This is what I think about your music

10:27 PM, Monday 6 June 2005

When I was updating the most recent hockey stats I noticed how I really haven’t updated my site in a while, and that you’ve only done a couple of updates yourself lately. Maybe it’s time for another one of these babies. I figure I’ll start off by critiquing your courrent top 50 on your Audioscrobbler (ten bands each day); feel free to do the same.
1. Pearl Jam- Well, this was to be expected from a diehard such as yourself. And, how could I disagree, really? They’ve put out some really great stuff consistently over the years. I must admit, though, when I play a Pearl Jam album, I wind up skipping about 70% of it just because the more straight-ahead rock stuff and slower numbers just do not appeal to me; they all run together. This is probably why I don’t share quite the same enthusiasm that you and Joe do for them. But they are still one hell of a band. I would kill to see them live.
2. Queens of the Stone Age- This comment may get me lynched on Glasnost, but QOTSA has gotten worse with every album. Granted, still really good and better than about 97% of the bands out there, and there’s a couple good shitkickers on the album, but I just don’t see how they’re this wonderful saviour-of-rock band. The sad thing is, three or four years ago, I used. ‘Monster In Your Parasol’ still makes me shit my pants in glee every time I hear it. One thing I thought was funny: May Days 2003, Logan and I listened to Songs For The Deaf at the campfire. We each really liked half the album and were indifferent to the other half. Things was, we each liked the opposite half. To this day, ‘Go With The Flow’ is one of my least favourite songs ever. QOTSA kick ass for the most part, but I’ll take Eagles of Death Metal anyday.
3. The Dandy Warhols- When I saw these guys at NUMBER THREE on your playlist, I was shocked. Back in high school, I heard ‘Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth” and thought it was brilliant, so I checked out their other stuff. God, was I ever dissapointed. Other than ‘Junkie’, there is not one other song of theirs I can listen to. Period. Needless to say I was quite dismayed to see them number three. Guess we can’t agree on everything.
4. The Mars Volta- Now HERE’S something we can agree (I should hope so, you got me into them). A fucking brilliant band who isn’t willing to sit on their asses and stop experimenting and pushing. A shame they aren’t bigger than they are, but that would almost ruin it in a way. There might be one or two songs of theirs I can’t listen to; the rest is awesome. One of my favourite bands on your list by far.
5. Air- Better than most electronic acts out there. Some of their more ambient stuff I can’t get into (too mushy), but in general I’m down with Air.
6. Ben Harper- Ben Harper is who guys tell their girlfriends they like so they can seem deep and sensitive when they’re trying to get laid. All of my friends, both back home and in PG seem to like Ben Harper and I cannot figure out why. He’s a good singer and decent guitar player, but his songs are just so overwrought and pithy. Basically, I find him boring, sappy and unchallenging (and don’t even fucking get me started on Jack Johnson, who I see you have at #41; that will be Thursday’s rant).
7. The Beatles- Everyone and their dog knows I’m a massive Beatlephile, so I will just compliment you for playing a lot of music from the most influential popular music act of the 20th century and ask you, “What Beatle tracks do you listen to most?”.
8. Soundgarden- Ah, what a great band. I liked their louder and/or dirtier stuff more than I liked the softer stuff so I tend to stick to earlier Soundgarden (although there are tons of gems on every SG album, really). Great band, legendary guitar player, awesome singer (too bad his new band isn’t that great- that rant comes tomorrow). From “Jesus Christ Pose” to “The Day I Tried To Live”, one of the most important bands of the past twenty years, hands down.
T9. Pixies- Brilliant but overrated. When taken in small doses, this is a fucking awesome group with a massive legacy (easily the best band ever out of Boston). But I could certanly never just listen to the Pixies all day or even for an hour straight, I don’t know why. I get bored of them quickly, stop listening to them for a while, then start listening again and think they’re brilliant. Still, easily one of the great underground bands of all time and I’m still pissed I didn’t get to see them in Vancouver last year.
T9. U2- I find a handful of their stuff absolutely brilliant and the rest treacle. I also haven’t gotten into anything they’ve done in the past decade and Bono kind of scares me at this point. Still, those few songs I do like (mainly the early ’80′s and early ’90′s stuff) are enough to make U2 worthwhile for me.
Tomorrow, I will go through the next ten on your list. I can see already that my list is a bit more avantgarde and probabaly a lot louder than yours. I also don’t have as many new bands as I’d like to, but it’s getting there. Write back with your comments and disagreements on my thoughts and perhaps what you think of my top 10.
Kyle

