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Post by Homer J. Fong on Nov 1, 2012 12:08:01 GMT -5
Let's talk music in the grievance thread! This is wonderful.
I don't know what it is, but I find myself endlessly bored by all the "Americana" out there these days. I find nothing truly remarkable about it. That's not to say there aren't some bands that don't do that kind of thing at a transcendant level (I'd argue that Wilco and My Morning Jacket are examples of this), but I feel like the large majority just make "okay" music. And I don't think that they're not any good - clearly they can play, and have talent - this isn't Skrillex we're talking about. It's just that I find the music to be almost uniformly bland and cannot understand how anyone gets THAT excited about it.
ITM, I know you're a Deer Tick fanatic, and to each their own. They are one of those bands that I get all "oh, I should like this" about everything they do, and it never, ever connects.
Let's talk music in the grievance thread! This is wonderful.
Whatever. It's the off season. There's only like 30 of us that are on here daily.
I don't know what it is, but I find myself endlessly bored by all the "Americana" out there these days. I find nothing truly remarkable about it. That's not to say there aren't some bands that don't do that kind of thing at a transcendant level (I'd argue that Wilco and My Morning Jacket are examples of this), but I feel like the large majority just make "okay" music.
Delta Spirit has been evolving their sound and adding different studio effects/techniques. Their latest album sounds quite a bit different from their first and I wouldn't call them Americana. Their live show is anything but Americana (which I would definitely still lump Dawes in).
Deer Tick and Dr. Dog are not Americana....to me anyway. Deer Tick started off that way (folky/americana sound) but it's a much more full rock band sound now. How much of their albums have you listened to and have you seen them live in the past year or two? They're much more "Rock and Roll" than Americana for sure. The first album or two when it was mainly a one-man show with a backing band I can see but since they've added the better lead guitarist and piano/sax player they have changed drastically. Dr. Dog are like psychedelic pop....I can't remember someone comparing them to Americana bands.
No one is jumping to defend Avett's, so can we go ahead and mark them down in the "overrated" category and call it a day?
I think they're overrated by most but I also think they're an awesome live band with a collection of some great songs. But when I tell people who don't know anything about them who I'm going to see I say "this band that is pretty good that I like but they're kinda girly and a lot of girls like their love songs. BUT THEY HAVE HIGH ENERGY!".
I think they and Mumford are overrated by a majority but I still think they're great bands. Just not the best things ever like people treat them.
OK...so what exactly IS good musical taste, anyway?
In that college radio thread I tried to start I took some (good-natured) ribbing for confessing that I played a lot of Jesus Jones back in the early 90s, and I've been thinking about that question ever since. Do you have to be a more educated listener who conforms his listening habits to a group consensus to have good taste, or can you be somebody who enjoys what he enjoys and doesn't give a damn what anybody else thinks? Or is the answer somewhere in between?
Edit: or perhaps the more educated listeners LEAD the group consensus, but to my mind that comes down to much the same thing depending on where you are in the adoption curve.
Post by itrainmonkeys on Nov 1, 2012 12:33:42 GMT -5
I think the answer is somewhere inbetween. I like The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons but I also get annoyed when people talk and boast about them like they are the new Jimi Hendrix of banjo songs. I think they are very good and deserve recognition but sometimes it gets tough to see who is an actual fan of the music and who is just in on the fad and just want to be hip.
I like The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons but I also get annoyed when people talk and boast about them like they are the new Jimi Hendrix of banjo songs.
When in fact they are the Dave Matthews Band(s) of banjocana.
I like The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons but I also get annoyed when people talk and boast about them like they are the new Jimi Hendrix of banjo songs.
When in fact they are the Dave Matthews Band(s) of banjocana.
It's definitely a better comparison. Some of my friends treat Mumford and Sons like the Beatles and what really annoys me is I was trying to show them this band a few years ago to increase their popularity/exposure (I should have just waited lol). At the time they didn't didn't care and ignored them. Now that they're bigger it's all "OH MAN....CAN THIS BAND DO ANYTHING WRONG? THEY'RE SO AMAZING!". I have friends telling me I need to listen to this awesome new band.....these same friends who I showed M&S to over 2 years ago that just shrugged it off.
