Joseph

A band (i.e. Animal Collective) can't/doesn't control the amount of hype that surrounds them. Music blogs (i.e. Stereogum, P4K, etc.) and fanboy bloggers/twitterers are responsible for that. Once the hype starts spreading, it can't be stopped. Whether or not the hype is justified or not is always going to be up for debate among fans.

Hype can be looked at in one of two ways: 1) "Jesus, where has this band been all my life? I love this! Thank god for P4K/Stereogum/JoeBlogger for bringing them to my attention."; or 2) "Damn, I can't believe all these people who all of a sudden like Animal Collective. All this hype surrounding their new record really has brought out all these fanboys from the woodwork. I've liked them since the very beginning. Damn hype-eating n00bs."

But what really grinds my gears is when I see people declare their hatred for a band they once liked just because of blog-generated hype. Or, conversely, when people suddenly start liking a band, not necessarily because of their music, but more because they actually buy into the hype surrounding the 'flavor of the week' band. It's like they need to be on the cutting edge of 'hip' so they know which band is cool to namedrop to other hipsters.

If your listening habits are governed solely by the amount of "hype" a band gets - be it positive, negative, a lot or none at all - then you're pretty pathetic.

In reply to sowry's comment on Wait, Is Bitte Orca The Best Album Of 2009? at June 13, 2009 12:22 PM
Score = 4

New Dirty Projectors = haven't the slightest idea why people think it's so great. And please, if you're going to present arguments as to why or why not, don't just go through the whole DP > AC > GB or DP > GB < AC bullshit.

on Wait, Is Bitte Orca The Best Album Of 2009? at June 12, 2009 1:33 PM
Score = 0

I don't get all the hub-bub with Cracker Box. It's awful. I couldn't even listen to it all the way through. It is no longer occupying value space on my iPod.

on Animal Collective Sell Out Crack Box, Prep "Summertime" Single at June 5, 2009 5:32 PM
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Yeah, it's kinda disorienting for the first minute or so - I was close to really not liking it - but then the song kicks in classic Mew-style. It's gonna be a great record. Can't wait to see them at P4K Fest.

on New Mew - "Introducing Palace Players" at May 29, 2009 4:10 AM
Score = 4

I hate all you assholes and slobber the dicks of Grizzly Bear then slam on those of us who won't join you in the suckfest.

on New Grizzly Bear - "Cheerleader" at March 22, 2009 12:11 PM
Score = -2

OK, I just listened to the song. Ummm, where's the good part?

on New Grizzly Bear - "Cheerleader" at March 19, 2009 6:02 PM
Score = -4

I used to care, but now I don't. It just means that more and more bands who don't have huge exposure are getting snippets of their songs out there in the public domain - a much wider audience that wouldn't normally hear them - and getting paid for it. Hey, they need to eat and pay rent, too. A lot of these bands getting their music used in commercials aren't top tier, high-grossing bands. Most of them scratch and claw their way between every record, touring tirelessly to raise money to make their next album.

But, if this commercial money allows them to make albums more easily, I say license the shit out of your music and enjoy the ride. (This isn't directed towards Billy Pumpkins.)

on Billy Corgan Finally Licenses "Today" (Feat. Morgan Freeman) at March 6, 2009 2:33 PM
Score = 1

Thank God.

on Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Not Necessarily Breaking Up at January 21, 2009 12:36 PM
Score = 2

"you look and sound really fucking dumb."

Touche, DUMBO. Touche.

I love how it's so fashionable to knock people who profess their love for a certain band. "Ooooh, wait until the new Grizzly Bear comes out. Or the new Arcade Fire. They're gonna kick AC's asses." Give me a fucking break. Grizzly Bear are... OK. Just not great. Overrated? In my opinion, yes. But I'm not going to say you're 'really fucking dumb' for liking them as much as you do. :::shakes head:::

Every year there's a band that's cool to hate. This year it's AC's turn.

In reply to dumbo's comment on Is Merriweather Post Pavilion The Best Album Of 2009? at January 11, 2009 7:07 PM
Score = -1

Grizzly Bear = Most Overrated Band ever

AC's MPP = Unbelievably good. Listened to it 10 times straight through without reading one review or hipster "well someone has to hate it and it might as well be me" comment. This album could very well end up at the top of all lists at the end of the year. It's that good. I believe it has that much staying power. It's very-early-in-the-year release will not cast it into the pit of indie-rock obscurity. The timing of its release does not diminish the quality of the album and people's right to voice their opinion that it just may be album of the year.

MPP will be remembered and revered among old fans and a slew of new fans - likely to jump aboard the AC train because of this album - as the best album of the year. It may even be one of the greatest albums of the last 10 years. I think most of us know greatness when we hear it.

on Is Merriweather Post Pavilion The Best Album Of 2009? at January 6, 2009 5:00 AM
Score = -12

Additionally, "...situation-specific amnesia is a type of dissociative amnesia occurs as a result of a severely stressful event, as in post-traumatic stress disorder. Dissociative amnesia is due to psychological rather than physiological causes and can sometimes be helped by therapy."

on Real World: Brooklyn: Yes, A Transgendered Housemate, We Know at January 16, 2009 3:40 PM
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From Wikipedia:

"Witnessing traumatic experiences or learning about these experiences may also cause the development of PTSD symptoms. [1] The amount of dissociation that follows directly after a trauma predicts PTSD: individuals who are more likely to dissociate during a traumatic event are considerably more likely to develop chronic PTSD."

on Real World: Brooklyn: Yes, A Transgendered Housemate, We Know at January 16, 2009 3:32 PM
Score = 0