Post a controversial music opinion

Yeah

Troye Sivan is a better guitarist than Jimmy Page.

LOL

there are more chords, key changes, and tempo changes in The Beths' "Future Hates Me" than there are in the Cardiacs' entire discography

king sucks

I don't want to think about this, fortunately I made a bot for it. let's see what it comes up with:

"Is This It is the sonic equivalent of ghosting."

There were, at minimum, a couple dozen albums released in '67 which are better than Sgt. Pepper.

That's not controversial.

R.E.M. is actually really boring

wow, thread finally delivers

I liked R.E.M. a lot in high school and they are all smart, nice guys with good taste but man, I just never want to listen to them anymore. Somewhere around Monster I lost all interest. the limited guitar playing and lack of sonic depth, the boring arrangements, the mewling vocals, the poor production choices and terrible mandolin playing and clunky videos, their catalog feels very inert to me.

like at best I can muster a "yeah that song's okay" for a number of tracks. but a whole album? ew, just never in the mood.

Most bands are boring tbh

all bands are excellent

^^^^

rt

not all bands

bandsplaining

All duos are terrible.

All bands except R.E.M. are excellent

more like blands amirite

Any musician who has not experienced - I do not say understood, but truly experienced - the necessity of dodecaphonic music is USELESS.

I feel like the Eagles worm has been turning for years now, but still no one is ready to say the Eagles are good. Until now folks. The Eagles are Pretty Good

All duos are terrible.

All solo artists are cowards.

lol

All trios are Norwegian.

All ILM posters are liars

I feel like the Eagles worm has been turning for years now, but still no one is ready to say the Eagles are good. Until now folks. The Eagles are Pretty Good

― strong deutan (rip van wanko), Friday, September 7, 2018 1:03 PM (five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I have a constantly running loop of that lebowski clip in my head, but never more than last night when I was in a duane reade after hell commute that was playing take it easy

jmm otm

I feel like the Eagles worm has been turning for years now, but still no one is ready to say the Eagles are good. Until now folks. The Eagles are Pretty Good

― strong deutan (rip van wanko), Friday, September 7, 2018 10:03 AM (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"i can't tell you why" is an amazing song but i can't join you here just yet

the eagles are good

i can't tell you why is really good

other eagles songs i like: hotel california, new kid in town, try and love again, take it easy, peaceful easy feeling, witchy woman

The High Llamas were (are?) a million times better than their 'parents', the Beach Boys.

that's not controversial, it's just wrong

the only good Beach Boy was/is Mike Love.

High Llamas relationship to the Beach Boys was always tangential at best (and related to a very brief period/narrow slice of their catalog) and was way over-emphasized in their press materials.

I would take even the low points of M.I.U. over the High Llamas tbh

No artist at all has a "New Jersey" - a huge event album that ultimately feels a bit hollow & signals a career decline

You could say that about any band that has the opportunity to develop someone else's idea further, if it works for you.

xps

There are a bunch of good Eagles songs. Every one of them was released as a single, so a compilation is all you need. There's not one Eagles album worth listening to all the way through. The Long Run comes closest.

The Beach Boys have, like, two good songs ("Good Vibrations" and "Don't Worry Baby"), and I could happily go the rest of my life without hearing either one of them ever again.

Can't think of any.

Black metal sucks. Even the "good" stuff is bad enough that it's worth handing the whole genre over to the Nazis and walking away. Let 'em have it.

Does it have to be a controversial opinion that we actually hold or are we allowed to just say something we think might wind people up?

Saying a band or genre you don't like sucks isn't controversial or even a wind-up tbh.

that late-90s Brian Wilson worship was so tiresome

Counterpoint: at a Silver Jews show, D. Berman did a sneering routine of saying, "What's the big deal with Brian Wilson? He's so overrated," etc.; which was equally annoying.

It could have been John Prine who wrote "Margaritaville."

Here's an (actually held) controversial opinion: while I've been into the Silver Jews since I first ran across "The Arizona Record" (filed under Pavement on a rack), and I think they have some terrific records, I also think Berman is significantly overvalued as a lyricist by most fans. He has some good one-liners, but his lyrics tend to be strings of "clever" non-sequiturs that only sometimes land. He's seen as some kind of rock poet.

I feel like the Eagles worm has been turning for years now, but still no one is ready to say the Eagles are good. Until now folks. The Eagles are Pretty Good

― strong deutan (rip van wanko), Friday, September 7, 2018 10:03 AM

We have a daily listening thread that'll prove you wrong.

you could make a dud list for most anybody

i remember Howard Stern once had a guy on who claimed it was ok to drink your own urine and he did it daily, so they had the guy pee in a cup and drink it to prove it. it was pretty clear he was not very used to drinking his own urine.

music is a fine hobbie for kids and teenagers but should be outgrown (outside of casual interest) early in adulthood

yes

99% of the music criticism on ILM is actually bad sociology

music is a fine hobbie for kids and teenagers but should be outgrown (outside of casual interest) early in adulthood

There's music for adults and music for children/teenagers. Many adults refuse to a) admit this and b) learn the difference.

apollonian >>> dionysian

xp - rude

90% of piano ballads suck

I heard "Take It to the Limit" on the radio last night and man that song sounds great, I'm pro-Eagles now

This is very, very good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqhYXLVYQJ8

controversial opinion: randy meisner sings "take it to the limit" better than etta james

Retro soul covers of rock songs (Charles Bradley's version of Black Sabbath's "Changes" comes immediately to mind) frequently suck, and are mostly championed by people who don't want to be seen liking the original version.

we definitely need another one of these threads

lots of opinions about people here instead of music what a surprise

*falls off high horse into trough of metallica blackened whiskey*

Probably not controversial, but have just realised that most of the music I don't really get, from The Eagles and Steely Dan through to 80s hardcore punk, yacht rock, hair metal, grunge and most of the US indie music of the last 25 years, it's all straight white American guys with guitars.

Kenny G and Chuck Mangione are the two most influential and important jazz artists of the 20th century and it isn't close.

Yeah, but only if you consider 'important' and 'influential' to be synonyms.

xxp humblebrag much, lol

didn't mean it that way, honest! I listen to a lot of music by straight non-American white guys with guitars for example.

man i love Steely Dan so much

Probably not controversial, but have just realised that most of the music I don't really get, from The Eagles and Steely Dan through to 80s hardcore punk, yacht rock, hair metal, grunge and most of the US indie music of the last 25 years, it's all straight white American guys with guitars.

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, September 7, 2018 5:02 PM (twelve minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

agreed 100%, but I've known this basically all my life

three chords and the truth, that's all you really need

that's a quote about classic country songwriting, tbf

Joy Division was the best band of all times. In the early days of ILM this was less controversial, I think.

what is "yacht rock"

http://www.yachtrock.com/yacht-or-nyacht-jay-gradient/

iirc early ilm was full of very clever ppl saying ian curtis sounded like kermit the frog and that their lyrics were bad. it would prob be hard to find a single "challenging opinion" that hasn't been aired on ilm at least once over the years.

there's always a dumber take

Everything ever recorded by The Clash is absolute garbage until Cut The Crap

I think we had trouble finding someone who disliked Joy Division in the early ILM days!

