he put his vocals way up front on Amazing Grace and A&E too but it works better here. songs are stronger, I think.
― Disco Bob & MC Criminal (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 10 April 2012 17:12 (1 year ago) Permalink
also I know next-to-nobody gives any credence to his lyrics but he gets some funny zingers off on this one imho
i think the triteness of his lyrics is actually one of the band's many great qualities. it's like every rock n roll cliche boiled down to it's purest essence.
― caulk the wagon and float it, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 17:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
its*
― caulk the wagon and float it, Tuesday, 10 April 2012 17:51 (1 year ago) Permalink
Whilst that video wouldn't be my first choice for promotional material, I think this is ridiculous. 'Pain porn for white boys'?!http://www.collapseboard.com/reviews/albums-reviews/spiritualized-sweet-heart-sweet-light-fat-possum/
― I'm not going leftfield on you... (hypehat), Thursday, 12 April 2012 11:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
I really disliked Hey Jane when I heard it, maybe it sounds better in some context other than the radio but it just felt clunky. Then again I've never particularly liked Spiritualized rockers.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Thursday, 12 April 2012 12:37 (1 year ago) Permalink
I don’t give a shit about notions of authenticity.
hmm rest of the piece indicates otherwise
― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 12 April 2012 15:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
But if a middle-aged white man from Rugby, trailing his privilege and his money and his production vales behind him like old school ties, appropriates the experience and style and musical tropes of the vulnerable and the oppressed he had better tread extremely carefully.
Glad that someone's finally had the balls to call out middle-class white men for appropriating music made by poor black people. Bold.
― And I have been called "The Appetite" (DL), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:31 (1 year ago) Permalink
Smithers, have the Rolling Stones killed
― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:35 (1 year ago) Permalink
I don’t like that said whiney, white, self-pitying, copyist, imagination-free, privilege-flaunting cisman from England has used this story and these characters from waaaaaaaaaaay outside his experience, knowledge or culture as entertainment, however much Art has given him a hall pass to do so.
Ugh, she sound like Rik from the Young Ones.
Taking someone to task for being cisgender? Is Wendy Carlos her only musical hero? Wth?
― Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson (Nicole), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:37 (1 year ago) Permalink
Really having a rough time making it through that first paragraph.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:37 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Because Art has LICENCE"
I really hope the writer is 15, otherwise I feel a lot of second hand embarrassment for her right now.
― Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson (Nicole), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:39 (1 year ago) Permalink
would she have preferred a video of Jason participating in a genteel fox hunt wot wot
― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
(fwiw I couldn't make it past like 0:30 second mark of the video, have no interest in it - none of Spiritualized's videos have ever been interesting imho)
― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 12 April 2012 17:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
Yeah the video just comes across as more or less trolling, like the album cover. Capital-S SHOCK & Exploitation where you coulda just put up some cool psychedelic swirls.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Thursday, 12 April 2012 18:21 (1 year ago) Permalink
As a value-neutral description of spiritualized, their music and the way they construct cool, the review is pretty accurate. Problem is that it's anything but value-neutral. It presents itself as a furious, devastating condemnation, and on that level, it's mostly just silly. Spiritualized's rock and roll costume play isn't any worse or different than what the Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream (and Spacemen 3, come on) were up to decades ago. Recycled cool isn't necessarily objectionable, so long as the recycling is honest about itself. Jason's never tried to hide his appropriations. In fact, I'd say that he makes second-handness the focus of his work.
As protest against that repulsive video, the review is painfully overstated, but I understand where the author is coming from. The video is an ugly, insulting, sensationalistic and exploitative piece of shit.
‘Hey Jane’ wears its NSFW like a smug little badge and is a 10 minute long micro-film about a black transvestite prostitute with a small and frightened child who ends up beaten to a bloody pulp by a repressed and shamed white trick. It is repellent and upsetting and I don’t care what Art is allowed to do, I don’t like it. I don’t like the fact that every fist fall, every crunch of boot on facial bones, is filmed in detail and at length. I don’t like what it appears to be saying about people.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Thursday, 12 April 2012 19:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
The entirety of the content seems to be:
"EDGY!!!!!"
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Thursday, 12 April 2012 19:25 (1 year ago) Permalink
that's what i call review the Idea of an Album rather than the album itself. her descriptions are abstracted so far out from actual musical sounds that it's as if she's rebutting an essay J Spaceman wrote about "How To Make Rock" and not reviewing a collection of songs. like, she could've written that whole diatribe without actually listening to the album, basing it on a passing knowledge of what Spiritualized's music sounds like.
― caulk the wagon and float it, Thursday, 12 April 2012 19:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
and because the amount of chatter that surround every album release nowadays, i notice reviewers doing this more and more. their reviews are an objection to others' reasons for liking an album and not an objection to weak music. this happened SO MUCH with the drake album last year. it was like "i don't like drake because whining and being conflicted about being ultra-rich should not be a topic of music," which is ridiculous. or "i don't like spiritualized because they reference common musical tropes which is TOTES INAUTHENTIC." what matters with drake or with spiritualized is not what they're doing, but how well they do it. which is very well, if you ask me.
