Online platforms may have upended the ways we consume music, but technology has yet to fully triumph over tradition when it comes to how artists release their work.
The last two years alone have shown how the freewheeling and shuffle-friendly nature of streaming hasn't dented the appeal of the album, with pop stars The Weeknd (After Hours and Dawn FM) and Adele (30) unleashing blockbuster projects that are cohesive and meant to be heard in a specific order and one sitting.
Another traditional format also predicted to perish with time is also proving to be equally as resilient — the double album.
Once derided as an exercise in excess, it is seemingly bouncing back with a growing and eclectic group of top-tier artists adopting the format.
On Saturday, the Red Hot Chili Peppers joined the list after announcing that their Return of the Dream Canteen, out in October, will be "packed to the brim" with songs.
The move follows similar works by popular acts such as rapper Kendrick Lamar, rockers Imagine Dragons, alternative country group Wilco and indie-rock giant Johnny Marr.
So what's going on? Is this a rearguard action to protect a cherished historical format or is the resurgence a sign of the times?
The answer is a mix of both.
While the double album is still held by traditionalists as a statement of creative ambition, its appeal and eventual decline was caused by economics.
The format traces its origins to the birth of the single LP (long play) record in 1948, which allowed up to 44 minutes of music to be played over two sides.
While revolutionary at the time, the single disc was criticised as inhibiting to fans of longer-form genres, such as classical, jazz and opera.
Hence the double album.
Beginning with the 1950 release of The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert by composer Ben Goodman, it was initially limited to niche recordings from these genres, which historically had well-paying customers.
With the lowering of production costs over the ensuing years, the artistic appreciation and commercial appeal of the format grew within the industry.
At nearly two hours long, 1956's Sings the Cole Porter Song Book by Ella Fitzgerald was an early demonstration of the breathtaking sweep and scope the form can deliver.
Double albums also helped established stars over the next two decades to break new creative ground, make grander statements and dismantle fan and industry misconception surrounding their work. Think Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966), The Beatles's White Album (1968), Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973), The Rolling Stones's Exile on Main St (1972) and Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti (1973).
A need for expression
While the advent of streaming curbed its commercial appeal in more recent years, with some notable modern exceptions — such as rapper Tupac Shakur’s 1996 opus All Eyez on Me and Christina Aguilera’s Back to Basics in 2006 — the same artistic impulses power the new wave of double albums being released today.
After releasing Cruel Country in May, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy told Variety the 21-track album finds the US band embracing country music ― a genre they've emphatically distanced themselves from in the past ― and surveying the societal ruptures affecting their nation today.
“Once I started listening back to what we had done as Cruel Country began to take its shape as a double record a narrative began to emerge,” he said.
“In spite of ourselves, and all of our concerns and efforts to distract, we had made an ‘American music’ album about America.”
For Imagine Dragons, whose Mercury — Acts 1 & 2 was released this month, the double album was the best outlet allowing the Las Vegas group to examine key themes of death and recovery.
“We knew really early on that it was going to be two records,” singer Dan Reynolds told Consequence of Sound.
“We realised early on that Act I was focused on death and kind of those shell-shocked feelings that accompany that, whereas Act 2 is really post-grief and waking up the next day after you’ve lost someone that you loved.”
A sign of the times
Other motivations inspiring new double albums are to do with the here and now.
Where previously songs took shape and were recorded after being written on the road, the lack of touring opportunities caused by the Covid-19 pandemic forced certain bands to create material together with the luxury of time.
The extra creative space paid dividends for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, with the new album featuring the return of former guitarist John Frusciante.
“With time turned into an elastic waistband of oversized underwear, we had no reason to stop writing and rocking,” the band said in a social media post announcing Return of the Dream Canteen.
“It felt like a dream. When all was said and done, our moody love for each other and the magic of music had gifted us with more songs than we knew what to do with.”
Kendrick Lamar used the time afforded by the pandemic to dig deep for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, the acclaimed and harrowing double album in which he picked apart deep-seated insecurities and devastating childhood traumas.
Shunning all media interviews to date, Lamar’s only comment about the project was a statement previewing the album's release last August.
"I spend most of my days with fleeting thoughts. Writing. Listening. And collecting old Beach cruisers. The morning rides keep me on a hill of silence. I go months without a phone. Love, loss, and grief have disturbed my comfort zone, but the glimmers of God speak through my music and family,” he said.
“While the world around me evolves, I reflect on what matters the most. The life in which my words will land next.”
Leave it to the enigmatic Marr, who recently released Fever Dreams Pts. 1—4, to, perhaps, say it best when explaining the enduring appeal and purpose of the double album nearly 70 years on.
“The reasons for doing a double album in 2022 are probably the same as then,” he told New York magazine. “You feel like you want to say more.”
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
