Comments on: The Long Decline #12

By: Cody

Cody — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:55:42 +0000

I completely agree, Brad. I find it great (and useful!) to be able to trace the trajectory of artists/soundmakers that I really dig. These “smaller” (for lack of a better term) releases really are windows into where someone’s at, what they’re working through at the moment, and their current processes, which, for a fellow musician, is always insightful. Like you say: “…I release what I do because, even if I don’t think a particular tape or whatever is some kind of definitive statement, I think there are ideas on the recordings being explored that ARE worthwhile and that fans of the music (however few there may be) will also find it interesting to hear. ” Not to mention, there are certain cases where the smaller projects really get to you even more than the “big” releases–this is true for me in terms of William Fowler Collins: I love all of his stuff, but I’ve really latched on to his tape releases.

You’re right about the quantity/format as indicator, too: for those musicians who churn out tons of releases, you can often glean what the artist thinks is a bigger deal based on quantity/venue/format. I was just thinking about this recently with the new Pete Swanson album, “Feelings in America.” On the surface, it looks, feels, and sounds not unlike his many self-released LP/tape projects, but the fact that it was recorded, at least in part, in studios, that it has a producer, that it was recorded over a couple of years, and that it’s on a label definitely seems to signal that, according to Pete, this is a bit bigger of a deal than, say, his cassette releases.

I appreciate the post, Brad, as it gets down on “paper” a lot of ideas similar to those I’ve been mulling over for a while now.

By: Tweets that mention The Long Decline #12 | | Foxy Digitalis -- Topsy.com

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 00:30:57 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Chris McMahon, musehick, carl ritger, Andrew Weathers, Will Thomas Long and others. Will Thomas Long said: The Long Decline #12 – http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/?p=337 [...]

By: Brad Rose

Brad Rose — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 04:43:59 +0000

Fuck, well it’s good to know somebody else already wrote about the same thing and basically said the same thing, but I do think the overall point I was trying to make is summed up perfectly in Dan’s piece:

It seems to me that the best thing to do is to abandon all hope of ever being able to see the Big Picture, and simply enjoy what little one manages to get hold of without worrying about where it might fit in.

Don’t overthink what you’ve heard and haven’t heard and just enjoy the fucken tunes.

By: Stephen Clover

Stephen Clover — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 04:02:05 +0000

I have nothing sensible to add, other than that to somebody with borderline-OCD such as myself, prolificity -- coupled with limited availability -- is a big old pain in the ass. Look what I found!

By: Warren Ellis » On Being Prolific

Warren Ellis » On Being Prolific — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:15:26 +0000

[...] Brad Rose, at the newly-redesigned Foxy Digitalis site: [...]