Best of 2010

Here it is, the best of everything 2010, the last year consisting of only grade school, the year of my golden age: 17, the best year so far. This post is a bit late, but it's actually taken me this long to finalize these decisions because of how ridiculously awesome last year was. Let's get straight to the countdowns!

Best Movies - This was a pretty darn good year for movies, including a good showing for video games with two big video-game-inspired films! These ones impressed me most.
5. How To Train Your Dragon - unexpectedly hilarious and clever; super charming film
4. Tron: Legacy - Now this is an artistic movie if I've ever seen one, and the unique thrills were a big plus.
3. Toy Story 3 - I was closer to tears on this one than with any of the others. I'd have to say it's my favorite Pixar so far. For all those who predicted it would be bad...shame on you.
2. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - You may not understand it, but it's super awesome to see one of your old favorite video game concepts become a hit. This one was incredible!
1. Inception - duh. You'd have to be a fool to deny the genius behind this film. Cool effects, cool characters, cool plot, cool concept. The last time I saw this kind of movie was...well, never.
Vs. 2009's top (Avatar)? I'd have to say Avatar has Inception beat and the box office figures agree. 2009 wins here.

Best Video Games
5. Dead Rising 2 - You probably wouldn't expect it, but I love zombies! More specifically, I love taking out zombies. Fill a mall with them? Excellent. Force you to take them out with common store products (hangars, CDs, electric guitars)? Even better. Fighting zombies was never so funny.
4. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - part three in one of my favorite game series made some subtle improvements, the best of which are the addition of assassin henchmen and the creative multiplayer, but felt more like a extension of part 2 than a true sequel.
3. Alan Wake - If I could include this in the movie category, it would win. It has that sort of plot and artistic value. This game is so unbelievably unique, so imaginative, so gorgeous...it would shock you to know that video games can be like this.
2. Mass Effect 2 - The sequel to my second most-played game of all time. Also on the virge of being eligible for the best movie award. The action, the conversations, the characters...I can't believe I waited the majority of the year to finally pick this one up!
1. Rock Band 3 - The sequel to my #1 most played game of all time! There have always been things I wished for in Rock Band, but with Rock Band 3's addition of the keyboard, ability to provide for a 7 (7!) person band, and superb animation and organization, it feels like there's nothing more it can do! Countless hours will go into this one.
Vs. 2009's top (Assassin's Creed 2)? Well seeing that it's sequel only hit #4 here, it's obvious that 2010 kicked butt here.

Best Achievements
5. Testing results - The two 4's on AP tests and the two 6's on IB tests made me fill extremely accomplished when the end of junior year came around. A 34 on the ACT and faitly decent scores on the SAT were frosting on the cake!
4. Selected National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist - the 'finalist' part isn't revealed until February, but I've received so much recognition for this accomplishment. The principal even made the effort to call me to his office to formally congratulate me! Being in this small group with one of my best friends makes it all the better!
3. Maintained 4.0 Cumulative GPA - after being extremely close to losing it twice, I overcame junior and senior year of IB against all odds! It's been tough, but I'm super thrilled about seeing that "Rank 1" every time I look at my transcript.
2. Voted Orchestra President - In all honesty, the position doesn't mean too much and it may seem silly that this is ranked so highly, but if you know me at all, you know how passionate I am about the orchestra. I lcan't get of those guys' company and it's so encouraging to see them return some of the love! The last day of BHS orchestra just might be the saddest day of 2011. That's one thing I'm not looking forward to.
1. Obtained 1st viola chair in the Davis Youth Symphony - Wow...just, wow. Never saw this one coming!
Vs. 2009's top (Voted "Most Outstanding Orchestra Student of the Year")? 2010 wins, fo sho.

