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Post by Kapitan on Oct 8, 2019 22:00:57 GMT
And here are a bunch of songs, not remotely in order, from the same period. I'm positive both in albums and songs that I've missed some I'd probably rate quite high, but oh well. That's what half-assed list-making gets you.
Cotton Mather with Nicole Atkins, Girl Friday The Beach Boys, From There to Back Again Vampire Weekend, This Life Stanley Brinks, Orange Juice Kacey Musgraves, Merry Go Round Herman Dune, Don't Lie to Me Of Montreal, Dour Percentage Mark Ronson feat. Mystikal, Feel Right Weyes Blood, Everyday Azealia Banks, Nude Beach A-Go-Go
David Bowie, I Can't Give Everything Away Earl Sweatshirt, Chum HAIM, Want You Back Vampire Weekend, We Belong Together The Noisettes, That Girl Vampire Weekend, Cousins Herman Dune, Crazy Blue Dawes, Just My Luck Kishi Bashi, The Ballad of Mr. Steak Of Montreal, Sex Karma
Janelle Monae, Tightrope Meghan Trainor, All About That Bass Domo Genesis, Dapper Beyonce, Hold Up Brian Wilson, Saturday Night on Hollywood Boulevard Kacey Musgraves, Dandelion Fiona Apple, Werewolf David Bowie, Blackstar Meghan Trainor, Title Jeremy Messersmith, Lazy Bones
Sharon Van Etten, I Know Of Montreal, Fugitive Air The Beach Boys, Isn't It Time Taylor Swift, Shake It Off Gotye, Somebody That I Used To Know Dawes, Stay Down Jakob Dylan, Nothin But the Whole Wide World Girls, Honey Bunny Jeremy Messersmith, Fast Times in Minnesota Robyn, Hang With Me
Mountain Goats, Southwestern Territory Carly Rae Jepsen, Cut to the Feeling Loretta Lynn feat. Willie Nelson, Lay Me Down Dolly Parton, Don't Think Twice Belle & Sebastian, We Were Beautiful Paul McCartney, NEW Ramesh, Requiem Pharrell Williams, Happy Fast Romantics, Julia Eleanor Friedberger, Stare at the Sun
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 8, 2019 22:50:50 GMT
So going back to the premise of that Pitchfork post a while back, they were doing the best songs and albums of the '10s. I didn't QUITE go that far in terms of ranking, but for some friends I did put together some rough groupings. First, here are some albums I like from that time period.
The Beach Boys, That's Why God Made the Radio (2012)
Hey, I know one! Although you did post some selections from the Springsteen and HAIM albums.
Getting back to when I/we/us started to lose touch with today's new music, I started to fade at about age 35. I think Nirvana is the last "new" band I liked.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 8, 2019 23:05:53 GMT
Funny, they were the first new band I hated.
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Post by kds on Oct 9, 2019 12:11:41 GMT
Funny, they were the first new band I hated.
Same here. When Nirvana got back around 1992 or so is usually the dividing line I use for the decline of rock music. Although I feel like grunge / alternative didn't fully take over until around 1993 or 1994, as I recall the summer of 1992 still being very GNR and Metallica heavy on modern rock radio.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 9, 2019 12:22:18 GMT
Yes, as I remember it, the very early 90s were a moment of the cyclical “rock is dead” cries. Yes, Nirvana broke, but country, pop, and rap were also having moments. Then in ’91 (I think it was) Guns and Roses, Van Halen, and Metallica all had massive hits and albums that all reached #1, if I’m not mistaken. But don’t trust my creaky old memory. Anyway, yeah, Nirvana inspired the major labels to go to Seattle and sign every band there. Naturally there was a little lag, so a lot of the grunge wave was a year or two delayed. Then you had the copycat bands following up, and the mislabeling of everything as “alternative.” (Hootie & the Blowfish, Sheryl Crow, Weezer, Gin Blossoms, Pearl Jam, Beck … these were the same genre?) That was precisely when I gave up on modern music for a while.
