Listening to the Unconscious

Rezensionen / Stimmen

Exploring how conscious and unconscious states of mind are channeled through musical expression, Kenneth Smith and Stephen Overy collaborate here to offer post-Freudian and post-Lacanian readings of popular songs. With clear reference to psychoanalytic concepts, their analytic applications reveal remarkable ways in which states of being emerge through expressive musical strategies. Listening to the Unconscious will reward readers with persuasive and stimulating reflections on how music channels the very core of human experience. * Lori Burns, Professor of Music, University of Ottawa, Canada * Three particular values strike me in reading Smith and Overy's Listening to the Unconscious. First, they provide an entry-level, cogent introduction to key psychoanalytic concepts and the ways they enable navigation of the unconscious, but with a musical purpose in mind. Second, they give much all-too-rare attention to musical detail in the light of these concepts, leading to persuasive elucidations of a wide range of songs at rather greater depth than often found. And, third, they present sufficient richness of demonstration to enable interested readers to apply these ideas to music of their own choosing, and thus to understand music more convincingly from this useful perspective. What more could one want? * Allan Moore, Professor Emeritus, University of Surrey, UK * Listening to the Unconscious provides a compelling approach to music listening. It is an invaluable addition to the field of popular music studies, demonstrating deftly the relevance of psychoanalysis in music scholarship. Comprising an extensive collection of musical examples, Smith and Overy have developed an impressive array of theories that lay the foundations for important forms of critical thinking. * Stan Hawkins, Professor Emeritus, University of Oslo and University of Agder, Norway * Kenneth Smith and Stephen Overy present a unique approach to the analysis of popular music that links conventional music theoretic and Freudian/Lacanian psychoanalytic concepts providing the analyst a window into the unconscious drives shaping popular music. * Ciro Scotto, Associate Professor of Music Theory, Ohio University, USA *