I heard "Take It to the Limit" on the radio last night and man that song sounds great, I'm pro-Eagles now

Jesus Christ, no, that song is an outrage.

phish are better than the grateful dead

Björk's voice is horrendous

phish are better than the grateful dead

I'm willing to accept this as long as I don't have to listen to find out.

Post Malone got tunes, man

Björk's voice is horrendous

― flappy bird, Friday, September 7, 2018 6:44 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this take gains some heat coming from ilm's biggest smashing pumpkins fan

Björk's voice is horrendous

This isn't controversial because I came close to posting the same, or similar, earlier today.

yeah that was the implicit preface of xp

every opinion about something being bad is a terrible, boring opinion. is my terrible, boring opinion.

Of course.

There's music for adults and music for children/teenagers. Many adults music critics refuse to a) admit this and b) learn the difference.

― grawlix (unperson), Friday, September 7, 2018 3:23 PM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

fixed

Robert Christgau has spent most of his life doing something that he isn't particularly good at - while it's admirable that he's had the stamina to listen to so much music over however many decades, it's all been for nothing as far as I'm concerned and a waste of time, particularly his.

Besides, spending time listening to a lot of music you may not like when there's a zillion better things to do is just a no-brainer. For music to be your life at that level after the age of, say, 40 strikes me as incredibly sad.

-"a no-brainer", +"stupid"

Well, he does get paid for it

hard agree on Xgau, he is a pox on music criticism and culture. Just awful, incomprehensible pretentious nonsense - with a cult like devotion & following. horrible

Björk's voice is horrendous

― flappy bird, Friday, September 7, 2018 6:44 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this take gains some heat coming from ilm's biggest smashing pumpkins fan

― lowercase (eric), Friday, September 7, 2018 7:51 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I know, and believe me I've tried, I think Björk is awesome and totally amazing as an artist & cultural figure. I just can't get past that voice. Sucks

Ronnie James Dio was better in Black Sabbath than Ozzy Osbourne.

woah...

There is no such thing as bad music, the offender is the person who plays it in a public place

most music critics today are just as subjective as the rest of us.

agreed re: bjork, also her songs are unlistenable

The deification of Beyoncè is nauseating. Most music writers are unwilling to look skeptically at her creative process and image management, and that irritates me. She has perhaps been the biggest winner in the decline of 'authenticity' as a lens through which to discuss music, and is responsible for a whole load of questionable and insincere shit created in order to make as much money as humanly possible.

rockism isn't controversial

It is these days.

my take two years ago was that the more "insincere" lemonade is the more powerful it is as art produced under capitalism

triggercut otm.

"authenticity" is an extremely shitty lens to discuss music through

She has perhaps been the biggest winner in the decline of 'authenticity' as a lens through which to discuss music

I'm relieved you put that risible twaddle in scare quotes.

I'd rather you said her voice sucked and left it tbere.

There’s no such thing as authenticity, granted, but it’s a boring position nowadays, and I’m not entirely sure it holds up in practice. I want to believe.

boring things are good

that doubles as my response to the thread idea

Authenticity used to be the boring one tbf.

I still stand by the fact that music critics are judging Beyoncé under a rockist lens: She makes album-length statements, she makes important political statements, she hasn't had a Number One single in nearly a decade (that didn't have Ed Sheeran on it), she made a "video album," she has monster tours and headlines Coachella and gets prestige alterna creatives like Jack White/Vampire Weekend/James Blake/Jon Brion to help out

All this stuff (or its equivalent) would have been more Green Day/Brian Wilson/U2 than Usher/Britney/Ciara in the year Kelefa wrote his thing

All of which is to say Beyoncé is obviously awesome, but she's not certainly not some victory for the war against using "authenticity" as a measuring stick

Cadences can be authentic.

Cadenzas too.

All of which is to say Beyoncé is obviously awesome, but she's not certainly not some victory for the war against using "authenticity" as a measuring stick

― 5th Ward Weeaboo (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, September 8, 2018 7:24 AM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

whiney otm

David Byrne would almost certainly be considered a musical colonist today.

Brian Auger rules

David Byrne would almost certainly be considered a musical colonist today.

the amount a great rock records is in decline with each passing year

Sgt. Pepper is underrated.

The consensus take is generally more correct than the contrarian one, although the latter may still be more interesting.

the amount a great rock records is in decline with each passing year

― nostormo, Saturday, September 8, 2018 8:16 AM (forty-six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

not controversial but also untrue imo

i would think that though

I agree with as well.

I would maybe go as far as saying great, face-melting rock is largely a forgotten craft.

what was the last great face-melting mainstream rock band?

Like arena rock? Probably pearl jam

System of a Down and Deftones come to mind

I would personally pick Mastodon although I don't know how mainstream they are. They've had a bunch of tracks over the past decade that sound pretty mainstream to me.

Abandon the word "mainstream" ('cause there's no such thing, every artist is a cult artist from Kanye and Beyoncé on down - there are millions of Americans who have never heard a Beyoncé song and never will) and I could list great rock bands all day.

I guess if they play them on the radio/kroq or some equivalent

Part of my problem is I haven't voluntarily listened to the radio in well over a decade, so I have no idea what turns up there these days.

I don't personally care if rock bands achieve mainstream success, I'd be happy with them existing and surviving.

A lot of indie rock bands currently seem to be wrapped up in mining 90s grunge sonics, which is fine, I just wish there were more guitar heroics. I want some badass riffs!

yeah and i guess also maybe a band that's unabashedly heavy on the riffs and solos. Pearl Jam is a decent choice.

One of my perpetual and controversial hobbyhorses:

Most of the time, when a band transitions from a fiery debut to more mature and understated follow ups, the debut tends to be the far superior version of the band.

i was v surprised that my favorite rock record from last year (manchester orchestra) actually turned out to be kind of a successful rock record too

mature understated follow-ups forever btw

i guess i don't have many actual controversial opinions except when Ross mentioned King, i remembered that i was extremely bored by the album and after giving it many chances i sold it : /

Part of my problem is I haven't voluntarily listened to the radio in well over a decade, so I have no idea what turns up there these days.

Me either. I am almost totally ignorant of pop music at this point. I know what's up in metal and radio-friendly hard rock because I still get sent promos of that stuff by publicists and labels. But I spend about 80% of my time listening to jazz these days.

Here's my controversial jazz opinion.

Kamasi Washington is this generation's Wynton Marsalis, a very popular, but essentially conservative figure in the jazz world. He maybe enjoys a bit more cred at the moment because the older music he references still has some hip cachet, but he's not bringing a lot of new ideas to the table.

Music criticism is great.

xp i'm not sure i'd agree w/ that take on wynton (i think he's worse than that) but i agree w/ that take on kamasi

Lol, fair

Kamasi's way more important as someone bringing people into the tent than he is as an actual musician (and I like his music). I don't think he'll be very influential in the long run in the "younger players want to sound like him" sense, but his influence in the "young people who didn't know jazz was an entertainment option available to them now actively seek it" sense is massive. (Though his musical skills are frequently underestimated even by people who praise him - I don't see much writing about the fact that he does all his own string and choral writing and arrangements, and produces his albums himself.)