Best Concerts - This decision caused me the most strife. Concerts are definitely the coolest things in my life, and this year booted my grand total of 1 up to 8! From a stadium to a shack, a world-thrilling trio to a little-known duo, this bunch of concerts blew my mind! Each of them could be considered my favorite based on different criteria, but right here is the ranking for the best overall concert experience.
5. Paramore w/ Relient K and Fun - Seeing Paramore two years in a row? Awesome! This time they had their own show.
4. Hey Monday w/ Cartel, The Ready Set, This Century, and We Are The In Crowd - This night was epic! So many bands! So much energy! I usually don't like this type of music too much, but I had so much fun that night and now I'm hooked!
3. Sherwood w/ The Dangerous Summer, Soletta, and Sam Sorenson - This was a particularly special night for me. I saw a band my friend Trevor introduced me to with him, personally met and conversed with one of my top bands (The Dangerous Summer), found a new terrific bad (Soletta) and acquainted myself with a local solo artist who I keep in touch with still today! All around amazing experience.
2. Lydia w/ Emme Packer - You guys have heard a lot about Lydia this year. I was a fountain of passion this night after Lydia announced their split. This was definitely my favorite group I saw this year.
1. Muse w/ The Silversun Pickups - two of my favorite bands in the world and my two favorite bassists of all time! This show was jaw-dropping in so many ways!

Vs. 2009's top (No Doubt w/ Paramore and The Sounds)? These two are probably my top two overall, but Muse has No Doubt beat. 2010 wins!

Best Trips - Holy wow amazing year in trips!
5. Lake Powell with immediate family - This year's stay at Lake Powell was marked by terrible weather, not a bit of wakeboarding :(, and an early return home. Still...I love that place and it had some fun moments.
4. EFY with Trevor - not sure if it was better than 2009's EFY trip, but I think Trevor and I got quite a lot out of this experience.
3. Lake Las Vegas with immediate family - This year's family trip was super fun. Nothing especially memorable here, but I really enjoyed taking a break from everything this week to have a nice time with family in scorching Nevada.
2. Orchestra Trip to San Diego - I want so desperately to place this first! I love the orchestra!!! San Diego Zoo, Sea World, a cruise on the San Diego harbor (yahoo!). I can't believe the next (and sadly last) round is only two weeks away! One of the top weeks in the year, without a doubt.
1. Washington D.C. with Jasilyn (November/December) - Holy wow enriching experience! Heading across the country with Jasilyn, one of my best friends? We saw so much and met so many people! Couldn't have asked for a better turnout.
Vs. 2009's top (Lake Powell with extended family)? San Diego and Washington D.C. both have that fantastic Lake Powell trip well-beat. Way to go 2010!

Most Memorable Moments
5. Cruise on the San Diego harbor - No one expected the cruise to be as spectacular as it was, but I'm pretty sure it ended up being everyone's favorite part of the trip. There's nothing quite like having a dance party with a group of drunk old people from France (The details are a bit foggy, haha).
4. Standing on the top of the Capitol Building dome - Seeing our nation's heart from the top of perhaps the most iconic building in the nation is indescribable. It was extra cool knowing I'll probably never be able to go up there again.
3. Chris Wolstenholme playing Hysteria live - I don't think I've ever been more pumped than I was when headbanging in sync with my most favorite musician as he jammed out to my favorite bass line with a sparkling orange guitar.
2. Meeting The Dangerous Summer - I think what made this moment insane was that I never expected I would actually get to meet these guys. After a live show that exponenetially increased my love for these guys, the group headed to the back of Avalon Theater (my new favorite place) where I went back and was able to have a poster signed by every member! To go from being hooked to their performance in the music video for "Where I Want To Be" (my second-placed song of 2009) to shaking their hands and talking at length with them...I'd like to see 2011 try and beat that.
1. Encore at the Lydia concert - the band seems to be getting tired, I'm sad because I know the end of the show is near, Leighton mentions and encore and the simple piano solo of "This Is Twice Now" begins...my heart breaks because I know it's the last I'll ever hear from my favorite band. Super sad moment, but definitely the most memorable. The only good part about this whole thing? Three fabulous bands have already been started by the individuals members and are proving have tons of potential. I can't wait to see what they bring in the near future!

