You start small by gathering in someone’s garage or apartment clubhouse and writing some music. You score a gig opening for a semi-known local act on a Thursday night at the dumpiest venue around. Maybe a handful of your friends come, enjoy, and request a CD that you don’t yet have. You can’t afford the studio quite yet, but your bassist has a camera that records sound, so you set it down during practice and hope for the best.

You determine that the next best thing to a CD is a Myspace band page so — ignoring the poor recording quality — you don your page with all sorts of band branding and upload your tunes. Now you can tell potential fans where to find your music after shows. You book your second show, feeling a bit more prepared and ready to blow the crowd off their feet. You text everyone in your phone and wait for the inevitable throngs of people ready to support you, but by the time you strum your last note, there are two in the audience other than the other bands — and they’re sitting down in the back of the room rolling their eyes.

Welcome to the world of the musician.

Anyone who has played in a band knows that with any one step forward there seem to be ten steps back. There are no breaks, there are no handouts, and there are no special tricks that will guarantee you power, fame and money.

Take, for example, a band called “Trik Turner.” Trik Turner, a rap/rock band from Tempe, Ariz., got their first big break with a song placement on the Adam Sandler movie “Mr. Deeds,” and from there they were on the fast train to a record deal. Then two things happened: their frontman left, and the nation realized that rap/rock sucked. They were as dead as a seal during Shark Week. They weakly attempted a second album and marketed everywhere they could, but it was clearly over before they even started.

What does it take, then, to make it as a musician? Here are three points I would consider to be the most important.

1. Blood, Sweat and Tears

If you aren’t fully invested in your project, you may as well give up right now and save yourself and your band mates the time and trouble. Being serious about music is an understatement of what you need to keep things going. You will want to quit at least every other month, and if you don’t keep your eye on the big goal you’ll do just that.

In my own experience, working with a band is always hard. Just think about it — you have to deal with two, three or four other people all wanting different things and usually never as invested as you are. There will be times where you will be the only thing holding it together, and you may feel that no one else is even attempting to help out. Just keep your focus on the end goal, and remember that the constant feeling of failure is pretty normal… at least in the early stages.

And most importantly, be patient. On average it takes a band four years to get anywhere noteworthy — including Neon Trees.

2. Business-minded Mentality

You may think you’re avoiding the corporate world by not getting a real job and just doing the band thing. Newsflash — running a band is running a business. There’s marketing, accounting, public relations, sales, development, human resources… you’re not weasling out of anything at all if you’re doing it right. So read up — if you run a business successfully, you can run a band. It’s that simple. It’s the same gig, just a different product with some slightly different ways to pitch. That doesn’t necessarily make it simple — keep in mind that at least two-thirds of all businesses fail within two years of starting.

3. Being “Social”

A lot of band members out there would sit well on the cast of The Goonies as far as their level of misfitery. Many of us never had social lives, friends or any extroverted tendencies whatsoever. That’s why we start bands, so we can express our weirdness through music. But the day you want success is the day you change all that.

People are over 10 times more likely to accept something or purchase from a friend than a stranger or mild acquaintance, so start making some friends. Some of the things that work best are hanging out at other bands’ shows and shooting the breeze with their fans, being active on a couple social media outlets (don’t just talk about your show next week and how badly you want them there, be a human), and — believe it or not — blogging. And when you think you’ve reached the point of rock-god status and no longer have to interact with your fans on a personal level, just remember that even cute little Justin Bieber spends well over two hours on Twitter every day.

Feel free to comment below what you would add to this list.

As a person who has been a participant, observer, and employee of Provo music for nearly a decade, I thought I would add my opinion to those floating around the 100Block-o-sphere over the contents of this article.

While I was at first amused by some of the biases and inaccuracies found in this piece, I soon realized it wasn’t so much the article that was flawed as it was the musicians who were quoted in it. The article actually represents a common misconception among many Provo musicians — that the Velour scene is a fiercely competitive popularity contest that can only be won by a combination of 1) being “indie-folk,” and 2) being “connected”/networking with the “right people.” (?) After a long and bitter fight, these Provo musicians become jaded and give up on their lifelong dream of headlining a Velour show (“I didn’t wanna play there anyway!”), turning instead to bashing Velour and any band who plays there.

At this point I should probably mention that I played in a Provo-based pop-punk band for five years and have been doing a rap group for the past two years. And I’m an employee of Muse Music Café. Given those credentials, I am quite possibly the polar opposite of this supposed “Indie-Folk Velour aesthetic.”  So you’d think I’d be the ringleader of the bitter Velour-bashers mentioned above, right?

Wrong.

I’ve had no problem getting shows at Velour since the venue opened in 2006. Velour doesn’t favor bands that are “indie-folk” or “alt-country.” It favors bands that are good. It favors bands that try (a very non-indie trait, in my opinion.) And let’s not forget that while the venue’s books may look more like those of a non-profit, it is still a business. They favor bands that promote and draw a crowd.

Getting back to The Daily Universe article and where it goes wrong, we need to look at one of the primary sources for the article: a member of the local band, Red Orange.

Let me make it clear that I have nothing against this band or its members. In fact, I saw them play at Muse Music just last weekend. It was their first show (sorry bands; I don’t count playing the Raintree clubhouse or your ward talent night as a “show.”) They were great though. The place was packed. I am fully confident that if they kept it up, they could be co-headlining with Eyes Lips Eyes at Velour six months from now. (How this article affects that momentum remains to be seen.)

It seems like this new band jumped the gun in making all these broad generalizations about Provo music. In a way, it’s like they sealed their own fate as a potentially great Provo rock band. Buying into the myth that the Provo music scene is an uphill battle for bands like them, they are now perpetuating that myth to other musicians. And they haven’t even played a second show yet.

