The Perfect Song

When wading through oceans of music, as a music junkie like myself often does, it is a rare pleasure to stumble upon a perfect song. It may not have the best vocalist, the most skilled musicians or the most profound lyrics. A perfect song is one in which the instrumentation, vocals, and lyrics blend together perfectly in a tribute to their composer. It is one where the composer knows when to hold his musical devices in restraint, and when to loose them.

Now a perfect song is not the same as a good song. A perfect song can be evaluated somewhat objectively, while qualifying a song as “good” is more subjective. For example, there may be a good song that is a bit less than perfect, but is more aesthetically pleasing to a given listener due to an affinity for a particular genre. There may even be songs that are superb in many ways, but fall short in one of the particular requirements. Conversely, a perfect song may never stand up to good songs that have gone before, some of them of legendary caliber. To be sure, a perfect song must be “good” to some degree, but that defaults as a result of the perfect composition.

So what makes a perfect song? What is this balance, this artistic blend? Well, akin to music itself, the elements of a perfect song divide into two basic categories: music and lyrics. Also critical to achieving musical perfection is the way that music and lyrics interact with each other to form a cohesive song.

First, the music. Musical aesthetic can be divided into two major categories: vocals and instrumentation. The first aspect that a musically perfect song must realize is that when there are vocals, the instrumentation is always complementary to the vocals. It is the vocals, after all, that carry the content of the lyrics, which is the main point of the song (barring a few exceptions, such as the shoegaze scene, in which the purpose of the vocals is to sound merely like a musical instrument). As such, the intensity of vocals and the intensity of the instrumentation must match. For example, a vocalist with considerably intensity, such as a rock vocalist, must be paired with music of similar intensity. A softer song can be paired with a softer vocalist. A heavy metal song should be paired with furious vocals. Furthermore, the vocalist should be aware of his or her vocal range, and utilize that range most effectively, pushing it to the edge if the song requires it and keeping it restrained if it best fits the aura of the song.

In the promotion of cohesiveness, the music should also know the lyrics that are being interacted with. A fight song, for example, is more likely to be paired with faster, louder music, a calm reflective song may bear a soothing tonality and a slow tempo.

This also means occasionally sacrificing skill for the sake of the better good of the song. Though guitarists love to show off their skill with crazy solos, sometimes the best time to do it is not when the vocalist is baring his soul. If that means simply playing the same chord several times, or a slow repetitive riff, so be it. That said, if there is an opportunity to demonstrate your skill to the fullest while preserving the aura of the song, by all means, seize it.

Next comes lyrics. The lyrics are an art form oft neglected by musicians, who often weave together brilliant songs, and then decide to add lyrics to it. The mismatched lyric is the most destructive force that has ever attacked the musical world. Certain lyrics are suited for certain tonalities and tempos. The lyrics themselves need to have a message. The message may be as simple as a reflection on an aspect of life, or as complex as incorporating philosophical and theological truths. To all music, however, there must be a point. Comedy genres simply don't classify as music, and no matter how much I enjoy his work, Weird Al Yankovic is never going to write the perfect song.

The message of the lyrics must also be accessible. This means that the message must be something that the listener can relate to. Though demographics targeting can work (a skate-punk band writing a song to the boarder culture, for instance), there is something to be said for timelessness. A timeless song is one that is generally applicable to all audiences, without containing references that will become obsolete within the next decade (there is something to be said for the double entendre, however, if it is possible to refer to an event in modern culture, while still preserving timelessness, then by all means, incorporate it). This is merely a bonus, however, as it is possible for bands to achieve perfection by communicating specifically to their general demographic, and it is easier to deliver a profound message to a target audience than the world in general.

The accessibility of the lyric also requires that the message of the lyrics must be understandable. For instance, don't let your brilliant extended analogy get so bogged down in imagery that the message loses its potency. If the song requests allegory, provide allegory. And by all means, use imagery, the more artistry incorporated into the song, the better, but ensure that the imagery points towards the message and the aura of the music.

The lyrics must also possess their own rhyme and meter. The most well-composed songs are able to accelerate the tempo of the song without accelerating the tempo of the music. The use of interlocking lines, alliteration, and other rhythmic devices can be almost as potent as a clever rhyme scheme. This is not to underestimate the importance of a rhyme scheme, however, as the most aesthetically pleasing lyrical element has always been the rhyme. The perfect song, however, cannot force a lyric to fit. It is excruciatingly painful to hear a lyricist contort the order of words in a sentence to fit the rhythm, or to extract obscure vernacular from a thesaurus in order to complete a rhyme. The lyrics must blend seamlessly into the poetry, which must blend seamlessly into the music.

