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Post by Kapitan on Apr 8, 2020 19:19:06 GMT
Speaking of COVID-19 and its effect on the industry, I know it sounds strange how COVID-19 could possibly be a positive, but countless musicians/songwriters - like Brian Wilson - could hunker down in a/their studio and do some serious writing and recording. I mean, they literally have nothing else to do musically, they have all the time in the world, and what better way to direct their energies. I've read of a few (younger...much younger) artists doing that.
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Post by kds on Apr 8, 2020 19:24:20 GMT
That makes sense. One thing I don't think has come up yet, we're now over five years removed from NPP, and there doesn't seem to be a follow up coming anytime soon (even before COVID-19 shut the industry down). So, it could go down as the final album released by Brian Wilson. Overall, I'd say it wouldn't be a bad way to call it a studio career. Although, truth be told, I'd love nothing more than for his studio career to come full circle with another Beach Boys album on par with TWGMTR. Speaking of COVID-19 and its effect on the industry, I know it sounds strange how COVID-19 could possibly be a positive, but countless musicians/songwriters - like Brian Wilson - could hunker down in a/their studio and do some serious writing and recording. I mean, they literally have nothing else to do musically, they have all the time in the world, and what better way to direct their energies. I suspect some writers will come out of this with a new stash of songs, and there will be a mad rush to see who can put out an album with Quarantine in the title first. I'm less certain Brian would be one of them, as later Brian seems to work best with a collaborator. Of course, he could always do virtual writing sessions with a Joe Thomas or......Mike Love?
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Post by kds on Apr 8, 2020 19:32:49 GMT
I've thought a lot about that: was this the end of Brian Wilson's studio career? Maybe it warrants its own thread, I don't know. But it's kind of ironic that someone known for his studio brilliance and an aversion to live performance seems to be going out with half a decade (and counting) of touring with no new studio product. That would be interesting if that's how the Brian saga ended.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 8, 2020 20:12:20 GMT
I suspect some writers will come out of this with a new stash of songs, and there will be a mad rush to see who can put out an album with Quarantine in the title first. Quasi have already released "The Quarantine Demos." (I haven't ever heard of Quasi, either...) So I guess they win.
The famous pop/dance artist Charli XCX announced she is using isolation to make a new fully DIY album.
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Post by kds on Apr 9, 2020 12:10:02 GMT
I suspect some writers will come out of this with a new stash of songs, and there will be a mad rush to see who can put out an album with Quarantine in the title first. Quasi have already released "The Quarantine Demos." (I haven't ever heard of Quasi, either...) So I guess they win.
The famous pop/dance artist Charli XCX announced she is using isolation to make a new fully DIY album.
Well, I know I've been waiting for the next Charli XCX album to drop. I honestly think the DIY quarantine album concept would work far more for artists like her, and various pop artists than it would for rock bands / artists. I don't see Brian coming out of this with his version of Nebraska or American Recordings.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 12:20:09 GMT
Hey I said she was famous, not that she was good or that I cared!
I think the one-man-band indie rock style has been the predominant one in that genre for probably 10-15 years, and so frankly this doesn't even necessarily alter the processes of that sort of so-called auteur artist. The true bands would struggle with the idea, of course. But the multi-instrumentalists, the folkies, the laptop types, they could certainly do something.
It's funny you mention Nebraska, because that's exactly what the right artist could do.
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Post by kds on Apr 9, 2020 12:41:47 GMT
Hey I said she was famous, not that she was good or that I cared!
I think the one-man-band indie rock style has been the predominant one in that genre for probably 10-15 years, and so frankly this doesn't even necessarily alter the processes of that sort of so-called auteur artist. The true bands would struggle with the idea, of course. But the multi-instrumentalists, the folkies, the laptop types, they could certainly do something.
It's funny you mention Nebraska, because that's exactly what the right artist could do.
I know this is another "get off my lawn" type comment from me, but I seriously doubt that there are any younger artists who could pull off a Nebraska type album. Maybe somebody will prove me wrong. You know what's sad, with the later half of 2019 dominated by the likes of Billie Eilish and Lizzo, Charli XCX would sound like a breath of fresh air.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 12:51:42 GMT
Oh I didn't even necessarily mean it had to be a younger artist. Just anyone.