11:30 AM, Tuesday 7 June 2005

Okay, Part II of my dissection of Stefan’s Audioscrobbler Top 50:
T9. Audioslave: Take 3/4 of the greatest rap-metal band of all time (the ONLY great rap-metal band of all time, really) and one of the most dynamic vocalists in all of rock, and what do you get? A merely decent sounding band whose parts are greater than their sum and generally fail to do anything spectacular like their predecessors. I can see glimmers of their past greatness but I can’t help but feel that Audioslave is one of the greatest wasted talents around today. Mind you, I must admit that have not heard enough of the new album to really judge it and I still hold out hope I will be pleasantly surprised by the rest of it.
12. The Doors: Simply outstanding. I can still remember our extended jam version of ‘L.A. Woman’ on the Burton rink bench a couple of years ago. Some of their stuff is overwrought (Morrison simply wasn’t as deep as he thought himself to be) but their legacy is solid and I actually think they don’t get the credit they deserve. Awesome, awesome band. And I’ll just keep pretending they didn’t release any albums after Morrison dies, or that there wasn’t a half-assed reunion last year.
13. Beck: When he’s good and going all over the place from acoustic to hip-hop to avant-garde, he’s great (see first three albums). When he’s not, he’s repetitive and boring (see: Midnite Vultures). On Guero, he seems to be spinning his wheels in a failed attempt to recreate his late-’90′s sound. And I wish he would just shut up about bloody Scientology already. But there’s enough amazing stuff in his huge catalogue that I still must admit I like Beck in general.
14. A Perfect Circle: Absolute DRIVEL. Basically Maynard’s romantic side manifesting itself to the detriment of society in general.
15. Tool: There are a few songs I can get into, but the rest I can’t. Don’t know why and couldn’t explain it to you. I just find them really hit-and-miss. Love their politics, though, and any band who dedicated an album to Bill Hicks can’t be all bad. To me, among our group of friends, the most overrated band I can think of. I’m not saying they suck (they don’t), just not my style, I guess.
16. The White Stripes: When they first came out, I got swept up in the bandwago for about two months without having listened to them properly. I’ve heard every song now, and I don’t think there’s a single one I can actually stand to listen to now. I actually went t the trouble of deleting every Stripes song from my computer. I find them incredibly dull and overhyped (along with all of the other ‘The’ bands-Strokes, Vines, maybe not the Hives so much).
17. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead: Haven’t heard enough of them to really judge properly. I remember seeing them on some show where they completely trashed the set and thought that was pretty cool. Definitely have to hear more of them.
18. Rage Against The Machine: One of my favourtie bands of all time. I could listen to them all day. There will never be anything like them again.
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers: I liked a few songs from their earlier albums. Another one of those bands that gets worse with age. The last things they wrote that I could listen to were ‘Aeroplane’ and ‘Warped’, and those were ten years ago. One of John Frusciante’s solo album is better than any RHCP album.
20. Alice In Chains: I don’t have anything against Alice In Chains, really. It’s just not my type of music. Except maybe ‘Man In The Box’.
So, feel free to respond anytime. – Kyle

