New album release makes bold statement while missing all critical notes

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Working together on an album is often intriguing as it offers a departure from usual musical genres. This collaboration presents a fresh, unique listening experience, especially considering the recent release featuring more than a thousand musicians.

With numerous musicians involved, you might worry about discordant noise and excess talent overwhelming the listeners. However, rest assured! The latest music drop this week emphasizes its message, rather than the sounds included in it.

1000 Artists UK has produced the album titled “Is This What We Want,” which serves as a vocal opposition to proposed changes in UK copyright law. The British government intends to loosen restrictions for AI developers, enabling them to utilize creators’ online content to enhance their AI models’ development.

Many artists find artificial intelligence to be a significant worry, viewing it as yet another step in a long-running danger to their artistic careers and rights. They argue that they should have the ability to opt out from each specific AI source, but contend that maintaining such control is unrealistic.

Does the new “silent” album hit the right notes?

As a passionate fan, I’m eager to delve back into the album that dropped on Tuesday, February 25th. This isn’t your typical 12-track release; each song title forms part of a powerful protest message: “The British Government Must Not Legalise Music Theft To Benefit Companies.” And here’s the fascinating twist – it’s a silent record, inviting us to listen more intently to its message.

In essence, when I refer to “silent,” I’m using it in a nearly literal sense. The tracks were captured in vacant recording studios and performance venues. Occasionally, you might hear faint sounds like someone shifting positions or perhaps a subtle hum from an amplifier. However, overall and with regards to the absence of music, it can be considered almost completely silent.

At www.isthiswhatwewant.com, you’ll find a list of the artists participating in this event. While you can’t listen to them yet, some notable names include The Pet Shop Boys, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and many others. They may not be audible, but they are fully committed to this cause and eager to express their views. By the way, I didn’t notice the Gallagher brothers from Oasis on the list, but perhaps there were disagreements that kept them from participating!

With growing protests against AI in music, this week we’ve witnessed Sir Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Sting, and other artists joining forces by penning a letter published in The Times, expressing their opposition to the proposed change. While there’s room for AI in musical responses – as evidenced by Sir Paul’s collaboration with The Beatles on “Now And Then,” which utilized AI to revive the sound of The Fab Four and earned them a Grammy Award – it should be employed judiciously, keeping in mind its proper time, place, and manner.

By the way, how about the album? It can be streamed, and it has an interesting sound to it. I gave a few tracks a listen, but I must admit I didn’t make it through all of them or even most of what I did listen to. Despite missing some key notes, it still manages to convey a powerful message. Although the artists may not have sung loudly on the album, they are definitely expressing themselves.

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2025-02-26 14:00