Bands you keep trying to like but can't get into

"You either love them or hate them" is rarely true about anyone tbh.

True.

I can't personally rep for much pre-Red (though I like a few songs). If that is all someone has listened to, I would say – jump forward to Red.

(Also, you can probably pick out a "bad" lyric or two for any prolific artist!)

I don't care for the musical style after that point, though. And, although the line I quoted - which is not from an obscurity or minor song - is especially glaring, I think some of the problems I see with it (an inability to stick with and develop a metaphor coherently, a reliance on clichéd images and turns of phrase) can be found in her other lyrics, which I'd overlook if there were more going on musically. I don't doubt that she is probably at the top of her genre, if defined narrowly. If we expand it to something like "popular folk/country-influenced singer-songwriters of the past 50 years", I might quibble.

The International anthem label, and everyone on it, except Junius Paul but really don't get the appeal of Jamie Branch.

*some of her other lyrics
xp

Yeah, I've definitely critiqued her lyrics myself in the past.

For me, though, it is exactly what is "going on musically" (melodies, production) that makes the lyrics not bug me to much, even when they're clunky. They certainly don't ruin it for me, anyway.

If we expand it to something like "popular folk/country-influenced singer-songwriters of the past 50 years", I might quibble.

And, yes, I did mean she is on the top tier of artists in that vein who are active/working today (particularly on the poppier side of the spectrum).

I was pretty ambivalent about Sing to God. The songs are impressive, but most are so hard to get my head around. A couple of them clicked. I don't think that translates to "just okay", but I don't love nor hate the band either. At some point I'll give them another go, I feel like they are a band I could love

The Frogs

Yeah, I mean there is a Swift song or two that I enjoy, but then the lyrics give me the heebie-jeebies. I also just don't understand how she can be construed as 'pop country' at this juncture. She's pop.

iirc she's 'alternative' now

gotta say her lyrics have never struck me as anything other than an offputting combination of basic, cynical and arch, no matter how (sometimes) decent the music is

Although I picked on one of her earlier country lyrics, I think I actually like the pop lyrics less, from what I know of them. They started to get this weird narcissistic quality.

much as i love a bit of Cardiacs, I get the sensation that they skirt dangerously close to that festival-ska vibe that proliferates around the UK

...i mean, that's not their fault because their music was established way before that vibe, but there's a correlation

Some of their early stuff pretty much is straight-up ska, but later they moved away from that sound. They were never embarrassing ska lol

I don't know what festival ska is but it doesn't sound like it fits the Cardiacs!

I'm going by 'In A City Lining' (which i do love) most of all

Cardiacs were around the free festival circuit in the early 80s. They have a song with a ska section in 11/8 LOL, which sounds like a gag but it's great.

I think I heard some festival ska once when I blogged a ride to a festival from some (extremely nice) young people on Facebook.

* blagged

They have a song with a ska section in 11/8

*gulp*

A Wooden Fish On Wheels is another great pure-ska one (with unusual timings, yes)

Vocally very reminisicent of the Homosexuals.

L Voag had that great (if thoroughly wacky) stint as a Resonance FM showrunner didn't he

i live in Bristol so my sensitivity and aversion towards festival ska is acute

Tool

i think it's okay to stop trying with them. their current fanbase hypes them enough to make up for the rest of us.

The riff on “pneuma” is sick as hell

I KNOW THE PIECES FIT
I KNOW THE PIECES FIT
I KNOW THE PIECES FIT

^ me in 2001, trying to convince myself Lateralus is this century's first masterpiece.

I've since tuned out 95% of critical and/or stan discourse about Tool and have come to realize that they're a good band, no more and no less.

Aenima was quite good fun at the time. Lateralus was so dry and humourless though

new one is great (but also dry and humorless)

Tool is the dumbest band I like

i have a much deeper bench for that category lol - Tool is prob the smartest of the dumb bands that I like?

CSNY should be right up my alley yet I'm always confused when listening to them. Couple-a songs I absolutely love, Teach, Almost Cut My Hair, Helplessly Hoping but that's about it.

Tool are kind of purposefully dumb.

rizzx since I’ve seen you posting on dead threads: maybe Crosby can be your way into csn? What do you think of the PERRO tapes, or even Crosby / Crosby-Nash albums?

Tool aren’t dumb per se, they’re just nowhere near as smart as they ostensibly believe themselves to be.

I could never make out their lyrics. I love Aenima.

you know I might just be starting to get into Rush....

Euler - haven't really heard those albums yet but will give them a try!

I liked Aenima back in the day, mostly because it showed a dark sense of humour and stylistic leanings towards things like Ministry's Psalm 69. Lateralus just came across like an extremely po-faced nu-metal album with time signature switches and songs that went on for a hundred years

Tool records sound great but I never wanna listen to them

I find myself going back to Undertow quite often. The production is so damn good.

The opening riff on “pneuma” is so so awesome

(off the new one)

Here's a triad of acclaimed 2010 electronic acts who fit this:

Actress, Oneohtrix Point Never, Flying Lotus.

I like at least one thing by each, but more often than not I'm left wondering whether I'm missing something, or if that's all there is. What I've heard of each act sounds a bit random (no in a good way), collagey, free-form, but with a throughline that evades me. I quite liked Oneohtrix's forays into nu-metal as a concept, but other projects just sound like a bunch of half-ideas stitched together.

Actress has done some really hypnotic stuff like 'Bubble' from Splazsh, but otherwise I'm often left wondering whether he's managed to achieve the idea that was in his head, or if it's more some aimless experimental journey; throwing notes and beats down at random and then seeing what sticks.

Flying Lotus I admit I've only heard the first album, but just wasn't sure what to make of it either. I should go back to that one, maybe listen to some of his other stuff, but it was a hot mess as far as I could make out

I remember seeing Oneohtrix Point Never doing a set at the Union Chapel and for a straight 25 mins it sounded identical to someone flipping through the presets on an analog synth. Idk if it was some sort of improv thing or away from his usual performances but I thought I was dreaming, it was so terrible.

I saw him twice in the same year as Ford & Lopatin, and both times it was underwhelming synth washes and burbles for, as you say, under 30 minutes.

Tbh, I didn't really "get" OPN until this review of Garden of Delete from our very own DD....

https://www.talkhouse.com/drew-daniel-matmos-talks-oneohtrix-point-nevers-garden-of-delete/

Then, the more I listened, the more I was entranced.

Though I will admit to not really getting the Flying Lotus and Actress hype!

I like OPN but yeah he's exactly the sort of artist I'd expect to appear in this thread a bunch