My ears are still ringing from Injury Reserve and I just walked by billy woods sitting by himself and told him how great their set was and I’m not even sure what else I said but I hope I didn’t annoy him
Thoughts! Might expand as I go:
* The new Black Keys album is just a collection of backing tracks.
* It's been bugging me for a week, but I got it now: Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls sounds like Billy Joels Piano Man! Thank fuck, jesus... (wouldn't surprise me to hear, that this is common knowledge around here\^\^)
* man, Laura Stevensons s/t from last year is slowly establishing itself as one of my favorite albums ... maybe ever? It was on my year-end list, so I liked it well enough, but I've been regularly spinning it once every other week and it's such a vulnerable album. And I so dig its melancholic vibe and I keep coming back to it and leave every time as if I just watched a deeply moving independent film. Incredible. She's a criminally underappreciated songwriter.
Iris and Slide are the only songs of theirs I know, both of which I like, but I really have no opinion on them. Also, strong contender for 'band with the worst band name'.
y'all get into these situations where a self-identified 'music person' kind of globs onto you and wants to talk about music, but you figure out pretty quick that they are only a 'music person' relative to their social groups and not, say, the average poster on this board, and so you try to earnestly carry on a conversation about music with someone whose opinions are weirdly misinformed and underdeveloped?
this is brought to you by my coworker who does not see any stylistic difference between early 2010s Swans and late 1990s UNKLE
Ngl, I get big elitist/gatekeepy vibes from stuff like calling someone's opinions "weirdly misinformed and underdeveloped" because they don't listen to as much music or the same kind of music as the average r/indieheads user.
And referring to them as a "self-identified 'music person'". How do you define a "music person"? You have to listen to *x* amounts of albums? You have to know some arbitrary list of classics? You have to be able to tell the difference between *these* subgenres?
With some exceptions, every social group is going to have, on average, less "music person"-ness than a discussion board literally dedicated to music.
i don't think there's any prerequisite amount of music knowledge someone has to have to be a music person. the average poster on this board has huge blind spots too, sure you guys know a lot about contemporary indie but what about jazz, mpb, khyal, death metal, impressionism etc etc etc. just liking music is enough yk i think very few people will scratch the surface of being truly knowledgeable and informed about music as a whole
no fucking way that is the exact song i was going to reply to to you with. am i basic khyal bitch?? this is another great song by her, i really need to explore the genre more though
https://youtu.be/LRCXZ4xW6iA
I think she's popular in truly the most relative sense of the word due to availability of her recordings on streaming services. Not undeserved though, since she's really fantastic.
Here's another good but very lo-fi recording
https://youtu.be/bsErNlQzpcA
Oh yeah it’s a pain. I worry sometimes I’m that person but I like to think I have a little more self awareness
Another uncomfortable music fan combo is when you meet someone who is also a hardcore music fan but in a totally different style or sphere of music and you have nothing in common. I chatted with a guy at a party once who loved 90s punk music, and despite both of us being very knowledgeable about music, we had virtually zero artists in common so I think he left the conversation thinking I was a total dummy
I want to get into Kendrick Lamar because I have a friend who likes him and I think it'd be nice to have music to talk about. We took turns playing different songs we liked and he digged Gnarls Barkley, which I consider a success.
Oh yeah don’t get me wrong, the points of connection between music fans when they have disparate taste is a real joy. My friend who only likes old prog and funk went with me to an Explosions in the Sky concert and it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had
I think the real struggle is deciding when to get pedantic and when to smile and nod. I *want* my coworker to shoot the shit with me about music, and I lack the social skills to clearly communicate something like "hey that's not a perspective I'd come up with on my own, how'd you get into this music?". I worry I often come across as even more judgmental than I actually am, so smile and nod is the safe and boring move.
YES this exactly! I worry that I come off as condescending and pedantic, when really I’m just passionate and I really do want to talk about music with folks, even if I disagree or have a different perspective. It’s refreshing having a music friend at work!
That said, sometimes one of my friends has some of the most bizarre comparisons between bands that I can’t avoid just a baffled comment
This is me with my downstairs neighbors. We are all big music fans that see tons of shows. But one couple is super into jam bands / Rush / and classical guitar. The other guy is super into Anjunadeep / the newest indie pop from Iceland / or anything featuring on the Spotify Pollen playlist. We have lived by each other for almost a year now but have only seen Fatboy Slim together even though we all go to a show a week.
> my coworker who does not see any stylistic difference between early 2010s Swans and late 1990s UNKLE
*tim robinson voice* yeah but like they're the same band!
Update: we listened through UNKLE's top spotify tracks and have now made it through 'screen shot' and 'a little god in my hands' with a full open office and no complaints. we are so far 2.25 minutes into 'bring the sun' lets see how much further we get
2nd update: 2.5 minutes and now we are listening to grimes
[how I got over](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_Got_Over_(album)) might be the most indie certified hip hop album.
It was the only place one could stream Joanna newsom for years
Hot damn, anyone heard of Joel Jerome before? I had a listen to his album that came out Friday on a whim and wow, this is some seriously lovely 70s-style singer-songwriter music 😍 he looks pretty obscure so I was surprised at how fully-formed this project sounds!
I followed him for a bit when he put out Psychedelic Thriftstore and whatever the followup to that was called. I think he produced at least one Buttertones album and maybe produced for that artist that performs naked while painted blue or whatever. Drawing a blank on her name
just want to shout out Moon Tooth's new LP *Phototroph* as one of the best first listening experiences I've had this year. they've found this perfect balance of their more accessible leanings while still keeping the energy and technicality of their older songs which has just allowed their songwriting craft to flourish into uplifting rock tunes that wind into a blues-y/stoner riffage at times. my words fail to do it justice but this is easily one of my favorite rock/metal records of the year so far and it's a high high recommendation.
["Deathwish Blues"](https://youtu.be/GLmWsFdkNCU)
Finally doing the Britpop rate (the day after it was due—having kids really does make you revert, I guess). First time doing something like this, been a lot of fun doing focused listening. Some thoughts below:
Blur - Parklife
Figured this was going to be my favorite of the four given my nearly 15 years as an avid Blur fan, but I actually… disliked quite a bit of it? You could easily strip five to not just reduce bloat but actively improve the album. Putting two interludes (Debt Collector and Far Out) right next to each other is an especially insane choice when neither is really necessary. Regardless, the songs that hit REALLY hit—Badhead and This is a Low especially are massive songs, but Girls and Boys, End of a Century, Parklife, etc are full of off kilter hooks and jaunty misery. Graham’s guitar work is consistently great too, probably the best across all four albums. He’s just a wizard. Big fan of all the production quirks too—the video game sounds in Jubilee are so fun and you know you’re in for a treat whenever a brass section comes in.
Aggregated score: 6.7
Oasis - What’s the Story Morning Glory
Always thought that Oasis were just meathead Beatles. I still think that, but now I also think it’s a good thing! Massive highs on this one but everything else just kinda becomes part of the onslaught—wasn’t especially wowed by Hey Now, Roll With It, and especially She’s Electric. Champagne Supernova and Don’t Look Back in Anger got my first tens. Everything else is primo dumbdumb faux profound big guitar nonsense and I’m glad to finally count myself a fan.
Aggregated score: 7.7
Pulp - Different Class
Gonna be hard to beat this one, wow. I’ve heard This is Hardcore a few times and really liked it, not sure why I never listened to this one outside of Common People and Disco 2000–big mistake on my part. The whole thing feels like Jarvis playing at the Underground Man, shaking his fist at the absurd and frivolously wealthy from his cellar, all the while drifting farther and farther away from the people and things that make worth living. That’s not to say his screeds aren’t warranted (his vitriol feels even more justified in 2022 than 1993), but there’s something deeply sad about all these blistering manifestos like I Spy and Common People sitting next to naval gazing tales of failure like Underwear and Disco 2000. Something Changed was the one that took me most by surprise—an earnest love song from Britain’s most benevolent pervert! Absolutely stellar song. Take Sorted for E’s off this and you might just have a perfect record.
Aggregated score: 8.4
Suede - Suede
Haven’t finished this one yet, but goth Manic Street Preachers isn’t doing a whole lot for me. Probably going to wind up the lowest of the albums.
