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Article by Anna Griffiths of Cut Ribbons

Then The Music Comes In aims to reinstate the physicality and participation that was once mandatory in the collection of music. This zine is just a few points from some passionate collectors that will hopefully inspire you to get out there and keep your collection going or start one if youre new to this whole experience.

INTRODUCTION

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THE DECADE OF DOWNLOAD Physical music sales these days are at an all time low, understandably considering the laziness of the human race. Going on iTunes or even torrent websites is a far easier venture than going to your local music shop or HMV (and for the Pop music fans, any supermarket) to buy a CD or vinyl. Why would you ever bother? Well for illegal downloads its an obvious one, buying your favourite artists music will give them money so that they can continue making music. If you dont buy it they wont get paid and it can hinder their musical progress. Why not online distributors? Well in general terms of helping the artist there might not be many (or any) but as a lover of music owning a hard copy of an album, EP or single has certain magic about it. You feel the excitement looking at it in its cellophane cage, knowing it needs to be freed so you can ingest all that heavenly glory. Putting it in your music player and waiting for it to start, adjusting the volume then relaxing and letting it soothe your ears while you (I) read every detail from the case and booklet. Its a beautiful process. Not only do you get the almost childlike excitement rst hand every time you open a favourite bands album but when youve heard it, it sits in your collection. Having a collection of music is like having an extra family member that will never let you down (the ones you dont like arent in your eyesight for long, either) its always there when you need it and just looking at it is seldom boring. Having a music collection might not be everyones cup of tea but for any hard-core music lover it is not only a must, but also an honour.

EX PERIENCE theres more to


the music

POINTS OF EXPERIENCE The experience is a hugely important part of music but since the digital revolution this experience seems to have lost the once mandatory element of participation. It now only takes the click of a mouse to kick-off a playlist which could include an unlimited number of songs by an unlimited number of artists, thats an amazing thing. Amazing as this convenience is, it should never be prioritised as to discard quality and substance. With iTunes and other online means of sharing, discussing, or downloading music, there is a level of humanity stripped and hidden behind faceless discussion boards and checkout lines. 1. Music Brings People Together Music brings people together, whether it be at a concert venue or atmosph eric party. Record stores, no less, bring people together who share a similar zeal in music even if it is for separate genres. They are often rst a social melting pot of various interacting music tastes, and second a place to acquire good music in its best form. 2. The Aesthetic Factor Lets base our example on vinyl. Music industry body the BPI says that nearly 550,000 vinyl albums have been sold so far this year, predicting an end-of-year total of more than 700,000, which would mark the biggest year for the format since 2001. These gures prove that people want that musical experience back, vinyl records are all about experience and engaging in your music. Theres nothing that comes close to the joy felt when you slip a record out of its inner sleeve, place it on a turntable, and drop a needle on its outermost ring. Being that the record plays for roughly ten to fteen minutes at a time, it makes sense to be nearby when it comes time to ip it over. There is a denite gratication in these simple obligatory tasks. 3. You Literally Get What You Pay For Music that can be handled manually and kept track of without fear for your hard drive crashing. Most iDevices could hold an entire record store of music but with a physical collection you need not worry about a hidden virus coming along and completely draining your archives. The worst that will happen with your collection is it getting damaged simply by your own recklessn ess. To help you out with that, wrapped around your copies at all times is a protective cocoon made up of artwork, lyrics, and liner notes, making this self-contained work of art a well-documented one.

THROW AWAY MUSIC Trying to remember the last time I browsed a music store at ease without travelling miles to a record shop is a chore. I cant remember. And its really sad. The era we live in now provides music in such an instant and accessible form, legal or illegally, it seems pointless, why would kids these days bother to get off their arse and out of their bedrooms to buy a more expensive copy of the single or album of their new favourite band when they can go online and download it all as mp3s That said, I assume the younger generation really have never done so, and there are no outlets it seems that provide physical copies like there used to be, for example HMV which has now closed. Being so close to Christmas it stirs memories of writing my Christmas list with 10 albums of that year I desperately wanted for my parents to choose from, Id get maybe 3 of them. Today, other than feeling nostalgic about getting a physical copy of the album and opening the case to nd a sleeve with lyrics, artwork and list of people who worked on making the album, Im getting at a point which I think stems from this being a rare occurrence today. I have countless conversations with music lovers who reel off about 7 bands theyve been listening to that week, all their albums are amazing and they love them all. I have a real hard time believing this, how can you physically have time to digest all that information and truly get into it. I personally still like to hear something that truly excites me, (whether its suggeste d by a friend or on the radio, advert etc.) That creates a need for me to research that band or artist and ultimately buy the album and listen to it. The albums I received at Christmas would last me months and I truly loved the music and it meant something. I now too buy all my music online, and rarely cds but still keep to my usual routine of limiting myself to albums I really want to get into over the following weeks, rather than ooding my senses all at once. The positives of music being so accessible is that you can listen to pretty much any music in the whole world which is an amazing gift for anyone. But I think the magic is lost. Except maybe for live music, where each show is a unique experience for those watching and playing. Also, all artists it seems, have to rely a huge amount on touring to make a living through music, fans buying merchandise such as CDS T-shirts and vinyl along with tickets sales is essential. So not only do I feel people should enjoy the experience of buying a cd or vinyl or going to a show that allows you to experience a connection with that artist, it allows the music to carry on and evolve, but unfortun ately, it seems we live in a throwaway society, shaped to have everything in an instant, and meaning less to you in the next, just a thought I often chew.

