{"id":45902,"date":"2016-04-05T11:00:45","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T16:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toiletovhell.com\/?p=45902"},"modified":"2016-04-05T08:55:22","modified_gmt":"2016-04-05T13:55:22","slug":"music-as-a-system-the-unfinished-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/music-as-a-system-the-unfinished-album\/","title":{"rendered":"Music as a System: The Unfinished Album"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Here at the Toilet ov Hell, we like to discuss the creative value of heavy metal (and music in general) as a form of art. Our typical means of encountering this art is through one of two media: (1) a written, recorded, produced, and packaged performance of the artist’s work that stands as a unique snapshot of that artist’s progression and abilities at that period of time; or (2) a live performance that may vary from previously recorded songs and may show a more dynamic approach to artistic evolution. While recorded music is static, live concerts are more fluid and may give a better representation of how the artist views his art while also enabling interaction with the crowd. However, albums represent a type of all-or-nothing statement whereas live performances may lose some of the integrity of personal creativity in favor of entertainment value. What if there was a third way, though, a different path whereby artists may continue to dynamically change a particular performance without the immediate (and possibly biased) feedback of the crowd? Today we explore that middle ground by way of an unlikely source.<\/p>\n

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Mid-February this year,\u00a0Kanye West<\/strong> released his seventh album\u00a0The Life of Pablo<\/em> through streaming service\u00a0Tidal<\/strong>. Intriguingly, despite initial comments claiming that the album would remain a Tidal exclusive, West eventually released a different, modified version of\u00a0TLoP<\/em> on April 1 on other streaming services and digital download. In the interim period between the two dates, West changed the mixing job on multiple songs, modified the length and vocal work on track “Wolves,” and added additional tracks missing from the initial version. West claimed that this tinkering had always been his intent, viewing the album as\u00a0“a living breathing changing creative expression.” Tidal users, then, were granted an intimate viewpoint to see an artist dynamically modify what should have been a static artistic statement.<\/p>\n

Obviously, West’s work with\u00a0TLoP<\/em> varies from the way most metal bands release music. True, there have been slight alterations made to songs as bands change and grow over time, often as a result of a certain band member leaving (compare Megadeth<\/a><\/strong>‘s<\/strong><\/a> “Mechanix”<\/a> to\u00a0Metallica’s<\/a><\/strong> “The Four Horsemen”<\/a>), but most changes come in the form of a remix or remaster. Though these updated versions of songs may indeed contain slight alterations (compare the 2004 remix of\u00a0Cynic’s<\/strong> “How Could I” below to the original<\/a>), most simply sound slightly different and rarely alter the initial performance itself. Moreover, these remixes and remasters are often driven by a number of other factors, including profit, label pressure, or lack of availability, and very often do not reflect a dynamic change in artistic style or intent.<\/p>\n