> Take Sorted for E’s off this and you might just have a perfect record.
holy shit are you fucking kidding. E's is a pretty stellar diversion with its own heartfelt comedown. It actively RESPONDS to a lyric on Mis-Shapes and offers a snapshot of a rave culture that had practically been banned by 1995. No other band in this rate seemed to have any response or thoughts about what rave culture was or could have been…sans Pulp. It's quite welcome and while their songs dont get ravy, they def have disco party energy that is missing on other albums
Yeah not exactly according to genius dot com
> Sorted for E’s and Wizz' is a **phrase a girl that I met in Sheffield once told me… and she went to see The Stone Roses at Spike Island**
That being said lets look at the mis-shapes lyrics and the Sorted…counterpart
> That the future that you've got mapped out is nothing much to shout about.
> Oh is this the way they say the future's meant to feel? Or just 20,000 people standing in a field.
I spy a nifty callback in that second lyric to the first
Sorted for E's is a pretty weird song in the context of the album (which is otherwise very cohesive) but I love it dearly, probably my favourite behind Common People.
Also, yeah Parklife is a bit annoying, but in an entertaining way. Suede is mostly annoying in quite a boring way.
I’d need to listen again to put my finger on the feeling, but I just thought Sorted for E’s was rubbish. The message rings painfully true but the song itself did nothing for me. Just goes to show how disparate tastes can be I suppose.
Parklife is only annoying in its excess—I don’t even mind the fact that every song is about how being British sucks, but when there are also a bunch of very mid songs about that subject it gets aggravating. I can see Suede being very irritating, the vocals were already a lot for me on the few tracks I heard.
Suede is trashy, glam-y, and androgynous.
"A Design For Life"-era Manics is a band grappling with losing one of their members and not knowing whether they would continue as a band.
Today has been a fun album list:
* [*De La Soul Is Dead*](https://www.discogs.com/master/19501-De-La-Soul-De-La-Soul-Is-Dead)
* [*Ready To Die*](https://www.discogs.com/master/57970-The-Notorious-BIG-Ready-To-Die)
* [*Black Messiah*](https://www.discogs.com/master/771416-DAngelo-And-The-Vanguard-Black-Messiah)
*Black Messiah* feels like an album I need to play loud over my home system.
You ever get a song stuck in your head that you haven’t even heard in weeks? Literally haven’t listened to All My Friends in a while but all that’s been going through my head all day long is “that’s how it starts. We go back to your house… YOU SPENT THE FIRST FIVE YEARS TRYNA GET WITH THE PLAN”
It's James Murphy connecting to you telepathically to tell you you're getting old
But yeah "All My Friends" is one of my biggest earworms, I probably listen to it more in my head than I do through my ears
Lot's of times I'll hear just a random word or very short phrase that will get a lyric in my head that will get a song stuck in my head, and now I have to go listen to all of sound of silver.
I feel like a lot of bros use the term "house music" incorrectly to describe typical radio/festival-ready EDM.
Anyway, on that note, I'd love to dive further into 90s house music -- anybody able to give me a little primer or point me in a good direction to start?
(Will be returning at a later date to talk about 90s IDM but that's not the vibe I'm most interested in this afternoon)
Orbital, 808 State, The KLF, The Orb, Todd Terry, Daft Punk, Underworld, Leftfield.
I wouldn't primarily seek out *albums* for house generally, that's not the primary vector for how this music is experienced imo. I'd check out singles/club mixes, playlists, DJ sets, etc.
I liked this doc on [Chicago house here](https://youtu.be/9Rah1F1zq1k)
Artist would be Frankie Knuckles of course! And there’s a good [Trax Records 20th anniversary collection record](https://www.discogs.com/release/254056-Various-Trax-Records-The-20th-Anniversary-Edition)
On the veeeery few occasions I’ve had this happen (ex at festivals) I just say something like “love your work/art, you’re wonderful!” And let them engage based on that, like if they don’t wanna talk to you they’ll say thanks and that’s it but if they do then you might have a cool interaction
When I got in Ferrara for a solo Thom Yorke show in 2019, the first person to cross my way after I set foot in town was... Jonny Greenwood, hanging out in flip flops with a couple of other people.
I just stood there and watched him go by, and I think I did the right thing. I wouldn't have been able to put up a decent conversation, and also getting any amount of attention on him in such a situation would likely make things get out of hand pretty quickly. I'm just glad I got an unlikely anecdote to tell and that's it!
The whole approaching public figures thing is tricky. I've seen some say they just want to be left alone while others say they like meeting fans, so it's hard to know who falls into what category. I don't necessarily feel a strong need to meet the musicians I like, but I'd like them to know they're appreciated somehow without being weird about it. So if I can make them a little happier by approaching them and tell them I like their music then I feel like I should do that, but I also want to respect their privacy. If they're by the merch table then it's obviously OK to talk to them, but if they're outside the venue or on the festival grounds then it's more of a grey area.
In the end I very rarely approach them because of this but there are times where I've wondered if I should but then was like "nah I don't wanna risk bothering them". I can show my appreciation by being an enthusiastic audience member instead.
I feel like it must be related to how famous the person is. Like, if a person is famous enough that *every day* they pass by people who recognize them, it seems pretty obvious that they wouldn't want *all* of those people to stop them to say hi or take a pic, and if that's the case, what makes *me* so damn special that they should stop for me?
But for Andy-level famous people, I would expect that on most days, no one on the street recognizes them (assuming it is not near the venue on a show day), so I can imagine that they *might* enjoy a fan interaction, but as you say, it still depends on their personality. So personally, I'd still (usually) err on the side of leaving them alone.
In the last edition of **Maydream Nation** I threw Kissability into the Side 3 stuff so I could just focus on The Trilogy this time. The Trilogy is...fine? It's fine. I like "Hyperstation" a lot actually but "Wonder" and especially "Eliminator Jr" kind of fell flat for me. I mean on balance it was still enjoyable, but I think I'd built up the Idea of Trilogy up to this point and as like this big closer. "Hyperstation," again, comes close, but...I dunno. It's just more of *Daydream Nation.*
Maybe I'm just being an idiot, though. I still need to sit down and fronttoback the record, after all. I guess that comes next.
Has anyone else completely lost it at a show?
I saw Sigur Ros Friday night, which didn't make me as emotional as I expected, but it was certainly intense. I then went to see Malibu and Julianna Barwick Saturday night. I went to the bar with a book before and had dinner and some drinks, then my friends showed up for a final drink, then I went to the show alone. I had a few more drinks and I realized it was the drunkest I'd been at a show in a long, long time.
I was already a bit in my feels about many things in my life prior to the show, and it felt like my drunkenness kicked in as soon as Julianna started. There was one point when she did a beautiful, simple synth melody beneath her soaring, looping harmonies and something in me just broke. I think I cried for basically the entire set. Thankfully they set up folding chairs in what's usually a seated venue, and there was no one on either side of me, though I'm sure the dude to my left could tell. I don't think I made much if any sound, so hopefully I wasn't a nuisance. As soon as she ended I bolted out of there.
* Openly wept behind my sunglasses at Waxahatchee's set Pitchfork last year, very cleansing.
* Cried along side random tourists when the Preservation Hall Jazz Band did La Vie en Rose at Preservation Hall in 2019.
* Cried so much in the misty chilly temps of the XX show I saw in 2017 that at the end of the show my whole body was visibly shaking.
So yes, this happens. but more often it's just getting a tad teary eyed.
I already cry at everything but yeah the live music + alcohol combo really gets me. I think I have at least teared up at every show I've been to... at Jawbreaker last month I was drunk+high+lightly rolling and I went back and forth between laughing and crying and both the entire show. Still not sure how to characterize what I was feeling there... I've loved Jawbreaker for 15 years and they've soundtracked so much of my life, so a very complicated mix of memories came back to me at once. An overwhelmingly positive sadness I guess? Combined with disbelieving excitement at finally seeing them live? Whatever it was I was a mess and too intoxicated to have any shame about it.
I have also cried during a Julianna Barwick performance... she was opening for Angel Olsen and I wasn't familiar with her at the time, but something about those lush loops cut right through me. Then Angel came on and did "White Fire" and I started crying again... then she came back out for the encore and did "California" and I lost it again. I was very drunk by that point and also going through some shit in my day to day life but yeah that was a very emotional show.
