tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50443401058768443062010-04-18T10:25:52.106+01:00Music sucks, but everything sounds awesomeMusic sucks. All of it sucks. If you asked everyone what music they hated, you'd find that everything sucks.<br><br>Yet at the same time, everything just sounds awesome.<br><br>Here's why.Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-28720148806239400162010-04-16T18:44:00.000+01:002010-04-16T18:44:56.087+01:002010-04-16T18:44:56.087+01:00Whats in a name?I think this blog could do with a better name. Something shorter - <i>a lot shorter</i> - but catchy, easy to remember and representative of what I do here. Oh, and it can't already be taken (which every good idea I come up with these days seems to be).<br />
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Any ideas are most welcome!<br />
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Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-2872014880623940016?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-55951469595788504222010-04-16T11:26:00.000+01:002010-04-16T11:26:28.761+01:002010-04-16T11:26:28.761+01:00The wonders and horrors of AutotuneIt seems as though nobody has to sing in key anymore. Radio artists everywhere are sticking this "Autotune" thing on their voices to sound like a robotic warble and it takes no effort whatsoever. Its <a href="http://www.amazon.com/E-N-D-Energy-Never-Dies/dp/B00192IV0O?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">ruined the Black Eyed Peas</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00192IV0O" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> for good, and its fooling people everywhere.<br />
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What's it all about?<br />
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Firstly, its important to know that there seem to be two kinds of Autotune which we're hearing every day. The first is the blatant, robotic warble which seems really popular in Dance, RnB and other genres which get a lot of mainstream attention these days. The second is the one that isn't so obvious, but is probably more widespread than you know it.<br />
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Want to hear some of the second kind? Watch that horrible but somehow popular new show called <i>Glee</i>. The programme is practically an advert for what Autotune can achieve these days, and the amount of post production they're plastering over the recordings which the 'actors' then mime to is really quite criminal. For a show about an underdog high-school Glee club, its just painfully ironic.<br />
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But this kind of Autotune is everywhere, its just a lot more subtle. And to be honest, I don't mind it as much as most people do. In fact, I use it myself quite a lot, but thats only because I'm still a singer-in-training. When I'm recording myself it can be painfully frustrating to get a pitch-perfect take with all the feeling I'm after. Sometimes in a studio you'll get that perfect take which captures everything which the song is trying to say, but damnit a couple of notes were flat. In these cases, Autotune is a valuable tool, and can be used subtly just to make that perfect take a little less grating to listen to.<br />
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You may not know it, but you still have to sing relatively in-key for Autotune to work. Most Autotune software works on a pitch recognition algorithm, and if your pitch is in-between two notes then it'll just flip between the two, unsure of where to go. Even Melodyne, which works as a note-grid editor, will sound unnatural if you have to move a pitch too far.<br />
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In fact, for the "Autotune effect" robotic warble, you actually have to pretty much nail it. If you sing half heartedly and then stick Autotune on it with the settings maxed out, it'll sound more like a robot malfunctioning than a lazy singer fixed by magical software.<br />
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It's still evil though. I will always prefer listening to people singing naturally, as will everyone. Its the inability to hit pitch perfectly which <i>makes a performance human</i>, and makes it something we can all relate to. Even the best singers will never hit the pitch 100% absolutely bang on, and its this fact which makes Autotune so obvious in things like <i>Glee</i>. When they're singing too perfectly, you know there's some behind-the-scenes magic at work.<br />
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Its a blessing and a curse, but nevertheless its here and some people actually like listening to it. What are your thoughts?<br />
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Autotuned or not, keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-5595146959578850422?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-60522516330819984852010-04-15T19:16:00.003+01:002010-04-16T10:56:59.061+01:002010-04-16T10:56:59.061+01:00Meshuggah - The massive ReviewMeshuggah are a crazy band, and one that have divided my opinion. I used to love them, and then just as quickly as I fell in love with them, I began to fall out of love with them. As crazy and intense as they are, their lack of dynamic quickly became boring to me and I never really went back to them.<br />
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First, a word about Meshuggah for the uninitiated. I'm not going to try and pidgeon-hole them into any particular genre, but some tag words which you could use to describe them are "Math-metal", "Progressive Metal", "Experimental" and "Downright insane".<br />
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Have you ever heard a down-tuned guitar? Meshuggah took it a step further, going almost an octave lower than the standard guitar tuning (yes, practically a bass) and now play guitars with 8 strings on them. Ever heard an odd time signature? Meshuggah again took it a step further and play music which is pretty much a consistent jumble of polyrhythms, usually over an implied 4/4 backbeat on the drums to allow you to headbang along. Despite this, they also have moments of very sparse, ambient and sometimes disturbing soundscapes.<br />
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So what's my current opinion of the band? <br />
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Its not background music for sure. Meshuggah are a band which you have to sit and listen to, you can study it and find a whole wealth of crazy ideas or you can just let it drag you in - its quite hypnotic in a certain way. However, this is what I've always had a problem with. Despite it being deep music which is great for sitting and listening to, its unique over-the-top level of relentless brutality gets tiring. There are only two dynamics within Meshuggah's music - insanely heavy metal, and its-quiet-almost-too-quiet bad-LSD-trip infused ambient gaps.<br />
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I'll probably address this again and again as I listen, but its one of those marmite qualities about their music. Some like this incredibly stark contrast - I myself love a lot of music with stark contrast. However, the fact that Meshuggah takes it to both extremes makes it a fatiguing listen for me. Its so heavy and relentless, and needs some dynamic, but when you get to the quiet but it tends to feel like its dragging on too long and all of a sudden you're wanting the brutality back. Its tension and release, but I feel that its tension and release taken too far.<br />
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These are just my own reactions to the band, though. They have a legion of fans who love this tension and release, and who could listen to the brutality on repeat all day. To those people, I give kudos. My brain can only handle so much extreme complexity within a space of time under normal listening conditions.<br />
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So anyway, I've decided to come back to them now. I'm going to listen to <i>every single album</i>, in no particular order, and give a fair subjective review on their work. Perhaps I'll come out of this with a new found love, perhaps I'll think they're boring and pretentious, who knows.<br />
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Here goes.<br />
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Before we start, a reminder that these are my thoughts and opinions. The point of reviews on this blog is not to rate music with a numerical value, but to simply share my thoughts and opinions with you. If my thoughts encourage someone to check out the music I review, then that's fine.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000QZX56K&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><b>Catch 33</b><br />
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As I said, no particular order. Or rather, alphabetical order, since thats how they're organised in my iTunes library.<br />
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This is the album that should interest me more than it did. Upon first glance, most of the tracks are under 2 minutes long. Hyper speed punk rock? No way.<br />
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This album is one long, long, long ass song. Roughly 47 minutes in fact. I like how this is implimented - the few times I've had my library on shuffle (which I don't do anymore for this particular reason) sometimes a track from this album would come on, and it just sounds disjointed. Its as if someone's flipped channels on the TV in the middle of a tune, and then flicked it off a couple of minutes later. Its literally just a long song that's been cut up and given titles for each phase of the song.<br />
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They could really have just made it one single track, and in a way I'd have preferred this. Rather than disguising it as a compilation of songs with chapter titles akin to a DVD movie, making it one pure piece of music with no way to skip ahead would encourage serious listening, which is something I encourage, especially with artists who make the effort to produce a start-to-finish album as opposed to lots of songs on the same CD. But that's just me, perhaps there's a story behind each title and section? I don't know.<br />
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Anyway, enough about how its presented, how about the music? Its Meshuggah, so as with most of their albums you know what you're getting straight away. I'm liking the production on this album, the guitars are more defined and I can hear a lot of the notes, despite it still being in plucked-piano-string 'gow gow gow' territory. The neverending flow of this album does serve Meshuggah's style a lot better than their other albums, albeit with a strange break in 'Mind's Mirrors' and 'In Death Is Death'. I feel these tracks are unnecessary as it breaks up the well established hypnotic vibe, but it does add some dynamic which is fair enough, as this is something I've always criticised of Meshuggah.<br />
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Nevertheless, its still an extreme shift of dynamic, which is arguably creating stark contrast, but I always prefer bands who know how to seamlessly switch between the two, varying dynamic and tempo with more natural sounding fluctuations. Meshuggah seem to start and stop here, making you wait for ages before hitting you in the face with another sledgehammer. Which could be a good thing I guess - it just seems too much like an afterthought to my ears, something added after the album was written to create some space, rather than an intended cycle written for that very purpose from the beginning.<br />
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In a way, this is the only album where I would have liked Meshuggah to carry on with their lack of dynamic all the way through. With its one-big-song feel it would have worked better for me as a massive impact, a great statement of what Meshuggah are and what they do best, all contained in one gigantic explosion of crazy metal.<br />
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Thats just me though. The gap does give breathing room which, if I was watching them perform this album live, I would definitely appreciate. I suppose it works better as a continuation of their work rather than a statement, which is the way I would have liked it. But they're not going to make music <i>just for me</i>, so thats fair enough.<br />
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Perhaps the gaps emphasise the fact that despite its continuous nature, its not just one long song. It does feel more like two or three with the gaps. If I had the band here I'd ask them.<br />
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Anyway, this is quite a good Meshuggah album in my opinion, one which I'd probably reach for first if I got in the mood.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000QZYL0E&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><b>Chaosphere</b><br />
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Wow, this album opens with a frenzy. The odd metre almost makes you think your record player is skipping. Which is odd when its all on my computer >_><br />
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Its also got the track "New Millenium Cyanide Christ", which is still my favourite low-budget music video of all time. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A_tSyJBsRQ">Watch it here.</a> <br />
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The first thing I noticed is that I don't like this guitar sound as much as what I was hearing on Catch 33. Its more gainy and fuzzy, and doesn't quite carry the same impact. I'm trying not to compare albums to albums, this is just my first thought.<br />
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You've got to hand it to them - playing these kinds of time signatures takes some coordination and technical expertise. Nevertheless, we all know that technical wizardry does not always equate directly to the best music, but it does help give you an edge. I've always respected Meshuggah because of this mastery over rhythm and metre, there's no doubt that they're fantastic musicians. Especially the drummer.<br />
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So, grating guitar tone aside, I'm actually enjoying this album. Amongst the crazily offset time-bending sections, there are moments where it seems to - dare I say it - <i>groove</i>. With such a bleak, dark and metallic outlook on music, Meshuggah seems to be the last place you'd find 'groove'. But its there, hidden away like a treasure only those willing to follow the map will find. It appears and then vanishes just as quickly, making it all the more worthwhile when it does happen. Touche, Meshuggah.<br />
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A word on their guitar solos. They seemingly come out of nowhere and fly around the fretboard in a flurry of atonal frenzy - hardly an emotionally-driven BB King solo, but this is heavy metal, where speed and notes-per-second rule the roost when it comes to lead breaks, so in that sense it fits. I can't help but feel that they're just filling up some space with a quick noodle, but in a sense I feel Meshuggah is all about the riffs so the lack of emphasis on a solo seems to work well in the context. Some are better than others, some are more tastefully implemented, but against the backdrop of crushing, downtuned riffs in strange time signatures, its hard for them to have any power of their own.<br />
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Also a word on the vocalist. I've always thought of him as unnecessary - a frontman for the sake of having a frontman. In essence, he's just yelling disjointedly over the most hard-to-follow backing track; of course, what else can he do? There's no real harmonic rhythm for melody, and its hard to follow this many different rhythms. So he's doing as well as he can - I just personally feel that its still a little unnecessary. I think Meshuggah would still be as interesting to listen to without him, but he does add that human element - in pure rage form too - which gives that wider appeal, and is vital for an engaging live show. So I don't know. He works but then again he doesn't. Its hard for a vocalist to find a place to fit within such a strange musical outfit.<br />
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Overall, this album still delivers the same Meshuggah, but in a way is more the crushing statement that I thought Catch 33 was going to turn out to be. Despite not being one long song, its got more of an impact and definitely packs a higher powered punch as a collective piece. Its definitely surprised me.<br />
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<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001DXBVKG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><b>Contradictions Collapse/None</b><br />
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I've got this as a single album, but I hear that its a release of the first album and an EP combined onto one album. As I've never seen the box for either I don't know where one finishes and the other starts, so I'm just going to review it as if it were an album in itself.<br />
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This is certainly different. Theres a lot more 4/4, and we don't have the ridiculous low tuning. Of course, that all came later - this is the first album. I'm actually hearing a lot of old school Metallica influence here, which was unexpected.<br />
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Since Meshuggah were always "ridiculous low tuning and crazy time signatures" to me, I never really gave this album a dedicated listen before. There are elements of the time modulation which comes in on their other albums, but the guitars are nowhere near the downtuned bass-guitar territory of their other work. All in all, it sounds and feels like a classic metal album; if someone played this album as your first impression of Meshuggah, you'd probably get the wrong idea. Whilst you can hear where they're going to go once they discover the wonders of downtuning way too far, its still very, <i>very</i> different. Plus, you can hear the bass guitar!<br />
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I'm overcome with a sense of nostalgia; its been years since I've listened to metal from this era and style, when Metallica were my favourite band in the whole word and Master of Puppets was an album of pure brilliance. I'm trying to avoid mentioning Metallica too much, but this album is really reminding me a lot of the pre-black-album era Metallica, albeit a lot more technical. The vocals and the guitar solos definitely fit a lot better into this style of metal.<br />
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As the album progresses, it opens up a lot more and gets darker and more technical. So its not Metallica all the way through, in case I implied that it is. This is definitely still Meshuggah, just a slightly different one.<br />
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This isn't necessarily Meshuggah at their best, but I don't feel like its Meshuggah at their worst either. Its certainly a sidestep from the Meshuggah we know today, but in its own right its not the worst metal album I've ever heard. You can definitely tell that its got some intelligence behind it, but instead of having the time modulations as the main feature of their music, its more of a sideshow, a sectional display of technicality which adds some flair to the songs but isn't the core mechanic. To me, this is a more accessible presentation of time modulation, since it allows the song to still be a song unto itself and not let technicality get in the way. However, Meshuggah's later material managed to take technicality as a core mechanic and still sell records and have a legion of dedicated fans, so I'm not going to argue with that.<br />
