Every band that blows up is an anomaly, is the thing
― castanuts (DJP), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 22:06 (two years ago) link
Some that do have a pretty big head start, though
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 2 March 2022 22:14 (two years ago) link
pretendstobeshocked.gif
Absolutely predictable that it is yet another female act that is going through "manufactured buzz" wringer. Did I just miss all the dozens of handwringing posts about how Yard Act suddenly appeared everywhere? (Well aware they've been referenced itt, but they are getting nowhere near the amount of shit that Wet Leg has gotten.)
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 22:18 (two years ago) link
The Isle of Wight propaganda machine can't be defeated.
― papal hotwife (milo z), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 22:21 (two years ago) link
Wight privilege
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:07 (two years ago) link
more like isle of white, roasted
― roflrofl fight (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:08 (two years ago) link
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 22:18 (fifty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
lol, you should see my response in the Yard Act thread, at least Wet Leg aren't...that
― imago, Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:11 (two years ago) link
haha will say imago's hands are clean wrt yard act
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:12 (two years ago) link
lol, I didn't find it quite as eloquent as imago's skewering of BC, NR but still nice
I only brought them up as an example of a UK act that appeared seemingly out of nowhere with a huge label push.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:14 (two years ago) link
They get a lot of attention cause their first single was catchy and funny with an amusing video c’mon this ain’t difficult people.
― Johnny Mathis der Maler (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:28 (two years ago) link
exactly
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:30 (two years ago) link
right. lol. like... a lot of talk about marketing wizardry and not so much talk about the fact their debut single is pretty killer. and i don't love the band but just like, objectively speaking... and i think ppl who have strong negative reactions should understand that a song able to provoke those kinds of reactions means there's ppl who feel as passionately in the opposite direction, and that's how you make pop magic baby
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:31 (two years ago) link
WHY IS THIS SONG MMMBOP EVERYWHERE WHAT MARKETING SKULDUGGERY IS AT WORK WHO GOT PAID OFF
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:38 (two years ago) link
I think it's a valid question with most pop music, actually.
― The sensual shock (Sund4r), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:58 (two years ago) link
Does ILM voting their debut single as the #1 song of 2021 count as a lot of people talking about how, um, killer it is?
― The sensual shock (Sund4r), Wednesday, 2 March 2022 23:59 (two years ago) link
well in this thread, no
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 3 March 2022 00:25 (two years ago) link
Although if fixing the ILM poll was in the sights of a marketing team it could hardly be easier.
― feed me with your clicks (Noel Emits), Thursday, 3 March 2022 00:33 (two years ago) link
I don't see ILM tripping over itself to cover UK indie otherwise. There's that thread that lumps all the post-punk bands du jour together but I'm not seeing much chatter beyond that?
― boxedjoy, Thursday, 3 March 2022 00:41 (two years ago) link
all of the criticisms here boil down to "I don't like this, therefore the people who do must have been tricked or fooled somehow"
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Thursday, 3 March 2022 00:44 (two years ago) link
Imago has said a lot about the music! I just don't think "I went to school and I got the big D" is the height of wit and the music seems kind of basic otherwise. I probably wouldn't care if it hadn't made #1 on the 2021 poll but I've no doubt that the people who like it actually like it.
― The sensual shock (Sund4r), Thursday, 3 March 2022 01:11 (two years ago) link
completely missing the point that "basic indie" (the gist of his critique iirc) has no bearing whatsoever on the quality of the finished product, like it's a fucking pop song what the fuck do you expect
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Thursday, 3 March 2022 01:19 (two years ago) link
also I counter your lyric argument with "Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?" which is a perfect pop song non-sequitur IMHO
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Thursday, 3 March 2022 01:21 (two years ago) link
specifically to address imago, I am really fucking sick of you valorizing complexity and "innovation" as being somehow essential to legit enjoyment
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Thursday, 3 March 2022 01:22 (two years ago) link
sometimes you just wanna listen to the fucking Beach Boys, ya know?
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Thursday, 3 March 2022 01:23 (two years ago) link
Tunes, energy, interesting words 3xp the Beach Boys have all three (and were pretty complex and innovative!)
