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realitycheck44

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So, to answer the ORIGINAL question, I just discovered a real Objectivist band this morning. I went to an art center last night, to look for a guitarist for my band, and I found a demo CD of this band called SelfMadeSoul. It had three songs on it;"I am what I believe" (which is very uplifting song about being/doing what ever you put your MIND to), "Nightwalk" (Kind of a ballad, nice but nothing too interesting), and "The New Ethic" (A Clear Objectivist Song, hard rock, Avril Lavigne style, using Rand's "Warrant and Sanction" quote directly. All in all pretty good, and I'm going to see about checking out more of their music. If anyone is interested, check out SelfMadeSoul.

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Rush incorporated Ayn Rand's ideas in a very obvious way and no explanantion is needed. I really enjoy Rush, in fact they were my gateway to Ayn Rand.

However many other bands in the Progressive genre, to me, represent Objectivist ideals. When musicians play with a combination of great expertise and feeling. When they write music that goes against the current popular trend, but the music fulfills them, that reflects Objectivism.

Thus my list would include:

Rush

ELP

Yes

Genesis (Peter Gabriel era)

Transatlantic

Flower Kings

King Crimson

IQ

Spock's Beard

Tangent

Dream Theater

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So, to answer the ORIGINAL question, I just discovered a real Objectivist band this morning.  I went to an art center last night, to look for a guitarist for my band, and I found a demo CD of this band called SelfMadeSoul.  It had three songs on it;"I am what I believe" (which is very uplifting song about being/doing what ever you put your MIND to), "Nightwalk" (Kind of a ballad, nice but nothing too interesting), and "The New Ethic" (A Clear Objectivist Song, hard rock, Avril Lavigne style, using Rand's "Warrant and Sanction" quote directly.  All in all pretty good, and I'm going to see about checking out more of their music.  If anyone is interested, check out SelfMadeSoul.

I just finished downloading those three songs by SelfMadeSoul, and this band is now one of my favorites. "The New Ethic" is the best of the three, I think. I'm going to be buying the CD from the site very soon

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I just finished downloading those three songs by SelfMadeSoul, and this band is now one of my favorites. "The New Ethic" is the best of the three, I think. I'm going to be buying the CD from the site very soon

They're pretty good and really shift around in tone. If a top-notch talent band like Tool would redo "The New Ethic" (actually sounds like a softer early Tool song) it would be as close to perfection as you can get. Thanks for the link Styles2112.

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So, to answer the ORIGINAL question, I just discovered a real Objectivist band this morning.  I went to an art center last night, to look for a guitarist for my band, and I found a demo CD of this band called SelfMadeSoul.  It had three songs on it;"I am what I believe" (which is very uplifting song about being/doing what ever you put your MIND to), "Nightwalk" (Kind of a ballad, nice but nothing too interesting), and "The New Ethic" (A Clear Objectivist Song, hard rock, Avril Lavigne style, using Rand's "Warrant and Sanction" quote directly.  All in all pretty good, and I'm going to see about checking out more of their music.  If anyone is interested, check out SelfMadeSoul.

Interesting... they seem to be from Danbury, CT and are having a performance in my town (New Milford) on Aug 5th...

Now listening to the "I Am What I Believe" track. Somewhat unique, but it's hard to hear the lyrics clearly in this mix, excepting a few phrases that stand out as terms we read in Objectivist essays.

It is encouraging to see that the younger generation is aware of Objectivism, but I wonder if they are just using the words as decoration or whether they live their meaning. Music can be a great tool of change, since it reaches the younger generations and many kids get their philosophical ideas from the music they listen to, not so much from books.

While some of this music is not exactly my style, at least there are signs of things heading in the right general direction.

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2112 is based on "Anthem."  The album is dedicated "to the genius of Ayn Rand." 

I first heard of Ayn Rand through reading a biography of the band.  I wonder how many other Objectivists did as well.

I discovered Rand because of 2112. If that album did not have "dedicated to the genius of Ayn Rand" on it I, to this day (20 years later), may never have discovered her.

I did want to add to this conversation that music today generally does not have an upbeat life affirming quality. Even the often quoted band in this discussion The Postal Service has a down beat mopey tone to it. By comparison music from the 80's was very upbeat and had a 'life is great' feel. I discovered this a few years ago when I was listening to an Internet 80's station and the difference between then and now was obvious. Consider pop bands from the 80's like the Go-Gos. You can't get much more upbeat than that. Even metal bands at that time were upbeat and happy sounding, for example Poison, Ratt, etc. Even a band that many people though of as rebellion music at the time, The Ramones, is ridiculously happy sounding. My point here is that the contemporary bands that are being mentioned in the posts in this forum are nowhere near as life affirming as 80's music, even when those 80's musicians were trying to be negative. I think this is because bands today are being measured against bands like Nirvana which was not a very upbeat band and relative to them these other bands seem upbeat.

