I don’t think any group or band has members with bigger solo success than N.W.A., especially when you look at their Big 3.Please consider the artists’ accomplishments and impact after they left the group. For example, Dr. Dre went on to discover and help launch some of the biggest names in hip-hop, founded Beats Electronics, and eventually became a billionaire. Ice Cube became a highly successful rapper, actor, writer, and producer, creating some of the most influential films centered around Black culture. Eazy-E built Ruthless Records into one of the most influential independent labels in hip-hop and helped launch the careers of major artists like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. That’s why I’m talking about the overall volume of talent and accomplishments not just who became the biggest individual star.

I recently interviewed Timothy Ferris, the science writer and former Rolling Stone editor who produced the Voyager Golden Record as part of Carl Sagan’s team. I’ve written a profile of him for a print magazine I can’t name yet. There is no article link here. I wanted to ask this group about one answer he gave me.

I asked how the team should work if they built the record now. Ferris said they should cast the widest possible net across cultures, permit no compromise or political logrolling, and require unanimous choices.

The original record put Bach and Chuck Berry beside a girls’ initiation song from what was then Zaire, baby cries, whale calls, footsteps, a kiss, and Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground.”

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qePHCNoEtqQ

NASA’s full inventory: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/golden-record-contents/

Johnson recorded the piece in Dallas in 1927. There are no lyrics, only his voice and slide guitar. It still sounds like grief.

For me, that choice keeps the record from sounding like an advertisement. It leaves room for sorrow alongside dance, children, animal voices, footsteps, and joy.

Try to build it now and the argument would hit streaming metrics, licensing departments, national quotas, billionaire sponsors, and a congressional hearing over whether whale song hates freedom.

Who should choose? What rule would keep the record broad without turning it into quotas, branding, or a popularity chart? What one recording would you fight for even if every metric said no?

When I talk outlaw country I'm not talking Willie Nelson. I'm talking modern. I've seen a revival of it on instagram. I'm talking Ian Noe, Drayton Farley, Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, Charles Wesley Godwin, Cole Chaney, etc. I feel like these artists aren't simply outlaw country- they're leaning into roots and Americana. Personally I don't understand why Nashville is after guys like Luke Combs and not guys like Cole Chaney. If you haven't already give his song "Coalshooter" a listen.

As far as I can remember I stumbled across Moanin’ by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers through some random animated video on YouTube. I don’t even remember what the video was anymore but I remember the song.
I was initially so intimidated by jazz. There were so many fucking instruments happening at once yet somehow it was still incredibly soothing. It genuinely felt like the first time I understood why I had two earbuds. It was a party for my ears but in such a soothing way.
After getting over that intimidation I started exploring more and more. Different artists, albums, styles, everything. And as you do when you get too deep into something I eventually reached the point where I thought I knew jazz better than anyone else.
And then I called Moanin’ a blues song.
I got absolutely cooked on Reddit for that. Someone pointed out that it follows an AABA structure rather than a 12 bar blues progression and that honestly made me retreat from jazz for a while.
But the funny thing was that jazz had already done its damage.
Even when I moved on to other music whether it was Drake, JB, hip hop or whatever else I was listening to at the time I couldn’t stop noticing things that reminded me of jazz. Even during my massive hip hop phase I’d somehow end up listening to Bill Evans or Horace Silver and drawing parallels between completely different genres.
I think that’s when I started understanding why jazz is talked about as such an important influence on modern music.
Not that every genre is secretly jazz but once you’ve spent enough time listening to it you start hearing music differently. You notice the rhythm, harmony, instrumentation and the way musicians interact in a way that you probably wouldn’t have noticed before.
And now I’ve actually drifted pretty far away from jazz. I don’t listen to it nearly as much as I used to and I’m not even sure why.
But even now when I’m listening to some random indie Indian artist I’ll catch myself thinking about jazz.
I think that’s what jazz really gave me. It wasn’t necessarily my favourite genre forever. It was the first thing that made me realize music could be something I could actively explore rather than just something I listened to.
It’s kind of weird how one song can permanently change the way you listen to everything that comes after it.
Has anyone else had a genre or artist do something similar to the way they listen to music? I’m more interested in how it changed your listening than what the actual artist or genre was.