Best EPs - An EP, you ask? Extended Play or, in other words, a bit bigger than a single. You'll find 3-7 songs in each of these. I put these under the album category last year, but I've found so many good ones this year that they deserve to be recognize separately. Don't count this music out.
5. Beneath It All by Hey Monday - In preparation for their concert, I though it appropriate that I should actually own some music from this bunch. I picked up their summer EP and got way more out of it than I predicted.
4. Dark Storm by The Jezabels - I didn't expect to like the voice leading this group, but I decided to give them a shot and I can't get enough! I think almost anyone could pick up this CD and get some enjoyment out of it.
3. Jinja Safari (Self-titled) - It's funny two bands of Australia make it on this list (this and the Jezabels), considering I don't know any other bands from Australia. This band has a super nifty tribal feel to their stuff...one of the most original varieties of alternative I've come across in a while. The 5 songs here pull off the tribals sounds amazingly.
2. The Road Back Home by Soletta - Huge thanks to the Sherwood concert for introducing these guys to me. Even after their live performance, I wasn't too impressed with these guys, but still decided to pick up a couple of their CDs at the concert. Since then, I've become quite attached to their stuff. I'm super passionate about these 7 tunes.
1. Sunshine and Rain by The Icarus Account - This group of 4 songs is killer. Each song is so heartfelt, so charming...I'm glad I finally decided to pick up some stuff from this talented band.

Best Albums - This was by far the best year of music. I doubled my iTunes collection (2,300 to 4,589 songs!) All of the concerts, all of the new bands, all of the fantastic work from old favorites. I've gotta go with ten on this one because of all of the amazing choices available to me. Some were lucky finds, others were inevitable, all are amazing.
10. One Life Stand by Hot Chip - Quirky? Yes. Unsettling? At times. Addictive? Undeniably. Hot Chip pulls out some real funky stuff here, but I love it! Each song has a little something that keeps me coming back!
9. Elementals by Brightwood - This album doesn't have any new songs, but is an acoustic collection of nearly all of Brightwood's past. I was rarely one for primarily acoustic tunes, but these insanely beautiful acoustic renditions, along with many other great tunes I've found this year, have changed that standing.
8. We Are Born by Sia - Many of my favorite bands have turned more pop/electric recently (the Gorillaz, the Killers, Keane) with little to some success. Sia pulled it off better than any other. Her beats are infectious. She's my Lady Gaga! This is the stuff I dance to.

7. Satelitte of Love by Color of Clouds - I've been looking quite some time for a CD like this. It's got the perfect feel, a soothing voice, sweet, yet catchy melodies. I think most of the people I associate with would fall for this band.

6. The Golden Archipelago by Shearwater - This is beautiful music if I've ever heard it. Tons of cool sounds here, with an even cooler voice and premise. Do not miss what this band has to offer. It's cool to know that this album isn't just one of my favorites. People across the nation are falling in love with it. Join the bandwagon!
5. Dead Waves by Kyte - This was a lucky encounter. After hearing a couple samples on iTunes, I knew I had to have this CD. The fact that the band name is only a crossed l away from my name is a big plus. This style of music is like nothing else I've heard, but I feel that it fits me better than any other.
4. New Morning by Alpha Rev - I honestly didn't think this album would make the top ten, but the more I listened to it, the most I realized how much I really enjoy it. There are many examples of superb musicianship here. Another nice addition to my alternative collection.
3. Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier by Sun Airway - This unique electronic album grew on my so fast. It has the catchiest techno diddies I've ever heard. The best part? It's all within my vocal range!
2. The Way I Fell In by The Morning Of - I was so sure this would be my top pick for the majority of the year. This was my summer album, and though it was beat, it was one of the most enjoyable I've ever listened to and probably accompanied more good memories than any other this year. I was thoroughly impressed by the new and improved The Morning Of. I'm bummed I missed their concert this summer...I can't wait till they come around again!
1. The World We Know by I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business - This album is touching. It grew on me in a really cool way. Every couple of days I have a new favorite from it. Each song is so memorable and this group has suddenly become the one I'm most interested in seeing live. Here's to hoping they pay SLC a visit in '11!
Vs. 2009's top (Spain by Between the Trees)? Oooooooohhhhhh...that's tough. Each is cool in different ways. Hmm...overall, though I hate to have to choose, I'd have to say 2009 wins this battle with Between The Trees spectacular CD, which, as it turns out, was their last album now that they have split.

