russ and i were talking about the first time we heard sufjan and our reactions to such a unique and different sounding recording. he mentioned how he initially felt like he liked it, but that there were so many new sounds and different colors in the music that it took some getting used to. i loved it the first time through for that same reason: all the colors and sounds were so bright and varied...
this led to a conversation about art in general. i think that different artists process in different ways. take sufjan, who is arguably a meister at the "more is more" principle. his layering is tasteful and organic; it breathes. i've heard music that became utterly chaotic as a result of too many layers and sounds, or from busy players stepping all over each other. however, sufjan and others in his genre, can layer with ease and create excellent compositions with movement, melody and color.
on the other end of the spectrum are the "less is more" bands. i would single out iron + wine for this category (i'm sure there are better examples, but this was the first i thought of). these artists are experts at simplicity, they are distillers of a single expression, thought or melody and it soars with beauty as a result. contrary to some artists, where it might feel unfinished or sophomoric, the less-is-more expert makes it feel as though you couldn't possibly add anything else.
i think these tendencies might also be linked to the way we process life and experiences and in general, the world around us. if i look at myself and try to figure out where i fit, i would say i am more of a distiller. i take my experiences, my feelings, my thoughts and seek to find the one unifying factor, the one sensation that captures where i am and then i set that on paper. it doesn't mean the compositions are boring, but i do know that when i've tried to be the layered artist that i am not, it always comes out jumbled.
russ didn't know where he fit in, and i am the first to say that i'm certain there are more blends of these two styles and even more options that we didn't think of.... but in general i would say that great art, whether visual or musical or otherwise, is most powerful when it's most honest. it can be honest and complex, or honest and straightforward, but i think it always suffers when the artist is trying too hard or is trying to be something other than what he/she is.
i guess at the end of the day, artists have to do the same difficult work as anyone seeking to live more wholly, more fulfilling lives: we have to examine our souls... meditate and be in touch with the stirrings inside of us. our job is to translate these inner workings of sorrow, pain, joy and even apathy into outward expressions of beauty that can motivate, connect and inspire the world around us.
on a slightly off-topic note, we watched american beauty for the first time last night. i was always afraid to see it because i thought it might be too dark or creepy, but i really enjoyed it. i think i can handle more raw satire than i used to (although the squid and the whale was TOO much) and i loved the themes of beauty in it. i thought it was right on. and i loved when the lester told his wife that she cared more about her stuff than about living and that she was crazy for doing so.... it was such a great and accurate assessment of so many of us, myself included... not that checking-out and pot-smoking is a great alternative, but the truth was in there.
so there's my philosophical discussion for you. i'm not the best writer (better at talking i think), so if you muddled through it all, congrats. if you have thoughts on it, please comment.... i posted it because i thought it was an interesting line of thoughts.
happy weekend all!
sam