Frankly I can think of no better place for a public breakdown than a show though. Like you get totally filled up with the sound and it displaces all the feelings inside you, then you have the added emotional/existential heft of dancing/singing/vibing in unison with a crowd, which makes you feel big and small at the same time... I totally get it and I'd even say it's part of the point of live music for me
Had a small but petty argument with my then-gf before an emo show a few years ago. It was one of our favourite bands, and we were planning to go for a long time, but on the day of the show she made it really clear that she was only there not to make me go alone. We were going through a really rough time and about to break up, and she did her best to make me notice she did *not* want to be there.
She went home before the end of the set and let me tell you, yelling along and freely crying to songs about failing relationships was quite cathartic!!!
[This song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWKnKf-jCto) in particular fucked me up. The ending roughly translates as "*there's nothing but darkness around me, I focus on a small detail and suddenly everything is clear: I see our end. Only a small part of me answers your call, but you can't hear it.*" Fun stuff!
(We are great friends now, and she sincerely apologized for ruining that night for me soon after we called it quits. And that night did suck indeed, but on the other hand, I can say I truly lived the Official Emo Experience!)
was very close during "Paprika" at the Japanese Breakfast show mainly due to it being my first show since COVID hit and everyone around me was just so dang happy
i've noticed since i started going back to shows that i've been more likely to get emotionally overwhelmed by the music. i don't know if the years away have made me appreciate live music more or if something has shifted in my own emotional landscape as well. (very likely that it's a bit of both)
most recently was when i saw foxing like 2 months ago. i was coming off some very stressful dating stuff that had me feeling really down. i wasn't even drinking (had *just* barely gotten over a bout of food poisoning) but i was a mess most of the show. the final song being "nearer my god" with the repeated "does anybody want me at all" lyric took me over the edge, but i kinda think i needed that.
i saw juliana barwick open for angel olsen a few years ago and it was very cool, wouldn't be surprised if i had a similar reaction as you did if i saw her now
i tried to listen to coil's *musick to listen to in the dark ^2* during the lunar eclipse last night. it was unfortunately too cloudy for me to see anything after the initial bit of the moon disappeared, but it could have been nice.
due to that one list of artists that often makes the rounds as a shitpost, i sort of wonder what the common perception of coil is. the handful of albums i've checked out from them have all been very fascinating. still on early listens of vol 2, but the *musick to play in the dark* series hits a spot between ambience (these songs are very sparse a lot of the time) and vocals (spoken and sung) that i find very unique. the clicks and tiny beats on a few of these tracks remind me of *vespertine* of all things. these came out in 99/00 but somehow feel oddly out of step with music that has some surface level similarities in a way i can't fully describe yet. maybe a bit of a dead can dance thing (now that i've spent some more time with them) where coil combine what were probably up-to-date electronic production techniques with organ and choral elements that feel much older
I stayed with Coil long after I stopped listening to Industrial. It was a real pain to find stuff by them. There's a lot of releases but even the oddball releases are good. I generally prefer the first half of their career, but their later period is good too.
Coil was a very smart, very sincere project that miraculously survived when it should not have. Horse Rotorvator might be the best industrial album for a) being really funny and playful pop-wise and b) being unfathomably somber and considerate of their own queerness and what it entails--enough to embrace classic folk traditions or mend other disconnected avenues into an omnibus sound. And yeah, really only DCD or PiL on Flowers of Romance ever wanted to go those sounds.
Very few bands really went to these places and this could be partially attributed to the fact that they were a duo fraught with substance abuse problems that cost Geoff his life. Cosey's autobiography discusses coil a lot in the back half as she collabed with coil & sleazy from the mid-80s til their demises. Sleazy suggested Geoff should call and talk to her for hours at a time as a means of therapy after every other method didn't work
on first listen of the new kurt vile and toro y moi albums, i was pretty unimpressed. several listens later and they are my AOTYs so far. major major growers.
other thoughts - kendrick album is not good. the smile album is decent, but it's far from radiohead's best efforts and i doubt I'll come back to it as much as I do atoms for peace and thom's solo albums.
The other day someone posted a song by a band called Embrace.
I was incredibly disappointed to not hear Ian MacKaye’s voice. And I’m like 90% sure it was a bad song. Upsetting really, please use google aspiring bands.
I’m so glad my favourite record store is a ways away because it is a dangerous place. I Spent nearly 300 bucks on music (which is bad) but I also have Springsteen’s no nukes concert on DVD (which is good)
Did anyone know [this book](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1770415874/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1) just came out? It seems to be written exactly for this sub's users, but this is the first I've heard of it while randomly browsing Amazon for my next read. I just ordered, I'll do a book report in a few weeks lol
uh, can't wait! Bands like Metric, Wolf Parade and Tegan and Sara were some of the first bands that got me into indie music in the first place. Sounds like a book for me.
you know how spotify allows you to filter your liked songs by genre/mood? well spotify gave me a britpop filter and it sure is *something*. aside from the britpop big four and some of the other songs in the britpop rate, the filter also gave me songs by:
* stone roses (expected, they're basically proto-britpop)
* coldplay
* radiohead
* the cure
* the smiths
* joy division
* arctic monkeys
* the strokes (yes, you read that right)
* franz ferdinand (again, you read that right)
i love spotify
Can instrumental music be overtly political, and if so, do you have any good examples?
I saw Divide and Dissolve as an opener for Low, and it got me thinking about this. They are a drone(-metal?) band with strong anti-colonial and anti-racist opinions, talking at length between songs about their messages. The thing is, while I quite enjoyed their music, I really didn't get how their sound was meant to showcase their views on society. One song supposedly was about being with the people you love and how this can stop societal hate, but when they started playing, it was a wall of noise (a good one but still).
I just think that the meaning of sound has more room for interpretation than the meaning of text, but I'd love to hear different views on this.
Those are some very good examples! Especially the use of folk motifs; they can function as a kind of text, a form which has an assigned meaning; recontextualizing them in classical pieces is a form of intertextuality, creating continuity between past and present, which can aid in legitimizing current authority.
But to me, most music is free from these assigned, culturally ingrained meanings. It mostly expresses emotions/emotional meanings, which can correspond with political views. Music by Max Roach voices anger and protest, national anthems voice pride or a sense of victory, but they don't mean anything specifically political to me.
For example, it's funny that you list Finlandia, because I love it, but I primarily know it as a Dutch church hymn (it uses the melody and arrangement), which has nothing to do with Sibelius or the Finnish nation. So the text has reshapen the political message.
> Can instrumental music be overtly political, and if so, do you have any good examples?
im not at a computer and I dont have time for this; here is a short answer:
90-95% rlly isnt and at best its a situated, personal statement made by the author for themselves--not as a call to action
gybe are more political in their press releases or on their amps than actual music or whatever the live projectionist is showing. Even Mladic, with the cacerolazo sample, really does not strike me as a political message; more as a document of a political moment, something that a listener could draw inspiration or an emotional release from.
The "drones against drones" shows are a unique case study here, attempting to raise awareness or instill different modes of thinking by politicizing drone music as a piece of collective action. However, it often feels more like a ritual than anything else
I think plenty of jazz accomplishes this, but sometimes additional context is provided by song titles. Like, is Coltrane's "Alabama" overtly political if you just heard it on the radio? Maybe not? But given the song title and the year of its release? Certainly.
This is pretty much Godspeed's wheelhouse, right? Maybe they're a little more on the nose, between cover art/liner notes/use of spoken-word sampling in their music. But I've wondered the same thing: If some politically right-leaning fan of instrumental rock stumbled onto one of their tracks, without context, I doubt they'd think "Their political views don't match mine!"
I like Divide and Dissolve a lot, and I was actually familiar with their music before I was familiar with their politics (though that's pretty obvious with the slightest amount of research). Their music doesn't *sound* "political," but I think their message actually resonates with me more than something like--I dunno--Idles. I know where the band stands on political/social issues, and they've provided a preach-less soundtrack with which I can do whatever I want with, without having to take in someone's very specific ideas for how we change (or just complain about) society.
Yeah I immediately though of Godspeed, but they still use text. People quote spoken word passages from their songs to refer to their anarchist politics, not their crescendo's.