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By comparison music from the 80's was very upbeat and had a 'life is great' feel.

I completely agree. The 80's mentality I think was just upbeat and positive-- I really don't remember the 80's that well it's only through the music I get that sense. Maybe it had something to do with the economy?

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I think, when a culture runs on a vacuum, it inevidably swings from one end to another just because the other end is "new" or something. Notice the shifts. The roaring twenties and general life-loving big-band music was followed by the abject nihilism of Vietnam-era rock, followed by the feel-good eighties, which was followed by the grunge movement in the early nineties, which was then followed by a sort of return to pop music. It's similar in academia. Ideas "get old" and people "want something new" since nothing is really guiding them.

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They're pretty good and really shift around in tone.  If a top-notch talent band like Tool would redo "The New Ethic" (actually sounds like a softer early Tool song) it would be as close to perfection as you can get.  Thanks for the link Styles2112.

Not a problem. I'm glad to see people liking them. I've yet to see them in concert, though, sometime (when I have time) I'd like to. Hey, maybe they'll need a drummer in the near future!

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I couldn't let the references to Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys pass without sticking in an oar on behalf of the Pogues. The fact that Shane MacGowan is still alive should give medical experts serious pause, the fact that the old crew have reunited is a cause for celebration. Nice to hear Fairytale of New York again (minus Kirsty MacColl, RIP.)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I first came across Symphony X reading this thread and downloaded the songs on their website. From then on I was definitely a fan, but I got to see them live Thursday on the Gigantour (Megadeth, Dream Theater, Fear Factory, Symphony X, Dry Kill Logic, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Life of Agony, Nevermore, and Bobaflex) and to say the least they were incredible! They definitely got the biggest crowd response next to Megadeth and Dream Theater (and perhaps Fear Factory, which was pretty much a tie). I was blown away by how well that guy could sing!

That was certainly a night to remember. It lasted from 4:00 till after midnight with only about 20 min rest between bands. I'm still waiting for my hearing to fully return. It's funny how much you miss it once its almost gone :P

By the way, for any of you who would like some free legal songs, go to Roadrunner Records and Century Media Records. There are still some independent record label sites I haven't visited yet, but these two should get you a couple hundred free legal tunes :( (Not the nicest, most Objectivism-friendly ones, though)

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I discovered Rand because of 2112. If that album did not have "dedicated to the genius of Ayn Rand" on it I, to this day (20 years later), may never have discovered her.

I did want to add to this conversation that music today generally does not have an upbeat life affirming quality.

Arounf 1979 or so, a friend of mine had an album by the B-52s. They were a punk band from that era, and although I don't really identify with that genre, the lyrics always had me rolling on the floor with laughter. They would talk about bizzare activities in their songs, ranging from baking potatoes in the back seat of old Chevys and seeing a "rock lobster" because they were so high on weed, but the way the lyrics and the party atmosphere of the songs were, one could tend to overlook the questionable morality of the characters described in their songs. It was just too darned funny!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hey does anybody know of any bands that are even remotely consistent with Objectivism? 

Check out the album, Concerto of Deliverance, that was commissioned for the Rand Centenary and inspired by a quotation from Rand in Atlas Shrugged. Lots of excerpts and info at http://www.starshipaurora.com/concertoofdeliverance.html

Last year there was an extended discussion here on this site about the album (or, rather, around the album). To find the thread, ust key in <Concerto of Deliverance> on this site's search box. But first listen to the samples with your own ears.

- Monart

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I have been listening to Rush for 10 years now. Their music is universally (though not uniformly) good. Which is to say their worst albums rank as "that's pretty good", and their best as "that's #$%*&'ing awesome".

If you picked up 2112 looking for an Objectivist message, I can see why you were frustrated - the song is metaphorical. I sugest you look up the following songs:

Anthem

Freewill

The Trees

Tom Sawyer

Subdivisions

Grand Designs

Bravado

They are all superb compositions, and the lyrics are also fantastic. If you are going to pick up an album, check out Permanent Waves or Moving Pictures.

mrocktor

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Don't forget about Incubus -- their lyrics are strongly based on individualism and strength (Plus their sound goes from soft to hard -- regardless of taste, one should enjoy some of their songs).

For the modern rock sound, Mindless Self Indulgence, is influenced by Ayn Rand's writings. And for more of a cry against second-handers and the melting faces of mediocrity, try A Perfect Circle (Note: Explicit lyrics are included on the non-clean versions of their CDs.)

Edited by Gray None
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Being someone who specializes in the metal genre that was prominent in the 80s as well as the continued evolution it saw in the 90s in Europe, I have come across a few bands that have that "world as it ought to be" Aristotilean mode to their lyrics, some more consistently than others.

