2010s Footnotes =============== Continued Explorations of the Past ---------------------------------- This was definitely the decade of my life when I was most engaged with the new, but I still found some important pop music from the past. Here are the most important ones: - **The Divine Comedy** - One of my favorite new bands **Zambri** covered their classic song "Tonight we Fly" which got me very interested in their 90s work. Progressively I worked forward and now consider everyone one of their albums to be among my favorites, including four from this very decade. - **Scott Walker** - Then **Divine Comedy** got me into this guy, one of their primary influences. His first four, self titled solo records became a big time favorite. Not surprising considering how much he has influenced my favorite artists of today and the past. - **Chicago** - I have pretty much always liked these guys thanks to my older brothers. However, I typically drew a line between the records of the late 60s and early 70s (undisputed classics), an the late 70s and 80s stuff (with way more pop influence). I learned to love most of it, even the cheesy David Foster produced stuff. - **Kate Bush** - When I was in college, I gave *Hounds of Love* a try since it was regarded as a classic, and she is so linked to my all time favorite of **Tori Amos**. What I didn't realize is that I like her first four records way more. Thanks to Spotify radio, I now know this to be true. It played me "Wuthering Heights" and I discovered on through there, including what would become one of my all-time favorites, *Dreaming*. - **The Beach Boys** - I knew about **Pet Sounds**, and I had some fun with the surf songs that came before, but I didn't fully appreciate their late 60s and early 70s records. That would change in the early years of the 2010s when I would become obsessed with records like *Wild Honey*, *Sunflower*, and *Surfs Up*. The whole thing would climax with the release of the *Smile Sessions* boxet. Diving Deep into Classical Music -------------------------------- I became an avid listener of WXXI Classical 91.5, and we are very fortunate to have a classical station of this quality. I also went to several dozen performances by our local orchestra and various chamber ensembles. My biggest discoveries were: - **Phillip Glass** - Who I went from knowing zero about, to consider one of my all time favorites. I saw a full performance of *Einstein on the Beach* in 2013 and saw the composer perform some of his chamber music with **Eighth Blackbird** at MusicNow in 2012. I acquired and consumed a lot of his stuff, some of which will show up in my 70s and 80s lists. - *The Glagolitic Mass* by **Leos Janacek** - Everything I like about my favorite composer, just a whole lot more of it. Plus a wild organ solo. I started out with the Kubelek recording, but settled on Sir Simon Rattle. - *The Unanswered Question* by **Charles Ives** - Wonderfully creepy, and yet very beautiful. The story of struggling through life, summarized in a tiny little program piece. Greatest "20th century shorty" to start of an orchestra concert ever. - *Symphony No. 2* by **Alan Hovhaness** - It is hard to imagine modern film music would be the same without this stunner. Such a warm, exciting piece of music. The Reiner/CSO recording is so definitive I feel like modern performances try to imitate it. - *Symphony in D Minor* by **Cesar Franck** - An interesting symphony from the early 20th century that seems to anticipate minimalism with a unusually (for the time) repetitious form and gets its interest from variations of intensity and instrumentation. I've seen this performed live an unusual number of times and it has really sunk in. - *War Requiem* by **Benjamin Britten** - I somehow have seen this monster performed twice (Both times with forces gathered up by the Eastman Music School for special performances) and a recording will never fully do it justice. A stunning, humongous work. As mentioned above, some of my favorites from the decade were part of the so called "indie classical" genre, or were outright classical releases that I felt like I could include for some reason. That said, there are some pure classical albums that I really enjoyed as well: - *Recomposed: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons* by **Max Richter** - It is quite remarkable how he took music that I find quite boring and turned it into a favorite. He keeps the pretty parts, ditches the stuff that hasn't aged well and brings it all into the current age in a way that I really dig. [*Memory*: Around this time I was often streaming audio or video from WQXR of new performances arranged by their Q2 sub-channel. For a brief moment, contemporary classical felt so hip. They video-cast a great performance of this by the recomposer and soloist.] - *Charles Ives: Four Sonatas* by **Hilary Hawn and Valentina Lisitsa** - Ives sensibilities work well in this intimate form. Love the way things shift back and forth from folk fiddle to 20th century weirdness. [*Memory*: I'm not sure how I found out about Hilary Hawn, but her punk-nerd image really makes me feel like this kind of music is for me.] - *Processions* by **Daniel Bjarnason** - This is probably the most representative record I can point to for what folks were trying to label "indie classical". Music that wanted to build onto the established modern sounds to make something that had appeal to the masses. Something that dare I say might be described as "hip". [*Memory*: This makes me really miss Q2, they played this all the time.] - *Song from the Uproar* by **Missy Mazzoli** - This built straight upon the first **Victoire** record to tell a story through Opera. Why does it get listed here, and not above, who knows? [*Memory*: I really regret not traveling to New York to see this performed. I always assumed this kind of thing would keep getting made. I didn't realize how brief this moment would last.] - *Place* by **Build** - Not only was classical merging with rock, it was right up against