I don't think the whole "sad rap" trend applies to Earl. He's been doing that shit for a while.
I forgot how easy it seems for Pharrell to produce killer fucking tracks
Good to see Thao getting some love. Not really the type of music I expect to get the attention of the 'gum community, but I'm a pretty big fan of their new release.
Also, hilariously, I took a class called Music Performance Studies and this is something we actually touched on briefly, although it was a few years ago so I don't really recall, but basically everyone agreed it would just be a dick move.
We also almost went to a Death Grips show for part of the class. Really glad we didn't.
Doing something unprecedented is not really something to be admired for that reason alone. That's a shitty attempt to give "art" more credit than it deserves. Also I wouldn't compare all the shows you mentioned with the Death Grips debacle.
I was actually at the Low show where they played one 27 minutes drone song (to set up saying "drone, not drones") and I was really annoyed by it. It wasn't just the one song, it was that they only played 27 minutes and played in a very disinterested way. I felt as a Low fan that my money was being used by Low to make a statement that I didn't feel needed made (although I agree with sentiment). I won't be paying to see them again because I didn't feel respected as a fan.
However, I did understand that it was their right as an artist to perform in the way that they saw fit, especially because the show took place at a modern art center. They took a risk and they likely lost fans from it. That's their choice. I likely won't support them anymore because of it.
Death Grips on the other hand didn't even perform. If they did a shitty job, well then it would have been up to the audience to decide if it was worth their money. That's not what they did though; they took people's money and didn't render the service. Hell they didn't even go to the fucking city, which just reeks of lazy and cowardice. A performance, no matter bad or good or for what reasons, allows the audience to decide the artists worth which is exactly the way it should be.
I don't fucking want to pay musicians to make me think. I already payed a whole shit-ton to my college for that.
Man I love the Black Keys and Kings of Leon, but they aren't really what I would define as "dirty fucking sweaty fucking ROCK N ROLLLLLLLLLL". To think that there isn't any good rock these days is just falling into the trap of allowing the culture of the time to dictate what you hear and listen to.
There are some amazing young rock bands right now, you just have to actually look for them.
Don't worry man, this article isn't about you specifically so just continue to revel in your pride of pop culture ignorance.
The article is explaining how "indie" was injected into the mainstream (or pop if you will) culture as a whole. Since you make a point about how you don't fuck with that shit, you're well clear of the umbrella of this article.
I've also never even seen a scene of The O.C., but I'm about a season and a half away from finish Gossip Girl.
As far as hilariously awful tv goes, I love it. Although I do have brothers in high school who swear that the show has ruined a good segment of this generation.
Yeah but I think that was more of a "blind squirrel" situation.
I don't recall any critic saying a positive word about her other than that one track, so I don't think it was like a "Britney is cool" thing as much as it was a huge pop song with critical acclaim.
Also if you google "huge pop song with critical acclaim," the Toxic wiki page is the top result.
I feel like I should actually talk about the shows too though.
As far as Ellie Goulding at one, I really don't get it. The crowd was huge and super into it so it really did feel crazy, but I didn't think that her actual performance was anything special. Given I was just there waiting for Band of Horses, but she really didn't blow me away.
I also don't know about the Kendrick thing. I've seen the wheelchair thing quite a bit. Doesn't really seem special. Kendrick put on a solid show though, but it also seemed to benefit from a huge crowd that was really into it too.
The Chance The Rapper show was actually probably my low for the weekend though, and not in any way because of him. The crowd up close was just really drunk and disrespectful and you couldn't breath without inhaling smoke.
On the flip side, Chance did put on one hell of a show. I don't know if I've ever seen a rapper go harder and with more passion live. For a lot of the songs he abandoned his laid back, stoner persona and just let loose with some crazy intensity. The most striking moment was when he performed the second half of Pusher Man/Paranoia, specifically the second verse about murder in Chicago. I got chills when he yelled "Where the fuck is Matt Lauer at?"
Also, having Twister come out for his verse in Cocoa Butter Kisses was a pretty perfect closing.
This Lollapalooza will likely steer me clear of major festivals for a while. It really just reminded me at how much a crowd can affect a show and how many people in festival crowds could give a shit about the music.
I don't want to generalize, but it was almost a majority of just a bunch of drunk/drugged out 18-25 year old people wearing tank tops and whatever the urban outfitter approved outfit of the summer is, who don't have any semblance of proper show courtesy, and will be dicks to you so they can have a good spot for the one song they know from a much-hyped/mainstream crossover band.
When I go to shows I want to be in my right mind, be comfortable, have a spot I'm deserving of (by either pay or time spent waiting), and most importantly have a great shared experience with other people who love the same music I do.
Fuck people who trash facilities, fuck people who think that they're the most important person in the crowd, fuck people who just go to shows to be cool or hip, fuck people who get as up on your ass as much as possible but bitch because you're jumping around too much during the show, and fuck people who think that their desire to get shit-faced and party is more important than anyone else's experience and the whole reason these festivals exist; music.
Rant over.
I'm not huge on this song on it's own, but I actually really like it in terms of the album as a whole.
On a tangent, Fall In Love is one of the greatest beats ever produced. BadBadNotGood have an awesome cover of it that easily has over 50 plays on my music player.
What this article fails to mention is that this happened during the first freaking song. Fucking three minutes in and he was just down for the count, the rest of the band finished the song, and then the show was canceled. Twas quite the bummer. At least the opener was dope.
What is with her face in the poster? She looks like a satirical portrait of old woman who get way too much plastic surgery done and end up looking like a doll.
I will be interested in seeing if this can top Kanye's 30 minute MBDTF film though.
I will get an album I want regardless of packaging, but I will admit I do tend to let packaging decide what I'm going to listen to when I don't have a specific record in mind and even what random record to buy if I want to discover something new on the spot. Things like artwork, sleeves, gatefolds, record thickness (180g all the way. Not just because of quality and longer life, I simply like the feel), and of course cover art play a pretty big role in what I decide are my most prized records. It seems strange, and it certainly doesn't change how I feel about the music, but as far the value I place on the physical record, these things certainly come into play.
My current favorite is the packaging for Ooh La La by the Faces. You can make the mouth and eyes on the front move up and down. As gimmicky as it sounds I just can't get enough of mouthing along with Rod Stewart.
Even with all of the super high profile releases still to come, this album is one of the ones I'm most looking forward to. I mean, Justin Vernon? Good. Post-Rock? Good. This song? Good.
All signs point to a pretty spectacular album.
These are all great tracks, but I don't think I would have come up with a list like this even if I had to make 50 different versions of it. Young Pilgrims? Australia? So many more.
Mainly though, and I know it's not the most traditional Shins song, but Sleeping Lessons is to me the greatest Shins song, and honestly one of the greatest songs ever written. The slow build up to the bombastic yet perfectly bottled explosion, combined with classic Mercer lyrics, gives it the perfect dreamlike feel. On top of that, the dark, bubbly melody that seems to float the intro is one of my favorite sounds in all of music.
I would go on and talk endlessly about how genius the production is and how I want this song to soundtrack all of my dreams, but I think I've gushed enough.
Mercer/Bejar for Prez 2016
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