Tuesday, January 21, 2014
90s music opinion
Overall, I really liked the sound of the 90s. The increase in alternative rock bands is a major excitement for me due to my affinity for alternative. Listening to the Grooveshark playlist was almost like listening to Radio 92.9 because of their obsession with 90s alternative, repeatedly playing RHCP, Pearl Jam, and Counting Crows. Additionally, the grunge aspect of the 90s was appealing to me as well with songs such as Smells Like Teen Spirit, everyone's favorite. I hate to admit it but I even enjoyed the song "Everybody" by the BackStreet Boys and had it stuck in my head for the next two days. The three outcasts at the bottom of the playlist were fun and funny to listen to as well. Although the music is terrible and the lyrics are shallow, listening and singing alone to "I'm Too Sexy" is a fun time and a great self-esteem booster. "Mambo No. 5" and "Macarena" are both upbeat and good dance songs. Although a bit slow at times, a favorite of mine is Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You". Looking through the playlist, I could not find any overarching connection between the songs and the events of the decade. It seemed like each genre has a different message to tell. A recurring theme is love, relationships, and sex which could be the representation of the Clinton sex scandal which was on everybody's mind all of the time during the 90s. Overall, a wonderful year for music.
Change in Music from 1960s to 1990s
The major overarching change between music in the 60s and music in the 90s was the increase in sub-genres and sectionalization of almost every genre of music and the explosive growth of each of these genres. Although rock had already been split many times by now, a new genre further separated it from the rock of the 60s. This new genre was grunge. With Nirvana at the head of this movement, their drummer, Dave Grohl, also continued the movement into a post grunge sound with his band Foo Fighters. Increased interest in the subgenre alternative rock also led to an explosion of alternative bands in the 90s. Another genre that showed an incredible transformation in the 90s was punk. From its early roots in the 70s, Green Day and Blink-182 brought a completely different sound to punk. Instead of unintelligible, angry screaming, these 90s bands brought lyrics and mainstream sounds to the punk genre. Punk was even played on the radio which was unheard of for 70s punk. Pop also reached an all time high in the 90s. A change from the 60s was most definitely its increased popularity but also the prominence of breakthrough artists who became "the next big thing" for about a month and then were replaced by an artist even more popular. Girl groups were replaced by boy bands who were in turn replaced by attractive young female singers, each bringing a rush of popularity to the pop genre. Due to this incredible popularity of pop, country music turns to a more pop centered style and away from the sound and twang of lonely cowboy. Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston led the growth in R&B along with the Jackson siblings. A return to the earlier R&B occurred with the re-introduction of soul-based harmonies that complemented the R&B sound. Most of these changes that occurred from 60s to 90s represent the growing commercialization of the music industry and the increased popularity of musicians looking to gain massive wealth and fame from their popularity. This commercialization led to the boom in genres such as pop and country, everyone looking to become the "next big thing".
Impeach Clinton?
I agree with the impeachment of Clinton but I also agree with him being found not guilty. I think that a president's inappropriate sexual behaviors are a personal matter and are not grounds for removal from office. His circumlocution when asked direct questions was somewhat sketchy and dishonest but it does not constitute "high crimes and misdemeanors." I believe the impeachment might actually have been helpful for Clinton because his being found not guilty assured him and the American people that he still had the majority backing him.
