Retro is big again…in fact, it always was!
Today's review is about the past the present and the future. If you haven't noticed from the last review, there tends to be a thematic squiggle that wiggles its way into the conversation. I'm like that. Great art is thematic, regardless of whether its music or dance or painting or photography or drama or writing or anything. It reaches out and touches us, touches something deep within our souls, tapping into our hidden needs or fears or frailties. If it doesn't resonant, then it's just so much noise that we push into the background. So, when I speak about something being compelling, something commanding me to sit down and actual listen even through a bad download, then you know that I mean that yes, it found its mark—it made me pay attention by finding something in me that responded.
Any art in any form can do that to any of us. True, most of us are raised with blinders on, preconceived notions about what we ought to like and ought to hate. We hear terms like rap and some of us go, "oh, I don't like rap," regardless of whether we have actually heard any before. Or we go, "I like the classics or jazz." I guarantee you that I could probably find something in the classics or jazz arena that you hate—so that just means what? It means you like certain classical pieces, certain jazz tunes. So doesn't that mean you'll also like certain pop tunes, or rap tunes or maybe a particular piece of art, even if you do have to go to a museum to see it? Or maybe, you'll like street art and not always see it as just graffiti. Maybe you're from "the hood," so to speak but you discover that you love watching ballet and you want to do that. There's nothing wrong with that—there's nothing less macho or sellout about liking anything that resonates with you. (Besides, dance conditioning is actually a lot tougher than other sports conditioning, including football!)
It's called being true to yourself and you need to listen and be open-minded. Something in you NEEDS that thing you're drawn to and hopefully that something is going to be a positive influence on you. (So don’t justify illegal or violent behavior by saying it was just "in" you or that you "needed" it. That's anger about something you do need being acted out in a way designed to NOT get you the thing you really need but rather hurt other people so that you don't feel so insecure and small all the time. …and we are not going there.)
But back to this review, why am I reviewing Panic! At the Disco? Everyone already knows about them, everybody reviews them, ten percent of the people on MySpace have already been to their site and listened to them! They're all over the media, MTV, magazines, you name it. So why?
Because I see them in a different way, that's why, and yet, also, probably the same way as everyone else as well. I listen and I watch. Most of all, I remember the past when I see them and see the parallels. Then I hear a group like The Falling Leaves and realize the parallel is there as well, as it is with Satoshi Dáte's paintings. What has a painter got to do with an internationally known rock/indie/big beat band and a relatively unknown British powerpop/big beat/shoegaze band? Ah! Therein, lies today's review.
Originally, the review was going to be three visual artists rather than one painter and two bands, but two of the artists contacted didn't bother to get back to me. It happens, especially on the internet, and after all, it's just an online blog review, now isn't it? Nothing special, just someone wanting to talk about your work but not anyone or anything important like the New Yorker—something with status? Or is it? This is the internet after all, where identity is fluid and you need to be careful whom you talk to or what you say. Not everyone you meet is what he or she seems. Everyone on the 'Net has had some experience with predators if they stay online long enough—either sexual predators or trolls, so it's always wise to be careful about what you say or how much you reveal. Your image online is just as important as your image offline and that leads me right back into the arts since presentation is just as important as the technique itself.
Consistency and innovation, complexity/compelling theme…this runs throughout all great art and great artists. Personally, I want to see consistency because it shows hard work, dedication and passion for what an artist does. Anything less and you may simply have a one hit wonder on your hands rather than a professional artist, and I do mean "professional," regardless of whether they've ever earned a dime. As you might expect though, consistency is just part of it. Presentation is another part.
So, you ask? The music is the main thing for a musician, the only thing, right? Wrong. Media convergence has always been a part of music. Why bother with eye catching graphics on a CD, or going on tour so that fans can hear you live? Tell Pink Floyd that the story they would tell in their music didn't require a BIG SHOW, something visually compelling to add to the overall effect and help convey the message of the music.
It goes beyond music. Go to a movie without music or without sound even. It can be done, of course, but obviously, it's not what most people prefer. Go to a dance recital without music. Go to an art exhibit and realize that the curator and the artist both labored hours to figure out exactly how to present the work to give it the most impact. Presentation is part of it—the visual and the audio are intertwined, converged, merged and creating a greater whole, not detracting from the other. Together the presentation of the whole creates a greater experience than the individual components. (And yes, we're going to stay with only two of the five human senses in this article. Sight and Sound.)