Shabaka Hutchings, on the other hand, is influential in both the "bringing in new listeners" and the "making genuinely innovative music" senses. I think over time he'll be seen as more and more important.

One of my perpetual and controversial hobbyhorses:

Most of the time, when a band transitions from a fiery debut to more mature and understated follow ups, the debut tends to be the far superior version of the band.

― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles)

I’m a huge fan of debuts. Some bands get their sound just right in their first ep/lp, and there’s a sense of wonder that usually gets lost by the time the next album arrives.

Not exactly a controversial opinion though?

I mean, the old trope about bands having had their entire lives to write and develop material for their first album and then, thereafter, having less time to crank out new material in between tours etc?

Yeah, I think it's more "controversial" to believe, as I do, that most bands' debut albums are actually pretty bad, and its album three or four that you really want to pay attention to. My personal list of bands whose first album was great and/or their best work is pretty damn short: the Bad Brains, Van Halen, and...honestly, that's about it. Most bands get better as they go on.

poptimism is extremely good and still underrated in 2018

Yeah, I think it's more "controversial" to believe, as I do, that most bands' debut albums are actually pretty bad

true, more controversial, and also generally wrong.

The list of classic punk bands from the pre-SST era whose best album isn't their first album is like
1. the Stooges
2. the Clash

(or a singles collection)

I'd argue yr wrong about The Stooges and that Fun House is kinda overrated, but really only for the purposes of this thread, but The Stooges first album is pretty fucking solid.

Also, Phil's opinion is wrong because some of the best bands only put out one album

though I would argue that Adam & the Ants 1st album wasn't their best, but partly because the Demos were better

My controversial opinion: Adam & the Ants was a better band than The Clash

About the Clash's 1st album not being their best...

Also, Phil's opinion is wrong because some of the best bands only put out one album

Controversial opinion: Bands that only put out one album suck. I'm not gonna sit here all day worrying about it, but off the top of my head I can't think of a single (rock/metal) band that only put out one album that I give a shit about. All the bands I like have exhibited some degree of longevity.

My controversial opinion: Adam & the Ants was a better band than The Clash

Good lord.

I can't think of a single (rock/metal) band that only put out one album that I give a shit about.

that's because you suck.

Modern Lovers

Modern Lovers

Sucked.

Haha ok

>:(

Modern Lovers sucking is def. controversial and wrong

They're what I think of as "well poisoners": not only did they suck, but they inspired dozens if not hundreds of other bands to suck, too!

not only did they suck, but they inspired dozens if not hundreds of other bands to suck, too!

also known as "The Nirvana Paradox"

xp You’re gonna have to show your work here, sir...

In one of those four-panel, expanding-brain memes, from the top (walnut brain) it goes: Pearl jam rocks; Pearl jam sucks; Pearl jam rocks; Pearl jam sucks

are there any good bands that didn't inspire a bunch of shitty bands?

and yet they still suck

re: modern lovers

unperson otm about poisoning the well and PP the nirvana paradox is a great name for that. Mac DeMarco a culprit

Explain why the Modern Lovers suck

Two words: Jonathan Richman.

His singing? Lyrics? Voice?

Xp. So wrong. Additionally it answers nothing. What is your problem with him? He is one of the funniest and nicest rock musicians. Such a strong presence and so charming. One of the best live acts around.

His singing? Lyrics? Voice?

Yes on all three counts. His supposedly endearing awkwardness rubs me the wrong way – there's no edge to it. I still like 'Roadrunner', though.

plenty of great bands that put out one album - or no albums! a good band is lightning in a bottle and most of them don't last. but feel free to piss on the united states of america if it'll make you happy

xp
He was a young guy in the ‘70s who still loved the ‘50s, he still loved the Old World

The Modern Lovers are terrific rock ‘n roll
songs sung by a guy who sounds like a normal person (instead of a rock star) and who had real personality and an interesting p.o.v. I’m super thankful, they existed and inspired what they inspired...

I can see why people wouldn't like him though.

morrisp otm

I've been quoting "Pablo Picasso" all week

All of Tom Scholz's solos sound the fucking same

The modern lovers totally had an “edge” but it doesn’t seem like one you all would like.

“Hospital” is an extremely creepy ballad of a man obsessed—passively aggressively putting down a drug addicted young women for her unhealthy decisions and setting himself up as a kind of savior... but it’s obvious he only cares about her insofar as he wants to be with her. “Nice guy syndrome to the max.”

Similar types of bitterness run throughout the album. Even “pablo picasso” is kind of like a complaint that all the cool guys get to harass women and he can’t. His pining for the “old world” can easily be seen in this vein as well—a kind of prefigure of the current MRA fetishization of a world before feminism. He doesn’t lay it out but looking at the album as a whole he definitely sees himself as a kind of doeky guy who doesn’t really cut it in the “new world” of sexual liberation.

More musicians should shit on their fans

I don’t think the presence of these uncomfortable themes make the album “bad” as I don’t need my music to align with my morality (to a point—there is still a line). It’s actually weirdly psychologically convincing—the catcher in the rye of proto punk or whatever genre it is.

Self xp

He’s not complaining that he doesn’t get to harass women; he’s trying to teach a lesson to creeps who do:

Oh well be not schmuck, be not obnoxious
Be not bellbottom bummer or asshole
Remember the story of Pablo Picasso

I also don’t read “Hospital” at all the way you do

When you get out of the hospital
Let me back into your life

idk man

it's not the time to be making romantic overtures

And when you get out of the dating bar
I'll be here to get back into your life

this is a song told from the perspective of a stalker.

I can't stand what you do
I'm in love with your eyes
Oh, I can't stand what you do
Sometimes I can't stand you

also the "story of pablo picasso" is that he could get away with trawling for girls, "not like you"

i'm not saying this is a horrible, evil album. i'm just saying the narrator of these songs isn't as much of a forrest gump type as he likes to think he is.

yes the ambiguity around the narrator's right-on-ness or lack of it is what gives those songs their depth of meaning iirc

yeah i think so. i don't think the album would have really broken through with the cool kids of the late 70s if there wasn't more to it than the kind of boppy nostalgia quality you get from the surface

modern lovers a persanolity band if there ever was one. anyways the guys a total gentleman, treeship calling him an mra is very impressive trolling tho

no way. this is yet another case of me being correct.

I think it’s the perspective of a young guy being hella emo
(xxp)

sure but hella emo guys with obsessive tendencies and many insecurities can often behave in damaging ways while still viewing themselves as the innocent party. i said this was the "catcher in the rye" of proto-punk albums, not the "american psycho"

in his best songs j richman is both scribbling "fuck you" and crossing it out at the same time which makes his music more interesting than either of those books

rock songs should never be written from an interesting, complex perspective

John Cage wrote music that is highly listenable.

well put

xp to tracer

Thing is modern lovers guy overdoes the autism shtick

I don't know how I didn't realize that John Cale wasn't the writer of that song until just now; I thought the ML covered it. Oops.

