Executive Problems

"There's an execution problem here!" - my favorite line by Nina Garcia in Project Runway. Its usually the response to a poorly constructed garment despite creative patterns, edgy fabrics, and fresh concept. Patience diminishes when I hear a crisp record with lazy mixing. Endurance is tried when a full ensemble is in the track articulating a half-developed song. Have caught myself frowning when there are signs of a production team not being forthwright with their performer. There's an execution problem here. Call: Well that's your artistic opinion, Chano. Response: You need an artistic opinion if you're going to get any sort of opinion, it should be an artistic one. This post is not a soap-box but rather a probe into inefficiently used resources. Translation: execution problems; when poor use is made of the tools at hand.

A substantial portion of this blog is about execution in the sense that la Sra. Garcia talks about it. I'm careful not to automatically blame the model (singer), because she was employed to demonstrate the piece, thus problems with the the garment are not her fault. I'm overtly cautious about aiming at the easiest target, but this isn't most of the population and this blog often operates contrary to popular assumptions (in case you haven't already noticed). Its how I find more than dichomoties in the Bargain Bin, challenge you to show me more substantial reviews, and still argue that Pussycat Dolls are the genius you should aspire to be. There's a lot I can tolerate and hear past, but execution problems, I'm usually unforgiving. Would like to think the approach is distinctive to Reel 2 Real. The method allows for Bill Fox and Beyonce to be on level playing field. High probability that the sentence you just read with those two names won't appear anywhere else in a long time. If some of this sounds silly, its because you've accustomed yourself to musical discussion heavily orientated around taste rather than actual music. Not 'real' music but 'actual' music. Real is an issue of validity. Further, its an issue of power. Actual is an issue of reality - when the recording generated vibrations this is where discussin begins. Rather than asking whether this is real or fake, music is an actuality I've enjoyed for most of my life.

Executive problems seem to come from major labels these days and artists trying to emulate that sound. The issue is why I remain unconvinced about the buzz of change and new technologies. Whatever latest technology you want to boast about, it doesn't supercede that a user must know how to use it. Further, its not a magic cure for lack of creative idea. The solution to both of these issues has never changed and is a pervasive principle that guides the development of tools rather than follows it: there must be a knowledgable user with an artistic vision behind the tools. When this doesn't happen, there is an exectutive problem.

Complex Cathexis

Did you understand the title? Its intentially over-stated; cathexis is a fancy word for the investment of mental or emotional energy into something. A general notion held onto by both musicians and listeners alike: the more complicated something is, the more validity it is given. I'm becoming less convinced of this the more I listen. For some reason the complexity signifies greatness or significance in and of itself. It's complicated. The better display of 'genius' seems to come from material that is blindingly simple - when resourceful use is made of a handful of elements. When an artist has less training yet makes us want to sing, minimalist arrangement that seems larger than life, when the chords seem overly basic yet the song embeds itself in our minds ... these sorts of instances. I cringe these days when an artist can't convey what type of music they make. Its hard to describe, man. We're sort of everything. You mean you're nothing to nobody but yourself? I'm assuming also that you listen to everything but Country. Notice how the listening tastes are defined by the what they're not just as the complex sound is never defined via everything. The point: complicated often means lack of definition.

The proof is in the synthesis. ~ Claude Levi-Strauss

Musical location as of now is that complexities can prove to be a sign of over-indulgence. Its much more impressive when the songwriter makes efficient uses a definite set of elements, as opposed to, the songwriter who uses a wide range of things but leaves us scratching our heads. Can you take a complex idea and synthesize it into something we want to sing? An excercise I try often: reading a chapter of a book and synthesizing it into a song. Because within a song one must be concise, but because it must be concise I have to be sure I understand the material well enought to distill it. Ridiculous? Maybe, but in order to pull this off the material must be concise, simple, and create palatable motifs. There's a general tendency though for people to be attracted to complex ideas produced by complex minds and their accompanying complicated personalities. A final quote that saves me from having to conclude: Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.