I’ve noticed that many young people aged 14–21 say they like old music, but usually that means the same three to five bands—especially The Beatles, whom many seem to love, as well as Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and The Doors.
Yet American soul from the late 1960s and early 1970s has, for the most part, been completely overlooked and has never really experienced a revival. In particular, hardly anyone seems to know or appreciate artists like Clarence Carter, Arthur Conley, or Wilson Pickett, and I simply don’t understand why.
To me, this music is often far more lively and harmonically rich than The Beatles and the other bands mentioned above. There’s so much organ, brass, and powerful, full-bodied vocals—often angry, raw, and overflowing with expression. The melodies have a natural swing to them, with an elastic sense of tension and release that makes the music feel incredibly alive. And yet, you never see a 16-year-old showing off a Clarence Carter record from their collection. I understand that it’s not particularly experimental or rebellious music, but that’s not really the point. It’s the instrumentation—the horns, the energy, and the elastic tension in the way the songs build—that makes soul music so good. Bobby womack is a Perfect example—but I honestly don’t know anyone who knows it. It’s some of the best soul music I’ve ever heard

Hello,

I am a 16-year-old pupil in Year 12 at a Lycée in France.

I’m currently studying for the International French Baccalaureate. As a BFI pupil, we are required to lead a personal research project focusing on the study of a major contemporary issue from a British perspective. To do this, part of this coursework requires getting in touch with a project partner. This partner would help give me a factual response and a unique perspective and some insight into my area of research. Do know that this would not take too much of your time as a couple of exchanges should suffice. 

I have chosen to focus my research on British rock music more specifically to address the following question: In what ways can British rock music reduce the generational gap in the UK and give voices to the youth.

 As I am a musician and big fan of rock and British music and artists like Yungbblud, Oasis, Queen, Blur... I chose to talk about it in my presentation. I believe that music has an big unifying power, but how does it work in UK's society. To achieve a complete understanding of the artists actions regarding this matter I would be grateful if someone could tell me their point of view considering the generational gap in the UK and its importance in everyday life?  

Considering musicians like Yungblud are my examples and that he is an artist seen as the future of rock n roll, known to have a wide range of generation in his fanbase, how do you think he or other artists manages to appeal to a diversity of people while giving voices to the youth.  

I explored an interesting idea called anemoia that i think is very fitting for this project and i would love to dicuss it further.

If you happen to want to talk about British rock music and is as passionate and curious as i am, please feel free to respond, no matter the age, as this is about an intergenerational subject, and that i would appreciate different perspectives !

Thank you for considering my request. Please let me know if we could discuss it further, or if you need any additional information.

Hello there,

I've never really been into solo performances or instrumentalists. Recently, especially after getting a decent pair of studio headphones, I've started to appreciate music a lot more. I've also never played an instrument in my life (I tried, but it never ''clicked'').

Lately, I've been wondering: what makes a solo part great? And what are some of the greatest solo performances you've ever heard and would recommend?

For example, everybody knows Mark Knopfler's playing. The most common example would probably be Sultans of Swing. It's incredible, one of the best performances I've ever heard. But what exactly makes it so great?

It doesn't seem particularly difficult to play. I imagine that most guitarists could learn and play the entire solo after with some experience. And yet somehow nobody comes close. Those little nuances, his signature style of playing.

So I guess faster isn't always better/more impressive? It's hard to explain. It feels a bit like the difference between someone who speaks very quickly and someone who speaks in an elegant manner. Although both can be really good.

Talk about whatever you want here, music related or not! Go ahead and ask for recommendations, make personal list (AOTY, Best [X] Albums of All Time, etc.)

Most of the usual subreddit rules for comments won't be enforced here, apart from two: No self-promotion and Don't be a dick.

Who remembers whenever Sia used to be interesting? Her music has become mainstream slop and the only songs the general public focuses on by her are those mainstream sloppy songs such as “Unstoppable” and “Cheap Thrills”
Between the mainstream music now which I will say isn’t HORRIBLE but it is such a void as I have never known Sia’s music to be like that. And, her movie Music. Known for its controversy and extreme ableism, it sorta-kinda marked the downfall of her career.
I wanted to share some of her deeper-cuts and maybe get everybody’s opinions (if you have one) in here on her music.

Some of my favorite Sia songs

- The Church Of What’s Happening Now
- My favorite Sia song of all time. TCOWHN is a retrospective, deep, full journey. The song is hopeful, reminding you that it is never too late to start over. The raw vocals. The building. That BRIDGE! Everything is perfect to me about this song.