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Post by kds on Oct 9, 2019 12:35:50 GMT
Yes, as I remember it, the very early 90s were a moment of the cyclical “rock is dead” cries. Yes, Nirvana broke, but country, pop, and rap were also having moments. Then in ’91 (I think it was) Guns and Roses, Van Halen, and Metallica all had massive hits and albums that all reached #1, if I’m not mistaken. But don’t trust my creaky old memory. Anyway, yeah, Nirvana inspired the major labels to go to Seattle and sign every band there. Naturally there was a little lag, so a lot of the grunge wave was a year or two delayed. Then you had the copycat bands following up, and the mislabeling of everything as “alternative.” (Hootie & the Blowfish, Sheryl Crow, Weezer, Gin Blossoms, Pearl Jam, Beck … these were the same genre?) That was precisely when I gave up on modern music for a while. That timeline is correct. Those 1991 albums from GNR, VH, and Metallica were massive, and went into 1992, and even in 1993, as I remember GNR was still releasing singles / videos from Use Your Illusion into late 1993. Even Def Leppard was pretty big with Adrenalize in early 1992. And even though Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc broke, "hair metal" was still pretty vibrant in the early 90s. Funny thing is that even though grunge / alternative had pretty much completely taken over modern rock by 1994, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd had hit albums that year. But, yeah, it's now probably been a little over a quarter century since modern rock music lost me. But, on the other hand, I can't be certain I'd have gotten into so many classic artists had modern rock not gone to shit.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 9, 2019 13:47:29 GMT
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Post by kds on Oct 9, 2019 13:59:07 GMT
Much like their song list, this is horrible, and they even included a 2009 album. Good job. I can only assume the folks over at Pitchfork are either really trying to be cool, or actually know nothing about rock and roll. They may know a name or two like Bowie or Cohen, but everything on their lists is pretty much completely devoid of guitar driven rock music.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 9, 2019 14:17:50 GMT
The interesting thing is how prominent guitar-based rock was in its younger days. Not metal, but indie rock anyway.
My impression is they’ve made a (very woke...) concerted effort to show they AREN’T just champions of the stereotypical white boy rock scene. So they went overboard on promoting rap and pop, going to great lengths to highlight (non white) race, (non cis male) gender, and (non straight) sexual orientation at every opportunity.
(An example in the top 200 albums is their choice of lyric to quote from the tremendously gifted Earl Sweatshirt: “there ain’t a black woman I can’t thank.” THAT is a brilliant lyric? Seriously? THAT deserves to be highlighted? Perfectly nice sentiment, but hardly a demonstration of the man’s skillful wordplay!)
Inclusion is great: the best music is the best music, and no real fans care about those atypical traits. But I don’t see inclusivity here, I see strained virtue signaling.
The result is probably financially rewarding for them. After all, times (and marketing approaches) change, and Pitchfork was bought by a massive media conglomerate in recent years. But it’s a shame for those of us who did love the promotion of that just-under-the-radar music of the ‘00s and now see the same outlet instead focus on the inner strength of Ariana Grande or Beyoncé.
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Post by kds on Oct 9, 2019 14:33:01 GMT
The interesting thing is how prominent guitar-based rock was in its younger days. Not metal, but indie rock anyway. My impression is they’ve made a (very woke...) concerted effort to show they AREN’T just champions of the stereotypical white boy rock scene. So they went overboard on promoting rap and pop, going to great lengths to highlight (non white) race, (non cis male) gender, and (non straight) sexual orientation at every opportunity. (An example in the top 200 albums is their choice of lyric to quote from the tremendously gifted Earl Sweatshirt: “there ain’t a black woman I can’t thank.” THAT is a brilliant lyric? Seriously? THAT deserves to be highlighted? Perfectly nice sentiment, but hardly a demonstration of the man’s skillful wordplay!) Inclusion is great: the best music is the best music, and no real fans care about those atypical traits. But I don’t see inclusivity here, I see strained virtue signaling. The result is probably financially rewarding for them. After all, times (and marketing approaches) change, and Pitchfork was bought by a massive media conglomerate in recent years. But it’s a shame for those of us who did love the promotion of that just-under-the-radar music of the ‘00s and now see the same outlet instead focus on the inner strength of Ariana Grande or Beyoncé. Yeah, I can see that. And, I think lists like this is another reason why rock fans (myself included) tend to have a bit of a chip on our shoulder. It's one thing to embrace other forms of music, but it seems like mainstream culture has gone out of its way to exclude rock music over the last two decades.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Oct 9, 2019 22:52:27 GMT
7 is the number of albums on this list that I've actually heard. 6 is the number of albums that I liked. 2 is the number of albums that I think deserve to be on that list. 0 is the number of Ezra Furman albums listed, and that is a shame, because he is absolutely my favourite artist of the 2010's.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 10, 2019 1:01:52 GMT
0 is the number of Ezra Furman albums listed, and that is a shame, because he is absolutely my favourite artist of the 2010's. Really? Interesting! I got Transangelic Exodus in 2018 and thought it was pretty good, but not great. And I've only sampled what else he's done, and not been thrilled. What do you like so much?