Prime Real Estate in the Bargain Bin

Rare, and even valuable occupancies in the bargain bin. A number of these records are now out of print and despite not having lasting hits, their used price tags place them in the elite sector. This is a distinct case where the lot contains very enjoyable records but its also a case where I begin to look like an incredibly moldy fig if you pay attention to the release dates. I've been meaning to post a list of uncelebrated gems, but in the meantime this functions well as preface.

Patricia Manterola: Niña Bonita

Years ago I purchased this new; it was released as the technotronic wave waned in the mid-90's. Electronica-esque Mexican Pop - the description alone seems enough to make us cringe, but Niña Bonita is suprisingly enjoyable. Mainly due to the clever songwriting coupled with clever production. The title track is a grand excercise in how minimalism can be made to sound absolutely huge! Try looking for the record used and find that sellers aren't willing to fall under the $25 mark. A funny note about the packaging: under the CD tray is a picture of Manterola which the listener actually has to pull the packaging apart to see (not that I actually did, I just curiously know this).

MTV Party To Go, v.3

The idea was simple: you don't need a dj; just pop in the cassette and you've got a party on your hands. Can't remember at what number they actually stopped delivering parties to us. Recently I mastered my cassette copy and was apparent is how clearly the pop music scene is represented for each volume's respective period. Volume 3 is an accurate survey of what radio stations were playing in 1991/1992. Some tracks I had simply forgotten about despite how heavily they were played. Cece Peniston's "Finally", House of Pain's "Jump Around", and Positive K's "I Got A Man" ... probably my favorite forgotten track from the album. Does ayone know who the female vocalist is on the track? If the concept of a party-to-go seems odd, think of the modern equivalent, Now! That What I Call Music. Basic Idea is put a back-to-back mix of the current hits in the listeners hand for wherever they may roam.

Non-Stop 90's Rock

I don't actually own this one and used prices are still slightly steep. Why? One of the best soundtrack compliations of 1993-1995 I've seen. Critics complained that their own favorites weren't included (no Right Said Fred!?), but the issue is petty. A solid survey of the alternative rock of those years. The issue really seems that the title is a bit too wide, but anyone familiar with the era will see a logic to the song selection. Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, CrashTest Dummies, and 4 Non-Blondes would be great additions. Maybe in vol.2 titled - Non Stop 90's Rock Doesn't Stop Rocking: hopefully we included everything you reminisced about so you'll stop crying about it. Like so many other musicians (and folk in general), my life is measured in music and this compilation is one of the notches on the cup.

Sonora Tropicana: Me Gusta

One of La Sonora Tropicana's more obscure records, but I'm lost as to what rationale resulted in this. This is one of their strongest records and later works don't prove as potent. In fact, I would go as far as to dub this La Tropicana opus magnum.The songwriting and arrangements are outright catchy and ingenious! Because I've been preparing to write a Cumbia, I've been casually listening to these sorts of records in our collection. A friend had noted after watching the Selena film how similar (but not exact) Cumbia and Reggae grooves are. When you enter a Cumbia record, you know exactly what the groove is going to be. In this sense there is a challenge to the writing to keep an already known groove from becoming monotonous. Sonora Tropicana handles it masterfully here. Thinly guised innuendos, bawdy chants, rock elements, and some material that borders on being slightly twisted. Me Gusta!

Gloria Trevi: Si Me Llevas Contigo

Still trying to figure out why this record runs for an average of $45 on Amazon Marketplace. Its out of print, but fans generally agree its nowhere near as strong as her previous work. If anyone can offer a rationale, please comment. Curiously, reviewers describe it as tamer than earlier albums, but a charactertically outlandish Gloria Trevi record is still present. During the period of 1989 - 1995 had listeners become de-sensitized to her sound? Compared to other pop records, its is outlandish but agreeably it is more predictable than other Gloria records. A double-standard almost seems to emerge, but apparently she had established her own standard and fans were holding her to it. Paradox was probably inevitable. Listeners were expected to be taken by surprise and the producers and writers thought it would be unexpected to take a 'straighter' approach. Perhaps because her approach was a lucrative gamble to begin with, the logic was to prove that she didn't necessarily need those things to exist. What is your opinion?

SlapChop, You Better Work!

