One look at the charts will tell you that the music industry is in dire straits, and has become a business run by the money-grabbing hands of shiny businessmen. While this can not be avoided, it is this process which unfortunately keeps the world turning, it has led to the large majority of music that is made, to be made with the sole aim of making money, which really defeats the purpose of the music being made at all (except, of course, for those ocherous businessmen).
LCD Soundsystem's Losing My Edge perfectly illustrates how music should be made: bands and artists should not make music so the most number of people will by their albums to keep their labels happy, it should be made for themselves. It should have meaning, it should have emotion, and it should have soul, not just a hook that everyone goes around singing and they can't work out why.
There is very little music being made today that fits into the description I have just given. However when I was travelling home on the N3 night bus yesterday I was reminded of one of the most genuine and heartfelt albums made for a very long time.
I've been a fan of Bon Iver for a long time - seeing him perform live in Hyde Park in June 2009 was one of the best live performances i've seen, physically or on video. When Justin Vernon went into a little cabin in Wisconsin what was produced was an interlude and eight of the most emotional, soulful and real songs. One listen to his album For Emma, Forever Ago and you know that this music was done for no-one but himself, there's was no dreams of money or world tours, he just wanted to tell people who wanted to listen how he felt. It is real, and should be treasured.
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