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Ah, I originally said I couldn't tell where Contradictions Collapse ended and None began, but its just hit me as I was typing away. Its a definite shift in the familiar Meshuggah direction, and fits quite nicely onto the end of Contradictions Collapse. Its not as full-on as some of the more recent Meshuggah, but still has more of the technicality and heaviness that appears later on. Its almost a transition from old to new, the vocals still retain a hint of the melody from Contradictions, but with all the aggression that is a staple of his current vocal style.<br />
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I wouldn't grab Contradictions Collapse as a pinnacle of Meshuggah's legacy, but its always interesting to hear 'the early years' and as I said, its a nice sidestep from the usual Meshuggah sound. Worth a listen.<br />
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None, despite its brevity, is still a strong EP. It still sounds different from most other Meshuggah I knew, but is an enjoyable listen. I'm quite impressed.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000QZX66E&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><b>Destroy Erase Improve</b><br />
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<b> </b>After a 5 minute break, a sandwich and a drink I return to Destroy Erase Improve. Like Chaosphere, the opening track is a belter of insanity, a frenzy of high speed brutality. This band sure know how to open an album with a bang.<br />
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The next track 'Beneath' begins with what I thought was going to be another long quiet bit, but it turned out to be an intro. Well implemented, perhaps they have a better grasp of dynamic than I previously thought.<br />
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This album feels a lot faster and more energetic, and also more melodic. For some reason I always heard Meshuggah as an atonal mess of heavy metal, but as with the groove in Chaosphere, it seems that there is melody and harmonic rhythm to be found if you persevere with it.<br />
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I'm starting to think that this is where I slipped up on my previous view of Meshuggah. They do have elements which really work and make plenty of sense, but they are well hidden; while this is rewarding when you find it and hear it, making it hard to access is a risky decision. It encourages detailed listening, but at the same time its important to remember that not everybody sits and listens as intently as I am doing now. Its all too common an occurence that somebody will switch songs just before it gets to 'the good part'. Hands up if you've ever played a song to somebody and they've lost interest and switched tracks <i>right before the best part</i>.<br />
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That said, "accessible" is never a word to be associated with Meshuggah. You have to like this kind of music, and you have to want to listen to it, otherwise it'll just fly straight past you. Whilst I appreciate technicality, my tastes have changed and for me a good song with a great melody will trump anything fashioned with the greatest technical intent. As this album is showing me, Meshuggah aren't completely separated from the melodic camp, but it is still secondary to their dedication to complex rhythms and intelligent heavy riffs. Its harder for someone like me to fully appreciate a band when the aspects of music which I love the most are hidden under something which I don't personally hold in such high regard - clearly Meshuggah's music is more for people who are otherwise inclined.<br />
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Then out of the blue, Acrid Placidity appears. I thought I was listening to Satriani for a fleeting moment. Gorgeous chords and textures and a well placed solo - this is definitely not like their other quiet bits. Its not boring, it doesn't drag. Its a small moment of beauty, a colourful butterfly which is quickly crushed by the military-issue boot of the next track. As quickly as I was taken aback by this small window into a lighter side of Meshuggah, I was thrust back into the maelstrom.<br />
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Very well implemented - I have underestimated this band. Its hidden away in the middle of the album, but when you get there its definitely worth the journey. As much as I'm tempted to suggest skipping to this track, the impact it has wouldn't be anywhere near as much as it is in the middle of a Meshuggah album. Its a well written transition, which is thought out in its design and excecuted with nothing less than the ferocity which this album throws at you.<br />
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Overall, this album is more a salvoe of flaming crossbow bolts than a sledgehammer. Its deadly and packs a serious punch, but its also very fast. Sometimes it'll soar up in the air and you'll wonder where it went, before it slams down through your skull faster than you can say "golly". A pleasant surprise, and not what I was expecting at all.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0002JEO74&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><b>I</b><br />
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Here is where its at - a single 21 minute long track.<br />
<b> </b><br />
The intro is very long, but it boggles the mind when you imagine what this must look like written out on a score. Then it explodes...literally. If you bottled up the A-bomb and unleashed it through speakers, It would probably sound like the first couple of minutes of I.<br />
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We're back into the incredibly low-tuned guitar territory, and whilst I've never been particularly fond of the 'gow gow gow' of the low string, Meshuggah have taken it unto themselves to define the sound of a guitar tuned this low. In my experience, its hard to tune this low and <i>not</i> start trying to emulate Meshuggah.<br />
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Anyway, back to the album, or EP. Whatever it is, its crazy. It moves from complex riffs to explosions to frenetic speed and back again, mixing up all three elements in a blender and concocting a Falcon-Punch milkshake with the results.<br />
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Then it stops suddenly. Some strangely tuned strings are plucked. None of them seem to be in tandem with each other. You take a few breaths and try to figure out what's coming next. Then you suddenly realise you're still only halfway through your Falcon-Punch milkshake, and its not finished.<br />
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It jumps back at your ears, almost mocking you, punishing you for trying to enjoy that brief moment of quiet. You thought the brutality was finished? Meshuggah is never finished. The groove is back, somebody is routinely booting you to the chest in time with the downbeat and you feel your whole body shaking. Its infectious, but after a while it seems to stop. Another breather?<br />
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Not on your life. The boot stomping has just switched to becoming irregular, Meshuggah are still here, kicking your ass, just in odd time again. They give you another spot to breathe, but they won't let you. It's relentless in Meshuggah's usual relentless fashion. Its intense and complex and punishing, but you can't stop listening.<br />
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Another calmer section, except this time the guitar keeps pounding to remind you not to fall asleep. The clean interlude promises more, and this time you sit in anticipation, eagerly awaiting the next bit of aural punishment. Its like dirty S&M for the ears, except you love it.<br />
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It comes back in, but not in the same gut wrenching frenzy as before. They're finally letting you calm down and catch your breath, slowly easing you back into the next section. Its an apocalyptic atmosphere which pervades this entire track, one of autonomy and darkness. You almost feel like one of those imprisoned people from the Matrix, a little bitch in comparison to the machine army sucking the life from you. Its dark and foreboding, its eerie and warlike, its immersive and hypnotic.<br />
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Now I know why I never held Meshuggah in high regard. I never listened to I enough.<br />
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This is immersion at its best, the extreme of hypnotic and punishing music, a ritual flogging administered via headphones. This must be heard through headphones. <i>This</i> is what Meshuggah is about, <i>this</i> is the statement which I thought Catch 33 and Chaosphere were going to embody. <br />
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There is one downside to I. Its not long enough. I suddenly want more.<br />
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<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000QZVLN4&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><b>Nothing</b><br />
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The opening track feels twitchy. Not as strong as the opening tracks I loved on the other albums. In a sense, this was the kind of track which I never really liked with Meshuggah, especially when the vocalist is stuck accenting the guitar accents. It just feels...twitchy. Not as flowing or heavy as their other offerings.<br />
<b> </b><br />
The guitar sound is very grating as well. Its very in-your-face. I'm not liking it all that much; for all its low tuning, its very bright and trebly.<br />
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Despite these niggles, the album is still heavy (as expected) and has more of that groove which I loved so much from Chaosphere. Whilst I describe a lot of the Meshuggah groove as being akin to a sledgehammer, this album seems to hold to that the strongest out of what I've heard. Its similar to Chaosphere in its relentless heaviness, but is more polished, refined and with some extra grit added for good measure. Despite my aversion to the guitar sound, it is without doubt a useful element in the aggression which this album is pumping forth.<br />
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Whilst "I" felt like I was being punished, 'Nothing' makes me want to go out punching things. Or lift weights. Or crush beer cans in my fists. I'm too weedy to do any of those things in real life, but if I could, I'd do them whilst listening to 'Nothing'. Some sections of it feel like a Titan stomping the shit out of the earth.<br />
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Listening to Meshuggah all day seems to have desensitised me to the repetitive nature of their music. In all honesty, its still some of the most monotonous and repetitive music I've ever heard. But I understand now that <i>its probably meant to be that way</i>. Where other albums had their breathing spots and moments to reflect, Nothing is pulling out all the stops. There's a gap between songs, but that's not for you to breathe in - that's for Meshuggah to breathe.<br />
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I mentioned earlier that Meshuggah can sometimes be hypnotic; this is certainly true of Nothing. Except that with the offset nature of their rhythm, its the weirdest trance you'll ever find yourself in. You can't put your listeners in a trance unless you have <i>some</i> repetition.<br />
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Despite its relentless aggression though, I can't help but feel a little claustrophobic. The wall of sound is really up in your face, but it lasts longer and is even more relentless than before. Whilst "I" was enveloping and immersive, it moved and progressed and pulsated like a living being, whereas Nothing is more like the trash compactor in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-Widescreen/dp/B000FQJAIW?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Star Wars Ep IV: A New Hope</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000FQJAIW" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. Except without the weird eye thing. Or maybe with. Who knows.<br />
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My point being that whilst the souped-up aggression was exciting at the start, it begins to wear thin as the album progresses. They're grooving and they've got the crazy time signatures as usual, but there's nothing really here that makes it stand out, apart from the relentlessness of it, which for me is becoming more of a hindrance than a selling point.<br />
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That said, 'Straws Pulled At Random' does lean towards that beautiful dynamic pull that 'Acrid Placidity' had, but is still more a subtle hint than a shift, and once its done its straight back into the meat grinder.<br />
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Once you make it through the relentless assault, the last track treats you to that breathing point you always wanted. Its odd that this is at the end of the album, but then again it doesn't last long before the distortion comes back in for one final skirmish with the ears. Its like the point where the trash compactor stops and Luke Skywalker and company escape, except in Meshuggah's version somebody drops a grenade in there before they get out.<br />
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Overall, I didn't find this album as interesting as the others. It definitely has its own defining characteristic in its neverending crushing of the eardrums, but it has to be said that Meshuggah already does this so well that we don't really need an hour-long reminder of this fact. I wouldn't say its a bad album, its just not their most interesting for me.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0013RAY32&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><b>ObZen</b><br />
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<b> </b>I seem to be consistently enthralled with Meshuggah's choices of opening tracks, and Obzen is no slouch. Its almost <i>contemporary</i>, which is a really dirty word to be using around Meshuggah. Its different in a nice way, and certainly draws you in eager to hear more of their most recent offering.<br />
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Then there's Bleed, the ultimate in displays of technical stamina and prowess (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfOddwK7x3E">and also a great track to mix with Lady Gaga</a>).<br />
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What I'm liking in particular about this album is how each track seems to offer something new. There's still no doubt as to who's playing each track, but there's a more interesting variation from track to track. There's a much more fluid dynamic at work, the songs flow very well, but its still Meshuggah through and through, heavy and experimental, time signatures be damned. This is a Meshuggah I could listen to more.<br />
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Its a very well balanced album overall. The riffs are a lot more melodic, some sound like they're actually saying something rather than being a garbled mess of very low notes, they groove along with the ever changing metre but still never let up on the Meshuggah signature heaviness. The quiet sections don't drag on too long, and actually flow very well into the next part of the song. There's little pieces from here and there which add a bit of variety to each new track, elements we've maybe heard before on another album as well as elements we've never heard before. There's the mid tempo grooves, the slow stomps, the thrashy paced snare-led sections. There's a little bit of everything here, despite it still being undoubtedly a Meshuggah record, through and through.<br />
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Most bands reach a point in their careers where they "mature", but usually this means "selling out". In Meshuggah's case, they've definitely matured, but haven't lost any part of what makes them such a unique band. Its stil there in spades, they're just using years of experience with writing songs and experimenting, which culminates in this neat little package called ObZen.<br />
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Yeah, I kinda like this album.<br />
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<b>So...closing thoughts</b><br />
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I'm honestly surprised. I went into this thinking that I'd come out with the same opinion of Meshuggah, just with a more thorough understanding of their music. Whilst some of the things I disliked still remain, I've discovered a whole lot of interesting things that I didn't hear before, a lot of which I liked.<br />
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<b> </b>Its been a very enjoyable experience, immersing myself in a single band and hearing everything they've ever done (I hope to god I didn't miss anything...). So will I be listening to Meshuggah a lot more in my regular listening habits? Probably not. I'll carry on listening to whatever I feel like listening, and I don't often feel like listening to Meshuggah. But every so often, when I'm scrolling through my library, I might stop the bar at Meshuggah and have a dabble, instead of just blindly scrolling past.<br />
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Especially "I". Thats a definite trip for the headphones, I'm eager to give that one another listen with my HD600s.<br />
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I hope you enjoyed this (very lengthy) review! If you love Meshuggah, keep loving them ;)<br />
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I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on Meshuggah too, feel free to leave a comment! <br />
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Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-6052251633081998485?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-62907545118750413622010-04-15T11:34:00.000+01:002010-04-15T11:34:19.121+01:002010-04-15T11:34:19.121+01:00The Art of reccomending music to other peopleDo you ever show your friend a band you think is awesome, and they seem underwhelmed but then a few weeks (months or years!) down the line they suddenly say "Dude, have you heard xxxx? They're awesome!" and you say "Yeah...I said that to you ages ago"?<br />
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I'm guilty of being the person you were talking to. Its a weird thing I have where I don't like to submit myself to hype (even if its just one person doing the hyping). If you reccomend me something, I'm more likely to give it a thorough listen if you just mention them in passing and say you think I might like them than if you went "DUDE CHECK OUT THIS BAND YOU WERE BORN TO LIKE THEM!!!!"<br />
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Everybody's different. I think its just a human psychological behaviour, nobody wants to be seen to be told what to enjoy, but at the same time you just want to share the music you love with as many people as possible! Or sometimes its just a case of changing tastes - someone might not be into the band that you're telling them about <i>now</i>, but a couple of years down the line they'll be more into that particuar style or genre, and then they'll unknowingly come back to that band you told them about ages ago and 'get' them.<br />