I don’t know Lizzie Jenkins, the reporter who wrote the article, but I’m sure she’s a fine writer who was just trying to fill an assignment, not knowing the can of worms she was opening among diehard Provo music enthusiasts. I know her journalism class said she needed at least three sources, but she could have perhaps talked to some more bands, maybe some who have played more than one show on 100Block.

I do admire Ms. Jenkins, though, in a way — and I am not saying this sarcastically. Rather than write the same vanilla articles about Provo music that are published year after year by the Universe (with the exception of Spencer Flanagan’s brief stint at the DU culture desk — a breath of fresh air indeed!), she tried to dig deeper and find something newsworthy. I admire her intentions. How many DU writeups about a local band just skim the surface, with a headline that goes something like, “______ Plays Gig in Provo, Seeks New Fans”?

What I’m saying is that, contrary to what many of my Facebook friends are suggesting, Ms. Jenkins should keep writing. Continue to dig deeper. There are so many great stories to be told about Provo music.

Let’s tell the stories of all the great things happening on 100-something North University Avenue. Neon Trees are touring the world. Fictionist are on the verge of being on the cover of Rolling Stone.  Neither band can be described as “indie-folk.” Muse Music and Velour are not rivals. I work at Muse and play shows at Velour.  Cory Fox owns Velour and buys sandwiches from Muse’s café — he and his sound guys are our best customers!

Sometimes I have a hard time getting my rap group on the shows I want to be on. When I text the band I want to open for, only to get the reply of “We’re working on our new album right now, not playing shows,” only to see that band playing a big show at Velour the next week, of course I get bummed! But that doesn’t mean that something’s wrong with them, or with Velour. It means that I need to work harder — and that’s exactly what I will do.

If you don’t want to put any work into your music, then I believe there’s an opening for you at the Raintree clubhouse next Friday. They’d love to have you play.

Consider: In 2006, West stated on national TV that President Bush didn’t care about black people. Though many probably privately agreed, the moment brought West a lot of negative press. And because he didn’t subsequently present any cohesive political message, the moment seemed more like an impulsive rant than anything else.

2006 was also the year West began using awards shows to torpedo his public image. When that year’s Grammys were announced, West forwent normal celebrity psuedo-humility by declaring that he should win Album of the Year. West also rushed the stage at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, and hinted that racism was a reason he didn’t headline at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.

And of course, there was his infamous and unforgettable stage-rush during Taylor Swift’s speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

It’s easy to call West a spoiled celebrity. And it’s not much harder to point out that West’s tantrums and troubles only fuel his fame. After all, Kanye is rich and could definitely be a nicer guy some of the time.

But it’s equally important to recognize that these moments of chaos also make his triumphs even more salient. They’re like flip-sides to the artist’s considerable victories in multiple media. They bind West’s persona to an archetype: he’s a tortured artist, a man with demons, the scrappy fighter.

In essence, each time West falters he sets the stage for a comeback, an atonement. West isn’t just a person, he’s a character and an emergent icon. And unlike other train wreck celebrities, West has thus far actually managed to redeem himself with his music and the life story he constructs with his Twitter feed, television appearances and videos. While we eventually all lose interest and empathy with people like Britney Spears or Lindsey Lohan, West successfully shows how pleasurable it is to watch someone come back from the dark side again and again.

In this way West is truly an epic hero. Like Odysseus bound to the ship mast, West is fallen and tempted, but through determination and genius eventually passes safely on to victory. Or, West is the reluctant superhero (think Spider Man). He toys with giving up or going bad, before finally making the right decision.

I’m not sure there is another pop star with as complex a public persona. West is like the Severus Snape of the avant hip-hop world. Is he good or evil? Brilliant or unhinged? Duplicitous or singularly committed? Other stars toy with this kind of self-reflexive celebrity, but no one pairs genuine moments of unrestrained personal catastrophe with such fantastic work the way Kanye does. By comparison, the life and accomplishments of runners up like Lady Gaga just seem… pedestrian.

The result, of course, is that West’s life and work aren’t really two different things. They are one and the same, a great saga living up to the wildest ambitions of Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and P. T. Barnum. West’s story afflicts and attracts. It soars and crashes. And in the end, perhaps the only remaining question is if it will be a comedy or a tragedy.

Ephemeral and seemingly transcendent of our current sphere — dotted with street lamps, house-tops and building strewn about — carefully falls the season’s early sparkling snow, one of Mother Nature’s most powerful tools of change. Fleeting memories of simplicity and peace abound, alluring and familiar, like an old refrain.

Few can resist the electric draw of Christmas magic. The thousands of twinkling lights. The idyllic, Norman Rockwell-esque comfort of sitting in front of a fire with loved ones. The evolution of Christmas itself is reflected in the very music that supercharges the season.

(To hear the evolution of Christmas music for yourself, check out Chase’s playlist below.)

Even early on, music was a key component of the Christmas season. In the Middle Ages, the English fused singing with circle dances, dubbing them “carols” — a term that would later come to signify a religious topic sung in a familiar or festive style. Christmas carols soon spread throughout Europe and first appeared in English circa 1426 in priest and poet John Audelay’s 25 “caroles of Cristemas.”

Despite some instances of Puritanical prohibition of Christmas carols and accompanying celebration because of its “pagan and sinful” nature, the dedicatory religious music remained a staple of the period, holding steady its place as one of the foremost tributes to Christmas. William Sandys’ “Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern” (1833) contained the first print appearance of many currently well-known carols, contributing to the holiday’s mid-Victorian revival. Interestingly enough, despite this musical rundown, just about all surviving Christmas carols only date back to the 19^th century at the earliest (with the exception of a few popular tunes such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” and “The Holly and the Ivy”).

