FYI, for right now to post images in comments you have to use HTML. So something like:
img src="image url here" with < > around that!
The image should auto-render when you just post the URL, but it's not at the moment -- we're working on it. Also, guiriguiri, the reason an extra row is showing up top is because you have it zoomed out to 75%. Not sure why that is, but if you keep zoom at 90%, that doesn't seem to happen.
Hmm... I don't know if it necessarily would have changed anything. I think they were unfairly pigeon-holed into the "emo scene" well before Devil & God came out, and it would have been almost impossible to gain any real recognition/plaudits from the ~mainstream indie press~, if that's what you're getting at. (I think?) But I also think everything on Devil & God is just as interesting and experimental as the demos -- it's one of my favorite rock albums of the past decade, but it was never going to rise above the scene. "Cleanser" is a great track though, as is "Fork and Knife" and a few of the others.
I also think they were a lot more forward-leaning on Daisy than they're given credit for. I practically ignored that album until last year (I think it was actually Michael who told me to give it another listen), and it's really, really good. I'm also hopeful that whenever/if ever they get around to releasing a fifth album, it'll get the attention it deserves.
I mean, it came out when I was like 13 (uh oh) so it definitely holds a special place in my heart, since it's exactly the kind of album you want to listen to when you're that age. Objectively as a critic, I know We Have The Facts and The Photo Album are better as a whole, but I think Plans got slagged in the press/popular opinion because of the whole "oooh, indie band crosses over to major label" undercurrent that was kind of strong in those days.
And there's really not a bad song on the album -- save maybe for "Different Names" -- and some all-time classics: "What Sarah Said," "Crooked Teeth," "Marching Bands," even "I Will Follow," though that one's been ruined by countless Youtube covers.
For the record: I'm a major Brand New fan, and think they're an infinitely better band than TBS! Willing/eager to talk all things Brand New, since I know we haven't really posted about them ever.
I definitely like the new Death Cab a whole lot. But I also don't think that they ever really had that big of a drop off. Narrow Stairs was good. Codes And Keys was kind of a mess, but there are a few decent tracks. I'd get excited! :)
Yes! Braids, especially, have been underrated for far too long. "Glass Deers" and "Native Speaker" off their debut are two of my favorite long songs ever. Hopefully with this new album they'll get some ~proper recognition~
Personally, I just like making fun of her! There's nothing wrong with her per se, but she's a major label entity that keeps getting shoved in our faces even though she doesn't really have the hit singles or talent to back it up. Kind of like Jessie J, except Jessie J can actually sing.
Oh, and then there was this, which is just hilarious.
Yeah, the point of this article wasn't "down with Record Store Day." For me, I guess, it stemmed from A) the desire for more transparency in the selection process, or a revised selection process that wouldn't allow something like this to fall through the cracks, and B) the fact that, for a lot of major labels, they swoop in to release something on RSD (and cash in) and then are largely absent from putting out vinyl releases for the rest of the year.
I completely understand that RSD and all the purchases stemming from it are what keeps a lot of brick-and-mortar stores open for the rest of the year, and I'm glad major labels are involved if they're driving traffic to the store. But someone stopping by a record store for one day to pick up a One Direction vinyl isn't likely to create a returning customer. I just think that special attention should be paid to smaller and niche independent labels who, for the most part, are the ones keeping record stores stocked with new releases for the other 363 days of the year.
I appreciate RSD, what they stand for, and how much business they can bring to a store, but there's something to be said for independent entities supporting other independent entities and having their back. No one's turning their nose up at Record Store Day, as you put it, or even calling for less major label involvement -- just hoping for a little more support for smaller labels to help foster a healthier indie community.
Yeah, I'm a little unsure of that one. But how many tracks did they all work on together? I can't imagine it would be more than one. I know Diplo & Sophie have been working a lot together though, so maybe his influence just rubbed off.
I assumed it was a boy because of the whole "prep school/brotherhood" aspect hinted at from the title, but who knows. Also gender is just a social construct etc etc
I'll hop on some honorable mentions:
Jawbreaker Reunion - Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club
The Epoch trio: Bellows' Blue Breath, Sharpless' The One I Wanted To Be, Small Wonder's Wendy
Frankie Cosmos - Zentropy
Lydia Ainsworth - Right From Real
Terror Pigeon - Live It Up Before You Die It Up!
Also the Girlpool EP.
I don't know ... seems like a pretty weird stance for a band that probably makes a large chunk of money from people remembering they haven't heard "What's My Age Again?" or "All The Small Things" in a few years and go on Spotify to play them.
"Blank Space" is one of my favorite songs -- what she does with her voice on that "Boys only want love if it's torture" bridge gets me every time. I also think that "Wildest Dreams" is really special -- probably the best slower song on the album, Lana comparisons be damned.
I get where you're coming from -- none of these songs have that "perfect pop song" sheen that "Teenage Dream" or "We Can't Stop" have, but I also think that's why I like and listen to Taylor a lot more than Katy or Miley (the latter of which I like quite a bit). Maybe amend my above statement to read something like, "I think Taylor is an extremely talented singer-songwriter with some of the strongest pop sensibilities out there." Taylor's appeal lies in her idiosyncrasies: her slightly cringe-worthy but honest lines, the callbacks to specific personal details, those corny moments that work in spite of themselves. She'll never get to the heights of something like "Love On Top" precisely because she doesn't have (or want) a team surrounding her dictating what will appeal to the most people.