Finally, spanning both the musical and lyrical aspects of the song, a song must have unity. This is commonly achieved with a common chorus, in fact, variants of the verse, chorus, bridge pattern have been used repeatedly in all forms of music. This can also be demonstrated with recurrent lyrical themes, rhythmic devices, or traces of a melody fond consistently throughout the song. In general, however, the song should sound like the same song the entire way through, even if the tempo changes, the tonality changes or the lyrical focus shifts.

In conclusion, perhaps it is best to leave you with examples of a couple songs that nail the balance and unity of music and lyrics.

Album in Review: Adam Lambert- For Your Entertainment

A product of American Idol, Adam Lambert, in a short period of time, went from a nobody to a overnight sensation- fueled just as much by controversy as skill. Cover song after cover song is all good and well, but when the artist comes off of the show and starts writing their own music is when you can tell their artistic expertise, or lack thereof. Unfortunately, this process of creating stars typically ends up with an artist that hits the top- is unable to put out quality music and either has their music written for them, or produces weak and cliche material.

Such is the case with Adam Lambert. His debut album, For Your Entertainment (in which he helped author a mere 4 out of 14 tracks), takes generic, excessively glamorized instrumentation and mixes them with Adam Lambert's biggest selling point- his homosexual orientation. Song after song pervades messages of sensuality, sexuality, sometimes in ways that can be taken either homosexually or heterosexually, but often crossing the line into solidly homosexual territory.

As such, I suppose that the album fits quite well into the mainstream pop culture- fusing glam rock, electronica and R&B together, as well as raunchy lyrics have been a staple of the industry for some time now, but the album is definitely not something worth purchasing or listening to. The only appeal I could see in the album is Adam Lambert's ability to hit notes typically inaccessible to male vocalists, and that only appeals to a specific demographic of music listeners.

All in all, a typical, expected failure from another big-name American Idol contestant.

Music: 2/5.
Lyrics: 1/5.
Overall: 1.5/5.

Family Friendliness: 1/5.
For pervasive sensual and sexual content, mild profanity and overtly homosexual content.

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Album in Review: 30 Seconds to Mars- This Is War

30 Seconds To Mars' sophomore album catapulted the band into the mainstream, possibly making them the most popular alternative rock band of the 2000s. After 4 years, the band returns with This Is War, a fusion of both of the band's albums stylistically, and returning to a more abstract, allegorical lyrical style.

In This Is War, the band uses a variety of effects, reverb and delay as well as electronica programming, slow building drum lines, combined with either an anthemic or power ballad song style and frequent use of choral vocals, contributing to the epic sound, in the style of their number 1 hit From Yesterday from A Beautiful Lie. The songs weigh in on the lengthy side, ranging from 5 to 7 minutes, plus intermediate tracks.

Though he album is rock solid instrumentally, on the lyrical side, there are a number of issues to look out for. Although the album legitimately addresses a number of political issues, though in an abstract style, the album leaves its position on spirituality unquestioned with the track 100 Suns, in which 30 Seconds To Mars proclaims "I believe in nothing, not in sin, not in God," a position re-visited throughout the album, and also includes some harsh profanity in the track.

As is, the album's open hostility towards Christianity and use of foul language strongly undermines the well-executed musical work.

Music: 5/5
Lyrics: 2/5
Overall: 3/5

Family Friendliness: 0/5.
For harsh profanity and anti-Scriptural messages.

Best Songs: Kings and Queens, This Is War.

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Album in Review: Switchfoot- Hello Hurricane

Well, this album has been one of the hardest albums to listen to straight through. Not because its bad, but because it sounds like so many other bands. Starting up with Needle In A Haystack Life, my immediate reaction was "this sounds like U2" followed by looking up U2 songs. Track 2, Mess of Me, had me searching for Led Zeppelin songs, Your Love Is A Song sounded reminiscent of fellow CCM rocker Fireflight's song Forever, and by the time I was looking up Muse after listening to track 4, The Sound (John M. Perkins Blues), I began to come to the realization that Switchfoot's originality had really declined during this album.

Taking a look at the album, it sounds like a tribute album to all of Switchfoot's favorite bands, spanning a wide variety of artists and genres. From the ever prevalent U2 soundscape effect (Needle In A Haystack Life, Sing It Out), the industrial Muse sound (The Sound), Coldplay intros (Hello Hurricane), borrowed Seether riffs and Led Zeppelin verse structures (both in Mess Of Me), entire melodies ripped almost straight from Audio Adrenaline and Fireflight (Always and Your Love Is A Song respectively) and drawing input from a diverse span of genres, including hair metal, grunge, shoegaze, industrial, indie, alternative, punk and progressive.

That being said, as a tribute album, Hello Hurricane does a decent job. The songs switch up enough to keep the listener interested, for the most part, the instrumentation is executed beautifully....most of the time, but a tribute album also needs to distance itself enough from the artists so as to not be plagiarism, and, unfortunately, Switchfoot is not able to do so.

