what about downloading massive amounts of music makes a person believe that just because they listen to a person, they can make stupid claims like "john mayer trio: finally a real blues record"? personally, i would say that jack white is a better blues player, and also more in touch with his "roots" or whatever you wanna call them. white actually draws from musicians like charley patton, son house, and even though every blues player says this, robert johnson. as far as i can tell, mayer reachs as far back as eric clapton. not that clapton isnt a good blues player or enthusiast, but he plays more "standard" or "acessible" pieces. even when trying to not be a pop star, mayer goes for a more popular lening, as far as i can tell. if there is any evidence of him reaching back further than englishmen in the sixties for his influences, then i apologise, as this post would make no sense.
now, as far as franz ferdinand is concerned, trying a different approach or style in their music is something i applaud artists to do. just because one person with a computer doesnt understand it, doesnt make the effort a bad one. listening to the two albums the have released, i would say that they tried something different, and they didnt fail, as the album is different, they just didnt succeed as wel as their original, though sales say differently. shifting from "european funk-pop" (to use pretentious labels) to "art-pop" is quite a jump. in fact the second album is just as listenable and enjoyable as the first,
if you ignore the fact that you are listening to franz ferdinand. the second album is just not their sound, and maybe they should try something different. but it is asinine, to me, to damn franz ferdinand for their effort and applaud the white sripesfor theirs. both artists have done the same thing...one was just a further step than the other. white, as i said earlier, is heavily influenced by, specifically, delta blues musicians, so it would make perfect sense to go from southern blues to southern folk music. see? same thing, but franz ferdinand just went a little further, and didnt succeed as well, in my opinion, but then again, i am just another music listener with a computer; this does not make me right, just stating an opinion. but, look at blak rebel motorcycle clubs latest release, howl. it isnt my favorite release of theirs, as they seem to have gone from those loveable shoegazers i liked and evolved into a band following in jack whites footsteps. however, the albums came out around the same time, despite brmc working on it longer than the white stripes. they almost lost their drummer to a serious drinking and drug problem. in fact he only played on one track, showing up six weeks before it was to be remixed and mastered. i like what they have accomplished in this album, though a few of the tracks are skippable. but it doesnt mean it should be written off as bad and a horrible choice for a divergence, just an experiment with a different approach. actually not having a drummer could havecontributed to the fact that it is mainly crafted around guitar and organ rather than as a rock band making music with guitar, bass, and drums.
now, i admit, i like sigor ros when i just wanna relax and not think about lyrics or musical things, but honestly, they did not release one of the greatest albums this year. i can stick a mic in a tree somewhere and then lay down a vocal track where i moan into a mic in gibberish. not saying icelandic languages are gibberish, but have of the tracks on ( ) were half icelandic and half made up, sometimes in the same track name. seriously, these guys are good at making me relax, but not the best at making actual music. they are as good at making calm as sonic youth is at making noise. also they are good if you want to make two whales mate...
sufjan stevens' latest release, in my opinion, is better composed and more listenable than his release, michigan. that is all i can actually say about it, as he shows no signs of stopping the good composition, but then again we still have 48 albums from him in his 50 states project, so we ll see where that goes...
also fuck you, the strokes' latest release isnt as good as their first, considerably better than their last, but better put together than anything they have released so far. also the songwriting has improved greatly, and their craftsmanship of their songs have gotten better. whats the matter, cant take a little darkness with you pop-rock?
also if you are just finding out about radiohead or massive attack, welcome to 1997! next youll just have to hear oasis! oh and blind melon as well! they are teh azzkickz00rs!
as ive written this post, i seem to have gotten progressively more and more belligerent, but i cant help but feel some anger when people listen to "indie" music, seemingly for the purpose of flexing their snobbery muscles, then dismiss certain artists, the ones that more people listen to, as boring and bad, and then praising bands that fewer people listen to, but doing that for the same reason. i mean, cmon, sigur ros arent musicians. i would call them artists that happen to use instruments as their paint, but they are music...thats like saying clap your hands say yeah! are masters of melody and have deep lyrics. not to be contradictory, as i find that most artists have some redeeming quality in the music they make, but ome just dont make actual music, if you define music as the common goal of all musicians in a certain song. as far as i can tell, sigur ros are the artists painting a soundscape, sonic youth are the rebels making a cohesive unit of noise disguised as a soundscape, and clap your hands say yeah! are just people handed instruments and computer loops who decided to bang on shit and see how many people they could sucker into believing that they are making a "movement" in music. as far as i can tell, theyve tricked the indie-fucks and the bohemians, but theyll never trick me...fuck em.
actually this post has taken a turn for the worst, so i will just stop here. feel free to post comments and tell me what a fucker i am or agree or whatever. i dont care. just understand that i only post this because i love music and hate it when people just look at a release of an artist as a single thing, without looking at what may have given them inspiration for what they attempted, their influences or any number of different factors that contribute to the sound of an album. its because of this that usually wait until the artists second release before i pass judgment or whatever on them, but clap your hands say yeah! are just fucking bad. also death cab for cutie. i will forgive them for the postal service though, just as i will forgive them for producing the decemberists and, as far as i can tell, driving them to sign with a major label. remember, a band isnt indie anymore when they sign to a major label (cough capitol cough), as both death cab and the decemberists have done. i guess i will just have to forgive the decemberists and damn death cab.
z out
(note the sarcasm)