The potency of a good song shouldn't be underestimated. I was reminded of how effective song can be to introduce something previously unfamiliar (and seemingly silly) to an audience who wouldn't otherwise pay attention. At work, some of the college students insisted I check out an info-mercial on YouTube. In fact, it was a remix of an the info-mercial for the kitchen tool known as SlapChop. Demographic - young men in their very early 20's who kept reciting "SlapChop, slapchop, slapchop .... you're gonna love my nuts". The concept alone was curious to me as they continued to explain what the SlapChop did. "It's a rap about SlapChop, Chano" they kept saying. I couldn't resist improvising some flow to their amusement. Twenty-somethings excited about a cullinary tool and reciting rapped lyrics about cutting vegetables? Continually moving their hands as if they were pretending to work the device!? Aroma of clever marketing which demanded I watch the following:


My co-workers kept noting how incredibly clever the song was. Further, that when their financial aid checks arrived they were going to buy SlapChop because of the song. Wow. For the folk of my generation, there was nothing particularly "new" about the track; it sounded like the classic 80's old skool sound. In fact, lyrics from the genre were known to be just as quirky. There's the distinct sense this is not the independent remix that many think it is. Wouldn't doubt that the SlapChop investors comissioned DJ Steve Porter. Why? SlapChop + Dorm Room living = a lucrative market to profit from. College students are pressed for time, short on funds, often at a lack of food, but slapchop slapchop slapchop coupled with those 80's sounds that are experiencing a rennaisance and we see first-hand how distilling the idea into a song works. The concept is the same when writing pop songs. It would be tempting to call the marketing genius, but overuse of the term dilutes its efficiency. Better stated that its clever, but hardly a new idea. The genius is best reserved for a stilletto-wearing drag queen who presented a product to a demographic who certainly should have been resistant. Kids in the suburbs singing and dancing along with a drag queen willfully indulging in the fantansy of being supermodels!? In the first half of the 90's this was exactly what happened when RuPaul told us we better work. Again, it was a clever song that people loved to laugh at, followed by banter about homosexuals, followed by them posing and reciting - Chante, Sashay. Had it not been for the hit Supermodel, absolute rejection would have ensued, but the doors were opened wide to a culture that had previously been forced to reside underground. Ultimately what's proven is that singing has never lost its potency to embed things in people's mind nor to widen their scope to what was previously a blind spot.

The point was made in June about songs we love to laugh at, but the stickiness of this tune is not an accident. Pay much attention as the song begins its 2nd cycle @ 2:09. Three devices particularly demonsrate intelligent songwriting - Can you name them?

Chromatic Solfege

A significant amount of traffic has been generated from a small handful of posts here at Reel 2 Real. Didn't think much of them when I wrote them, but they apparently are of some use. Solfege, EQ, Pop Music, Circle P, Foto 1000, Melodic Contour. What were you hoping to find when you visitied that little blog titled Reel 2 Real? Initially, when this blog began it was a forum to share the stack of notes I had taken on record production. No use in being bourgouise about the matter, if you could produce for yourself, more power to you. Apparently the purpose has been served ... cool.

A funny fact about this blog, the Solfege posts generate a handful of hits daily. Mainly from educational institutions and have a feeling the posts appear on university website as a reference. Looking at the daily stats of Reel 2 Real often proves interesting, but rather than talk about the objective of Reel 2 Real and save myself from grandiose impressions, I'll offer some limited notes while we sing the major scale through Solfege:

