when it rains it leaks

With the right push, one of these tracks could be a single. But after two albums of holding my interest, the band has dropped an album of meh upon us.

What band? Does it matter? The cycle's the same.

Some performers travel relentlessly, honing tracks live until they're polished gems for a proper album. Some can get away with their fanbase sharing these works as they progress.

We know what happens when bands have open taping policies. Ani DiFranco, Dave Matthews Band, Mike Doughty, Phish, Grateful Dead, Rage Against the Machine...there are artists and bands at all levels who embrace the obvious benefit of an engaged fanbase.

Where commerce begins to fuck art is when a band or artist scrapes the dregs from the bottom of their brains, the last and least inspired pieces of art, or unpolished, untested, virginal music. Sometimes wisely, artists learn to edit themselves, hold back until something feels like it's ready.

Then there's the times when something else happens. The public was all ready for a familiar set of songs from DMB back in the day, but instead of what at-the-time were referred to as 'the Lillywhite sessions', the band released something else. Better or worse? Didn't matter...wasn't the right songs at the right time.

I fear the recent trend of keeping the music far under wraps from the fanbase until it's been paraded in front of journalists and posers. These so-called professionals then trickle their reviews out with uninformed opinions that mislead the fanbase, usually far more knowledgable than the reviewer anyway.

The disrespect paid by whoring the music for the capitalist scam before sharing it with the devoted can never be underestimated. It's causing a frothing furor in a forum or two presently, and I've seen favoritism play itself out in other communities.

People watching can be amusing, can be devastating, can be nauseating. Today's been a little of all 3, at least so far. This time the music has yet to make itself matter to me, make me feel anything for it. It's just boring, but there's always the chance it will grow on me.

But this story's not even halfway over just yet...