poptimists | Misery Wednesday

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freakytigger.livejournal.com posting in

A couple of weeks ago we did a thread on what's exciting you about music at the moment.

Here's its inverse: what's annoying you about music at the moment, and why? I'm tempted to ban discussion of Kate Nash upfront - anyway I'm not really after specific acts, more the trends and ideas that make those acts' popularities a bad thing.

And - what do you think could be done about it (if anything)?

(Orgafun update: the missing Pop Open player has been located and a track is hopefully on its way)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

freakytigger.livejournal.com

1. So OK the list of favourite Facebook music linked by

avv the other day was miserable but the qn is WHY do I dislike it so much? I think it's the way this stuff is so unembarrassing, even potentally, it's like the formula for "acceptable music" has been found and it turns out to be mid-paced rock by an endless turnover of vaguely trendy young men. I don't want rebellion, I want vulgarity! Mind you I thought the same about clothes and hairstyles in the mid-90s, that a Fukuyama style end of hist. had been reached (and they WERE rly boring) but people snapped out of it and look much hotter and funnier and stupider now (I remain as rub a dresser as always of course).

1a. I'm tempted to blame this on Radio 1, the inevitable consequence of their giving up on Smashie and Nicey et al. But I hated the Smashie/Nicey R1 quite a lot too, they've just replaced phoney enthusiasm for life with phoney enthusiasm for music.

2. A bit annoyed that the default mode of music-making is STILL the album. (cf the Radiohead giveaway thing). And the 40-50 minute album at that. Actually no I don't mean "music-making", I mean getting attention for music.

3. "Early Winter" getting pulled off the schedules for the awful "Now That You Got It" - why Gwenbo why?

From:

bengraham.livejournal.com

The Radiohead copycats, who all seem to be claiming that since they too are "selling" their albums at whatever price consumers wish to pay, they also deserve credit for being innovative.

It's not a new idea if it's already been done, FULES.

From:

freakytigger.livejournal.com

The more people who do it the better an idea it is! Rhead were very clever to start it, not only because it suits their thinking-digitalists brand image but also because if everyone's using honesty boxes a low pricing level will be found very quickly.

From:

chezghost.livejournal.com

Agree re the album thing of course. Radiohead should've just said 'we have a bunch of songs you can download for whatever you think they're worth' - it's up to you to decide what order they should go in and you can design or pick your own artwork etc.

From:

freakytigger.livejournal.com

Well early impressions (like

pot80's) suggest that this is an album album, i.e. there's a compositional logic behind the order, selection, etc. And that's usually how this particular band like to roll, so fine. But I agree it would be nice if a big name band did try and use the new distribution formats to experiment with its musical formatting too.

(My apologies for not considering Ash a big name band, Shine fans)

From:

alexmacpherson.livejournal.com

I was listening to the new Kanye album and thinking about how I approach albums - in terms of pure consumption I actually think it's still a workable format! Graduation seemed a bit...bitty, in comparison to The College Dropout and Late Registration which are yr typical 20-track bloated hip-hop CDs, but the reason I prefer them is because I get to choose which songs I like best. I tend to listen to 3-6 songs in a go off any album, sometimes the obvious few standouts or sometimes songs of one type, but I don't think a smaller bunch of tracks would be a better offer - I don't trust any band or artist or record company to decide which tracks should be kicked off.

From:

alexmacpherson.livejournal.com

One criticism I'm surprised hasn't come up more is that Radiohead seem to be ripping off the hardcore fans quite badly on this - you get an extra CD of songs with the £40 physical purchase not available to d/l for free - so basically they're offering half the album for free, and saying that anyone who wants the full album has to pay £40. I don't have too much sympathy though for anyone still caring about Radiohead in this day and age.

From:

awesomewells.livejournal.com

Well no, the thing available for free is the album, the extra disc is, in effect, the B-Sides. Which will also be available for free via the magic of the internet in no time and Radiohead know this full well.

It's quite a workable formula - overcharge the mental product fetishists and let everyone else pay what they want. Also a brilliant piece of marketing in that this is the first time an album release day has felt like an event in years.

From:

awesomewells.livejournal.com

And don't lie to me, you didn't care about Radiohead ever.

(Apart from at university when you were arguing about what was the best track on Kid A)

From:

katstevens.livejournal.com

Take the fifth, Lex!

From:

alexmacpherson.livejournal.com

It hasn't felt like an event at all!

Oh god have you bought it?!

From:

freakytigger.livejournal.com

"Bought"!

It has felt like an event, though I've not seen ANYONE going "OMG Radiohead have a new record out what amazing sounds will they emerge with now" just "OMG Radiohead have killed the record industry". Mind you good for them, after the last record they had set the controls for gentle decline into institutionhood.