Points for effort?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Do artists deserve critical credit for trying ambitious stuff? Interesting debate on various tumblr blogs concerning indie dudes Of Montreal (beloved of byebyepride and piratemoggy, tho I don't think I've seen either pronounce on the new album) (pot80 luvs it tho) who have ISSUES with dismissive reviews of their latest waxing.

The original short interviews
Some back and forth about it.
My own response (well, currently it's at the top - catch it while you can!!)

I think this is an interesting little debate.

Comments

Skeletal Lamping reviewed in full:

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Spiffing pop music in the usual slightly odd shapes. 'Death Is Not A Parallel Move' and 'Beware Our Nubile Miscreants' are the best tracks, however, it is all fairly fantastic rollick-pop. Not actually any more unique than 'Radio: Active,'* thinks it's cleverer than it is but then of Montreal always have. Kevin Barnes is sort of right to be pissed off at the reviews because generally reviews of Of Montreal albums are shite at describing them. However, it's not like, idk, Ziltoid The Omniscient or something; it's still very much recognizable as of Montreal, with all the frustrating "shit, we've written a pop album and ...oh god, quick, put a weird two minute dischordant keyboard solo in before we get popular."

I actually think it's a complete retreat from the ambitiousness displayed on 'Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?' They've dived back into the indie womb, having realised 'Suffer For Fashion' was getting a bit too playable and had a bit of a panic.

*ie: the music is not necessarily ground-breaking but only of Montreal could make it.

Re: Skeletal Lamping reviewed in full:

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

[not taking 'Ziltoid The Omniscient' to be a benchmark for 'extraordinary ambition,' above; I meant that it's one of those ones that's a little bit hard to write about without sounding completely bonkers:
"Well you see Devin Townsend's made an album of the usual waves-of-sound metal that sort of sounds like a children's audiobook and this is an awesome thing."
as opposed to:
"of Montreal are still doing that jangly indie almost-pop thing."]