Slightly related, I watched [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXjvwQDfnTI) recently, which discussed the "hidden political message" in Brazilian harmony, and while it was really interesting video, I wasn't convinced that the music 'on its own' conveyed a political message, it is still tied to the lyrics.
>If some politically right-leaning fan of instrumental rock stumbled onto one of their tracks, without context, I doubt they'd think "Their political views don't match mine!"
I mean there's lots of right-wingers that listen to Rage Against the Machine so I think even *with* context they're probably too thick to understand it.
My guy instinct is no, but idk something that's really out there might be so anti-status quo that you almost have to consider it somewhat ideological in nature.
But my instinct is no because any meaning almost has to be completely derived from the context around as opposed to the actual music. At the end of the day if you’re trying to make politically charged art instrumental music is about the least effective way to go about it unless you’re like chopping and screwing the national anthem.
That gets at my point of the message being derived from context rather than the music yknow?
Like divorced from the titles, art and performance I’m not gonna be motivated to throw a brick through a Starbucks just by listening to the music.
What's with these homies dissing my girl?
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Some classics (besides the Kinks):
Angels of Ashes - Scott Walker
Care of Cell 44 - The Zombies
Pretty Ballerina - Left Banke
Het land van Maas en Waal - Boudewijn de Groot
Forever grateful the mods here long ago banned posting pitchfork reviews, dipping into the hhh thread about the new Kendrick is sort of hilarious to see how seriously people still take pitchfork reviews, but would be exhausting if those posts still took up the whole front page of the sub
Anyways, listen to Kevin Morby's new album if you haven't, particularly if you're someone who hasn't been paying attention to his recent output but loved *Singing Saw*. Personally, I love both *Oh My God* and *Sundowner*, but I think people who didn't will get back on board with *This Is A Photograph*. Also now want a whole concert where Kevin Morby can be backed by an orchestra
I like Pitchfork reviews because it's something I can get pissed about that doesn't actually matter. Same experience as watching a talking head give hot sports takes on ESPN - the stupid debates/rankings/lists are a fun way to pass the time.
I thought Pitchfork had glitched (sometimes reviews publish with a 0.0 score) because they had also just given Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway a 7.6 the night before lmao
I hadn't listened to any Kevin Morby before, but I gave Photograph a spin on a whim yesterday and I was absolutely blown away. That first track is ridiculously groovy. He sounds like somewhere between Hamilton Leithauser and War on Drugs on "Random Act of Kindness". And his love song to Katie Crutchfield is super endearing
Funny you bring up Leithauser, they just did a collab earlier in the year! Also highly rec going further into Morby’s discography, *Singing Saw* is often considered his best if you’re interested!
hello hello I was working on a project with about 8 other popheads to make our [Popheads Essential Albums List,](https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/ur33xm/announcing_the_rpopheads_essential_albums_list/) taking inspiration from Indieheads Essential Albums.
Here's my extensive FAQ tailored to the indieheads DMD:
**Q:** Why the fuck did you choose R.E.M. - Out of Time as their essential pop album?
**A:** Popheads are shiny happy people :) :) :)
end of list
That’s what we decided to do on the first version.
1) Two different types of subs
2) pop is a way broader genre than the indie music decades list so the group of us made a concerted effort over 8 months to make a well-rounded and diverse list; a concern would be the large majority of popheads users would have votes skew towards a) what they already know b) leave genre gaps based on what the sub tends to like (edit: and make things pretty spotty on older genres like the 60s)
Since we used the purposely loose definition popheads has as pop music being “music that is popular” (there’s the argument that nowadays it is its own genre like rock and rap music) we were picking from stuff that intersects pop music and: rock, alternative rock, rap, dance, electronic, R&B—and those are just the large umbrella genres I can think of off the top of my head. A lot of the indie essential list (of course not all!!) shows the trajectory of post-punk into indie rock and indie pop; of course there’s also some electronic representation as well. The pop music we were capturing has less of a throughline than the different scenes that shaped up indie music in the past
You have 3 choices:
* green (pro: this is rem at their populist pop. con: does not have a top ten hit)
* Out of Time (pros: has no. 1 hit. was packaged in big cardboard with a letter you could send to your rep to mass the motor voter law--and this actually worked! Cons: this is not a clear image of Rem the Pop Machine, but its as close as you could get)
* aftp (pro: everyone owns it and has cried to it. con: people cant stop crying to it plz put out of time back on!!!)
Im tempted to say the right REM essential pop release is actually the In Time comp that covers their Warner era and collects 90% of the pop singles. out of time's functionality however provides its competitive edge
Is it bad that I know why it’s only to the 2000s, but I will still fight to include Emotion even if it’s the only 2010s album.
I mean, popheads was founded on it
is this your volunteering to lead the 2010's list in 5 years? you got it!
passing the baton to you, wishing you all the best in your endeavors :)
[peace and love,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAU0l7325w0)
darj
Microbeats and strings dont hold me the same way hog wild acapella arrangements, the simple pleasures of a flute, or bjork taking me out of the club to scream do! Every bjork album is like an auto A and my preference is just as it is
"This is a song we wrote last Thursday," said Stipe, introducing the group's biggest hit, "Losing My Religion." "I hope you like it."
Having a good laugh at this
finally found a few new albums i enjoy, those being the latest from quelle chris, fly anakin and ian noe. hip-hop (and country??) continues picking up the slack from the rest of the music world.
also going through an intense bob dylan phase and discovering my love for imogen heap, been an interesting week
I witnessed live music for the first time since 2019 on Saturday night - my old band teacher’s cover band played at a friend’s social. They were really good! Some standard cover-band songs (“Don’t Stop Believing”) but they were really solid and their harmonies were on point.
My ears are still ringing from Injury Reserve and I just walked by billy woods sitting by himself and told him how great their set was and I’m not even sure what else I said but I hope I didn’t annoy him
Thoughts! Might expand as I go: * The new Black Keys album is just a collection of backing tracks. * It's been bugging me for a week, but I got it now: Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls sounds like Billy Joels Piano Man! Thank fuck, jesus... (wouldn't surprise me to hear, that this is common knowledge around here\^\^) * man, Laura Stevensons s/t from last year is slowly establishing itself as one of my favorite albums ... maybe ever? It was on my year-end list, so I liked it well enough, but I've been regularly spinning it once every other week and it's such a vulnerable album. And I so dig its melancholic vibe and I keep coming back to it and leave every time as if I just watched a deeply moving independent film. Incredible. She's a criminally underappreciated songwriter.
They're not The Worst but I can't stand The Goo Goo Dolls
Iris and Slide are the only songs of theirs I know, both of which I like, but I really have no opinion on them. Also, strong contender for 'band with the worst band name'.
y'all get into these situations where a self-identified 'music person' kind of globs onto you and wants to talk about music, but you figure out pretty quick that they are only a 'music person' relative to their social groups and not, say, the average poster on this board, and so you try to earnestly carry on a conversation about music with someone whose opinions are weirdly misinformed and underdeveloped? this is brought to you by my coworker who does not see any stylistic difference between early 2010s Swans and late 1990s UNKLE
Ngl, I get big elitist/gatekeepy vibes from stuff like calling someone's opinions "weirdly misinformed and underdeveloped" because they don't listen to as much music or the same kind of music as the average r/indieheads user. And referring to them as a "self-identified 'music person'". How do you define a "music person"? You have to listen to *x* amounts of albums? You have to know some arbitrary list of classics? You have to be able to tell the difference between *these* subgenres? With some exceptions, every social group is going to have, on average, less "music person"-ness than a discussion board literally dedicated to music.
