Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to “The Genius” by The Pikey Project
We don’t run ads here. On Repeat is made entirely possible through the support of our paid supporters. If you enjoy what we’re doing, please consider becoming one.
We like things fast in 2023.
We used to have something called “appointment viewing,” where we’d sit down at a specific time to watch a specific show. You couldn't skip ahead, even if you wanted to. Then came Tivo and the ability to at least skip ads. In short order even that proved to not be enough, and we’d catch ourselves fast-forwarding “just” a little bit here and there. Then, more and more. Then video clips came. Now TikTok rules the day.
Our addiction to dopamine demands more and more hits faster and faster.
Nobody listens to long stuff anymore. Everyone’s attention span is so short. All songs are 3 minutes-ish…To buck the trend, I set out to write a concept album but ended up writing this one long song!
Music has followed a similar trajectory. Sure, pop songs have always been shorter by design to fit a DJ’s show better (or rather, the station’s ad schedule), but even that is now proving too much. Since 2000, the average song on Billboard’s Hot 100 has shaved 40 seconds off, slimming down to 3:30. 2021’s Top 50 was even leaner, clocking in at an average of just 3:07.
Michael Scott Wilkie of the Pikey Project decided to bet the other way.
One night, he listened to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon entirely (another thing we’ve forgotten how to do). While doing so, he initially decided to start composing a concept record. That gave way to the idea of making one song instead.
The result is “The Genius,” a track that took a year to create and one that clocks in at a humongous 30 minutes.
Though he now calls Oregon home, most of “The Genius” was recorded at The Sail House, a home/studio he constructed in St. Vincent and The Grenadines. Wilkie is a fan of the fusion between funk and jazz, but the Islands’ influence also comes through here. Wilkie is heading back to The Sail House to record more tracks before heading off for a motorcycle trip across Vietnam.
Will that inspire future tracks? It’s too soon to tell, but don’t be surprised if it does.
When I asked him what he hoped listeners would take away from this project, he told me:
Stop, slow down, take it easy...the things you're doing are not as important as you think they are. Take time just to sit and watch a sunset...or passers-by. Learn or re-learn to enjoy and appreciate art slowly, whether it's a book, a painting, or music. I would love people to lie down with headphones on and listen to The Genius with their eyes closed...but that is a BIG ask in this day and age.
In an era where our content diet comes at us at 100mph, sitting down for 30 minutes to listen to the twists and turns of one song might indeed be a big ask. But it also might be just what we need.
To connect with Mike and his music, click here:
Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify | The Pikey Project
Listen:
“The Genius” by The Pikey Project, 2023
Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this track!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
P.S. Lively up your inbox! Every day The Sample forwards you a newsletter to discover. The more you use it, the better it gets at delivering what you want.
Punk band Subhumans did an album called "From the Cradle... to the Grave" around 1983. Their title track was like 16 minutes, and it helped me understand that it was okay to go against the mainstream, even the counter-cultural norms! Typical punk songs were like a minute and a half.
I'm intrigued by the chutzpah...will listen!