ESSAYS: reviews, essays, and a place for musical evolution

August 15, 2000

Musical Evolution & The Cycle
written by Les Heifner

As the powerful, yet benign cycle of popular music begins to finish the latter end of its unmistakable process, the idea of Musical Evolution couldn't be more propitious. Music listeners are beginning to tire of the fruitless instant gratification that has been offered by the record industry dinosaurs for the majority of this cycle. "The Cycle," as we call it, is as follows.

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I. The Birth Or Rebirth Of The Cycle*

The Cycle is born out of a period of near creative deadness, and relatively sparse examples of Musical Evolution. The "buying public" seems to grow tired of the trends of trend, and begins to notice something better happening in areas that are either not very hip, or previously non-existent. Musical Evolution begins its cycle.

Radio stations & record companies are either ready for the shift, or adapt very quickly, and present new musical ideas. This is generally representative of the changes that took place from 1991-1993, the last time that the cycle began.

II. Musical Evolution Continues To Prosper

During the birth or rebirth of the Cycle, music evolves quite noticeably. At first, almost anything outside of this evolution is considered unacceptable by the standard of popularity. A large explosion of garage bands, voluntary instrument lessons & a conveniently noticeable new style in clothing emerges, as what began as Musical Evolution begins to influence a significant culture mutation.

Mutatis Mutandis: "The necessary changes having been made."

III. The Prospering Musical Evolution Slackens

The mutated culture begins to take its toll. Unfortunately, the process of Musical Evolution is not exempt from the washing machine nature of which it is born. The very essence of the musical change that took place forces the creation of a large abundance of commercially altered music acts, and as in the case of the average fire, something burns at a faster rate than it is built.

Tempora mutantur nos et mutamur in illis: "The times are changed even as we are changed in them."

IV. The Dark Period Begins & Ends

New & plastically improved forms of past financial successes are reintroduced under new names, with new faces, and new clothes. The tasteful gratification gauge among average music listeners, (the majority,) hits a low. Anything above the intellectual & tasteful limits of popular sounds becomes publicly repulsive, hence, the Cycle ends in a dark period of creative deadness.

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The Cycle has been orbiting our culture since music began, but the orbit times have, and continue to vary each time. This is not something that can be quantified with numbers or mapped out on a mathematical chart.

Also, there are exceptions to the dark period within the cycle in the form of Musical Evolution. However, it is usually not popular, makes hardly any money to support itself, and can conceivably die out before the cycle begins again. There are also those not so rare cases where Musical Evolution happens, and is embraced. But this seems quite random, isolated, and is definitely not understood fully by myself in regards to this essay.

Thanks for listening,
Les Heifner
lesheifner@musicalevolution.8k.com