So last week's decrying of Lil Jon was fun, but a ranting column like that is not very productive without alternatives and guidance, so running it concerned me and got me thinking.
What is a recently productive listen to match and counter Lil Jon's unproductivity? What can unite as many people while being personally, socially and artistically gratifying/appealing?
The Black Album? Even after watching ""Fade to Black"" and seeing the impressive way Jay-Z works, it is not the artistically stirring answer I'm looking for. It's too technical here rather than personal.
Something Animal Collective? Something White Stripes? Again, neither group is as unifying nor as intimately engaging.
After writing last week's column, however, the answer came quicker than expected: Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago. I've always felt the proper definition for the weighty significance of the album eluded me, but go figure, Lil Jon was all I needed to find it.
What always intrigued me with For Emma, Forever Ago was the inability of anybody to properly criticize it, but why should we criticize such an intimate expression of personal struggle that clearly everybody should be able to connect to at some point?
On this much deeper level, it matches the unifying power of any other party or catchy pop tunes. If you don't like this album, you have a heart of stone and probably an engineering major. All critics and casual listeners I've encountered have lauded this album as undeniably gripping, chilling, soothing, genuine and so on.
But perhaps the real reason for its universal appeal is its background; even if you don't like the musical aesthetics, the background story will win you over, especially if you're a Wisconsin native. (Justin Vernon moved to Raleigh with four bandmates to try out a new music scene when he was diagnosed with mononucleosis, his girlfriend broke up with him and the friends he moved there with broke up the band and formed Megafaun without him; the result found Vernon isolated in a cabin in northern Wisconsin for several months recording this album with his guitar, simple recording gear and whatever he could find around the cabin.)
It can't help but ooze authenticity, raw feeling and utter catharsis; after all, if anybody needed an emotional outlet, it's Vernon. This makes it sympathetic in the most affecting ways, as it never breaks eye contact with the listener.
This is how music is artistically meant to be made: from the heart. Yeah, it's as cliché as ""sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll,"" but that doesn't mean either statement isn't true. And again, whether or not you care for the musical style and techniques, it is absolute in its uniqueness as it paints a picture of his inner turmoil, which gives it an authenticity making the work artistically inspiring as well as unifying.
This grounding realism also lends the listener all of the catharsis and empathy Vernon poured into it. And though these descriptions might give you the impression it's a dark listen for a dreary day, it is surprisingly adaptable to all social situations. This attribute—aside from reinforcing its ability to unify—along with its intensely emotional nature, makes it a gratifying personal listen as well.
Add it all up and socially, personally and artistically For Emma, Forever Ago is a positive cultural influence. I know I just spent an entire column ranting again, but it serves as a productive counter to Lil Jon; if you take anything out of this, whether or not you already have or not, just go listen to it. It represents what's good about music.
Would you rather hang out in a cabin with Bon Iver and make an album for a year, or share a bunk bed with Lil Jon and drink crunk juice all day? Let Justin know at jstephani@wisc.edu.
