New technology has widened the number of possible approaches available to musical composition. It's become possible to write, record and perform music without the use of anything even close to a traditional musical instrument. As an instrumentalist, I have mixed feelings about this, as you may have guessed. I'll get to my reservations tomorrow, but first, I should say that I do find the music of many electronic artists intriguing and diverse, rife with unusual and beautiful textures, settings and rhythms. And I listen to quite a bit of it. In fact, I've probably listened to the Mancunian duo known as Autechre (members: Sean Booth and Rob Brown) as much as any other active recording artist over the last couple of years, which is a realization that surprises me. Paradoxically, it's the human quality of their work that maintains my interest. (Thematically, I think that there's some overlap with Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times and its consideration of the effects of mechanization on human life.) My album of choice from their repertoire is Quaristice from 2008, and it's also the one that I would recommend to a listener new to their music. Here's a link for the opening track, "Altibzz": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ZyEGTIsvE. By the way, most of their titles, and their name as well, are, like the ones above, part way between language and science fiction, and it's interesting to note the condensed, poetic quality that can be contained in "words" that aren't, strictly speaking, part of a language. Their music, I think you'll find, is equally thought-provoking in this way.

It seems that one way that I'll be working in this space is to mention something in passing and then to revisit it later. Today, that's exactly what I'll be doing. 1. I mentioned John Lennon's remark regarding Ringo, and it certainly fits right in with the many baffling statements that he made, but I want to also mention that Lennon is among the very greatest singers that rock and roll ever produced. He sang in tune, with tremendous power and emotion, and no affectation. Not many singers can have that said about them. The Beatles were primarily a vocal group. They wanted to be singers, not instrumentalists looking for settings upon which to improvise. And singers they were. There's not a group to this day that can sing with them. Certain versions of Rubber Soul can be listened to without the backing instrumentation (by panning to one side) - highly recommended. Also, listen to the backup vocal entry on "Hey Jude". Right on the laces (sorry, been watching too much World Cup).
One way of seeing the Beatles' story is to consider the way the group evolved from being John's band to Paul's. Evidence: Beatles for Sale vs. Abbey Road. Then of course, there was the emergence of George, and the fact that he wrote and sang some of the greatest Beatles songs. But that's for another day. All in all, a very interesting group. There is much to be learned from thoughtfully listening to them.
2. At another point, I mentioned pop music being played by machines these days. And most of it is. But that is not to say that technology and machinery can't be used to create incredibly interesting music. One group that has held my attention for a long time is Autechre. This duo proves that with technology, very original music (which could not be made any other way, and perhaps that's the difference between pre-fabricated pop and serious electronic music) can be produced. The influence that they have had on Radiohead (and other groups) is easy to hear ("Myxomatosis" is a good example, cf. "Eutow" from Tri Repetae). The machinery allows them to set up very complex rhythms and then to "play" over them. You can clearly hear that the music is being played by a duo and not a solitary composer, as well. Listening: Amber (1994) and Quaristice (2008).