Mostest Underatedest Songwriters

[vivalaultra 0]

The Townes van Zandt discussion that briefly hijacked the Pop/Punk thread got me to wondering whom everyone considers to be the most underated songwriters in music today or days gone by. My personal picks are, of course, The Late, Great Townes van Zandt, Mark Eitzel from American Music Club, Josh Ritter (who's really good. Check him out), and Stephin Merritt from The Magnetic Fields et al. Feel free for to discuss at the leisure of you.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Who underrates Stephin Merritt?

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Speaking of that guy, I wish he'd do something good again. He's getting Elvis Costello Syndrome—too busy following his every whim with little-to-no quality control.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Not a TRULY underrated songwriter, but I happen to think that the bulk of Megadeth's 90's work (Countdown to Risk) is some damn fine songs. I'd take "Trust" and "Sweating Bullets" over all of So Far, So Good, So What and a lot of Peace Sells and Killing Is Our Business. Mustaine had a knack for writing some good shit no matter what style he was playing, be it blistering speed metal or mid-tempo hard rock.

[vivalaultra 0]

Speaking of that guy, I wish he'd do something good again. He's getting Elvis Costello Syndrome—too busy following his every whim with little-to-no quality control.

 

Meh, probably nobody, but I was listening to 69 Love Songs (Disc 3) at the time that I wrote it, and I thought to myself "Damn, this CDs really good." Nobody I know likes The Magnetic Fields, but I guess that's a byprodcut of my environment.

[Carnival 0]

Violent J

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

You know...I'm actually going to have to agree with Carnival here. I don't care who you are, "Pass Me By" is a good song lyrically and musically. J and Shaggy have a knack (mostly J I'm guessing, since he "raps" over most of their songs) for writing mildly amusing graphic and violent lyrics that oftentimes carry an oddly positive message.

[godthedog 0]

liam gallagher.

 

 

ha ha ha. i kid, i kid.

[vivalaultra 0]

You know...I'm actually going to have to agree with Carnival here. I don't care who you are, "Pass Me By" is a good song lyrically and musically. J and Shaggy have a knack (mostly J I'm guessing, since he "raps" over most of their songs) for writing mildly amusing graphic and violent lyrics that oftentimes carry an oddly positive message.

 

Hmmm...interesting. I guess I would have to agree and say that while I'm not a big fan of their music anymore, I always thought they had a good talent of taking their beliefs and viewpoints and expressing them in a way that appeals to a large mass of people. However, I think that they might have done too well in packaging their open-minded, Christian ideas in a violent, "fuck the world" package, in that I don't think there's alot of kids listening to ICP records going, "Wow. That's deep.", as much as they're listening and being attracted to the violent package. Now, the wrapping of a peaceful, altruistic worldview in a mysogynistic, violent exterior is something kind of interesting in and of itself.

 

 

liam gallagher.

 

 

ha ha ha. i kid, i kid.

 

I always thought Noel wrote the lyrics.

[Ravenbomb 0]

I 3rd (4th?) the ICP votes

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Royce Da 59

Pastor Troy

[Carnival 0]

Wow, the Violent J mention was a joke....but hey, he honestly is damn good.

 

you're right viva and laz, I actually surprised that you know they have a message in their music. 95% of people who've heard any ICP DON'T know that. Even "juggalos" don't know that. I don't know if it's cuz juggalos are stupid or if it's too hidden. I think it's very obvious, especially lately with the whole "Carnival=God, we tricked you" thing.

[vivalaultra 0]

Wow, the Violent J mention was a joke....but hey, he honestly is damn good.

 

you're right viva and laz, I actually surprised that you know they have a message in their music. 95% of people who've heard any ICP DON'T know that. Even "juggalos" don't know that. I don't know if it's cuz juggalos are stupid or if it's too hidden. I think it's very obvious, especially lately with the whole "Carnival=God, we tricked you" thing.

 

I think they're just stupid. Wasn't there the whole story about an ICP fan killing a bunch of people up in Massachusettes or something not too long ago? He wore the make-up and said "juggalo this" and "juggalo that". I think that the majority of ICP fans have no idea that there's anything going on under the killings and beatings and hunting of chickens.

 

And come on, some of you aren't taking this topic seriously at all. Nothing against Pastor Troy, but...I don't think anyone would consider him to be a songwriter worthy of being rated, much less underated.

[Carnival 0]

Yes, some idiot went around killing gay people. Actually ICP has many anti-gay lyrics and Violent J's views seem to be traditional Christian in that he thinks gay people are going to hell. So the kid could have been reading into stuff too much, but i doubt it. He was just a crazy moron.