Honorable mentions to He Is We, The Reign of Kindo, and The Ready Set!

Top Songs will be revealed tomorrow!

I've gotta include formal recognition of all of the amazing new bands I've found this year, particularly the ones that didn't have any new stuff in 2010, but were still a huge part of my life this year.
Big thanks to Wolftron, The Dangerous Summer, Moving Mountains, Barcelona, Oceanlab, Sleeping At Last, States, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Vessels, Undo, Stars Go Dim, The Ready Set, This Century, Ayreon, Sigur Ros, Stars of Track and Field, Eisley, Vedera, Unkle Bob, Jars of Clay, Metric, Broken Bells, Gorillaz, Flobots, In Harbour, Balance Problems, This Beautiful Republic, Falling Up, Embrace, Laura Veirs, Blue October, and Taylor Swift.

I dedicate all of the fabulousness of this awesome year to Lydia and Between the Trees (also split up this year; they had my top album and song of 2009). I'll miss you guys!

Outlook for 2011?
Only two weeks into the new year and I'm already shocked at what is has to offer right off the bat. Here's a list of the highlights.

• Dead Space 2 comes out in two weeks! Some other new games: Elder Scrolls 5, Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3, Portal 2.
• I already have plans to see The Material in February and my birthday party will be seeing Barcelona live on my birthday! This year of concerts has an early start!
• Day one of the new year and Sleeping At Last already hit me with a powerful EP with a song that I know will end up on the top list for 2011. I can't wait to experience this band's "yearbook" of tunes.
• New albums coming soon from Iron & Wine, The Dangerous Summer, The Strokes, Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, No Doubt, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
• Orchestra trip 2011: Disneyland...I'm too excited for words
• Graduation and then college!
• Cinderella just finished up...one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of.

Turn it up to '11!

Songs of The Moment 12/23/10 - Christmas, Anyone?

I know it's almost too late to be sharing Christmas tunes, but who cares? I've stumbled upon some super excellent ones this year, most of which actually came out this year (all original!), and I just can't let you miss them! I'll get right to it!!!

1. Snow by Sleeping At Last
Sleeping At Last is quickly becoming my favorite band. I've never been more passionate about something involving music than I am about the project Sleeping At Last is pursuing. They are releasing a series of EPs called "Yearbook". 3 songs every month for a year. So far they've released October, November, and December (December's cover is the image on the top right). Each EP fits with its month and all nine songs so far have been drop-dead gorgeous. You'll see what I mean with Snow, which is hands down THE BEST Christmas song I've ever found, original or classic. The lyrics honestly blow my mind and uber fitting for the holidays. The vocals and instrumentation are spectacular. Don't miss this one! I'll definitely be keeping you updated on January-September.
PS - Sleeping At Last is doing a ton of other cool things with this project. They're letting people submit all sorts of drawing and samples of their handwriting to be used in the artwork for the EPs. Another thing they did was ask for Christmas/winter-related video footage and then they put together this community-generated music video for Snow. I think it's beautiful. Enjoy.



2. Dream of Christmas by This Century
This Century! One of the fantastic bands I not only discovered this year, but saw live! It's awesome they've got these fabulous songs, but it's too bad the concert wasn't late enough in the year for them to play these two cause that would have been fabulous! This use to be my favorite Christmas song until Snow snuck in only about a week ago. It works super sweet as a Christmas love song, the very best type of Christmas song if I do say so myself. Check it out!