Ian Paice is a better drummer than Bill Ward

New Order were/are terrible musicians

Fuego

Shits fuego yo 🔥

New Order were/are terrible musicians

― crüt, Monday, September 17, 2018 7:37 PM

Description, not criticism.

Let It Be (album) > Abbey Road

Hospital was my favorite ML song for awhile.

I think I can get behind that. I don't really love Abbey Road outside of a few songs. There's a pleasant simplicity to the tunes on Let It Be that I enjoy much more.

xp

hard agree on Let It Be being better than Abbey Road, the worst Beatles album by a mile

Post an outright insane musical opinion

not really when you realize the beatles hardly had any good songs

Got to admit thread's not gettin better

Marc Baron has made two of the best noise albums of the last decade. Both of 'em are on the Potlatch label.

xp

no 1 asked u

U r sleepingbag

ud luv that wldnt u

"Post a non-controversial musical opinion" is a more difficult exercise than this thread.

'Ali Farka Touré is pretty cool.'

David Bowie's cover of God Only Knows on Tonight is pretty good and much better than the Beach Boys' original.

I called the FBI, no worries

John Cale's lyrics read like this old Maxell tape advert:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe_fiTy81A0

No album is great all the way through.

An album where all tracks are great is not necessarily a great album.

Teenager of the Year is a great album, all the way through

The Replacements are possibly the most overrated band ever.

Topped only by Kiss.

They were. Now their reputation has settled. If anything their skunkish behavior did the right amount of reputation-skinning.

Let It Be > Let It Be

lol which one Simon

Laibach > Beatles?

I’d say everything’s been recorded already but that’s not controversial

...is better or worse than Let It Be?

I don't like you if you have over a hundred 5.0 ratings on RYM

I understand this is a thread for airing stuff like that without need for apology, but I am genuinely curious why that is?

I don't like you if you have over a hundred 5.0 ratings on RYM

― He said captain, I said wot (FlopsyDuck), Thursday, September 20, 2018 1:58 PM (four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this but replace 5.0 w 0.5

An album full of really great standard length songs is so much more boring than an album jammed with weird shorter filler (and one minimal 10min+) and just 3 or 4 stand outs.

Probably not controversial around here

xp
it's hard to explain.

Having tons of terrible ratings is a whole different ballpark animal. I don't understand how anyone would want to invest their time into reviewing bad music

Rating ≠ reviewing.

I find washed down pseudo funk bands from the 90’s like say Jamiroquai or Fun Lovin Criminals to be laidback and cool and think they have aged better than most rock music from the decade.

Drukqs is a well-sequenced album. I like how the ultra-dense, aggressive d'n'b tracks alternate with brief ambient interludes, little odds & ends, prepared disklavier tracks, etc. It makes for a less exhausting listen, with moments of relief and odd beauty/humor.

It's not actually tricky to rock a rhyme right on time

I don't like you if you have over a hundred 5.0 ratings on RYM

― He said captain, I said wot (FlopsyDuck)

i wish every record i liked had over a hundred 5.0 ratings on rym

Sometimes I get a kick out of reading bad user reviews for albums I love. Then I click on the user to see shitty music they like.

I agree with moka xp

To confirm they suck

Come with Me > Kashmir

is that controversial?

some music fans' desire to classify things into neat one genre boxes is one of the most frustrating part about talking about music. not that controversial imo but for whatever reason people start to defend their right to listen or discuss however they want etc which is not really what i was getting at to begin with

i know grouper is well-loved but that shit is just too fucking dreary

’80s music is overplayed/overvalued.

Now that Boomers are no longer steering the cultural ship, music from the ‘50s & ‘60s has become slightly undervalued.

Music from the ‘70s and ‘90s is appropriately valued.

Cornershop < Spacehog

Herman's Hermits > Paul Barman

Fill scores are not meant to be listened to on their own (even though they’re made available that way).

i know grouper is well-loved but that shit is just too fucking dreary

― marcos, Saturday, September 22, 2018 9:01 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

oh fuck this is that good shit. thread honestly hasn't delivered in a while

I know this is a space for challops but a Grouper song came on last night randomly as Spotify was left to its own devices and it was strikingly beautiful enough that a conversation I was in basically stopped mid sentence and I think we were all OK with it.

Acts like Daphne & Celeste only work if you didn't loathe sing-songs as a child. Otherwise it's a dual nightmare: not only is it insufferable in the present, it also recalls long-buried sonic traumas.

This sounds like a comment on their 2000/2001 releases, not their new album

I've only heard their new album. Well, the first three tracks or so – I had to make it stop.

In which case idgi sorry

Extended/12" versions of beloved radio-length pop songs are almost always disappointing.

(By pop songs I basically mean not disco/dance music, that's a different kettle of fish)

Listening to a 90s live set by Ernest Ranglin and being reminded about wondering if the Skatalites were an influence on math rock.
INtricate repetitive details niggled at by various instruments to a rhythm.

Also Sister Ray as a great monolithic funk jam. Always reminds me of gogo

Come with Me > Kashmir

― MarkoP, Friday, 21 September 2018 03:07 (two days ago) Permalink

is that controversial?

― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn)

I mean I've never heard a good thing said about Puff Daddy's "Come With Me", but maybe I hang out with the wrong people.

Tenacious D's first album is a front-to-back classic.

LIVE had some great singles. Shout out to Dolphin's Cry and Lightning Crashes in particular, I can even forgive them for the Her Placenta Falls To The Floor bit.

The singles off the first Matchbox Twenty album are great.

I haven't forgiven 'I rushed the lady's room / took the water from the toilet / washed her feet and blessed her name'.

"Dolphin's Cry"

beyoncé's music imprisons minds & liberates no one

Pink Floyd should have made the Household Objects album and not bothered with Wish You Were Here

I haven't forgiven 'I rushed the lady's room / took the water from the toilet / washed her feet and blessed her name'.

― pomenitul, Sunday, September 23, 2018 6:57 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

MORE PEACE

It all makes sense now, thanks to the top comment: https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/40933/

Pink Floyd should have made the Household Objects album and not bothered with Wish You Were Here

― PaulTMA, Sunday, September 23, 2018 11:39 AM (thirty-five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OTM

I dunno what “Household Objects” is, but WYWH has been my PF jam since like the 6th grade; so you guys are *Off*-T-M...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unreleased_songs_recorded_by_Pink_Floyd#Household_Objects

Never heard this till now, if it's genuine and not some fake, but it's better than "Dark Side of the Moon".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tpNtj0CiLw

every fake of any kind is better that DSotM

Word... I can behind the idea of scrapping THAT album

beyoncé's music imprisons minds & liberates no one

― crüt, Sunday, September 23, 2018 11:29 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

about time someone said this

I said it a while back. It did not go well.

imprison your mind
and your ass will follow

Hole were a better band than Nirvana and deserve the latter's place in The Canon(TM).

