A friend sent me this article following the passing of Brian Wilson.
It got me thinking again about something that crosses my mind on the odd occasion – Do we have any musical geniuses active today. It is something brought to keen focus after 2016 took both David Bowie and Prince from us in quick succession. It would take some real warped takes to deny their genius status even if they aren’t to your taste.
In order to assess if we have any geniuses left or if we may ever see them again we need to define what would constitute a genius. I can ascertain five different measures for this deified status but I’m sure there are others that need consideration.
- Innovation
- Impact
- Diversity
- Consistency
- Popularity
When we think of musical genius we tend to think of progenitors of musical styles or those with a large category of consistently popular tracks. Acts arising in the 60’s and 70’s had the advantage of untapped fertile ground with the then-new classic band set up and very little in terms of predecessors it was easier to discover a melody or rhythm for the first time. Music is inherently both finite and infinite is what it can offer.
Innovation is inherently limited by the structure of music. There are only so many notes and structures they can come in. There are also only a limited range that are palatable to human ears. We have artists pushing the boundary on the latter all the time. Some age into fine wine or appreciated esoterica, others …don’t. The works of Aphex Twin and Georgie Greep spring to mind immediately but I’ve not doubt there are better examples.
Today’s music market is vastly different to the market of the 60’s and 70’s. Home recording ability matched with free publication ability gives anyone with a laptop and microphone or midi input (and even without those things!) the ability to produce and publish music. More music is published every day than was produced annually 50 years ago. Technology and the internet has done wonders for access to the market but it has created noise and attention vacuums.
In order to be a genius these days, innovation alone is not going to carry you to that level of respect. I’d argue that it isn’t even necessary if you have the right combination of the other factors. the definition of genius has shifted.
The thing that the original pop and rock bands had the advantage to claim through their innovation was their impact. They were claiming the innovative tools to write the new set of playbooks for the next generations. Those that picked up those playbooks and pushed them yet further are the best candidates for considering genius status.
Influence is clearly an important factor. The broader that influence the greater that score too. Influence within the musical or artistic realms is obvious but impact on the zeitgeist is also to be considered here. Sure, being a stalwart of the musical scene that artists look to as their inspiration is the primary form but if an artists impact can make a lasting impact to the broader cultural zeitgeist or the wider industry then genius comes into the equation.
This could be introducing new live show techniques or distribution methods. It could be having an iconic look that goes with the album cycle and influences hairstyles or clothing choices. It could be producing an evergreen pop culture reference. It could be achieving an obscene level of commercial success. These alone will not elevate to genius but they certainly grab the attention and play into the tapestry of a rounded decision to assign that badge.
Range and consistency are also critical. One need not have both but at least one is required. If an artist can put out consistently great records in one lane then that is fairly clear. However I’d argue that being able to turn to different musical forays and execute to the same high quality bar within those fields does more to elevate to genius status than ploughing the same furrow.
So what does genius look like today. I’d say execution is the most important aspect. This encompasses consistency, innovation and impact from the above and if it achieves the others then that’s a bonus. I’d say it lies in production and behind the scenes more than it does up front these days. being able to make a great sounding record is as important as the content itself. I’d also say that while sampling is generally an automatic disqualifier in a lot of eyes, the world of interpolation and mixing is deep and it depends what you do with it.
Don’t believe me? Tell me with a straight face that Daft Punk aren’t geniuses. …yep you couldn’t do it could you! I hesitated as I wrote it but you look at Discovery and it is just transcendental and there is barely an originally produced thing on there. It is a collage of highly manipulated samples from songs of the style we saw them produce for themselves on the exquisite sounding Random Access Memories – my go to for a modern, great sounding record. Between the limitations of home recording and the loudness war of the major producers, to create a record that sounds fantastic is a surprisingly rare feat these days.
Hip Hop is an entire genre defined by sampling, remixing and playing with existing material to create something entirely new and enjoyable. Someone more familiar with the West and East Coast scenes could more easily pick out the genius candidates than me but they are there. Those scenes have led to the creation of a range of genres and have taken over the musical zeitgeist. Built on the shoulders of giants. Genius still exists.
Electronic music is another area, also high in the current cultural sphere, where there is more fertile ground. It is easy to sneer at but the technical complexity of producing great electronic music is as difficult, if not maybe more-so than it’s genre brethren. Hiding behind computers and light shows, the big players can manipulate their tools with similar impressiveness as Jimi Hendrix or Jon Bonham could.
So are there any candidates for genius status still operating today? I think there are but any I mention from this point on can be argued and debated. I’d say we don’t have any obvious David Bowies. Though of course one forgets that Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan are still going. we are of course considering those that are now in the midsts of or just after the cusp of their creative zeniths.
I make the case for Damon Albarn when this topic comes up. When you look at the breadth, he has Blur and Gorillaz as his headlines but he also has a myriad of other projects covering almost every genre. I think he is one of the more prolific and prominent musical polymaths working today. But then I just marvel at Gorillaz all the time so maybe I’m biased.
Jacob Collier might be mentioned but I think he falls into the musical prodigy category rather than genius. He needs to execute and deliver to the zeitgeist more if he is to attain legendary or genius status over industry darling.
I’m not a stan but Radiohead have to be in this conversation. Whether as a unit or certain members I’m not sure but with the level of commercial success, cultural respect and influence on almost every artist that came after them there is genius un there somewhere. My candidate is Jonny Greenwood given his breadth of doing orchestral work as well but I think it may be a sum is greater than its parts job here with Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich as the other leaders.
An argument can be made for Taylor Swift but I disagree. Genius at the business of music, absolutely. Genius at PR and generating a rabid following and audience, without a doubt. Her music is very good too but it hardly packs a punch of the Innovation, Impact or Influence. I can’t wait for the Swifties to find this and launch their “Um, actually” attack with weirdly specific artist and track examples. COME AT ME! Eras was amazing – calm down.
Then again maybe the fractured nature of the music market where every genre and taste is served but no single on rides high means that we have niche genius rather than universal. Maybe its taken on more of an academic style system where the universally renowned great minds are behind us and now each field has their superstar that will be studied for generations. Maybe the discussion of genius is redundant entirely or maybe we can spend too long arguing over what constitutes genius in unread blog posts on the internet that we forget to put the next record on.
musikigai 
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