The Quixotic Engineer

Technology and Teenagers:

Before further examining how rock ‘n’ roll brought the races together, it is important to retrace the convergence of certain economic and technological factors which gave white teenagers access to music.

The major label’s lack of interest in the specialty markets may have been largely due to the fact that, until the fifties, recorded music carried the label of class¹. Only the upper and upper-middle class could afford a phonograph, and their tastes encompassed big band, crooners and classical music. Country and rhythm and blues music was mainly enjoyed on the radio.

→ Read more

Preface:

Rockin’ The Boat: Rock ‘n’ Roll and Race Relations in the Fifties was the extended essay I wrote in my last year of Cégep. The topic of the essay was at our discretion, and I was a young man who wanted to write about rock ‘n’ roll. Being a science student, I had studied neither sociology, history nor music but decided to write in an unfamiliar domain anyways. I consider the result to be one of the strongest and most well-researched pieces of work I have ever written (which isn’t saying much, really.) Being in the middle of exams and a little pressed for writing time, I thought I would split the essay into three parts and share it here.

→ Read more

Despite being neck-deep in end of semester work, I thought I’d take a minute to serve up my monthly slew of recommended listening.

I discovered Neutral Milk Hotel after reading an article entitled “Jeff Mangum, the Salinger of Indie Rock” by Taylor Clark (shared by Nav on Google Reader, I love that feature.) The story goes that after recording “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”, which some consider to be one of the greatest alternative albums of the 90’s, Mangum sought to escape his celebrity status and practically dropped off the face of the Earth. It’s a terrific read and a fantastic album, I highly recommend both.

→ Read more

It’s March, a.k.a. Brawl month (six days!), time for some recommended listening.

The Go! Team’s music is either a modern hip-hop flavoured take on soul or a return to late 80’s “Paul’s Boutique” style sampling. Either way they’re unique and terrific, and their albums “Thunder, Lightning, Strike” and “Proof of Youth” are both well worth listening to all the way through. Also notable are their terrific music videos, which I can only describe as blaxploitation meets Sesame Street.

→ Read more

It’s a bit overdue due to the site moving, but here’s last month’s collection of musical discoveries.

While Montreal has a burgeoning indie rock scene, I can’t claim that this is something that I’m especially “hip” to. That is why I was only introduced to the Hot Springs by T’Cha Dunlevy’s (a name so hip you can barely even Google it) best of 2007 list. I think Mark Lepage said it best when he described lead singer Giselle Webber as as “flame shaped like a girl” and touted the music as “a devastating fusion of Bjork and Robert Plant.” This is definitely a band to watch.

→ Read more