I see where you're coming from, but I'm not sure I 100% agree. If I were Nicki, human rights concerns would definitely give me pause, but the corrupt government does not mean the citizens there are all corrupt and undeserving of entertainment. For such a socially conservative society, hosting a Nicki Minaj concert sort of feels like progress?
Yep, it's pretty common for a deceased writer's rights to get passed onto their heirs. An artist doesn't need permission to record a cover, but this Lil Nas X song isn't a cover, it's an interpolation of the "In Bloom" melody. So that's a different kind of permission that does require approval from the original owner under copyright law.
I don't think you're alone in that opinion. I like Young Enough lots, but Guppy hit me harder. I have no problems with the sound evolving, but I just think the songs on Guppy were more immediate and hooky.
Ha, you had me going for a bit, but that's because there is an actual alligator lyric on the album:
Up to my ass in alligators
Let's get it on with the alligator haters
Did what you did did what you said
What's the point yo what's the spread
Nobody's talking about Dave Sitek's involvement yet? He produced this album and it really sounds like it. The production is super cool, but the songs are for the most part pretty terrible. Sounds like Pacific Daydream (which was not a fantastic album to begin with), but with diminishing returns.
Ok I'm hyped. This new song changes up their sound just enough while retaining some of the band's defining characteristics. I'm digging the hook on this chorus.
Modest Mouse is a good foil to Built to Spill (but BTS is better). And Dinosaur Jr is similarly big on the guitar heroics. My Morning Jacket also comes to mind -- epic guitar moments and a similar Neil Young-ish voice.
Built to Spill has aged so gracefully. There Is No Enemy showcases everything the band does well. I think it's my second favorite after Perfect From Now On.
Yeah, Ancient Melodies is definitely the low point in their catalog for me. It's not bad at all, just kinda underwhelms coming after the two albums before it. I really really dig You In Reverse, There is No Enemy, and Untethered Moon though.
I'm not crazy about this track either, but I don't see it that way at all. Malkmus hasn't been talking about how genius, hilarious, or revolutionary this record is, has he? I get the impression he had to change things up to appease is own artistic restlessness. He's been making guitar-centric records for close to 30 years, so I can understand wanting to try something different.
I don't disagree, but the highs on White are better than the highs on EWBAITE. Do You Wanna Get High and LA Girlz are my top Weezer songs since the 90s.
Wow, I missed that GBV is playing Primavera. I don't think they've played outside the
USA in over a decade, so that's a big deal for all the Euro-fans!
This is an odd song, but I can hear it being played on radio, which I guess is what Rivers is going for? The song is a bad look for Weezer, but it doesn't offend me more than Imagine Dragons or Twenty One Pilots of whatever (an admittedly low bar).
I think Rivers made EWBAITE and White album just to prove that to himself and fans that he could still write in the vein of 90s Weezer. But the critical acclaim made him cocky, and now he's back to writing pop radio fodder because he likes to stay relevant. Through the good and bad albums, I find Weezer's career arc so fascinating.
The Offspring are probably my favorite guilty pleasure band. The music isn't anything genius, but I legit enjoy Ignition, Smash, and Ixnay for what they are. Americana, aside from a handful of songs, is pretty terrible in comparison, even by Offspring standards.
It's amusing to me that this article analyzes the lyrical content in such depth. I had written off all the lyrics as juvenile, shallow, and not worthy of attention, but Pranav is correct to point out that there are overarching themes to the album, and that those themes don't come off so great in 2018. I'm kind of willing to give the band the benefit of the doubt, as I don't think they intentionally crafted some right wing, victim-blaming message. I think they were going for something silly, relatable and simplistic, and these are just the lyrics Holland pooped out.
As someone else already pointed out, Holland is not some right winger fanatic in his actual life. The political climate was pretty different back in the 90s, and perhaps Holland wouldn't be writing these same sort of lyrics today. Let's check back when the next Offspring album comes out.
By the way, Ixnay on the Hombre doesn't get enough love. All I Want is one of the greatest pop punk bangers out there.
https://lieu.house.gov/sites/lieu.house.gov/files/Overview%20of%20the%20Music%20Modernization%20Act.pdf
TLDR: For digital music services, songwriters are currently paid fixed royalty rates that are governed by laws written in the early 1900s. The new bill updates and streamlines those royalty processes and gives songwriters greater flexibility in negotiating their royalty rates.
Wow, she sounds like a really grounded and sensible person, which is weird given that both Hole and Smashing Pumpkins seem to have really intense intra-band dynamics.
I agree with everything you say. "Pay No Mind" is such a fantastic song. 7 is a great album, but it's definitely not my favorite Beach House album. I remember Depression Cherry hitting me much harder when that one came out.
I like all SDRE albums, but this is the only one I've REALLY connected with. Diary has some obvious standout songs, but How It Feels is completely engrossing from front to back. This is a 5-star album for me.
Oddly enough though, other comments here are making me want to dig into LP2 right now.
I have to admit, as a young middle-school kid, Barenaked Ladies were probably the first band I sought out on my own and considered a favorite. After them, I discovered the Beatles, then RHCP, and then my music tastes sorta exploded and branched out from there. I'll always have a soft spot for BNL.
I've been to a lot of loud rock shows, but MBV in 2013 was one of the strangest. It was at a theater-type venue and I was sitting way back on the top balcony level. Without earplugs, that shit was so loud it just didn't sound like anything. It was a big, grumbling muffle of nothing. Like, you couldn't pick out any of the instruments, vocals, drums, whatever. It was straight up noise and every song sounded like the same unidentifiable sludge.
With earplugs though, you could actually pick out what was happening and enjoy it. It was literally a requirement to wear them because the music didn't sound like anything without earplugs. For me, it wasn't just about protecting my ears, it was about being able to hear the music. I've never been to another show so absurdly loud like that.
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