So what's all this got to do with Panic! At the Disco or The Falling Leaves or the paintings of Satoshi? Everything. Each is taking something from history and adding to it, whether it be the influences of the seventies and eighties or the classic painting masters like Degas and Gauguin. They mimic the old but still give it a new interesting twist and give their audience a new perspective. Remember, worldviews vary. People that watch PBS, Bravo, Discovery and TLC get a very different view of the world (and a different media agenda) than do people that watch the WWF, Daytime soaps or even Fox. (Sorry Fox, but it's true.) The big three networks tend to copy each other or copy what they see is currently hot. Fox has indeed made some extreme choices in content—some pretty degrading—but at least they've been making choices and breaking some new ground. The WB (in spite of any new names) has done the same. Sometimes being smaller or less known allows you to find the new insights—this applies to content programming on networks as well as art and music trends. The risk is easier to take because the big guns are not yet at your head telling you that every move you make must be the right move, and every show, every CD, every image must be the big win every single time. No one can keep up a pace like that. Ask Pink, who was told that just because one of her CD albums only sold 3 million copies, it meant that it was considered a failure!
So when I hear Panic! At the Circus, I hear a band with a driving beat but with something socially relevant to say. When I see them, I see a band that is theatrical to the point of absurdity—something that reminds me of many bands of the late sixties and seventies, not to mention the television show, The Prisoner. There's a method to that kind of madness. It makes them visually compelling to watch and compelling to listen to. The musicality isn't that different from other bands, nor are the vocals, but these guys know how to put on a show, get your attention and then keep it—and it's been working.
The Falling Leaves are actually in the same vein but yet more like the shy sibling of Panic! At the Circus. Little known outside of
Falling Leaves are musically complex while Panic! is conventionally simple. Falling Leaves are introspective and pondering while Panic! is mocking and reactionary. One is aggressive, seeking the fight, forcing you to see the issue whether you like it or not. The other is non-confrontational but guides you into the story, helping you gently, hoping you see the predicament of the world that they see. They take the methods and issues of the past, the ones that are still with us and probably always will—the human condition—and show it to you with an old-new twist. The presentation varies but the result is the same. It is more than the music or the medium. Ultimately, it's about delivering the message.
Finally, not to be left out, we have a painter that does visually what the other two do musically. Satoshi is a multi-mediast, meaning the artist also does music and fashion design and photography and who knows what else. Artists are often multi-mediasts. They have to be, for the more they explore their world and find new ways of seeing the world, the better they get at finding the right way to deliver their vision to the world. Some choose music. Some choose dance. Some are still choosing their best method of expression, like Satoshi.
Satoshi's paintings (the ones posted on MySpace as jpegs) struck me as old masters but with contemporary themes. The colors tended toward the bold and almost garish at times, the images obviously of modern life and modern people, but still, it wouldn't take much to see the same type of people or the same types of images in an older setting. It is almost as if a filter had been applied to a Degas, forcing some lines into sharp relief and altering the colors to a slightly off-center position. Just jarring enough to force you to pay attention—again, we see the theme of "compelling" arise again. You are forced to stop and take notice, you're forced to try to find an answer in the image—even if you're not sure what the question is.
Satoshi's modern pieces again reflect past modern masters, but with lighter more playful colors and fluid movement. I still prefer the more classic master-like pieces but I also see a discovery process in the works. Satoshi still seems to be searching for the right voice, the right tone that will fit how he wants to perceive and portray the world, but that's OK. It's better to be exploratory and take risks, than to stay with the safe, since usually, all you get with safe is consistent but boring. Every artist is constantly exploring and developing. The consistency comes with a better understanding of their medium, a mastery of their technique and an overwhelming drive and need to make their audience understand their vision.
That's how you make compelling art. That's also how you change the world.
So check out all these artists, especially The Falling Leaves and Satoshi Dáte, and give them a friendly shout at their MySpace sites. Let them know that you appreciate their dedication and fearless pursuit of their dreams.
Panic! At the Disco is at www.myspace.com/panicatthedisco
The Falling Leaves is at www.myspace.com/thefallingleavescom
Satoshi Dáte is at www.myspace.com/satoshidate and www.myspace.com/solzola look the Pics page.
If you know of an artist (music, dance, visual arts, theatre arts, etc.) that deserves some attention, give me a shout. They need to have a MySpace page or other website that showcases their work—this so I can look at it and so I can point readers to their work. If their art is kinetic (kinetic sculpture or dance—i.e. movement) then still photographs are good but a clean, clear video is better. You can find me at MySpace or can email me through this blog.
This article may be copied in whole or in part, as long as fair use rules are observed, no parts are modified from the original and credit is given when quoted or reposted.
CG Anderson is a 10 year new media provocateur involved in media, art, technology and the online world. Also a writer, blogger and novelist. CG's comments are personal and opinionated and solely the responsibility of the author, so there. Don't like the opinions, disagree, agree, don't know? Great, make a comment—clean ones will be allowed, netiquette-challenged ones will be ignored!
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URL: http://home.myuw.net/cganders/
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