9:41 PM, Tuesday 7 June 2005

Good idea on getting this going again. I have been meaning to email you about this, but kept on forgetting. As for your critique of my music, well here are a few rebuttals…
First off let may say that that list doesn’t represent my top 50 artists, it is more like the top 50 artists I have listened to in the last month or so. I can’t believe how high some of those bands are. Actually I think a lot of the rankings of certain bands has a lot to do with me going to their concerts in the last few months, which often gives big boosts to a band.
Take U2 for example, I very rarely ever listen to U2, but since I was shelling out 65 bucks for their concert I decided I needed to beef up my song knowledge before going to the concert, thus skewing their numbers high.
The Dandy Warhols, who I actually think are pretty fucking brilliant are largely skewed by me going on a big fix of them lately, and the fact it is one of a couple cd’s I have at work. Regardless I still really dig them, especially the album “thirteen tales from urban bohemia”.
QOTSA are far from the saviour of rock, however I can’t agree with you that they are slowly getting worse. There new album took a few listens to get into but after I got into I love it. This is a band that no two albums are the same, they keep on re-inventing, or rather changing their music and I find each time has been just as good.
I don’t care what you think of Ben Harper, he can play a slide guitar like no other, has an amazing voice, and like so many other bands I love he puts on one hell of a great live show. Jack Johnson is like a watered down surf version of Ben Harper, utter trash if you ask me. Plus he has none of the soul or the gospel that Harper has… a lot of why I like Ben Harper so much… must be my Lutheran upbringing.
Well on to email number two…
Audioslave, myeah you take what you can get. They are not Rage, and definitly not Soundgarden, reason they are so high on my list is they just had a new album out and I tend to listen to new albums over and over again to get a feel for if I like it or not. This also explains the high ranking of Beck. Personally I think his new album is somewhat of a change to the better, a lot more rockin’ and fun, over the mundan sleepy Beck albums. Granted the last album wasn’t bad either, just not the Beck of old.
Burton hockey doing LA Woman will forever be in my memory, that was too fucking awesome. Speaking of the Doors, did you see they are tour now as “The Doors of the 21st Century”, with the lead singer of the Cure? They couldn’t use the name The Doors because John Densmore refused to join them and threatened to sue them if they toured with that name. Good on ya John.
APC I listen to more for the mood they create than the lyrics. At times they are very ambient, and I can work easily to them in the background.
Only reason Red Hot Chilli Peppers are on so high is because a long time ago I downloaded their entire catalog and whenever I have poker nights I end up having my player on random, since there are so many RHCP songs it comes up often. I think I am going to delete a bunch of the albums I really don’t like. To tell you the truth I only really like about 10% of the stuff I have of theirs.
OK I think I have spent enough time defending my list. Time to move on to yours. You’re right I don’t know a bunch of the bands on your list, so in those cases I will make something up totally random, whether it fits or not who knows.
1) The Beatles – Argueably one the best and most influencial bands there has been in the last century. What Beatles song do I listen to most? Norwegien Wood maybe? HA!
2) Public Enemy – I am really not a huge rap fan (besides my somehow strange like for the Wu Tang Clan’s first album) so all I can say is “Flava Flav shake your booty!” haha
3) Butthole Surfers – Hum, I seem to remember this time in highschool when we were arguing over … hahaha. I can’t say I am a huge fan, granted I really don’t listen to them much.
t-4) Radiohead – I don’t mind Radiohead, however I really find them to be too ambient/moody, and almost hypnotic (not necessarily a bad thing) at times. It is the major reason I can’t listen to Coldplay. Listening to thier music is like having a huge black cloud over your head that is about to rain. Not to say I don’t like their stuff (their early stuff is much more accessable listening wise) it just does little for me… I hear they put on a good live show though, but I wouldn’t spend the $60 it would take to see them.
t-4) Negativland – Too many beeeps and booops for my taste in music. Electronic music is on it’s way out, and Negativland never had a chance.
6) Joy Division – Might as well call them Joy Union. Their music is so sappy it makes my ears bleed. Who the fuck is writting those lyrics anyway, almost as bad as Sixpence None the Richer.
t-7) Big Black – For a metal band I find them quite intelligent. If you can make out the lyrics through the death chants and the screams you realize these guys spent a lot of time coming up with what they wanted to say.
t-7) Ween – Another band I haven’t really listened to a lot of, isn’t Ween synonymous with smoking big ass joints though?
9) Jimi Hendrix – I think what I love most about Hendrix is that Raw rock feel you get from his music. The massive reverb, that sandy snair drum, and the low vocals that don’t even really need to be there because the guitar does more of the singing them Jimi does.
10) Sonic Youth – Another band I have never really listened to and don’t know why. When I think of Sonic Youth I think of that stupid Simpsons episode with Peter Frampton freaking out because Sonic Youth’s in his cooler.
There is your top ten. I didn’t have a lot to say but whatever. I think you will be able to tell the ones I had no idea about. Anyway I will try to get to your next 10 tomorrow.
Just to switch topics momentarily from music, I wanted to know why you were so fucking quite during election time on Glasnost? I found there were a lot of discussions, mainly concerning the Liberals and STV where I was sure you would have had an opinion on and would post, yet you kept totally quiet.
Also this May Days you were sorely missed Kusch. Doing the super session without you was tough. Fuck we missed our first 3 games due to shitty stat keeping. Plus it just isn’t the same without you there with all the different stats you go running through your head. Don’t get me wrong it was still fun as hell, just not the same…
Anyway how are your classes going and shit, what are you up to these days? I don’t think I have heard from you in a few months now, give me an update on life.
Stefan