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I'm sure we've all shared this experience. I'm not proposing a solution in any way, other than maybe to say if you really want someone to listen to something you love, don't push it on them excessively. I do this a lot. Its just like over-hyped movies; you hear all the hype and go in with raised expectations, and then it doesn't quite match the hype. This mechanic works exactly the same with music, which is why I'm generally wary of music which is getting a lot of hype at a particular time.<br />
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This is probably why I'm late to the party with a lot of bands. I only just started to enjoy Deftones, for example, after years of only digging a couple of songs. Changing tastes, changing situations and times, you can't really dictate when certain music is going to appeal to you or not.<br />
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As unpredictable as this is, its another of the beauties of this enigma we call music.<br />
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Make sure you keep loving that enigma,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-6290754511875041362?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-21727700153078744972010-04-13T18:47:00.000+01:002010-04-13T18:47:40.300+01:002010-04-13T18:47:40.300+01:00But is it music? Ambience, drones, noise and more.Its not the most mainstream genre of music, but it is still out there and people do still listen to it. Ambient music, drone-based music and even pure noise. Just like asking whether throwing paint at a canvas is art, some may question whether this is actually music or just a lazy attempt at being pretentiously 'artistic'.<br />
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What do you think?<br />
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I was listening to an album by Sunn O))) today. I don't know whether its their best or their worst, I don't know if its their most popular or their latest or anything like that. Its called '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/White1-Sunn-O/dp/B00008CLQF?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">White 1</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00008CLQF" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />' and it consists of 3 really really really long tracks.<br />
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The first track is a recording of somebody talking for a long time about doom and the apocalypse, all the while with drones, noise and guitar feedback in the background. The second track has some distorted yelling and more guitar noise, and then theres the long track which is a very fuzz/distortion laden guitar playing endless riffs whilst a very tinny sounding drum kit plays along.<br />
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Hardly sounds like a chart topper, eh?<br />
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I'm only mentioning this particular album because I was listening to it today, and because its an extreme example of the thin line between art and insanity. Its too early for me to form a solid opinion on Sunn O))) themselves, I need to hear more albums; after all, maybe this one was just an experiemental one, I don't know. I'm new to Sunn O))).<br />
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I can see that 90% of people, maybe more, wouldn't have the attention span to listen to the whole thing through. I did have to force myself to listen through the last track, just out of curiosity to see where it would go next. For those that do, what might they see in listening to stuff like this?<br />
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On the surface, it may appear that drone based music is just pure laziness, and this would be an easy assumption for someone listening to Sunn O))) - hit record, smoke an entire eighth, downtune the guitar and then hit the lowest strings every so often and you'd get something similar.<br />
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Nevertheless, we have to bear in mind this question: <b>Does more effort necessarily procure a better quality of music?</b><br />
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Its here where the definition of "music" gets a little blurry. I myself enjoy listening to drones and ambience sometimes, but not because of any inherent melody, harmony, rhythm or anything else we commonly associate with the term "music". Ambient and drone-based music is different in the sense that it has moved on from structure, form and function, and instead is focusing on sonic analysis as opposed to theoretical analysis.<br />
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This, I think, is the beauty of it. In forgoing verses, scales, keys and time, you're left to focus purely on the sounds that you are listening to. If you let them, they can be hypnotic, enveloping and very immersive, provided they're done well. The only problem is, you <i>really have to listen.</i><br />
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I suppose this is the crux of ambient/drone music. In this day and age, people lack the attention span to sit and listen to someone holding a key on the Moog and tweaking knobs for ten minutes. Some people love this textural exploration - in fact, more people do than care to admit. Anyone who claims to be searching for that ultimate guitar tone, anyone whose spent an hour tweaking synth presets, anyone whose tried 3 or 4 different microphones when recording a source, they're all doing the same thing that ambient music fans are doing. Its just that in these cases, its a means to a completely different end, and the end is usually the beginning of a process which creates "normal music".<br />
<i> </i><br />
Anyway, back to defining "music" in this context. Is a compliation of layered sounds, textures and noise called "music", or is it just what it is - a collection of sounds? Is music a clearly definable term which involves the use of key signature, time, rhythm, melody and harmony, or does the term encompass any consumption and enjoyment of vibrations in the air emitted by speaker cones?<br />
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Its an ambiguous question which begets even more ambiguous answers, and each one is different depending on who's saying it. What do you think?<br />
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If you're interested, set aside an hour or so (<a href="http://musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com/2010/04/if-you-really-love-music-youll-spend.html">with headphones!</a>) and check out some ambient or drone-based music. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ambient-1-Music-For-Airports/dp/B000TERDJS?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Brian Eno</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000TERDJS" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> was a pioneer of ambient music, and is always a good place to start. I'm also fond of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bass-Communion-2/dp/B00008J2RH?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Bass Communion</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00008J2RH" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (a side project of Steven Wilson), in particular <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Magnetic-Tape-RARE-Communion/dp/B001YKHBAC?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ghosts On Magnetic Tape</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001YKHBAC" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. If you're feeling daring, try some Sunn O))).<br />
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But above all, try to enjoy it.<br />
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Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-2172770015307874497?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-41517676274408938752010-04-13T14:06:00.000+01:002010-04-13T14:06:22.080+01:002010-04-13T14:06:22.080+01:00Music and the big, evil corporation that is AppleMusic lovers love Apple. Music lovers hate Apple.<br />
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Just like the constant flame war between computer users and phone users, the same goes on with music lovers; Apple's dominance of the downloads market, mp3 players, iTunes and DRM. Is it really all that bad?<br />
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The most common complaint is the fact that whilst you can copy music onto an iPod, you can't copy music off the same device onto the computer. I can see why this is a hassle...you have all your music on your desktop, you're out with your laptop and you want to put a song onto it from your iPod. Alas, YOU CANT BECAUSE STEVE JOBS IS EVIL AND IS TELLING YOU HOW TO USE YOUR HARDWARE.<br />
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Or you're at a friends house, you want them to have this album to listen to. Its on your iPod so its a simple copy and...NO WAIT YOU CAN'T BECAUSE STEVE SAYS NO!<br />
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Before we get into this, you can disregard my entire post because I own 2 Apple computers and an iPod, all of which I use on a regular basis. So that simple fact means that I'm totally and utterly in love with Steve Jobs' company and will defend them to the death. Yes, I also own a turtleneck sweater and ponce around thinking I'm better than everyone.<br />
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C'mon. Seriously.<br />
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Sure, Apple seems restrictive. No, they are restrictive. I'm not going to get into the whole Adobe vs Apple and the new SDK argument here, its not relevant - Gizmodo can cover that.<br />
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The point is that I'm not the kind of user that finds these restrictions the worst thing in the world. Hell, look at <i>any</i> product, computer, device, gadget, anything that you've bought recently. Is it 100% perfect? Does it have absolutely <i>no</i> flaws?<br />
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See, some people nitpick. One problem and its a nono. Thing is, everything comes with problems and, like I said in the <a href="http://dreamsilentproductions.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-i-use-apple-mac-computer.html">Mac post on my other blog</a>, you've just got to weigh up whether the disadvantages are things that will actually bother you on a regular basis, or whether they are things that don't really get in your way.<br />
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DRM is one thing. Apple did seem to go DRM free a while back with "iTunes plus", but it seems to have vanished. At one point I found this DRM restrictive, and stopped buying my music from the iTunes store. I still used iTunes as my main music player, I just stopped buying from the store.<br />
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When I started getting more into my Music Production and moved onto the Apple platform full time, this became less of a restriction. I bought my first Macbook simply to use Logic Pro, but it performed fine for using the internet and word processing (my only two other uses for a computer) so I didn't really need a Windows laptop on the side.<br />
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So since my move to the Apple platform, the DRM restriction became less relevant. I listen to my music on my Macs and my iPod, I can move my music around freely and thus I now buy most of my music from the iTunes store; its convenient, fast and, in a lot of cases, cheaper. Its a good quality too.<br />
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So I don't mind being told how to use my hardware. I use it as it was designed to be used. So what if iTunes runs better on Macs than Windows - are you really surprised? I mean, Apple, trying to get more people to buy Macs? Is that such a henious thought? Its a business people, they like profit. Sure, this makes them evil. If thats such a problem for you, then don't buy their stuff.<br />
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Whatever platform you use though, enjoy the music for what it is, however you can. After all, thats the whole point in the end - there's just so many different ways to enjoy music and access it. Some people don't like Apple's prescribed method for accessing and enjoying music, and thats fine. There are plenty of other ways, and plenty of people use this way.<br />
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Posted from my iPad<br />
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(just kidding)<br />
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Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-4151767627440893875?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-55906967897792401782010-04-08T10:02:00.000+01:002010-04-08T10:02:00.151+01:002010-04-08T10:02:00.151+01:00Don't try to get your song on the radio, you'll ruin itDespite the fact that most mainstream radios just play crap these days, occasionally they can play good songs. Some mainstream artists, believe it or not, release <i>fantastic</i> songs. But the radio ruins them, the more successful a song is, the more its ruined.<br />
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My case in point for this argument is the song "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Cars/dp/B000VZUIAQ?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Chasing Cars</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000VZUIAQ" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />" by Snow Patrol. Yes, we all hate that song, me included...or rather, we're all sick of it. We hate it because we're sick of hearing it on every episode of Grey's Anatomy or at every pub or on every radio station or at every home which has a new couple in it. We've heard it so many times that it invokes rage when its played.<br />
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But despite the fact that I hate listening to it, I cannot deny with any part of me that its a great song. Its incredibly well written, and its the kind of song I wish I could have written. Not necessarily for the soppy and incredibly catchy chorus, but for the structure of the song itself. Its a very intense build up, each verse and chorus taking its time, building up and teasing you with the promise of a big chorus, but then dying down and reverting to its constant gain of momentum.<br />
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Its this long buildup that I love. Unlike most modern pop music, its not in any hurry to get to the big anthemic chorus within the first 30 seconds. It gives you a teaser, a brief overview, but its not really there until about the third chorus in. By the time this hits, you're more than ready for the explosion, and it really is quite well excecuted.<br />
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But then again, we've heard this song that many times. Its not exciting anymore, we know every curve and contour of the song. Its been overplayed to death, just like Maroon 5 was - I loved Maroon 5 until the radio stations began to <i>adore</i> playing their songs over and over and over and over again. Then I just got sick of it. Its the same with a lot of more mainstream artists that I may actually like.<br />
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So if you write a really, <i>really</i> good song, don't go for radio play. If it does really well on radio, then you'll just ruin it for everybody.<br />
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Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-5590696789779240178?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-91729936474141396832010-04-07T17:44:00.001+01:002010-04-07T17:50:27.282+01:002010-04-07T17:50:27.282+01:00If you really love music, you'll spend a lot of money on HeadphonesI seriously think that dedicated headphone listening is underrated these days. Especially with music you love the most.<br />
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I'm not talking about your iPod earbuds, or any in-ear tacky headphone on any mp3 player you listen to on the bus to work. I only use these to half listen to music so that I have an interesting soundtrack to my lonely walks.<br />
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No, I'm talking about taking some music you love and putting some awesomely huge expensive earphones on and just listening.<br />
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Of course, I'm not saying you can't love music without some huge expensive headphones. But its something you need to try at least once.<br />
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I've been on a bit of a headphone binge recently. I've been spending a lot of time away from my Studio with my bigger speakers and monitors which I love blasting music from. So as not to annoy my Girlfriend whilst I work on these damned essays and take some time to do my blogs, I've brought my closed ear Sennheiser headphones with me.<br />
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If you're curious, they're Sennheiser HD280 closed ear headphones. I got these for using in the studio, as they have great isolation (in that nobody can really hear what I'm listening to, and I can't hear a damn thing when I'm listening to anything on them). My actual proper listening headphones are a pair of Sennheiser HD600s, which cost me a small fortune and are open backed (so everyone can hear what I'm listening to and I can hear stuff in the room). Since they're open backed they tend to be for real critical listening. And they're also the most comfortable headphones in existence; my HD280s are less comfortable for long listening periods.<br />
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So what, I spent £300 on headphones for my studio.<br />
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Nothing compares to listening to your favourite album on headphones, especially ones with the isolation levels that my HD280s provide. You're literally surrounded by a wall of music which envelops you, all thats left is to close your eyes and let it take you wherever it takes you.<br />
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When mixing music in the studio, this is generally a less desirable way to mix due to the odd way that the stereo field is represented. But for listening back to stuff that's already been done in the studio and mixed down into purchasable music, its fantastic. Especially if there's some interesting production on it.<br />
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Just try it...take your favourite music. Try something that's usually too long, chilled, arty, proggy, whatever. Set aside an hour or so, and get hold of some really expensive headphones that completely cover your ears. Big, comfortable open backed headphones will give you the best immersive and comfortable experience, but as these can cost upwards of £200 for a pair I can understand if you don't want to.<br />
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In fact, check out the previous review of Porcupine Tree albums, pick one and have a listen through some really nice headphones. Just sit back, close your eyes and let it take you somewhere. I guarantee you'll enjoy it.<br />
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Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-9172993647414139683?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-48388734193419396042010-04-07T16:58:00.002+01:002010-04-16T10:58:44.402+01:002010-04-16T10:58:44.402+01:00Porcupine Tree: My favourite band, reviewed to death.Absolutely everyone who knows me in real life knows how much I rave about this band, and in particular the frontman/writer/arranger/producer Steven Wilson. If you already know and love Porcupine Tree, then this blog post won't really give you anything new. I thought I'd just add to the reviews on this page and review <i>as much Porcupine Tree as I can be bothered</i> <i>to</i>.<br />
<br />
