Stripping Down In The New Year

So, I was a little late discovering what my song for 2014 was going to be. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of having a song for the year what happens is you take a spin around the dial after midnight and the first song which you land on that you enjoy you then claim that song as your "Song of the Year." (I feel like this system is just as scientific as the one most music journalists use to pick their top track of the year.) That is pretty much the extent of the song of the year's powers other than any time that song comes on the radio you can say "Oh, this is my song!" and actually mean it. At this point it is one of those things I do for no good reason other than because I have been doing it for years. Anyway, normally I do this right after midnight or whenever I finally get back to my room where my stereo has all my favorite radio stations programmed on it for the easiest trip around the dial. Well, I forgot to do it right after midnight. My grand plan was foiled by the fact that I got old really quickly and midnight is suddenly way passed my bedtime. Then, I forgot to do it this morning because I slept late for the first time in a couple weeks and got a late start on the day. I even forgot about it this afternoon due to all the college football I was able to watch instead. (This is what happens where there are no consequences to not keeping up a tradition - they fall through the cracks.) I finally got around to it this evening and after almost going with some Hendrix I landed on this song for the year, but more important than the song I picked is the reason I picked it. First, here is my song for 2014.

It's called "Wake Me Up" by Avicii and it is quite popular right now. The choice itself is noteworthy because even though I like this song, it is not I normally the kind of song I would pick. Usually I stick to the classic rock stations when searching for a song to claim for the next 365 days because I like the idea of using a song which everyone knows and also one that has a certain amount of credibilty. Music snobs like to try and find the next great musical act before everyone else but there are actually few things in life which are more embarrassing than touting a band as the next big thing and then never hearing from them again. I would hate for my year to be defined by a song which is going to be a punchline in five years, which is why I like to stick with the stuff which I know has staying power. Of course the other reason for this is that most of the music which comes out these days is just so bad. I don't want to get all "in my day" on you (then again I've already told you that midnight is way passed my bedtime, so what do I really have to lose?), but I simply do not like most of the music which comes out today. I find it to be too over-produced and remixed, to the point that you can't even tell if the person has any really talent to speak of or if they are just the product of talented engineers and a really good software? I know there has always been some production value to recorded music (otherwise every album would be a live concert version) but there is a fine line during production where you cross over from cleaning something up to completely changing how it the artist sounds. Too often musicians today not only cross the line the try and erase it.

That is why I not only picked this song but this specific version of this song. Frankly, I didn't know it existed and when I heard it on the radio I almost pulled over from the shock. Normally the chorus of this song is filled in with a techno beat spun by a DJ and while that is fine, in this version it is just a clean, simple sound and I really prefer it. Also it allows the artist to really show off his vocal talent which I assume was the reason he was discovered in the first place. Honestly, one of the reasons I don't normally like techno music is that anyone can do it - they just need the correct gear and fast fingers. It used to be that to be a working musician you had to have a skill that wasn't found just anywhere and thanks to things like Macbook Audio Tools having a good voice to start with has become almost an afterthought. Admittedly I have always like acoustic versions of songs more because it exposes the people who have been trying to hide behind remixes, pyrotechnics, elaborate dance numbers and teams back-up dancers. When you get to the point where it is just a guy with a guitar and a microphone in front of a small audience that is officially put up or shut up time. Clearly, this guy has some pipes and he should be more able to show them off. I am not saying the normal version of this song is bad just that this one is far superior. I am hoping that this recording starts to get more airplay going forward and that more artists start to release less-produced versions of their music in the New Year. If that happens maybe next year I won't be stuck flipping between the two remaining classic rock stations next Januray 1st.