1:36 PM Wednesday 8 June 2005

Oh, God, how I love musical discussion! This is great! Thanks for the return email, I love getting into these kinds of topics.
I can totally understand how the list is not totally representative of one’s musical tastes (why, for example, is Jefferson Airplane anywhere near my top 50? I think because the same two songs keep coming up when I stream last.fm). Just wait until next week when Pink Floyd shoots to number two on my list (just ripped three albums off of my officemate Adrian). Unfortunately, my small database of music and lack of an Internet connection viable for streaming radio at home means I mostly listen to music at school, explaining why I have less than half the song plays you do. Still a lot, though, compared to lots of people.
Let’s rebut some of your comments here. U2: entirely understandable. Warhols: different strokes for different folks, I guess. QOTSA: I like the fact that Josh Homme refuses to pigeonhole himself. And I did not mean to make it seem like the new ablum sucked or anything, I just don’t find it as enjoyable as the previous ones. Ben Harper, again, obviously massively talented. He just makes music I simply do not care for. What’s hilarious is that everyone I know likes him. Maybe it’s because it’s actually authentic and organic. It’s just a type of music I could care less about. Totally agree with you on Audioslave. I almost brought up the 21st Century Doors in the last mail but got so mad I couldn’t bring myself to type. Talk about a pathetic money grab. John Densmore rules simply based upon that. APC: I do not enjoy music as a background setting or in ambience. Even so-called ‘ambient’ tracks I may listen to, I listen to like any other: headphones, full-on. Perhaps this is why I cannot get into APC. Very monotonous to me (and not in the fun, experimental way). RHCP is understanable (since most of my songs are Beatles and now Floyd, they always come up on random and their numbers get skewed).
And now, defending my top ten against your comments.
Beatles: BEATLES! And you’re right, ‘Norwegian Wood’ is good (HA! not withstanding), probably their first modern song.
PE: I can remember you and Watsy in Grade 8 art class quoting Method Man all day so the Wu-Tang admiration does not surprise me. 1988-92 era PE is loud, frenetic, politcal and angry. So I like it. I don’t listen to a whole lot of rap (more than you do, evidently), but PE’s numbers aren’t skewed; I just listen to them that much.
Butthole Surfers: I think most people from our group seem to know the song ‘Pepper’ thanks to Joern (and my fucking-up of the lyrics). By the time that song came out, though, the Surfers’ late ’80′s-early ’90′s heyday was long past. If you were to get into those albums, you would find the most fucked-up, psychotic music ever. Which is why I love them so.
Radiohead: I like the old stuff and new stuff. Weirder the better, I say. Coldplay is what Radiohead would sound like if Radiohead sucked. I detest Coldplay’s music so much (like their politics, though). Radiohead doesn’t stick to a formula and is always willing to do something different even if their fans don’t like it, and that’s fine by me.
Negativland: Are we even talking about the same band here? With a writeoff like that, I have to assume this is one of those ones where you made up a totally random comment because you never heard of the band. Negativland is not an electronic band, and I beleive their total record sales equate to about 85,000 lifetime. As one of the pioneers of sound collage and plunderphonics back in the ’80′s (which is where their best work resides), I can’t imagine you have heard very much of them. Not that you’d like them, anyway. They are the acquired tastes of all acquired tastes and I very much doubt anyone I know could get into them. Still (judging at first glance on your post) the fact that you thought they were a modern electronic band makes me laugh.
Joy Division: Again, are we talking about the same band here? They certainly were depressing and bleak (actually voted the most depressing band of all time, Leonard Cohen came second) but hardly sappy. I should hardly think any band named after prostitutes in a concentration camp with a lead singer who fell into epilectic fits in the middle of concerts is sappy. Mind you, after Ian Curtis hung himself the band of the band did form New Order, who are godawful outside of ‘Blue Monday’.