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Anna Griffiths Cut Ribbons

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THERES MORE THAN MUSIC IN YOUR COLLECTION


there is memories

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1991
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1995
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APPR ECIATE the full worth

POINTS OF APPRECIATION 1. Usually Comes With A Free Digital Download If you are going to pay for music, why wouldnt you want to be able to hold it in your hands. With single song prices rising and sound quality dampening physical copies are becoming more and more reasonably priced. It is so gratifying to literally possess a wall of sound, a shrine dedicated to a prideful music collection, in substitute of an iTunes library that seriously lacks personality. Knowledgeable musicians offer a free download of the album with the purchase of a comparably-priced physical album, there is no reason to needlessly pay for less, much less. 2. Heirloom Factor Simply stated, you cant hand down a song le, you can only transfer it from source to source. Your physical collection however only exist in a single source and thus can only belong to one person at any given time; it may pass from generation to the next or from seller to reseller, but it cant be duplicated and split like a host starsh. Your collection has such a potential to retain sentimental value. Its always the same story My parents passed down their vinyl records to me, and this led to me beginning a collection. Granted CDs have not yet had their opportunity to shine and inspire in this way but surely the day is soon to come when a combined format collection will be the norm. 3. THE MUSIC Without doubt the most important part and the thing we are all so passiona te about. It can be appreciated on so many different levels. For some people music is a sensual and physical experience the urge to move your body and dance can be irresistible. For others the enjoyme nt and pleasure can be gained purely through the act of listening. It can be a main component in ones life or just a now and again pleasure but you cannot disagree that there is no escaping it, at one point or another the music comes in. It never leaves you. Its everywhere. On average a person hears 28 songs a day, notice it or not that means that it is a prominent part of everyones day to day life so why not give it the time of day and appreciate the full worth.

RE VIEWS best albums of 2013

7/10
LOS CAMPESINOS - NO BLUES The transition between the optimistic C86 vibes of 2008s debut album Hold On Now, Youngster and their more heartbroken fourth, 2011s Hello Sadness, was remarkabl e. Follow-up No Blues nds the band settling into a more consistent sound. Despite the positive title, singer Gareth Paisey is as lyrically downbeat as ever, but its the melodic swells that prevent everything becoming too suicidal. Harmonies and violins swirl as Paisey wails his woes on As Lucerne/T he Low, and Cemetery Gaits lulls with rippling electronics that exist alongside various metaphor s for death. Maturity suits them well.

6/10
DINOSAUR PILE-UP - NATURE NURTURE Its not that Leeds band Dinosaur Pile-Up have changed that much since they formed in 2007, theyve just grown up. This happens to everyone, of course. But just like Weezer before them, DPU are at their best when theyre being naive and sparky, not all mature. When Matt Bigland, Mike Sheils and James Sacha hit their ball-busting, subtlety-be-damned stride, as on the riff-heavy sass of Heather or Summer Gurl, there are mighty kicks to be had. But without the youthful abandon of 2010 debut Growing Pains, tracks such as White T-Shirt And Jeans lack a certain euphoric rush.

8/10
BRING ME THE HORIZON - SEMPITERNAL Recent listeners to Nick Grimshaws Radio 1 breakfast show have been woken with a jolt following the surprise addition of Bring Me The Horizon to the stations playlist. The riffs of Shadow Moses may be a strange accompaniment to your tea and Weetabix, but its all part of the Sheffield metal bands bid to become a Proper Big Deal in 2013. Their fourth album Sempitern al is packed full of similar sucker-punch moments, with The House Of Wolves and Antivist typifying the albums muscular and impressive anthemics. Ready to break noisily out of the underground, the quintet have made one of the years most accomplished metal albums.

9/10
FOALS - HOLY FIRE Lets play a game of word association. Think of Foals and what comes to mind? Artsy, difficult, oblique, precocious, intelligent, volatile, mathletic. The Oxford groups albums to date 2008s Antidotes and 2010s Total Life Forever are easily among the most innovative and intriguing British rock records of the last half-decade. But Foals have also fostered a reputation of being a little spiky, of playing a bit hard to get. Yannis admits to having been a control freak. This is, remember, the band who left their biggest early single, Hummer, off their debut album. You feel that their ability to furrow brows has, for Foals, been something of a point of pride. Foals third album is a record that bursts out of the speakers and demands to be loved. You will have already heard Inhaler, a shimmying slow-build with a neat Yannis falsetto that suddenly and unexpectedly blows Holy Fire into the stratosphere, and crackles as the embers settle. If you like it when Foals show their teeth, Providence is another track thatll lodge itself in the Most Played page of your iTunes. Rhythmically pugilistic and heavy as all hell, its easily the loudest and most obscene Yannis and drummer Jack Bevan the most overlooked weapon in Foals arsenal have sounded since they were knocking down walls at Oxford house parties as members of The Edmund Fitzgerald.

Though these isolated bursts of energy are the most immediately striking moments on Holy Fire, its the way that the album as a whole unravels and blooms through repeat listens that marks it as Foals nest moment to date. In a recent feature, Yannis told NME, Theres denitely oxygen going to the brain, but were not over-analysing things we wanted to make a greedy record. So, Foals. Artsy. Difficult. Oblique. But no longer. Holy Fire brings new words to mind. Sharp. Emotive. Massive. Its the album Total Life Forever could have been before the over-analysing got in the way. As Yannis put it recently: There was a Woody Allen in our brain that needed to be killed. He got killed. Holy Fire is that assassin, and the terminal blow is exacted with clean precision. Woody didnt stand a chance.

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