Fun Stuff > BAND
Is it a waste?
Storm Rider:
--- Quote from: Spinless ---By the way, when I say 'indie' I don't mean 'jangly pop rock'.
--- End quote ---
I know this is off topic, but I really hate the word 'jangly' when applied to music. It's almost as stupid as 'angular' guitar riffs. How the hell is a guitar riff angular?
Storm Rider:
I never said 'jangly' doesn't apply to music, I said I don't like the term. I think that there are better ways to describe music than 'jangly'. The term absolutely oozes pretentiousness.
But no, I've never heard Drive like Jehu. But what is angular supposed to mean? I mean, how can sound be angular?
Spike:
I've stopped to think about this occasionally and I've come to a conclusion that there are a lot of different things that have given rise to the attitude that music used to be better and things like that.
For one, it's the timeframe. Artists like Led Zeppelin have existed longer than I have and they've put out quite a few albums and done a lot of shows because they've had the time to do it. New bands aren't quite as prolific because it takes time to put out an album. Sometimes a band seems like they've dissapeared but that's only because they are working on an album but some people are too short sighted to actually consider that. With an older band it's all there, a person has all they want the second they want it.
A lot of people argue that a lot of bands now sound alike or are "ripping off" a band that existed before them. While it's true that there have been some instances of bands actually ripping off other bands, I don't think that's what's going on for the most part. Bands now are going to have influences, there's no way around it. People automatically think "Oh they are just trying to be x band because they sound like x band."
I'd go on longer but I don't really feel like it, it's always seemed stupid to me to write off every new band as a failure and to sit there and think that only bands from thirty odd years ago are awesome.
Scytale:
I think its true of any era, there are always going to be a few records that you hear and instantly know you're listening too a classic release. It doesn't happen often but you put on a record for the first time and just go "wow".
The problem is shifting through all the crap to find the "wow" records. In years to pass everyone forgets the crap and only remembers the "wow".
When you're surrounded by crap its hard to to pick out the good records
elcapitan:
I have an observation that may not be particularly popular in this audience, but I'm going to make it anyway.
As I see it, a LOT of the most groundbreaking music is being made in the electronic and hip-hop genres. Production-wise, this is where the boundaries are being pushed - and this has been the case for many years. I'm not talking about your cheesy house or top-40 RnB either, but rather in the more "niche" areas, such as minimalist techno and some of the more unusual flavours of hip-hop.
Why is this? I suspect it's due to the very nature of electronic production - I'm talking mainly about electronic stuff here, but the same applies to hip-hop (and, to a degree, anything which is produced on a computer, including a lot of indie stuff). Ten years ago, making music from a computer was an arcane art, and as such there was a certain level of skill and creativity required to even get anything out. Following the subsequent massive uptake of home mixing studios and user-friendly "trance in your bedroom" programs like FL Studio, there has been a certain evolutionary response in the genre - you need to be brilliant to rise about the dross.
A good example is the late J. Dilla. The man was a genius hip-hop producer, who had a massive effect on the genre despite being almost unknown by name. If you're interested, get hold of his solo release Donuts - it's a good place to begin. Some of the tricks this guy has come up with are almost standard now, but were ground-breaking at the time. It might even be the case that they will hang around influencing popular music (I use the term in the loosest possible sense) for years, much like the riffs and progressions of Led Zeppelin, or the vocal approach of The Pixies.
Certainly, there will always be room for the two-guitars-vocals-and-a-drum-kit approach, and I think there are some groups roaming the frontiers here as well - you guys are more qualified to judge exactly who, since although I know what I like, I'm certainly not all that au-fair with the indie scene. But there is a LOT of stagnation, and originality is getting harder and harder to come by.
I could keep going for hours, but I have to go to a trivia night. What do you think? Think I've made a valid point? Think I'm totally wrong?
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