• Do for yourself. Listeners, don't let fashion music magazines dictate how you should hear. Indie artists, don't let someone take an aspect of your project over if they can't contribute something that you cannot.
• Re: the reviews found on this blog, I challenge you to point me in the direction of a major publication that can offer a more substantial review of the same records. I've become very suspicious of publications that only cover what's buzzing. It smacks of not really listening but following trends rather than forging them. It screams "our edge is dull and we're going to play it safe". A number of artists featured here haven't been given the time of day. Time for the sun to shine.
• Mi Música - this becomes 1st person as you read, so your music as well. Want to learn more about songwriting & production? Analyze the music in your collection. Much of the discussion here isn't offered in books. Have sometimes wondered if I've been too forthwright about the discipline of songwriting and production. It doesn't seem any more adhesive for folk despite writing about it so much, but there still are some cards up my sleeve.
• Fawk that! Don't trust someone who proclaims great taste in music. You'd do better to trust someone with self-proclaimed bad taste. Because the facade of taste is gone they'll probably have more ability to tell you why a piece is significant rather than using the dichotomy of good/bad as crutch.
• Solo - the solo, stand-alone record store is becoming a rarity except in the Latin communities. Many memories of my youth are tied to the record store, and, have been making it a point to buy more CD's lately.
• La Alternativa - any critique not offering an alternative is awkward. For whatever criticisms made of the music here I've always tried to offer a solution. To simply say 'it sucks' doesn't demonstrate anything one way or the other. If it sucks then you should know exactly why. Tragically many artists are not prepared for this sort of critique where the set of ears is actually listening. Again, props to putting your many hours of work out there for us to hear. It would be disrespectful to quickly deride it. My form of appreciation is to take the time to really hear the music.
• Tis altruism, you ask? (don't be afraid to talk like a pirate, arrr) I've debated whether I've given away too much here, but fact of the matter is, since its inception Reel 2 Real has always been a forum for my notes. In other words, I discuss topics I want to know more about myself. So in the next set of other words, its not without some benefit to my own knowledge and skills. What's always bothered me is the implicit code in the music business that substantial discussion regarding the craft of inner-workings is not articulated. Aren't you afraid of the masses becoming hip to what your talking about? Again, it doesn't seem any more adhesive as much as I have written about it. Not again, if you're looking for a serious blog about things music-related, you'll find a fresh approach at Reel 2 Real.
• Do as you would like others to do. I discuss music in a way I would like my own music to be discussed. Do buy my record: Monocultura.

Ostensible

Good artistic criticism is hard to come by yet its difficult to get people to respond to your own music. Such paradox! Fundamentally, reviews are useful because they provide an artist insight to how their music is processed by listeners. Marketing texts exmphasize knowing the audience, often by collecting demographic info on them. Music marketing presents a unique challenge in that listeners can easily be from a wide range of places in the world. Alternative to crunching demographics is to sift through reviews of like-minded artists to gain an insight. Similar to a game of Jeopardy: can you find the question/issue that the reviewer is responding to? Reviews prove interesting because they're free of loaded questions and cases where listeners felt compelled to respond of their own will. Today's raw material: Julieta Venegas: Sí (2003).

1 star: Where is Julieta? Consistently this group enjoyed her previous, edgier work but were dissapointed in this. Pop + Julieta = not the Julieta we know. One reviewer actually claims: "since Bueninvento [her solo debut] I saw this coming". Pop mechanisation were enough to rile the disdain of the lone stars.

2 stars: Bubble-gum sugar! A radical departure and folk in this group lament that this is too radio friendly and lacks "staying power". Sí = "pure pop ... comes off as disposable". Some went as far as to claim Venegas "sold out". While Latin Alternative is supposed to operate anathema to glittery artists like Paulina Rubio and Thalia, Si distinctly heads in this direction. Lyrics is a particular focus of this group. The Julieta they enjoyed had insightful, clever lyrics while Sí "could've been written by elementary school girls". In general there is an optimism here that this was a happy stint as a result of her wedding plans at the time & that she'll return to the sound they love.

4 stars: Sí, no hay mitad de aprobar - its either Sí or No regarding this record. Julieta has changed, but artistic development is natural and isn't too jarring for this group i.e. "Sacharine can be OK". Apparently this was an entrance for many into the Venegas catalogue, simultaneously, a case where both adult and younger listeneres enjoyed the record! While there is some disappointment in the new pop image, its smoothed over by that fact that she is still singer-songwriter. Pop as defined at the 4-star level means slicker image + elecontrica sounds. An enjoyable departure from her edgier, more rockish, and punkish sound of the first 2 records.

5 stars: This is feel good, sunny Julieta. "Sticky tunes do not equate commercial bubble gum pop". In other words, "el albúm en sí no es supremo, pero Julieta Venegas se merece todo el exito obtenido por este disco". Songwriting is the fixation of this group and one reviewer claims to hear the songs in their sleep (they're that catchy!). Still experimental yet within a pop format, thus, Julieta didn't lose her edge she just took on a new attitude.

