More Blues Brothers...

Music is art.

At least it's supposed to be, although anyone who hits me over the head with any given power metal or Tokyo Hotel cd will have a strong argument against that.
Anyway, given the concept of music as art is widely accepted by our readers, I wish to build on that ground.

People appreciate music for the most different reasons.
Some feel comforted by its spirit and soul, by the storytelling that fills the void of a world where everyone should be alone with the certainty that there are notions and fine lines that others perceive as well, ultimately challenging the disjointness of the individual from society.
Some people divulge into the orchestrations and finer points of composition of music as an intellectual exercise and greatly enjoy the beauty of the underlying order that harnesses the chaos of a world too complex to understand.
Some, then, enjoy the expressiveness of music for the sheer power of emotion, as a pure means to absorb power and energy to go on fighting their own battles (and yes, I was thinking of Iggy Pop here...).
Others need music as a companion to just blend out thought, to help slow the world down by repeating a known pattern in their head that makes them feel familiar with themselves.
Finally, some people probably just like noise.

To any and all of those people who busy themselves with this artform for any given of these reasons, I have a shocking newsflash: the very same qualities and virtues that make you put your earphones on ever so often can be found in other forms of art, as well.

If you enjoy Bob Dylan for his lyrical style that makes your mind wander, you probably enjoyed reading the Beats a great deal.
If you always find yourself connected to Velvet Underground's excessive elegance, you might seriously like the art of Andy Warhol.
And if Bolero is your music of choice, you already have a movie playing in your head and surely can't help but visiting the theatres every now and then.

Art as a form of expression knows no boundaries and has infinite channels, but the basic common ground we start from is human experience that is common to many people. No matter how distorted it comes out at the end of the processing machine that is the emotional apparatus of each human mind, the ground will be common.
And as we have devoted this blog and a lot of our time to music, we will try to share discoveries from other sources of grandeur with you as well.

As you all have noticed, music and cinematography share a very strong bond (especially within this blog). The bond is not formed only by live videos, but also highly conceptuated music videos by visual artists like Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze or David Fincher. Not to mention Jonas Akerlund, whose work with the Smashing Pumpkins has left deep impressions upon those who know it.
On the other hand, the good Doc's soundtrack special should have made it clear how much music helps movies tell a story and become part of it. There is no western without Ennio Morricone, no Star Wars or Indiana Jones without John Williams and no Fountain without Clint Mansell and Mogwai.

But alas, our time in this life is limited, we can't know it all and neither do we want to, yet the attraction is unquestionably there. Se we resort to the wisdom, knowledge and taste of others as a guide through the vast fields out there.
Personally, I have found myself to be continually impressed by the quality of observation and abundance of background information about the cinematographic side of things presented by a cherished friend and avid follower of our blog. As there has been the fortunate event of the start of his own blog about the things he believes in (I'm still anticipating his full frontal assault on graphic novels), I welcome the opportunity to defer to him in all things cinema and present his blog to all of you, who surely love the moments sitting in the dark room with the newest Tarantino flick starting as much as me.

This also marks the inauguration of our "Recommended" section to the right, which shall slowly be enriched with sources of infinite knowledge and wisdom (fandom?).
So please enjoy, and if you happen to find sth. that absolutely cannot be missed feel free to make us richer for it.