markrichardson:

desnoise:

marathonpacks:

Greil Marcus.

This is so interesting! Tonight I don’t think it’s necessarily what I love in music, and I’m not sure if it’s actually all that clear— what kind of ambitions? is ambition for ambition’s sake OK? (didn’t the ancient Greeks have sort of a negative connotation for “ambitious”?) what if a particular record or performance has only humble ambitions but turns out to say something astoundingly true and beautiful in a world where most of us say whatever it takes to get paid and pretend that’s better than truth and equal to beauty? what of beauty and truth… and, like, FEELINGS (oh c’mon I know it’s 2011 but music is still at least partly about those)— but this is wonderful food for thought.

Well the best thing about this to me is that it’s the ambition that you feel inside—you the listener. It’s not about what the song wants but what we want from it, and whether it could possibly deliver on that. A very interesting idea. Something about being inside a song that you think might be great and hoping that it can carry it all the way. That does seem exciting. 

Yeah realized as soon as I wrote it I was sorta misinterpreting it, and yes, I agree it’s exciting! I guess I was more wondering if other people really listen to a song with “ambition” for it, as opposed to just trying to get out of it what we can— especially these days, a million songs wash over me, and I kinda like most of ‘em, and very few get enough repeat listens to determine whether they fulfill any sort of lofty ambition, you know?— but anyway that’s why I love this, it’s great to talk about even when I’m not making as much sense as I’d like! (Which is always a pretty good time to talk about music, at least when I’m not having to justify to myself the fact that I’m getting paid!!!)