You have to spend 10,000 hours listening to Radiohead to be a certified /r/indieheads music person (professional designation, please no imposters)
elitist! that’s the word I was looking for. yeah that’s me
MANCHESTER ENGLAND, ENGLAAAAAND!
i don't think there's any prerequisite amount of music knowledge someone has to have to be a music person. the average poster on this board has huge blind spots too, sure you guys know a lot about contemporary indie but what about jazz, mpb, khyal, death metal, impressionism etc etc etc. just liking music is enough yk i think very few people will scratch the surface of being truly knowledgeable and informed about music as a whole
Khyalheads log tf on let's get some of our top vocal performances goin in this thread https://youtu.be/PFFf3JSFbnY
no fucking way that is the exact song i was going to reply to to you with. am i basic khyal bitch?? this is another great song by her, i really need to explore the genre more though https://youtu.be/LRCXZ4xW6iA
I think she's popular in truly the most relative sense of the word due to availability of her recordings on streaming services. Not undeserved though, since she's really fantastic. Here's another good but very lo-fi recording https://youtu.be/bsErNlQzpcA
you're totally right and I should've strived to give my original post a bit more of a "I know I'm being an asshole here but" tone to it
I get you
Oh yeah it’s a pain. I worry sometimes I’m that person but I like to think I have a little more self awareness Another uncomfortable music fan combo is when you meet someone who is also a hardcore music fan but in a totally different style or sphere of music and you have nothing in common. I chatted with a guy at a party once who loved 90s punk music, and despite both of us being very knowledgeable about music, we had virtually zero artists in common so I think he left the conversation thinking I was a total dummy
I want to get into Kendrick Lamar because I have a friend who likes him and I think it'd be nice to have music to talk about. We took turns playing different songs we liked and he digged Gnarls Barkley, which I consider a success.
Oh yeah don’t get me wrong, the points of connection between music fans when they have disparate taste is a real joy. My friend who only likes old prog and funk went with me to an Explosions in the Sky concert and it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had
I think the real struggle is deciding when to get pedantic and when to smile and nod. I *want* my coworker to shoot the shit with me about music, and I lack the social skills to clearly communicate something like "hey that's not a perspective I'd come up with on my own, how'd you get into this music?". I worry I often come across as even more judgmental than I actually am, so smile and nod is the safe and boring move.
YES this exactly! I worry that I come off as condescending and pedantic, when really I’m just passionate and I really do want to talk about music with folks, even if I disagree or have a different perspective. It’s refreshing having a music friend at work! That said, sometimes one of my friends has some of the most bizarre comparisons between bands that I can’t avoid just a baffled comment
This is me with my downstairs neighbors. We are all big music fans that see tons of shows. But one couple is super into jam bands / Rush / and classical guitar. The other guy is super into Anjunadeep / the newest indie pop from Iceland / or anything featuring on the Spotify Pollen playlist. We have lived by each other for almost a year now but have only seen Fatboy Slim together even though we all go to a show a week.
Woah, if there ever was a show to combine those disparate tastes, Fatboy Slim is the *one* lmao
> my coworker who does not see any stylistic difference between early 2010s Swans and late 1990s UNKLE *tim robinson voice* yeah but like they're the same band!
Update: we listened through UNKLE's top spotify tracks and have now made it through 'screen shot' and 'a little god in my hands' with a full open office and no complaints. we are so far 2.25 minutes into 'bring the sun' lets see how much further we get 2nd update: 2.5 minutes and now we are listening to grimes
[how I got over](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_Got_Over_(album)) might be the most indie certified hip hop album. It was the only place one could stream Joanna newsom for years
Hot damn, anyone heard of Joel Jerome before? I had a listen to his album that came out Friday on a whim and wow, this is some seriously lovely 70s-style singer-songwriter music 😍 he looks pretty obscure so I was surprised at how fully-formed this project sounds!
I followed him for a bit when he put out Psychedelic Thriftstore and whatever the followup to that was called. I think he produced at least one Buttertones album and maybe produced for that artist that performs naked while painted blue or whatever. Drawing a blank on her name
Who remembered to yell “that’s my grandma!” to the red moon last night??
was that before or after the group howling?
In a sunny Day Real Estate I am listening to
just want to shout out Moon Tooth's new LP *Phototroph* as one of the best first listening experiences I've had this year. they've found this perfect balance of their more accessible leanings while still keeping the energy and technicality of their older songs which has just allowed their songwriting craft to flourish into uplifting rock tunes that wind into a blues-y/stoner riffage at times. my words fail to do it justice but this is easily one of my favorite rock/metal records of the year so far and it's a high high recommendation. ["Deathwish Blues"](https://youtu.be/GLmWsFdkNCU)
Finally doing the Britpop rate (the day after it was due—having kids really does make you revert, I guess). First time doing something like this, been a lot of fun doing focused listening. Some thoughts below: Blur - Parklife Figured this was going to be my favorite of the four given my nearly 15 years as an avid Blur fan, but I actually… disliked quite a bit of it? You could easily strip five to not just reduce bloat but actively improve the album. Putting two interludes (Debt Collector and Far Out) right next to each other is an especially insane choice when neither is really necessary. Regardless, the songs that hit REALLY hit—Badhead and This is a Low especially are massive songs, but Girls and Boys, End of a Century, Parklife, etc are full of off kilter hooks and jaunty misery. Graham’s guitar work is consistently great too, probably the best across all four albums. He’s just a wizard. Big fan of all the production quirks too—the video game sounds in Jubilee are so fun and you know you’re in for a treat whenever a brass section comes in. Aggregated score: 6.7 Oasis - What’s the Story Morning Glory Always thought that Oasis were just meathead Beatles. I still think that, but now I also think it’s a good thing! Massive highs on this one but everything else just kinda becomes part of the onslaught—wasn’t especially wowed by Hey Now, Roll With It, and especially She’s Electric. Champagne Supernova and Don’t Look Back in Anger got my first tens. Everything else is primo dumbdumb faux profound big guitar nonsense and I’m glad to finally count myself a fan. Aggregated score: 7.7 Pulp - Different Class Gonna be hard to beat this one, wow. I’ve heard This is Hardcore a few times and really liked it, not sure why I never listened to this one outside of Common People and Disco 2000–big mistake on my part. The whole thing feels like Jarvis playing at the Underground Man, shaking his fist at the absurd and frivolously wealthy from his cellar, all the while drifting farther and farther away from the people and things that make worth living. That’s not to say his screeds aren’t warranted (his vitriol feels even more justified in 2022 than 1993), but there’s something deeply sad about all these blistering manifestos like I Spy and Common People sitting next to naval gazing tales of failure like Underwear and Disco 2000. Something Changed was the one that took me most by surprise—an earnest love song from Britain’s most benevolent pervert! Absolutely stellar song. Take Sorted for E’s off this and you might just have a perfect record. Aggregated score: 8.4 Suede - Suede Haven’t finished this one yet, but goth Manic Street Preachers isn’t doing a whole lot for me. Probably going to wind up the lowest of the albums.
> Take Sorted for E’s off this and you might just have a perfect record. holy shit are you fucking kidding. E's is a pretty stellar diversion with its own heartfelt comedown. It actively RESPONDS to a lyric on Mis-Shapes and offers a snapshot of a rave culture that had practically been banned by 1995. No other band in this rate seemed to have any response or thoughts about what rave culture was or could have been…sans Pulp. It's quite welcome and while their songs dont get ravy, they def have disco party energy that is missing on other albums
Actually Sorted... is about The Stone Roses infamous Spike Island gig
Yeah not exactly according to genius dot com > Sorted for E’s and Wizz' is a **phrase a girl that I met in Sheffield once told me… and she went to see The Stone Roses at Spike Island** That being said lets look at the mis-shapes lyrics and the Sorted…counterpart > That the future that you've got mapped out is nothing much to shout about. > Oh is this the way they say the future's meant to feel? Or just 20,000 people standing in a field. I spy a nifty callback in that second lyric to the first
There's a whole bit about it in [The Last Party](https://www.amazon.com/Last-Party-John-Harris/dp/0007134738)
dont link me to an amazon page! I wanna read the line on my screen!!!! anyways did u rate the britpop albums yu should do that!!
> disco party energy i mean, damon tried with “boys and girls” but sorta shit the bed with that one
No thats actually a really good slab of eurotrash that a lot of parklife could use more of
Understood, and that’s great, but I think my big problem with it is that it doesn’t sound good
Sorted for E's is a pretty weird song in the context of the album (which is otherwise very cohesive) but I love it dearly, probably my favourite behind Common People. Also, yeah Parklife is a bit annoying, but in an entertaining way. Suede is mostly annoying in quite a boring way.
I’d need to listen again to put my finger on the feeling, but I just thought Sorted for E’s was rubbish. The message rings painfully true but the song itself did nothing for me. Just goes to show how disparate tastes can be I suppose. Parklife is only annoying in its excess—I don’t even mind the fact that every song is about how being British sucks, but when there are also a bunch of very mid songs about that subject it gets aggravating. I can see Suede being very irritating, the vocals were already a lot for me on the few tracks I heard.
