Elegant Design

Elegant Design: a phrase that I've dropping in much of my conversation recently.

I bring this up because I've noticed a significant problem with a lot of things, particularly music, that's been quite common as of late: it's the question of approachability (or functionality) vs. elegant design.  Especially in art, (true) artists tend to lean toward the 'elegant design' perspective, the technicality behind the façade.  However, this often ends up with very little façade, with the emphasis being on the structure.  This isn't bad, but it's proven to not be quite so enjoyable.

Meanwhile, on the other side, is the other problem: a lot of façade covering up barely anything.  Pop music seems to be nothing be light curtains being sold on cubic frames.  Big whoop.

It's this Apollonian-Dionysian duality that my philosophy paper was written on, but I've noticed these problems occurring throughout our art today.  I was listening to Randy Newman's new CD when I realized that, hey, this is what I want to do.  I've claimed this is where I want to be, but Randy helped me realize it fully (Thanks Randy!).

So what's so great about Randy Newman?

In this, the very opening sequence to Monsters Inc., we see Newman's handling of jazz harmony.  And look at the animation that accompanies it.  Simple idea.  But the design behind it?  Pretty complex.  This is stuff that sounds good.  Approachable.  And yet behind the scenes is a kind of technicality, an elegant design.

Check out the harmony here!  This is where his design peeks its head out.  But the way he approaches it, whether through predictable rhythms or well-crafted lyrics, Newman makes these technicalities enjoyable and approachable.

I'm not saying that Babbitt or Ferneyhough or Coldplay or Natasha Beddingfield is necessarily "bad," but they're missing the boat.  After thousands of years of musical development, some form of balance would be worked out.  I mean, niche market aside, there's always been the well-balanced genius who comes out on top: Pixar, pre-2000's Disney, post-2000's Apple, Bill Gates' Microsoft, Google, Wikipedia, John Adams, Third Eye Blind, Outkast, Michael Daugherty.  Why are we so overrun with either 'how much can we sell' or 'how technical can we be?'  If we combine both, we'll naturally appeal to more people, and those people will always get something out another viewing..  It's the Elegant Design: approachable, yet technical enough to have unique value.

Music's first function is to be aesthetically engaging.  That engagement could lead to intellectual engagement, but without that doorway into the room, how would anyone think to look inside?