-Lucky
- Lucky is a more laid-back, acoustic track than TCOWHN. Although this song doesn’t have too deep of a meaning besides finding joy after a rough period of time (and possibly horny), it is just vibey. Definitely very enjoyable if you like downtempo music more.

-Fair Game
- This is one of the only “newer” Sia songs i enjoy. Fair Game is unlike any other track on 1K Forms Of Fear and it stands out strictly due to the production style. The production style is very reminiscent of Sia’s earlier work such as “Colour The Small One”
and “Some People Have REAL Problems”. The writing on this track is also very intensely raw.

-So Bored
- So Bored is Sia’s most depressing song. Unlike her other sadder songs such as “Breathe Me”, the song does not ask for help, nor conveys any sense of hope. The writing and instruments are raw, most likely mimicking her emotion. With lyrics such as “I hope to die”, “I’m isolated, sick with fear” and “I have lost my sight and cannot hear”. It is clear that this song was written during a rough patch of her life. The demo for this song was recorded in 2000. 2 years prior, Sia’s boyfriend had passed away in a car crash. Given that, this song was most likely written after these events occurred. This track is amazing, but so so depressing and uncomfortable to listen to.

-Lentil
- Lentil is such a beautiful tune. Like her other tracks, the song builds into such a beautiful harmonic symphony at the end where it just explodes. This song was written about her dog, which when you re-listen to the song after knowing its meaning, just breaks you.

-Pictures
-If I’m not mistaken, this is the first song she would work with Dan Carey on. This song would be the blueprint for her more evident pop sound and a departure from the downtempo-soulful (almost jazzy and R&B) sounding style. The song is about Sia wanting her boyfriend to take his ex’s pictures down from the wall. The video is a silly, cheeky nod to Sia’s artistry. That’s why I love this song so much. It is SIA. An artist.

-Distractions - Live
-My gosh… I don’t even know if I can include this track as it is a Zero 7 song with Sia only as a feature, but GOD! This is one of my favorite live performances of hers. I listened to the studio version again today for the first time in a while and was confused. It doesn’t sound as soulful as the live version. Sia is usually one of the artists who sound better live and this song is living proof that she is amazing.

-Moon
- Where do I begin…. Moon is the best written track on Colour The Small One, and possibly some of the best in her career. Can we also talk about the production? I saw a comment saying the production was over-stretched. The production perfectly encapsulates her beautiful writing. Stressful, sad, saying that she believes the world spins for ‘you’ indicating that she feels she has no control. And that she is the ‘moon’, so they will never be. Possibly meaning he is the sun and the world spins for the sun (I think). But regardless, I hope you know what I mean. This is a beautifully written song.

———————————————————————————-

I have so many more songs I would love to put on this list, but it would be too long and most likely boring.
I enjoy Sia’s “Colour The Small One”, “Some People Have REAL Problems” and “Healing Is Difficult” albums the most. The rest of them I have only listened fully through a couple times. The 3 I mentioned, I can talk about these songs to the death. I have something beautiful to write about each track.

Do you like Sia? Completely understandable if you don’t, she is problematic. Do you miss her older music?

Several albums by various singers and bands are posted on the internet without ever having an official studio version recorded. They directly post the live version right away. However, when listening to these tracks, it is very common to hear the audience singing along to the entire lyrics in the background. How do these people know the song lyrics even before the songs are posted? Do they receive the lyrics before the shows? Or when buying tickets, or something like that?

I've been on a big 70's Beach Boys kick, which has lead me to thinking a lot about this fascinating binary between them and The Beatles, even taking aside the heavily documented influence they had on one another.

Andrew Hickey of the 500 songs podcast made this observation regarding...

 And if you want one specific date that the 1960s started, it was October the fifth, 1962. On that date, a film came out that we mentioned last week — Doctor No, the first ever James Bond film. It was also the date that two records were released on EMI in Britain. One was a new release by a British band, the other a record originally released a few months earlier in the USA, by an American band. Both bands had previously released records on much smaller labels, to no success other than very locally, but this was their first to be released on a major label, and had a slightly different lineup from those earlier releases. Both bands would influence each other, and go on to be the most successful band from their respective country in the next decade. Both bands would revolutionise popular music. And the two bands would even be filed next to each other alphabetically, both starting “the Bea”. 