Extractions
Who are the Venegas listeners? Regardless of the quantity of stars, song & songwriting is the focus of every group. From there it becomes a matter of presentation; particularly a relationship of pop and edge. While disavowing pop, disidents are curiously fixated on presentation which is characteristic of the glossy latin music that Venegas is supposed to be alternative to. Pop, as used here, is a reference to production and catchy songwriting. If its not substantial, its pop. If its not edgy, there is pop. Step towards the electronic keyboard and you're closer to pop. Adhesive tunes are a delicious roll of pop. Contents, presentation, arrangement, songwriting respectively. You hated this record because it wasn't insightful and a sense of exclusivity disappeared. You recited the album title despite plastic sounds because it made you sing-along (connection!). The burning question - How is edge(y) being defined? Ultimately it seems a matter of production and arrangement. Could Sí have been made to sound more rockish/punkish? Absolutely. Paradox, this would soothe disidents but possibly not initiated the starry-eyed to familiar themselves with the rest of the Venegas catalogue. Is it possible to be edgy and simultaneously pop? - a philosophical question. 5 stars yells Sí. There's a sharp divide between young and old in the review i.e. a substantial demographic of young people enjoyed this record along side their parents. Those who disliked thought this was too orientated towards moist ears. Probable that the previous Venegas sound was appealing to most collegiate/post-collegiate listeners. Sí produced a wider entrance for listeners. I've argued before that any edgy artist and their work ultimately calls the listener bluff. Venegas tested the waters with Sí - edgy listeners were forced to admit that image & presentation are factors for them, and, pop listeners who previously shunned her work proved that substance does matter. And you, what is your opinion of Sí?

Show Me Something

A number of tracks have often made me wonder if the performer was intentionally mislead by the production team. Stating this doesn't fly well, but very tragic when a producer doesn't deliver what they should to the performer: to make their talent shine. The performer is the picture and producer is the frame. Underneath the glam record-making this concept isn't any less fundamental. Several weeks ago Mýa enthusiastically shared her new track via Twitter; so I listened and began frowning while concluding the sentence that opened this entry. Understanding that it wasn't Mýa's fault for a lackluster product, feeling bad money had been transacted, all of this after entering the track with enthusiasm. For the genre its good, would be a double-edge statement on the verge of insutling. Frankly, for Mýa its not impressive. Orientating the critique along this axis is fair and doesn't force us to change our standards.

Form: iABABCbB

Intro with featured Bun B introducing the first lady Ms. Mýa to verse 1 to pre-chorus @0:30 as the track strongly develops by moving the verse's melodies up and adding a saw-wave synth. Chorus @0:43 with a cadenced Gotta show me somethin'/ Show me somethin'/ Show me somethin', daddy, but from here on is where the track begins to fall apart despite the addition of distorted synth guitars creating an initial sense of contrast. Why does our attention begin to wander @0:50? Because we've had 3 sections incorporating the same melodic motif and this is too demanding (and sloppy). Verse 2 @1:09 and where I begin to wonder if the production team is not being forthwright, the arrangement leading up to Chorus 2 is exactly the same as what opened the song. No 2nd time variation, re-arrangements, harmonies, cut-in-half. Moving sections around is not an option because the same motif was used for 2 sections. How about a featured MC @1:59? Thus comes the section that flat out frustrates me - listen to how fresh the mixing and arrangement is under Bun B! Addition of a new element, breakdowns, drum builds all get our excitement level back up but why wasn't this being done under Mýa's sections!? The producer clearly understands the concepts I've discussed. Tragically, @2:39 we're returned to same arrangement as before and simply get vocal improvs for 2 sections.

