There are many reasons last night's debacle happened and there is plenty of blame to be shared. But one of those reasons is shitheads like this guy deciding to take a meaningless stand rather than make the so-called "lesser of two evils" choice (I disagree with that characterization but I'll stipulate it for the sake of argument) that life often presents. I was just reading an article about the now imminent repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the significant number of people who will die as a result. And honestly, that may be one of the lesser implications of this election. So do Killer Mike and his ilk bare sole responsibility for this? Of course not? Did their meaningless, pointless stand contribute, perhaps decisively? Yup.
Very true that both REM and U2 are paradigmatic examples of bands that don't work without all original members - the alchemy in both requires all 4. The other bank that I have always put in the same camp is New Order. They have made decent music throughout their career, but the magic really doesn't happen if they are missing one of the original 4 or playing with additional members. Sacrilege though it may be, I wonder if the Beatles are a true example of this... Feels like their music could have worked with a different drummer in a way that is hard to imagine with the other three mentioned above. But that could be wrong and of course we'll never know. Zeppelin is another obvious example though.
No question that Steve signed off and Powell was well within his rights to do whatever. And I highly doubt Steve Albini of all people has any problem with these opinions being shared, and is likely getting quite a kick out of it. But it sure seems like a lame move by Powell. How does the fact that he happened on to a classic Albini email tirade in any way commend or otherwise relate to his music? It's just good old fashioned cynical advertising. Personally, I'd be embarrassed.
Weird, ignorant comments from the first few two participants on the thread. If anything, the band is underrated. If nothing else, The Doors and LA Woman are among the most timeless and enduring records of their era.
I always thought there was pretty clear consensus on the proper ranking of the 6 classic albums but this list deviates, mainly but putting Waiting for the Sun much too high and Morrison Hotel too low. The Doors and LA Woman are obvious at 1 and 2, respectively, I can't imagine anyone would disagree with that. The one legitimate toss-up is between Strange Days and Morrison Hotel at 3 and 4 - I would give the edge to Morrison Hotel, but I can see where someone might go the other way. While I agree that both Waiting and Soft Parade have more merit than is sometimes remembered, the former is very clearly at 5 and the latter at 6.
Same here. Was just logging in to make the A$AP point myself. Surely the issue here is not that the comment was made about a journalist, but rather the language, content and tone of the comment. I won't defend it and have no idea why MK says this shit, but the fact is its weak tea compared to what you'll hear on the majority of hip hop and quite a few extreme metal records, many of which are covered enthusiastically on this site and elsewhere. To be clear, I don't have a problem with that (the coverage), but the singling out of MK on this point is glaring in context. I would be genuinely interested to understand why MK gets a dedicated post tut-tutting the ugly sentiment while A$AP gets a glowing review that doesn't even address the subject in any meaningful sense (in fairness, Tom's review of the A$AP record is an outlier in that regard - most other reviews I've seen do highlight the Rita Ora remarks).
What a fucking tool you are for posting this. Daaaaaaamn. Done with this site. I like reading about music but this is like cut rate TMZ. Cringe-worthy. Bye.
But thanks for doing this. Genesis rules, and these guys need more love. It's a tough call between Lamb and Selling for the top spot, you could go either way. But I tend to go Lamb for sheer audacity and creativity. They are both two of the most underrated records in the rock canon.
Interesting post, especially the Beach House quote. I agree with the sentiment, and it calls to mind someone like Mark Kozelek. Here's a guy who has had this approach and sensibility from the get-go, and even allowing for variations on the theme over the years (different tunings, nylon vs. steel strings, recent changes to vocal delivery and lyrical approach), his career feels like one of continual refinement and deeper explorations of his world. In the case of Kozelek, he reminds you more of a poet or a filmmaker, who has a recognizable style that he keeps perfecting. I don't know that I would put Beach House in the same class as MK, but there is something similar going on.
The problem with Interpol - and I have always loved TOTBL and to a lesser degree Antics, and have really tried over the years to muster the same enthusiasm for the other two records - is that it just doesn't feel deeper or more sophisticated. It feels repetitive. And repeated exposure to the same tricks and tropes does after a while make the greatness of TOTBL seem like more of a situational, lighting in a bottle kind of thing. By no means does that diminish TOTBL, and in some ways it enhances it. By now, that record is iconic and its increasingly obvious that it will outlast most of the music of the era. But it does kind of diminish Interpol as an ongoing artistic proposition, in my mind at least.
So Max, I absolutely take your point, its a great one. But - and I have not really spent a lot of time with the album, maybe I'll change my mind - I still feel like Chris's take makes sense here.
It does not really come through in this video (which is still pretty cool), but Sun God is one of the most utterly righteous tunes ever. Borderline impossible to remain in your chair when that headrush of a chorus kicks in. Nothing else Squirrel Bait recorded is on this level (although both albums are great), but this song (also included on the still awesome Wailing Ultimate Homestead Records comp) is hands down one of the highlights of 80s US underground rock. Really cool to see this and thanks for posting.
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