― The sensual shock (Sund4r), Thursday, 3 March 2022 01:25 (two years ago) link
OK fine, sub in the greatest bubblegum hits
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Thursday, 3 March 2022 01:26 (two years ago) link
this is unimpeachable:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4pArjPVA-8
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Thursday, 3 March 2022 01:27 (two years ago) link
rank Wet Leg, Beach Boys, and Jute Gyte
― Bixby in a Samsung I know it's Siri-esque (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 3 March 2022 02:45 (two years ago) link
and the flaming lips
Assigning values on a scale from Gifter to Grifter
― Bixby in a Samsung I know it's Siri-esque (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 3 March 2022 02:47 (two years ago) link
Beach BoysJute GyteVanity FareFlaming LipsGriftersWet Leg
― The sensual shock (Sund4r), Thursday, 3 March 2022 03:20 (two years ago) link
That is an unfair characterisation, sleeve! How's about I play a card to the table and show the sort of UK indie I value, noteworthy not for its complexity but its melodic generosity, sense of structure to the songwriting and emotional intensity. I choose Trust Fund for this as they've just today put out a new single for the first time in four years, but as a solo concern - here's their full-band swansong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXYXc2EAbs0
I just don't think Wet Leg do much more than cutesy cheek and SEO My First Hooks, and they're already getting insane hype (lol be quiet sic) and winning ILM EOY polls on the first try. I don't hate them but something feels skewed; I do feel somewhat gaslit by it all. The new song is probably their best so far as they're throwing saxes and heavy guitars into the mix but it's all still pressing very familiar buttons; it isn't the simplicity I dislike (I'm a Fall fan ffs!) but the pat familiarity, the sense that I can see exactly where the cogs are
― imago, Thursday, 3 March 2022 10:11 (two years ago) link
*throwing saxes and heavy guitars into the mix, achieving some sense of textural contrast at least, NOT COMPLEXITY, lol
― imago, Thursday, 3 March 2022 10:12 (two years ago) link
“seeing where the cogs are” see i like this. it’s kind of a disco edit approach to guitar music and i’m into it.
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 3 March 2022 10:32 (two years ago) link
Well, if we're limiting it to UK indie that's
- female-fronted- cheeky- ridiculously simple- recent- catchy- cog-evident
...then here's something that does all that without sounding like it was run past a test audience of middle-aged poptimists first
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPRX3i1aOF8
it's about having character, dear folks
― imago, Thursday, 3 March 2022 10:52 (two years ago) link
oh we definitely have a character on our hands
― Bixby in a Samsung I know it's Siri-esque (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 3 March 2022 11:14 (two years ago) link
that’s a great videoimago you’re a middle aged poptimist surely. so you’re saying you want something that sounds like… you wouldn’t like it? not really following you the subtext of all this criticism - too marketed, too on-the-nose, is that wet leg’s success (such as it is) is unearned. that they’ve had a “head start”. they’ve had unfair advantages. but what these advantages are seems hard to pin down. they have a label that has been successful at plugging their songs. that’s what labels are set up to do. that is their whole job! imago you’re saying they’re not formally adventurous enough for your tastes, that they sound “focus grouped”. ok. i mean rock music really doesn’t need to be formally adventurous to be good but whatever. like why all the agonizing?? honestly very weird to me
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 3 March 2022 11:15 (two years ago) link
we don't need to pit women against other women
― boxedjoy, Thursday, 3 March 2022 11:16 (two years ago) link
otm ^
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 3 March 2022 11:18 (two years ago) link
I did just turn 35 tbf. Game overrrr
I dunno, I've given two examples of songs I love from the UK indie/pop milieu that aren't formally adventurous at all, but which have a little bit of compositional spice, emotional heft or whatnot - songs which, to my ears, have an interesting POV. And yeah, my main beef with Wet Leg is the jet propulsion they're getting from all corners - which, combined with their highly polished sound and banal cool-kids vibe, feels like yet another victory for ennui
― imago, Thursday, 3 March 2022 11:23 (two years ago) link
Re:Trust Fund, if it makes you feel better, "Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab for Cutie has 80 million more spotify plays than "Chaise Longue"
― Bixby in a Samsung I know it's Siri-esque (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 3 March 2022 11:38 (two years ago) link
yeah but what about youtube and tiktok :p
― imago, Thursday, 3 March 2022 11:55 (two years ago) link
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, March 2, 2022 11:31 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink
I have a hard time understanding why they even warrant such strong reactions either way. It's really only the aggressive sales push and the phoney-baloney self-mythologising I find irritating, the actual music's just kind of there to me, not exactly offensive but not particularly great. Middling indie.
I've said all I want to say about them anyway and frankly the WL Stans on here scare me a bit so I'm bailing out of this one.
The last thing I'll mention is WL putting a song called "Angelica" brought to mind this one from 1997 which think sounds like a kind-of proto Wet Leg in an odd way (although none of their other stuff did apart from this).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16indpzGa9U
― "Spaghetti" Thompson (Pheeel), Thursday, 3 March 2022 12:06 (two years ago) link
the WL Stans on here scare me a bit
name names
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 3 March 2022 12:26 (two years ago) link
and if you're including me, i mean... i never really think about this band ever except when this thread gets bumped tbh
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 3 March 2022 12:27 (two years ago) link
wet leg stan is my new blues name
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Thursday, 3 March 2022 12:39 (two years ago) link
NickB i feel like you're pushing your new blues persona at me and frankly it smells like payola
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 3 March 2022 12:53 (two years ago) link
just to be clear I haven't accused anyone of payola, Twitter bots or any sort of popularity fixing, the reasons for their ascent are at least partly encoded into the music/presentation (I repeat: banal cool-kids vibe), but this sucks and here's why etc
― imago, Thursday, 3 March 2022 12:59 (two years ago) link
xp your loss tracer but for those who care, new album is out next month, gonna be called 'why the longue chaise?'
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Thursday, 3 March 2022 13:01 (two years ago) link
You're on fire today, nick.
― Resident Papist (Tom D.), Thursday, 3 March 2022 13:05 (two years ago) link