Dude, you're telling me! That version is so good and the only way you can find it is on Substance. I couldn't find this version on any of the streaming sites I use, I ended up finding a used copy for just that song. It might be the perfect New Order song (or is it Ceremony? I can never decide).
I guess. But isn't his overall point, "I've been ignorant in the past but I want to do better?" Is that what we should all be striving towards. Admittedly, I think using Dr. King's speeches in your pop album is a error in judgment, but I feel like the motive was sincere.
There are some truly horrifying accounts in that Pitchfork piece. I really love a lot of his Pre-"Benji" albums and it sucks I won't be able to hear them the same way again. Certainly makes the chorus of "Evil" by RHP feel different. But, that's small potatoes to what some of those women went through. I'm struck by how so many talk about the power these men had, yet how unbelievably pathetic they look and sound in these descriptions. A man in his 40's begging a younger woman to let him masturbate in front of her with his pants around his ankles? What's more impotent then that?
I'm so tired of seeing so many figures in the entertainment industry acting as if their fame entitles them to be morally bankrupt and to see the support systems around them enabling it. Every day seems to be a new disappointment. And, while there are Conor Oberst's in the world that were (I believe) falsely accused, most of these denials seem to be out of a sociopathic inability to consider the feelings of others over their own pleasure or an obvious attempt to protect their brand. What boggles my mind is, most of the accusations related to musicians seem to be against mid-level artists, but I just can't believe that the bigger "legacy" acts don't have even more horrific stuff in their closet, especially considering the general attitude towards female fans.
I don't care at all for this song, but I don't hear the "smirk" either. He sounds pretty genuine, for what it's worth. It's just strange for a song with this message to be the one with the "live performance" video.
These arguments have all been done to death, but I can only say for myself: Weezer has become such a parody of itself to me and burned through so much goodwill, that I start to wonder if the Blue Album actually is any good. (It is, I know, just feel that way sometimes. But I never want to hear "say it ain't so" again in my life.) Once Matt Sharp left that band, the depth, vocal harmonies, and sonics of the band suffered. He's the secret ingredient that is missing from all these late period Weezer records.
Foo Fighters put out 3 classic albums. Since then, Grohl's continued leaning away from punk rock and more towards the classic rock he grew up on has made his music more bland, though every record has at least 3-4 really great songs on it that I love. I think of when the guys in Uncle Tupelo threw that tape of Nevermind out of the van because, "it sounded like Boston", and I think the Foo Fighters have basically become a more prolific "Boston".
The Bowie comparison is definitely apt stylistically. I like that he's always trying new stuff but also still writing moving, memorable music. Even the records I don't like, like "Modern Guilt" and "Hyperspace" have passionate fans (like the poster above me)
I think I'm the only person who thought "Colors" was one of his best sounding records in years and thought "Hyperspace" was one of the most boring and, no pun intended, colorless.
Then again, I like "Morning Phase" way better than "Sea Change", which I don't think I've ever listened to all the way through in one sitting. What I wouldn't give to hear the record he was going to make at the time that was lost when someone stole the case that had all of the demos in it.
I'm with you! If the songs on their new record sounded more like "Dance..." and less like tired,late-period PJ, I would have praised that record to the heavens. I feel like all these bands (Weezer, PJ, Foo's) are all too afraid of burning off the goodwill of their old fans to really take risks. It's hard to become nationally relevant after being around for 20-30 years, so the old fans are all they've got. I remember after Bob Mould put out Modulate and it was eviscerated by the press and fans, he basically said in his memoir, "I guess the fans just want me to play guitar."
It's rare to be around as long as these bands are and still produce exciting music. Most have a formula they continue to milk. Some can still create great albums, like for aforementioned Mould (since moving to Merge, all those records have been worthy entries in the discography) and some put out just enough to retain the Goodwill to the point where you'll go see them in concert when they come around.
Reminds me of the more rock oriented early American Music Club records coming out at the same time. Which makes sense, I think they were on Frontier also.
For anyone that's been following Tom's "Number Ones" Column, we know clearly that talent and excellence in your craft are not always tied to with success and recognition.
All these recent comments by pop stars questioning this years Grammy's makes me wonder: How long have the been watching the Grammy's? Are Christopher Cross' Self titled (1981), Toto: Toto IV (1983), Eric Clapton: Unplugged (1993), and Steely Dan: Two Against Nature (2001) really the best albums music had to offer those years?
That said there absolutely is a kernel of truth surrounding the petulance and narcissism in some of these overly dramatic artist responses to the Grammy's this year. Yes, the methodology of the way a lot of these awards are handed out is unknown. Sales are never, and should never, be the sole driver of assessing what "good art" is. The music industry still has not figured out it's relevance in a time where people's consumption is broader and more niche then ever before and an artist can get massive attention just by putting a mixtape on Soundcloud on their own, making major labels more meaningless and impotent than ever. I'm not sure I even really know what earning a Grammy "means" anymore in the age of streaming.
