Defend the Indefensible: James Blunt

Did he say "who don't like my music" twice because he came in too early for his backing track?

the pussy bank, that is.

you can saee them now can't you - staring moodily into their coffee in the mountain fastnesses of Kosovo, haunted, not by what they did during the war, but by what they didn't do........ as 'you're beautiful' comes on the radio.......again

"We will license these records, in movies, TV and commercials...Trust me, you will hear these records."

Good thing President Bush doesn't negotiate with terrorists who make threats like this. A black helicopter is hopefully on its way to Warner Music Group right now.

so awful.

I quite liked his version of Young Folks.

I don't hate the recent single. Quite like it, even.

Oh, I do hate that because it's tarnished my year of birth forever.

i haven't heard his new stuff. wake me up when it disappears.

Looking forward to that 18-month coma then?

i'm slightly scared that i don't find 1973 utterly execrable. i'm either over the hill or he's actually got better.

i kind of feel that gwen, justin, and xtina all undershot last year and maybe mankind will luck out and blunt will also fade sooner than anticipated.

rockismgonemad.com

There are a huge number of acts that annoy me more, and I don't understand the outright hatred.

That being said, I'm pretty indifferent towards the entire guy, and there are numerous musically similar acts that would have deserved his success way more.

Man, if even Geir isn't going to defend the guy....

...then it means ILM has a consensus.

That's fucking dead set frightening.

The weird thing about that NYT article is that they talk to Linda Perry about how he had a huge song that everyone hated without even bringing up that she wrote fucking "What's Up."

Charlie's right that "1973" is unsettlingly OK.

Someone who knows about these things told me recently that he doesn't even write his own material, which surprised me. But then, given that Blunt probably wasn't even born in 1973, that kind of makes sense.

"You're Beautiful" is definitely this decade's "What's Up" though, ie the worst song of their respective decade.

Are there people who now champion 70s soft-rock who wanna argue that this kinda stuff in its 70s incarnation was good but Blunt is bad? Just curious

Are you arguing that there were no 70s soft-rock acts that were substantially better than James Blunt?

Did the question mark at the end of my sentence fail in its mission?

I dunno, it just seemed like an odd rhetorical stance to make unless that was your implication. Aren't there obviously tons of people who would make the argument your asking for? Were you trying to get a show of hands?

James Blunt is not Mondeo Pop. No way.

Alex get a cup of coffee or a something, it's a question

if I'd known I was writing for professorial scrutiny instead of asking a question on a fuckin message board though maybe I'd've been extra careful about the "rhetorical stance" I'm taking by wondering something out loud

I think the issue is clearly that I've already had a cup of coffee.

I remember some interview (Linda Perry?) where she says something about "ah, he'd pretty much finished it" about her contribution.

So, why was her contribution necessary? It's not like it's a wonderful song afterwards either.

Is he still 'not completely writing songs' now?

there was another songwriter employed on 'you're beautiful'. suzy knew her.

this suzy knows a lot of lame people huh

I utterly detested 'You're Beautiful' but, nevertheless, I do think James Blunt has talent. The only other song of his I know * is 'Wisemen'. Although it has that multi-writer, corporate pop/rock stamp to the arrangement and production, I think it's a great song (especially for some evocative, unexpected chord progressions - from the verse, into and through the chorus). It's spoiled by an acoustic guitar solo that doesn't end on the right note (and which also feeds into the wrong section - ie the chorus - lacking a feeling of chordal twist at that point); also suffers from slightly annoying Natalie Imbruglia/'Torn'-style, 'hip hop-influenced sessionman' drumming. But, still, a lovely song.

* actually, reading the favourable comments above about '1973' I had a listen to that as well, just now, but I didn't like it.

I can actually see where you're coming from re: 'Wisemen'; some of the chord progressions are nice, even if the vocal delivery/instrumentation/concept are utterly repellent.

When you say 'the concept' do you mean the lyrics? I haven't actually sat down and tried to work out what they mean. Maybe I'm scared that if I did I'd end up hating the song. There's a reference to someone living 'in a semi by the sea' (which sounds a bit dodgy * but just reminds me of 'The Sea' by Morcheeba, a reference compounded by the bleepy mid-90s keyboard twiddles in the background of the chorus).

* there being nothing wrong in living in a semi by the sea, in my opinion.

The concept = the cynical AOR marketing, and all the baggage that comes with it. I know you should judge music purely by its sound, but I can't help but hate what Blunt stands for.

I know think you should judge music purely by its sound

Sorry, I need to be more scrupulous sometimes!

also suffers from slightly annoying Natalie Imbruglia/'Torn'-style, 'hip hop-influenced sessionman' drumming.

hi geir

Wrong (not geir).

I've nothing against actual hip hop. I just have never liked that corporate session drummer style that is vaguely shuffley and 'hip hop influenced', but somehow too tasteful and technical sounding (especially when the actual drums have that nasty, hard, grainy, ambient-mic-ed 'live' sound very common today and over the last ten years or so).

"You're Beautiful" is definitely this decade's "What's Up" though, ie the worst song of their respective decade.

That'd be "The Ketchup Song" and "Macarena".

I actually think this hip-hop/electronica kind of effects added to otherwise AOR style music is often great. Has worked well for Dido and Lene Marlin among others. But obviously not for James Blunt.

About.com sez:

Just because an artist is not particularly cool doesn't mean their music is unpleasant or even of poor quality. James Blunt's music is of very high quality, but it's those Bee Gees flashbacks his voice inspires that place him on the uncool list. It's possible that songs like the current mega-hit "You're Beautiful" will endure as treasured pop classics, but it's also possible it will eventually elicit the same snickers as Barry Gibb's wailing falsetto on "Tragedy." While he is comfortably selling millions of CDs to his fans, there are millions more that liken Blunt's high pitched voice to fingernails on a chalkboard.

Antony is actually mancute when he has a wig on, but in his chemo Studio 54 get-up he's nothing to write home about.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 30 June 2005 12:29 (3 years ago) Bookmark

remember him this way