Over the last 50 years or so, Christmas as it was — and how we often idealize it — has vastly changed. As society and its accompanying social norms have evolved, so have the tunes we associate with “the most wonderful time of the year.”

Beginning as a “pure” form of Christian adoration but slowly transitioning into a more cultural phenomenon, Christmas music has taken on its own form, aiming (intentionally or otherwise) to capture the “spirit” of the season rather than specifically paying tribute to the religious take on the occasion. Somehow, characters like a radioactive reindeer, thieving green scrooge and mystical snowman have worked their way into our current Christmas lore. Carols, in their purest form, seem present almost exclusively while in the express acts of serenading neighbors door-to-door or within the pews of church nowadays.

Take the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” for example. You’d be hard-pressed to find anything remotely related to the birth of the Son of God or even representative of a generalized Christmas sentiment here. In jovial fashion, the song follows the back-and-forth of a man attempting to coax a woman into taking full advantage of the mistletoe — using alcohol and other means to do so. And so it goes, as Billy says. The Christmas culture comments on itself, coming full circle.

Many secular songs today — or even over the last 50 years — generate a “Christmas music” label with what appears to be few credentials, at least comparative to the carols of yore. The lyrics of “Sleigh Ride” mention only a birthday party and snow. “Jingle Bells” was originally penned to celebrate Thanksgiving. Oftentimes, only a wintry theme or arbitrary addition of backing sleigh bells clear a tune for our Christmas playlists.

These facts aren’t meant to persuade you to reexamine your Christmas listening habits (unless you’re listening to Celine Dion, that is), but rather to reflect on how our society has changed and identify what now qualifies Christmas music as, well, Christmas music. The operative question to me is: what elements make certain music staples of the season?

Increasingly, it seems as though seasonal cheer is equaled by outrage. In fairly recent years, with the evolutionary music shift, Christians have been up in arms about this secularization — dubbed by many, the “War on Christmas.” Opposing that call for more traditional and spiritual respect, others strive for their independence of belief — wanting to celebrate the season sans religion.

Though we sometimes fall into the trap of thinking both sides are exclusively aggravated and out for blood, the truth of the matter is that there are many more of us in the gray area, undecided about what to make of this change. I can understand the arguments presented by both groups, but I think there’s an equilibrium to be reached while still retaining those personal elements that make the season uniquely special to each of us.

In an op-ed column for the New York Times last winter, Jewish musician Michael Feinstein said, despite his respect for the general Christian disappointment of having a religious tradition eroded by commercialization (though most of us are guilty of taking part in that) and those without a faith in Jesus Christ, he hopes we can all reach some level of understanding regarding the season’s universal spirit. Today, and in a country becoming increasingly diverse, traditions are inevitably mixing. (As an example, look at the prolific Christmas music produced by American Jews: for example, Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” “Santa Baby,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Winter Wonderland,” among others).

“It doesn’t take Freud to figure out that the sugar plums, holly and mistletoe all tap into a sense of comfort, longing, security and peace that so many fervently desire; that we all wish the clichés were true,” Feinstein said. “As Jews, Christians, Muslims, Mormons, Buddhists and everything in between, we are all more alike than we are different. That’s something to celebrate.”

Maybe I’m just a hopeless Christmas romantic, but I, myself, don’t necessarily find anything wrong with the smorgasbord of Christmas music we now possess. Will I be listening to “Silent Night” more often than “Santa Baby?” You better believe it. Regardless, at the heart of the music — and the holidays — lie the basic Christian ideals universally known and applied, regardless of belief system or religious persuasion. We all share common ground in our struggles to become better people, showing kindness to others and spending time with loved ones.

Quoth the Grinch (one of those previously mentioned fabricated characters), “maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

—————

I was probably in Fourth Grade the first time I came across some of my dad’s Beatles cassette tapes. It was my first experience with “grown up” music and, like some kid raised on bran flakes who tastes cocoa puffs for the first time, my world was transformed. I was infected with what was surely the best music ever made, and I began absorbing anything and everything I could learn about the band. Even from my modest research as a 10-year-old, Lennon’s unique identity stood apart from the other members of the group.

Paul was the talent, George was mysterious and Ringo was, well, the drummer. But John? John was, to a large extent, what was cool about the Beatles — and we often forget about the transcendent nature of his coolness. It was never very difficult for me to spot a kid with a “Let It Be” t-shirt walking around the halls of Keller High School in suburban north Texas. I expect the case was similar at any high school in the country. Remember, this is not the college scene we’re accustomed to today, where “ironically liking stuff” is hip. This was high school, where liking the right things was life or death. So what does it say about John Lennon when, forty years later, it is still cool to like his band?

In 1964, every girl you knew wanted to marry Paul McCartney. But every guy wanted to be John Lennon. He was like an epic cross between James Dean and Humphrey Bogart — rebellious and nonconformist, but charming and charismatic. He was tough and defiant, but he was funny and immensely likeable.

Last week, I asked my dad what it was that made John so cool. As best my dad could figure, John’s mystique came from him always being in search of something. Far from content with simple young-love songs, the journeyman was the first of the band to dabble in the waters of more nuanced subject matter. He later admitted the lyrics of his 1965 hyper cheesy love song “It’s Only Love” to be abysmal. John was at that time reaching for more with his songwriting — and on the same album as “It’s Only Love” he wrote “Norwegian Wood,” a song about spending the night with a prostitute and burning the place down afterwards.

Certainly the force of the Beatles’ staying power lies with their fascinating evolution. From the boy-hopelessly-loves-girl pop beginnings of “Love Me Do” to the masterwork of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles struck a near perfect balance of pop likeability and visionary substance. Even more remarkable, they did it in the relative blink of an eye, staying together for a mere ten years. Within a three-year period, the Beatles had gone from holding a girl’s hand as the ultimate expression of romantic interest to inviting us all on their Magical Mystery Tour — and John’s search for greater meaning was immovably at the forefront of the band’s identity shift.

