That One

Man, where to begin with this song. I guess I’ll start out by making a bold statement, P.O.S. is one of the most important musicians of the last 10 years. He puts forth some of the most honest, freshly distinctive, unconventional and innovative music today. It’s always challenging, holding layers, that are worth the time to unravel and dissect. In my opinion, his debut release, 2004’s Ipecac Neat was unprecedented, raw and full of heart. He poured himself into each track, with a fearless determination to be heard. Stef is a grand mix of talent and passion. He has a unique voice and lucky for us, he chooses to use it. I’ve never liked the mainstream bullshit, the watered-down music that finds it’s way into the ears of millions of sheep, eating the shit up like it’s the cure for cancer. It’s not, music like this is. The unrestricted, honestly bare-bones approach, leaving everything on the table. There is no “dressing it up”, no “making it pretty, marketable and easily digestible”. There is an honest connection that one recognizes and believes in. I have always been drawn to music that carries passion, integrity and conviction. There is no conviction and/or, to an extent, passion in mainstream music, it’s a business. I don’t believe it, so I don’t find it to be worth my time. I guess it’s a difference in what you demand from music, the value you find in music.

My love for hip-hop has everything to do with a deep love of language.
People dismiss hip-hop as ignorant and an abomination to music. Like anything, you have to sift through the shit to find what matters. I want to hear lyrics that mean something.

The funny thing is that hip-hop holds, by far, the most intelligent and creative expression of language in music today. I can not think of one single other genre of music that comes close. Don’t get me wrong, there are excellent, brilliantly-crafted lyrics to be found in any genre of music. If we measured them all up though, I think we’d find that hip-hop buries it’s competition. The sad thing, is that the commercial and marketable shit is all the sheep hear and in turn, dismiss the entire genre. Fortunately, I’ve never been close-minded when it comes to anything in life. Life is too short for restrictions, especially when it comes to something as humanly expressive as art.

Anyway, I’m getting a bit sidetracked…so..on to the song.
This song came to me when I needed it most. It offers a sincere, honest look at ones internal reaction to failed love. This song is the epitome of excellent storytelling and structure. Starting out with an intense barrage of lyrics, layers of aggression, passion and well-structured lyrical passages. Like thoughts, just festering in the brain, cycling through over and over, the could of and should of, the accusations of blame, the back-and-forth struggles of relationships. The confusion, the stress, the out-of-your mind pure fucking sadness. The desire to relieve yourself of the situation, find something, hold on for a bit longer. The olive branch. The memories, the little things, the times you shared and everything you miss. The realization that someone actually found it within themselves to love you, with all their heart and it was mutual. The pain that it may never happen again.

I structured this type experiment out in the same fashion the song builds.
The barrage of thoughts, all mixed-up and primal, followed by the climax, the main point, the final output of frustration and that glimpse of closure.

“My best, you can have it if you want it“
This almost offers comfort in the whole mess. The justification through being rational approach.

“Drowning, I’m not waving, I’m drowning“
The unease of it all, being human, being vulnerable, having your world collapse around you. The desire to give-in and fester in your sadness, to be alone.

This is one of my favorite songs ever and probably always will be.
Stef has refined his approach over the years and still continues to impress me, or rather, floor me with his expression, his craft. Nothing he puts out will ever touch the vulnerable beauty that is Ipecac Neat. Rather, nothing he puts out will affect me in the same way — pretty much like everything in life.

I also created a “waving” hand graphic that has a portion missing from the “ring” finger. Emphasizing a shattered relationship. I’m trying to break myself of the desire to make everything clean in these type explorations. I always gravitate toward clean, structured type and it’s tough to break the habit. I may start only using hand-drawn type for a while, free from the structure of typefaces and the computer.

I really enjoying doing these because it allows me to explore my favorite songs in a whole new light.