I don't think she's really setting out to make "pop" music in that sense, even though she says this is her first "pop" album. As someone said before, this is more in the vein of Lorde, Chvrches, and Charli XCX -- much more songwriting-based than concerned about coming up with the killer hook. (Which she does most of the time anyway -- I don't agree at all that her lyrics or melodies are bad.) I get that it won't be everyone's thing, but her stuff isn't meant to operate on the same level of a "Teenage Dream," which is arguably the strongest pop song of the past 10 years. I think the fact that there's so much messiness surrounding Taylor's music is what makes it so powerful, and someone worth talking about and dissecting in the comments. There's something unique about her, where "Teenage Dream" could have easily been a Britney song or a Christina song if it had been written at the height of their popularity. Something like "Out Of The Woods" or hell, even "Shake It Off," could only belong to Taylor. I think that's where all of her appeal comes from, but I also understand why that may not be for everyone (who likes & appreciates pop music).
Ha, I wish I were!
But honestly, I just really feel strongly about this album -- I've been listening to it non-stop since it leaked over the weekend, and this kind of big-emotion, pop bombast really gets me. I mean, Lorde's Pure Heroine was my favorite album of 2013, so it makes sense. And I think that kind of stuff gets undeservedly ragged on in the comments a lot because of some vague desire for "indie" credibility and authenticity. At the end of the day, it's all just music, and if it makes you feel something and connects in some way, who cares where it came from or how it was made?
I agree with you w/r/t Taylor's "persona" and how there really isn't one there -- a lot of her earlier work is almost eye-rolling in its naivete, but I also thinks that it adds to so much of her charm and why I think her songs resonate so much. Who hasn't been eighteen and in love and felt like all of the fairy tales could be true? And then been bitter and angry when it turned out to not be? It's just that when we were feeling all of that, we weren't putting it into songs that millions of people would hear. One of the most appealing things about Taylor is that she doesn't really have a filter when it comes to her music, for good and for bad.
I think you'll really like 1989 for that reason -- she's much "realer" on this album, for lack of a better word, and she starts to poke holes in some of the things that could make her older music a little uncomfortable to listen to. Songs like "Style" and "Clean" are so self-aware and come across as a huge maturation. Some of that romanticism is still present on this album, but it's a lot more cynical and level-headed. Let's not forget that she's 24, and she's also lived a crazy kind of famous existence that we could never imagine, so let's give her a little slack for being a little late to catching up with the whole "love isn't real" thing.
It's really frustrating that people still think this about Swift, and it's a complaint as old as the major-label pop system itself that basically boils down to, "Oh her? She couldn't do any of this! It must have been some man that did it for her." I'm not saying that dynamic has never existed in pop music, but it takes the agency away from all female pop stars.
And Swift is probably the last one you should be lobbing this tired complaint at, considering all of Speak Now was solely written by her, and most of these songs probably were too. The way songwriting credit works in the industry is wonky and it goes both ways, where Beyonce probably gets more credit than she should for her writing credits and Swift gets slagged. There's no doubt in my mind that most of these songs arrived to the studio pretty fully-formed, and the writing credits for Martin and Shellback come from punching up the hook or making some minor tweaks. Swift is without a doubt one of the most talented pop songwriters in the past decade, and she has the track record to prove it.
Seek out the three voicemail demos that were included at the end of the 1989 deluxe edition, which is all Swift by herself -- I'm sure they're up on Youtube at this point. They give a really great insight into her songwriting process and how these songs came together.
Also sorry if this seems like I'm coming at you specifically -- this is something I've heard countless times that really gets under my skin, and this just finally gave me a chance to address it.
I guess I agree to a point? But I’m also of the mindset that if you don’t like something but it’s largely inoffensive, it’s much easier (and stress-free) to just ignore it. 1D & 5SOS are just the new BSB/N*SYNC are just the new NKOTB etc etc. No use getting mad or worked up about it.
Oh hey, this was me. This is coming late so who knows if you'll even see this, but I guess I'll defend myself a little. I wasn't entirely comfortable with what Badu did, but I also think that a double standard does exist and maybe it's a little hypocritical, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Let's face it: there's a difference between how men and women are treated in society. Women grow up and are exposed to a constant culture of sexual harassment and discrimination, so when something like the Pity Sex thing happens it just serves as a reflection of that. Theoretically, what Badu did served as "performance art" (also see her busking stunt from earlier this week) and while objectively what she did is wrong, I just don't have that instinctual gut feeling of being grossed out and angry. I think maybe what it comes down to is intent? But I'll also admit that I was/am being somewhat hypocritical.
Not going to weigh in on the misogyny in rap issue, since I don't listen to enough rap to have a concrete opinion to come down on either side. (Though I will say part of the reason I don't listen to a lot of hip-hop definitely is all of the hypermasculinity -- I certainly listen to & appreciate artists like Mykki Blanco, Le1f, and Cakes Da Killa more.)
(x infinity)
are we out of the woods yet? are we out of the woods yet? are we out of the woods yet? are we out of the woods? are we in the clear yet? are we in the clear yet? are we in the clear yet? are we in the clear yet? good. are we out of the woods yet? are we out of the woods yet? are we out of the woods yet? are we out of the woods? are we in the clear yet? are we in the clear yet? are we in the clear yet? are we in the clear yet? good.
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