Most grunge was bad, and did music no favors.

otm

xpost

the Beatles were good

At their best, Artery were better than Joy Division

Hole were a better band than Nirvana and deserve the latter's place in The Canon(TM).

Agree, but mostly due to Nirvana's staggering shittiness; Hole didn't actually get good until Celebrity Skin.

...

The Pet Shop Boys should have hung it up after Very.

Tony Willé > Maurice Deebank

The vinyl LP, while a cooler artifact, is inferior to the CD as a music medium. (Cassette tapes have no excuse but borrowed nostalgia, but I hope that's not controversial.)

Blackheart is a cool album, but overall I think Dawn Richard's solo career has been overrated on here. The second Danity Kane album was her peak.

cassettes are fun to record on and for making mixtapes, but they are by far the worst medium for music listening

Cassettes are durable and had a portability function in the Walkman / car tape deck / boombox era, but there’s no reason for them now.

In their flawed fidelity, they do have their own distinctive sound and warmth + memory triggers for those of us of a certain age so I can get their appeal, within limits.

CDs or lossless digital are best for music with a wide dynamic range; that can't be controversial?

the qualities and character of tape are beautiful but it's easily the least practical way to listen to music compared to the other three dominant media (vinyl, streaming, CD's).

Yeah, convenience is definitely not one of the benefits of cassettes in the present day.

How is vinyl more convenient? Can't play an LP on a Walkman.

lossless digital is technically the better medium, assuming a good master. However mastering often ruins a lot of lossless releases, whether CD or web.

My controversial opinion: 154 > Chairs Missing

To me CDs are more consistent at sounding good. Vinyl is all over the place, sometimes sounding either far worse or far better than CDs.

xp

My controversial opinion: 154 > Chairs Missing

― octobeard, Sunday, 23 September 2018 21:49 (four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is correct, not controversial

the real talk: pink flag is at best wire's fourth-best album and it's probably lower

It might be correct or it might not be correct but it is controversial.

Not extremely controversial, of course!

"Pretty On The Inside" is an amazing album

Eddie Vedder has turned into a marvelous singer.

Read & Burn 01/Read & Burn 02/Send > Pink Flag/Chairs Missing/154

The first Read & Burn is one of my favorite albums/EPs/whatever of the '00s.

markos and crut otm

re grouper - great music for plane rides tho, easy to nod off to

"Send" is terrible though <---- adequately fulfilling the requirements of the thread title

yep

beyoncé's music imprisons minds & liberates no one

― crüt, Sunday, September 23, 2018 11:29 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I’ll up this one as this might be the right thread.

This shouldn’t be a controversial opinion. Beyonce’s grotesque transformation of real radicalism into a dep Fuck Beyonce and her imperialist elite pretensiousness. She’s not progressive, she’s a commodified caricature.

Sorry I erased a bit by mistake:

Beyonce’s grotesque transformation of real radicalist imagery and messages into de-politicized, mindless spectacle is what should spark controversy.

I really liked “a dep Fuck Beyoncé” tho

Read & Burn 01/Read & Burn 02/Send > Pink Flag/Chairs Missing/154

― grawlix (unperson), Sunday, 23 September 2018 22:20 (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

kind of agree. send is one of the best albums of the last 20 years

Beyonce’s grotesque transformation of real radicalist imagery and messages into de-politicized, mindless spectacle is what should spark controversy.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Sunday, September 23, 2018

explain this to my black students though, who saw past the spectacle

What do you teach, Alfred?

After giving Chairs Missing and 154 proper listens in the past couple weeks... I’ve decided I really only care about Wire songs that sound like singles. Not that they’re a bad band or anything.

Edit... I listened to Pink Flag also

What do you teach, Alfred?

― growing up in publix (morrisp),

Journalism. Until last month I was the student media adviser for the student paper and radio station.

...too

The offspring had some amazing songs

Love "Gone Away"

A fantastic song. Maybe the offspring aren’t that low on the critic’s estimation— i always got the sense they were.

I like “the kids aren’t alright” and all the other songs rhey made that sound like that, like “you’re gonna go far kid”

Self esteem is catchy af

definitely cosign some of the offspring love

There's never been a Scottish music scene.

There's a UK scene which includes Scottish people, labels, cities, venues etc.

dude no

Tell your black students to watch Chappelle’s bit on celebrities:

https://youtu.be/H7b5hJ0G_9c

the song "feel it still" by portugal the man is a good song

The bulk of the amateur, modular enthusiast tracks (demos, sketches, full-on / fleshed out tracks) i've heard on Soundcloud are more enjoyable than most of the 'studio' songs that make up the proper releases I've listened to (so far) this year. Except maybe for the Beak, Aphex Twin, and xuiqen albums, and some albums on Another Timbre.

New vinyl records are a waste of money. Most tape releases sound like crap--why won't people use metal bias / type II tape cassettes, and put effort into improving the sound quality of their releases? Is it (putting out tapes) just for the sake of novelty? Notice Recordings (label) make good-sounding tapes, why won't others?

What do you recommend for modular enthusiast tracks?

xpost A 35 year old second hand cassette copy of say Duck Rock, 90125, Crises etc has better sound quality than a regular nowadays vinyl, CD or cassette release.

A dubious claim at best

Go pick one up at your local thrift store then tell me I'm wrong.

What do you recommend for modular enthusiast tracks?

https://soundcloud.com/leheron_idletones/likes -- this might be hit and miss, but there are loads of modular synth sketches, demos, tracks, etc. The recently liked "Charles" tracks are v pleasant

https://soundcloud.com/edbkt/river -- these "edbkt" tracks are really nice as well..
https://soundcloud.com/edbkt/mngrvs

https://soundcloud.com/caspar-hesselager/to-be-quiet-modular-synth-patch

sorry, one more

Thanks!

explain this to my black students though, who saw past the spectacle

what did/does the music mean to them?

liberation

https://soundcloud.com/aroom_temp/180407a
https://soundcloud.com/papernoise/random-rings
https://soundcloud.com/billygomberg/180125-last-from-brooklyn

I think the thing with vinyl and with tapes is that the distortion and lack of clarity are part of the sound, sometimes cleaning up a recording means removing something that worked, whether the artist or producer intended it or not (the reverse is often the case too of course) and that is a creative decision on a case by case basis, you can't say "it's always bad" or "it's always good."
Acts putting out tapes in 2018 are essentially putting a 1980s instagram filter on their music, I find it a bit silly, but it's their choice.

the song "feel it still" by portugal the man is a good song

It made my tracks ballot last year.

xps more specifically.

jamie xx will never be respected by the culture he adores even though he deserves it

I think the thing with vinyl and with tapes is that the distortion and lack of clarity are part of the sound, sometimes cleaning up a recording means removing something that worked, whether the artist or producer intended it or not (the reverse is often the case too of course) and that is a creative decision on a case by case basis, you can't say "it's always bad" or "it's always good."