Big Black: I think you summed up my feelings about Big Black exactly, except they were never a metal band (rather, a post-punk band with a drum machine). I like the lyrics AND I like the clang-bang and screaming.
Ween’s probably more synonymous with acid and hallucinogenics, as shown in their music which refuses to be categorized, but stoners love ‘em, too.
As nothing needs to be said about the genius of Jimi, I will just suggest that you should try to get a hold of some Sonic Youth (especially their late 80′s-early 90′s albums). I honestly have no idea how you would to them. I just hope you like feedback. perhaps wean yourself into them with ‘Teen Age Riot’, ‘Kool Thing’ and ‘Bull In The Heather’.
Now to your bands 21-30:
T21. DJ Shadow: Haven’t heard enough of him to judge fairly; there’s been some stuff I really liked and some that was just blah. Will need to hear more before passing total judgment.
T21. Death Cab For Cutie: Generic. Do nothing for me.
23. Billy Bragg & Wilco: I respect both artists. Woody Guthrie is cool. I like leftist politics. So why doesn’t this ongoing collarboration really catch me? Don’t know. Maybe I’m just not enough of a folkie. Me not caring for this music is more my fault than theirs.
24. Sneaker Pimps: This from the guy who said electronic-based music is on it’s way out. I sincerely hope this is one of those ‘I hit random and it just keeps playing them’ cases. What’s next, Morcheeba?
25. Zero 7: Honestly never heard them, but again your electronica comment comes back to bite you in the ass yet again.
26. Mogwai: Why would a band need words when they could just kick ass already? Such is the brilliance of Mogwai. Supposedly a great live act as well.
27. Nirvana is self-explanatory. I actually prefer In Utero to Nevermind (hey, depressing is good!).
28. The Arcade Fire: Easily the most overhyped, overrated band of 2004 (and carrying on into 2005, I see). A couple decent tracks and the rest is filler. Basically it’s another over-sensitive indie pop band, just with a violin. A fourth-rate flaming Lips without the synthesizer.
29. Wilco: See comment, number 23.
30. Nine Inch Nails: About as mainstream as industrial music gets, but still good. Reznor is best at his most abrasive. Get rid of the more radio-friendly stuff and the catalogue is brilliant. Mind you, Big Black gave him about 3/4 of his ideas.
31-40 will come tomorrow. In the meantime, let’s answer your questions. Why was I quiet during election time? Two reasons: Grad school has you working about fifty to sixty hours a week, so that’s one. Two is a much bigger reason, and that is simply that you guys were basically expressing what I was feeling and there was really nothing I could have added that would have improved the conversation any better than you guys were already doing.
Oh, how I miss stats. By the time I get back home at the end of July, it will have been eleven freaking months since I have done them. I can’t fucking wait. I was kind of pissed that I couldn’t come, but it just would have been impossible. Hell, taking a week off in July probably isn’t the smartest thing right now, but I’m doing it then simply because I have the ride with one of my friends from here. And I made sure it was after the Music Fest; I don’t like being in town when massive things are going on.
The life of a grad student is fast-paced and non-stop. You have work up to your neck and you alost start drowning in it; you’ve got a million things on your plate at once. On the other hand, the sheer amount of people I’ve met makes it worthwhile. Lots of new friends. Grad school is also extremely leftist in attitude in the NRES program because it’s so geographically oriented. Lots of potlucks and going out, so I’m having a busy but good time overall; no regrets whatsoever. One thing I noticed here: no one in university listens to the radio (thankfully- no Lorne Music!) A lot of my friends listen to lots of acoustic shit and sensitive balladry and classic rock. The classic stuff I don’t mind so much (and my officemates Adrian and Sarah feed me a lot of punk and indie, so that’s good), but the rest, while not commercial, is very unappealing and I find my tastes getting more extreme and abrasive as I go on. Aren’t I supposed to mellow as I age? Instead I’m feeding myself 300 bpm hardcore techno Spacemen 3 and Cabaret Voltaire albums. Such is life, I guess. At least I’ll never be accused of being a sheep.
How is yourself doing these days? Your blog doesn’t get too personal so I don’t really have a clue.
Kyle