Glad somebody brought up this Americana is boring thing. Generally I agree, I respect Avetts and their ilks talent but take issue with the songs themselves, which I tend not to connect emotionally with. Same with a lot of more indie bands, like Dr. Dog.
I think it has something to do with my love for Ryan Adams. After you've delved into his brand of Americana, everything else feels weak.
Recently I have been delving deeper into indie with an open mind, and have found some bands I enjoy. Not exactly Americana, but bands like Cloud Nothings and Tame Impala definitely have something to offer.
Also excited to see punk rearing its indie head. Back to save rock n roll, again! Been really digging the new Swearin record.
Having said that, someone recommend me an indie americana band with half the sheer authenticity of NY&CH and I'll buy you a creme filled from Krispy Kreme.
Dr Dog. Fantastic albums, great live show. Used to be completely americana now less so. They really range a huge number of genres depending on the show and the song.
Mumford and Sons. Pretty good albums and pretty good shows. They are poppy britamericana. Because I refuse to call someone from the UK americana.
PS my definition of Modern Americana is basically "any band that lists The Band near the top of their influences".
My grievance is that the weird dude who posts a bunch of stupid animated gifs shouldn't be allowed to use the name "scut farkus" and drag my good friend boothead's name through the dirt
My grievance is that the weird dude who posts a bunch of stupid animated gifs shouldn't be allowed to use the name "scut farkus" and drag my good friend boothead's name through the dirt
He's like you made an über troll by taking the worst parts of me (the utter disregard for other people's opinions), Phi (cluttering up threads with memes and adding nothing to a discussion) and Jess (an apparent belief that everyone else is the problem and/or arrogance without self awareness).
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Cory Chisel. AA Bondy. I think there's a lot of "Americana" type music out there that is quality stuff. I tend to go for the singer/songwriter type stuff myself.
OK...so what exactly IS good musical taste, anyway?
Mine. It's more curse than blessin' to have the absolute pinnacle in taste of music, knowin' and havin' to deal with everyone else on the planet and their sub-par ideas of what constitutes good music.
- Dawes to me is folk, not Americana. - although Deer Tick's earlier albums were very folk/Americana and that bleeds a little into Divine Providence, the show I saw was not at all Americana. Punk rock all the way (complete with john playing the guitar with his dong)
My grievance is that the weird dude who posts a bunch of stupid animated gifs shouldn't be allowed to use the name "scut farkus" and drag my good friend boothead's name through the dirt
Jesus. I saw "Scut Farkus" on a few posts and was like sh*t, they let Boothead back in here? This is disappointing.
- Dawes to me is folk, not Americana. - although their earlier albums were very folk/Americana and that bleeds a little into Divine Providence, the show I saw was not at all Americana. Punk rock all the way (complete with john playing the guitar with his dong)
I'm all for drawing lines but I think folk has become an outdated nomenclature that inspires images of some want to be Dylan singing some terrible song at a coffee shop open mic night. I will refer to things as folky but never folk. Folk died with the rise of the internet and the resulting disapproval of the folk writing tradition of stealing melodies and lyrics and making them your own. Now a days you can't do that without getting sued.
Juggs, can you suggest an alternative to all the Americana "headliners"??
EDIT: B/c I agree with you...a lot of those bands are underwhelming and only deserve to be billed in the 4-7 range IMO
We have a PM system where you can get any member of the board a message you'd want them to read. Probably going to be more efficient than waiting for him to jump back in this thread and maybe see your post.
Juggs, can you suggest an alternative to all the Americana "headliners"??
EDIT: B/c I agree with you...a lot of those bands are underwhelming and only deserve to be billed in the 4-7 range IMO
We have a PM system where you can get any member of the board a message you'd want them to read. Probably going to be more efficient than waiting for him to jump back in this thread and maybe see your post.
Juggs also appears in threads if you type "Mastodon" 3 times in succession. It's a quasi-bat signal.
