Wednesday, 8 April 2009

Popular Music And The Recession


“The Recession's in Every Refrain As Pop Music Reflects on Hard Times
Neil Young has just released a new concept album ‘Fork in the Road’ on the "the cratering economy". The present global financial crisis has provided material for "….all manner of musicians, from rock legends and country singers to folkies and rappers… ". In the USA one really needs to go back as far as to the Great Depression to recall a repertoire of this sort. Try to listen to the songs of Woody Guthrie, Blind Alfred Reed, Yip Harburg to get a flavour of this period.
"Although record sales weren't exactly thriving during the period, Harburg's song became a hit for both Rudy Vallee and Bing Crosby. The work resonated because it served as a musical mirror, reflecting people's experiences and sentiments " ...……. MORE

It really leaves us to ask. Are these economic cycles inevitable? Is there any escape from them? And do we need a new economic order?

Tuesday, 7 April 2009

Has Scientism Sidelined Our Emotions ?


" Scientism is the belief that the sciences have no boundaries"


Has scientism like religious literalism become its own ideology?

Where does scientism leave the likes of literature, psychology, music, arts, philosophy, dreams, the emotions or spirituality in its quest for supreme knowledge? It begs the question of what sort of role literature, psychology, music, arts, philosophy, dreams, emotions, or spirituality have played in human evolution? Are they being sidelined or even ignored by scientism?
"……… it’s our study of human evolution that bring fantastic insight into why we have art, dreams, and mythology in the first place. What a strange notion, that science plays no role in those fields or our understanding of them! .........." MORE

Monday, 6 April 2009

Can There Really Be A Colour And Music Relationship ?


Colour and Music


Music and colour like music and emotions have inspired speculative discussions throughout the ages. Again, the ancient Greeks took a lead in these speculative inquiries. They were driven by a need to discover an integrated cosmology that colour and music formed a part of a harmonious universe. Fast forwarded to the seventeenth century and we have Isaac Newton’s discovery ......
“ of the refraction of white light into colours …….. and his decision to denote seven colours in association with the seven notes of the musical scale …MORE

Sunday, 5 April 2009

The Healing Powers of Music


VA Uses Music Therapy In Veterans' Recovery


The healing power of music to aid recovery is nothing new. In fact, both Plato and Aristotle wrote about it in ancient Greece. In our modern-day, music therapy is often used to treat patients with mental illness ………….
“Music therapy, the VA says, is a burgeoning field with ancient roots that helps patients cope with a variety of life's ills, from depression or post-traumatic stress to substance abuse and cognitive disorders, among others ………." MORE  

Blues Legend John Mayall Is Dead at 90

Sorry to hear about the death of John Mayall, who was such an influential figure in the British Rock and Blues movement. Rest in peace, John...