9:41 PM, Tuesday 7 June 2005

Well the bands I ended up making shit up about were Negativland, Joy Division and Big Black, 1/3 isn’t bad. Anyway I am not against electronic music, as you can see from my sneaker pimps obsession, zero 7 (although they are much like Air), DJ Shadown and other such bands… Alright just to shore up a few things about your latest critiques, Death Cab for Cutie is on there because I was giving them a chance, to be honest they bore me. The Arcade Fire, again like DCFC I was giving them a listen because I had heard a lot of good things, they haven’t hit me like they have other people. Not to say they are not good, I think they are talented, just hasn’t made me go “wow”. Aparently they are a good live act though… NIN, I have a buddy who loves them. Personally another band I have a really hard time getting into. I try really hard (as you can see by their ranking) to like them, but when you can’t get into something you can’t help that.
OK on to your list… I THink things have shuffled since last time so I will skip Sonic Youth and go straight into…
t-12) Beastie Boys – I find it is really hit and miss with the Beastie Boys for me. With that said the Paul’s Boutique it such an great album…
t-12) Nirvana was one of many great bands of the early ninties that ended like most of the bands of the early ninties, in a heroin induced death. I think a lot of the problem was that people made Cobain out to be more than he was. Fuck he was just some shit kid from a small logging town in Washington who could express his angst really well, and people were making him out to be a God.
t-12) The Velvet Underground I haven’t really listened to much. I have some album of them with Nico called “Remember Two Things” or “Buy Andy Warhole” not sure what is the album name. Anyway it is not exactly what I expected them to be, I always thought they were a lot more fucked up.
15) I love The Doors. Morrison did think he was more than he really was, but he had pretty good reason to have such an ego, he wrote some amazing music. The Soft Parade still blows my mind!
16) The Pixies, what can I say they rock. Cobain was quoted as saying something to the effect smells like teen spirit was a blatant attempt to rip off the Pixies. Seeing Frank Black’s intensity and getting to hear Kim Deal sing In Heaven made going to Pixies last year all worth while.
t-17) I don’t mind the clash, I almost laugh sometimes listening to the Clash, though. I am sure back in the day they were all bad ass and controversial, but now listening to them, they sound… I dunno hokee? maybe that is the wrong word. This is a public service announcement… with GUITARS! haha I love it.
t-17) Ol’ Dirty Bastard… hum see my comment about rap. I suppose he is funny at times… This ain’t the ohhh dee beee, this is the NEW DB..
19) Led Zeppelin. Page and Plante. One hell of a band. I wonder how many bands we listen to now were influenced by Zeppelin growing up? The girl who I did the Pearl Jam tour with in California said that when we reached the middle of the desert between LA and Vegas we had to listen to Kashmir… Awesome.
20) Well my coworker would be happy to see the Dead Kennedy’s on your list. He is a huge punk fan, who goes to shows like Mr. Plow and Stinkmit. He has a particular liking to Jello Biafra… Anyway he recently saw the movie Terminal City Ricochet staring Jello, which he said was really funny because they didn’t even try to hide the fact they filmed the movie in Vancouver… He said in one scene there was this giant post of Bill Vander Zalm in it.
Wow Kyle has a life… I guess it was to be expected… Sounds like your busy though, I guess it is a good busy.
As for me, I don’t even know what is new with me. I spent way too much money on Pearl Jam tickets. At least now I am commited… After this tour I think I will cool the jets on Pearl Jam. Nothing will be able to top a Canadian tour anyway… Other happenings, Joern is moving to Vancouver… or he already has, who knows nobody tells me anything these days anyway. I am growing a garden on my balcony. Peas, Beans, and loads of tomato plants and a few flowers too… wee… Other than that nothing new. Work is work. Poker on the weekends. Brother on my couch.