Meaning, 'I was gonna review every single album but they have too many'. Plus, its hard to review the really old Porcupine Tree without a half-burnt joint and some ambient lighting for context.<br />
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So anyway, read on for a lot of words, about the band that is, for me, the greatest one ever.<br />
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Sometimes people ask me where they should start with Porcupine Tree, or what my favourite album of theirs is, and my answer for both questions is the same.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0007XT87G&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deadwing-Porcupine-Tree/dp/B0007XT87G?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Deadwing</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0007XT87G" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
Deadwing is what I believe to be the most accessible, and also one of their heaviest albums. The majority of PT fans will usually reccomend In Absentia in its place, and I can see why; its a great album (next in this list, in fact). But as a cohesive album for someone just getting into Porcupine Tree or prog music in general, Deadwing always comes first for me.<br />
<br />
The title track itself, first on the album, is almost ten minutes in length, and gives a nice overture of what Porcupine tree is there to achieve on that album. The eerie artwork and lyrics hint at a darker story and concept, but it is one where you have to look deeply for yourself and draw your own interpretation out of it. For that reason, I'm not going to share what I think it's about.<br />
<br />
The music is the main attraction though; personally I am a music man before being a lyrics whore. The first time I hear anything, I'll listen to the melodies, the vowels and everything else. Anyway, I digress; the music. This album is riff central for Porcupine Tree. From the iconic opening riff of "Open Car" to the almost American-rock-single "Shallow" and the eerie textures over the groovy bassline to "Halo", its a real treat for riff lovers everywhere. Put that alongside Porcupine Tree and their weird, evolving, haunting yet beautiful textures and you get an album which takes you on a journey - you don't quite know where you're going, but you enjoy it nonetheless. Whilst its a thrilling journey at times, when it nears the end it doesn't accelerate for a final rush, instead opting to calmly bring you back down to earth and rest, so you can have a nice ponderous think about what you just listened to.<br />
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Isn't that nice?<br />
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Tracks to check out: Halo, Open Car, Shallow<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00006IU73&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/In-Absentia/dp/B00123AYNM?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">In Absentia</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00123AYNM" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
This is the album that most people know tunes from. And upon listening, you can hear why; "Blackest Eyes" is an aggressive and unrelenting opening track, and despite being a mostly relaxed tune, when it begins to rev up, it bloody well revs up. "Trains" is my favourite song <i>of all time</i>, and thats no mean feat. I used to maintain that there was no such thing as a favourite song, as there was no conceivable way that a song could embody everything you love about music. Well, that was before I heard "Trains".<br />
<br />
Then there's "The Sound of Muzak", a jarring 7/4 polyrhythm which flows beautifully and has one of the most well-phrased guitar solos ever written. Despite this album being PT's initial foray into heavier music, it is still on the most part a lot more laid back. The album starts off with a bang, and as it progresses it gets darker, more ambient and a lot less energetic. This is not a bad thing, especially when considering its concept; the timeline of a criminally insane man. Its slightly more obvious than Deadwing's concept, but its well excecuted nonetheless, despite being a bit creepy. But Steven Wilson is good at being creepy, which is something I thought I'd never say as a compliment.<br />
<br />
Along with Deadwing, this is an album that I reccomend first to people, since like Deadwing it has more well defined songs, and feels more like a typical album release from any number of other artists should, whilst still retaining the Porcupine Tree flavour of a growing, evolving texture of sounds and colours.<br />
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Tracks to check out: Blackest Eyes, Trains, Sound of Muzak, Heart Attack In a Layby<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000O75F7C&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fear-Blank-Planet-Porcupine-Tree/dp/B000O75F7C?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Fear Of A Blank Planet</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000O75F7C" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
Or as some of us joke, "Bloody kids these days"<br />
<br />
With Steven Wilson's more poppy side project <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blackfield/dp/B00075146W?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Blackfield</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00075146W" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> well underway, he decided that Porcupine Tree could stop doing silly little "singles" like "Lazarus" and "Trains" and focus on some crazy music where the songs are at least 6-10 minutes long and very conceptual. I think.<br />
<br />
FOABP marked PT's return to something a bit more proggy, and also marked their skyrocket into the somewhat mainstream. Seems a bit contradictory, but PT were only getting stronger as time went by so this seemed more like a trigger as opposed to the make-or-break album. Its also a very good album.<br />
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As opposed to a story arc, the concept behind FOABP is that of a mood, an impending doom over the current generation of youth; the iPod generation, Xboxes and weed, delinquency and all that. Bloody kids these days, eh?<br />
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I could go into how this is all relevant in the current media overcrowding of information in this day and age but I'm reviewing the album, so you can look that up another time. The point is, its a poignant and relevant record, despite being very proggy. Its also very heavy. Despite still holding onto their dark, ambient, textural 'synthy' prog weirdness throughout, Porcupine Tree have progressively gotten heavier as each album came out. FOABP is no exception, as anyone whose heard the full 17-minute Anesthetize will agree. Still crazy on the time signatures, but with moments of stunning beauty, FOABP is still, like most of their albums, best listened to back to front, but doesn't suffer as individual songs.<br />
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Of note is the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nil-Recurring-Porcupine-Tree/dp/B0011BJQ52?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Nil Recurring</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0011BJQ52" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> EP, which contains 4 tracks that were originally meant to be included on FOABP but didn't make the cut for whatever reason. Its not necessarily excluded filler, there's some crazy moments and some lovely moments on it, despite its brevity.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Incident-Porcupine-Tree/dp/B002GZQY6Q?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002GZQY6Q&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>The Incident</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002GZQY6Q" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
The latest release, and once again PT backtrack to something even more proggy than their last release. Which is odd when you consider that the opposite usually happens when a band hits the spotlight at last.<br />
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So I'll cut the crap this time, how good is the album?<br />
<br />
Its hard to say. I was slightly unsure the first time I heard it, but as a die-hard fanatic Porcupine Tree lover its likely I was over-analysing everything. It definitely takes a few listens to grasp the song cycle, especially as its more of a musical song cycle than a lyrical one. There is a theme tying them all together, but it is not a story in any sense; this isn't any different from PT's previous concept based albums however. The flow of the song cycle is very well done, but some of the shorter pieces are quite gorgeous and you wish they would last longer, whilst some of the more drawn out pieces can drag on upon first listen. I'm still divided over where this album stands up next to their greatest works, but its definitely good and its definitely different.<br />
<br />
The Bonus Disc contains standalone songs that didn't fit the song cycle, and these are actually really damn good. Especially Bonnie The Cat. <br />
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Tracks to check out: Don't go listening to Time Flies, just get the whole damn thing and listen back to front.<br />
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<br />
So this review has ended here, more of a review of their latest stuff than a review of all their stuff. Still, its a decade's worth of material, and only a third of the albums they have in total. Its a great starting point, and still a defining strong point in Porcupine Tree's career. Feel free to check out the other albums, but don't expect anything close to what you hear in these four.<br />
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Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-4838873419341939604?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-33927477882162019992010-04-05T15:27:00.001+01:002010-04-05T15:35:54.274+01:002010-04-05T15:35:54.274+01:00Music Journalism - don't believe a word you readOh, its too easy.<br />
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"So music journalism sucks, huh? Then how come YOU are writing about music?!"<br />
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Indeed. Another contradiction within a blog full of contradictions. As I always say when such an occurrence happens; Such is the nature of music. Read on for lots more glaring contradictions!<br />
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I can't stand music journalism. The very idea of it seems pointless, but what really disgusts me is that it's actually effective. People read this garbage and allow their opinions of music to be formed around someone elses opinion.<br />
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You can see I've started adding reviews to this blog (well, one so far. More to come!). I've done my best in my reviews to present my opinion and my opinion only. Take it with a grain of salt, and if you're interested then check out the music and decide for yourself.<br />
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This is what album reviews, if they absolutely <i>must</i> exist, should consist of. But nobody likes that, nobody likes to think for themselves, especially if they pay money for their products. People either want somebody to say BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT to justify their purchase, or a reassuring ITS RUBBISH DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT so that they can divert their attention elsewhere.<br />
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I can see how it works for marketing, but for music its all so very wrong. As I said in the one rule of music, there is no such thing as bad music. So how can someone who calls themselves a journalist think that they are the be-all-and-end-all of music taste, and tell people what to buy?<br />
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Its a little more sinister than that, especially with the latest releases from major-label acts. Ever notice how they never seem to get bad reviews, except on forums where fans of bands-you've-never-heard-of indulge in a constant tirade about how awful it all is? These constant great reviews are featured on posters, TV adverts, even placed on stickers on the CD itself. All these 5 star reviews can't be wrong, so therefore YOU MUST BUY IT!!!<br />
<br />
Except that, in this case, the journalists didn't really review it. They didn't give their "I'm the authority on music" opinion, in order to make you buy what they think you should buy.<br />
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The record label reviewed it for them.<br />
<br />
Or rather, the label paid a pricey sum to get that review. You may not believe me, but believe me it happens. Album reviews for big acts and big releases are nothing more than an extension of the marketing plan. Which makes sense, when you see how those reviews are planted on every instance of that album's mention, right down to being stuck on the physical product itself.<br />
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I've only bought music magazines a few times. I prefer magazines about gear, myself. Equipment works or it doesn't. Music is subjective. Nevertheless, In those rare occasions where I buy a music magazine, I do enjoy reading the reviews. I read the bad ones; I have no interest in the good ones, they always read the same. You know what I mean:<br />
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"Another fantastic offering from [artist], which combines [any genre] with their unique brand of [generic labeling] but adds more [positive descriptive word] and [same again]. One to watch/definitely buy/I jizzed when I heard it and so did my mates"<br />
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Blah blah blah. No, I love reading the bad reviews. I love reading how these people rate these artists badly, because its all convoluted opinion. These bad artists are always "trying to be" one of the artists that, if you flip a page back, got a good review. Its always "disappointing", as though they ever had high hopes for it.<br />
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Its all bullshit as well. I can't bring myself to completely can any artists making music (even though I regularly do because I'm a hypocrite and this blog is all a sham!) because I know that someone, somewhere, will listen to that music and enjoy it. You cannot deny it, its a fact; that person is enjoying listening to that music, even if its only once or twice before they move on, so its successful. Its a good piece of music, it works. For whatever reason, they love it.<br />
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In some ways, I wish music critics were like film critics or food critics. In the world of the film/food critic, <i>everything</i> is bad. Have you ever read a glowing 10/10 review from either of these critics?<br />
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But I digress. You can't put stars, percentages or numbers to music. My favourite 10/10 100% 5 star song might only me 7/10, 73% or 4 stars for you. It might even be 1/10, 7% or half a star.<br />
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BUT THAT IS WHAT IS SO DAMN WONDERFUL ABOUT MUSIC!<br />
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Its all interpretation. Everybody's perception of music is completely different, everybody's world is a different movement of textures, shapes, colours and sounds. I find that absolutely fascinating, I don't know about you. I'd love to swap places with someone who has a <i>completely different music taste to me</i> and listen to the music I don't normally like. I'd love to feel it resonate with them, understand what makes it so good to them even though I find no appeal in listening to it. I'd love to experience that, because it'd be a completely new experience, it'd be like music never existed and it was the first melody I'd ever heard in my life. I'd love to hear different things, pick out different elements, dance a different way.<br />
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Alas, this is not possible. But can you see what I'm getting at? The very fact that opinion is so hugely divided over music taste is the very thing which makes it so universally amazing.<br />
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And some magazine has a group of people who think they can tell you what is and isn't good?<br />
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At least the record labels are paying for this months rent.<br />
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Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<br />
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[EDIT] I'd just like to add that this is the one place where I love user-generated reviews. The more user reviews on something, the broader a picture you can paint of how people respond to it. As usual with musical opinion, take them with a grain of salt. I tend to read them with 'other albums' by a particular artist, because you get a picture of where this album fits in.<br />
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For example, I'd heard bits and piece of Neurosis for ages, and finally decided I wanted an album. I love Scott Kelly's ferocity and whilst I love long, progressive interludes, that day I wasn't particularly in the mood for it. So I scanned iTunes, I read all the reviews on all the albums, and "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Times-Grace-Neurosis/dp/B00000IN5R?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Times of Grace</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00000IN5R" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />" sounded like the one I wanted to get. I bought it, and was not disappointed.<br />
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My housemate, who fucking LOVES Neurosis and all that stuff we've never heard of, then agreed that he knew that'd be the album I'd get.<br />
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Don't judge the album's merit on its reviews though. Sometimes the only people that bother posting reviews on the album are the people who loved it to pieces. You know, "Wow this album is so good, I'm going to post a review and tell people how good it was!" You may not love it.<br />
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I'll stop rambling now![EDIT]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-3392747788216201999?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-10532284683288790352010-04-04T11:59:00.002+01:002010-04-16T10:57:23.602+01:002010-04-16T10:57:23.602+01:00Review: t.A.T.u - Waste ManagementAn entire album presented as a single hour-long song? Sign me up!<br />
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Of course, most people remember Tatu (which I'm going to type as a word because the mix of capitals and full stops takes too long) as the "omg lesbian marketing scam". Of course, it was successful in creating a stir, but then they kinda vanished. Since then, they now have 3 albums out, the latest of which (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Smiles/dp/B001KQGCVO?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Happy smiles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001KQGCVO" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />) has been re-jigged into a single and called "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waste-Management-t-T-u/dp/B0036F7H3Y?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Waste Management</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0036F7H3Y" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />".<br />
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Blatant repackaging or artistic beauty? Read on.<br />