People have mentioned before that a Grammy still does have relevance to a certain type of music consumer, but it's always meant more to the artists and the industry. So, of course as music fans (particularly the more passionate or cynical), we'd say, "Who gives a _____ about these awards. Go enjoy your fame and money." But, it obviously means something to these artists, especially since money and fame can disappear in a blink. Just ask 1991 Grammy award nominee MC Hammer. Awards may have lost some cache' but they still stay in the record books. And one day someone might be writing a wildly successful column about everyone who one a Grammy since it's inception.
So, I guess I just think it should still matter how we reward and elevate art and artists. Artists, labels, industry professionals, and fans should have a discussion on the best way to do that. And maybe the Grammy, despite it's long history, is no longer the right way to do it. But to say, "none of this matters", doesn't take into account the overwhelming deluge of "Best of ..." lists and Spotify playlist rankings being published right now that we all love to read and consume.
"Maybe I’m just not listening on sufficiently expensive equipment, but this thing bores the shit out of me." One of my favorite quotes in the history of this column. Also, the title of the Steely Dan book I'm going to eventually write.
Well, as Tom Scharpling is fond of saying, "That's why god invented horse racing." I'm hard pressed to think of anyone under the age of 40 listening to this song for any reason other than irony. I feel like when people thinking of the 80's as being a bad genre of music, it's because of songs like this. It's so shiny, manufactured, and soulless...well, there's a reason you see songs like this mostly showing up in comedies.
You definitely nailed the right Cure album. I think I'd agree that "Playing the Angel" is the more appropriate Depeche Mode album for this exercise. Exciter was kind of a slog, but it sounded like they were trying to make a Bjork album, not a Depeche Mode album. "Angel" was the start of them telling the fans that "this one is going back to the 'Violater' inspiration".
They aren't the worst, but Steely Dan do absolutely suck. The rehabilitation of this band is unjustified and I think it's basically just because John Mulaney likes them.
I'm with you on all of this but would sub out "Hall and Oats" for "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which received a mindbogglingly large amount of love from this comments section
the best SP songs are the ones where you don't really notice the lyrics. He can pull off a good phrase now and then that sounds good with the music, but, yeah, there's some rough stuff, especially on Mellon Collie. New Order is very similar.
This looks cool, but I'm sure it'll be a million dollars and it's hard in this economy to spend that much on a record I already own. I'd buy the DVD's if they sold them separately, though!
I was in sixth grade in 1992. We had an art teacher that let us bring in our own music to listen to in class on Friday's. It was my turn and one of the band's I was really into at the time was 90125-era Yes. I brought that CD in thinking it was the coolest because, as Tom says, "owner of a lonely hear" rules (I also dug Changes and Leave It, that latter of which I still love because of it's catchy yet extremely silly keyboard line in the chorus). I proceed to get mercilessly teased about how much it sucked and eventually the teacher put me out of my misery and another kid put on Metallica's Black Album.
You would think I would have had the self awareness at 11 to know that most people would not have thought Yes was cool in 1992, especially after Nirvana broke. But no, 11 year olds are stupid. SO GIVE ME BREAK!
I do think it's funny that Yes' "sell-out" record got boo'd off for Metallica's clearly calculated sell-out record and, if it was 2002 and that got brought in Metallica, they would have been the one getting torn apart. Such is life!
The far bigger problem with this record is Hetfield's terrible lyrics and singing that's far too high in the mix. There's stuff on here that makes Bernard Sumner sound like Ernest Hemingway. It just sounds like he's recording vocals for another album. They're just too clean for a record this cheap sounding.
The snare is not my favorite, but it works for some songs. I think it just get exhausting being the sound for a whole record. But it does kind of work considering how thrashy a record it is. I definitely remember thinking this sounded like the worst thing I had ever heard when it first came out. I've weirdly warmed up to it over time.
I'll admit, I used to get some amusement out of the outlandish stuff Kanye has said over the years, but I've stopped thinking any of this is funny. He's obviously going through some real problems with the world watching every move and it's just ugly all around. You wish there wasn't an industry surrounding him that's indulging every unwise or unhealthy impulse he has.
And, I can't believe I'm saying this, but Kim's words here are very wise and I actually have grown in respect for her.
I'm always struck with confusion when someone puts out a solo record that sounds exactly like their main band. If your band is still an active concern and you aren't going to depart from the norm, why bother?
I like Berninger a lot as a singer and writer. The National are in my Top Ten of bands right now. So, this doesn't mean that I won't check this out or perhaps really like it. But it just seems like a wasted opportunity. Couldn't you just save these for the next record?
I made my donation. Tom's "The Number Ones" is one of the most essential projects in music writing right now (even when I disagree) and I want to support its completion. I feel like Stereogum over the last year or so has become the best site for music news and reviews. I've been a loyal Pitchfork reader for years, and I still think they right some good reviews, but I find myself more and more turning to this site. There's a scrappiness and fun embedded into this site that I really appreciate along with a really passionate fan base.
When I first heard "Turn to Hate" on the radio, I was sure that "The The" had just put out a new record. There's a real Matt Johnson quality to his voice. Roy Orbison + JD fits pretty good too.
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