The search would take him from ultra classics like “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “A Day in the Life” to experimental favorites like “I Am the Walrus” and “Revolution No. 9.” Eventually he found Yoko, and by all accounts the search ended. I will not attempt any dissection of the litany of opinions floating around about their relationship. What we know is that the man who could have had any woman on this planet found whatever he was looking for in this Japanese artist and their small family together.

He went on to be an extremely relevant cultural voice after the Beatles disbanded. His anti-Vietnam activism spurned a Nixon administration that worked for his deportation from New York back to England. His views of love, peace and free expression culminated into three minutes and two seconds of some of the most perfect music ever written — the 1971 anthem “Imagine.” It’s a song about doing away with government, nationalism, religion, everything we own. And yet when John Lennon suggests it, the world considers it.

That’s why from the moment Howard Cosell first broke the story to the world on Monday Night Football, Lennon’s death became a watershed moment in popular culture. It’s one of those events that forces people to remember exactly what they were doing when they first heard the news. And now, 30 years later, any of us that enjoy music today are at least somewhat indebted to his influence.

In retrospect, what surprises me about this whole experience is that I didn’t illegally download the album. In fact, I didn’t even consider it. Though I’m not ethically opposed to pirating media — I’ve done a fair share of it in the past and believe it has a legitimate place in the consumer music ecosystem — the thought just didn’t really cross my mind this time around. What’s more, some significant evidence suggests that I’m not alone, and that people are increasingly turning — if not yet stampeding — to legal channels to get their music. (Slate tech writer and NPR contributor Farhad Manjoo discusses some of these trends here.)

So why are my downloading habits changing? Why might everyone else’s be slowly changing too? Some in the media industry might point to the huge lawsuits the record labels occasionally bring — and win — against music pirates. Manjoo also points out in the article linked above that the download-now-use-later approach to music is starting to feel outdated in a streaming world. Or maybe everyone just realized that downloading was wrong.

But none of those explanations really seem to explain my own experience. I’ve never been particularly afraid of a huge lawsuit, I typically want to download my music for later consumption, and I don’t think pirating is all that bad.

Instead, I think that gradually, without my even noticing it, legitimate music providers have gotten really good at what they do.

When I download something illegally, I take what I can get. Sometimes that means great quality files, but usually it doesn’t. Time and again I’ve downloaded pirated music only to find that it sounds tinny, or that I have to manually add album and artist information to the file before my music player will properly organize it. In extreme instances, it can even mean mislabeled songs, or files infected with viruses.

When I download something from iTunes or Amazon, however, I never have to worry about anything. I click a single button, and a few seconds later the file is on my computer. Magically, it seems, the song is linked to album art, includes all the correct artist information, and always works perfectly on my other devices. Though the sound quality may not compare to that of vinyl, it’s almost always as good as something I can get for free.

The point here is that, at least for me, the music industry is providing a tenable alternative to pirating. Instead of trying to punish anyone who gets free music, companies are increasingly opting to compete in the marketplace — and, amazingly, they’re sort of winning.

Though the end of pirated music may still be a long way off, greater ease and convenience are increasingly winning over consumers like myself.

With a title that would make even the most hardened emo band cringe and a year full of faux pas for West, audiences are naturally skeptical that Fantasy is anything more than a self-indulgent mess. However, anyone who misses out on this album out of hatred for Kanye, loyalty to Taylor Swift or any other reason are missing out on something special. This is an album showcasing an already-trailblazing artist at the pinnacle of his talents. In fewer words, it is simply transcendent.

Fantasy will likely be remembered as a watershed moment in West’s career. Where he goes from here is unknown, but this latest album represents the zenith of all his past works, with influences showing from all four previous albums. “Devil in a New Dress” has the soul-influenced sampling of The College Dropout. The orchestral grandiosity of Late Registration is found on tracks like “All of the Lights” and “So Appalled,” while “Gorgeous” features the space-funk electronica of Graduation. Not to be forgotten, the AutoTuned rap-singing of 808s and Heartbreak reappears on “Runaway” and “Lost in the World.”

However, rather than merely retread that familiar ground, Kanye has learned a trick or two in the past five years — and he shows that Fantasy is his method of perfecting his art. By and large, he succeeds.

“All of the Lights” has the potential to be his biggest hit so far, featuring eleven (eleven!) other artists, including Rihanna, Fergie, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi and Elton John. It’s almost a Where’s Waldo? search in trying to find every one of Kanye’s collaborators, but the horn section that opens the song sweeps the listener into its heartbreaking story of a man losing sight of his family and life.

Kanye proves once again that he is a master of assembling an album, and each song flows into the next seamlessly. It’s hard to not consider Fantasy a concept album of sorts, as West does such a marvelous job weaving a pseudo-story of fame and delusion.

The one disappointment is “So Appalled”— not because of a lack of quality, as it’s a gorgeous production featuring Jay-Z and Pusha T. Rather, “Appalled” is overshadowed by its precursor, “Monster,” a biting song that closes on a scorching verse by Nicki Minaj that would make any follow-up look inferior.

In addition to his perennially excellent production skills, Kanye still has the wit and sharp tongue that made him famous. His rhyming on “Dark Fantasy” and “Power” show that he’s still a formidable foe on the mic, but to list any of these brilliant lyrics would be spoiling some of the album’s funniest and most impressive moments.

If there is anything to complain about on Fantasy, it’s that West lets a good thing overstay its welcome. Six minutes into “Runaway,” Kanye transitions into a three-minute AutoTuned breakdown of the chorus. As spooky and beautiful as the garbled voice becomes, it removes the listener temporarily from the otherwise-flawless album.

