They're one of the newest acquisitions to my very small category of "groups I like". I say this because it's rare for me to like the majority of a group's body of work. Oftentimes, I'll enjoy a few songs of a group, but rarely many or most of them.
This is not the case for Pentatonix. I think they're a capalla style of top 40 and modern hits is astoundingly great and amazingly original. I think the group's dynamic is both diverse but also held so well together that it forms into a woven tapestry of melodic enjoyment.
And this isn't the first time this has happened.
As a matter of fact, I believe Youtube has introduced me to many groups/acts/artists whose bodies of work I enjoy as wholes. I suppose this is because Youtube is a medium through which the viewer can experience unfiltered, unprocessed, unstudio'd groups. It's just raw talent being spilled onto the internet. But, I'll get more to that in a bit.
A couple other groups I love that have grown from Youtube.
My Favorite Martian
and Walk Off the Earth
But this article isn't about those groups (though you should check them out if you have a chance). This is about Pentatonix and one video of theirs in particular.
This one:
This video is of the group doing a cover of Nicki Minaj's "Starships".
Here's the original:
Okay, now that I've sullied my good blog with a Nicki Minja video (no offense, but the only work she was involved in that I enjoyed was "The Creep" by Lonely Island), I can discuss my purpose in writing this.
In the comments section of the Pentatonix cover, one Youtube user goes on to simply state that the group "turns shit to gold", implying that he wasn't a fan of the original. This incited a flame war in the comments between the supporters and haters of Nicki Minaj. I wanted to add my two cents into the debate/war, but realized how pointless that would be in a Youtube comments section (seriously, it's like peeing into the ocean, y'know?).
So, instead, I thought I'd discuss my thoughts here where people that actually give a shit will read them.
When discussing what constitutes what's "shit" or "bad" where music is concerned (or any sort of mainstream entertainment), one has to remember that many studios take artists, not necessarily for their musical talent, but rather because those artists are "marketable". Let's look at a few examples, starting with Nicki Minaj of course. I won't say her rendition of the song is "bad" but Pentatronix's version of the song, while still maintaining the same catchiness of the original, comes across far more melodic, heartfelt, and enjoyable for the senses than Minaj's.
The video's are also a stark contrast of each other. Pentatronix's version maintains that same heartfelt feeling with their video, complimenting their rendition of the song, without the big budget I'm sure Minaj's had. Minaj's on the other hand...well...it looks like an excuse to show her in a bikini. Not that they needed an excuse to do this, but you see my point (hopefully).
Let's look at another mainstream artist...Katy Perry. I will be the first to admit that Ms. Perry has many catchy songs that even I've fallen victim to the effects of. "E.T.", "California Girls", "Hot n Cold" all have burrowed their ways into my head at one point or another to nest comfortably in my thoughts. However, I've watched many videos of her LIVE performances. Have any of you? Yes? No? Maybe? Drunk? Whatever. I'll fill you in if you haven't: she's TERRIBLE.
Katy Perry can NOT song in real life. I originally thought that she could because I hadn't heard any proof of otherwise, but the moment that I listened to that first live performance and all the subsequent ones thereafter, I knew better. Perry is an example of mainstream music not being about the talent anymore, but the image. People like WOtE, PTX, and YFM are missed completely in favor of these idiotic celebrities that are dolled up and autotuned by these record labels for the sole purpose of money.
The studios and labels don't realize that the same money could be made from pure talent, like it was in the old days. They just have to look.
They just. Have. To look.
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