Sequenza21/The Contemporary Classical Music Weekly

Is Corey Losing His Religion?

For those of you fortunate enough to catch Corey Dargel's Friday night performance at Location One, I have a question: what's not pop about his music? Reviews of Dargel's music uniformly mention that he traverses the boundaries of pop and contemporary classical, but I have a hunch that these reviewers have been neatly hoodwinked by Mr. Dargel: his music isn't "dangerously close to commercial viability" (sorry Kyle), it's reached commercial viability.

Before I go any further, I should clarify a few things. For starters, the music is amazing. I'm not trying to remove the classical tag because I think this stuff isn't achieving some standard of artistry or complexity or intellectual rigor; I just happen to believe that all those things are completely achievable within pop music. Also, my first exposure to Dargel came 5 or 6 years ago when he and Rob Reich played a concert at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. His music then was a mass of swirling, minimalist textures played on guitar and keyboard upon which repeated vocal lines floated. While many of these elements have been retained in Dargel's current musical incarnation, verse-chorus structure, electronic drums, and even choreographed hand claps have all appeared.

These new additions result in a music that contains all the hallmarks of pop. Voice and lyrics, despite intriguing arrangements, are the focal points of the songs. The melodies are often even catchy, though in more of an R.E.M. than a Madonna way. The rhythms, though sometimes skittish, drive the songs and regularly merit some unconscious foot tapping or head bobbing. The timbres too are pop-derived. Though the electric guitar and saxophone (performed by Sheila Donovan and C�sar Alvarez respectively) have both embarked along the process of garnering some classical pedigree, the synth keyboards and drums (especially the drums) that Dargel chooses have little precedent in recent new music. Finally, there's the stage show. While laser shows and sequins aren't likely to make an appearance anytime soon, the stage patter jokes, Dargel's soon-to-be-trademark hat, and the physicality of the performance (Dargel mimicking Alvarez's sax solo gesturing, for example) are far more pop than classical.

I think reviewers have tended to look at Dargel through the contemporary classical lens for a couple of reasons. First, his songs are clearly the product of someone who's applied careful thought and a sophisticated ear to his writing, and the lyrics match the music in cleverness. While these traits might be more representative of the contemporary classical scene, they're certainly not absent from the pop world (however unlikely you might be to hear them on the radio). In fact, while listening to the concert, I heard more of pop artists ranging from Magnetic Fields to Boards of Canada to Postal Service than his musical cohorts Eve Beglarian and Phil Kline.

All this dovetails nicely into the second reason critics see Dargel as too art for pop - they're classical critics attending concerts at venues geared toward contemporary classical. The setting suggests the interpretation. Dargel has succeeded, through the quality of his music and performances, in marketing himself !to the new music community. It's a wise move, too. Though I have no doubt he could garner plenty of fans in the indie/college scene, by appealing to us highbrow folk he gains himself a healthy measure of artistic freedom (no label, thank you very much), an audience practiced at careful listening, and the support of organizations like Meet the Composer and Roulette who are driven by goals other than profit.

In the process, Dargel's composer-pop offers contemporary classical something great in return: the ability to draw an audience. Location One is a small venue, but Dargel had more attendees than the place had chairs. With more exposure, I imagine the audiences will only grow and the organizations and musicians (like Phil Fried, who opened the show with some entrancing bass and analog processing improvisations) around him will reap the benefits.

posted by Lanier Sammons 10/08/2005