An album as prolific as Fantasy needs an ending as awe-inspiring as the rest of its contents, and Kanye finds his ultimate closer in “Lost in the World.” Opening on a sample of Bon Iver’s “Woods,” the song bursts into a cacophony of tribal percussion and AutoTuned harmonizing. Easily one of the most beautiful and haunting songs West has ever recorded, “Lost” ties the entire album up with a bow when it seamlessly flows into a lyrical breakdown from Gil Scott Heron’s “Comment #1.” The song ends on the poignant question, “Who will survive in America?” followed by a meek round of applause.

If Fantasy is any indication, Kanye is here to survive and last — and that meek applause should be replaced a standing ovation. This is an artist in his prime, unbridled by the need to play it safe or the desire to be radio-friendly. Kanye West is the only fearless hip-hop artist in America who could accomplish something like Fantasy. He set out to prove his opponents and critics wrong — and he wound up creating a true masterpiece of hip-hop.

As Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle once penned, “All deep things are song. It seems somehow the very central essence of us, song; as if all the rest were but wrappages and hulls! The primal element of us; of us, and of all things … See deep enough, and you see musically; the heart of Nature being everywhere music, if you can only reach it.”

Trying to establish a definitive, Rolling Stone-esque list of the greatest songs of all time would be foolish, and I don’t purport this list to be such since the pursuit is so subjective anyway. If it seems like I have the music critics’ version of commitment issues, that’s because I do. Even with this vague, waffling caveat, narrowing down a list was like trying to put my life’s wisdom in a one page, double-spaced sheet of paper using 14-point font.

Regardless of my personal weighty struggles crafting a workable compilation, here are 20 tunes (in no particular order) I deem profound, unique, influential or revolutionary in their own right and, if nothing else, a gateway into a facet of music some unsuspecting reader may not yet have encountered.

Radiohead, “Everything In Its Right Place”
As probably the most influential and critically acclaimed band of the last decade, it’s not hard to select Radiohead for a spot on this list. It is difficult, however, to pick one song from the group’s mind-boggling repertoire of tuneage. (“Paranoid Android,” “Karma Police” and “Pyramid Song” also come to mind, just to name a few.)

Arguably the best album from the British rock behemoths is the wildly experimental and successful “Kid A,” a successful marriage of the digital and organic — like the ideal soundtrack for a trip to the moon. The record kicks off with “Everything In Its Right Place,” setting the mesmerizing mood with a combination of dreamy keyboards and digitally-altered voices. Sporting only four seemingly nonsensical lines of vocals, maniacal genius Thom Yorke wrings every last bit of emotion from them, using his voice and trademark falsetto more as a lead instrument than way to communicate a lyrical message.

As they tend to do, Radiohead somehow makes sense of the perceived dissonance, masterfully layering sounds to craft a suberb opener to an album sure to be a rock standard for decades to come.

Listen to: Radiohead, “Everything In Its Right Place”

Counting Crows, “Round Here”
Before becoming known as the “go to” guys for subpar pop-rock anthems on the Shrek movie soundtracks, Bay Area-born Counting Crows played an undeniably honest brand of minimalist alt-rock. With the distinctive wounded croon of frontman Adam Duritz and his raw, poignant lyricism, the group peaked and thrived in the post-grunge landscape of the ’90s.

Beginning with their classic 1993 debut album August and Everything After, Counting Crows swiftly developed an ardent fan base — including David Letterman, who plugged the band before they took the stage and delivered a heartfelt rendition of “Round Here,” almost verging on feeling a little too personal for a late night talk show gig.

The song opens with 12 seconds of subdued organ, barely audible, before a haunting, three-note guitar riff leads to Duritz’ intimate verse and crescendos until again retiring into a chiasmus-inspired loneliness at the end — one that’s vividly and universally easy to relate to.

Listen to: Counting Crows, “Round Here”

Earth, Wind & Fire, “That’s the Way of the World”
In my opinion, one of music’s most unsung heroes is Earth, Wind & Fire, a group that pretty much single-handedly introduced the nation (and probably most of the world) to a wide array of native African rhythms and fused an eclectic laundry list of genres more extensive than you could likely rattle off the top of your head — including, but not limited to, jazz, soul, gospel blues, pop, folk, disco and rock. Even more basic is the band’s ability to strike a positive groove with silky smooth harmonies and lush orchestrations.

Establishing widespread popularity in the ‘70s, Earth, Wind & Fire (founded and led by the multi-talented Maurice White who, along with vocalist Philip Bailey) demonstrated some of the most versatile vocal ranges of the last century. (I dare any male to successfully sing along with “Reasons.”) Their musical vision includes the group’s slower but nonetheless super groovy 1975 classic “That’s the Way of the World,” featuring a velvety keyboard, funky guitars and the White/Bailey vocal duo at some of their finest.

Listen to: Earth, Wind & Fire, “That’s the Way of the World”

Animal Collective, “My Girls”
More of a sonic experience than a song, indie freak-folkers Animal Collective achieve some more accessible fare in “My Girls” — avoiding avant-garde practices like exploring the intricacies of a single note in the duration of two normal songs, for example. The group kicks this number off with some ambient nighttime noises, soon swirling into a cascading synthesizer riff that makes you feel like you’re watching a psychedelic time lapse reproduction of a growing daffodil on the Discovery Channel. Duo David Portner and Noah Lennox (Avey Tare and Panda Bear, respectively) slowly layer on the aesthetics, incorporating their idiosyncratic mishmash of smooth vocals, bass dub and ethereal textures that transition into deep bass and handclaps with a visceral chorus that’s sure to stay in your head for hours.