― caulk the wagon and float it, Thursday, 12 April 2012 19:35 (1 year ago) Permalink
wow there's some grammatical nightmares going on in my posts, sorry yalls
― caulk the wagon and float it, Thursday, 12 April 2012 19:53 (1 year ago) Permalink
On second reading I've warmed a bit to that piece. She's obviously young and it's better to be writing furious, passionate, overheated screeds than stiff approximations of a 150-word Mojo/Rolling Stone album review.
Though she should have just called it a blog about the video rather than a review of an album I'm not sure she's listened to. And caulk's point about the ongoing trend of reviewing the discourse rather than the music is OTM, but she's hardly alone in that.
― And I have been called "The Appetite" (DL), Thursday, 12 April 2012 19:58 (1 year ago) Permalink
Though she should have just called it a blog about the video rather than a review of an album I'm not sure she's listened to.
If it's a reaction the video it makes a lot more sense, but speaking as someone who rarely watches videos and did not watch this one it did not work as an album review at all.
― Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson (Nicole), Thursday, 12 April 2012 20:00 (1 year ago) Permalink
he ongoing trend of reviewing the discourse rather than the music
this has been going on for decades but agree it's much more pronounced in the internet era. and annoying.
― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 12 April 2012 20:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
Yeah, it seems like an understandable if overheated response to the awful video that unfortunately decided to present itself as a proper album review. Everything the author says seems inspired by and filtered through her response to the video. She this directly: "I watched the last bit through clenched fists and only because I suddenly, urgently, needed to write about it."
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Thursday, 12 April 2012 20:18 (1 year ago) Permalink
must be hard to watch something through clenched fists
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Thursday, 12 April 2012 21:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
I kind of feel like everyone who's freaked out by that video needs to watch it again, 'cause it's really not particularly out there. Has that reviewer seen any movies/tv/videos since the Patty Duke Show?
Anyway, never was a big fan of the Spiritualized half of Spacemen 3, and I doubt this'll change anything.
― dlp9001, Friday, 13 April 2012 00:35 (1 year ago) Permalink
Like, maybe if he'd just called it "Hey Sister Ray" instead of "Hey Jane" it wouldn't freak her out so much...?
― dlp9001, Friday, 13 April 2012 00:39 (1 year ago) Permalink
word to that, dlp9001. reactions to the video (both in her review and in this thread) seem to be a bit overblown. ya'll seen a Tarantino movie before?
Her point kinda seems to be that a white male artist is exploiting the struggle of "the other" for a cheap thrill. so are white artists only allowed to depict violence upon white males? where does that leave, say, Tarantino's Jackie Brown? (to name one of literally thousands of examples from film and television)
her whole reaction also seems based off the idea that Pierce made the video, when in fact the director was AG Rojas. who is not white, if that would make any difference in her eyes.
― caulk the wagon and float it, Friday, 13 April 2012 00:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
not sure how rojas identifies his race.
of course i've seen tarantino flicks, and tons of horror movies. and shit like the human centipede or w/e. doesn't mean i can't feel that the video is ugly and exploitative.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Friday, 13 April 2012 00:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
It will replace nothing - except maybe Suicide.
― dlp9001, Friday, 13 April 2012 00:57 (1 year ago) Permalink
Also it's cool for Lou Reed to sing about that stuff but it's not like anyone seriously wants to watch a movie of him shooting heroin while having his ding-dong sucked.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 13 April 2012 01:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
when he sings about "the colored girls", it's not like we want to see the shit get beaten out of them in shabby hotel rooms
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Friday, 13 April 2012 02:12 (1 year ago) Permalink
According to her Twitter, she's a "Ranter, mother, teacher, music-scoffer." Cast your stones at http://somethingtocryfor.blogspot.com/
― Reality Check Cashing Services (Elvis Telecom), Friday, 13 April 2012 02:13 (1 year ago) Permalink
Playing With Fire and Recurring were a big part of my my teenage years. I have really loved a lot of Spiritualized (lguided melodies, pure phase and ladies) as well,but for me this is a bit of a damp squib, again.
― Damo Suzuki's Parrot, Friday, 13 April 2012 02:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
contenderizer, i'm just questioning your reasoning for thinking it's exploitative. is it because the singer is a white male? could it be because the attacker in the video is a white male? would you feel differently if the attacker was some other race/gender? you say you don't want to watch a violent scene in a shabby hotel room, but you watch "tons of horror movies" and even the human centipede, which is on a whole other order of magnitude on the "exploitation-of-violence" scale. i'm curious about your reasons for finding this video as or more repugnant than pure empty gore. (because for me it seems to be aiming for something deeper than that, whether you think it succeeds or not.)