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Post by kds on Oct 10, 2019 12:20:43 GMT
7 is the number of albums on this list that I've actually heard. 6 is the number of albums that I liked. 2 is the number of albums that I think deserve to be on that list. 0 is the number of Ezra Furman albums listed, and that is a shame, because he is absolutely my favourite artist of the 2010's. My favorite artist of the 2010s, and probably favorite artist of the last 20-25 years, Ghost, is also not represented. But, I have a feeling that the listeners over at Pitchfork would need to retreat to their safe spaces if they heard a power chord or two.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Oct 10, 2019 13:00:52 GMT
0 is the number of Ezra Furman albums listed, and that is a shame, because he is absolutely my favourite artist of the 2010's. Really? Interesting! I got Transangelic Exodus in 2018 and thought it was pretty good, but not great. And I've only sampled what else he's done, and not been thrilled. What do you like so much? I apologize in advance for the length of this… I have just found EF’s output to be so consistently great - great melodies, great songwriting, and great lyrics all together executed very well. There is a kind of purity to his music, and I find him to be very accessible, music-wise (I can see how some of his lyrical subject matter might rub some listeners the wrong way). One of my favourite things about him is that he’s so eclectic, the way he pulls in elements from blues, folk doo-wop and 50’s rock ‘n’ roll, punk, etc. He does it so… lovingly, without artifice. He’s not copying those styles, I can tell he truly loves the music he’s referencing, and I think his interpretation and usage of those styles is so effortless and just makes so much sense. His albums are cohesive, and they tend to hit all the marks in terms of fast/slow, hard/soft, and the range of emotions. I think he’s just one of the best guitar-based pop-rock songwriters of this time. He has quite a few albums so I'll focus on the ones I'm most familiar with and most into: Inside the Human Body (2008) - it's the first album of his that I heard. The first time I heard it, and the thing that stuck with me about it, is that it just had this very "pure" guitar based pop-rock vibe about it. It was pure in that I couldn't pin it down, it just sounded like "what rock of the now" (in 2008) should sound like. I was immediately taken with his voice - singing sort of recklessly. Yeah he's all over the place, his voice breaks, but that's part of the charm. There's no fear in his vocals, no fear in his lyrics, no fear in the messages, no fear in his aggressive guitar strumming. Actually it's more like the opposite - there is fear, but he just leans so deep into it, staring and yowling it into submission. My top tracks on “Human Body” are Big Deal, Take Off Your Sunglasses (reminds me of Bob Dylan on speed), The Worm in the Apple and We Should Fight (it has that delicious "sunshine guitar" sound. I don't know how else to describe it, I'm not a musician). Mysterious Power (2011) - the sound is very much a continuation of “Human Body”, but everything on here is just so good. I love Wild Rosemarie, Mysterious Power, Portrait of Maude and Too Strung Out. Heaven at the Drive-in gets an honourable mention. The Year of No Returning (2012) - so this one I’m a little more lukewarm on. I still think it’s very good, but the instropsective man-and-his acoustic-guitar thing does get a little samey after a while. The standouts on this one for me are Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Lay in the Sun and That’s When It Hit Me. Day of the Dog (2013) - I LOVE this one, but I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about it, because I consider it a prequel to his next (and best) album, Perpetual Motion People (I think it’s his Pet Sounds). So many great songs on “Dog” but the ones I’d give a shout out to are I Wanna Destroy Myself, Tell Em All to Go to Hell, Walk On In Darkness, and Anything Can Happen. Perpetual Motion People (2015) - This doo-wop, blues, and 50’s rock ‘n’ roll infused album is bar none my favourite of EF’s and it's probably in my all time top 10 albums by anyone ever. Front to back, it's just an exceptional listen in terms of the production and cohesion. The songwriting in general, the melodies, the peaks, the valleys, and the range of emotions are all breathtaking. And this one is really where I became aware of just how freaking fantastic a lyricist he is. This is someone who just pours every ounce of his pain, rage and joy into his music. There is a lot of quirk on this album but it's fused so well with the style that it's inseparable. My top tracks off this one... this is hard, because I love the whole thing so much... I'll go with Lousy Connection, Tip of a Match, Restless Year, and Haunted Head, but Ordinary Life and Can I Sleep In Your Brain get honourable mentions. Regarding Transangelic Exodus (2018)… this one I find to be kind of a one-off, a departure from the guitar-based pop-rock that I’m used to with him. It’s a lot more current in the production style, a lot more electronic. I’m not saying that’s bad, necessarily, but it does sound a bit like he was trying to crack the popular market. I would never call that selling out, I think that’s unfair. But I wouldn’t choose this as the best entry point to his catalogue, personally. To be honest, I haven’t spent a lot of time with “Exodus”, it just didn’t grab me the way his others have. So I have no standout tracks to speak of. But I will probably go back to it at some point and see if I can crack it. Twelve Nudes (2019) - This is his newest, very punk-rock release. It has currently annexed the high priority real estate next to my turntable where it hasn't left since I picked it up last month at his concert at Lee's Palace. He played pretty much the entire album at that show, and it was a brilliant, loud, raw performance and an all out pogo dancefest. Oddly the album sounds even punker and heavier on vinyl than it did live, where it somehow came across a bit more melodic. While punk isn't necessarily my go-to genre, I like his take on it. He hints at punk in some of his other albums so it's not really a complete surprise. I’m still getting to know this one but my standout tracks at the moment are I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend and Thermometer.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 10, 2019 13:21:54 GMT
Thanks for the commentary! I'll look into some of these and see whether any of them appeal to me.
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