Without desiring to fall into the trappings of the music snob, I am nevertheless endeavouring to take the time to press upon my noble readers the importance of setting for truly 'experiencing' music!
As a young socially inept person, where computers stood as status symbols among friends, modifications made the difference between hot or not. Imagine it as a low-cash and low self-esteem version of Pimp My Ride.
Now, whereas some competed in terms of harddrive capacity or video graphics, my niche - so to speak - was sound. Despite the warnings that SoundBlaster 16 (and equivalents) had cornered the market on what was worth hearing, I was the first on the block to have a SoundBlaster Live! and 4.1 surround system. My favourite memory of this awe-inspiring setup came when, on a dark night in the high-school years, I was seated beside a friend when the silence between us was split asunder by the loud whip-like crack of thunder, followed by an epic roll of rumbling aftershocks that coursed through the room and just as forcibly across the skin and hair on the back of our necks. My poor and somewhat dimwitted friend was completely startled and turned immediately to the window in expectation of a forthcoming flash of lightning to complete the storm that he thought had suddenly besieged our house.
Needless to say, its obvious that there was no such storm, but the point remains, this was a perfect auditory simulation (for a not-as-intense extension of this, pay particular attention to Song 6 during your Arcade Fire session described below).
And now, my guide for recreating this holiest of holy events with the best of whats-you-got and the Arcade Fire's Neon Bible.
Jason's 5 Step Method
The perfect musical experience is like a bath. The heat must be hot but not too hot and, equally important, the heat must be evenly distributed all around the body.
| Step #1 | Arrange speakers optimally - which is pointed toward a centered subject. Ensure a subwoofer enters the picture for those important vibrational tones that engage with the body. |
| Step #2 | Find an appropriate temperature. The volume shouldn't hurt your ears but bathe you in enough sound to successfully immerse the body. |
| Step #3 | Find a central place to relax. Comfy chair, extended couch, bed, etc. By minimizing other senses one can heighten their attunement to the sound alone. |
| Step #4 | Allow music to course through and around you. Only good, nay great, music can do this and such music cannot be decided upon in terms of lyrics, vocals or instruments alone. It is what it is.
Allow yourself a long and luxurious immersion. One album usually runs 40 minutes to 60 minutes, which is perfect. |
| Step #5 | Mimesis: Extend into the depth of the music, listen for the particular, follow non-dominant melodies. Dive into it as it dives into you. |
Why Neon Bible?
Cause I did it and it works. My first exposure to Neon Bible was, unfortunately, not in an optimal environment. I listened to the first single, "Black Mirror" on CBC Radio 3 while doing other work. Volume, distractions and sound quality all played a role in preventing a true appreciation (This is also a plug for CD quality sound and the experience that comes with listening to the whole album versus singles).
Upon following my 5 step method I had a different perspective.
Neon Bible comes across like a combination of early Springsteen and U2's Joshua Tree, evoking with run-through-the-streets style anthems that seem to soar, as if composed of some joyous sound molecules that are given to fly once released from their compact digital form. Fine examples include "Keep the Car Running", "The Well and the Lighthouse", "(Antichrist Television Blues)" and "No Cars Go".
The heavy use of a full-scale church organ throughout the album, but most notably in "Intervention" and "My Body is a Cage" provides a purely electrifying sensation - about the closet one can come to bathing with the electric blow dryer! If you want to know what it'd feel like to feel the full force of that shock without waiting patiently for the last track on the disc, tune in to about 2:10 on "My Body is a Cage"!
The entire album is a stand-out track that deserves to be experienced in a single sitting as immersion. Give 'er a try!
PS. While you're listening to the album and all, check out this recent CBC New piece on how our nervous system functions through sound energy! CBC News
Pearl Jam @ Vancouver, 1998 (Deep black frame -- no matte)
Pearl Jam @ Merriweatherpost, 1998 (Black frame -- fabric red + regular black mattes)
Pearl Jam @ Istanbul, 1996 (Black beveled frame -- white + red mattes)
Built to Spill @ Englewood, CO, 2003 (Black beveled frame -- gray + black mattes)
Pearl Jam @ Charlotte, 1996 (Black beveled frame -- white + black mattes)
Pearl Jam @ Maui, 1998 (Black beveled frame -- white + blue + black mattes)
Immaculate Machine (Railway Club, Vancouver)
Casino Royale
Prague, Czech Repubic
No Heat (Cuff the Duke)
Poutine (Brados, Vancouver)
Accepted to York University's Graduate Program
Sleeman's Honey Brown
The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky)
The Wire
Adorno's Negativity
Digital SLR Camera (Canon Rebel XT)