11:02 PM Wednesday 8 June 2005

Just as a comment: it makes you look reallly bad when you make up shit instead of just admitting you don’t know it. I used to do that a lot trying to sound smart and I just came off like an ass. I don’t know how sarcastic you were when you were making those comments (so many things get lost in translation on the Net) but a simple ‘Haven’t heard them’ would have sufficed.
Responses to your critiques: (FYI, Floyd shuffled into the top 10 so that can be sort of an extra critique for tomorrow if you want; they will be second when the next rankings come out due to the three hours of music I got off my friend Adrian.)
Beasties: I like the second, third and fourth albums and that’s what I stick. The rest don’t do much for me. There isnt enough experimentation or attitude anymore from them.
Nirvana: You summed it up perfectly (I think that’s how Kurt would have summed it up, too).
Velvet Underground: For all intents and purposes, there are four Velvet albums. Velvet Underground and Nico alternates between dark love songs and seedy underbelly stories (very groundbreaking for 1966 to be singing about S&M and heroin). The next two albums get freakier, and then the fourth sees a straight-ahead rock approach that still sound different than anyone else. Definitely worth some exploration as you see how so many bands got their musical ideas from these albums.
The Doors: We both love them, no further comments needed. Same with the Pixies.
The Clash: Unlike other punk bands, they tried to mix it up a lot and not stick to a sound. Sometimes it didn’t work but most of the time it did really well. London Calling is in Rolling Stone’s top ten all-time albums for a reason, although it definetely exists in a late-’70′s British landscape.
ODB: Absolutely insane. Listening to him is like listening to a train flying off of the tracks at 300 mph. Very messed up but quirky enough to make me come back for more.
Led Z: I probably only like about 1/4 of their songs (pretty much all of those are from pre-1975), but the ones I like are SOOO good. SOOOO good. ‘Dazed and Confused’? Still blows me away 36 years later.
Dead Kennedys: But what is your opinion of them, I wonder? Hyperpolitical (Jello Biafra even has Chomsky making spoken-word albums on his record label) and musically advanced. Unlike other punk bands, they didn’t mind songs that went four or five minutes. There are actual chord changes and everything! I think you’d really like them.
Good to see Joern get out of Cowtown. Is anyone left there, I wonder? And what will he do in Van for work? I told a bunch of people at school about my crazy friend who bought tix for 15 Pearl jam concerts and they are all jealous of you, so enjoy, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Now, for 31-40 on your list (I see your list has changed slightly at the bottom today but didn’t change the aforementioned top 30):
T30. Muse: Boring. No matter the song.
32. Tosca: Only the second band on your list I haven’t heard (both of those electronic, interestingly), so I can’t pass judgment.
T33. The Clash: Guess we talked about them already.
T33. At The Drive-In: Their brilliance is self-explanatory.
T33. Modest Mouse: Of currently active indie-style bands of the past ten years, this is basically my favourite. There might be one song I don’t like out of the entire catalogue. Just awesome. Isaac Brock has that really weird voice that sounds cool no matter where you put it. I still can’t believe they were actually on SNL earlier this year and I missed it.
T33. Screaming Trees: Probably a bit lower on the overall hierarchy of the Seattle. Decent but not outstanding.
37. Radiohead: Best band of the past decade. Yup, you read that right. Best band of the past decade. No band has been able to push boundaries while still maintaining a consistent level of popularity like Radiohead. It’s almost anti-rock.
38. Jimi Hendrix: Already discussed.
39. Xavier Rudd: Is that some sort of computer glitch that put him on this list by accident?
T40. David Usher: (laughing followed by sigh, followed by sadness and consternation, and then laughing again)
Your turn!
Kyle

10:00 PM, Thursday 9 June 2005

21) Pearl Jam. As everyone knows I am an pretty big Pearl Jam fan. I think what I like about the band goes beyond the music (which by itself is wonderful), into the politics, the band members’ attitudes, the way they treat their fan base and their ability to put on an amazing, unique show every time they play live. I love this band.
22) Devo. Whip it good? Come on Kyle I know you like the odd, but Devo?
23) Modest Mouse… Yawn… They did a bunch of shows here recently and a couple of my friends wanted me to come. I listened to their cd’s over and over again. In the end I didn’t goto the concert, their music was just total miss with me…
24) I am amazed I don’t have The Who higher on my list, I really need to copy some of my cds back onto my playlist. The Who like The Doors and Zeppelin belong to that group of bands during the 70′s that totally changed the face of Rock.
25) I like the Talking Heads in small doses. David Byrne is pretty cool, and his music is pretty funky. Maybe someday I can trip out on acid listening to sugar on my tongue.
CCR. When I think of classic rock I think of CCR, they are like the epitome of classic rock. The dude abides.
t-27) David Bowie… Another artist I really don’t listen to. I mean I don’t mind some of his stuff, but not something I will actively listen to, or seek out.
t-27) Spaceman 3 … I am too tired to come up with anything about these guys.. I got nothing.
t-27) The Stones. Much like Bowie, I don’t mind the Stones, but again not a band I actively listen to or seek out.
t-30) Kraftwerk. Definitely the way you like your music, fucked up. I suppose they are German, so I will give them some credit… plus that boing boom chuck song is kind of catchy.
t-30) Cabaret Voltaire is another band I have no idea who they are and am too tired to come up with something about.
Stefan