the boundaries of jazz again. This is an outstanding classical fusion record? [*Memory*: Around this time I was checking out every new release by New Amsterdam records, and found a ton of great stuff. Shortly thereafter they pulled their music from Spotify, and it really impacted how closely I follow the label. Nothing illustrates better how fragile things have become in the streaming age.] The Record Stores of My Return to Vinyl --------------------------------------- The following record stores were fundamental to my activity as a music consumer during the decade in which I made the return to the vinyl format. In addition to those shops listed below, many of my records were bought directly from artists at shows, or at the semi-annual Village Gate/South Wedge record show (still held to the current data in Rochester, NY at Radio Social in the NOTA neighborhood). - **Amazon.com** - I'm ashamed to admit that the large majority of my records (including the first dozen or so) have come from the biggest retailer on earth. There have been issues with them repeatedly sending me the wrong record, or not packaging the fragile discs very well, but the price and selection is hard to beat. I also don't care much about special vinyl colors, and actually generally prefer black vinyl, which they generally have. Still my primary source of new records today. - **Lake Shore Record Exchange** (Rochester, NY) - Gone but not forgotten, this shop was about two blocks from my tiny Park Avenue apartment. I started buying CDs and records there soon after moving to Rochester in 2009. I was a regular customer until they closed around 2017. They did fade away towards the end of their existence, partially because they refused to totally commit to the clear pivot back to vinyl by the industry. - **Record Archive** (Rochester, NY) - When I moved to Rochester this place had fallen a bit on hard times. They were most known for selling overpriced, bad-condition used vinyl. They have since re-invented themselves as the best place to buy new releases on the vinyl format, and a cool place to shop for anything from used DVDs to vintage clothing and quirky gifts. I vividly remember going to Record Store day here the years from 2010 to 2014, at which point things got a little too crazy for me. I would still never buy used records there though. - **The Bop Shop** (Rochester, NY) - The best place to buy used vinyl in Rochester, and one of the best places to buy used vinyl in the world. The selection here is nuts, and they have a back room with many duplicate copies of what is out on the floor. One time I didn't like the copy of *Beat* by **King Crimson** they had on the floor and they brought me 12 copies from the back to look at. I vividly remember my first visit at their prior Village Gate location, when I bought a new in shrink, first pressing of *Station to Station* by **David Bowie**. It was clear from the start that this was a special place. It was also the perfect store for me to have access to as I started to explore the worlds of Jazz and Fusion. They moved to Monroe Avenue Brighton about ten years ago when Village Gate started to screw over their cooler, old tenants. Still there, still awesome. - **Amoeba Records** (San Francisco/Los Angeles, CA) - This classic record store in San Francisco (and Los Angeles) was a highlight of my visits to California in the early days of my collecting. It was there that I discovered the joys of buying recent releases as new vinyl. I vividly remember finding an unexpected re-release of the first **Beach House** record at the Haight Street location. The store is fundamental to the vinyl revival. - **Stereo Shop/Hi-Fi Lounge** (Rochester, NY) - What was originally a tiny store on the side of the high end stereo shop in Henrietta became a standalone hi-fi store with highly curated used vinyl for sale. I haven't bought much there, but everything I have purchased was in amazing shape. This is also where I take my turntable when it needs work to stay in top shape. - **Discogs** - At the very end of the decade I discovered the joys of a worldwide selection on Discogs. I never really trusted the idea of buying this kind of item online, but the reputation system does a pretty darn good job keeping things honest. I have only been ripped off on condition once in 140+ buys, and they refunded me. The first of many records I bought off the site was *Sign "O" The Times* by **Prince**. I remember thinking that 35 dollars was a massive sum for a used record in 2016. How things have changed. Spotify and the end of CDs/Digital Downloads -------------------------------------------- - **Spotify** - In 2011 Spotify would become available in the US market, and it would change my listening habits (and the listening habits of millions of others) overnight. All of a sudden the majority of the history of music was at your fingertips. It is easy to forget that Spotify lacked a lot of things at launch, including the entire **Beatles** and **Pink Floyd** catalogs. That said, the convenience and scope of streaming made 90% of my MP3 collection redundant. Later that year I stopped burning my CDs, and then very shortly after, I stopped buying CDs. This is where my relationship with physical media changed forever, and it became about engagement with the object, not the object as the primary medium of consumption. I started to create Spotify playlists to capture my listening for the year. I starting buying my top favorites on vinyl to have and hold and engage more deeply with. I started stressing out about loosing track of things, forgetting what I liked, forgetting What I Like. This is what led me on the path to this site. - **Google Play/YouTube Music** - Google's offering was never as full featured or comprehensive in selection, but it had one feature Spotify lacked...the ability to upload your own tracks. This quickly became the place that all my music by the Spotify holdouts went, and the place where I put my rarest MP3s so that I could still hear them wherever I