Everyone and their mother thinks they can write an epic song. From the thunderous buildups of electro workouts to the relentless thump of dubstep, it seems like people are leveraging drum rolls and sound effects against musicianship and quality production.
Its like reaching for new heights while losing your footing. And finding this out about musicians triggers the same lukewarm disappointment kids get when they realize that no, adults do not, in fact, have their nose.
Not everyone can write an epic tune. Epics are not democratic, they are forces of nature. Virgil wrote epics. Not Rusco. Not Wolfmother. Not Deadmou5. And in the end its the music that suffers when we replace substance with drama. Its important for music to have emotional resonance, but it must possess those qualities based on its own merits and on its own terms, not via some worn out silence-->buildup--> drop convention that stopped being important the exact moment Benny Benassi became a has-been.
On that note, its refreshing to hear soulful garage jams like "Coconuts" by London producer Jack Dixon. The drums pulse without pummeling, the bass booms without bleeding. None of the melodrama that characterizes mid-range hyper-compressed wobblestep dares lay a finger on the genuine subtly that this track sports.
Its got a certain summer night swagger. The drums bounce loosely as the bass hits like a humid breeze, and its all a very classy affair. This tune is proof that you don't have to be in the eye of the storm to get your feet wet.
Around the two minute mark the bass drops out and a clipped vocal eases into the mix. The treble's turned up and the dry funk of AM radio's heyday serves as a nice breather. And then (here's the important part guys) the beat pops back into place. Perfect. To the point. Like summer night rain it kinda just happens, and we feel all the better for it.
Coconuts (Original Mix) by jackdixon
This is a bit bloody SAUCY isn't it?
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