Seems strange to me that a hc/punk fan would be so short-sighted as to advocate what is more or less cultural surface mining. You realize that the convenience you so cherish and the resulting glut will soon make it almost impossible for underground bands to exist at all, right?
"Thousands of great album discoveries?" I spend every spare dollar I have on music, work (for now) in the music business, and, like many Stereogum readers, generally obsess over music to an unhealthy degree, and even I probably haven't heard 'thousands' of albums since Spotify was invented. Maybe you're listening wrong?
Good points, Robert, and I'm glad you mention the cultural divide. Similarly, country music fans will be buying Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert CDs until the day labels stop manufacturing them. Metal dudes are likewise inclined to pay for 'diehard' editions and colored vinyl. Not sure why this is, but I find your classification of indie musicians lacking what you call 'clear objectives' and 'identifying principles' provocative and insightful. May this be indicative of a 2013 comment section trend!
For what it's worth, I purchased 90% of the releases on my best of 2012 list, and the other 10% were given to me as gifts. But then, I am a hopeless relic who still relishes breaking up weed on my gatefold sleeves. :)
LOL at Sufjan "shitting all over" anything. Such an act seems rather indelicate for such a cherubic little snowball, no? He probably poops Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Great choices, esp Pogues and Waits - brilliant songs, any time of year. Also, this paragraph -
...this entire thing is essentially like a four week acid trip beginning with the conclusion of the 4 o’clock Thanksgiving Day football games and not culminating until you find yourself on December 26th surrounded by piles of empty boxes and patterned paper, puzzling with a far away stare at the large and stately tree that for reasons you scantly recall, you have dragged into your living room and decorated in the manner of a particularly flamboyant pro wrestler.
- pretty much sums up the entire crummy holiday better than any of these songs. Just sayin.'
"If the Pistols thought of themselves as the logical end of the rock and roll experiment, it seems fair to say that the Clash imagined themselves as something more like the end of the beginning."
Great writing, and spot on.
"Listening to Bish Bosch, I have a recurring vision of the vocalist as a Howard Hughes-ian shut-in, drunk or demented, trying to sing The Threepenny Opera from memory, and improvising the lyrics entirely, throwing in dirty jokes, lowbrow insults, violent threats, and conflagrations of medical science, mythology, and classic film..."
This is why I read Stereogum.
Also, the second batch of lyrics you highlight may recall Pynchon or Joyce, but they also remind me of another group of modernists with whom I am sure, Mr Nelson, you are familiar. Does this ring a bell?:
Equidistant the churlish refashion / Ulterior pneumatic antiques mercurial agenda peeled / Ruin - the verdict / Coefficient of the loom / slothfoul plethora flourish in disgrace / Blotting dim, entourage of phreqs encompass / Utricles gloat in abeyance / Riddling puce sleet bleaking / Fatherland null
Likely a coincidence, but a fun one!
As for Bish Bosch, I'm not sure I'm ready for it. I pre-ordered it, but I don't think I'll listen right away. I can still only deal with The Drift (one of my favorite albums ever), like, twice a year, max. I find there are few situations / moods for which this music is truly suitable. Unless you are insane.
Guys, Stereogum could offer me a corner office and a boat - I ain't going near a "Neil Young Worst To Best" list, and I say that as a man with a 'What Would Neil Young Do?' tattoo. :)
You guys are underrating Life - "Prisoners Of Rock and Roll" is amazing. Production is rough but it's not as bad as Landing On Water, which I agree is mostly indefensible. Trans is magnificent and so is Re*ac*tor. Can't really defend Are You Passionate or Everybody's Rockin,' but at least they're kinda fun to listen to once.
I listened to the new one twice this weekend and, uh...I kinda love it. Well, I love half of it. My favorite since Le Noise. What do you guys think?
This is my favorite Bracy / Bracy piece. This: "(VU & Nico) is an ingenious, anarchic hodge-podge that could really only happen by accident — it is simply impossible to imagine that anyone could actually contrive to make an album so utterly insane...seems mainly like the result of a few towering geniuses going very crazy, very quickly, all at once" - is the best description of this album I've ever read, and spot-on.
Fuck the haters - when a piece is written with such reverence by such clearly devout fans such as yourselves, the list itself becomes almost ancillary to the the insights and scholarship within. You did a great band justice and, again, I applaud your bravery!
Aside from "The Murder Mystery," the other VU song I hate from the classic run is "After Hours." I guess it makes sense that the same band who had a big hand in inventing Galaxie 500, The Feelies, Sonic Youth, etc is also responsible for the likes of Kimya Dawson. But egads, that one has not aged well.
Electr-O-Pura ROBBED at #6! Easily a top 3 album, and definitely better than Fakebook. Also, I think PYLT deserves a higher ranking for "Drug Test" alone. But this is another brilliantly written piece that makes me want to go back and rediscover the band's entire catalog, so, you know, mission accomplished. Would read an entire book of Bracy-Bracy lists.
This label! http://www.discogs.com/label/E.E.E.+Recordings
Got a few of these CDRs back in the day, with Agathothodion being the cream of the crop, from what I can recall - sick vocals, buzzing melodic (Burzum-esque!) guitar, everything you'd expect. But you know, in service of the Lord. HA!
Ah, but they have! There was an entire 'white metal' scene a few years ago - I'll try and find a link. The stuff was pretty good! Pretty...relentless. :)
Riiiiiight...because as any 25 year old with a BA in philosophy or journalism knows, the surefire way to be successful and debt-free in America in 2012 is to go to college and get a degree. My kingdom for an eyeroll emoticon.
Personally, I have no issues whatsoever with Youtube and things like that - in my mind, they operate the way MTV and radio used to. As a way to audition music before buying it, I don't see a thing wrong with streaming. Good question.
There are some very well written and very well researched articles out there about how Spotify rips off artists, I encourage you to check them out. I can tell you as an artist who does regularly receive quarterly BMI payments that Spotify pays literally pennies on the dollar. If you really want to support an indie band, the best thing you can do is go to their show when they come to your town and buy a t-shirt, especially if you've already illegally downloaded their record. Vans don't run on demo tapes and high fives.
Dunno how I missed this - been one of those weeks - but this list is as nearly perfect! SO glad you put Pleased To Meet Me at #1, nevermind the Cult of Bob. I think I like Don't Tell A Soul more than All Shook Down (songs, not production), and I think the inclusion of "Go" alone elevates Stink over Sorry, Ma, but in general, your list is my list. Well done as always, Bracys!
Another flawless Bracy / Bracy piece. PTMM is my favorite Mats album, and this article perfectly encapsulates why. You gotta do one for Don't Tell A Soul now - also unfairly maligned and also totally awesome.
PS I know a guy who can play any Mats song on guitar - even obscure ones - on command. :)
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