Listen to: Animal Collective, “My Girls”

Raised By Swans, “Secret Garden/S.C.”
Taking cues from similar-sounding ethereal predecessors like Sigur Ros or Explosions in the Sky, Canadian indie quartet Raised By Swans takes listeners on atmospheric introspection with haunting, slow-burn melodies and deliberately plucked guitars. Relatively unknown (despite having a song prominently featured in the film “Chloe”), the group taps into themes and musical expression usually captured by more seasoned musicians.

From the starkly beautiful songs on No Ghostless Place — the group’s recent follow-up effort to 2005’s Codes and Secret Longing — comes “Secret Garden/S.C.,” a meditative track with ringing melodies, finding serenity in its simplicity. A trudging beat gives the ambient aura a framework, while lead singer/guitarist Eric Howden’s piercing falsetto and vocal architecture lead the listener on a journey through waves of nostalgia and personal reflection.

Listen to: Raised By Swans, “Secret Garden / S.C.”

Miles Davis, “Flamenco Sketches”
Considered by many as the only true original American art form, jazz is our history — really anyone’s history who enjoys rock, rap, folk or country music, for that matter — shaping and influencing what music was to become and still is. Probably the most influential album from perhaps the greatest jazz artist of all time is Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. Recorded in 1959 at Columbia’s studio in New York City, the sessions featured a “dream team” of musicians such as pianist Bill Evans and saxophone legend John Coltrane.

Leaving behind complex chord changes, Davis decided to explore “modality,” a style relying on scales for improvisation. In the album’s making, Davis offered little by way of explanation as to what the musicians were to record — which makes the resulting improvisation so impressive, every note handcrafted and filled with emotion and purpose. Even more impressive is the fact that “Flamenco Sketches” was the only tune recorded in a single take. As recognizable as any great musician’s voice, Miles Davis’ classic trumpet tone careens in and out, leading a musical revolution for the ages.

Listen to: Miles Davis, “Flamenco Sketches”

Mindy Smith & Dolly Parton, “Jolene”
“The Queen of Country Music” Dolly Parton’s 1974 country standard “Jolene” has been covered by more than its fair share of admiring artists (and is ranked #217 on Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”). It’s that fact which makes it a surprise that little-known folk artist Mindy Smith was the one to do the song most justice — and receive the praise of Parton herself.

Asked in 2003 to contribute to the Parton tribute album Just Because I’m a Woman, Smith took the opportunity and ran with it, infusing the song with a profound sense of heart-wrenching sadness and pleading. The hit, which speaks of a housewife begging a beautiful woman not to “take my man,” suits Smith’s voice — pure yet wise beyond her years, with a subtle, rootsy quality. Parton added backing vocals to the version Smith put on her first album and the pair have performed together many times, the former always graciously holding back for the newcomer to shine.

Listen to: Mindy Smith, “Jolene”

Muse, “Knights of Cydonia”
Defining the latter half of a decade for many rock fans, Muse is a modern-day Queen of sorts, fusing electronic experimentation and driving guitar with frontman Matthew Bellamy’s operatic falsetto. One of the group’s more grandiose efforts is “Knights of Cydonia” — one part otherworldy invasion, one part John Wayne Western with some heavy metal-tinged guitar thrown in, just for good measure.

At over six minutes in length, this epic is divided into three sections, beginning with a galloping verse. Halfway through, everything halts as Bellamy channels his best Freddie Mercury in a huge vocal harmony that builds until it peaks at an impressively high octave leading into the third act — a fist-pumping electric guitar riff that leaves you breathless after the buildup. This is the kind of music and thunderous energy that can electrify an arena which, by the way, is definitely the preferred way to have Muse command your listenin’ holes.

Listen to: Muse, “Knights of Cydonia”

Sufjan Stevens, “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us!”
Genre-defying Sufjan Stevens is at some of his best here (I’ll refrain from including the song’s title to reduce paragraph length). Some opening gentle guitar plucking is softened further by an accompanying flute until the latter instrument is replaced by Stevens’ whispery vocals and delicate harmonies. Piano chords and a pumping oboe section separate the verses, seeming cognitively arbitrary but, as usual, he makes it all work somehow through compositions simultaneously exotic yet warm. The bridge picks up a bit after the first two stanzas, coupling a circus-like accordion with a horn section and round of voices. “I can tell you, we swaggered and swayed/Deep in the tower, the prairies below/I can tell you, the telling gets old,” he sings, reflecting on love lost. The tune ends with rolling cymbals, a wonderfully out of place distorted guitar feed and a feeling of strange accomplishment.

Listen to: Sufjan Stevens, “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us!”

Erik Satie, “Trois Gymnopedie”
As contemporary a sounding classical piece as you’ll find anywhere, Satie’s “Trois Gymnopedie” is timeless (even having been covered by Blood, Sweat & Tears in the ‘60s). The song’s pace — a trudging progression of chords always arriving a half beat later than expected — sets the perfect mood for the introspective melancholia. Soon a high-range melody tip toes over the deliberate strokes and it feels like you can almost hear the composer’s stream-of-consciousness through the expressive notes and dynamics.

This song is so good because it understands the need for “less is more,” bordering on a grandiose crescendo at times, but wisely settling for a simple key change and always returning to its original refrain. The final few minutes hint at hope but ultimately leave it up to the listener to know what to do with such a musical purging, ending on an ambiguous, dissonant chord.

Listen to: Erik Satie, “Trois Gymnopedie”

Jeff Buckley, “Hallelujah”
Originally penned by Leonard Cohen, this song needs little introduction. While most covers serve only to perpetuate the memory of a successful melody, Buckley’s passionate rendition is all his own. Listen carefully for his wistful sigh before the opening of one of the best songs of all time.

Listen to: Jeff Buckley, “Hallelujah”

The Velvet Underground, “Sweet Jane”
An American rock group from New York City, The Velvet Underground — while never really successful during their time together — is considered by many as one of the most influential bands of the ‘60s. Upon hearing one of the groups more gleeful tunes, “Sweet Jane,” you can’t help but appreciate the essence of rock ‘n’ roll, poised to affect many musicians to come.

