SEWARD: Overcoming one's self-doubt in another's spotlight
Column: Exploring Humanity with Sam Seward
The "George Harrison" of any musical group is defined as an underrated member of the band while still having the ability to release quality music as a solo artist like Harrison did himself, apart from The Beatles.
While no "George Harrison" has come close to making the same sort of contributions to music that Harrison did, there are numerous examples of lesser-known musicians in popular bands making a name for themselves in a solo capacity.
Animal Collective is a group that could never dream of reaching the heights of The Beatles, at least commercially. The group's sound is hard to pin down, as it reaches all over the psychedelic music field. It ranges from avant-folk, punctuated by tribal drums and feral shouts, to synthpop loaded with druggy walls of soundcoating gorgeous vocal harmonies and white noise (as seen in earlier releases).
While the group never achieved the commercial peak of The Beatles, there are similarities that range beyond their psychedelic sound. Like the British quartet, the group contains two primary singers and songwriters, David Portner and Noah Lennox.
While Harrison occasionally wrote songs for The Beatles, Lennox and Portner have a firm hold on the songwriting for Animal Collective, with the album "Sung Tongs" written entirely by the duo. Additionally, the majority of Animal Collective's catalog is written by the pair, with the other two members, Josh Dibb and Brian Weitz, being used in a more support capacity, fleshing out the sound of the group with guitars, samples and other assorted electronics.
While the secondary role of Dibb and Weitz is no implication that Lennox and Portner have brushed off the songwriting of the former pair, in the same way, that Lennon and McCartney did for Harrison, it has been very difficult for either secondary member to contribute a song worth recording, given the prowess of their songwriting.
Furthermore, Portner's and Lennox's vocals often dominate Animal Collective's work, whether it be Lennox's Brian Wilson-esque falsetto or Portner's more frenetic style of singing, ranging from honeyed whispers to deranged shrieks in a matter of seconds, providing a distinct element to the quartet's sound that contemporaries could only dream of replicating.
Having two songwriters and vocalists as gifted as Lennox and Portner makes things both easy and difficult for the supporting members, especially Dibb, as Weitz, as of today, has expressed little to no interest in recording solo music.
"I've been struggling to work on my own music since I was a kid," Dibb noted in a Ravelin interview. "I started writing songs when I was 12 or 13."
But working with Lennox, Portner and Weitz enabled him to "use their brilliance as a way to sublimate myself to them." While Dibb's voice was part of something great, his contributions to Animal Collective's body of work are overshadowed by Portner, Lennox and Weitz's contributions.
While Dibb is proud of the work he did and continues to do for Animal Collective, he expressed a desire to flex his solo creative muscles around 2009. While he did want to take this leap, he experienced increasing bouts of self-doubt. "What is my capacity, what is my value, what do I have in myself that's really worth recording that people want to hear?" he questioned in a Pitchfork interview.
Not helping the issue is the scrutiny that Dibb was under throughout the early stages of the recording process of the album. Initially, a Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund a trip for him to play at a festival in Mali, with the trip being intended to inspire an album and accompanying artwork. By 2012, nothing of substance had come out of the Kickstarter, and Dibb was accused of ripping off the donors.
Despite the setbacks, something ultimately did come from the whole experience. Dibb donated most of the initial Kickstarter money to an organization called "TEMEDT," whose goal is to end slavery in Mali and released his debut, and to date, only solo album, titled "Sleep Cycle" in 2016.
He cites his "fatal perfectionism" as the reason for the seven-year delay, as doubts over the quality of his voice and songs permeated the recording sessions. Despite this, Dibb, with some help from his friends, overcame his self-doubt and released a gorgeous piece of music.
"Sleep Cycle" is an apt title, as it feels like a series of psychedelic lullabies, softly expressing Dibb's doubts with ambient soundscapes interlocked with soft acoustic guitar and gentle vocals, providing both a relaxing and meditative experience. While I would never argue that any amount of personal turmoil is worth it, in any sense, seeing someone overcome their struggle is immensely satisfying for anyone, especially someone like myself who experiences more than their fair share of self-doubt.
I know that I am a long way from achieving the heights of Deakin's "Sleep Cycle" or "All Things Must Pass" regarding my personal creative pursuits, but it provides peace of mind that a fellow over-thinker was able to overcome their doubts and create something truly beautiful.
The capability is within all of us to create something special, and we should not let our own selves stop us from realizing this potential.
Samuel Seward is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences, majoring in political science and minoring in English. His column, "Exploring Humanity with Sam Seward," runs on alternate Wednesdays.
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