3. Kiss Me Like It's Christmas by This Century
Another one from This Century. I honestly thought this one was pretty lame when I first heard it, but then the catchiness of it hit me. I love it! You'll never have more fun tapping your foot to a Christmas tune!



4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Death Cab for Cutie
This song's a couple of years old, but I just found it this year and Death Cab's amazing so I've just gotta stick it in here. There's lots of fantastic piano/drums dueting going on here; unique, to say the least.



5. Joy To The World by Seabird
Seabird released a couple of its own renditions of classic Christmas tunes last year. This year they added five more and released it in their stunning Christmas EP, the best I've ever heard. Unfortunately, I can't find free, full versions of any of their tunes for you to listen to except one: Joy To The World. It's not my favorite on the EP, but it's dang awesome. Seabird doesn't just make the tunes their own, they transform them entirely. You'll see what I mean. Most of the people I've shown these songs to don't like how much they change songs, but I think it's refreshing. Tell me what you think and check out the whole EP if you like what you hear!



6. When I Get Home For Christmas by Snow Patrol
I honestly didn't foresee a Christmas song coming out of Snow Patrol, but it turns out they had one all along and can pull it off quite nicely. This is another older one (ten years old, it turns out), but I also just barely discovered it and I have no reason to keep it a secret. Nothing extremely wonderful here, but this is a great song.



7. So Much More by Poema
Poema surprised me with a 2010 Christmas EP of their own, which is actually pretty cool because Poema now has a total of 11 songs on iTunes and about half are for Christmas, haha! This one here has a very nice feel to it, not so much Christmasy, but definitely fitting. The lyrics are really cool as well. A real pleasure to listen to.



8. Santa Will Find You by Poema w/ Aaron Marsh

Poema's EP is so good that I have to share one more from it. A couple of the songs on the EP are remakes of the classic Christmas hits, but I'm personally more a fan of the original stuff like this one. This one's just as charming as any Christmas tune out there and Aaron's added vocals wondefully complement everything else that's going on. Fantastic lyrics boost this song even further. I was skeptical when listening to the samples of this EP for the first time, but Poema has really won me over with these awesome songs.



9. Christmas Lights by Coldplay
A couple of well-known artists pleased their fans with brand new Christmas tunes this year. The first was Coldplay. If anyone had the potential to pull off an amazing original Christmas song, it was these guys and they did not disappoint. Most of these songs have just been nice to listen to, but this tune, along with Snow and the two This Century tunes, have really made this Christmas something extra special for me. What can I say? Brilliant vocals and piano here, did you expect less from Coldplay? Just go and listen to it already!



10. Boots by The Killers
The second band to release a new original was The Killers. The mood of it goes right along with what they tried on their last album, and initially reminded me a lot of Human and some of their other previous songs. The Killers, whom I also didn't expect to release a Christmas song, have shocked me with this one. It seems every Christmas original has something special about it. I just wish they'd play this sort of Christmas on the radio instead of the same old songs over and over and over and over. I think you guys will really like the new, Christmas side of The Killers.



11. Wish List by Neon Trees

The Neon Trees are another fairly big band who decided to show off how amazingly they can pull off the Christmas vibe this year. This is one of those songs that screams "Christmas!" with it's first few seconds. It's so groovy! I'm truly sorry if you missed its week as the free single on iTunes. I'm super glad I picked it up. The lyrics have got everything Christmas covered...good stuff.



12. Winter White by A Fine Frenzy
This song was the free single of the week just before last Christmas, but back then I hated it. It has grown on me this year, enough to have a part in my daily Christmas listening. It's not your typical A Fine Frenzy stuff, but it's got a great upbeat feel to it. See what you think.



There it is, Christmas 2010 in a musical nutshell! I hope you guys like these tunes and keep them in your Christmas thoughts! A more-than-ginormous thanks to Sleeping At Last, This Century, and Coldplay for making this Christmas season the best I've ever had!!!