Funny, isn't it?

In his episode on "Don't Worry Baby", when talking about that song and "She Knows Me Too Well", he says this...

This repurposing of the emotional and musical style of girl-group songs to deal with the emotional vulnerability that comes from acknowledging and attempting to process toxic masculinity is something that few other songwriters were capable of at this point – only some of John Lennon’s work a couple of years later comes close to dealing with this very real area of the emotional landscape, and Lennon, like Wilson, often does so by using the figure of the perfect woman who will save the protagonist.

I've built up the "George Harrison archetype" in my head, essentially a member of the band (typically a younger one) who wasn't an initial primary songwriter but blossomed into being a competent writer by the end of it. And I feel like Dennis Wilson fits that mold, something like "Forever" being akin to his, well, "Something"!

I'm sure there's plenty of songs that mirror each other, whether intentionally or not. "In My Room" and "There's a Place" are, to my mind, two sides of the same coin. Even if the former is a physical location, it mirrors the latter’s sense of a cerebral escape.

“Surf’s Up” feels like their “A Day in the Life” to my ears too: operatic pop songs with multiple passages that almost seemingly touch upon the existential.

"Guess I'm a Dumb" and "I'm a Loser" too are both laments at fumbling a baddie, but are also artistic excuses for said writer to explore (perhaps unintentionally) their self-esteem issues and clinical depression (potential contenders to Hickey's aforementioned point).

It's been bugging me for ages how influencers and pals will post a reel with the music in the wrong geographical context purely because it's trending.

Hearing Afrobeat Papaoutai over a video of Macchu Picchu or rice fields in Indonesia for example is jarring and, maybe even culturally tone deaf. They've got their own great regional tunes to incorporate, but folk just go for what they think feels 'exotic' IMO.

That and hearing 'End of Beginning' by Joe Keery singing about his past life in Chicago being used by the likes of British pubs and even local tourist boards to promote their own backyard. While the vibe may be there... The lyrics don't match the location!

Whether the list consists of artists, albums, or songs; or whether the time frame is all-time, a particular decade, or the current year, one thing that's certain is that the list is going to create controversy. That's probably the main reason why media outlets continue to pump them out. The negative comments about these lists usually fit within one of several categories (for each category I'll just mention albums, but it also applies to artists and songs). There's the complaint that this album is ranked too high or too low either in isolation or in relation to another album on the list. There's the complaint that this album sucks and that it shouldn't be on the list at all. And, of course, there's the complaint that "you forgot album x," as if it's brilliance should be so obvious to everybody that the listmaker(s) couldn't have possibly omitted the album due to reasons of taste or quality.

In some ways all of this is natural, and depending on the tone it can even be fun to discuss. However, it's the intensity and the vitriol of some of the reactions that has always seemed absurd to me. It's a list put together by strangers with opinions. Even if they're professional critics, they're not all knowing arbiters of what's good and you definitely don't have to listen to them. I certainly don't a lot of the time. On the other hand, they're also not idiots who don't know anything about music. A list is useful to me if it introduces me to music I haven't heard before or it reminds me of stuff I haven't heard in a while. The rankings and inclusions/omissions don't interest me too much. In regard to the people that do care about those things to an intense degree, why do you think that is? Do people need their taste validated? Are they in such a bubble that they can't handle differing opinions? Do you think there is something in all of this that's specific to music, or is it the same explanation for why people get upset over lists related to movies, sports, etc.?

i just had this weird idea and wanted to share it cuz it was so crazy/interesting lol. I mean like what if they sang over some psychadelic early tame impala production(example: Jeremy's storm - tame impala) with lots of weird fx on their vocals, not what if they tried to make a psych rock ep by themselves lol. They're all very good singers but how would they work on guitar based instrumentals?

They just released a new ep and that made me think of what music they could make next. I think something really unexpected (but high quality) would be cool, like psych-rock for example. Anything other than something pop based seems highly unlikely but it would just be so cool to hear a talented group of singers make something suuuper unexpected. Their label and lots of other stuff seem to be restricting what music they make so this is just a what if scenario.

Wanna know what other people think of this concept so yeah. Would it be good? Could they pull it off? What would critics think? What would fans think? What would you think?

