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by PATRICK BABCOCK
Lifestyles Reporter
The year 2008 brought along with it a more art-minded popular music culture, as well as new strides in the digitalizing of music purchasing.
Britney Spears’ newest recording, “Circus,” was touted by some as her shining but personal return to form.
Sputnikmusic.com claims it “is a top-rate pop album that, with a little bit of justice, will be afforded the same sort of longevity as her brilliant early singles.”
“[Spears’] comeback was just a reaffirmation that pop music never went away. [She] is the ultimate pop icon,” freshman vocal music education major Mary A. Coe said.
“I think her comeback
in itself just shows how much of an influence that she had on the genre
itself. To go through what she [did] to have to accomplish that. It’s
ridiculous.”
Others found the album too personal for Spears to properly pull off.
According to Blender magazine, “Trying to express her actual feelings,
instead of inhabiting a fantasy, she leaves us looking for an
authenticity and vulnerability that isn’t in her skill set. ”
The personal song “My Baby” “seems more stage-managed and less sincere
than anything on ‘…Baby One More Time,’” according to Blender.
Rockers Nine Inch Nails released their album “Ghosts I-IV” totally
online under a Creative Commons license, charging five dollars for four
albums worth of music.
“Even though fans could easily get free versions of the album, Ghosts
actually went on to become the best-selling album of 2008 on Amazon’s
MP3 store,” ReadWriteWeb writer Frederic Lardinois said.
“One explanation is the convenience and ease of use of NIN and Amazon’s
MP3 stores,” Creative Commons writer Fred Benenson said.“But another is
that fans understood that purchasing MP3s would directly support the
music and career of a musician they liked.
Nine Inch Nails later went on to release their album “The Slip” in its
entirety for a completely free download from their official website.
Both it and “Ghosts I-IV” went on to see physical releases in addition
to remaining unchanged online.
Another major music release in 2008 was “808s and Heartbreak” by
so-called “Louis Vuitton Don” and multi-platinum hip-hop
producer/performer Kanye West, his first since 2007’s “Graduation.”
The album was praised for being a different approach to music than
anything West had released previously. “… It’s a surprising, but bold
and brave progression from last year’s confused ‘Graduation,’” NME said.
“I think [West’s] music continues to sound different in a way that
revolutionizes the genre in which he plays in general,” freshman
graphic design major Laura M. P. Taylor said.
Yahoo! News reported “Kanye West says he’s not concerned about whether
his new album is a blockbuster, because he’s made ‘great art’ — and he
feels really good about it.”
But fans are skeptical of West’s feelings on the album.
“I think it would be interesting if he really didn’t care at all and he
was just producing what he really wanted to make,” Taylor said.
“Because I think so many people in music today make what they think
will make them famous or what will make them a lot of money. But I
think it would be difficult to reach his caliber and really not care.”
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