http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/arts/music/sturgill-simpson-grammy-nominations.html?_r=0
Adele, Beyoncé, Drake, Justin Bieber…Sturgill Simpson?
Bewilderment was the first reaction of many this morning as the Grammy Awards announced its nominees for Album of the Year, pitting four of the most culturally and commercially dominant pop stars of this era against Mr. Simpson, 38, a critically respected but little-known country outsider.
...Are those albums that you’ve listened to?
I loved ‘Lemonade.’ I thought it was genius. I love the Adele record. I really, really wish, honestly, and no [expletive] — I would’ve liked to see Frank Ocean’s name where mine is. But that’s not my place to say. I totally understand [his protest]. I just thought that record [‘Blonde’] was really groundbreaking. I listen to just about everything except country music, so it’s strange.
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 7 December 2016 19:02 (seven years ago) link
He's this year's Bon Iver or Beck maybe (surprise Grammy nominee for big award)
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 7 December 2016 19:04 (seven years ago) link
quote is pretty pandering afaic. It's like when someone gives you a birthday gift and you're all "you shouldn't have!" even though you know they're not gonna be all "oh, ok, give it back then." Just seems like a gross, hollow-ass gesture to me (and a bit social climb-y to boot).
I just thought that record [‘Blonde’] was really groundbreaking.
wtf does this even mean? I mean, outside of its context in the Spin Alternative Record Guide or some dumb shit
― Wimmels, Wednesday, 7 December 2016 22:03 (seven years ago) link
yeah i think the new album is gloppy dross too, no wonder it's getting more attention that the fine little should've-been-private-press psych-country gem that the previous one was
― blonde redheads have more fun (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 7 December 2016 22:06 (seven years ago) link
country outsider.
I wish I could summon the Nazgul to do away with whoever uses this dumb fucking appostive
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 December 2016 22:32 (seven years ago) link
what would you call him? retro rock country ? I'm not a fan either, and yeah his nomination, like last year's for Stapleton is some kind of rockist "real country authenticity" nonsense, but he's not a Nashville industry insider (whether or not that is bad or good)
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 8 December 2016 00:41 (seven years ago) link
Stapleton, like Jamey Johnson before him, is no 'country outsider' despite marketing to the contrary. Sturgill, to his credit, is by all accounts every bit the shit-kicking 'outlaw' he appears to be, whatever that's worth
and yeah, the "country outsider" nonsense appeals to the worst kind of rockist, and I enjoy reminding such people that Jamey Johnson is 1/3 responsible for "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"
― Wimmels, Thursday, 8 December 2016 02:10 (seven years ago) link
None of them get Luke Bryan level radio airplay or media coverage. Stapleton was a Nashville insider songwriter but his own stuff is more barband; Jamey Johnson also can write country pop; but goes in a different direction on his own. Sturgill covers Nirvana...
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 8 December 2016 14:53 (seven years ago) link
the whole narrative around him right now is weird considering that the album itself mostly has a soppy '70s MOR sound (not complaining, just observing)
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Thursday, 8 December 2016 15:00 (seven years ago) link
Stapleton was a Nashville insider songwriter but his own stuff is more barband
Generous. To me he sounds like Bob Seger (and not early, raucous Bob Seger, either)
― Wimmels, Thursday, 8 December 2016 15:27 (seven years ago) link
Ann Powers of NPR is calling Sturgill, Maren Morris, Rhiannon Giddens, Lori McKenna and Brandy Clark "third way" Nashville artists in a tweet
― curmudgeon, Friday, 9 December 2016 19:17 (seven years ago) link
Absolutely killed it on SNL. He was not like this at all when I saw him tour behind the last album. Watch the "Call to Arms" clip, it's like they all took whatever EC and the Attractions used to take to get them through the night.
http://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/watch-sturgill-simpsons-fiery-snl-debut-w461175
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 15 January 2017 23:02 (seven years ago) link
Country Singer Goes on SNL, Exposes* Afghan Heroin Trade and No One Even Noticed
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/sturgill-snl-military-war-heroin/
*clickbait-y but still...
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, 19 January 2017 22:22 (seven years ago) link
lol man his bass player is classic-fat-bass-player material, right down to that neck-snapping thing
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 19 January 2017 22:31 (seven years ago) link
Country Rock? More like Country Woke, amirite?
― "I must believe that my charm was not in my ass." (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 19 January 2017 22:37 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, fat guy with the bass butting against his double chin, the best.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 19 January 2017 23:03 (seven years ago) link
I never got around to listening to this new one based on all the reviews and the Nirvana cover (which I didn't like). I still have hope for this dude though.
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 19 January 2017 23:07 (seven years ago) link
lol this is me exactly
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Friday, 20 January 2017 07:27 (seven years ago) link
i didn't like the Nirvana cover either, and i'm not sure i like the new one *quite* as much as the previous one, but it is impressive and ambitious and well-crafted, imo.
i think you can stop having hope for him, he's gonna be ok.
― alpine static, Friday, 20 January 2017 09:17 (seven years ago) link
I meant hope in the sense that I have hope he will make some more music I want to listen to
― Οὖτις, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:23 (seven years ago) link
I watched the SNL performance thinking that maybe a live performance would clarify why ppl find this dude appealing. I came away from it desperately wanting a Yarl translator and still wondering why this dude over any other random country person.
― (The caption: “fine dining.”) (DJP), Friday, 20 January 2017 21:30 (seven years ago) link
i liked the new one a lot btw esp shakey i think you would dig a bunch of it
― Mordy, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:31 (seven years ago) link
i don't hate 'in bloom' but it's not among the best stuff on the album fwiw
― Mordy, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:32 (seven years ago) link
why this dude over any other random country perso
better songs, unusual POV
― Οὖτις, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:35 (seven years ago) link
he's not better than a lot of the recent crop of female country artists but he's probably a lot better than a lot of the dudes.
