[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

^

Dancing In Your Head (1977)

Hell yeah man, OC & Prime Time. Shit is classic!

[Mortte Jousimo]

Originally Posted by evollove

Okay. I just wasted an hour listening to Tommy, which is worse than I remembered, although the riff to "I'm Free" is better than I remembered. So boring, so few good tunes, and such a stupid, stupid story.

This was a hit and Arthur bombed? I wonder if Ray considered suicide.
What? By whom?

Here´s lines from Wikipedia´s Arthur sites:

The album was critically acclaimed at the time of release, especially in the US rock press.[31] It was favourably compared to contemporary works, namely Tommy by The Who, released earlier in the year.[31] In Rolling Stone magazine, Arthur was spotlighted in its lead section, with back-to-back reviews by Mike Daly and Greil Marcus.[28] Daly called it "an album that is a masterpiece on every level: Ray Davies' finest hour, the Kinks' supreme achievement".[2] Rolling Stone reviewer J.R. Young also praised the record, and said: "Less ambitious than Tommy, and far more musical ... Arthur is by all odds the best British album of 1969. It shows that Pete Townshend still has worlds to conquer and that The Beatles have a lot of catching up to do." A review by Sal Imam ran in Boston's Fusion magazine read that "If Tommy was the greatest rock opera, then Arthur most surely is the greatest rock musical."[28][31] Writing in his Consumer Guide column of The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave the record a positive review, saying, although Ray Davies' lyrics could get "preachy at times", that the album featured "excellent music and production".

There is nothing about plagiarism accusations, I can´t find where I read it now. There has said Arthur project started lot earlier than it´s release so the plagiarism accusations was unneccessary. Anyway Athur has compared to Tommy and I think it´s for reason. I think similarities is just coming for that time. And I don´t think it´s not impossible if Davies & Townshend had played themselves their masterpieces before their release, it´s was quite common in that time (I don´t have any ideas were Towshend & Davies friends, but the friendship between rockstars was common in that time).

Again I can´t say how good Tommy´s lyrics are when I am not english spoken. But I think Tommy´s story is not just a fool hippie story with indian & drug use influences. I think it has many important things from a man psycholical development in a certain kind of family (Tommy could also be a symbol of those kids who are not seen in their family). Also, I see there important themes from religion & how mankind acts. I think Tommy is like Pink Floyd the Wall seen just a reflection of it´s makers artistic egoism, which they´re not. And I don´t see Tommy very erotic. There is just that sick Uncle Ernie. That kind of things sadly happened in the world and to put those in the art doesn´t make that art disgusting. Lou Reed wrote sick things so do you think he´s art is embarrassing?

And again, you seem to concentrate on lyrics. I find the most greatness in music. Both Arthur & Tommy deserves more than just one listening.

And Severian you´re not alone. I haven´t seen anyone else after me than Pookie saying Who´s 1965-1975 Records great here in SYG. Here Tommy is judged generally. And after that Pookie´s comment there were big silence. Like he´s just confessed he`s big Wham & George Michael fan (I don´t have anything against Wham or George Michael listeners, just thinking Wham & GM are horrible, but you know what I mean).

[Mortte Jousimo]

Originally Posted by gmku

 

I don't spin this enough. Such a great album, in the old rock and roll way. The Flamin Groovies made some good albums.

Yes!

[Bytor Peltor]

Home alone, reclining in the dark because we have no power due to the storms......listening to various tracks by, Sun City Girls on my phone.

This very well may the perfect Friday afternoon!

[Severian]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

klin-klin-klin-klin-klin-klin-klin-klin...

don't know what goes on what side but it's true it changed midway.

Wait, are we talking about Turn on the Bright Lights or Antics?

It's true, the first half of TOTBL really does hold up, at least musically. The first song haunts me... NYC is equally disarming... Obstacle 2 and PDA are just too good to not love, despite the so-so lyrics. The last minute of PDA is superb.

The rest of the album is really quite silly, though I think the music would have worked if the lyrics had been a bit more obscured, or possibly in a different language.