― caulk the wagon and float it, Friday, 13 April 2012 03:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
I've seen, and will probably see in the future, lots of gnarly shit on film - really in this case it was the presence of the children that just made me not want to watch it
― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 13 April 2012 04:40 (1 year ago) Permalink
well, i didn't say i liked the human centipede, just that i've seen it (i loved the performance of the guy who played dr. heiter, for what it's worth). i'm not sure exactly why this video was such a powerful trigger for me. in part it's the fact that it successfully earned my sympathy for the protagonist. i really liked the trans prostitute character and didn't want to see bad things happen to him/her. in part, as shakey says, it has to do with the fact that there's a child involved. i don't deny that horrible shit happens in life, and i accept that art has a right and perhaps even an obligation to deal with it, but somehow the "music video" context makes it hard for me to tolerate this level of emotional brutality. i respect the video for the honesty and respect with which i presents its protagonist's life and struggles, but i strongly felt that the conclusion wallowed in cheap and cynical shock tactics that the context couldn't justify. the brutality didn't feel earned.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Friday, 13 April 2012 05:39 (1 year ago) Permalink
^^^ I think that is kinda OTM....
― I'm not going leftfield on you... (hypehat), Friday, 13 April 2012 10:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
OK, well, I'm glad for the heads up that I should not, under any circumstance watch the video.
Given it's on Collapseboard, and Collapseboard is edited by one E. True, late of these parts - I can tell you from personal experience, that Mr True has a habit of taking blog rants, emails, etc. and dressing them up as "Album Reviews" and representing them as such, when the writer was under the impression that they were writing a rant, rather than a "review." Not that there is anything wrong with rants, but if your complaint about the piece is "that's a rant, not an album review" you might be right, and it might not be the *writer*'s "fault" it was presented as such. As a rant, as an op-ed, I liked it. (Probably a lot more than I've liked anything J Pierce has been involved with in the past 10 years.) ((Though a bit of fact-checking might have helped - Jason wasn't the posh one in Spacemen 3))
I'm kind of over those "statement videos" whereby an artist tries to catch some whiff of edginess by commissioning some ultra-violent video "with a message, maaaaaaannn..." It's been done, and done, and done, from Justice's Stress to MIA's Born Free to etc etc - and yet again, this seems like attempt of "ooh, controversy-bait, let's hope it gets banned to generate some hype for an otherwise unremarkable single."
Maybe that's not what's going on. Maybe J,Pierce genuinely cares about the exploitation of marginalised people, and this his way of "raising awareness, maaaaaan but I'm just not prepared to give pop stars the benefit of the doubt any more. He's just given me another reason not to watch the video/listen to the single, which is probably for the best, given my bitter ex-fan status.
― Popcorn Supergay Receiver (Masonic Boom), Friday, 13 April 2012 11:35 (1 year ago) Permalink
If I had to make a no-doubt-ill-informed guess it would be that Jason Pierce isn't actually bothered about videos at all and the record company just punted the commission to someone they thought would make an impression. Which isn't to excuse it, but I'm not sure how much conscious input he would have had either.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Friday, 13 April 2012 11:47 (1 year ago) Permalink
Ha ha, no one is responsible for anything, it's all just the gatekeepers.
(Though isn't Jason's wife a film maker, so he might actually be more bothered about it, than would appear?)
― Popcorn Supergay Receiver (Masonic Boom), Friday, 13 April 2012 11:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
so, anyone wanna talk about the album?
― caulk the wagon and float it, Friday, 13 April 2012 14:22 (1 year ago) Permalink
Sure.
― caulk the wagon and float it, Tuesday, April 10, 2012 1:50 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
My kingdom for an eyeroll emoticon.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Friday, 13 April 2012 14:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
dude, he rhymes "day" with "day" in a like really pure essence way.
― scott seward, Friday, 13 April 2012 14:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
Streaming it now ... had a really good feeling about it based on a couple of recent live recordings. People alluded to it upthread, but yeah this would have made perfect sense as the follow up to "Let It Come Down" (my fave SPZ album btw).
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 13 April 2012 14:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
call it pretentious but i'm being totally sincere. it's why i like the lyrics of, say, "Home of the Brave" so much even though they're not particularly "good" lyrics. but i think i invest less importance in lyrics than a lot of people on here, so.
― caulk the wagon and float it, Friday, 13 April 2012 14:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
maybe that is an eyerolly thing to say, but that's been jason's strategy since day one (also true of the jesus & mary chain). idealization of cliche is the method.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Friday, 13 April 2012 14:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
lol, song #9 is named after a mississipi records gospel comp.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Friday, 13 April 2012 14:46 (1 year ago) Permalink
I haven't really listened to Spiritualized much since "Let it Come Down", which I loved with all my heart. I'm kinda interested in this stuff but this first song is pretty meh.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 13 April 2012 14:48 (1 year ago) Permalink