90s TV
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Simpsons
Seinfeld
Friends
Most likely due to the whole incident with Bill Clinton, television shows began to become more open and liberal about what they would say, portray, and imply. This clearly showed a connection between decade events and the content of shows. One prominent example is the show Friends, which dealt at length with sex and relationships and the like. Americans felt that if our president was talking about and partaking in sexual activities then it must be okay for shows and movies to start doing it as well. Another clear example of this is in The Simpsons, which had sexual innuendos abound. Additionally, The Simpsons used a lot of political satire that was relevant at the time and other slightly taboo material that was somewhat questionable as to its appropriateness for TV. But if the President could partake then so could every American! Seinfeld presumably had a lot of these same features but the episode we watched focused on frozen yogurt and its debatable fat content. This slightly inane conflict (which lasted the whole episode) showed that Americans were starting to watch their weight and perhaps reduce the gluttony and greed that had exploded in the 80s. These sitcoms also changed from past decades because they didn't emphasize the importance of a structured family such as in The Cosby Show or All In the Family, but instead stressed the importance of friendship. Lastly, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air represented the African-Americans' contribution to 90s television. Jumpstarting Will Smith's career, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air represented the 90s take on a fish-out-of-water story. Very similar to Beverly Hill-Billies, this show adapted the concept and turned it into something fresh and original that 90s viewers would enjoy. The real question is whether its theme song is better than Beverly Hill-Billies.
The Simpsons
Seinfeld
Friends
Most likely due to the whole incident with Bill Clinton, television shows began to become more open and liberal about what they would say, portray, and imply. This clearly showed a connection between decade events and the content of shows. One prominent example is the show Friends, which dealt at length with sex and relationships and the like. Americans felt that if our president was talking about and partaking in sexual activities then it must be okay for shows and movies to start doing it as well. Another clear example of this is in The Simpsons, which had sexual innuendos abound. Additionally, The Simpsons used a lot of political satire that was relevant at the time and other slightly taboo material that was somewhat questionable as to its appropriateness for TV. But if the President could partake then so could every American! Seinfeld presumably had a lot of these same features but the episode we watched focused on frozen yogurt and its debatable fat content. This slightly inane conflict (which lasted the whole episode) showed that Americans were starting to watch their weight and perhaps reduce the gluttony and greed that had exploded in the 80s. These sitcoms also changed from past decades because they didn't emphasize the importance of a structured family such as in The Cosby Show or All In the Family, but instead stressed the importance of friendship. Lastly, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air represented the African-Americans' contribution to 90s television. Jumpstarting Will Smith's career, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air represented the 90s take on a fish-out-of-water story. Very similar to Beverly Hill-Billies, this show adapted the concept and turned it into something fresh and original that 90s viewers would enjoy. The real question is whether its theme song is better than Beverly Hill-Billies.
90s Movies
Matrix
Clueless
Titanic
Home Alone
The CGI in the movies of the 90s was a huge change from the 60s. Watching the Titanic, I found it unbelievable that the whole boat scene was done with a computer and green screen. Technological advances completely changed cinema in the 90s. In addition, the Matrix had some crazy computer graphics as well. The Matrix also illustrated Americans' idea that technology was becoming too powerful and practically taking over our lives, a fear which is clearly displayed in this movie. I think the technology made movies way more entertaining and innovative because they included more interesting images and surprising twists. Things were being done in movies that had never been done before. Although not utilizing the CGI capabilities, Clueless was also an entertaining movie and it reminded movie-goers of the 90s that great movies can still be made without the ridiculous technology that was being developed. Clueless was also more raunchy and free-for-all than past movies. This movie also showed the change in attitude toward teenagers as they went from being deep and multi-dimensional in movies such as The Breakfast Club to becoming shallow and materialistic in Clueless. In Home Alone, the Americans' view of the government's foreign policy is portrayed. Just like in Home Alone, Americans felt like they were being left alone to deal with domestic affairs while the government was off meddling in foreign affairs that only slightly affected them. Overall, movies have become much more complex and technological advanced since the 1960s. I enjoy this aspect of movies as it has allowed movie makers to become more creative and innovative in both screen writing and directing. A negative aspect to movies today is that now most movies are made solely to make money so we end up seeing sequels upon sequels because they know people will go to see them even if they aren't high-quality movies. Overall though, I very much enjoy the change that the cinema has encountered from the 1960s to now.