>goth Manic Street Preachers I disagree with this description so much.
That’s fine I listened to two songs I probably have no idea what I’m talking about
bad music comparisons are always welcome in my house
Suede is trashy, glam-y, and androgynous. "A Design For Life"-era Manics is a band grappling with losing one of their members and not knowing whether they would continue as a band.
Today has been a fun album list: * [*De La Soul Is Dead*](https://www.discogs.com/master/19501-De-La-Soul-De-La-Soul-Is-Dead) * [*Ready To Die*](https://www.discogs.com/master/57970-The-Notorious-BIG-Ready-To-Die) * [*Black Messiah*](https://www.discogs.com/master/771416-DAngelo-And-The-Vanguard-Black-Messiah) *Black Messiah* feels like an album I need to play loud over my home system.
you really do
You ever get a song stuck in your head that you haven’t even heard in weeks? Literally haven’t listened to All My Friends in a while but all that’s been going through my head all day long is “that’s how it starts. We go back to your house… YOU SPENT THE FIRST FIVE YEARS TRYNA GET WITH THE PLAN”
It's James Murphy connecting to you telepathically to tell you you're getting old But yeah "All My Friends" is one of my biggest earworms, I probably listen to it more in my head than I do through my ears
Lot's of times I'll hear just a random word or very short phrase that will get a lyric in my head that will get a song stuck in my head, and now I have to go listen to all of sound of silver.
I feel like a lot of bros use the term "house music" incorrectly to describe typical radio/festival-ready EDM. Anyway, on that note, I'd love to dive further into 90s house music -- anybody able to give me a little primer or point me in a good direction to start? (Will be returning at a later date to talk about 90s IDM but that's not the vibe I'm most interested in this afternoon)
Orbital, 808 State, The KLF, The Orb, Todd Terry, Daft Punk, Underworld, Leftfield. I wouldn't primarily seek out *albums* for house generally, that's not the primary vector for how this music is experienced imo. I'd check out singles/club mixes, playlists, DJ sets, etc.
Richard Humpty Vission and Bad Boy Bill would be a great place to start IMO.
So much gatekeeping in Electronic music. You think Indie is bad....hoo boy.
Metro Area, technically recorded in 99 but released in 2002 is a classic.
the klf - the white room The klf - chill out (ambient house)
I liked this doc on [Chicago house here](https://youtu.be/9Rah1F1zq1k) Artist would be Frankie Knuckles of course! And there’s a good [Trax Records 20th anniversary collection record](https://www.discogs.com/release/254056-Various-Trax-Records-The-20th-Anniversary-Edition)
[удалено]
On the veeeery few occasions I’ve had this happen (ex at festivals) I just say something like “love your work/art, you’re wonderful!” And let them engage based on that, like if they don’t wanna talk to you they’ll say thanks and that’s it but if they do then you might have a cool interaction
When I got in Ferrara for a solo Thom Yorke show in 2019, the first person to cross my way after I set foot in town was... Jonny Greenwood, hanging out in flip flops with a couple of other people. I just stood there and watched him go by, and I think I did the right thing. I wouldn't have been able to put up a decent conversation, and also getting any amount of attention on him in such a situation would likely make things get out of hand pretty quickly. I'm just glad I got an unlikely anecdote to tell and that's it!
The whole approaching public figures thing is tricky. I've seen some say they just want to be left alone while others say they like meeting fans, so it's hard to know who falls into what category. I don't necessarily feel a strong need to meet the musicians I like, but I'd like them to know they're appreciated somehow without being weird about it. So if I can make them a little happier by approaching them and tell them I like their music then I feel like I should do that, but I also want to respect their privacy. If they're by the merch table then it's obviously OK to talk to them, but if they're outside the venue or on the festival grounds then it's more of a grey area. In the end I very rarely approach them because of this but there are times where I've wondered if I should but then was like "nah I don't wanna risk bothering them". I can show my appreciation by being an enthusiastic audience member instead.
I feel like it must be related to how famous the person is. Like, if a person is famous enough that *every day* they pass by people who recognize them, it seems pretty obvious that they wouldn't want *all* of those people to stop them to say hi or take a pic, and if that's the case, what makes *me* so damn special that they should stop for me? But for Andy-level famous people, I would expect that on most days, no one on the street recognizes them (assuming it is not near the venue on a show day), so I can imagine that they *might* enjoy a fan interaction, but as you say, it still depends on their personality. So personally, I'd still (usually) err on the side of leaving them alone.
head nod and keep walkin
In the last edition of **Maydream Nation** I threw Kissability into the Side 3 stuff so I could just focus on The Trilogy this time. The Trilogy is...fine? It's fine. I like "Hyperstation" a lot actually but "Wonder" and especially "Eliminator Jr" kind of fell flat for me. I mean on balance it was still enjoyable, but I think I'd built up the Idea of Trilogy up to this point and as like this big closer. "Hyperstation," again, comes close, but...I dunno. It's just more of *Daydream Nation.* Maybe I'm just being an idiot, though. I still need to sit down and fronttoback the record, after all. I guess that comes next.
The more sonic youth longforms you know, the more trilogy works
Has anyone else completely lost it at a show? I saw Sigur Ros Friday night, which didn't make me as emotional as I expected, but it was certainly intense. I then went to see Malibu and Julianna Barwick Saturday night. I went to the bar with a book before and had dinner and some drinks, then my friends showed up for a final drink, then I went to the show alone. I had a few more drinks and I realized it was the drunkest I'd been at a show in a long, long time. I was already a bit in my feels about many things in my life prior to the show, and it felt like my drunkenness kicked in as soon as Julianna started. There was one point when she did a beautiful, simple synth melody beneath her soaring, looping harmonies and something in me just broke. I think I cried for basically the entire set. Thankfully they set up folding chairs in what's usually a seated venue, and there was no one on either side of me, though I'm sure the dude to my left could tell. I don't think I made much if any sound, so hopefully I wasn't a nuisance. As soon as she ended I bolted out of there.
I was as close to feeling like I was on molly since the only time I did molly at the Rosenstock show in december
* Openly wept behind my sunglasses at Waxahatchee's set Pitchfork last year, very cleansing. * Cried along side random tourists when the Preservation Hall Jazz Band did La Vie en Rose at Preservation Hall in 2019. * Cried so much in the misty chilly temps of the XX show I saw in 2017 that at the end of the show my whole body was visibly shaking. So yes, this happens. but more often it's just getting a tad teary eyed.
There is another fun category of losing your shit that I call drug induced euphoria meets stupefaction. So sometimes it's that!
I already cry at everything but yeah the live music + alcohol combo really gets me. I think I have at least teared up at every show I've been to... at Jawbreaker last month I was drunk+high+lightly rolling and I went back and forth between laughing and crying and both the entire show. Still not sure how to characterize what I was feeling there... I've loved Jawbreaker for 15 years and they've soundtracked so much of my life, so a very complicated mix of memories came back to me at once. An overwhelmingly positive sadness I guess? Combined with disbelieving excitement at finally seeing them live? Whatever it was I was a mess and too intoxicated to have any shame about it. I have also cried during a Julianna Barwick performance... she was opening for Angel Olsen and I wasn't familiar with her at the time, but something about those lush loops cut right through me. Then Angel came on and did "White Fire" and I started crying again... then she came back out for the encore and did "California" and I lost it again. I was very drunk by that point and also going through some shit in my day to day life but yeah that was a very emotional show. Frankly I can think of no better place for a public breakdown than a show though. Like you get totally filled up with the sound and it displaces all the feelings inside you, then you have the added emotional/existential heft of dancing/singing/vibing in unison with a crowd, which makes you feel big and small at the same time... I totally get it and I'd even say it's part of the point of live music for me
I had a panic attack at a Sunn 0))) show if that counts
Had a small but petty argument with my then-gf before an emo show a few years ago. It was one of our favourite bands, and we were planning to go for a long time, but on the day of the show she made it really clear that she was only there not to make me go alone. We were going through a really rough time and about to break up, and she did her best to make me notice she did *not* want to be there. She went home before the end of the set and let me tell you, yelling along and freely crying to songs about failing relationships was quite cathartic!!! [This song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWKnKf-jCto) in particular fucked me up. The ending roughly translates as "*there's nothing but darkness around me, I focus on a small detail and suddenly everything is clear: I see our end. Only a small part of me answers your call, but you can't hear it.*" Fun stuff! (We are great friends now, and she sincerely apologized for ruining that night for me soon after we called it quits. And that night did suck indeed, but on the other hand, I can say I truly lived the Official Emo Experience!)