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Admittedly, this isn't the first time Tatu have repackaged anything. Their first album was only 9 songs long, so they padded it out with extended versions, remixes and Russian versions of the two singles. I can't really defend these, its blatant filler (although the 30 seconds remix was well done) and should be frowned upon by those who fork out cash for a product.<br />
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So what exactly is Waste Management? Its essentially the album Happy Smiles, with most of the songs now having English language lyrics (Happy Smiles was the first Tatu release to be mostly in Russian, the previous two were mostly english with one or two songs in their native language) and new "transition" pieces have been written so that the songs blend into each other. Its presented as one song, and the booklet proudly states that if you stop playback before it finishes then "Satisfaction is not Guaranteed".<br />
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I'll say firstly that I love this kind of stuff. Its what makes Pink Floyd so awesome, especially since they negotiated that their music can <i>only</i> be sold as albums now. All the best albums, in my opinion, tell a story and weave textures around as a continual piece of music, as opposed to a collection of singles. These are albums where you don't like putting it on shuffle, or if you pick out a single song from it, you feel compelled to just leave it playing until the end.<br />
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Next, I'll say that for an act such as Tatu, this is a huge risk. They vanished from the mainstream just as quickly as they appeared, but they seem to have been enjoying success in Russia and with the collection of weird people like me who claim that there's more to their music than lesbian-tinged music videos. Nevertheless, pop acts rarely if ever attempt a release like this. It adds an air of arrogance, especially with the statement in the booklet urging, almost commanding, that their listeners sit and listen intently to the whole work without stopping.<br />
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People that love doing this with albums will normally cite albums that most people will agree is "arty". Radiohead albums, Pink Floyd records, anything that you can tag a "Progressive" label or call a Concept Album (but not Greenday's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Idiot-Green-Day/dp/B0002OERI0?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">American Idiot</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0002OERI0" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. That is not a concept album, and it is DEFINITELY not a "rock opera"). Nobody would put Tatu down with those artists or albums. Nobody.<br />
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So its definitely a big risk, and I can't imagine they're expecting a huge volume of sales. It'll be the die-hard fans such as myself who buy this and enjoy it.<br />
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Anyway, I digress. This is a review. So is it any good?<br />
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Well, its very well done, especially when listened to on headphones. Having a constant piece of music creates a very immersive experience, which is the attraction to albums like this. Tatu's brand of ethereal electro-pop really does suit this presentation, and what piqued my curiosity was to see how they blended the songs together, as listening to the album Happy Smiles reveals that these songs aren't all just the same thing remixed.<br />
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Whats most interesting is that as opposed to 'normal' progressive concept albums, this wasn't (at least as far as I can tell) originally written to be this way. Instead, they've taken the album and written instrumental passages between each song.<br />
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These are, on the most part, very well executed. They're definitely stronger going into the next song than coming out of the previous one, in the sense that whilst you can tell where one song ends, the beginning of the next song sometimes seems to happen and before you know it you're there.<br />
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So in a sense, they've written very good intros.<br />
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Nevertheless, I feel that it works. The production is immersive without being over-compressed or overbearing, and the arrangement is top notch. The two singers may be pretty flat and lifeless in comparison to more talented vocalists, but for the music which they're singing over it works perfectly. Despite its title it tends to be a lot darker sounding than their previous two offerings, with a very spacey etheral feel. Whilst a lot of the synth sounds wouldn't be out of place on cheesy 90s house music, it doesn't feel cliche'd or cheesy. It just kinda works.<br />
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Despite its darker tones, the album still grooves like a mofo. Despite many places where they could have just stuck to the "four to the floor" staple of dance music, they tend to favour more rock influenced beats, which sound closer to something played in by a human than something programmed into a sequencer. On the most part anyway. There's a whole mix of electro, from laid back beats to very drum n bass influenced harder material. It draws elements from euphoric trance but without ever going "full on". It always feels a little more subdued, with pads drawing the energy back just enough to stop it getting out of hand. It always feels more like an album rather than a DJ megamix.<br />
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So I feel its a success. As I've mentioned before, regardless of whether the singers do any writing themselves, the production, writing and arrangement on Tatu's albums is always top notch, and its thoroughly enjoyable electonic music.<br />
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I'm not going to give ratings in stars or a mark out of ten, or even a percentage. I'll just give you my thoughts, and you can decide the rest for yourself.<br />
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If you want to check it out here's some links:<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waste-Management-t-T-u/dp/B003CMB18S?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002Y57SGI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=musicsucksbut-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B003CMB18S&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-1053228468328879035?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-44925234412761593052010-04-02T18:48:00.000+01:002010-04-02T18:48:14.552+01:002010-04-02T18:48:14.552+01:00The Ultimate Rule of MusicFlying defiant to the very title of this blog, as is the contradictory nature of music, is the number one truth about music. Possibly the only truth. One which we all deny, and we all break. Me included. But it helps to remember it.<br />
<br />
<b>If at least one person likes a piece of music, then it is good music.</b><br />
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Thus, there is no such thing as bad music.<br />
<a name='more'></a> Think about it. Nothing can define "good music". Music journalists (scum of the earth, but thats another topic) claim to know what is good and what isn't. People endlessly make top ten lists of popular music or popular songs, simply replacing the word "popular" with "best".<br />
<br />
But everyone consistently forgets that music is a subjective art. You like some music. Someone else likes other music. Between everybody on the planet, everybody likes everything and simultaneously everyone hates everything. There isn't a single song, band, artist or album where you can't find just as many haters as well as rabid fans.<br />
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Sometimes the haters outnumber the fans disproportionately, as is the case with a lot of music I listen to and love. Society would have us think that, like school, music is a popularity contest, so that if more people hate something rather than like it, then it is awful trite and should be labelled as such.<br />
<br />
This is not the case.<br />
<br />
I've said this in a previous post; When music plays, the speakers vibrate the air, and when these oscillations reach my ears they move my eardrums which my nervous system then converts into electrical signals and my brain interprets this as music. This is the only way in which music should ever be judged. When those vibrations reach my ears, if I like it then I like it. If I don't, then I don't. Someone else probably does.<br />
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So never forget. If literally everyone in the world says that your new favourite band X absolutely sucks and makes awful music, remember the rule. You like them, right? That means they're good at what they're doing. And you can continue listening, safe and smug in the knowledge that you're listening to music that they're all missing out on.<br />
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And that's perfectly ok.<br />
<br />
Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-4492523441276159305?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-61181223152293336582010-04-02T10:36:00.000+01:002010-04-02T10:36:08.889+01:002010-04-02T10:36:08.889+01:00Are we falling madly OUT of love with music?These days, everybody's music collection is <i>huge</i>. My own personal collection is almost 30GB worth, and iTunes tells me that its about 2 weeks long if I listened to absolutely everything, back to back.<br />
<br />
But does having all the music in the world at our fingertips take away the personal relationship we have with it?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I remember when I first fell madly in love with music. You will snigger, but it was during the Nu Metal era; I was a young teenager, and Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Papa Roach and all of that rubbish was the greatest thing in the world to me.<br />
<br />
I didn't have access to the gazillions of songs anywhere, anytime, like we do today. I had access to what HMV had on its shelves, and at a typical price of £12.99 - £14.99, I could only buy one at a time, every so often. So when I bought a CD, I came home and sat on the bed, put the CD into my CD player and pressed play whilst flicking through the liner notes. I'd look at all the art, front and back, absorbing the colours and how they melded with the music. Sometimes I'd read the lyrics whilst listening to the music, but most times I'd just let the lyrics and the music wash over me as I sat and absorbed.<br />
<br />
Most of the time, this new CD was just the greatest thing I'd <i>ever</i> heard, so It'd be on repeat for the next few days, maybe even the next week. I'd know each song front to back, after hearing the end of a song I'd know what song was coming up next. Even though they weren't designed as concept albums where the songs tell a story and blend one into the other, I still preferred to listen to them as an album, start to finish, with no jumping to the next song or shuffling the order around.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to today, and none of this occurs. Partly because I study music way too deeply when I hear it, picking it apart and tearing it to pieces. Its a natural thing I do now, and I can't say I don't enjoy it. I do miss the naivety of when I didn't know anything and music was music, but thats beside the point.<br />
<br />
I can pretty much buy any album, at any time, and listen to it right now. Sometimes I even stumble across a leaked album, and I can listen to it <i>before its released</i> (but I do buy it when it does come out. Especially if its in a nice box!). And I just carry on consuming. Its sometimes background music.<br />
<br />
A lot of this can be put down to the fact that I'm a lot older, and I have more things to do. Responsibilities, life, things get in the way. Also, I have so much music that even when I do have time to sit down and just listen, sometimes with a glass of wine or a joint, I can't really just pick one. I have to spend at least ten minutes scrolling through my entire library.<br />
<br />
And that is my biggest problem. I love too much music! There's too much of it and its hard to choose. When I was younger I had about 10 CDs, so choosing was easy. Normally I'd already know what I was in the mood for listening to. Now, moods are a lot more specific and music is even more specific.<br />
<br />
But I still buy my absolute most favourite albums on Vinyl, because the very process of listening to a Vinyl is interactive and away from your computer. And theres nothing like the charm of clicks, pops, scratching and other stuff that the mp3 generation put down to why vinyl just "sucks". But it sounds so lovely! At least to people like me who claim they can hear a difference.<br />
<br />
What are those albums? Mostly prog albums, and mostly Porcupine Tree. I still try to track down the rare pressings of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/In-Absentia/dp/B00123AYNM?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">In Absentia</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00123AYNM" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deadwing/dp/B0012351YE?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Deadwing</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0012351YE" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, the two albums I want the most. I also have Mastodon's most recent, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crack-The-Skye/dp/B001W2I9Y4?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Crack The Skye</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001W2I9Y4" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, on a gorgeous limited edition double gatefold, as well as the staple <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Side-Of-The-Moon/dp/B000SXOI66?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Dark Side Of The Moon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000SXOI66" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, Steven Wilson's solo album<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Insurgentes/dp/B001RMMM2O?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"> Insurgentes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001RMMM2O" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, Bass Communion's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Magnetic-Tape-RARE-Communion/dp/B001YKHBAC?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ghosts On Magnetic Tape</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001YKHBAC" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and a couple of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Riot-New-Zero-Kanada/dp/B00000I8NC?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Godspeed! You Black Emperor</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00000I8NC" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />.<br />
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So what say you? Do you remember a time when music was a lot more personal? Or am I just spewing a load of old nonsense.<br />
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Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-6118122315229333658?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-10970414139525549212010-04-01T16:31:00.000+01:002010-04-01T16:31:20.473+01:002010-04-01T16:31:20.473+01:00How to play a damn good gig<div class="snap_preview">Of course, all of this is my opinion and is garnered from my own meandering experience, but take from it what you will and add what you think is missing.<br />
Too many times I’ve been to gigs and been disappointed by otherwise good bands. Writing songs and playing them in front of a crowd is one thing, but <em>playing a good gig</em>…well, that can be a whole new kettle of fish.<br />
<a name='more'></a> I’ll just start with a list of ideas, and then embellish them as I go:<br />
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<strong>1) Practise</strong><br />
Goes without saying really, but I’m surprised by how many bands even do this wrong. Don’t even think about booking that gig until you practise your metaphorical set enough times that there aren’t any moments where you all stop and say “lets go over that bit again”. If you’re playing a new song at that gig, practise that the most, then practise that with the rest of the set until it feels as played-in as the other songs. And for god’s sake, <em>don’t</em> announce at the gig that “this is a new song so it might be a little wobbly when we play it”. Nobody cares about your new song if you can’t even play it! You want to announce “Hey! This is our new song and its the most ass-kicking thing we’ve ever written!”, and then prove yourself right.<br />
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<strong>2) Set List</strong><br />
Make sure you time all of your songs, give them a rough length (with some “give or take” seconds either side to accomodate for playing it faster/slower on the night), and then give yourselves an extra 5-10 minutes to your combined song lengths to take into account the gap between songs where you may change instruments/tunings, talk to the crowd, have a quick sip of water, etc. Don’t remember your set length to the second, or you’ll be sitting there before each gig with a calculator adding meaningless seconds together; round each song to the nearest minute or half-minute. Remember that set times aren’t always exact anyway, but always calculate a set that is <em>below</em> your allocated set time. There is nothing cool about playing longer than your alloted set time, nobody likes it and it annoys the organisers, sound people, the venue and the other bands.<br />
Take time to construct a good set order. This can be tough for a first gig, sometimes it takes 2 or 3 gigs to see what songs invoke what reaction from the crowd and where its best to place them. The order of the set depends on your band and what impact you want your band to make. Its a good idea to start with a blazing opener that’s not too long and is representative of your band’s sound, and finish with something upbeat which has a strong ending and makes the crowd want more; the best gigs I’ve been to are where once the last song was played, I felt that the set wasn’t long enough because it was so good it flew by too quickly!<br />
Of course, there are exceptions, this rule is just a general “one size fits all” that tends to work with most bands. With my own band, because we are a bit more progressive (or “up-our-own-arses”) and have longer songs, we tend to open with a song called “Monolith” which, as the title suggests, is about 7 minutes and takes a while to build up. It allows the crowd to warm up into us and, especially at earlier gigs, gives them time to realise a band is playing and get into the live room. There’s nothing worse than playing a blazing opening song only to finish and see people still walking in!<br />
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<strong>3) Gear and setup<br />
</strong><br />
This bit is directed especially at guitar players. You’re all too loud, you have the wrong amp and its at the wrong settings. When there’s more than one of you, one is always too loud and it’s generally the wrong one. You have too many pedals and you take too long to set them up. Rant rant rant…<br />
Its simply not good enough that you have your own stuff and it sounds good in your bedroom. Particularly in metal bands, you know that “scooped” sound where you crank the gain, turn the mids down and it sounds chunky and washy? Its rubbish. The electric guitar is an instrument which is designed to sit in the mid-range frequencies with the vocals – cut out the mids and you’re left with the bass and treble frequencies, and nobody can hear you over the drums and the bass guitar.<br />
