MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #29: UNDIVIDED ATTENTION ◦ 142 SONGS ◦ ABOUT ELEVEN HOURS

It's not all pristine parties in the park with decorated, designer cupcakes when it comes to what artists and bands communicate to us. As much as I sincerely admire and routinely seek-out the Pop/R&B songs that are in the playlists just above and below this one, I also value Rock-n-Roll in general but especially when it ventures into Prog Rock or into arrangements that are gritty, powerful, and angst-oriented. I went with the above graphic to illustrate this playlist because it captures an escalating, combative anxiety in life: unstable conditions are present, hard decisions will have to be made, and deliberate actions will be required for self-preservation. Those Vibes Get My Undivided Attention.   Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #27: SONGS WITH PERFECT FUNCTION & FORM ◦ 260 SONGS ◦ OVER TWENTY-FOUR HOURS

I had wanted to make this type of mix for several months – one that would showcase songs that are especially “well-written” and “musically interesting,” but what do those terms mean, especially since music’s effects can be understood as both inner-subjective (one's internal world of feelings, thoughts, and experiences) and inter-subjective (one's connection to others, including large people groups, in context to that realm)? With that in mind, I think a musically interesting song will do some or all of the following: change keys, move in an unexpected direction, alter its timing, demonstrate excellent musicianship, establish an appealing, escalating theme or hook, and/or utilize beautiful vocal harmonies regardless of genre. A well-written song is often one I want to sing along with when jamming in my pickup since the latter has a really good stereo with a stout subwoofer and is, therefore, a great place to hold a private concert or, better yet, a shared one with my music-loving wife.

 

Music can also be understood as a form of language that communicates to us in a manner distinctly different from written words and speech, performing some or even most of its work at the subconscious level (think of Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious). Songs can be brutally honest, expressing profound sorrow, anger, and even rage, yet they can just as easily spread deep happiness, satirical humor, and visceral hope.

 

An interesting song causes me to listen to it intently, internalizing its instrumental and/or lyrical message. As mentioned elsewhere on this website, remarkable music causes me to co-labor with it, getting involved with what it’s trying to say to me – to all of us. I can be so attracted to a song that the whole process leads to a reciprocal friendship. I like to listen on a recurring basis to Paul McCartney's "Oh! Darling" from the Beatles 1969 "Abby Road" album because it is a work of art that, figuratively speaking, creates a trusted compass heading for me, reminding me that greatness really does exist in our world and that I, too, should strive to do my best work.

 

I subtitled this mix “Songs with Perfect Function & Form” in connection to the world of engineering where it is well known that a thing’s function always determines its form. For example, shoe styles come and go, but what does not change is that an effective, comfortable shoe must accommodate a human foot, which is why an ancient Egyptian sandal from 1500 BCE looks similar to a 21st Century one. The same goes for bicycles and chairs. Nowadays, the superficial styling of those things may change because of advertising campaigns, but human beings sit in chairs and ride bicycles, so the latter’s forms must accommodate the user. Those things look like they do because of what they do. I think the songs on this playlist are so good, which is to say their function is so effective, that one could argue that their form has actually increased their function. Perhaps this is why great songs, regardless of genre, last through the decades and continually reconnect with new audiences. Their function causes their form to be authoritative and so well received that, arguably, their form ends up being the thing that was, in the end, most important and most enduring because it becomes valued art. For example, consider the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' 1974 hit "Jackie Blue." That song is still loved at this time, as indicated by the fact that on Spotify alone it has almost 20 million streams. The song will be 50 years old in 2024, yet it still resonates with millions of people. We could analyze or "deconstruct" its function in order to understand better how its form came to be, but that misses the point since it's the interesting, beautiful form that makes "Jackie Blue" so appealing.

 

Think about it like this: suppose a young kid in the late 1960s was so impressed with the Apollo Moon Program and the entire Golden Age of Spaceflight that resulted from the Space Race between the USA and the former Soviet Union, that without even understanding the politics, physics, science, or advanced machinery, he or she felt compelled to become an astronaut or aerospace engineer as an adult. In other words, the form of the Space Race (with its larger-than-life heroes and mighty rocket ships) was so fantastic that the young person in this example developed new goals for his or her life's work. I think it likely that some of those "kids" are still working in aerospace industries right now in France, China, India, Russia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, and in the United States (and who knows where else). That’s something like how music works in terms of an autocatalytic, reciprocating, function and form dynamic. Incidentally, I selected the beautiful artwork of the human eye above as the best example I know of for perfect function and form reciprocity because its functional design allows us literally to perceive the world around us, but it's the "seeing" of life that causes us to reflect on what it means to be human regardless of how the eye was made. The eye literally causes "perception" and "conception" simultaneously.

 

There are many superb tracks on this playlist – too many, in fact, to discuss individually as I have often done for previous, shorter mixes, but, as always, it is my sincere hope that you enjoy these songs and find some new musical companions!    Charles Calvin Best

 

MUSICQUEST EXPLORER MIX #26: ALLURING, VIBRANT VIBES ◦ 177 SONGS ◦ ABOUT 11 HOURS

I put together the bulk of MusicQuest Explorer Mix #26: Alluring, Vibrant Vibes during the spring of 2023, completing most of it over the summer and fall of the same year. I often write a descriptive narrative to go with playlists, but this one, similar to #25, is just too long for that approach, so I will let the music, itself, do most of the communicating. With that said, if I were to articulate an overall theme for this playlist, I would say that it’s about an R&B, Soulful, Electronica, and Synth-Pop oriented approach to musical meaning and enjoyment.

 

I do want to say that I discovered new-to-me artists with whom I developed an immediate musical attachment; namely, Bayonne, Geno Samuel, and Ichisan. Bayonne, also known as Roger Seller, is an Austin-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. I placed his “It Is Time” from his 2023 “Temporary Time” album in the third position on this playlist followed immediately by his 2024 remix of "Must Be True," and then “Solo” and “FX,” also from the same release, in the 139th and 14oth spots, concluding his trek with "Temporary Time." What a find! This musician creates deep and perfect Synth-pop songs. Another great discovery: Geno Samuel, a young musician who is also a composer and multi-instrumentalist, was born in Lithuania, raised in Ireland, and is now based in China. Much like Roger Seller, he is gifted and talented, producing interesting, original songs with strong lyrics. “Convenience Store,” from his 2021 "Morgana" album, is superb and our sixth track. “Wild Blue Yonder,” from his 2023 “Terra” album, is in the 136th spot, and “Let Me Be” follows from his 2022 “Shadow People” album. Lastly, Ichisan, also known as Igor Skafar from Slovenia, a beautiful country in the Balkans, creates exceptionally enjoyable House-Synth-Techno with a positive, hopeful vibe. I really like this man’s work and suspect you will, too! I’ve placed “Harmona,” from his 2022 Fantasound album, in the 144th position followed by “Yassa” from his 2018 “Megla” EP – Excellente!

 

I had heard that none other than Sir Paul McCartney had created, with the help of a British band called Youth (Martin Glover), a one-off Techno-Ambient record in 1993 simply called “The Fireman.” Well, it’s fantastic. I’ve placed its first offering, “Transpiritual Stomp,” in the 129th position in this mix. It is outstanding as is the entire album – cannot recommend it enough! I also built in a very cool Electro-Swing section as well as a robust Latin and Bossa Nova segment.  I love all the songs in this mix because they are often playful, fun, and romantic and sometimes just as often passionate, somber, and deeply thoughtful. I hope you discover music that you enjoy.   Charles Calvin Best