Poptimist Round-Up

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I have done the freebie CD for Friday - its theme is COVER VERSIONS. As a listen-to-all-the-way-through experience it works not at all, but every track is quite interesting and there is one you can't get anywhere else in the WORLD.

Feel free to use this lure in yr continued individual hype of London's Trendy Poptimism.

All Poptimists should make sure they download the amazing German hip-hop that steviespitfire put up recently, especially "Schwule Madchen" which will be played on Friday if the burner behaves.

I was thinking in the bath this morning, apropos of little, about 'Popist' thort, and I decided on the following as a basic principle of how I think about music. It's pretty obvious I think but a whole lot of criticism doesn't seem to accept it.

Most people have good reasons for buying or enjoying the music they do.

There.

Comments

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

i suspect technology incompatability probably p[rotected the POPT massiv from a sequence of full-on floor-clearers

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It turns out they work on my iPod (= "uh oh")

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I am not sure if I agree with that, hmm. I mean, for about six months when I got to university I was one of those people who would buy 'classic' canon-approved rock albums in the HMV sale because they were Meant To Be Good, and I don't think that was a good reason for buying any of them. Similarly, I have a visceral disapproval of the way people who don't particularly like or get enthused by music buy it as a lifestyle accessory, empty signifiers of culture/emotion &c &c, as if 'music' was a swimming pool or country cottage or top-of-the-range car or something. Maybe because these people seem to make up the bulk of music consumers now.

I am aware that this is not very popist at all!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Maybe it should just be enjoying. But I'm not sure either of those reasons are bad.

I'm too Zen about this, possibly.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I try to be Zen but when you see the success of Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs et al, and the scary number of Dylan/Beatles/Stones acolytes who are MY AGE, it makes me want to kick kick kick things.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

All will be well as the great wheel turns, grasshopper. Or something.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Sorry that sounded like nedraggett

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

Unknown User
There is no user nedraggett at LiveJournal.com.

aw, what a shame...

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

A wisp of hair falls
No Ned Raggett livejournal
(I think we would know)

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

People in liking Dylan/Beatles/Stones SHOCKER. When will they learn?

[steviespitfire.livejournal.com]

So I take it we're assuming that "because they're part of the canon" = a bad reason?

I think I agree with the above [now] [have outgrown canon-whoring, myself] BUT I can see how someone could say "Well, look, 'Blonde on Blonde' or 'Dark Side of the Moon' ect are regularly mentioned as being great by bods in Q ect whom I trust [this trust is a whole sidee issue of good reasons [for rockists!] ERGO this is a good reason for me to buy said albums."

I don't think that's fallacious reasoning, and, even if it is, it's no worse than me going, "Hey, listen to this German hip-hop, it's great" and people trusting my judgement/thinking THAT is a good enough reason?

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

You do make it sound like they're being conned. Far more likely that they say "I really like these artists/this album when I heard it on the radio/a friends house/a tape, so I'm going to buy it" and they're right.

[steviespitfire.livejournal.com]

Ah, well, they are being conned, I guess, if they don't particularly like Pink Floyd, yeah! :)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Well they're not going to know if they like Pink Floyd or not until they buy it.

I mean I bought Astral Weeks for this reason and it is FKN RUB but I don't think my reason was faulty, the people saying it was good were just wrong.

[steviespitfire.livejournal.com]

The thing about canons, not just The Canon, is that they are constructed by people on the inside, so to speak, and I'm not sure people who want to buy into a certain canon are being conned necessarily.

There's some sort of thinking behind it, like, "Gee, I'd sure just like to hear some of these good records they're banging on about" with the attendant assumption that they like/have heard [of] some similar stuff. Though not always.

Wasn't there an ILM thread, recently, about posting ILM canonical tracks at someone's request? This guy wants to join "the club".

[steviespitfire.livejournal.com]

i.e. "Wanting to join the club" in this way seems an okay enough reason in my book, I guess.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

My definition of a good song is one that I do not skip when it comes up on Winamp shuffle. Obviously this can depend greatly on my mood (although due to historical reasons there is a large amount of Nine Inch Goth on my playlist that I never got round to deleting, it always gets skipped despite some songs actually being quite good). My reasons for liking it are: Because I want to listen to it.

What definites a GREAT song is much different.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

1. it has to be about a crocodile
2. it has to be by a small german girl

that is all.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

variant:
1. it has to be about a crocodile
2. it has to be by RAMMSTEIN

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

RAMMSTEIN FT SCHNAPPI, THIS MUST HAPPEN

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

get sieve_m on the case!!!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

but he hates fun and schnappi :(

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Man that Llama song is well good. If anyone gets their hands on the DJ mix let me know...

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

I don't get it, is it a particularly controversial opinion that most people buying music have already heard some or most of it, and know what they're getting themselves into?

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

One case occurs to me. At school one day (this would be 1975 or 1976) a few of us were in my study listening to music. Another friend, P, came in, and stood listening for a minute or so, then said "What's this shit?" "Shit?!" spluttered my friend C. "This is 'Sucker' by Mott The Hoople - it's a great track." P: "Oh, 'Sucker', right - I really love this." Sometimes one does doubt what is going on. In his case, I think a devotion to C and D (also present that day - I'm still friends with him!) might have influenced him unduly. Though does wanting to get in with some particular group constitute a bad reason? I guess it's at least a reason that doesn't directly depend on your reaction to the music, so can be distrusted if we are trying to discuss the music itself.