Clueless
Titanic
Home Alone
The CGI in the movies of the 90s was a huge change from the 60s. Watching the Titanic, I found it unbelievable that the whole boat scene was done with a computer and green screen. Technological advances completely changed cinema in the 90s. In addition, the Matrix had some crazy computer graphics as well. The Matrix also illustrated Americans' idea that technology was becoming too powerful and practically taking over our lives, a fear which is clearly displayed in this movie. I think the technology made movies way more entertaining and innovative because they included more interesting images and surprising twists. Things were being done in movies that had never been done before. Although not utilizing the CGI capabilities, Clueless was also an entertaining movie and it reminded movie-goers of the 90s that great movies can still be made without the ridiculous technology that was being developed. Clueless was also more raunchy and free-for-all than past movies. This movie also showed the change in attitude toward teenagers as they went from being deep and multi-dimensional in movies such as The Breakfast Club to becoming shallow and materialistic in Clueless. In Home Alone, the Americans' view of the government's foreign policy is portrayed. Just like in Home Alone, Americans felt like they were being left alone to deal with domestic affairs while the government was off meddling in foreign affairs that only slightly affected them. Overall, movies have become much more complex and technological advanced since the 1960s. I enjoy this aspect of movies as it has allowed movie makers to become more creative and innovative in both screen writing and directing. A negative aspect to movies today is that now most movies are made solely to make money so we end up seeing sequels upon sequels because they know people will go to see them even if they aren't high-quality movies. Overall though, I very much enjoy the change that the cinema has encountered from the 1960s to now.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Research Project Bibliography
Sources:
"A Brief
History of Techno - Gridface." A Brief History of Techno - Gridface. N.p., n.d.
Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://www.gridface.com/features/a_brief_history_of_techno.html>.
"A History
of Techno Music." Techno Music History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.jahsonic.com/Techno.html>.
“COVER STORY :
The Evolution of the Techno Sound." Los Angeles
Times. Los Angeles Times, 05 Jan. 1992. Web. 15 Jan.
2014.
<http://articles.latimes.com/1992-01-05/entertainment/ca-2465_1_techno-music>.
"Grooveshark
- Free Music Streaming." Grooveshark.
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
<http://grooveshark.com/>.
"Techno." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 Mar. 2014. Web. 13 Jan.
2014.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techno>.
"The 20 Best
Techno Songs of All Time." Yahoo Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web.
15 Jan. 2014. <http://voices.yahoo.com/the-20-best-techno-songs-all-time
3325434.html?cat=33>.
Songs Used:
Avicii. "Levels." Millennium. 2013. MP3.
Benny Benassi.
"Satisfaction." Hypnotica. 2002. MP3.
Cosmic Gate.
"Exploration of Space." Exploration of Space.
2000. MP3.
Cybotron.
"Techno City." Interface. 1984.
MP3.
Daft Punk. "Harder,
Better, Faster, Stronger." Discovery. 2001.
MP3.
Darude. "Sandstorm." Sandstorm. 1999. MP3.
deadmau5. "Ghost
N Stuff." For Lack of a Better Name.
2004. MP3.
Frankie Knuckles.
"Your Love." Best of Frankie Knuckles.
1987. MP3.
Haddaway. "What
Is Love." Haddaway. 1995. MP3.
Inner City.
"Big Fun." Big Fun. 1987. MP3.
New Order. "World
(Price of Love)." The Best of New Order.
1993. MP3.
Pet Shop Boys.
"West End Girls." Pet Shop Boys. 1984.
MP3.
Real McCoy.
"Another Night." Another Night. 1993.
MP3.
Reel 2 Real.
" I Like to Move It." Move It!. 1995. MP3.
Rhythim is
Rhythim. "Strings of Life." The No. 1 Rave Album.
1987. MP3.
Scatman John.
"Scatman.” Scatman’s World. 1995. MP3.
Skrillex. "Scary
Monsters and Nice Sprites." Scary Monsters and Nice
Sprites. 2010.
MP3.
Technotronic.
"Pump Up the Jam." Pump Up the Jam.
1989. MP3.
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