Music and the Madness
Exploring Political Reality with Musical Mindsets
Four shows and an interview this past week, three shows and two interviews for next, four more and an interview the week after that. This is my life. As a music contributor to numerous different magazines my schedule often revolves around gigs and interviews. It is a life that many covet, and I certainly do not look at my schedule with lamenting eyes. Yet as the political news from my home country, the United States, collide with my thoughts on the music I’m writing on I can’t help but reflecting on where this world seems to be heading and how music juxtaposes what some would call the political reality.
First, let’s examine what we may call the political normality of this moment. Living in the UK post Brexit, there is a continuous dialogue of protectionism and isolationism. Protectionism, or the vocalization of the fortification both physically and theoretically of borders. Isolationism, or the vocalization of an inward focused policy that isolates one group from the others. These are the two main topics of conversation that seem to circle each Uber ride and pub crawl.
With the recent US election these topical choices expand outside of the UK zone. With Trump and the response to immigration widely in the forefront of his political platform the conversations of protectionism and isolationism continue. With future elections in other countries, this concept of how we conceive of borders and immigration are on the forefront of many minds. There is a growing sense that the way we in general perceive foreign immigration is changing. Some argue it is from a protectionist standpoint; nations have the duty and right to control their borders. Others see it from an isolationist standpoint, that we are enforcing immigration policies because of fear or economic pulses. Wherever one lands, it seems safe to assert that our cultural understanding for immigration policies is drastically changing.
So how does all of this apply to music? In many ways music serves as a counterpoint to political precedent. One merely has to glimpse at the rise of rock or rap or even folk to understand that music subverts political ideology. The same undertow of counterculture movement is visible in the music industry at this moment. Apart from the obvious, that of musicians verbally speaking out or tweeting against political agendas, there seems to be a subversive movement of cross genre interaction that thwarts musical isolationism.
As the political world turns inward, musical creators turn outwards. It’s Lady Gaga making country music, Mumford and Sons making an album with African legend Baaba Mall, Drake singing Taylor Swift on a commercial. There is a general softening of genre lines that allows artists to explore all representations of music allowing fans to dive into different forms of music.
Fans in many ways are demanding such an array of music vocabulary. Through technological advances in streaming we are now able to hear such a wide range of music. No longer is musical taste confined by culture, rather now we can listen to an Argentinean tango followed by Mongolian throat singer followed by Bieber. A world that was once cut off is now open, and so we demand that our music that we buy reflects the music that we stream. There is no isolationistic tendencies in this type of creation, no hard fast protectionism of genre lines. Rather there is a desire for experimentation and growth through the range of musical talent present. As fans become musically conscious of the global aesthetics and as they demand this in the industry, musicians create commercially successful music that is explorative.
Not only is the music itself trans-genre, but also shows are becoming more and more open. Festivals both large and small are playing a wide range of musical genres. While there are still some that are specific in their musical allowances, many are pulling in diverse bands to reflect their diverse crowds.
So is music the liberator of the political shackles we may be noticing? Well, that may be a little bit extreme to state at the moment. Despite our desire to be diverse in our music spheres and in our lives, we still have favorite genres or that one leans towards. While this may not equal the extremity of isolationism, it is an important nuance to note. Our music tendencies may not be as progressive as our espoused political ideology, but that is okay. We can hold on to prized artist and albums, while still appreciating the diversity that comes through our music libraries. Our openness to exploration and our acceptance of different sounds does display that there is an inward need for creative investigation and not isolation. This recognition mirrors our greater political understanding, helped through the globalization of knowledge that for many Millenials is tied around the necessity for openness and immigration reform that is responsible but not isolating. We look and desire for our political realities to be reflective of our music culture, assorted and malleable, open not isolated.
For many years, over many different platforms, music has exposed the cracks of political problems. While the current tension between politics and culture has not reached its climax, it is interesting that the call for fluidity in genre and in the music world is paralleling the political opposition of isolationism. We cannot know if this juxtaposition will yield any results, or if the two will flow next to each other without ever meeting. Whatever may happen, the connection is an interesting place to ponder what we think and what our music makes us think.
