I have the feeling that since you’re readin this post on a little thing invented by Al Gore, then you’re learning about new music in a way that is a bit different than traditional radio. Hopefully you’re also reading news too. If not here’s a hot topic for those that love music. The concept of paying royalties for internet broadcasters is about to shoot through the roof. This is provided that a piece of legislation is going to pass. It’s an interesting dilemma. On one side as a musician that is releasing material that gets played on radio and internet radio I of course love the concept of being able to make money to cover my bills. On the other side I also understand that in it’s present form as to how it’s going to be charging broadcasters it will literally wipe out internet radio overnight.
Ouch. To have an entire industry shut down overnight is nothing short of a giant step backwards for getting music to listeners. Mind you this is slated for internet radio. I have no idea how this would end up effecting a blog much like this one. Mostly because I’m not really broadcasting. I’m exposing things and you have to actively come find it, read it, and open it. Shit, you have to do that with radio to. There goes that theory.
It’s a scary proposition right now mostly because I already know there are fans of this blog purchasing music they’ve discovered here. To me that’s nothing short of amazing that I can help another artist sell their music based on my mumblings, rumblings, grumblings, ramblings, and plain ol’ memories of my life to this point. I don’t get paid for doing it. It’s really a labor of love. I imagine that should things start going excessively well for my music it will only benefit other artists even more. Thus it will prove interesting to see how such a ruling would extend to people who blog about music.
While Jonah’s song isn’t about the subject of collecting royalties, it is saying hey, I like you and you’re welcome to be here even though our relationship has soured. Initially you’ll have a more than a fleeting thought that ‘wait a second am I listening to U2?’ when the song starts. I know I did. Influences are a good thing, I’ve done specific posts about influences in the past. So hopefully you’d know, remember, or search them out, to get my feelings about them directly. Since I typed that, I do hope that Jonah can find their own signature version of U2 down the road. They cite Radiohead as another influence, but I really don’t hear that not in this song anyway. But I do hear what could have been a possible song in Vanilla Sky. There are elements that remind me of that soundtrack.
The thing that works here is the marching beat of the snare that propels the song. It adds to that urgency that someone is leaving, marching onward. I enjoy how the song builds into the chorus using the typical devices of increasing the distortion on the guitars and the number of guitars that are layered in. Sometimes the cliché is good and this is an example of it. As I listen I wonder if what’s happening is a dream. It does have an ethereal intro. Don’t you think?
In addition to the music I was impressed with the cover art. It’s an interesting design based on the title of the album “Trust Everyone Before They Break Your Heart.” I get the impression that you’ve got a buddy comforting another buddy who has just been defeated by his world. I wouldn’t directly relate that to broken hearts and trust, but then who I am to judge – my last CD cover got slammed for being dorky. I do like their cover though, I like it’s 3D feel. Now go get it!