Ramblings From Justin Penney

I've had Castaways and Cutouts for a while and downloaded Picaresque as soon as it was available on eMusic. What an amazing album. The Decemberists are simply a great band. A lot of there stuff is "Beatle-esque" without being a rip off. Truly inspired sounding songs. Just great songs.

I listened to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club today. What a great album. It goes in every direction. The production is so song focused that the whole album is an amazing adventure. Now I'm wondering why we dont' pan drums hard left, vocals and bass up center, and everythign else to the right. Why isn't the horn interlude the loudest part anymore? Why don't the descending guitar diads scream at you from far right? Thirty-plus years later and we're so tired. Everything has a set place, the drums are here, the guitar is there, the vocals are always loudest. F**k all that! Put everything whereever, make the song perfect, make it perfect to you. When you are chasing someone elses sound you'll just lose yourself and you are all you have.

If something sounds beautiful, it is. If something looks beautiful, it is. No one is really looking at you like you think they are. You aren't that important. Do what is the right thing for you and be happy you created something unique.

Throughout the year I've seen people play nearly extinct equipment. I've seen handmade electronic oddities used to make beautiful sounds. I used to think "What will they do if that breaks or gets stolen?" I have been so infatuated with recreation and an idea for so long that it's hard to think of the singularity of something that only exists once.

It's a fear, in an artistic sense. I wanted everything perfectly recreated. I wanted total recall of every little thing I did... And I've got it... and now it's my biggest limit.

If something can be created once, it is perfect. It' sperfect for the time, the equipment the inspiration... It could never be replicated and it exists for itself. It's unique, an experience... not just an event.

# posted by Justin @ 2:01 AM