*especially with Normal bias (type i) tapes, which most people seem to be using

of course, you can't monitor each/every dub, for a run of tapes.. but at least do it once, to set a general level just high enough so there won't be distortion / clipping, unless you wanted that effect. I have a Silver Jews 'Early Times' cassette from Drag City, and they did it right. 'Early Time's is sort of a meta- example, though

I'm looking forward to this: https://deadoceans.com/news/ryley-walker-announces-the-lillywhite-sessions/

Because I think DMB has a lot of material that most people would like if it weren't being delivered by DMB.

oh i am super hyped for that surprise

the "surf's up" album would've been better than "pet sounds" if it had been all wilson songs

most cds sound better than most vinyl

Pet Sounds is overrated (we’ve had this discussion here)

(Beach Boys are great but Pet Sounds a flawed “go-to” album)

i agree with that

50s rock and roll all sounds thes ame

^this is kind of true, but it sounds gr8

Pet Sounds is overrated (we’ve had this discussion here)

This is not even remotely controversial.

The fact that Pet Sounds is the only especially celebrated BB album by the world at large (plus Smile if it counts) is completely absurd, when their run from Today to Holland is about as great as they come

THE RISE OF ALL CAPS IN TRACKS TITLES AND OTHER LANGUAGE IN MUSIC IS MOSTLY GOOD

Beach Boys' Party! is a neglected masterpiece

A rarified few believe that All Summer Long is where they hit their stride.

pet sounds is their only consistently good album. the rest go off on weird, creepy, or just plain shit detours, and thus the rest of their albums are hard to recommend to an album-focused listener unless they're already a dyed-in-the-wool fan.

I think Beach Boys are well served by a Greatest Hits comp. I know there's a stack of them, but the 2003 Sounds of Summer compilation is probably the thing of theirs that I listen to the most.

the rest go off on weird, creepy, or just plain shit detours

also true of every post-Help Beatles album tbf

This is not even remotely controversial.

It was fairly controversial on that other thread! (Think it was something like, “Artists you’ve never been able to get into, despite trying multiple times.”)

agreed re: bjork, also her songs are unlistenable

― crüt, Saturday, September 8, 2018 9:18 AM (two weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

my brother

Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Friends, 20/20, Sunflower and Surf's Up are all extremely enjoyable albums with, at worst, one or two subpar tracks that I don't think would seriously ruin anyone's overall enjoyment of them. I'm sure even casual BB fans have listened to and enjoyed other albs that aren't flawless from soup to nuts and besides, weird/creepy is a pretty essential part of the overall BB aesthetic imho.

2000s and on Bjork voice is pretty off-putting yeah

Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Friends, 20/20, Sunflower and Surf's Up are all extremely enjoyable albums with, at worst, one or two subpar tracks

this is overly generous to Smiley Smile but agree about the others. Friends is super-short and every song is great, for ex.

most cds sound better than most vinyl

agreed.

also, compact disc is the most enjoyable musical format overall

xp lol i'm a big fan of Friends, but calling "Transcendental Meditation" great is a strech imo

it'll get you feelin grand maaaan

There are definitely no dud tracks on "Smiley Smile", that's for sure.

never forget

LOL, classic ILM.

I consider those threads my crowning achievement as an ILM poll starter

lol good stuff, in general i think more worst tracks threads would be good tbh

few acts' output span the dizzying highs and appalling lows of the Beach Boys tho

On the Corner >>>>>>>>>>> any Can album

Not controversial imho.

Any Can album >>>>>>>>>>> On the Corner

... maybe not, but "On the Corner" is hideously overrated.

On the Corner >>>>>>>>>>> any Can album

― flappy bird, Tuesday, September 25, 2018 6:16 PM (forty-three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Not controversial, just silly. Different ballgames, man.

A lot of Miles from that period does sound like Can, and vice versa, so it's not a different ballgame by any means.

yeah there's a lot of similar techniques involved - extended ng groove-based improvisations, aggressive editing and electronic processing, incorporation of non-Western instrumentation

Different strokes I guess. Similar techniques may be involved. MD and Can come from such different cores towards a somewhat similar sound at one point in time, but I cannot 'forget' the traveled trajectory, or their make-up, which is so vastly different. I can see why one sees it as the same ballgame - I might even be jealous of people seeing it that way, for I cannot.

Stockhausen is another link.

That's a very good call.

the Prince hagiography is getting to be a bit much

if anything it's not enough

That ain't Lake Minnetonka!

the thing with Prince is, it's really not hyperbole to point out how comprehensive and sui generis he was. There's literally no one else that's ever had his combo of skills and hit-making ability. At least not that I can think of ie., virtuoso multi-instrumentalists/producers with a sustained string of classic (and popular) albums over the course of a decade.

Joni comes (kind of) close, although I've never thought she was all that incredible a pianist/synth player

also couldn't play drums afaik

but could he play the mandolin as well as peter buck

hell, I can play the mandolin as well as peter buck

Love Joni but Prince laps her several times in terms of sheer skill and virtuosity. But Shakey 100% OTM that the Prince hagiography isn't nearly as strong or widespread as it should be. Bowie is the one that's getting tiresome - are we going to be hearing choral covers of "'Heroes'" in movies, shows, and commercials forever now?

ye

the Bowie and Prince love can flow eternal, keep it coming.

hunky dory changed my life

I will always love Bowie but Prince was a different animal imo. I don't think anyone would credibly argue that Bowie was an amazing instrumentalist - he was good enough to put his songs over and smart enough to rely on virtuoso collaborators to flesh things out instead. And while he was a good vocalist (again, making the best of his natural limits), he sure as shit didn't have Prince's range. On the whole I'd say he was maybe a better lyricist than Prince.

Prince is maybe the only guy I can think of that seems literally inhuman from a performance standpoint. Peak period live footage is on some "how does one person DO that" level shit. And he could do all that and still be funny/make it look easy.

but did prince write fantastic voyage

music is how it makes you feel, mannn :P

Mitchell's main instrument isn't piano, although she's much better than competent: it's guitar, where her chords are amazing.

the thing with Prince is, it's really not hyperbole to point out how comprehensive and sui generis he was. There's literally no one else that's ever had his combo of skills and hit-making ability. At least not that I can think of ie., virtuoso multi-instrumentalists/producers with a sustained string of classic (and popular) albums over the course of a decade.

Stevie Wonder

Are we really comparing Prince and Bowie now? For the love of god why.

Never forget this classic thread:

TS: Prince or Bowie?

absolutely otm LBI

the thing with Prince is, it's really not hyperbole to point out how comprehensive and sui generis he was. There's literally no one else that's ever had his combo of skills and hit-making ability. At least not that I can think of ie., virtuoso multi-instrumentalists/producers with a sustained string of classic (and popular) albums over the course of a decade.

Stevie Wonder

― nba jungboy (voodoo chili), Tuesday, September 25, 2018 5:59 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

all of this also applies to Paul McCartney

Stevie Wonder

Stevie's close, yeah. if only he could play guitar.

Macca = lol gtfo

kate bush!

jesus...really...

Macca's a virtuoso on one instrument and we all know which one that is

LOL

Are we really comparing Prince and Bowie now? For the love of god why.

― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, September 25, 2018 5:59 PM (six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

they’re both dead

Also, until he died, I had never met anyone who had bought a Prince album after Under The Cherry Moon or D&P

fwiw, for me, Prince solo >>> Macca solo but like it or not the comparison is apt

it's true Prince was much better when he was in the Beatles

Macca's a virtuoso on one instrument and we all know which one that is

― Οὖτις

yeah, he's fantastic on lead guitar

Also, until he died, I had never met anyone who had bought a Prince album after Under The Cherry Moon or D&P

― Paul Ponzi,

Because they were two years old?

You moved goalposts. You knew no one who bought SOOT or Parade?

seeing as Paul McCartney is not yet dead, i think we should hold off on comparing him to Prince and Bowie. won’t be long though (hopefully)

xp No, everyone I knew bought those (me too)

My point--which you've just proven--is that dude's reputation was based almost entirely on his early work (and, err, Chappelle) until very recently

well, sure, that's the case for most artists

Prince was great from ~81-89. Sign O' the Times is one of the greatest album ever made by anybody. But he lost it in the 90s and 00s. He produced about two CDs' worth of good material in his last three decades of life.

Bowie has no front-to-back great albums. He was at his best from 1977-79, but I could go the rest of my life without ever needing to hear the Berlin-era instrumentals again, except maybe "V-2 Schneider." Blackstar was his first great album in 35 years.

actually agree w all that

Macca also has no front-to-back great albums, with the possible exception of "Ram"

Prince has, idk, three? SOTT, 1999, Purple Rain

Bowie and Prince comparison is obvious, even before their dizzyingly close, sudden deaths. Both are popular and respected across so many demographics and borders of taste, both had imperial phases that neatly fit into the entirety of the 70s and 80s respectively, both known for reinvention and unpredictability and singularity, both icons of androgyny. But again, Bowie wasn't even close to the musician that Prince was. Neither is Joni, who is a brilliant guitarist, but she cannot do what Prince could do seemingly effortlessly on every instrument he picked up and then threw into the air.

This thread's going in a weird direction. We're knocking Mitchell because she chose not to play drums, bass, and synths with Prince's virtuosity? She didn't fucking want to! She wrote Ladies of the Canyon through Hejira, a sequence of albums adored by...Prince.

otm

not knocking her, just making the case that Prince was sui generis and compared to the amount of Bowie tributes & covers & references, Prince has not gotten his due.

Depends where you live. Maybe I have a bias because I participate in those 2016 tributes to Bowie and Prince; with each man the good writers delineated what made each man different.

Macca's a virtuoso on one instrument and we all know which one that is

Trumpet. His own one.

every single dance track that samples kate bush is unforgivably awful and demeans us all every time it is played by anyone anywhere.

Speaking in pop terms Bowie is more iconic in looks than Prince, but Prince’s music has way more pop appeal than Bowie.

I guess Bowie’s catchiest songs are “rebel rebel” and “heroes” but as pop singles they are weak against something like say, “kiss” which has that timeless, immediate pop hit sound.

Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Friends, 20/20, Sunflower and Surf's Up are all extremely enjoyable albums with, at worst, one or two subpar tracks that I don't think would seriously ruin anyone's overall enjoyment of them. I'm sure even casual BB fans have listened to and enjoyed other albs that aren't flawless from soup to nuts and besides, weird/creepy is a pretty essential part of the overall BB aesthetic imho.

― Ward Fowler

i agree about weird/creepy being an essential part of the beach boys aesthetic! but i don't agree that it's an aesthetic everyone can be expected to enjoy. even "wild honey", which is a really solid and consistent album, is very much an album out of its time and off-kilter in a much more off-putting way than "magical mystery tour". they're short albums, they come off as unambitious, spookily skeletal, not making A Statement. god knows when i got into the beach boys i was looking for Big Statements like "pet sounds" and "smile". you think i knew what to do with a fucking brilliant song like "i'm so glad", let alone their putting a _cover_ on an lp in '67? hell no. obviously i've come around but immediate appeal is something strikingly lacking from post-"smile" beach boys.

Ilx generally speaking has horrible taste in music

Let's Dance, Space Oddity, Modern Love, China Girl, and Ziggy S. all seem catchier and more like pop hits to me than the somewhat dreary and plodding Heroes (which, in keeping with the spirit of the thread, I have never much liked).

But I simultaneously see your point, and agree with those who contend that they were both significant artists and it's not a contest.

As for multi-instrumentalists with a long streak of success both as a solo artist and as a producer, may I direct your attention to one Quincy muthaflippin Jones?

i actually listened to wild honey in its entirety just now - it's short - and by the time i got to "how she boogalooed it" i was _still_ going "what the fuck is this? what the fuck are you even doing?" which is why i like the beach boys, but not everyone is into that sort of thing.

Got me into Kate Bush:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o712mgqVZXI

xp The songs on Wild Honey are fairly straightforward, though? Maybe just a bit "off," in certain ways?

hey rushomancy -- I'd love just once to see you... in the nuuuuuude

ilxors who almost make u wanna go homo

noel gallagher plays guigsys bass parts and boneheads rhythm parts on the albums fyis just sayin

Years ago I had a listen to the Purple Rain deluxe and then it struck me why I'd never cared much for Prince's music when I was growing up in the '80s (the only album I have and like very much is Lovesexy) and later on as well: all his music and lyrics seem to be about "me, me, me". Nothing in his music seems applicable to my own modest life. And his lyrics are way trivial. Even if Bowie or Simon Le Bon are spouting nonsense, that nonsense could be romanticised and applied to a higher plain. Not so with Prince (that I've heard).

personally, I identify with drinking banana daquiris til I'm blind every xmas

Macca also has no front-to-back great albums, with the possible exception of "Ram"

Prince has, idk, three? SOTT, 1999, Purple Rain

I'd add Dirty Mind to that list.

You don't think "Band on the Run" is front-to-back great? I guess I can see seeing "Picasso's Last Words" as the weak point there.

ooh yeah not a bad track on Dirty Mind, fair enough

Back to Beach Boys -- just revisited Friends (after revisiting Wild Honey) last night)... gawd, this string of albums is so excellent. Warm, creative, unexpected, great tunes, lyrics only these guys could write, etc.

(Tried listening to Pet Sounds but quickly got bored, lol)

Halfway thru 20/20 now... it's even better than I remember!

Zig Zag Walk is my favorite Foghat album.