Insight - Art

So I've decided I'm going to take my blog in a a slightly new direction. I decided it needs more than just poetry and music and I've been encouraged lately to share some of the thoughts that go on in my mind. I'm going to start up a new regular spiel called "Insight". I figured it might a little something to make my page here more interesting, varied, and personalized. I'd appreciate it if you guys would comment below or even talk to me face to face if you want to talk about any of this stuff. For my first shot at this, I'm going to share my final Theory of Knowledge paper. Now I know this paper is a beast; read the first and last paragraphs if anything. We were given ten topics to choose from. Here was the prompt I chose:

"Art is a lie that brings us nearer to the truth" -Pablo Picasso. Evaluate this claim in relation to a specific art form.

Art is an unbridled force, backed by endless creativity and unmatched passion, that is continually growing more powerful in terms of the amount of people it reaches, the amount of people endeavoring to further it, and the more-than-ever variations of it that people are now pursuing. The incredibly, sometimes incomprehensibly, compelling nature of art has an undeniable presence in the world today, but the basis of its existence as a prevalent part of nearly every individual’s life is more difficult to understand. An actor shrouds himself with a false identity. An artist portrays impossible scenes. A musician manipulates unnatural sounds. A writer creates outlandish worlds and scenarios. All of these examples serve to persuade the mind that art, even with any efforts artists might make to follow reality, is ultimately fake and, as some would suppose, useless. The fact that the word ‘art’ shares the letters of and the ideas behind the word ‘artificial’, which means ‘lacking naturalness’ and is synonymous with terms such as counterfeit, false, and unreal, seems the simplest and most inarguable evidence available to support the first half of Picasso’s statement that art is a lie. This point seems to have the majority of individuals in concurrence. Art, in essence, is all that is not real or, if one would venture to say so, not true.

Picasso’s second opinion, that art brings us nearer to the truth, is generally a more difficult concept to understand and feel comfortable about. Many philosophical thinkers argue that with the introduction of a greater amount of artwork, along with a growing variety of forms, comes a more cluttered, doubt-filled reality. These are the people that advocate the ideas that counter Picasso’s aforementioned viewpoint. These people that say art is pulling humanity further from the truth. These people say that the imagination behind the art is distracting us from the important things in life. These people say that the pursuit of art is entirely vain. Through much experience with viewing, analyzing, and creating art, I, along with much of the people close to me as well as those from across the globe, firmly stand against these people. The extreme passion, deep thought, and insatiable wonder that art is often capable of inciting both within the creator and the witness are indescribable. Though art is often heavily reliant upon language and emotion as conduits of the expression of ideas, or knowledge, it seems to go above and beyond these methods when finding its way to the observer. Art, in a mysterious way that perhaps nothing but a human could ever understand, is a convincing force that can be impossible to discount. What it is that art attempts to convince the viewer of, however, is open for interpretation. Someone in an art museum might recognize the immense beauty of a rose for the first time when looking at a painted, perhaps unrealistic, depiction of the flower. The flower has, of course, always existed, but we can assume that without the artist’s emphasis and glorification of the simple rose, which is, in essence, a lie, changed the way this individual views flowers. The antagonists would argue that the artist’s unreal rendition of the flower has tricked the person into believing something that isn’t true. This perspective usually stems from pessimists or from those who are overly reliant on logic, or, in other words, poor knowers. Therefore, it is both safer and more reasonable to conclude that the artist’s painting of the rose has brought its beholder “nearer to the truth”, not further from it. Upon analyzing this scenario and many other similar cases, it becomes clear that art, which is a lie because of the way in which it veers away from or alters reality, does, in fact, bring one nearer to the truth.