The rebuttle to the critique is that this was intended to be a club hit, but if we're going to take Bun B at his word, more money (more money) could have been made by making the track hotter. While the edge is hard, I definitely can picture kids in the suburbs trying to identify and paying their money to do so. I might look like new money, but I'm not new to it! Any number of the devices I've previously discussed would have given this track more accessibility without losing any of its edge. A few jottings:

• The synth line that enters @2:01 should have been used in the call & response form (Show me somethin'/Show me somethin') instead of the verse melody. Thus, when it reappears later a strong sense of direction is added.
• Distorted synth guitar that first appear in chorus should have bled into the verse.
• Background vocalists should have been used as harmony somewhere; the 2nd pre-chorus seems the most natural location.
• One of the first 2 Choruses should have been cut in half to beat us to the punch of the feautred MC we knew was arriving.

@2:33 the listener's attention is lost. The end of the song is no place to get comfortable but from observation have noticed its the most neglected portion. Chorus-out, vocal improvs, variations of lyrical themes ultimately prove methods to simply add time to a track but insignificant amounts of pop nor substance. Since there was already a break-down, the next most effective decision would have been to begin experimenting with voicings.

• Re-voicing the existing ensemble was also an option. 3 distinct synth lines are present in the track. Vocals could have taken these over.
• Splicing voices would have been absolutely unexpected! e.g. Show me somethin' answered by the next piece of that melody articulated by a synth (a microform of cut in half).
• Contrast being an issue, making the track ultra-busy @2:33 and gradually stripping away elements until were left with just a synth line at the end would have worked. e.f. Bun B simply keeps flowing + all 3 synth lines +Mýa + backing vox = roughly 7 elements as we are distilled to the end of the track.

Conclusion might be that trying to realize a track with only 2 motifs is not a good idea. Disagree. It can effectively be done if the arrangement is used resourcefully. Or the conclusion might be simply the style is redundant, but genre arguments often prove to be aesthetic debates. The above critique doesn't ask for much to be changed in content but rather function and usage for the sake of being more effective. This allows for the artistic minds involved to retain their individuality and ideas.

La Rumbera del Sol

There is a tendency perhaps to invoke clichés in describing Nidia Ortíz y Rumba del Sol. A sultry voice backed by smoldering rhythms that invoke sensuality under tropical skies. In fact, Cosa Bella at times has trouble avoiding these realization, but fixation on this wouldn't be fair analysis. While the title track is a spiritual declaration of romance, there's a pervasive sense that the term Cosa Bella alludes to more than the opening song. Narcissism, thinly veiled innuendo, music, the human soul, God? Or memory of a homeland that pulls nostalgically at the core of your very being? It seems a bit much but songs like La Europea, Esa Tierra Verde, and Gracias a la Gente provide a level of context that saves the record from cliché. Further, the self-proclamined genre description of Latin/Christian/Fusion are indicative of what proves an interesting listen even to the resistant.

As a prefatory note, its worth mentioning Rumba del Sol refers to a sound more associated with the Gipsy Kings than Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. Rumba Flamenco, Brazilian, Electronica, and R&B are the main groove elements. A number of cool production ideas keep things fresh that arrive at the proper times:

• The way grooves are often built up from percussion arrangements.
• Use of small-speaker effects in Quiéreme and Bajo Tus Pies using volume as contrasting element.
• The Afro-Cuban triplet feel in the intro of Bailemos Un Poema leading to a much different groove.
• A guitar whose decay is removed to clarify the beat in Gracias a la Gente.

The raw material is present, but the main criticism stems from mixes tending to be monotonous at times. As usual, this isn't the fault of Nidia Ortíz nor Rumba del Sol but instead the production team. The mixing in Bailemos Un Poema is absolutely brilliant! The way the montuno only appears in the chorus, horns kicking in right before keyboard solo as Nidia's laughter begins the section. Yet the previous track, Esa Tierra Verde, carries much less innovative arrangement with all elements being present most of the time. In ostensible terms: some songs seem to drag despite great performances. Nonetheless its difficult to maintain a grudge; Nidia's energy is infectious and by the time we approximate the final Cosa Bella we are literally being thanked: Gente con alma/ Y puro corazón/ Es lo que necesita el mundo hoy/ … Gracias a Díos por la gente/ La gente como tú y como yo! For a record mainly distributed digitally outside of Europe, the idea of a thank-you section in the form of a song is quirkly, but clever and effective. Mucho gusto.