 

And whoever said Liam was joking. Noel writes almost all the stuff. The songs that Liam wrote were notoriously horrible.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I think they're just stupid. Wasn't there the whole story about an ICP fan killing a bunch of people up in Massachusettes or something not too long ago? He wore the make-up and said "juggalo this" and "juggalo that". I think that the majority of ICP fans have no idea that there's anything going on under the killings and beatings and hunting of chickens.

Please, don't remind me. I remember seeing that on the news and going "well, that's the difference between a dumbass juggalo and a dumbass hardcore kid: a dumbass hardcore kid will beat you to death with his bare hands and a hammer for fucking with his friends and/or family, but a dumbass juggalo will actually TRY TO USE A FUCKING HATCHET to kill you for liking it in the pooter."

 

I've yet to meet a single juggalo - not ONE - who could not only back up the shit they said in a one-on-one confrontation, but could also have a logical debate. J and Shaggy really need to make it known to their fans that they're a fucking gimmick. You don't hear about Gwar fans drinking a fifth of Jager and running a van full of retards off the road just for fun, but you will hear about a juggalo trying to kill people with a hatchet. It makes me fucking sick sometimes to know that there are such idiots in the world.

[AboveAverage484 0]

You know, I don't know if he's underrated, but Bruce Springsteen doesn't get enough respect for his writing abilities. Every single one of his songs his proper albums was penned by him, and he has nine albums that are widely respected in many circles. Not a small feat.

[vivalaultra 0]

I wish there were more kids that imitated GWAR lyrics. In fact, I'd like to see a brawl between GWAR fans and ICP fans...and a bunch of Fall Out Boy fans.

[vivalaultra 0]

You know, I don't know if he's underrated, but Bruce Springsteen doesn't get enough respect for his writing abilities. Every single one of his songs his proper albums was penned by him, and he has nine albums that are widely respected in many circles. Not a small feat.

 

I don't know if he's underated, but I definently agree that he's one of the greatest American songwriters period. My God, listening to his early records (E. Street Band-Born in the U.S.A.), it's like reading a Steinbeck novel in every song. The man could capture so much movement and life in a conservative space. Even his shorter songs sound like mini-epics. Nebraska is one of my personal favorite albums on a lyrical level. "Highway Patrolman", "Used Cars", "Atlantic City", "Reason to Believe". My God.

[Kinetic 0]

Ray Davies.

 

Hey, a series of Gwar references. I *loved* Gwar between the ages of 13 and 16. Considering that their backstory deals with them being aliens and that Oderus Urungus frequently (at least in earlier songs, I can't vouch for anything beyond 1997) goes on about being gay, it'd be hard to either relate to Gwar or to gay-bash on their behalf.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Post-97 Gwar seems to be much more political. There are still some shining moments of hilarity (like all of We Kill Everything and a few songs here and there off Violence Has Arrived), but the last album was pretty much all political and social humor in Dave Brockie's ever-loveable sardonic tone.

[vivalaultra 0]

Yeah...every band's political these days. There's too much politics in music. Isn't Neil Young Canadian, anyway?

[Guest Felonies!]

Yeah, but Neil Young's had a political bent for ages. Green Day is out of its element, though.

[vivalaultra 0]

Yeah, but Neil Young's had a political bent for ages. Green Day is out of its element, though.

 

 

True. I used to love listening to Green Day when I was like...15 because they weren't all political and nihilistic like most of the other punk bands were. I wish they would just go back to singing about poop and girls and stuff. And what annoys me further is all these teenagers that listen to these semi-political songs and act like they've just watched a years worth of CNN or Fox News or whatnot and go around talking shit about the Bush and all. I mean, I don't care much for Bush as a president, but at least I have some idea as to why I dislike him other than what Billie Jo Armstrong or Fat Mike or whatever other yahoo told me.

[Kinetic 0]

I don't ever see them mentioned anywhere, but I really like Spoon. The Spoon-master is an underrated songwriter on the very level of Shaggy 2 Dope or even Violent J. Although perhaps the greatest and least appreciated songwriter of this generation is Shane "The Alabama Blacksnake" Diesel, whose slow-picking guitar style and soul-searching lyrics are only slightly overshadowed by his forays into hardcore pornography. That's where the money is, I guess.

[vivalaultra 0]

Yeah, Britt Daniel's good, but he's no Pastor Troy.

[Kinetic 0]

Who is? Britt Daniel...I should have remembered that. Some years ago, on a dare, I got that very name tattooed on my scrotum.

[vivalaultra 0]

That's odd, because last week, similarly on a dare, I tattooed "Kinetic" on some chick's ballsack.

[Kinetic 0]

I pity the many people who have my internet handle tattooed on their bodies. I mean, Metal Ed was funny, but is it really something you can explain to your children?

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

MC Lars deserves more attention, if only for how dumb and true "Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock" and "Generic Crunk Rap" are.

[Henry Spencer 0]

John Darnielle.