Post #1,696

To the Readers of The Big Opus,

In case it hasn’t been made clear by the dozen or so previous posts,
 The Big Opus is announcing today that we’re shutting down our formal 
blogging activity.  In the spirit of stealing ideas from the bands we 
love the most, let’s not call this the end.  Let’s say, “indefinite hiatus.”

The music we love is changing at a dramatic pace.  New musicians rise 
to and fall from prominence at an ever quickening clip, as has been 
the case for hundreds of years. It’s not that we can’t keep up with
 what’s happening, but at this point, doing so would bring smaller and
 smaller returns for us personally, while consuming increasing amounts 
of our time.  This would not have always been such a problem.

Our lives have changed dramatically since we started the blog.  In August 2009, Mike was enjoying a break between summer and fall sessions at grad school, and Ben was newly married, working a transitional job with plenty of time to kill.  Today, we both spend our days with meaningful careers that we actually enjoy.  Ben comes home every night to his little son.  In a MINIVAN, no less!

It is hard to fully explain the impact this space has had our lives. We strove to create an original and meaningful spot in a crowded landscape of music and culture commentary. Simply pulling off a functioning blog after several failed attempts was gratifying, but afterwards the outlet it provided in an uncertain time in our lives was priceless.

We decided that announcing a hiatus would be better than keeping the site alive in name but not in spirit.  It’s also a way of saying, “you haven’t seen the last of us…

“…because if you’re reading this, we’re probably friends anyway.”

Cheers,
Ben and Mike
The Big Opus

Because,

I recently acquired a mini-van, thus continuing inexorably towards cliched adulthood, but find myself listening to the top 40 station in 15 minute intervals. I now have very strong opinions about the awfulness of Rihanna’s “Cheers”*, and find myself humming “Moves Like Jagger” incessantly.

It has been instructive and infuriating, but mostly it feels like something that would deserve a string of considered posts and I just don’t think those are on the horizon.

*Seriously, what the fuck is up with this song. I honestly thought it was by some 16 year old, faux-edgy rip-off Bieber. Its a travesty. Hey Rhianna that “I’ve got my money on my mind and my mind on my money” line is sweet but you TOTALLY top it with “Looking so bomb, gonna find me a honey”. Seriously Rhianna I hope you realize you’ve completely ruined your back catalog for me. I can’t believe you’re capable of this AND the “All of the Lights” hook.

Success!

I guess they still are good for something!

Emusic offered me another 99 cent month to come back, so I’m going to take it…. I’ll let you know what I find. Hoping the new Handsome Furs record is there.

Living up to the Hype

I finally (thanks to Mike’s many suggestions) have a record from this year that really resonates. The Bon Iver record is complicated, deep, lovely and all around truly wonderful. It works as a background record, it works when delved into with hard listens. I am just pitifully grateful to have a record to love.

From the opening notes of “Perth” Bon Iver melds the lovely R & B aspects that have been kicking around Indie the last few years (i.e. Bitte Orca) with patient textures. As the art suggests this is an album rich in the pastoral. Soothing in its reverence for simple things (a quiet bango stroke, a subtle harmony), and yet those simple things remain long after the album is over. Mike highlighted a number of tracks that he particularly enjoys, however I find it is not songs but moments I find myself humming later, not tied to any song, but a lovely little moment that lives on its own (for instance the “woahohoh”, that happens a minute or so into “Towers”)

As I discovered over the weekend in the distant recesses of the country in Ontario, this album’s large spaces feel removed but not empty (much like the countryside I was in).

In some ways I feel like the death of emusic is responsible for me not stumbling upon this record sooner. Previously I would have just used my credits on it without concern for whether or not I was going to like it or not (I hadn’t been a huge fan of Bon Iver’s previous work). But I’m glad I found it now.

A summer record that will work in the winter, an emotional record that I can leave put on for calm evenings with friends. Bon Iver EASILY captures the top spot for me so far this year.