Drawing from my experiences as an avid music maker and an aspiring novelist, I’ve seen the influence that art can have both upon my fellow artists and upon my onlookers. Most artists consider themselves more knowledgeable individuals than they were before they embraced and succeeded to practice and excel in the field of art. There is, of course, much logic behind music. There is a mathematical system to the arrangement of musical notes. There is a science to how well certain colors appear when placed together. There is a structure of vocabulary and grammar in place for writers to follow. This definitive, undeniably truthful information is beneficial as part of one’s mental arsenal and can be reasonably considered at equal with any mathematical equation, scientific theory, or historical account, but it is rarely the most prevalent part of art from the perspective of the artist. Art, by its own nature, permits the creator to break these logical rules. Logic doesn’t always have a place in artwork, and even when it does, it is rarely the root of an artist’s inspiration. It is not why artists consider themselves more learned or more sophisticated after experimenting with art. It is not necessarily what “brings [them] nearer to the truth”.

Creativity and passion are the primary driving forces behind this supposed acquisition of knowledge. The vast majority of artists would insist that imagination, fascination, and emotion are the powers that cause them to do what they do, that make them what they are, that have them constantly clinging to the false, which most of them would actually consider the truth. Rarely does one write a song mainly to learn the patterns that guide musical composition. People write songs to incite feelings within themselves or the listeners, to learn about their capabilities, or sometimes just to discover something new or lay claim to something that has never been done before. Visual artists, computer animators, sculptors, actors, dancers, film creators, clothes designers, and beauticians all tend to follow these approaches. Imagination, it seems, will forever be endless. Scientists tend to believe that there is a definite number of laws that dictate every aspect of the universe and they are devoted to discovering each and every one of these rules until all truth has been documented. It is easy to understand that artists, though their intangible, but comparable universe of images, ideas, and feelings is seen by most as infinite, are similarly searching their world for truths. The spherical nature of the Earth wasn’t considered truth until it was proven. Likewise, “The Messiah” wasn’t a part of reality until Handel created, or perhaps ‘found’ or ‘discovered’ it. The difference between the sphere and the choral/orchestral masterpiece is that the Earth has always been a sphere and the “The Messiah” hasn’t always been a musical piece – or perhaps it has. Perhaps all pieces of art have always existed. Perhaps those not yet created are just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps there is only a slight difference between scientific truths and artistic “truths”. This case would imply that art and science are more closely related than believed by most individuals, who tend to place science and art on opposite ends of the intellectual spectrum, and is, therefore, contrary to reality and tradition. Still, neither argument can be thoroughly proven.

To further prospect the relation between art and truth, I’ll turn to my personal experiences. I have established myself as a skilled player, experienced creator, and devout listener of music. The viola and the bass guitar, two extremely different instruments from two time periods separated by centuries of musical development, are my two specialties. Their existence relative to one another, with the viola representing classical music and the bass guitar symbolizing the more modern rock and roll, illustrates an interesting truth behind music and art in general. Classical music became popular around five centuries ago. At the time, is was a new endeavor, exalted as divine by some and heavily criticized as blasphemous by others. It created sounds and rhythms that could never exist naturally and was, in a way, bending reality. In the world today, classical music is simply there. It plays a large part in society. It is in our concert halls, in our theatres, in our homes. Though it is a lie, it has established a new truth. Only about fifty years ago, a new type of music emerged: rock and roll. This form of music took art’s nature as a lie to the next level. It not only created sounds more unnatural than any heard before, it blasted them to volumes previously unimaginable. This ‘lie’ gave people a further understanding of the impressive variety of sounds our ears and minds could register, many of which must have seemed impossible. Even more recently, electronic sounds have gained a foothold in the world of music. It makes art seem like even more of a lie by creating sounds not only unnatural, but unplayable by any physical object. Still, all three of these types of music, which almost seem unrelated, coexist. Together, they constitute the lie that is music. At the same time, they allow listeners, performers, and composers to better comprehend the possibility of sound, the truth of sound.

The more information scientists discover, the closer they are to knowing the truths behind the existence of the universe. An artist likewise explores and discovers within the world of creativity and passion in order to more fully understand the scope and power of what is possible. Because this information doesn’t seem to exist prior to ‘discovery’, it can be considered a lie. It does, however, serve as a vessel to the destination that is truth simply by existing, by grasping an undeniable presence. After analyzing the purpose and achievements of art, Picasso’s viewpoint becomes clearly well justified.