So this was a feature I wrote the other month that I was hoping to get published somewhere out and about. There’s unfortunately been no joy on that front but that could just be because the subject has indeed been discussed quite a bit already. Regardless, reading it again I still liked it and the input from the artists I spoke to was really terrific. So here it is for you to hopefully also enjoy. Leave a comment if you give a care.

Do Albums Still Matter?
Dave Ruby Howe

The forever churning cycle of the music industry has rendered many mediums obsolete; the cassette, the mini-disc and everyone knows the vinyl record would count among that list if it wasn’t for purists and hipsters looking to decorate their studio apartments with music they can’t play. But could the album itself be the next victim to splutter and die in the face of our move towards digital platforms?

While music as a whole isn’t ranking on an endangered species list, it’s how we consume it that spells worrying signs for the idea of an album. Really, what is the point of producing a cohesive, hour plus body of work when the ‘shuffle’ function reigns supreme? Grand and layered records count for zilch when most iTunes buyers will merely sample a handful of tracks and not the whole package. So when attention spans have dwindled down to 140 characters or less we have to ask the question, do albums matter anymore?

For Tim Hoey of Modular mainstays Cut Copy the importance of the album format has taken a hit in recent years, with the gradual shift to digital media taking away some of the ‘special-ness’ of albums.

“I love the idea of a record; this perfectly weighted portrait of an artist that really brings the listener in on something that feels important,” Hoey says. “But that just feels like a very old fashioned idea in the iTunes generation, which I think is pretty limiting. I love actually going into a shop and picking something up and studying it. An album is something an artist has given you and I think you need to get the total package to really understand where they’re coming from. It’s just not the full experience to just have the artwork as this tiny little icon on your screen…to actually hold it and feel it is something completely different altogether.”

Currently crafting her debut LP for Australian indie imprint Ivy League, Catcall (aka Catherine Kelleher) likewise recognises the diminished weight that the format holds. Nevertheless Kelleher insists she is sticking to her album ambitions, emphasising her desire to create something that stands as a “whole piece of art” and not merely a .zip file.

“I’ve heard potent arguments about the death of the LP but I still love the idea of an album because I enjoy listening to a body of work that can take the listener on an emotional journey,” Kelleher muses. “[The decline of the album] mainly applies to mainstream pop because it has such a singles focus and those albums usually have a lot of filler and crap on them. I mean, listen to a big pop record by Beyonce and there are something like 17 tracks; seven awesome singles and 10 very boring, forgettable ballads.”

Less nostalgic for the album’s time in the sun is UK electro-pop star Calvin Harris has made the choice to abandon the full length format in favour of short-form releases, explaining that after two full lengths producing LPs was no longer a ‘priority’.

“Some people still do really well in the album format but for me it’s not so much a priority right now so I’m just going to release singles for a while…keep putting music out there quickly and keep people dancing.”

Likewise Thomas Mars, frontman for French indie-rockers Phoenix, admits he is ready for new formats to overtake the traditional LP structure despite the fact that the band are currently recording their fifth full length and follow-up to 2009’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. For that record Phoenix stretched the conventional boundaries of an LP, supplementing the original record with an extras-heavy box set edition, a remix album and a continuous online fan hunt set up by the band to offer demos and other free downloads.

“I think we still try to put weight on a record and tell people how they should listen to it, and then if they like that they can get more out of it, like all the remixes,” Mars explains of the release strategy. “I feel like every time music takes a turn with new technology it is interesting for everyone and you have to see where it will go. Like when CDs came along and suddenly you had so much space for an album. Now I want to know what is coming next.”

One third of Australia’s Midnight Juggernauts, Andy Szekeres, concurs with Phoenix’s approach to releasing records in today’s climate, explaining that with their sophomore record from 2010, The Crystal Axis, the ‘Juggernauts attempted to ‘regain the importance’ of the LP format with a slew of additional content including free merchandise bundles, bonus material and slabs of limited edition vinyl created with North American upstart imprint Acéphale.

“You almost have to convince people that an album still means something and that it shouldn’t be so easily disposable as a bunch of MP3s on your computer that you listen to once.” he says of the trials facing an artist’s album. “These days you’ve got to give people a reason to want a ‘total package’, something they can’t get by downloading a torrent of your record. Now it’s a commitment to buy and listen to an album in full, so artists have to make it worthwhile for fans, otherwise the show’s over.”

Need You Now (Architecture in Helsinki Version) by cutcopymusic

There was a lot more from Cut Copy’s Tim on the subject, some very considered discussion on the decline of not only the CD format but the concept of an album. Tim’s always a great interview, I think we’ve chatted three or four times now, as is the nature of music journalism in Australia. Because there hasn’t been enough Cut Copy love on this blog, or any blog in the universe for that matter, here’s Need You Now as rejigged by Architecture In Helsinki.

Tags: Acephale, Albums, Architecture In Helsinki, Australia, Calvin Harris, Catcall, Cut Copy, Interview, Ivy League, Midnight Juggernauts, Modular, Phoenix, Remix, Writing