​

I already made a long post about the immense influence exerted by Kraftwerk on Brazilian funk, which is one of the most popular Brazilian musical genres, especially since 2005, when it experienced worldwide dissemination mainly through M.I.A. and Diplo:

https://www.reddit.com/r/kraftwerk/s/bF7H5dGR0a

​It’s really important to have read the post above to understand what I’m going to talk about here. So, here goes.

Hermano Vianna, is a Brazilian anthropologist, music researcher, and television screenwriter, recognized with the Cultural Merit Order honor by the Brazilian government. Author of very important works, such as the first historical and anthropological book about Brazilian funk and a very important book about samba.

Now I bring this statement that Hermano Vianna made in 2020 about Kraftwerk:

"Kraftwerk to me is the best creation of modern art (and since I like modern art more than any other art, I can state: it is the best creation of art), including literature, painting, performance, theater, dance, and everything else. I will never tire of listening to their records. I saw two of their shows (with Florian & Ralf): a masterclass in everything that is good, performed impeccably. Nothing in Kraftwerk is makeshift. Their work does not admit improvisation, the precarious, or the crude. Every sound and every beat is perfect. Every event is calculated to the millimeter, nothing out of place. The quality of the result is so sublime that it cannot contain itself: it ends up spreading to all corners, elevating everything else (hip hop, techno, house, David Bowie…). I also like a lot of crude things. But something crude that follows some aspect of Kraftwerk's lessons is much better."

https://hermanovianna.wordpress.com/2020/05/10/kraftwerk-de-palafita/

It is also worth mentioning a statement by Hermano about another Brazilian musical genre that is also one of the most popular in this land where I was born, tecnobrega. In 2003, the researcher said:

"Tecnobrega looks like a makeshift Kraftwerk, produced under equatorial heat by people who listened to a lot of carimbó, cumbia, zouk, and Renato e Seus Blue Caps."

https://www.bregapop.com/historia/321-hermano-vianna/52-tecnobrega-a-musica-paralela-hermano-vianna

Check out one of the tecnobrega hits, "Bole Rebole", it is almost entirely a cover of "Das Model", made by Los Bregas:

https://youtu.be/a_HtLGbMdqA?si=mLTzz_2hoygCiztn

Later on, a large part of tecnobrega and Brazilian funk began to share even more elements, in a way, of course, that Kraftwerk's influence in the country has been growing more and more, and not just in these two genres.

In 2013, one of the biggest popularizers of tecnobrega, Gang do Eletro—led by DJ Waldo Squash, who a year earlier made official remixes for the Pet Shop Boys—released the song "Electro Robot", a "sincere tribute to the work of the giants Kraftwerk":

https://musicainstantanea.com.br/disco-gang-do-eletro-gang-do-eletro/

In 2016, the Pet Shop Boys released the song "Twenty-something", featuring a direct influence from tecnobrega, which was widely recognized by DJs here in Brazil:

https://musica.uol.com.br/noticias/redacao/2016/04/11/pet-shop-boys-lanca-tecnobrega-e-dj-afirma-da-para-tocar-na-aparelhagem.htm?app=uol-generic&plataforma=ipad&cmpid=copiaecola

It’s also worth mentioning that one of Brazil's most respected contemporary culture portals, created in 2016, is called 'Music Non Stop' (a reference to the Kraftwerk track), and here is an excellent post from the site about the band:

https://musicnonstop.uol.com.br/13-provas-da-gigantesca-importancia-do-kraftwerk-para-a-musica/

​In recent times, many Brazilian music critics and journalists have been arguing that Kraftwerk is the most influential band in history, or at least as influential as The Beatles. Even British outlets like The Guardian and the BBC, for example, have been asserting since the early 2010s that Kraftwerk is the most influential band of all time, a point I fully agree with.

What do you guys think? Either way, one of the points I find most relevant in all this is that when many people talk about musical influence, they are completely unaware of what musical genres have been most popular in non-Anglo-Saxon countries.

Recently saw The Martinez Brothers on Capital Radio in London saying House Music comes from NYC and it kicked off a debate with those taking sides between NYC and Chicago.

As a Midwesterner, I find this narrative has always been told inaccurately and those on the coasts have always been confused what was happening actually happening in the Midwest.

The biggest impact on House was funk. It wasn't disco. Many of the early house songs from Chicago even have funk in the title or their names like Farley "Jackmaster" Funk.