Speaking of bass, just because it has “bass” in the name does not mean that it’s required to turn the bass knob as loud as possible. Low bass frequencies can create an overwhelming “boomy” sound which not only shakes the venue into oblivion but also drowns out everything in existence. Bass players want a punchy and defined sound, so play with those lower mids and be careful with that bass control.<br />
The worst part about guitar players is their love of being loud. I know this, I am a guitarist myself. I am aware of power amp saturation and how good it sounds, but if you went out and bought a 100+ watt amp then be prepared to probably never hear that much power amp saturation. The truth is, you guys don’t need to be that loud at a gig. Even at larger gigs, chances are your amp will be mic’d up anyway so the uber-headroom loud noises you dream of will elude you until you’re playing a stadium. My main live amp is a 50 watt Laney which sounds brilliant, and ever since the first time I got a 50 watt amp I have never once thought about going above that power rating.<br />
If you have a solid state/transistor amp, you don’t want to be that loud anyway. Power clip on SS amps just sounds horrible.<br />
If there are two guitarists, make sure that you have practised with your gear in a practise room where you’re able to set your levels to “gig volume”. Getting the balance right is tricky and takes a lot of compromise, especially with the size of most guitarists’ egos. Just remember that the average joe probably won’t care about how tricky that guitar riff is or how awesome the major 7 inversion you play in the verse is. Whats important at the live gig is hearing the vocalist clearly and hearing the groove. Once the kick drum, snare, bass and vocal levels are set right, you have the formla for a great live sound. As far as guitars go, they have to fit into that template – basing a live sound around the guitars is useless unless you’re an instrumental guitar-noodly type like Steve Vai.<br />
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With regards to my band, a lot of our setup is stripped back for a great live sound. We are a three piece, with guitar bass and drums (and the guitar player making some attempt at vocals >_>). We know our levels, and we know how to set our gear so that the bass and guitar parts compliment each other rather than compete with each other. We don’t have many effects, except the odd fuzz pedal or boost for certain sections of songs. The sound guy loves us because we take about 5 minutes to soundcheck and get a good sound, and as a result people have told me that we sound pretty huge for a 3 piece band.<br />
If you can get your live setup down to a T, the sound guy will love you and will be able to work with your sound to get the best mix possible. No matter how much of a douche the sound guy may be, be nice to him. Good or bad, he is there to make you sound good, and he can only do that if you cooperate.<br />
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<strong>4) During the gig</strong><br />
Talk to the crowd. Please, please, please for the love of god, talk to the crowd. <em>Especially</em> if you’re new to the scene. We want to know who you are, we want to know what the next song is called, we want to know what you wrote it about. We want to be able to approach you afterwards and tell you how much we enjoyed your set, we want to know where you’re playing next and what your website is.<br />
The whole “mystical silent band” is no way to get a fanbase rolling. If nobody knows anything about you, why would they turn up to your next gig? If you come off stage and just hang around your friends and isolate yourself from everyone else, how will you know what the crowd thought? By all means, don’t go out approaching people and asking them how amazing they thought you were. But let yourselves be approachable, and let people have a quick chat. You’re <strong>not</strong> too busy to have a quick word with anybody, especially if they want to tell you how good you were.<br />
Talk whilst you’re on stage too. Ask everyone how they are, what they thought of the band before you or how excited they are about the band after you. Mentioning the other bands at the gig is a definite “must say”, the other bands will like it and will probably give you a shout out when they’re up. Say what the songs are called, tell them what they’re about. After all, a live band needs to have personality, and this doesn’t <em>need</em> to reflect the music. You don’t have to be a badass if you’re in a metal band, you don’t have to be enigmatic and creepy if you’re in some ambient electro rock band. Killswitch Engage are one of my favourite live bands to watch, because even though they’re chuggingly heavy, they have an immaculate sense of humour and they don’t take themselves so seriously that they can’t have fun on stage.<br />
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<strong>5) Watch the other bands</strong><br />
Chances are, one of the other bands offered you a slot on the gig. Pay your respects and stick around to watch them. Watch all the bands, don’t just leave after your set (unless its something urgent like another gig). If the other bands have stuck around to see what you’re like and then once they’re on stage they can’t spot you in the crowd, what do you think that says about you? If they see you at the front listening to their music, then they’ll do the same for you, either at this gig or the next. Watch their set, then approach them and tell them what you thought. Be honest too – whilst a band may not appreciate a stream of abuse about how much you hated their music, they also don’t appreciate a string of brown-nosing comments that aren’t genuine. I know that personally I have really appreciated when people came up to me after a gig and told me what was wrong with a set as much as what was good about it. Bands always strive to improve themselves, so constructive criticism is good! If a band isn’t always striving to improve themselves, then watch them fail…<br />
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That’s all I can think of for now, my brain’s a bit exhausted and I’m starting to rant a bit too much. I hope my advice is useful to some people, and if anyone wants to expand, add or even contradict what I’ve written, feel free!<br />
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Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-1097041413952554921?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-52970394307860359912010-03-31T21:19:00.000+01:002010-03-31T21:19:56.312+01:002010-03-31T21:19:56.312+01:00Anyone can make music, here's how to get startedSo, all these countless bands on Myspace, they don't all get studio time do they?<br />
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As I've said in a previous post, there are just too many bands out there. They all have music up on the Myspace player, sometimes good, sometimes awful. If you've ever wanted to know how easy it is to get some of your own music up there, here's how.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Firstly, take a look at <a href="http://www.homestudiocorner.com/">Home Studio Corner</a>. Joe Gilder is an absolute pro and once you get started, I can't think of a better resource if you want to really get into recording at home. Tell him I sent you ;)<br />
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But here is a quick guide.<br />
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You may have seen pictures of your favourite bands in top-dollar studios, with all that gear and the big mixing desk. Hundreds of microphones, cables and hired professional engineers. Lots of money, huh?<br />
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Not anymore.<br />
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All you need is a computer these days. The faster your computer, the easier it will be, although this goes without saying. I take my recording and production seriously, so I have a high-spec Mac Pro which is specifically for working with music. Don't worry, you don't need a brand new high spec computer, or a mac, to do any recording. As long as your computer isn't still running on Floppy disks, it should be fine.<br />
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Do you need a Mac or a PC? Generally it doesn't matter. Just bear in mind when you're shopping for software and hardware that its compatible with your chosen platform. You won't need to buy a new computer! <br />
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What you will need though, is an audio interface and a microphone.<br />
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Audio interfaces replace your computer's soundcard and connect via USB, Firewire or even PCI/PCIe. For basic recording a USB interface should do fine, Firewire is generally faster and PCI isn't worth worrying about unless you're going pro with this.<br />
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So why do you need to replace your soundcard?<br />
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Your computer's soundcard is fine for playing back computer sounds and mp3s, and taking the input from your gaming headset or a dictation mic that you use for Skype. When it comes to recording you want something designed for the purpose of recording, which won't slow down your computer and which will capture the audio you record in a good quality and without noticable noise.<br />
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When going shopping for soundcards/interfaces, the list of choices is literally endless, and can cost anything from £100 to £10,000. So which one do you want?<br />
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Have a look for ones that include software, as this saves you some small expense and is often a good indicator that the hardware will play nicely with the software. Popular ones are the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Digidesign-Portable-USB-Powered-Tools-Workstation/dp/B000KW4TZK?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mbox</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000KW4TZK" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> range from Digidesign, which come with (and are required to use) Pro Tools LE. Pro Tools is the "Industry Standard" recording software and there are a lot of resources avaliable to learn how to use it. There's even a simpler <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tools-Recording-Studio-Make-Music/dp/B002P3KINE?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Pro Tools Essential</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002P3KINE" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> package from M Audio, which is cheap and has everything you need to make simple music.<br />
<br />
Joe from <a href="http://www.homestudiocorner.com/">Home Studio Corner</a> is an Avid Pro Tools user, and can help you with getting started.<br />
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If you have a Mac, you already have recording software! Its called Garageband, and comes with OSX. All you need is a Mac compatible interface and you're good to go.<br />
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If you're wondering, here's what I use.<br />
<br />
I run <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MB795Z-A-Studio-Retail/dp/B002ISDD1K?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Logic Pro</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002ISDD1K" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, which is Apple's main pro application - Garageband is essentially a smaller version of Logic. Logic is relatively cheap considering that you literally get everything you need to make a pro recording with it.<br />
<br />
My Interface is the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Apogee-2-channel-FireWire-Audio-Interface/dp/B000XANK90?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Apogee Duet</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000XANK90" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, which is Mac Only but at a mere £300/$500ish gives you stellar sound quality and enough connectivity for the basic home studio. Apogee also make the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Apogee-ONE-USB-Interface-Microphone/dp/B002FOEKTG?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Apogee One</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002FOEKTG" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, which may appeal to those of you with a Macbook or similar.<br />
<br />
So what about microphones?<br />
<br />
If you want a workhorse that does everything, you can't go far wrong with a Shure <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM58LC-Microphone-Instrument-Store/dp/B001DBD21Y?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">SM58</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001DBD21Y" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM57LCC-SM57-Microphone/dp/B000G05WN4?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">SM57</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000G05WN4" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />.<br />
<br />
I could post hundreds of good workable combinations of gear for getting started, but we'd be here forever. What I've posted is a bare minimum solution for getting your stuff recorded. If you want to get some music down, try my suggestions and see how you do. If you find you like it, head back to <a href="http://www.homestudiocorner.com/">Home Studio Corner</a> and learn a bit more.<br />
<br />
Any questions, just ask. Especially if you want help with Logic!<br />
<br />
This isn't really a music production blog, however my <a href="http://dreamsilentproductions.wordpress.com/">other blog</a> is. I'll be posting more relevant stuff there soon.<br />
<br />
Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-5297039430786035991?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-72771072046873807142010-03-31T20:20:00.000+01:002010-03-31T20:20:15.346+01:002010-03-31T20:20:15.346+01:00So, you're going to music college?There are a lot of popular music colleges and courses popping up with a variety of performance courses for modern musicians. Some look a lot like a school for wannabe rockstars, but will they actually get you success in the music industry?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
There was a time when you had to drop out of college to go pursue the dream of being in a band. You were a musician! You don't need qualifications! Especially if you didn't have the grades to go to Berklee.<br />
<br />
Nowadays there are a whole bunch to choose from. Sounds pretty cool - instead of going to University and studying English Lit like other people, you can go to college and learn how to be an awesome rock star! Its a performance course so you assignments are gigs, you're marked on your latest album and your tutors show you how to windmill a guitar!<br />
<br />
Or so it would seem.<br />
<br />
I've been to one of these colleges, which I won't name because I don't want to appear slanderous. Its just that whilst at college, I saw a large amount of people who, like me, had signed up for the wrong reasons. All these reasons I have stated above.<br />
<br />
First and foremost, these courses offer a qualification, which is anything from a lowly certificate to a full on degree. The most important thing to know if you want to get anywhere in the music industry is that <i>these qualifications are essentially useless and meaningless</i>. I'll explain more on this later.<br />
<br />
Secondly, these courses <i>do not</i> teach you how to become a rock star. You don't teach that.<br />
<br />
What they do teach, is a mixture of music theory education, business practise and culture. Which is a good thing, depending on what sector of the music industry you're going into.<br />
<br />
If you have any qualms with "selling out" and are of the mind that "it's all about the music", then do <b>not</b> sign up to one of these colleges. Why? Because the objective of these colleges is to give their students a qualification and to get them to be successful in the industry, and being an innovative new post-rock-progressive-grindcore act is not integral to this process.<br />
<br />
Being a successful session player, teacher or commercial act is, however.<br />
<br />
There are two schools of thought within the music college. The first is that of the session player/teacher, who knows everything and anything about playing their instrument to a high level and can read a piece of music and play it on demand to a tight schedule in a professional manner, usually with less than a days notice and no preparation. These musicians are very high calibre, and are the <i>only</i> musicians in demand within the industry. No studio or touring pop act is going to hire you because you can put your own imaginitive spin on what they tell you to play. You'll get hired to do as your told and to do it perfectly, night after night if required.<br />
<br />
To top it all off, it is a highly competetive field, dominated by a small cadre of seasoned pros who know everybody in the business and are relied upon time after time to deliver results.<br />
<br />
Secondly is the school of the music business. How to sell your music - in essence, selling out in its purest and most perverse form. How to make commercially viable and innately sellable music with hooks, catchy choruses, memorable lyrics and a clean image. Yes, it is pretty much manufactured pop 101.<br />
<br />
As you can probably tell, these two schools of thought are contrasting. The first is to be a whiz at your instrument, the second is to not necessarily need those skills but to sell out like a two-dollar whore. Most musicians can't keep up with either, let alone both.<br />
<br />
But what else can a college teach? To get a degree certification, you'll be doing essays and dissertations. What has that got to do with being a successful musician? Nothing. But a degree is a degree, its what you have to do.<br />
<br />
If anything, the most valuable part of these courses is the business knowledge, tedious as it may sound. Its all theory and no fun, but it'll get you places. In fact, if a college offers a pure business course, I suggest you take that and roll with the punches, be prepared to be back in school with reading and essays. But take my word for it - knowing the business will get you places.<br />
<br />
If anything, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Music-Business-Essential-Guide-Deals/dp/1905264275?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">buy this book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1905264275" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and read it cover to cover. Most music colleges will cite it as recommended reading and they aren't far wrong.<br />
<br />
But I digress. Earlier I said that these qualifications were essentially useless pieces of scrap paper. This is due to a fundamental law in the music business, which you have probably heard a million times before.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Its not what you know, its who you know that counts</b></i><br />
<br />
Read any interview with any success story of any person in the Industry, and somewhere along the way they will say something along the lines of "I met xxxx at a party" or "I bumped into xxxx and it all went up from there". Which is something a college can't teach or give you with a qualification.<br />
<i><b> </b></i><br />
And when you meet these people at last, no piece of paper is going to impress them one bit. They want one thing and one thing only - EXPERIENCE.<br />
<br />
