artists you don't get

[nl5xsk1 0]

I fully recognize that someone might hate "jam bands" (and believe me, there are more that I hate than like) but the idea of hating improvisation is something that I don't get.

There's nothing wrong with improvisation, but you gotta have the chops for it.

I'll defend Phish more than the Dead ... but is it safe to say that the implication is that Phish doesn't have the skills to improvise well?

 

We'll have to disagree on that one, Czech.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Phish can improvise, I was referring to the less talented jam bands. Whatever, for my spontaneous composition needs, I listen to jazz. It doesn't conjure up mud pits and patchouli oil as much as a Phish bootleg might

[The Czech Republic 0]

By the way, an Artist I Don't Get would have to be The Strokes/Vines/Hives/White Stripes

[Gary Floyd 0]

By the way, an Artist I Don't Get would have to be The Strokes/Vines/Hives/White Stripes

While I like the Hives, I'd agree with everything else you just mentioned.

[Annabelle 0]

i like the strokes. they're swell. the latest single isn't as bad as most say, iehter. although it does sound sorta hash pipe-ish.

[nl5xsk1 0]

By the way, an Artist I Don't Get would have to be The Strokes/Vines/Hives/White Stripes

If any one of those bands had come up individually I might have not disliked them as much as I currently do. But the fact that so many 'garage rock' bands came out in such a short period of time ruined them all for me.

[5_moves_of_doom 0]

I'd say the Vines were definitely the worst out of those. They're just the worst thing I've ever heard, really. Nothing to them, except that they're horrible.

 

The Hives are cartoony and harmless punk along the same lines as the Ramones, only they're not the Ramones, so it's not as cool. When I hear them I think "oh, hmph, this is good" but I don't think I could ever sit through an entire album.

 

The Strokes sound like a band trying to be average in every aspect of their sound. They have absolutely nothing original in their sound. And I don't see the Velvet Underground comparison, really. Just for the record. A few songs are okay, but... well, exactly, they're "okay."

 

The White Stripes, unlike these other three, are a band that I like. The drumming isn't *good* but there's some solid beats, and guitar playing/guitar tone is absolutely grungy-feedback-Detroit-status-deluxe. Which is a term that I just made up. But most importantly, they're catchy as hell. The Black Keys are almost exactly the same thing, only without the catchiness and the color scheme, and they really just are not that good. Plus, another thing that the Stripes don't get enough credit for is the variation of their sound. The fact that all their songs sound exactly the same is a myth, and that becomes more and more true as they evolve as a band. That said, I think that a guitar-drums two-person band can only go so far before burning out, especially when they're as committed to certain types of music as the White Stripes are. I'll give them two more albums of interesting material.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I like the Strokes. Room on Fire has a ton of good songs. I never really got why all those bands were labeled "garage-rock" or grouped together, beyond the fact that they all had "The" followed by a noun for names. They're not terribly alike, as I think even a cursory listen to their singles from around 2001/2002 shows.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Was it actually good music, or was it just three-chord three-minute rock tunes with "hooks"

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Some of both. "Whatever Happened To" and "Under Control" are probably the best. Most are around three minutes, admittedly.

[Henry Spencer 0]

Was it actually good music, or was it just three-chord three-minute rock tunes with "hooks"

 

It's not like these two terms are mutually exclusive or anything.

 

And I think I agree with 5 Moves Of Doom almost word for word in his "The" bands grading. I'd put the Strokes a bit lower, though. They bug the shit out of me, for reasons I cannot explain.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I will never understand The Smiths.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I will never understand The Smiths.

You don't not have the balls to appreciate the Smiths.

[nl5xsk1 0]

I will never understand The Smiths.

You don't not have the balls to appreciate the Smiths.

Best usage of a double negative ever .... ever.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

"This Charming Man" is a nice enough song, but Morrissey is a guy that I'd look at funny, and walk away.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Last night I dreamt that somebody loved me, Agent of Oblivion.

[Slayer 0]

Agent's pants spawned a monster

[Guest Felonies!]

Anniversary bump!

 

I re-attempted and succeeded at The Arcade Fire like a week after failing. Radiohead is still a favorite. I expanded my Lou Reed horizons and rescind my criticisms of him. I'm listening to New York right now! I still don't get Weezer. I still don't like Vyce.

[C Dubya 04 0]

I don't really think that there is anything to "get" with Weezer. You either like catchy pop-rock songs or not.

[Annabelle 0]

i take back sonic youth (especially) and tom waits.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Still don't quite get Sonic Youth. Since the time of this thread, I've turned around on Talking Heads quite a bit.

[Annabelle 0]

i think i hate the talking heads more.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I now quite strongly dislike The Velvet Underground. I gave them more than a go.

 

Add the Stones to my list. Can't find a whole album of theirs I like.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Sonic Youth is fantastic, but I can see how it's hard for some people to get a handle on them because there are more than a few tracks that are complete zeroes (e.g. much of what Kim Gordon brings to the table, especially in the later albums), increasing the odds that a random sampling of tracks will result in an underwhelming impression.

 

For me, the earlier you go in their catalogue, the better - I'm not as sold on their output from NYC Ghosts & Flowers onward. Even though Daydream Nation is (rightfully) the album that everybody would recommend as a starting point, I would definitely recommend checking out Sister, EVOL and maybe even Confusion is Sex as a follow-up. Even though the songs are more pedestrian, the first couple of SY albums might appeal to more of the musicians in the crowd, if only because they use some bizarre guitar tunings and other weird configurations (think "prepared piano", only on guitar) to generate some really dissonant and fascinating stuff.

 

As for the Velvets, I really tend to stick with the first three albums, particularly the ones with John Cale. The self-titled is a nice album, but it doesn't blow me away like the first two and I rarely listen to it. Outside of "Sweet Jane", I have little or no use for Loaded.

 

For me, I'd probably pick The Smiths, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Television. Album-wise, Trout Mask Replica and Pink Flag come to mind.

[The Man in Blak 0]

For me, Most classical music.

 

There's pieces I really like, and just thousands I can't recognize from another. I'm a rube.

 

I'm curious if you explored this any further. I'd think you might enjoy some Bartok and maybe even some Holst - there's a fair share of The Planets Suite in King Crimson's early period. Stockhausen, Varese (who was an influence on Zappa), and Stravinsky might appeal to you as well.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

I'll never love the Stones either.

[The Man in Blak 0]

It's crazy, but I actually haven't really listened to that much of the Stones. I own Beggars Banquet, but "Sympathy For The Devil" is the only track that stays with me from that album. I absolutely adore "Gimme Shelter" but, outside of that, I haven't really heard enough to form a real opinion on them.

[Brett Favre 0]

Jay-Z.

 

What? Hip Hop?

[Guest Felonies!]

I have trouble really diving into the Stones, and that's not taking into account how annoyed and depressed I am with their cockroach ways.

 

My struggles with NMH and Aeroplane are well-documented at this board.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Beggars Banquet took me a while, too. Maybe try just downloading a ton of the 60s singles you've probably heard on oldies stations and forgotten over the years. I didn't realize how deeply songs like "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "19th Nervous Breakdown" were ingrained in my mind until I really took the Stones up heavily a few years back.

 

I didn't actually check out Zappa in the past year, but I did get into King Crimson. Actually, listening to and really liking their Discipline has started warming me up a bit more to the Talking Heads. Still haven't heard much Sonic Youth.