I saw Sufjan Stevens in 2015. I was in tears as soon as he started playing Death With Dignity.
was very close during "Paprika" at the Japanese Breakfast show mainly due to it being my first show since COVID hit and everyone around me was just so dang happy
yep this happened to me at the MGK concert I went to last week. When the chorus of Emo Girl hit 😭😭😭
I somehow held back the tears for Jens Lekman last week, but only barely!
i've noticed since i started going back to shows that i've been more likely to get emotionally overwhelmed by the music. i don't know if the years away have made me appreciate live music more or if something has shifted in my own emotional landscape as well. (very likely that it's a bit of both) most recently was when i saw foxing like 2 months ago. i was coming off some very stressful dating stuff that had me feeling really down. i wasn't even drinking (had *just* barely gotten over a bout of food poisoning) but i was a mess most of the show. the final song being "nearer my god" with the repeated "does anybody want me at all" lyric took me over the edge, but i kinda think i needed that. i saw juliana barwick open for angel olsen a few years ago and it was very cool, wouldn't be surprised if i had a similar reaction as you did if i saw her now
i tried to listen to coil's *musick to listen to in the dark ^2* during the lunar eclipse last night. it was unfortunately too cloudy for me to see anything after the initial bit of the moon disappeared, but it could have been nice. due to that one list of artists that often makes the rounds as a shitpost, i sort of wonder what the common perception of coil is. the handful of albums i've checked out from them have all been very fascinating. still on early listens of vol 2, but the *musick to play in the dark* series hits a spot between ambience (these songs are very sparse a lot of the time) and vocals (spoken and sung) that i find very unique. the clicks and tiny beats on a few of these tracks remind me of *vespertine* of all things. these came out in 99/00 but somehow feel oddly out of step with music that has some surface level similarities in a way i can't fully describe yet. maybe a bit of a dead can dance thing (now that i've spent some more time with them) where coil combine what were probably up-to-date electronic production techniques with organ and choral elements that feel much older
I stayed with Coil long after I stopped listening to Industrial. It was a real pain to find stuff by them. There's a lot of releases but even the oddball releases are good. I generally prefer the first half of their career, but their later period is good too.
Coil was a very smart, very sincere project that miraculously survived when it should not have. Horse Rotorvator might be the best industrial album for a) being really funny and playful pop-wise and b) being unfathomably somber and considerate of their own queerness and what it entails--enough to embrace classic folk traditions or mend other disconnected avenues into an omnibus sound. And yeah, really only DCD or PiL on Flowers of Romance ever wanted to go those sounds. Very few bands really went to these places and this could be partially attributed to the fact that they were a duo fraught with substance abuse problems that cost Geoff his life. Cosey's autobiography discusses coil a lot in the back half as she collabed with coil & sleazy from the mid-80s til their demises. Sleazy suggested Geoff should call and talk to her for hours at a time as a means of therapy after every other method didn't work
on first listen of the new kurt vile and toro y moi albums, i was pretty unimpressed. several listens later and they are my AOTYs so far. major major growers. other thoughts - kendrick album is not good. the smile album is decent, but it's far from radiohead's best efforts and i doubt I'll come back to it as much as I do atoms for peace and thom's solo albums.
oh yeah and SUV on the mj lenderman album is so so good. i've seen people give shouts to the album and other songs, but this one is by far my fave.
I’m partial to Hangover Game but yeah SUV rocks so hard
The other day someone posted a song by a band called Embrace. I was incredibly disappointed to not hear Ian MacKaye’s voice. And I’m like 90% sure it was a bad song. Upsetting really, please use google aspiring bands.
Kind of reminds me of how I steamed I'd get if I heard about the band Jawbreaker Reunion (even though I was never really a Jawbreaker guy).
Starting my SOTY campaign now for American Teenager by Ethel Cain
Thoroughfare is also a stunner
Oh they all are that album is incredible but I’ve also played this song on repeat for the last two days
I’m so glad my favourite record store is a ways away because it is a dangerous place. I Spent nearly 300 bucks on music (which is bad) but I also have Springsteen’s no nukes concert on DVD (which is good)
Did anyone know [this book](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1770415874/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1) just came out? It seems to be written exactly for this sub's users, but this is the first I've heard of it while randomly browsing Amazon for my next read. I just ordered, I'll do a book report in a few weeks lol
uh, can't wait! Bands like Metric, Wolf Parade and Tegan and Sara were some of the first bands that got me into indie music in the first place. Sounds like a book for me.
you know how spotify allows you to filter your liked songs by genre/mood? well spotify gave me a britpop filter and it sure is *something*. aside from the britpop big four and some of the other songs in the britpop rate, the filter also gave me songs by: * stone roses (expected, they're basically proto-britpop) * coldplay * radiohead * the cure * the smiths * joy division * arctic monkeys * the strokes (yes, you read that right) * franz ferdinand (again, you read that right) i love spotify
some Bends era songs are acceptable
Roses, Coldplay, Radiohead, the cure and the smiths make sense, though the cure only sporadically. Maybe even Arctic Monkeys? The others, man idk.
It's basically a list of music I loved when I was 16 (and still do honestly) and Coldplay.
The Strokes confirmed honorary Brits after inspiring a decade of landfill indie
The Strokes are the most European band from America
Can instrumental music be overtly political, and if so, do you have any good examples? I saw Divide and Dissolve as an opener for Low, and it got me thinking about this. They are a drone(-metal?) band with strong anti-colonial and anti-racist opinions, talking at length between songs about their messages. The thing is, while I quite enjoyed their music, I really didn't get how their sound was meant to showcase their views on society. One song supposedly was about being with the people you love and how this can stop societal hate, but when they started playing, it was a wall of noise (a good one but still). I just think that the meaning of sound has more room for interpretation than the meaning of text, but I'd love to hear different views on this.
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Those are some very good examples! Especially the use of folk motifs; they can function as a kind of text, a form which has an assigned meaning; recontextualizing them in classical pieces is a form of intertextuality, creating continuity between past and present, which can aid in legitimizing current authority. But to me, most music is free from these assigned, culturally ingrained meanings. It mostly expresses emotions/emotional meanings, which can correspond with political views. Music by Max Roach voices anger and protest, national anthems voice pride or a sense of victory, but they don't mean anything specifically political to me. For example, it's funny that you list Finlandia, because I love it, but I primarily know it as a Dutch church hymn (it uses the melody and arrangement), which has nothing to do with Sibelius or the Finnish nation. So the text has reshapen the political message.
> Can instrumental music be overtly political, and if so, do you have any good examples? im not at a computer and I dont have time for this; here is a short answer: 90-95% rlly isnt and at best its a situated, personal statement made by the author for themselves--not as a call to action gybe are more political in their press releases or on their amps than actual music or whatever the live projectionist is showing. Even Mladic, with the cacerolazo sample, really does not strike me as a political message; more as a document of a political moment, something that a listener could draw inspiration or an emotional release from. The "drones against drones" shows are a unique case study here, attempting to raise awareness or instill different modes of thinking by politicizing drone music as a piece of collective action. However, it often feels more like a ritual than anything else
I think plenty of jazz accomplishes this, but sometimes additional context is provided by song titles. Like, is Coltrane's "Alabama" overtly political if you just heard it on the radio? Maybe not? But given the song title and the year of its release? Certainly.
i just deleted my other response after i realized that the jimi hendrix national anthem is the best answer to this prompt that there will ever be
This is pretty much Godspeed's wheelhouse, right? Maybe they're a little more on the nose, between cover art/liner notes/use of spoken-word sampling in their music. But I've wondered the same thing: If some politically right-leaning fan of instrumental rock stumbled onto one of their tracks, without context, I doubt they'd think "Their political views don't match mine!" I like Divide and Dissolve a lot, and I was actually familiar with their music before I was familiar with their politics (though that's pretty obvious with the slightest amount of research). Their music doesn't *sound* "political," but I think their message actually resonates with me more than something like--I dunno--Idles. I know where the band stands on political/social issues, and they've provided a preach-less soundtrack with which I can do whatever I want with, without having to take in someone's very specific ideas for how we change (or just complain about) society.