was. Until Plex became a part of my life in the 2020s, I was still using it this way. - **Bandcamp** - The large majority of the MP3s that I have bought in the last 10 years have come from this site, purchased directly from the artist. In some cases, this is the only way to own some of the rarest music I like. Someday these downloads may be the only way to hear these rarer tracks. - **Music that Only Exists on CD** - Every few years I still buy a CD. In some rare cases, I want some sort of keepsake for a release that will never be release on vinyl. However, in most cases it is because it is a release so rare, or so rife with rights issues that it will never make it to streaming. Recently I purchased the official albums of the 2012 London Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the Soundtrack to "Day's Of Thunder". These out of print CDs will never make it to streaming, and may never be produced again. Rochester Radio --------------- Rochester New York has pretty amazing local (non-commercial) radio. It was so good that it made me dump Satellite Radio for some years. We have lost some amazing local shows over the years, but it is still plenty more than enough to get my through my regular drives around town. - **WBER 91.5** - The first station I discovered (or more accurately was recommended by a friend) when I moved here. They specialize in that less indie form of indie music that often goes by the term "Alternative Rock". They have always felt a bit stuck in the past, and what was quaint in 2009 has gotten tiresome. I can't remember the last time I have ever put this station on. I used to like the program New Wave Wednesday with Jennifer V., who played a lot of my 80s favorites like **Ultravox** and **XTC**. - **WRUR 88.5** - This has been my favorite station since I moved here, but we have lost so much of what made it great in the time I have been listening. It used to be a collection of locally produced specialty shows, but gradually over time has become mostly nationally syndicated public radio programs. When I first moved to Rochester, I didn't have a TV, but I had a radio. I would listen to the various radio genre shows that aired every evening ("Gumbo Variations", "Radio ROC", many others I don't recall the name of). I particularly miss the two local jazz shows that played Sunday evening before the NPR show "Piano Jazz" with Marion McPartland. Leading off from 6-8 PM was "Sunday Sessions" with the iconoclastic host Ruth Elaine. We used to joke that she was a hip old grandmom blazing up every week. Sometimes she would start singing along with the melodies as the show went on, maybe we were right? Then at 8-9 we had "Jazz from the Cellar" with longtime Rochester radio host Tom Hampson. Mr. Hampson was a source of endless jazz knowledge and pulled from his personal collection of live recordings for much of the show. When he passed away in 2016 we lost so much, I only wish I had listened more and perhaps had recorded some of his shows to listen to and learn from. He was a personal friend of Marion McPartland who's show was the perfect end to the best sequence of programming I could have hoped for on a Sunday evening before the return to work. For many years it was my soundtrack to driving to and from Sunday night bowling league. I really wish I could go back and experience that lineup one last time. That said, we still have the amazing soul and classic R&B show "Rejuvenation" with Scott Wallace on Friday evenings, and the classic rock and roll show "Whole Lotta Shakin" on Saturday afternoon. I will enjoy them while I still can. - **WXXI Classical 91.5** - We have an amazing classical station, thanks to the first rate music culture that the Eastman School of Music brings. For me, the classic period would be from around 2011 to 2023 when Brenda Tremblay had the morning shift, Julia Figueras the midday shift, and Mona Seghatoleslami the afternoon/evening. The combination of the musical personalities of these three women added up to some amazing programming. All three of them were music fans, not specifically classical music people, and it showed in the diverse, adventurous programming. Figueras was a first rate station director and Seghatoleslami has done great taking things over, but I will always be a bit nostalgic for the days of the old threesome we came to know over so many years. The local program "With Heart and Voice" is a fantastic survey of sacred music from the Renaissance to our current day, and is nationally syndicated. The first few years I lived in town, I volunteered for the WXXI public broadcasting fund drive. I really enjoyed hearing the older folks call in to say nice things about the station, even when they complained about Mona playing Phillip Glass or asked me to pass on creepy messages to Brenda Tremblay. - **WITR 89.7** - RITs college radio station felt hip for about one and a half years between 2010-11, or perhaps that was the only time I was hip enough to be listening to what the kids were. I still occasionally will proudly wear my WITR tee shirt that dates to this glorious era of chillwave and electro-dance indie. - **WGMC 90.1** - When I lost the WRUR Sunday evening jazz block, I started to listen to the dedicated Jazz station run out of Greece High School. It is a pretty great, if low budget affair. I really hope they can hold on and continue to bring our community a wide range of jazz programming. - **WDKX 103.9** - Technically a commercial radio station, and by some measures, the most successful in town by a fair margin. Locally owned, they specialize in R&B and Hip hop from today and years gone by. I mostly listen to the Sunday morning program "Memory Lane" with the station owner Andre Langston and assorted co-hosts and guests. I really miss longtime co-host Tony Boler who passed away in 2017. Tony and Andre both really loved Rochester and it showed. It was such a positive, invigorating way to start the weekend with some classic tunes. The current cohost Cookie is great, and I'm always happy to tune in.