Lyrically, Switchfoot is typical CCM, trying to be vaguely Christian but not explicitly mention God so that the mainstream will accept you too. That said, the album often flirts with the profound, but seems to avoid overtly Scriptural principles. Still, its clean and family-friendly.

Overall, a decent album. It has some shining moments and a few failures, but they balance each other out.

Music: 3/5

Lyrics: 3/5

Overall: 3/5

Family Friendliness: 5/5

Best Songs: Mess Of Me, Hello Hurricane, Sing It Out

Hello Hurricane

Album in Review: Weezer- Raditude

Its always good to have a band come out with a rock-solid alt rock album. And Raditude by Weezer does just that. Nailing the alternative rock genre from its roots in the style of the Violent Femmes and Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer presents a stereotypical product of the alternative culture- an original, reckless, no-holds-barred approach to song-writing.

This approach to music is also Raditude's biggest flaw. Because of the lack of boundaries and reckless approach- the album typically covers, lyrically, themes that are best left untouched. The lyrical themes range from the innocent, cute and funny (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To to the offensive and sensual The Girl Got Hot and the drug, alcohol and profanity littered I Can't Start Partying (but then again, what would one expect on a track featuring Lil Wayne?). Consequently, Raditude's brilliant musicianship is soiled with a poor performance on the lyrical side.

The album features one gem, however, the track (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To is a funny, clean, relationship oriented song with a fast-paced, catchy, acoustic rock track.

Music: 5/5
Lyrics: 1/5
Overall: 2/5

Family Friendliness: 0/5.
For offensive content, sensuality, sexual innuendo, drug and alcohol references and strong vulgarity.

Best Song: (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To


Raditude

Album in Review: Cartel- Cycles

The pop/punk genre is a difficult one to survive in. For one- start with the legendary bands Green Day, Paramore, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance and Bowling for Soup each maintaining supremacy in their own corners of the genre. Add to the mix hundreds of novice bands that never took off, one-hit wonders and in general scattered debris of hundreds of failed bands, all crammed into a limited stylistic opportunities for everyone to share, and you have one of the most hostile environments to anything but the best.

Enter Cartel. Cartel's approach to the subject is that unlike other genres, "best" doesn't mean muscular shred solos, sixteenth note strumming or complicated instrumentation. "Best" means original and catchy- both musically and lyrically.

Embarking on their third studio album, Cartel takes a light concept album style- with an underlying story perhaps imperceptible to the casual listener. The messages of the songs are unique enough to survive on their own, but flow together and have an underlying story of a bad relationship that decays and puts the subject into the same place he started. The album is brilliantly put together and quite cohesive, just like Cartel's previous efforts.

Musically, the album is everything the pop/punk genre could want. Original, catchy, bouncy, appealing to the typical 14-15 year old female demographic, etc. But herein lies the rub, Cartel's instrumental style is targeted towards the pre-teen to young teenage demographic, yet the lyrical content is not. For starters, the storyline followed throughout the album is a failed relationship, and as the album progresses, the lyrics in turn become more abrasive and more profane. Mild epithets can be found early in the album, popping up with slightly more severe language later on and proceeding to use severe vulgarity in the song Conventional Friend.

And thus the album is relegated to perhaps another "almost-was" band of today's pop/punk genre. I can, however, highly recommend one song- Let's Go, an fast-paced infectious anthem with a solid message, and there are a few other fairly good songs scattered throughout the album.

Musical Rating: 4/5
Lyrics: 2/5
Overall: 3/5

Family Friendliness: 1.5/5.
For negativity, repeated mild profanity and some use of strong vulgarity.

Best Songs: Let's Go, Retrograde.


Cycles

Album in Review: Shakira- She-Wolf

Shakira first became successful by presenting a unique take on the typical pop genre. Her first English single, Whenever, Wherever, fused the instrumentation of her home country, Colombia, with American pop music, catapulting her into the mainstream. As is the case with many pop artists, however, the more into the mainstream you become, the most you become like the mainstream.

This rings especially true in the case of She-Wolf, Shakira's third English-language album. The album at first seems to have traded off instrumentation almost completely in favor of pre-programmed electronic beats, vocal distortion, rap lines and in general, the R&B sound that pervades the industry today. While later tracks bring back some of the traditional Latino instrumentation, it feels like Shakira has sacrificed most of her uniqueness and is just another R&B artist with a mildly interesting spin on the same old.

Albums like these are typically only recommended for fans of the genre, but with this album, unfortunately, the sell-out to R&B continues lyrically, with pervasive sexual innuendo flooding the album. In fact, perhaps the safest tracks to listen to are the Spanish ones on the international version- and that only if you don't understand Spanish.

The album was able to pull off one decent track, however, the song Gypsy, which even though its clean, is difficult to recommend.

Music: 3/5
Lyrics: 1/5
Overall: 2/5

Family Friendliness: 1/5.
For pervasive sexual innuendo and mild profanity.

SHAKIRA - SHE WOLF (2009)