own a television, cause I don’t want to be that guy. I got iTunes, and I’ve made more 99-cent purchases on there than I’ve made $9.99 purchases. But the kick-ass album ain’t dead yet. Most bands still make albums, and they still kick ass when done right. The only difference is that with iTunes, listeners have the power to buy only the good parts of a band’s failed record. But when an album succeeds in its mission to be a kick-ass singular piece of art, we true music fans go out and buy that album as a whole.
I have posted twice on this topic. Here is a list of my favorite albums, and here is a silly commentary on iTunes-related dangers.
