Blogging Around--Julia Kahn Critique

Julia Kahn--iMedia: A Mí Me Encanta La Música Extranjera


Julia,

First of all, I think this is a really interesting post and particularly fascinating post to me because I have also found myself thinking about music from many different angles. Like you, I have really begun to analyze music, lyrics in particular (thanks to the analytical skills the Academy has developed for me), and have noticed how shallow they sometimes are. If I were to single out one particular pop artist, then T-Swift would be the most guilty culprit for this, but other artists, not just in the pop genre I don't think, are also to blame. 

Interestingly enough, they only supply what we demand, thus shedding light on a superficial and shallow side of our society. When I choose to be analytical of music, I tend to focus primarily elements of poetic and literary elements discussed in class: how the content is reflected in the form, the beat, the equivalent of line length, and diction to name a few. I think that we would agree with each other if I said that popular music and that which is regarded as "hip" is lagging in some of these categories.
Be that as it may, I think it is also important the music is also something that I turn to to escape analysis that I do 24/7. In that respect, music for so many is a happy-go-lucky, uplifting form of entertainment that people choose to listen to for the very reason that they think they can do it mindlessly, even though it is ironic that people choose to listen to music they pick, and therefore critique, meaning that it can't be as mindless as they think it to be. Anyways, it is important to recognize that our level of analysis of music is very dependent on one's mood and phase in life (at least for me it is) as was the case for your Hannah Montana example. With that being said, music that delves deep into the world's problems or provokes incredibly deep thoughts is often what people, quite deliberately, avoid. 

Ultimately, music is another form of art, thus something that is subject to personal opinion and preference, and and also something that is not worth getting into a heated and often circular argument over. After all, it's all about "what tickles your fancy", as they say. :)