Listen to: The Velvet Underground, “Sweet Jane”

Donny Hathaway, “What’s Going On?”
One of R&B’s best voices of all time, Donny Hathaway has inspired the likes of Alicia Keys, Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder among others with his smooth and soulful pipes. Few can take on Marvin Gaye’s immortal classic and do it justice. Hathaway does.

Listen to: Donny Hathaway, “What’s Going On?”

Phoenix, “1901”
Who doesn’t love the pulsing synthesizer and infectious guitar riff opening these French pop rockers’ gateway drug of a single? With sleek, danceable grooves and catchy hooks, this infectious group’s fanbase keeps growing.

Listen to: Phoenix, “1901″

Fleetwood Mac, “Dreams”
Whether it’s penning some of the most enduring soft rock hits of the last few decades or causing a spike in babies being born with the name “Rhiannon,” Fleetwood Mac has enjoyed long-term success with the group’s lovably hippie strain of pop, led on this track by famous, husky-voiced frontwoman Stevie Nicks.

Listen to: Fleetwood Mac, “Dreams”

Lydia, “Hospital”
Formed in 2003 in Gilbert, AZ — a place definitely not known for its local music scene — Lydia is the brainchild of five high school friends. While never reaching the mainstream, the indie band has a cult following and are noted for emotionally resonant tunes that defy the genre’s whiny predecessors with the strangely perfect coupling of androgynous lead vocals and a high harmony. Copeland’s Aaron Marsh steps in on this number, giving it a certain extra je ne sais quois.

Listen to: Lydia, “Hospital”

Jimmy Eat World, “23”
As the closing track on Futures, the follow-up album to the group’s hugely successful self-titled record, “23” represents what Jimmy Eat World does best — creating a melodic blend of soaring arena rock and toe-tapping power pop. More accessible than the emo posterboys they were once considered, the band thrives on frontman Jim Adkins’ desperate vocals, weighty lyricism and heavy hooks.

Listen to: Jimmy Eat World, “23″

Band of Horses, “Our Swords”
From the rootsy guitar riffs to the heavy harmonies to the group’s majority sporting Jeremiah Johnson-esque beards, Band of Horses revels in its ability to play a folk-infused brand of American rock with an unmistakable indie aesthetic and Western vibe. Bridging the gap between contemporary and old school musical traditions, “Our Swords” trots along with a plunky bass, marching rhythm and Ben Bridwell’s distinct vocals.

Listen to: Band of Horses, “Our Swords“

Eva Cassidy, “Kathy’s Song”
A cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s (who also could have easily made this list) famous tune, Eva Cassidy creates an even more intimate atmosphere with a gently Travis-picked guitar and her trademark pure vocals that could make even the world’s most calloused dictators evaluate their personal righteousness.

Listen to: Eva Cassidy, “Kathy’s Song”

Ray LaMontagne, “Hold You In My Arms”
Quitting a dead-end job at a shoe factory to pursue a career in music, Ray LaMontagne is a blue-eyed soul brother who “sings from the gut and not from the nose.” Bringing “sexy back” to time-worn, bluesy affairs, this singer-songwriter’s unmistakable rasp adds an authenticity to his rustic sound.

Listen to: Ray LaMontagne, “Hold You In My Arms”

Chase Larson is a popular culture correspondent for Rhombus — and may or may not have spent well over an hour deliberating over which Radiohead song to include in the above list.

Provo may seem quaint at times, but underneath it all there is talent that stretches far beyond these city walls. This series of articles aims to bring attention to all the musical good that’s been quickly growing, and even more quickly now that bands like Neon Trees have trailblazed the way to nationwide — if not worldwide — success.

So without further ado, I present to you two more of this town’s Next Best Things.

Empirates
Associations aside, Empirates has taken an opportunity the size of a snowflake and turned it into an avalanche. It started off late last year with a goal to win BYU’s Battle of the Bands using unknown cover songs. But with the addition of a bassist and drummer, their 3 a.m. practices quickly gave them hope in winning it with their own music. Since that win they’ve been busy, and just a year later they have performed in front of crowds of thousands and distributed over 6,000 bootlegs, demos, and EPs — all for free.

“That has been the biggest help of all, I think,” says Empirates singer and lead guitarist Travis White. “Lots of people come back to shows singing along with us, and we have no clue who they are or how they got our music.”

So what’s next?  Reaching out to the rest of the country is now their top priority.

“We’re working with a couple promotion companies that will put us on over 300 college radio stations, and we’re having lots of success with online radio already,” says Mark Donovan, the band’s rhythm guitarist. “We have been seeing a lot of new international fans as well. A fan in Mexico said she was telling her friends about us the other day, but they had already heard our stuff online. That’s kind of exciting.”

Style: British Post Punk / Indie Rock

Similar Artists: Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, White Stripes

Likely Labels: Matador Records, Domino Records

Strongest Weapon: Hardcore determination

Largest Accomplishment: Won BYU Battle of the Bands 2009, featured on Grooveshark and Jango.com, distributed over 6000 albums

Network/Connections: Through balsy efforts to contact people in high places they have made connections with We Are Scientists, Sub Pop Records, several high-end promoters, and more.

Shark Speed
Out of all the band posters that everyone has seen on various poles around town, none have been as ingrained and recognizable as those of Shark Speed. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, they’re the ones that have a person holding a portable announcement board that say “Shark Speed” on them. Go figure.)

But behind the unique posters is a band that has already taken their marketing strategy out-of-state. Since their latest release in April 2010, they’ve hired a PR company and been raking in multiple music reviews by online blogs and magazines with some very positive results — both nationally and internationally. In fact, that’s something they recommend to any band that’s trying to stretch their arms a bit.