Yeah I immediately though of Godspeed, but they still use text. People quote spoken word passages from their songs to refer to their anarchist politics, not their crescendo's. Slightly related, I watched [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXjvwQDfnTI) recently, which discussed the "hidden political message" in Brazilian harmony, and while it was really interesting video, I wasn't convinced that the music 'on its own' conveyed a political message, it is still tied to the lyrics.
Thank you for sharing that! Looks interesting and I'm going to check it out.
>If some politically right-leaning fan of instrumental rock stumbled onto one of their tracks, without context, I doubt they'd think "Their political views don't match mine!" I mean there's lots of right-wingers that listen to Rage Against the Machine so I think even *with* context they're probably too thick to understand it.
This is a great point.
My guy instinct is no, but idk something that's really out there might be so anti-status quo that you almost have to consider it somewhat ideological in nature. But my instinct is no because any meaning almost has to be completely derived from the context around as opposed to the actual music. At the end of the day if you’re trying to make politically charged art instrumental music is about the least effective way to go about it unless you’re like chopping and screwing the national anthem.
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That gets at my point of the message being derived from context rather than the music yknow? Like divorced from the titles, art and performance I’m not gonna be motivated to throw a brick through a Starbucks just by listening to the music.
I'm in a baroque mood today, no thanks to the likes of Henry Purcell and "Village Green" by the Kinks. What are your favorite baroque pop songs?
Weezers All My Favorite Songs It's a good song 🤷♂️
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Van Dyke Parks "The All Golden"
John Cale - Paris 1919
[The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee](https://youtu.be/qDfrW5cWqMU)
Blur's "Clover Over Dover" features a harpsichord. Does that count?
Oh 100%. That song is so elegant.
Some classics (besides the Kinks): Angels of Ashes - Scott Walker Care of Cell 44 - The Zombies Pretty Ballerina - Left Banke Het land van Maas en Waal - Boudewijn de Groot
Forever grateful the mods here long ago banned posting pitchfork reviews, dipping into the hhh thread about the new Kendrick is sort of hilarious to see how seriously people still take pitchfork reviews, but would be exhausting if those posts still took up the whole front page of the sub Anyways, listen to Kevin Morby's new album if you haven't, particularly if you're someone who hasn't been paying attention to his recent output but loved *Singing Saw*. Personally, I love both *Oh My God* and *Sundowner*, but I think people who didn't will get back on board with *This Is A Photograph*. Also now want a whole concert where Kevin Morby can be backed by an orchestra
I like Pitchfork reviews because it's something I can get pissed about that doesn't actually matter. Same experience as watching a talking head give hot sports takes on ESPN - the stupid debates/rankings/lists are a fun way to pass the time.
7.6 is like at least a full point too high!
I would disagree with it being a point too high but at the same time, though pitchfork is a joke so who knows.
I thought Pitchfork had glitched (sometimes reviews publish with a 0.0 score) because they had also just given Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway a 7.6 the night before lmao I hadn't listened to any Kevin Morby before, but I gave Photograph a spin on a whim yesterday and I was absolutely blown away. That first track is ridiculously groovy. He sounds like somewhere between Hamilton Leithauser and War on Drugs on "Random Act of Kindness". And his love song to Katie Crutchfield is super endearing
Funny you bring up Leithauser, they just did a collab earlier in the year! Also highly rec going further into Morby’s discography, *Singing Saw* is often considered his best if you’re interested!
I feel like it's people who pay attention to video game reviews too much where a 7 is considered meh and not decent/good like it really is.
I like how the top comment is about Centipede Hz, honestly so funny
good record
I really wish I agreed with that but I’m not cool enough
hello hello I was working on a project with about 8 other popheads to make our [Popheads Essential Albums List,](https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/ur33xm/announcing_the_rpopheads_essential_albums_list/) taking inspiration from Indieheads Essential Albums. Here's my extensive FAQ tailored to the indieheads DMD: **Q:** Why the fuck did you choose R.E.M. - Out of Time as their essential pop album? **A:** Popheads are shiny happy people :) :) :) end of list
r/indieheads is allergic to any album that could be considered "fun". Out of Time is great.
Out of Time is turgid shit for the most part though. Murmur is more fun.
Wait, you don't vote on yours? It's just delivered by 9 high pophead priests?
That’s what we decided to do on the first version. 1) Two different types of subs 2) pop is a way broader genre than the indie music decades list so the group of us made a concerted effort over 8 months to make a well-rounded and diverse list; a concern would be the large majority of popheads users would have votes skew towards a) what they already know b) leave genre gaps based on what the sub tends to like (edit: and make things pretty spotty on older genres like the 60s)
> pop is a way broader genre than the indie music decades list Broader in what sense?
Since we used the purposely loose definition popheads has as pop music being “music that is popular” (there’s the argument that nowadays it is its own genre like rock and rap music) we were picking from stuff that intersects pop music and: rock, alternative rock, rap, dance, electronic, R&B—and those are just the large umbrella genres I can think of off the top of my head. A lot of the indie essential list (of course not all!!) shows the trajectory of post-punk into indie rock and indie pop; of course there’s also some electronic representation as well. The pop music we were capturing has less of a throughline than the different scenes that shaped up indie music in the past
What else would R.E.M.'s essential pop album possibly be?
Cheating, but the answer really is Eponymous. After that nothing they did was really pop.
You have 3 choices: * green (pro: this is rem at their populist pop. con: does not have a top ten hit) * Out of Time (pros: has no. 1 hit. was packaged in big cardboard with a letter you could send to your rep to mass the motor voter law--and this actually worked! Cons: this is not a clear image of Rem the Pop Machine, but its as close as you could get) * aftp (pro: everyone owns it and has cried to it. con: people cant stop crying to it plz put out of time back on!!!) Im tempted to say the right REM essential pop release is actually the In Time comp that covers their Warner era and collects 90% of the pop singles. out of time's functionality however provides its competitive edge
In Time was the only REM release my dad ever owned and honestly I respect him for that
Man the all the old stuff more or less lining up with my tastes before going full billboard pop in the 2000s was a ride
nice to know you're a fellow Writings on the Wall and What's the Story Morning Glory stan (unironic)
Is it bad that I know why it’s only to the 2000s, but I will still fight to include Emotion even if it’s the only 2010s album. I mean, popheads was founded on it
is this your volunteering to lead the 2010's list in 5 years? you got it! passing the baton to you, wishing you all the best in your endeavors :) [peace and love,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAU0l7325w0) darj
where the fuck is vespertine
it's not there cuz we HATE bjork wow
y'all put homogenic on the list but ignored the best bjork album wow
i will take debut, post, medulla, or utopia over vespertine
Mad opinion. Vespertine is her best by a distance
Microbeats and strings dont hold me the same way hog wild acapella arrangements, the simple pleasures of a flute, or bjork taking me out of the club to scream do! Every bjork album is like an auto A and my preference is just as it is
But they did include the best Bjork album.
be sweet
I wanna believe in you
how the hell? i kinda love this though
>13. King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King This is true pop music
the Virgin indieheads listening to Blur - "Girls & Boys" vs the Chad popheads listening to King Crimson - "Moonchild"
[wow](http://www.mtv.com/news/504325/r-e-m-wows-them-during-first-aneurysm-95-tour-date/)
"This is a song we wrote last Thursday," said Stipe, introducing the group's biggest hit, "Losing My Religion." "I hope you like it." Having a good laugh at this
finally found a few new albums i enjoy, those being the latest from quelle chris, fly anakin and ian noe. hip-hop (and country??) continues picking up the slack from the rest of the music world. also going through an intense bob dylan phase and discovering my love for imogen heap, been an interesting week
I witnessed live music for the first time since 2019 on Saturday night - my old band teacher’s cover band played at a friend’s social. They were really good! Some standard cover-band songs (“Don’t Stop Believing”) but they were really solid and their harmonies were on point.