All jobs in the industry are the same. People want to know who you worked for/with previously and if you were good at that job. The more prior experience, the better. You know whats coming.<br />
<br />
Getting started in the music industry is the hardest grind you will ever experience. It involves a lot of inquiries and applications, all of which will be rejected. And then it involves doing all of this again. Several times.<br />
<br />
See how this relates to the last post on starting a band? Its all the same - lots of hard work and no return. The music industry is evil, which is why you should get a real job and not go to music college.<br />
<br />
Unless you really want to. I'm not going to stop you. Hey, you could be really successful. As long as you work hard for it.<br />
<br />
Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-7277107204687380714?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-12587103401783979992010-03-31T15:57:00.002+01:002010-03-31T16:37:03.431+01:002010-03-31T16:37:03.431+01:00So, you want to start a band?Everyone dreams of being a rockstar. I still have that dream. I have a band and I'm still reaching for the sky.<br />
<br />
The only problem is, there are too many bands out there - and you think YOUR band is going to be the next big thing? Good luck.<br />
<br />
There is a ray of hope. Read and consume.<br />
<a name='more'></a>So, you and your mates love music. That's brilliant. Between you theres guitars, drums, bass, maybe a singer or two. You're into the same music. You've had a few jams together and OH SHIT IT SOUNDS AWESOME LETS BE A BAND!<br />
<br />
This is all well and good, especially if you do it just for the love of doing it. In fact, the best reason to be in a band is because you're not serious about it at all and just love to play music with other people. If you do this, you already win at life and can stop worrying about life. Music should be enjoyed, and damnit you are enjoying it!<br />
<br />
However, loads of people start a band with the intention of "making it". They want to get signed, they want to tour the world and sell millions of CDs. These people also want advice.<br />
<br />
I can give one awesome piece of advice to these people.<br />
<br />
<b>Stop what you are doing and really think hard about what it is you want to achieve</b><br />
<br />
Being a successful band is no easy feat. As I've said, there are just too many bands out there. Just have a trawl on Myspace. <b> </b>You've probably been trying to come up with a band name only to find that they've all been taken. The domain name for your band is probably taken too (the .com for my band was!). You probably know the rules of supply and demand. There's just too much supply out there, and everyone wants their music for free.<br />
<br />
You see, the biggest problem with this whole "Being a band" thing is that many want to do it for a living. And that is really, really, really really, really hard. Even if your band is successful enough to make a living from making music and playing shows, don't expect it to be a good living. You'll probably have enough to make rent and live off a modest food budget. Remember, that's if you're really successful.<br />
<br />
As a music lover, you already know the reason for this. Nobody wants to buy music anymore. Even when they did, record labels gave the artists mere pennies for each album sold. There is money in it, but where most bands fall down is that they don't want to put the work in.<br />
<br />
That, my friends, is the hardest part of this. You have to work your asses off, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for barely any money. You don't get any bonus, no pension plan, and no holidays. Plus after you've put all this work in, there's only a CHANCE that you'll be able to carry on. Factor in that ALL of you have to have the same work ethic and dedication and ambition, and you can see why so many of those amazing unsigned bands you saw at the local rock bar broke up and went to get real jobs. They had so much talent, but nobody ever recognised them.<br />
<br />
What happened? Life happened. There are so many bands that are insanely talented and make amazing music that I would gladly pay for. Almost all of these bands never see the light of day because one tiny thing went wrong. The drummer had to sell his car so they couldn't make it to any shows, the singer got married, the guitarist had too many side projects or decided he liked being a DJ more.<br />
<br />
Any of these things go slightly out of whack with your insane 24/7 work schedule and the whole thing goes kaput.<br />
<br />
Now, can you see why you have to stop and think about what you really want?<br />
<br />
My favourite case in point is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crack-Skye-Mastodon/dp/B001R4MEYI?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mastodon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001R4MEYI" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. They are high up in my list of favourite progressive and metal bands. They make great music, have an unsurpassed live show and make a great living off it.<br />
<br />
Yet they spent 10 years with little money or widespread recognition. 10 years as the darlings of the underground and no more. 10 years of living off selling <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rockabilia-Mastodon-T-shirts-Band/dp/B000WZSM6C?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">T shirts</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000WZSM6C" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, playing gig after gig after gig after gig and just making it by with enough to get to the next one.<br />
<br />
For some, this is the pinnacle of success, and that is fine. A lot of bands live off this level of underground success and have been doing so for years and years and years. A lot of bands take this long to <i>reach</i> the underground success.<br />
<br />
But my point remains. It can take up to 10 years. Ask yourself if you can even make one year, five years, let alone ten. Could you carry on working with the same people, playing gig after gig, ordering boxes of that home-made CD and T shirt prints and hoping people buy them at shows, making just enough to live on, for ten years? How long would it be before you call it a day? You'd be surprised how many bands make it to 9 years and give up.<br />
<br />
Which brings me to the next most important thing. Your band members.<br />
<br />
Believe me, it does not matter how good these people are at their instruments. It does not matter if they are poetic geniuses or the next <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Warfare-Steve-Vai/dp/B000002BWP?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Steve Vai</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000002BWP" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />/<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Radio-Greatest-Hits-1974-1987/dp/B0000794FS?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Neil Peart</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0000794FS" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />/<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Show-Hands-Victor-Wooten/dp/B000B837U6?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Victor Wooten</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000B837U6" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. It does not matter if they write songs as easily as breathing. None of these things matter ONE BIT if you want to be successful.<br />
<br />
What matters is that you can see yourself spending up to 10 years with these people, arguing over money, rights, space, friendships, everything. You are essentially married to these people, they are your new family. You have to be able to set boundaries, discuss issues and overcome anything with these people. You have to be able to get stuck in a lift with these people and not be at each others throats for months at a time. Your success depends on this factor and this factor alone.<br />
<br />
So this leaves what seems like the least important ingredient to success, but on the outside it is the thing that should matter the most. The music.<br />
<br />
This is why being in a band is so damn hard. 90% of the time, the music is pushed to the side as you have to deal with dodgy promoters, agents, venue managers, sound people, tour managers, retailers, fans, marketing and a whole lot of other people. You have to put up with this and not lose sight of why you are doing this in the first place. You'll spend a week organising, promoting, setting up and rehearsing for the 30 minutes on stage after which you'll then spend hours packing down, loading up the van and moving to the next gig. All for 30 minutes, maybe even less, of what you actually enjoy.<br />
<br />
Funnily enough, the more successful you get, the <i>less</i> time you may get to spend with your love of music. The amount of work you need to put into getting yourself out there and making meagre amounts of money is so disproportionate to the returns that again, you can see why so many people give up.<br />
<br />
And no, getting signed will not solve your problems. In many cases, it can just create problems, especially if you don't read your contract. Labels are dying out, slowly but surely, and the only way they can see to stay afloat is to take MORE money from their artists. Which is why I recommend that if you want to stay afloat, you do the 24/7 ridiculous workload and do it all yourself.<br />
<br />
Can you see now why being in a band is just not worth it? Nevertheless, please do it if your band makes great music. Somebody's got to be out there making new music for us music lovers, so why not you?<br />
<br />
All it takes is more dedication and hard work than its actually worth. But some people are happy with that.<br />
<br />
I'm one of them.<br />
<br />
Keep loving music<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-1258710340178397999?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-59081869068476307302010-03-31T14:29:00.009+01:002010-04-16T10:58:00.789+01:002010-04-16T10:58:00.789+01:00NICKELBACK - The good, the bad, and the suckNickelback are my favourite band to talk about. Why is that?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Because everybody hates them. So much.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span>I know exactly why everyone hates them. I know all the songs they hate. I hate some of those songs too. You can't get past the fact that some of those songs are really contrived and awful.<br />
<br />
So why post about this band that everybody hates?<br />
<br />
Well, to put it bluntly: <span style="font-weight: bold;">I fucking love Nickelback</span>.<br />
<a name='more'></a>"Oh dear", says the reader. "First he says <a href="http://musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com/2010/03/three-reasons-why-people-hate-music-and.html">he likes t.A.T.u</a>, now Nickelback?! This blog has no credibility, all he listens to is pure SHIT!"<br />
<br />
Touche, my dear reader. If you've come to that conclusion then fair enough. I listen to more than shit, I just like talking about the crap music I listen to. It creates a more interesting discussion than a group of potheads all agreeing that Pink Floyd is the best band of all time.<br />
<br />
So, back to Nickelback. The band responsible for an ugly dude with huge ears (and bleached straightened hair now!) singing in an annoying growly voice, and all those songs that will never stop playing on the radio. How you hate them indeed.<br />
<br />
But I'm willing to wager that all of those people who hate Nickelback have never heard, and definitely do not own, a single album. They have only heard what Nickelback has released, and this has done the band a whole world of good, as well as generating an equal amount of hatred.<br />
<br />
Personally, I think that Chad Kroeger is a genious. Up until the most recent release, "Dark Horse" anyway.<br />
<br />
Lets go all the way back to the beginning, to a badly produced debut album called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Curb/dp/B001200MVE?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Curb</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001200MVE" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. As the first album, the die hard fans will insist that this is the best album. In many ways, it could well be. The songwriting is better, the vocals are very raw, the guitar riffs are heavy and ferocious, and there is not even a trace of the major-label sheen of the radio friendly Nickelback we know and hate. Curb is most definitely firmly rooted in the Grunge era, with influences of heavy, southern rock. Chads lyrics are dark and metaphoric, not the cheesy arrogant drivel he sings these days.<br />
<br />
Then another album, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-State/dp/B0011ZW8MG?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The State</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0011ZW8MG" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. Again, the production is questionable (thin buzzy guitar tone for one) but is far from what they sound like now. The lyrics are still metaphoric, sometimes dark, sometimes joking. The sound has a lot more country and rock elements, but still with some of the grunge aggression of the first album, with even heavier riffs and some sweet vocal arranging.<br />
<br />
Now, a lot of you have probably never heard of these albums, but from reading the description it sounds like a totally different band. In fact, maybe it sounds like a...dare I say it..."good" band. So how did this band turn into Nickelback, the radio rock made out of pure suck?<br />
<br />
Well, the next album was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Side-Up/dp/B001200OFS?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Silver Side Up</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001200OFS" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. The one which had that song on it. You know the song.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-You-Remind-Me-Mix/dp/B0011ZR9IE?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">How You Remind Me</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0011ZR9IE" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> was a revelation to Nickelback. Two albums already and not much wide recognition. Suddenly this song comes out and everyone goes batshit crazy!<br />
<br />
You mean to tell me that people don't like dark, metaphorical and artsy lyrics, or heavy ass guitar riffs and pure raw rock attitude? You mean to tell me they prefer a catchy chorus that they can sing along to?<br />
<br />
You bet your fucking life they do. You may not like it, but that is the way of the world.<br />
<br />
And here is where the clincher comes, this is the point I am getting at. I love Nickelback, and I continued to buy every album they released, but I did not do all this because I loved the hook-laden radio-friendly songs which they released as singles (and took away the distorted guitars and guitar solos - you'd better believe it!). No, my dear readers, the awesome capabilities of Nickelback have always lain within the confines of the rest of the album.<br />
<br />
The two albums following Silver Side Up (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Long-Road/dp/B0011Z7KGK?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Long Road</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0011Z7KGK" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-The-Right-Reasons/dp/B0011Z10IO?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">All The Right Reasons</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0011Z10IO" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />) contained, at most, 3 or 4 radio friendly songs. These will be the ones that people know. All the rest of the songs are riff heavy, balls-to-the-walls awesome.<br />
<br />
Which is why I think Chad is a genious. He knows why Silver Side up made them famous. He knows how to lure the mainstream crowd. But he also knows that he loves heavy riffs and the stuff that they used to play before they got big, and he knows that as long as he continues to deliver that, the old fans will still stay on for the ride and not proclaim "omg they are teh sell-outz!"<br />
<br />
And so it remained, until the release of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Horse/dp/B001KQKC0Q?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Dark Horse</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001KQKC0Q" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. This album is, what I truly and honestly believe, will be the beginning of Nickelback's downfall. Rejoice, haters of Nickelback - soon they shall be gone forever!<br />
<br />
Why do I say this, if I love them so much?<br />
<br />
Well, they've strayed from the formula. Instead of having the 3-4 radio songs as singles and the rest of the album as a compilation of awesome, they've decided to try blending the two. That means heavy riffs combined with cheesy catchy hooks.<br />
<br />
And that, my friends, is the equivalent of punk pop.<br />
<br />
So Chad has cut his hair, bleached it and straightened it, in an attempt to look like he's 20 years old again, when he's really almost twice that (if not more). He's abandoning the fans who have stuck by them amidst all the hatred and pseudo-selling-out and focusing on the 12 year old girls who like it when he sings "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Id-Come-For-You/dp/B001KQGG38?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">I'd Cooooome for you</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001KQGG38" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />".<br />
<br />
Everyone knows that abandoning fans, especially the long timers, is a BIG mistake.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, they still have a library of bloody great music, which you should listen to. Skip the songs you know and listen to the rest. If you listen in reverse order, the production gets less glossy and loud, but the music gets a lot more interesting. Then maybe - just maybe - you may start to like Nickelback too.<br />
<br />
But then again, Nickelback suck.<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-5908186906847630730?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-16921067094093279212010-03-31T13:41:00.002+01:002010-03-31T16:12:06.074+01:002010-03-31T16:12:06.074+01:00Oh, here's your new favourite songI heard it on the radio a bazillion times.<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AP5ZhVtEKAY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AP5ZhVtEKAY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-1692106709409327921?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-55659096035010281652010-03-31T13:07:00.006+01:002010-03-31T16:34:50.363+01:002010-03-31T16:34:50.363+01:00Metallica vs MegadethWait...did I just go there? I think I did.<br />
<br />
In all manner of speaking, this is the musical equivalent of the Mac vs PC debate. There is no conclusion, each side has fanboys with massive raging hard-ons for their chosen side, and everybody is wrong.<br />
<br />
So lets have some fun.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a> Everybody knows the story. Metallica kick Dave out of the band, hire Kirk, get really really famous. Dave starts Megadeth, gets really really famous, but on a smaller more exclusive scene. Dave hates Lars (as everybody does).<br />
<br />
Jump to present day, this is all the same.<br />
<br />
So the big question is, since I'm blogging about this...what side is the author of this post on?<br />
<br />
I prefer Metallica. To be specific, I prefer Metallica up until the end of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reload/dp/B001202ROO?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Reload</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001202ROO" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> album. But neither band are better than the other, because they are both very different.<br />