Things are Looking Up

And today a new Weezy mixtape!

I haven’t delved into the most recent round of Ben becomes interested in music posts because I’ve been to busy being interested in music. I’ve listened to that Bon Iver record five or six times in the last two days (more extended thoughts on that shortly).

I’m starting to feel good.

Woah!

It had somehow escaped my notice that there was new Gillian Welch record. I’m going to aquire that today. It’s been seven years since the last one. I’d almost given up hope!

I just realized that Kanye West stole his entire concept for The College Dropout from the Barenaked Ladies song “Never is Enough”.

That is all.

(Image is what came up when I googled “Barenaked Ladies Kanye West”)

Take Three Reax

Ok yeah I need to check out that Bon Ivor record. It seems like a whole lot of awesome.

Gotta say that Lil B track did nothing for me. I mean I guess I like the production but I just can’t get past what an awful rapper he is. We tend to listen to hip-hop in a similar way but I need SOMETHING to hold on to from a flow standpoint and he brings next-to-nothing to the table.

That EMA track is really great. I’ve heard “The Grey Ships” which I find starts really promising but never arrives where I want it to.

HOWEVER I love “Coda”. That is beautiful.

What I love about the selection you’ve offered me is how representative these songs are of the larger indie trends that havn’t up to this point resonated with ne.There is an ethereal, reverby quality to alot of these songs.  Even the hip hop tracks tend to be more downbeat, more distant. It feels like this is what everyone is doing this year, and it’s nice to hear why people are responding to it. At the very least this has driven me to pick up the Nicki Minaj, Lykke Li and Bon Ivor records which give me plenty to sink my teeth into until fall rolls around.

We’re Definitly Getting There

I had heard that Nicki Minaj song a handful of times before, but it hit me just right today. I really appreciate the way it stays so reserved (which is probably why it had never popped for me before). Definitely the first thing I’ve heard in a long time that has really resonated with me.

Shit I also love this Lykke Li track! Ooo I can feel the juices starting to flow again. Want to delve into this one a little more before providing more thoughts.

I am shocked by your inclusion of the Fleet Foxes track. Helplessness Blues is one of the many records I’ve found this year to be fine. The good songs are quite good, but nothing has resonated with me quite like the first record did. I feel like sometimes the songs take unnecessary turns, almost like “crap we only wrote half a song, we need to come up with some way to fill this out”. In any case, it’s a perfectly good record, but nothing that has made me jump out of my seat.

Overall thats some good recommendin’. I’m definitly going to grab that Lykke Li record. What else you got? I need to get on a roll.

A Start

I like these tracks in increasing order from the way in which you posted them. Gotta admit that the Jai Paul track does almost nothing for me (though I do like that Drake track). I think I’m looking for something a little more tangible, a little more complete feeling and a little more organic.

The Cloud Nothings track is nice for sure and I do like that guitar hook, but man, I’m tired of super reverby vocals. I just feel like every new band I’ve heard over the last six months pushes all their vocals through this dreamy, distant reverb and it makes them seem farther out of reach. I DO like this, just not enough to care about diving in to a larger record.

The Pictureplane is a damn sight closer. It feels truer in a sense than the other two. And I very much enjoyed listening to it. Again though, I didn’t find myself immediately after listening to it (or any of these three for that matter) feeling like I couldn’t wait to listen to it again. THATS what I’m looking for, I’ve encountered a number of perfectly fine records that I think are decent. But very little that as made me want to tell my friends “you’ve GOT to hear this”.

But this is for sure a start. Keep em coming if you’ve got 20 more!

HELP

I’m stuck.

Mike, I dearly need to find some things to listen to. I don’t think I’ve every felt this musically stagnated for this long. Its killing me. The most enjoyable music related experience I’ve had in the last three months is watching a fucking reality singing competition.

Hook me up Mike. Give me the three best things you’ve heard this year.

At the very least I’ll be able to write about why they don’t do anything for me.