I think there are plenty of musicians who could put out a really good DIY album. Whether it would live up to Nebraska is probably an unfair comparison, in that Nebraska is one of the top 100 (at least) albums of all time. A lot of great musicians will never make a Nebraska.
But a good album? That could happen. Any good artist with the technical capabilities to do it him/herself could theoretically do it.
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Post by kds on Apr 9, 2020 13:08:32 GMT
Oh I didn't even necessarily mean it had to be a younger artist. Just anyone.
I think there are plenty of musicians who could put out a really good DIY album. Whether it would live up to Nebraska is probably an unfair comparison, in that Nebraska is one of the top 100 (at least) albums of all time. A lot of great musicians will never make a Nebraska.
But a good album? That could happen. Any good artist with the technical capabilities to do it him/herself could theoretically do it.
Yeah, I could see an older artist doing it. Although, unpopular opinion, I think overall Nebraska is somewhat overrated, but I mentioned it because I know it's a much revered album. You know who I've love to hear do any album like that? A former Brian Wilson collaborator, Jimmy Buffett. Buffett's earlier albums are full of great acoustic based ballads, and even now in concert, he'll typically conclude each show by himself, doing one of those songs. I think he sort of went all the way trop rock when the Parrothead thing took off in the 1980s, but I think he could pull that off.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 13:14:06 GMT
The first guy who comes to my mind is John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats), who actually is doing it. I haven't spent the time to listen or dig in, but I noticed he has been putting out what seem to me based on the titles to be new songs on YouTube.
As someone whose career began some 25 years back with primarily guitar-and-voice recordings, a guy known as a songwriter-lyricist for whom studio musicians have become increasingly important, but who obviously didn't start with them and doesn't need them, he makes sense.
And if he does happen to write specifically about these times, as an award-winning novelist as well as being a songwriter, he'd be a great guy to capture the experience.
Back to Brian, I actually could imagine him rising to the occasion with a very, very sad song. A guy who has often written about loneliness, solitude, isolation in a simple but sometimes deep way, in theory something great could come from him. I seriously doubt he'd have the will to do even a song, and am confident he wouldn't have the energy or inclination to do an album. But if he did (a song), it could be really good.
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Post by kds on Apr 9, 2020 13:22:01 GMT
Back to Brian, I actually could imagine him rising to the occasion with a very, very sad song. A guy who has often written about loneliness, solitude, isolation in a simple but sometimes deep way, in theory something great could come from him. I seriously doubt he'd have the will to do even a song, and am confident he wouldn't have the energy or inclination to do an album. But if he did (a song), it could be really good.
I could see that, if properly motivated. But, probably more than any other artist, I hope Brian takes some time to enjoy this mandated down time.
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Post by B.E. on Aug 19, 2020 18:17:42 GMT
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 19, 2020 19:03:23 GMT
Thanks for this! And a new posting, too. One funny thing, he always says "Brian Wilson." Like "and so I'm there and Brian Wilson says X, and then Brian Wilson is like Y, and..." etc.
EDIT: Most interesting, "Hold On, Dear Brother" was Nate's idea. That's really cool. (He says the band lit up with delight at getting to do an obscure tune."
He also is rude to Mike Love. "Who wants to fuckin see Mike Love?"
EDIT 2: They really keep on the anti-Love stuff.
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Post by kds on Aug 19, 2020 19:15:38 GMT
Well, if you're going to discuss The Beach Boys, while remaining cool, you have to namecheck Brian Wilson, Pet Sounds, at least one non hit from 1968-77, and say something derogatory about Mike. So, all boxes checked.
That was pretty interesting, and I guess the fact that Nate selected Hold On, Dear Brother is why is didn't survive the BW & Friends Show (which, if you're going to own ONE Brian Wilson live DVD, this is the one) and make it onto the NPP show.
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Post by B.E. on Aug 19, 2020 19:24:46 GMT
Yeah, I was taken aback a little by the Mike bashing from a fellow professional, but the unrestrained nature of the conversation probably made his insights regarding Brian a little more interesting and credible.
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