Ambient music is the only worthwhile music

Ha I've been feeling that

In my late teens when I was first confronted with ambient music I thought "there is nothing going on. Boring!" When confronted with Stockhausen I thought "this is a collection of sounds. Boring!" I don't know whether it's aural exhaustion, or the fact that "music-with-content is now occupational", but ambient music and electroacoustic music is pretty much my go-to for pleasure-listening. Stockhausen et al. is extremely pleasant to listen to while preparing dinner, the sound of chopping veg. and frying oil fits right in with the music itself.

extremely pleasant to listen to while preparing dinner, the sound of chopping veg

Nah, I prefer https://youtu.be/WR6y71x3tSY

I don't like you if you have over a hundred 5.0 ratings on RYM

― He said captain, I said wot (FlopsyDuck), Thursday, September 20, 2018 1:58 PM (four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm going to raise the number to two hundred

I often prefer the clean radio versions of '90s hip-hop singles/hits to the album versions. Specific examples that have occurred to me just this past week: Mystikal's "Shake It Fast," Juvenile's "Back That Thang Up," the clean version of Dre's "Next Episode," the clean version of Jay-Z's "Can I Get a ... " etc.

Yeah, I will always enjoy (prefer?) the Wu's 'swords slashing' sounds on the edited versions I heard first

Ambient music is the only worthwhile music

I'll put this here: Everyone Says I Love You, Woody Allen's musical comedy starring Edward Norton, Drew Barrymore, Alan Alda and Julia Roberts, is underrated

skip spence's "oar" -- over-romanticized obscurist sham

Totally agree with that one.

Yes, a few of us were just saying this on the dedicated Oar thread

Not so controversial after all!

Ambient music is the only worthwhile music

― groovemaaan, Thursday, September 27, 2018 3:55 PM (five days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

been feeling this a lot lately too lol

Lingua Ignota's All Bitches Die is an infinitely more moving and important feminist statement than anything Beyoncé has ever done.

the standard for controversy: “i don’t like beyoncé”

So it appears.

I'd be happy if it were no longer controversial.

I keep wanting to say something about preferring Destiny's Child but I'd need to actually listen to a solo Beyoncé album to form that opinion, at which point the mental terrorists would have already won.

"I Gotta Feeling" is a classic track that will still get people moving at parties thirty years from now with uncomplicated joy

(Controversial on ILX? Not sure. Came #12 in 2009 tracks poll but was loudly clowned in thread and nobody owned to voting for it)

OK well there was this

on the "obnoxious" pop song, i definitely find that songs that seem unbearable during their initial go-round sometimes strike me more favorably a year or two or five later -- when they've faded from ubiquity and i realize (usually reluctantly) that even while consciously hating them i was unconsciously absorbing them through massive exposure and now they light up my neural pathways even if i don't want them to. it almost seems like a biological response to me, but the net result is that i end up "liking" something that i used to "hate."

― hellzapoppa (tipsy mothra), Monday, February 1, 2010 11:50 PM (eight years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

(that may eventually prove true of "i gotta feeling," but it's too soon to say. i'm still in resistance mode.)

― hellzapoppa (tipsy mothra), Monday, February 1, 2010 11:51 PM (eight years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This thread (+ Sound on Sound) are getting me to listen to the Carters album anyway.

(Other future classics: Chainsmokers - "Closer", Imagine Dragons - "Thunder". I hate "I Gotta Feeling" but you're probably right about it.)

"I Gotta Feeling" is a classic track that will still get people moving at parties thirty years from now with uncomplicated joy

it's a wedding song now, so yes, you're absolutely right

don't think it's a particularly controversial stance though

I Gotta Feeling gets played on regular rotation at the commercial radio station I work for. Even on Monday mornings(!)

(Other future classics: Chainsmokers - "Closer", Imagine Dragons - "Thunder". I hate "I Gotta Feeling" but you're probably right about it.)

I also hate "I Gotta Feeling" but I'd take it over the other two in a heartbeat

i gotta feeling already has 'classic' status yeah and im way more sympathetic to it than i was when it came out, though its still not great

i could imagine closer having that sort of status in the future (ugh) but i really doubt imagine dragons will be strongly remembered

Ambient music is the only worthwhile music

― groovemaaan, Thursday, September 27, 2018 3:55 PM (five days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

been feeling this a lot lately too lol

― marcos, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 9:47 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Counterpoint: given the advances in recording technology, it is almost impossible to tell a classic 'ambient' piece by one of the greats from something a stoned guy does in an afternoon with a polysynth and some guitar pedals, and people who claim they can tell the difference are often lying

Lingua Ignota's All Bitches Die

This is indeed an amazing album and everyone should hear it

Well so maybe I should be clear that my controversial opinion isn't a grudging "I guess it's settled, this song is not going to be forgotten, people are going to like it forever" but rather "this song is a towering achievement that will stand the test of time because it's such an unimpeachable banger"

I also love Boom Boom Pow and Imma Bee.

Counterpoint: given the advances in recording technology, it is almost impossible to tell a classic 'ambient' piece by one of the greats from something a stoned guy does in an afternoon with a polysynth and some guitar pedals, and people who claim they can tell the difference are often lying

― Paul Ponzi, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 11:39 AM (fourteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

imo the difference doesn't matter. who gives a shit

This is indeed an amazing album and everyone should hear it

― jmm

everyone should also be smacked in the face with a rusty shovel

Thunder wont make the cut even 5 years from now, it’s not a good party song. I’ll up the bet, as someone living in latinamerica we have 10+ hour weddings over here and you can tell which english-spoken songs will be classics if they get played over here. If they make it out of the US/UK they have trascended language and will probably become classics. Small caveat: there needs to be a break from listening the song for a couple of years. Despacito and Shape of You made it all around the q

/Ambient music is the only worthwhile music

― groovemaaan, Thursday, September 27, 2018 3:55 PM (five days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

been feeling this a lot lately too lol

― marcos, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 9:47 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink/

Counterpoint: given the advances in recording technology, it is almost impossible to tell a classic 'ambient' piece by one of the greats from something a stoned guy does in an afternoon with a polysynth and some guitar pedals, and people who claim they can tell the difference are often lying

... all around the globe but noone wants to listen to them ever again in any type of party until 2025 probably

Counterpoint: given the advances in recording technology, it is almost impossible to tell a classic 'ambient' piece by one of the greats from something a stoned guy does in an afternoon with a polysynth and some guitar pedals, and people who claim they can tell the difference are often lying

― Paul Ponzi, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 8:39 AM (twenty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

counterpoint: who gives a shiiiiit

Songs can become well-remembered classics for reasons other than being good party/wedding songs.

Also, Moka, iirc you didn't think "More Than a Feeling" was as popular as the Outfield's "Your Love" so idk if I'm taking your bet.

All that said, I'm posting controversial opinions, not making thoughtfully considered predictions.

Blue
Hejira
The Hissing of Summer Lawns

if I go to hell, this is the soundtrack

In regards to the comments above, ambient (and noise) are definitely the "are you kidding me? my kid can do this!" of music

Yeah, ambient music is almost always worthless

^ This is not my point

It was mine! This is the thread for it after all

late period scott walker is utter wank (drift onwards)

Just clarifying since you said "yeah" after my post

xp

late period scott walker is utter wank (drift onwards)

― ritual showdown (Ross)

every period Scott Walker

yeah!

morelike Scott Wankyr!

In regards to the comments above, ambient (and noise) are definitely the "are you kidding me? my kid can do this!" of music

― Evan, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 12:12 PM (nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

and in most cases, the people saying that would be correct

imago really is our resident maximalist.