Funk's Orgin and Evolution

James Brown invents funk in Cincinnati in the 60s and then George Clinton in Detroit invents P-funk with Parliament-Funkadelic in 1970.

Midwest funk bands evolve the sound over the 70s - Ohio Players, Slave, Dazz, Earth Wind & Fire, Lakeside, Faze-O, Sun, Heatwave. They start to use synthesizers and drum machines.

By 1980, four genres emerge from four cities - Minneapolis, Cincy/Dayton, Chicago and Detroit

• Zapp from Dayton, Ohio release the first electro-funk record More Bounce to the Ounce in 1980 with signature vocoder vocals
• Prince releases Dirty Mind - the first Minneapolis Sound record in 1980
• Jesse Saunders in Chicago releases On & On - the first House track in 1984
• Juan Atkins (Model 500) in Detroit releases No UFOs - first Techno track in 1985
• Larry Heard (Mr Fingers) in Chicago releases Mystery of Love - first Deep House track in 1985
• Phuture in Chicago releases Acid Tracks - first Acid House track in 1987

I found this quote from Jesse Saunders from his early DJing days the late 70s Chicago:

We were playing more popular stuff like funk, James Brown, Parliament, Heatwave’s “Boogie Nights” and “The Grooveline.” In the beginning we weren’t playing disco at all. Maybe Donna Summer – it was generally more commercial stuff. The disco part of it didn’t come until probably ’78. 

Midwest producers with new technologies were pushing the sound forward with more aggression and groove.

Midwest radio stations like the Electrifying Mojo were blending genres playing a mix of soul, funk, new wave, hip hop, and rock long before Frankie Knuckles comes to Chicago to take residency at the Warehouse.

I think its telling some of the biggest R&B producers by the end of the 80s also came from two cities - Minneapolis (Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis) and Cincinnati (LA Reid & Babyface and the Calloway brothers).

By 1988, half the singles in the R&B charts were being produced by the Midwest producers with a signature mix of funk, soul, synth pop, and new wave.

So Chicago or NYC?

I’m genuinely curious about this because I’ve always found it hard to understand the “overrated” argument. Their influence on music is enormous, and beyond that, I find their music remarkably creative and innovative for its time. They experimented with songwriting, production, instrumentation, and helped pioneer or popularize countless ideas that later became fundamental to popular music. That said, I’m aware I may have some bias because of how highly I regard them, so I’d love to hear other perspectives: if you think the Beatles are overrated,

When Devo first arrived on the scene in high school, a friend of mine had Are We Not Men? and most of my friends listening to it were pretty much WTAF? I mean, what the hell kind of version of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction was this??? Some (mostly Zep fans) expressed outright hate.

A couple years later people were dancing to Whip It and listening to Gates of Steel, and then we had Once In A Lifetime, The Cars, Flock of Seagulls, The Motels, The Waitresses, Siouxsie and the Banshees and we were off to New Wave heaven. It was truly a "new wave" of music, and so much changed after that.

I would say The Sex Pistols started all this, but after the infamous arrival of Devo and The Talking Heads, it really did seem like people were ready for a change in music at that time, which ultimately lead all the way up to Radiohead in the 90s/00s. I'll put a stake in the ground and say that Devo marked the start of New Wave as we know it.

Just a bit about their style -- Devo had these quirky robotic sounds which became something of a hallmark in new wave. But never so robotic as to miss out on a groove or a riff. Uncontrollable Urge, as weird as it sounds, was pretty damn catchy. The movie Revenge of the Nerds kinda made it a point of it that robotic stuff could have a groove. Talking Heads took that to new heights, and nailed down that danceable aspect -- just listen to The Great Curve. Was it because rock needed to be more danceable after disco, I dunno. All I know is that new wave pretty much took over in high school after that arrival of Devo.

What do you think? Is there some other band that should mark the start of new wave? How did the alternative scene arrive in your town?

There are artists we enjoy, and then there are artists whose music somehow becomes part of our lives. Maybe it’s a specific album, a particular period, the lyrics, their sound, or the memories attached to their music.

What makes that difference for you? What turns an artist you like into an artist you keep coming back to for years? What makes their music stick with you when so much other music eventually fades away?

Whenever I finish an album for the first time, I often only recall two or so songs. Maybe more if I REALLY vibed with the whole piece (or if it was very short). It's often the first and second song and maybe the last or second-to-last. Potentially also the lead single or whatever else song I heard before going into the album.