― nomar, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:36 (seven years ago) link
I couldn't tell you anything about the POV of either of the songs he did on SNL because it literally did not sound to me like he was singing in English. It was like watching an angry male Ariana Grande.
― (The caption: “fine dining.”) (DJP), Friday, 20 January 2017 21:38 (seven years ago) link
^^^this
― Οὖτις, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:44 (seven years ago) link
I couldn't tell you anything about the POV of either of the songs he did on SNL because it literally did not sound to me like he was singing in English.
you realize this is how old white guys complain about rap right
Angry male Ariana Grande sounds pretty cool to me. She's the newest character in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, I'll hope for Sturgill Simpson next.
― Frederik B, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:47 (seven years ago) link
i don't think of him as angry really at all. he just has a lot of intense feels.
― Mordy, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:50 (seven years ago) link
You realize this is the definition of a false equivalence, right
― (The caption: “fine dining.”) (DJP), Friday, 20 January 2017 21:52 (seven years ago) link
how so
― Οὖτις, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:53 (seven years ago) link
also idk how much you guys listen to country radio but i listen to it every so often bc my brother has it on in his car and his stuff sounds like nothing on it totally different sound. agreed that some of the women who get radio play are often doing equally distinctive stuff but even there like miranda lambert gets radio play i can't imagine "Brave for Impact (Live a Little)" getting play on XTU
― Mordy, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:53 (seven years ago) link
"you can't criticize a singer's diction because sometimes people are racist" isn't a position that actually makes any sense
― (The caption: “fine dining.”) (DJP), Friday, 20 January 2017 21:53 (seven years ago) link
I'm not talking about ppl who dismiss rap as not being "actual music" or because they're racist or whatever. I am talking specifically about the phenomenon of not being able to understand the diction/slang/vocal delivery of a subculture you may not be directly familiar with, and using that as critical grounds for dismissal. Sometimes understanding stuff takes work. There's plenty of times I've encountered artists where I could not understand a damn thing they were saying until I really paid attention or looked it up or had someone else point things out etc. I get it that you don't like his vocal delivery and that's fair, but saying you can't understand his POV cuz you can't understand what he's saying - which is about *content*, not delivery - that's on you.
― Οὖτις, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:59 (seven years ago) link
slippery slope from criticizing diction to musical theater
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Friday, 20 January 2017 22:00 (seven years ago) link
or GLEE
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Friday, 20 January 2017 22:01 (seven years ago) link
I'm not talking about ppl who dismiss rap as not being "actual music" or because they're racist or whatever. I am talking specifically about the phenomenon of not being able to understand the diction/slang/vocal delivery of a subculture you may not be directly familiar with, and using that as critical grounds for dismissal.
No you aren't, otherwise your qualifier wouldn't have been "old white guys", it would have been "people not down with current slang" which does actually include a fair number of people who are not old white men. If you're going to shorthand an argument, you should be pretty confident that your shorthand matches the point you want to make.
― (The caption: “fine dining.”) (DJP), Friday, 20 January 2017 22:05 (seven years ago) link
Furthermore, nowhere did I say "dude is a bad singer"; I said "I couldn't understand a word this dude said on SNL". It is not actually incumbent upon me to watch the SNL performance multiple times with a lyric sheet before I decide whether this music sounds like something I would want to spend my time on.
― (The caption: “fine dining.”) (DJP), Friday, 20 January 2017 22:07 (seven years ago) link
you're right I did substitute "old white guys" for "people not down with current slang" and I guess that muddied the waters when really my point was just about dealing with a singing style that draws on a different dialect(?) than the one you're used to. I suppose a more value-neutral (or at least non-racially loaded) example would be British stuff that's heavy on slang/local idioms/accents (the Fall? Dizzee Rascal? idk) that might take a little bit of work for an American listener to understand what's going on.
― Οὖτις, Friday, 20 January 2017 22:28 (seven years ago) link
anyway take my word for it this dude doesn't sing in the usual way about the usual things current country dudes sing about
― Οὖτις, Friday, 20 January 2017 22:29 (seven years ago) link
the fall is a great country band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A91ANoS-_7g
― blonde redheads have more fun (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 20 January 2017 22:35 (seven years ago) link
excruciating pedantry on this thread
― Wimmels, Friday, 20 January 2017 23:04 (seven years ago) link
that's why I listen to Miranda Lambert
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 21 January 2017 00:08 (seven years ago) link
I like her too! it's not an either/or thing.
― Οὖτις, Saturday, 21 January 2017 00:10 (seven years ago) link
I'd no idea -- I thought you didn't care for her.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 21 January 2017 00:11 (seven years ago) link
it's true I can count the modern country acts I enjoy on one hand - Simpson, Lambert, Musgraves, Lee Ann Womack - all of which I learned about from ILM
― Οὖτις, Saturday, 21 January 2017 00:17 (seven years ago) link
― Mordy, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:31 (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Mordy, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:32 (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Agree with Mordy. And as a dad who occasionally had to travel for work the opening song never ceases to choke me up. Eep the bit where he sings "That the answer was so easy" - gah, waterworks.
― Dysphagia Nutrition Solutions (stevie), Monday, 23 January 2017 13:51 (seven years ago) link
yes otm; that song is fantastic.
― Mordy, Monday, 23 January 2017 15:14 (seven years ago) link
Laur Joamets has (or is soon) leaving the band. Cuts my interest in Sturgill records by at least half.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Sunday, 5 March 2017 23:44 (seven years ago) link