Ambulance

TV on the Radio have a very distinctive sound. From Tunde Adebimpe’s unique voice to David Sitek’s production style, TvotR offer dense and subdued musical gems. Their first official release, 2004’s Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes was not only an incredible debut but offered some profound lyrical content. However cryptic and open-to-interpretation they may be, one can’t help but be struck by Tunde’s emotion-filled delivery. The lyrics I chose to highlight here are my favorite from this release and carry great sentiment. Of course, I’m referring to the outstanding “Ambulance”, from the voice looped backbone to the passionate delivery, this song floors me. I remember playing it often on the jukebox at The Bad Waitress on Nicollet Ave. — taking in the atmosphere, especially on one, truly perfect, snowy winter evening. I do miss those days.

Another TVotR track that holds deep sentimental value to me is the Raymond Scott (Night and Day) sampled track “Say You Do”, which contains the incredible vocal-sample of Nina Simone’s rendition of “Wild as the Wind”. That was by far the best track on the elusive OK Calculator 2002 “backpack” release.

Since 2004 TVotR have continued releasing incredible albums and I always look forward to hearing what they do next. Great band, incredible songs.

Also, just to point-out, not even the genius of David Sitek could save Scarlett Johansson’s butchering of Tom Waits songs (Anywhere I Lay My Head). I don’t have the words for how bad that was, the production was excellent though! You can expect some Waits appearances in these typography experiments, that’s for damn sure.

Anyway, hopefully those of you reading dig these weekly installments so far.

Tao of Now

Saul Stacey Williams is one of the most important writers/poets in the world today. His words inspire and bring redefinition to the love of language. His spoken word and four published books of poetry have touched me in a profound way over the last 8 years or so. His music, while interesting, doesn’t carry the impact of his poetry, his naked, unaccompanied voice. His debut album, 2001’s “Amethyst Rockstar” was earth-shattering to me. I will always remember the day I purchased it, sitting in my car, blaring the entire album — with my mouth open, in awe of what my ears were hearing, experiencing. I even called my buddy Warn and tried to play him “Tao Of Now” over the phone. To this day, that song in particular, always has the same impact on me.

Saul has stated that he felt like he had a lot to prove with his debut album, and he did, and he did. I only wish his last three releases had the same impact on me. He still writes some great material but I don’t feel the overall direction he’s moving. Regardless, he is a man who deserves recognition and should be talked about more.

Saul also had a profound starring role, in the 1998 film “Slam”, alongside fellow spoken word genius Beau Sia (of HBO’s Def Jam Poetry fame and a 2 time winner of the National Poetry Slam). I think the most memorable scene in the film goes without saying, if you’ve seen it you know what’s up. The brilliant courtyard “words instead of fists” scene. This was Ray Joshua’s (Saul) breaking point in the film, the pinnacle, the defining moment of the world around him. He freed himself with that speech and dammit, I still get goose bumps every time I watch it.

Saul has books filled with insightful, witty, highly-quotable passages. Many of which, I’d be inspired to explore typographically. Perhaps the first one that struck me and stayed firmly etched in my brain, came from his book “She” (1999). Perhaps I’m a romantic at heart or just more in touch with my emotions than the average dude, but these words hold a significant place in my love for hip-hop, music, poetry, language and she.

Once a week or so, I plan on exploring various avenues of typography utilizing my favorite lyrics. Mainly because it fulfills a cross-section of design, the bridge between music and design, my two biggest passions. Also, because I love type and always need to evolve, take-in all I can from experience. Each piece will reflect a particular artist and give a brief overview, for the uninitiated.

The results of these may not be anything special, or this one in particular, but my goal is to push the way I think about type. I’m a fan of clean type but I also get down with more imperfect hand-lettering, which might end up being my main tool in these little exercises. I have visions in my head of arranging these profound words, as you often see, in motion — big, grand, spectacular typography in motion, Flash style. Well, my goals aren’t geared toward video right now, but my vision isn’t far off.

I will share them here for anyone who might be inspired to do the same or happens to enjoy what the process of examining type.

As always, thanks for reading.