It totally clear that they were all about Joy Division, Wire, the Cure, etc. but I think that first record was a step above a straight soulless ripoff. while the JD influence was there, Interpol never put out anything that truly sounded like Joy Division. They had "Disorder" moments, but nothing like the frosty dark procession of "Day of the Lords" or anything from Closer.

[EDIT:] Antics, though - I am not a fan. Great album title though. Seriously.

[Severian]

Actually I don't want to start a beef or anything, so let me redact that comment about Antics "just plain suck[ing]" ...

The truth is that I enjoyed some of the singles from the album well enough, but the fact that the music videos for those singles would play on 5 screens at Fred Meijer on repeat really turned me off. Also I didn't hear anything in the singles that hit me the way the opening track or PDA did from Bright Lights.

2003/4 - 2009/10 was a really bad period for indie rock. I think it might have actually killed indie rock as we knew it in the '90s. All these brainy college rock bands, who would've been vying for he spot of Pavement or GBV of the 00s were instead rocketed into fame on a whole other level. I think the only band that came out of this unscathed was Deerhunter, who luckily clung to adventurous weirdness while Arcade Fire were off winning Grammies.

What was I saying again?
Oh yeah, sorry if I insulted any Antics/Interpol fans. I haven't listened to anything after Antics from start to finish, so I shouldn't judge.

[!@#$%!]

i don't think bright lights sucks completely but that album is pretty poor to be branded one of the better records of that decade by the likes of pitchfork. the rating is cackle-worthy. i think some tracks in that album are okay, they don't make me want to poke my eardrums with an icepick, but if that's the best music of the decade then we should burn down that decade as a fucking disgrace.

see: http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-...he-2000s-20-1/

but of course we don't have to, because there were much better records that didn't sound like an imitation of an imitation of weak tea. they were just underreported.

but yes, indie rock is pretty much dead. and that's okay. nothing gold can stay, lololololol.

[Severian]

I think Deerhunter is a magnificent band. I've loved them since their first record. They didn't have the flash in the pan stink of the Shins, or the utterly dismal post-breakthrough album track record of Interpol and Trail of Dead.

they're one of the only bigger name indie bands that still holds my attention. And I think they were the best of the 00's, aside from the older bands who matured and grew into awesome new versions of themselves, like Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth and Wilco.

Best "indie" bands of the last few years have been Black Bug, Dub Thompson, maybe Perfect Pussy, maybe Viet Cong. But those first two aren't likely to get a nod of recognition from most folks. But they're both explosive fucking bands.

[Mortte Jousimo]

My morning started very well listening this great, really underrated album:
Love Sculpture: Forms and Feelings

[evollove]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

indie rock is pretty much dead. and that's okay. nothing gold can stay, lololololol.

As far as I can tell, "indie pop" has taken over. Melodic, slightly quirky, occasionally unusual instruments. More toe-tapping than foot-stomping.

http://theindierockplaylist.com/

I was told the guitar was dead in 1989. Then shoegaze happened. Something good will come along, I'm sure. The guitar-drums-voice combo is just too powerful to die, and there's no fucking way a laptop or even a ukulele can be a permanent replacement. We're just in the desert now, for the most part.

Hm. I seem to be in an unusually optimistic mood today.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Severian

Deerhunter is a magnificent band.

i don't know that the beatles-evoking ensamble that recorded monomania is even the same band that did the excellent cryptograms-- im not talking about deaths & replacements really, but while deerhunter got a lot of praise around these parts in their earlier days, it's now a lot more easy-listening/dumber band that at times approaches oasis. still good, though not as good---but i won't bitch about it ha ha

 

Originally Posted by evollove

As far as I can tell, "indie pop" has taken over.

yes! yes...

Originally Posted by evollove

The guitar-drums-voice combo is just too powerful to die

since the days of the blues. but so are brass bands and therefore preservation hall. and so is the piano, or the violin...

[Severian]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

i don't know that the beatles-evoking ensamble that recorded monomania is even the same band that did the excellent cryptograms-- im not talking about deaths & replacements really, but while deerhunter got a lot of praise around these parts in their earlier days, it's now a lot more easy-listening/dumber band that at times approaches oasis. still good, though not as good---but i won't bitch about it ha ha

Well, yeah there's definitely a big difference between Turn it Up Faggot! or the incredible, immersive, soaring celestial noise of Cryptograms and ... Well, anything that came after. Not just Monomania.