Power Quest - This is a british/italian outfit that deals in 80s inspired new-wave mixed with speed metal. The lyrics are reminiscent of viking/greek pagan tales of heroism. It is so positive at times that it becomes cheesy, but this is not an issue for me.

Gamma Ray - These guys are a mixed bag at times, but their Science Fictionally inspired music (particularly their album Somewhere out in Space) has a mode of intellectual curiousity that is in line with Rand's view of fiction serving reality. Some of their later music (Powerplant album/Magestic album) function more as political polemics against theocracy and tyranny.

Mob Rules - Their music is essentially classical music and old style Sabbath metal super-imposed over a concept story of a post-apocalyptic era in the Waterworld/Road Warrior mold. However, there is a sense of optimism and humanism that pervaids. "End of all Days" off of their Savageland album and "Way of the World" off of Hollowed be thy Name are excellent tales of both the value of man and the individual.

Rhapsody - These guys take classically influenced metal to an extreme and literally have harpsichords and organs noodling diatonic lines with blazing electric guitars. Picture Bach meshed with a hyper-fast Judas Priest and you'll have it. The Fantasy Storyline is mystical in nature, alot of Dragons and Magic, but the hero bears a strong resemblance to Kira's Viking (We the Living).

Iron Savior - Similar to Gamma Ray, heavy Sci-Fi influence at work, and each album ends with the victory of the human race over their enemies. These guys basically present their own version of Atlantis that rivals that of most cinema devoted to the subject.

Freedom Call - Another great band with melodic music and inspiring lyrics. Some accuse them of being a bit too light and fluffy for a metal act, but there is some genuine genius at work here. The track that bears their band name (Freedom Call) on their album Crystal Empire is a pretty strong declaration of freedom. The song entitled "The Quest" and "Land of Light" are both keepers.

This may not be your style, but give it a try, it may grow on you. :worry:

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  • 2 months later...

Looking for a good rock band?

check out City Sleeps:

www.myspace.com/citysleeps

Those guys are signed to Maverick/Warner and are dropping their album out this summer which was produced by John Feldmann (The Used, Story of the Year, Mest, Goldfinger).

-E

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Jazz is an interesting idiom since most jazz is simply a copy of the music before it. Most jazz that you actually hear is just a new interpretation of an older tune. Jazz is rarely "pushing the limits" anymore and fusion sounds the same in just about everysong. Miles Davis is probably the pinnacle of jazz. (He's one of my absolute favorites) There is something to be said for crazy improv stuff, but it is equal (not greater) than to be said about great rock composition and orchestrating.

As a jazz lover and jazz musician (guitar, bass, alto sax) I can tell you that this is an unfounded and untrue statement. While jazz was built on earlier styles (blues, spirituals, and ragtime) it is hardly anything like the music that came before it. To say that "most jazz is just a new interpretation of an older tune" is unfounded. Even though there are ::some:: standards found on ::some:: newer albums (most likely the Chris Botti type) most albums are all original.

There have been countless innovations in jazz that probably never could have happened in any other genre because of the total constraints that are put on you such as in rock. Could there ever have been such a thing as "modal rock"? Could there have ever been such a thing as "free rock" (not to say that free jazz was a good genre)? No.

And contrary to popular belief, Miles Davis is not the be all end all of jazz. There is no doubt he was a prolific writer, arranger, and had an uncanny knack for finding talent (Coltrane, Hancock, Carter, McLaughlin, Corea, Williams, etc.), but he was frankly a mild trumpeter compared to the likes of Dizzy Gillepsie. Anyone that knows anything about jazz will tell you this.

Also it is a wide jump to compare improvisation with composition; the two are complete opposites. If you want to compare jazz improv with rock improv (there harldy is any, but there is some), you can do that. If you want to compare jazz comp with rock comp, you can do that. But improv and comp cannot be compared, they are two different beasts and require two different sets of standards.

/end rant

P.S. This isn't personal :worry:

Edited by studentofobjectivism
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I see that. Actually, the point about Miles Davis was purely a personal opinion. I did not intend it as fact. I will however admit poor phrasing as the idea of Jazz "being BUILT upon previous music" would have been a better statement. And that was my opinion on improv vs. compo. I like both equally. But I disagree with your "two different standards/beasts" thing. Improv is merely on the fly composition. While I (personal thought) think some "slack" should be cut, I would still judge the music by the same standards. You may also be thinking along the lines of the differences between speaking and writing, but even then, many of the same standards still apply.

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Hey does anybody know of any bands that are even remotely consistent with Objectivism?

Well personally, I take each band as they are and see if I like them (lyrically and musically). I've listened and liked almost every band listed here. But I'd like to take this opportunity to suggest a friend's band called The Fenwicks. The lead singer lists Rand as a positive influence in the music, and publicly support Objectivism on thier website here (New Update: Thu Mar 23 '06 11:21 pm). But as a listener you'd have to like ska/reggae/punk/rock in order to like their style.

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