“Researching PR companies that have connections that reflect your particular style is huge,” says Thayne Fagg, the band’s lead singer. “Trying as hard as you can to get your stuff out of the ‘local’ level and on to a serious, nationwide band is key.”

When it comes down to it, though, Shark Speed’s not in it for the money. Hoping only that they break even, what they wish to get out of their time and effort is making music that people — and themselves — can enjoy.

Style: Indie Rock / Math Rock

Similar Artists: Minus the Bear

Likely Labels: Indie

Strongest Weapon: Strong fans and Thayne’s mustache

Largest Accomplishment: Tons of online reviews, large local fanbase

Network/Connections: Various top notch music blogs and PR companies

Rhombus is refreshed and here to bring to you the greatest and most important news in the local music scene. If you want to be up to snuff in what’s going on, look no further. Otherwise, feel free to keep the bubble alive. Maybe The Daily Universe will catch you up after it’s old news.

The Trees have exploded on the national music scene well enough to have scored appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live, toured with The Killers, 30 Seconds to Mars and Mutemath, and had their single “Animal” placed on Billboard’s Hot 100… and much more. I’m sure there are plenty of fans of theirs that are reading this and are mentally listing all their major accomplishments I’ve missed.

But this article isn’t about Neon Trees.  It’s about what we have coming next.

Because of them, Provo may be getting a different eye from the music industry — and we just so happen to have a couple good things in the mix to surprise them with. As some of you know, several bands based (or at least at one time based) out of Utah County made it into this years SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas, one of the biggest annual festivals in the nation. Music from other local bands has been heard on MTV and other network television shows — and if you think we’ve exhausted our resources, you’re simply out of your mind.

At one time I was convinced that our town was one of the weaker music scenes in the States, but compared percentage-wise to other larger cities, we’ve got a pretty good track record so far. So, for your information, I’ve compiled a couple interviews with bands that have dug their feet into the rocky ground of the music industry and are ready to show the world what they’ve got.

More than a couple of these bands have already been featured by Rhombus, of course, but before you complain and post your disdainful commentary below, know that this is not another album or concert review — this is a compendium of some noteworthy acts whose names you’re most likely to see around soon in more magazines than this one.

Mudbison
Their name bound to be bigger than the animal it refers to, Mudbison has made some pretty big leaps recently. Spencer Russell –brother of Columbia-signed folk artist Isaac Russell — has been working his arse off on getting things in line, such as recording/mixing/mastering, pumping out music videos, and trying to get a tour off the ground. All the hard work is paying off though, as is evident by conducting a simple YouTube search and finding that the band’s very newly added videos have already garnered over 5,000 views collectively. It’d be my guess that not all of those are just from Provo either.

Upon being asked what drives him to keep working at his music career, Russell replies, “Maybe it’s teaching people morals I’ve learned through the stories I write. Maybe it’s my love for writing a tune that gives people chills. It’s probably both. Aesthetic pleasure is something I love to give, and this is the best way, I guess.”

Style: Indie pop, singer/songwriter
Sounds like: Badly Drawn Boy meets Sufjan Stevens meets Beck
Likely labels to see them on: Asthmatic Kitty, XL Recordings, Sub Pop Records
Strongest weapon: A killer album, Russell’s ingenious songwriting ability
Biggest accomplishment: Their unique sound
Network/Connections: With a brother signed to Columbia Records and a father deeply ingrained in the film industry, Russell is likely to get his band’s music into good hands.

Imagine Dragons
I don’t know of any band that has received a quicker hype than these guys. Coming out of a victory at BYU’s Battle of the Bands in late 2009, they had achieved “Provo fame” within a few short months and began packing Velour and other venues/events to the brim shortly thereafter. After a move to Las Vegas and a couple lineup changes, ID is now the fastest growing band in Sin City — but they still aren’t content.

Lately they’ve been hitting areas nearby like L.A., Phoenix and San Francisco, all while maintaining their huge fan base here in Utah. Don’t think for a second that Imagine Dragons will fall by the wayside — you’ll soon be seeing their records everywhere you look.

Style: Indie pop/rock
Sounds like: The Killers thrown back to a Tears for Fears/Depeche Mode concert.
Likely labels: Warner Music Group, EMI
Strongest weapon: A plethora of involved fans.
Biggest accomplishment: Showcased at SXSW 2010, shared stage with Blue October, Jet, Kelly Clarkson, Presidents of the U.S., and more.
Network/Connections: Friends — and relatives — in high places.

Eyes Lips Eyes
Having just a couple days ago changed their name from ER (which had been changed from Elizabethan Report), Eyes Lips Eyes has been cooking what you’ve been smelling. After playing a couple shows with these guys, I can attest to the level of professionalism and skill they have — things that undoubtedly will help them achieve their goal of making music their sole income. That’s what influenced their decision to move to L.A. last summer, and what continues to push them now as they have raised their marketing to a whole new level.

Spencer, the band’s guitarist, gives this piece of advice to other bands that are trying to make a living out of music: “In the end, the stuff that works the best is the stuff that no one has tried yet. So being willing to venture out and take some risks with promotion ends up paying off in the end. Once people catch up, though, you have to find something new.”

Style: Dance rock, indie/alternative
Sounds like: Interpol gets in a food fight with Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Likely labels: EMI, Warner Bros., Matador Records
Strongest weapon: Their stage energy coupled with their promoting energy.
Biggest accomplishment: Shows with The Raconteurs, Spoon, The Black Keys, Bob Dylan, and releasing two albums.
Network/Connections: Have found good friends while in LA, but no shew-ins — They’ve succeeded through blood, sweat and tears alone.

Stay tuned for some more bands to be featured in this 3-part series.