K-OS Says No! To Making Albums

According to Chart Attack, K-OS revealed to Much Music this past Thursday that he has decided to forego making albums altogether in preference for releasing singles.

"I'm not going to make any more albums,” he said. “I think we're just going to drop singles for a couple years and see what happens. If those singles are successful, maybe put out a compilation of the ones that people like and call it an album, like what Elvis and The Beatles did.”

“So the next thing I do is probably a single a month with a video, then another single with a video to keep it current,” he said.

Although K-OS is still producing music, I can`t help but feel somewhat upset by his decision to stop releasing albums. I know that in this day and age, making a record is not very profitable for musicians. I understand and recognize that music although firstly is art, secondly is a business. Rightly so, the business of music is essential for musicians, they need to make a living to continue producing their art. I hope that K-OS`s decision to stop making albums is not solely for monetary reasons. As a fan of his and knowing many other K-OS fans, records from him are still in demand.

When K-OS said you don`t have to make albums anymore, was he implying that making albums was something he was obliged to do or was he indicating the fact that many don`t appreciate albums anymore?

Albums are important recollections of an artist`s career. There is no feeling like listening to a record from start to finish. Making an album is not just about making individual tunes and releasing them together. It involves a complicated and creative process of song arrangements and storytelling. It’s about creating the experience.

That listening experience is lost with singles. Singles used to be a means of sharing your music with people for the purpose of giving them a glimpse of the experience, not being the experience in itself. I don`t know about you, but a 3-4 minute song doesn`t really cut it for me. It`s like creating a television show that won`t be a series, but only one episode long. You’re left with a cliff-hanger, wanting to know more. Not so satisfying.

Maybe I`m just `not with the times`, but I consider YES!, Atlantis, Joyful Rebellion, and Exist, to be treasured collections of Canadian musical greatness.

So, please K-OS, reconsider.

Your fan and nostalgic music lover,

Rose Palmieri

Photo Credit: Undisclosed, from K-OS`s website