I too had a hefty respect for their early work, and have at times struggled to reconcile post-Cryptograms Deerhunter with the band I initially fell in love with. I actually didn't really like Microcastle as a whole... And I still don't listen to all of it. But it has enough excellent songs to warrant the occasional spin.

I thought they came back in a way with Halcyon Digest, which had a more traditional art-rock feel to it, almost like REM. Monomania sure sounds different but the songs are still tight and occasionally touch on perfection.

I think their transformation from noise to noise-rock to noise-pop to garages jangle has been no more of a shock than the changes Sonic Youth made to their sound between Bad Moon Rising / Evol and, say, Dirty / Experimental Jet Set. And I don't think Sonic Youth ever sounded like Oasis.

And seriously, Oasis? Have you ever even heard Oasis? They'd have to take lessons in irony and subtlety from Jim fucking O'Rourke for years to make an album that wasn't just Butt Rock. I think you're being really hard on Deerhunter with that comparison, brother.
Imagine Oasis making a song where the chorus was crafted around a series of whispered *huffs* into the microphone.... You might as well compare Deerhunter to Kings of Leon. No fair.

[!@#$%!]

ha ha ha

i like microcastles just fine-- it's more structured but it's not dumb... monomania..."tight" but a little bit dumb... hence-- oasisfied. ha ha ha.

i said approaches not equates though. tendencies, you know. not absolutes.

like a compass needle that points at the north but isn't in it.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

ha ha ha

i like microcastles just fine-- it's more structured but it's not dumb... monomania..."tight" but a little bit dumb... hence-- oasisfied. ha ha ha.

i said approaches not equates though. tendencies, you know.

Well, I'm lumping in the first two Atlas Sound albums with the greater Deerhunter "brand," and those records were incredible. What the fuck happened on Parallax? Yuck!

But you know, even Deerhunter seems very "old" to me at this point. It's been 8½ years since Cryptograms. Monomania came and went with very little fanfare. I just realized that I haven't even thought about them for a good year before bringing them up in this thread. If they have a new album coming, I don't know about it.

Times they are a-changin'

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Severian

Times they are a-changin'

they never stopped. and speaking of that-- and of violin and pianos earlier-- i'm about to start a bout of work while listening to beethoven's kreutzer sonata.

i love it not just because the way it sounds, which is great, but also because it reminds me of the tolstoy novella of the same name-- the one in which a wife killer rants about the terrible shortcomings of romantic love by comparing it to the emotional whirlwinds and emptiness of the kreutzer sonata.

i'm down with whirlwinds though. beethoven had more rocknroll than most, ha ha.

[gmku]

Originally Posted by Bytor Peltor

Home alone, reclining in the dark because we have no power due to the storms......listening to various tracks by, Sun City Girls on my phone.

This very well may the perfect Friday afternoon!

I need to get some Sun City Girls records.

[!@#$%!]

is this the worst record cover ever?

 

probably-- it's so cheesy in the way contemporary "classical" covers try to market female players as hot babes. but still, good record.

[schizophrenicroom]

it looks like a very uncomfortably wrapped bed sheet

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by schizophrenicroom

it looks like a very uncomfortably wrapped bed sheet

i know! satin sheets even, for the worst idea of "sexay". even though tolstoy decried the kreutzer sonata as a disturbing aphrodisiac, this look is common to all sorts of recordings

she's a fantastic violinist though...

but observe how men are portrayed instead (same composition on 1/2 the record, same label, not sure of the difference in years)

 

from this juxtapositon one deduces

men = serious business
women = sultry sultanas

i'd like to see a photo of a barefoot pinchas zuckerman with pirate pantaloons and a puffy shirt open down to his navel, showing his pecs and abs, like some romance novel hero, ha ha ha ha. (no i wouldn't like that. but that would be the equivalent.)

[schizophrenicroom]

isn't that sad? and i had never heard of zuckerman before, but now that image is infinitely amusing