The first time I heard The Blue Album I was 11 years old (23 now). When I heard "Say It Ain't So" for the first time, I remember getting chills. I started rocking back and forth, furiously nodding my head, using the kitchen counter as balance support. I had a huge smile on my face. This is my earliest memory of having an involuntary reaction to music. It was so good I literally couldn't contain myself.
The memory I associate the most with The Blue Album isn't an altogether happy one but I think I turned out better because of it. In high school I was making out with my on-again-off-again girlfriend in my bedroom. I had prepped the ultimate make out playlist on a CD and was playing it over my speakers. Finally we got to the big moment, I had dropped "Only in Dreams" at the very end of the mix, hoping to get an emotional reaction (at the time I was really into Garden State and was all about trying to ingrain overly sentimental music cues into everyday life). The song comes on, I try and time all of my motions with the build up to the explosive climax. It sort of works, the making out gets more intense just as Rivers starts screaming "ONLY IN DREAMS" over and over again. "I always wanted to make out to that song" I say, "Eh, I wasn't really a fan of that one" she said. In that single instant, I realized that not only did I not love this girl, I could never love her. Typing it out like this makes it sound kind of shallow (I would never break up with a girl solely over differences in musical taste, especially now that people like Lil Durk and Yung Lean populate my top listens on iTunes) but at the time it was just the ultimate representation/culmination of why we weren't right for each other.
I've probably had more emotional/stupid memories tied to the heavy and messy emotions behind Pinkerton but I'll always love The Blue Album best. It's perfect in almost every way and it pretty much was the start of my life as someone who appreciates music. It changed me, for the better I think. I still hope to find a girl who wants to make out in perfect rhythm to "Only in Dreams" as much as I do, if I ever find her it's guaranteed that I will propose to her on the spot.
"Billboard reports that the Recording Industry Association of America has changed its rules. Now, an album no longer has to sell 500,000 or a million copies, respectively, to go gold or platinum, and those certifications, which once had to go out at least 30 days after an album’s release, can now be awarded immediately."
Okay see the way you have phrased this make it seem like it's worse than it is. Jay-Z didn't make anyone change any rules here and the rules that were changed won't really have that much of a music sales anyway (with the exception of in this particular case). Going Platinum has never meant selling 1 million copies to consumers, it only measured copies sent to retailers. So both before and after this rule change, Jay-Z would have technically already sold 1 million copies of his album to a retailer (in this case, Samsung) before the album's release.
Literally all that has changed is the 30 day classification (which was put in place to account for returns, something completely irrelevant for digital sales). Since they have deemed that 30 day waiting period irrelevant, Jay-Z can now say he went platinum the day his album came out instead of having to wait a month. Make sense? It really effectively changes nothing..
This album is fun but I'm not really getting much out of it to be honest. Feels really self indulgent, much like the new Timberlake record. Still, there is some grooves to be gained here and there's nothing wrong with that.
Listening to this album felt like watching an episode of Loiter Squad. I feel like in order to enjoy it I have to be an obsessive high school kid who has the time to keep up with all the social media in jokes and references that define the weakest material out of the Odd Future camp. I can't keep up anymore and now Tyler is so deep in his own world and fanbase, I feel like I can't get through to what I used to like about him.
Oh no are you going to become a Stereogum "character" now like Rubber Johnny? This is just like season 3 of Jersey Shore once the cast realized they were famous and it wasn't fun anymore :(
I've been into metal and hardcore lately more than standard indie rock as well. As for Baroness, I wasn't a huge fan. It was a little too radio rock at times, even for me. (maybe radio rock isn't the right word, light metal maybe? I don't know the terms).
This is what I like to see. Stereogum has such good hip-hop taste it's crazy.
Also, where's that cat motherfucker? I'm sure his "time to leave a stupid comment" alarm went off the moment this was posted.
Rap and R&B are more interesting than indie rock right now. That's why they are getting more coverage on sites like Stereogum and Pitchfork and that's why Kendrick got the top spot. Also, KTT in this bitch.
Comments