<br />
Let me start with Megadeth. I have listened to lots of Megadeth, I've even seen them twice in the flesh and watched a DVD. I still have a couple of their albums on my computer. I've given them as many chances as I could. But I don't enjoy their music much.<br />
<br />
Thats not because I don't like Megadeth in particular. I'm not the biggest fan of thrashy, shreddy metal anymore. I'm not 16 anymore. I recognise that the Deth made a huge contribution to modern metal music, but it doesn't appeal to me.<br />
<br />
But the real reason is Dave.<br />
<br />
Dave makes me laugh. He's arrogant, egotistical and more opinionated than most people in existence. Normally I'd have no problem with this, except it comes through his music. You can hear it in his awful, awful singing voice.<br />
<br />
I'm sorry, this is not an opinion. Dave cannot, and should not, be singing. In fact, if you like Dave's "singing" but you don't listen to all this punky emo mallgoth faggoty emo trash because of the "whiney nasal vocals", then you need to go and think about your life.<br />
<br />
Dave is <span style="font-style: italic;">worse</span> than them.<br />
<br />
Not to say that Hetfields outrageously redneck gruff is any better. Its the opposite end of the scale, its like saying piccolos sound better than <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Moog-Little-Phatty-Analog-Synthesizer/dp/B000P4YP34?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Moog</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000P4YP34" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> synthesizers. Comparison is futile.<br />
<br />
Which, aside from bashing Dave, is what I'm getting at. Metallica may have started out as a thrash band and Megadeth competed in their wake, but I hold Metallica in high regard because they have done a few things that Megadeth can't and probably won't ever do.<br />
<br />
Firstly, they reinvented themselves. Or at least tried. First, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Metallica/dp/B000002H97?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Black Album</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000002H97" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. The OMG THEY SOLD OUT O NOES!!!1111 album. Then <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Load/dp/B0011ZYOJ6?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Load</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0011ZYOJ6" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reload-Metallica/dp/B000002HRE?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Reload</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000002HRE" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. We got a different Metallica, one that was willing to take risks to try something new and get more fans. It all went downhill with<a href="http://www.amazon.com/St-Anger-Metallica/dp/B00008OWZG?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"> St Anger </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00008OWZG" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Magnetic/dp/B001FEA9QU?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Death Magnetic</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001FEA9QU" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, but you get what I'm saying. Megadeth is still making Dave-thrash.<br />
<br />
Secondly, they remained (on the most part) a unit, a band. Sure, their first (counting from Cliff, Ron is pretty irrelevant here) bass player died and the second one quit because Lars is an asshole. Or something like that. On the other hand, Megadeth has pretty much always been Megadave. Its a constant revolving door of session musicians playing Dave-thrash.<br />
<br />
This is the reason why I think Metallica has stood as a constant pillar of well-established metal, wheras Megadeth fade away and come back and seem to be talked about only in that small circle of die hard metal fans. Lars may be the shittest drummer on this earth, but take him away from Metallica and you've lost a huge part of what makes their music. Same with Kirk - his solos are very simplistic and very over-laden with Wah pedal, but like it or not, you'd miss it if he was replaced. Megadeth were never interesting after Marty Friedman left, but who else in the lineup is so memorable that nobody can really fill their shoes? It always has been, and still is, MegaDave and the Dave-ettes.<br />
<br />
But hey, thats just my opinion. I know that MegaDave fans are always the most enthusiastic flamers. So I'm not expecting ANY discussion on this post.<br />
<br />
So...discuss.<br />
<br />
Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-5565909603501028165?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-29975700537467997372010-03-31T12:04:00.008+01:002010-04-07T17:00:29.817+01:002010-04-07T17:00:29.817+01:00Three reasons why people hate music, and why they're doing it wrong.Subtitle - FLAME ME<br />
<br />
Of course, always remember that these are my opinions. I believe in them myself, but they are still mine, and I don't necessarily believe that they should be yours. But I still think I have a point.<br />
<br />
We've all heard these before, probably when telling somebody about your new (or long time) favourite band, or when getting to know somebody and the conversation turns to music.<br />
<br />
However, they're all doing it wrong. This may be a long post...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I don't like it/them because:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"All they do is scream/shout/yell/etc"</span><br />
<br />
As a fan of metal music I hear this a lot. Fans of hardcore, punk, post rock, even some emo, may also hear this a lot.<br />
<br />
I guess on the most part, some people don't dig the aggression, and I have no problem with that. People like music for different moods, and some people don't really want to listen to anger all the time.<br />
<br />
So why is it on this list? Its the people who think that they shout/scream/yell/etc because <span style="font-style: italic;">they cant sing </span>or that they <span style="font-style: italic;">have no talent</span>.<br />
<br />
Its a common misconception that just yelling or growling into a microphone over noisy music is inherently easy to do and a result of lazy technique. This is ONLY true of those amateur bands where the singer yells really loud, causes the microphone to feedback, and then sounds awful for the rest of the set because he's damaged his voice box.<br />
<br />
Getting a good screaming sound is very hard to do. And getting a good screaming sound that DOESN'T destroy your vocal chords and which you can sustain for a whole set takes a LOT of practise, discipline, focus and technique. I guess its hard to appreciate this if you're not a vocalist yourself, but take my word for it. These people work hard to be able to yell over that noise.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">"All their songs sound the same"</span><br />
<br />
This is usually said with a very dismissive, haughty "I'm better than you" tone of voice. And its true, for every band. In fact, the better the band is, the more true it is.<br />
<br />
In fact, you probably like your favourite band so much <span style="font-style: italic;">because all their songs sound the same</span>.<br />
<br />
So why is it a bad thing? Hell, why is it a good thing?!<br />
<br />
Well, its viewed as a bad thing because it implies a lack of creativity. And trust me, there are bands whose albums sound like the most dull repetition of the first 2 tracks over and over again. It implies that the band are a one hit wonder.<br />
<br />
So why is it a good thing?<br />
<br />
I always have 3 words I say to anybody who says things like "It all sounds the same" or even musicians who say "Every song uses the same chords".<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Twelve Bar Blues</span>.<br />
<br />
If there was a world record for the chord progression most repeated and overused, the good old 12 bar would take it. People are still using it today, in <span style="font-style: italic;">new</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">innovative</span> bands.<br />
<br />
Every chord progression is the same. They're all tropes, they're all cliches, and they remain that way <span style="font-style: italic;">because they work</span>.<br />
<br />
Some people are surprised when I say that the chord progression for 99% of punk rock/pop songs today is exactly the same as the chord progression for 99% of the most epic film music you ever heard. Sounds unlikely? Try it. Its just that the punk pop band sped it up and put drums to it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I digress. Why is it a good thing for all your songs to sound the same?<br />
<br />
Prog fans will disagree, and thats ok. I'm a prog fan too. I know that theres only 15 people in the whole world who listen to prog. Thereabouts. Prog doesn't sound the same, and thats because its prog. However, <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> prog still has some continuity and consistency to it. It still sounds the same.<br />
<br />
How many more contradictions can I pile into this blog post? I'm talking about music. Its rife with contradictions. Bear with me.<br />
<br />
How many classic artists are timeless because you can hear the first 5 seconds of any song and know its them? You instantly recognise that its them. Sometimes its a song off an album you haven't got yet, and you ask "Is this xxxx?". You know that because it sounds exactly like them.<br />
<br />
Hell, maybe it sounds like all their other songs. You recognised it as them, right?<br />
<br />
The best artists in history have all defined their "sound". <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rage-Against-Machine/dp/B0000028RR?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Rage Against The Machine</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0000028RR" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> are a great example. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lateralus-Tool/dp/B00005J7I5?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Tool</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005J7I5" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> are probably the best example. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Korn/dp/B000002AUU?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">KoRn</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000002AUU" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Californication-Red-Hot-Chili-Peppers/dp/B00000J7JO?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Red Hot Chili Peppers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00000J7JO" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Led-Zeppelin-IV-aka-ZOSO/dp/B000002J09?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Led Zepplin</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000002J09" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Axis-Bold-Jimi-Hendrix-Experience/dp/B000002P5W?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Jimi Hendrix</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000002P5W" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. The list goes on. Artists and bands like these have their own sound. You recognise them when you hear the first few seconds of the song.<br />
<br />
And they have their own sound because all their songs sound the same.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">"They sold out/are sellouts/are manufactured garbage"</span><br />
<br />
I'm not saying that the X factor/American Idol garbage is amazing music that we should all appreciate. Most of the stuff on the radio is garbage.<br />
<br />
But not <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> of it.<br />
<br />
My argument here is with people who won't even <span style="font-style: italic;">listen</span> to something because of the fact that it might have some sort of commercial association. And by listen, I don't mean background music. I don't mean listening to 10 seconds and making a decision. I mean LISTENING.<br />
<br />
See, I have a lot of music in my library that people laugh at me for having. I got to a point where I'm not ashamed to have it. Its music, and when I put it on my speakers vibrate the air, these oscillations reach my ear and my brain converts it into signals and I like it.<br />
<br />
Whether the music is manufactured, over produced, autotuned, sold out or played on the radio doesn't change this fact. If those vibrations in the air please me, then I will listen and enjoy.<br />
<br />
Sadly, for a lot of people this process is different. As soon as they get the inkling that the band has sold out behind the scenes, they haven't written all the music themselves or that they're making a lot of money, an invisible wall goes up around their eardrums, and this wall turns every potentially good vibration into pure hate and disgust.<br />
<br />
You know the people I'm talking about. I'm one of them. You are too.<br />
<br />
I used to do this for everything that <span style="font-style: italic;">wasn't</span> metal when I was 16. Then I reached a point where I realised something.<br />
<br />
I realised that I love music. I love it a lot. And I want lots of it to listen to, so that I could just listen to music all day and never run out of music. And I realised that I was refusing to listen to lots and lots and lots of music for no real reason.<br />
<br />
So my invisible barrier went down. I gave anything and everything a shot. Even if I didn't like it, I listened to it - <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> listened to it - and at least tried to see why other people liked it.<br />
<br />
And I'm happier now. My music library is twice as big as it could have ever been, and its filled with all manner of wondrous music. And people say things like:<br />
<br />
"You know they don't write any of those songs"<br />
<br />
None of the performers at the opera wrote those songs. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elv1s-30-Hits-Elvis-Presley/dp/B00006AG5N?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Elvis</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00006AG5N" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> didn't write any songs. Does it mean that the songs aren't good? If you think it does, you're doing it wrong. I'm listening to a song, doesn't matter who wrote it, if its a good song then its a good song.<br />
<br />
"The Lyrics are awful!"<br />
<br />
Be that as it may, if they're written a beautiful cacophony of noise underneath it then I can forgive them that. Music is made of many, many elements, and I don't believe that you should dismiss an entire song just because one of those elements isn't up to par.<br />
<br />
"They were just a one hit wonder"<br />
<br />
Yes. But damn that hit was a good one.<br />
<br />
The list goes on. One case in point that embodies everything here is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Smiles/dp/B001KQGCVO?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">t.A.T.u.</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001KQGCVO" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> Yes, the famous faux-lesbian video stunt people. I have <a href="http://www.amazon.com/200-km-h-Wrong-Lane/dp/B00006JJ1O?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">all</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00006JJ1O" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Moving-t-T-u/dp/B000B0WO0S?ie=UTF8&tag=musicsucksbut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">three</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=musicsucksbut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000B0WO0S" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> of their albums.<br />
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Don't worry, I'll give you a minute whilst you laugh it off. You've probably closed the page and won't visit this blog again because my opinion is worthless now. Well, you're doing it wrong too.<br />
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You see, if you actually listen to t.A.T.u, they have a very talented team of songwriters, arrangers and producers behind the scenes. Its <span style="font-style: italic;">these</span> people I'm a fan of. Sure, they have two half-decent girly singers as a pretty face and a voice. But as far as electronic music goes, they have some seriously overlooked talent writing for them. But 90% of non-russians won't ever get that far, because all they hear is a publicity stunt and two songs that were played to death on MTV.<br />
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Anyway, this post has been long enough. I'll do more later.<br />
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As usual, discussion is welcome. Flaming is not. Type in english please.<br />
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Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-2997570053746799737?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044340105876844306.post-10944843907244319972010-03-31T11:13:00.004+01:002010-03-31T16:10:02.727+01:002010-03-31T16:10:02.727+01:00Everybody's perception of music is wrong!But mine is right.<br />
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How many people do you know who have this view on the music that they love? How many of them are metal fans?<br />
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Of course, its more than metal fans. In fact, its most fans of most music, but especially the ones that like one genre more than the others.<br />
<a name='more'></a>But its to be expected, if you think about it. If someone likes one genre more than the others, and they listen to that genre most/all of the time, then that'll pretty much sum up what music is and should be to that person.<br />
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These people are <span style="font-style: italic;">closed minded</span>.<br />
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Or rather, these people choose to be closed minded. And there's nothing wrong with that!<br />
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I only find fault with being closed minded when they talk to other people who don't share the exact same closed mindedness. What happens here is not just limited to closed minded music fans - it happens with people who have closed minded religious, political or spiritual beliefs, people who are closed minded about anything.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">They attempt to force their closed mindedness onto you</span><br />
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And that, my friends, is doing it wrong.<br />
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Everybody is like this though. I'm like it sometimes. You probably are, even if you don't admit it. The best way to avoid being a closed minded douchebag then, is to be aware that other people are different. Some people actually like what they listen to. And those same people actually don't enjoy what you listen to.<br />
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All these mysteries and more explained in this very blog.<br />
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Ain't that grand.<br />
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Keep loving music,<br />
Vinnie<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5044340105876844306-1094484390724431997?l=musicsucksbuteverythingsoundsawesome.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vinniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138614364643021762noreply@blogger.com1