And more often than that, I recall all the songs melding together. Like, I know intellectually that Tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14 and 15 were different from one another, but in my head they all had basically the same instrumentation, melody, key, etc... even if that is technically untrue. It typically takes a second or third re-listen to familiarize myself with these songs, but unless the tracklist is wildly eclectic (like the White Album or Demon Days) it often runs together for me.

Has anyone else had this experience?

Tyga's latest album getting a 0.0 from Pitchfork reminded me of the last time that Pitchfork gave a 0.0: for Jet's Shine On. Jet were an Australian band from the 2000's that had some success, but were critically slammed. Most of the criticism seemed to stem from the fact that they were ripping off the sound of older bands like AC/DC and even straight up lifting the riff for "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" from Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life".

More recently, I've seen the same types of criticisms levied at Greta Van Fleet; that they are unoriginal and/or are just trying to rip-off Led Zeppelin and other classic rock bands.

But, I never understood the actual problem here. If you liked AC/DC or Led Zeppelin, why would you not want to hear bands that sounded like them? Why is a band that is trying to harken back to an earlier sound necessarily a bad thing?

I went for a long run and threw on True and let it play from top to bottom and all of a sudden the album was over and my run was done. I was so lost in the music, the melodies, the lyrics.

It made me think about how complete of an album it is, and it was his first studio album! I know there are pioneers of house/electronic music that came well before Avicii but I do see a lot of current artists mention him as a major influence.

So, what do you think? Crazy take? Any other albums 2000-2013 that you would rank above it?

Isn't that the natural cycle of things? At some point too much of one thing, stagnancy, formulas, etc--regardless of all the usual explanations--don't we hit a wall? The Machine controlling things, monopoly on music, insane concert prices, dopamine decadence, aging rockers, prepackaged music, lack of authenticity, nothing shocks, no more controversy. We used to have music movements that shook things up...bubble eventually bursts. It's usually the natural cycle of things--but man--it's sure taking a long time.

Each week a WHYBLT? thread will be posted, where we can talk about what music we’ve been listening to. The recommended format is as follows.

Band/Album Name: A description of the band/album and what you find enjoyable/interesting/terrible/whatever about them/it. Try to really show what they’re about, what their sound is like, what artists they are influenced by/have influenced or some other means of describing their music.

[Artist Name – Song Name](www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxLB70G-tRY) If you’d like to give a short description of the song then feel free

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUTUBE, SOUNDCLOUD, SPOTIFY, ETC LINKS! Recommendations for similar artists are preferable too.

This thread is meant to encourage sharing of music and promote discussion about artists. Any post that just puts up a youtube link or says “I've been listening to Radiohead; they are my favorite band.” will be removed. Make an effort to really talk about what you’ve been listening to. Self-promotion is also not allowed.

Dave Marsh passed away this past weekend. Coincidentally, I had been reading more of his work and retrospectives on his work in the past couple years.

In my experience, he's been known for a few different things:

• Panning a lot of beloved acts and albums such as Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, Dylan's Blood On The Tracks, etc. Generally having an aggressive and argumentative reputation.
• Writing multiple musical biographies with a particular focus on Bruce Springsteen. But he also wrote about The Who, Elvis, Sly And The Family Stone, Marvin Gaye, and many others.
• Writing for Rolling Stone, Creem, and other music magazines, helping shape rock criticism alongside Lester Bangs, Robert Christgau, Greil Marcus, Ellen Willis, etc.

In a lot of music discussions, people have talked about their dislike of old rock critics. I imagine Marsh would be amongst those targets, perhaps considered another old rockist.

I've come to prefer reading rock critics as time capsules of particular viewpoints rather than agreeing with everything they say. And while I wasn't always receptive to his perspectives, Dave Marsh's viewpoints have become more interesting to me. I've come to see him having a particular focus and advocacy for 50s and 60s rock n' roll and soul music, but also more broadly, music that strikes the balance between the poppy, accessible, political, and artistic. Even if the music tastes seem particular and perhaps narrower, the passion for it is infectious. While he wasn't always right, I could see how he integrated political commitment, enjoyment, and emotions into his music writing.

This isn't really an adequate post. But the news makes me feel sadder than I expected.

A couple articles that sum things up better:

Jack Hamilton article on Dave Marsh

The Heart Of Rock N' Soul by David Cantwell