10:08 AM Friday 10 June 2005

Let’s review some critiques of yours here; this seems to be the the part of the list where you’re wading into unfamilar territory. Pearl Jam is self-explanatory. Everybody knows ‘Whip It’ from Devo and basically nothing else because that was their only crossover hit so they basically get cast off as a novelty act rather than as one of the first band to actively use synthesizers and for their ongoing stance than humans are de-eveolving back into apes (hence the band’s name, they came up with the concept because they were going to school at Kent State in 1970 when the shootings happened, i.e. CSNY’s ‘Ohio’). I’m surprised you’re not into Modest Mouse, but can’t win ‘em all, I guess. The Who are legendary, of course. The good songs are brilliant but they stayed around too long and got too heavy into synths at the ends, deemphasizing the rock. But the good stuff is so good, who cares about the rest? Talking Heads (not THE Talking Heads), their first four albums changed popular music; the first mainstream acts to incorporate African rhythms into music on a meaningful level. John Fogerty was CCR. Brilliant stuff. What’s sad is that a couple of the other band members still tour as Creedence Clearwater Revisited, basically a tribute band to themselves destroying a great band’s legacy at NASCAR venues and country rock festivals everywhere. Pretty sad. Kind of like the 21st Century Doors. David Bowie was brilliant from 1971 to 1980. You can ignore everything else. I don’t think you’d like Spacemen 3. Feedback and droning. Music to my ears, noise to yours. Stones are self-explantory. I like early Kraftwerk. Nowadays they are basically a bunch of 60-year-old playing ambient techno. I was already tuned out to them by the time ‘Boing Boom Schack’ came along. I stick to ‘Trans-Europe Express’ and ‘Autobahn’-era stuff. As for Cabaret Voltaire, quite simply, they were the first industrial band. I leave you to dig them up and find out the good news.
To the list! 41-50:
T40- The Tea Party: I like the first two-and-a-half albums and then it’s nothing but interminable generic crap. I guess Jeff Martin thought he was being pigeonholed as that guy who sounds like Jim Morrison and decided to go corporate. There was something organic and experimental and exotic about the early stuff that dissapeared over time. These guys just wanted to be rock stars and live the life, I guess.
42- Jack Johnson: Absolutely boring, but every 19-year-old female undergrad seems to like him, sensitive surfer boy. Yawn.
43- My Morning Jacket: Wow, you’re really into your alt-country, aren’t you? I have nothing against alt-country (at least people are trying in alt-country!), so I’l just commend you for looking for bands that not everybody else listens to. I personally have to hear more of this band before making up my mind.
44- UNKLE: As UNKLE is sort of a fluid set of collaborations, the music tends to jump around a lot on me. Some songs are great and some aren’t.
T45- Neil Young: We all love Neil’s music, no critique necessary. (I don’t like the slower stuff so much, though.)
T45- St. Germain: I’m hoping you just recognized the name from the football stadium you saw in Paris and took a chance. Other than that, I’m dissapointed.
T47- Led Z: Self-explanatory. Just don’t listen to ANYTHING past 1975.
T47- Interpol: A couple good songs but pretty one-dimensional after that. The songs tend to run together, and you can tell in their interviews they think they’re pretty hot shit. Way too overhyped.
49- Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals: Already explained.
50- Sparta: I love when bands spilt up and one half goes on to kick major ass while they other guys just keep trying to do the same thing as the old band and fail miserably.
There’s my summation. I can tell that I have a lot of avant-garde leanings that you don’t. I guess I’m just eccentric.
Kyle

9:40 PM, Wednesday 15 June 2005

I told you I was going to make up stuff about the bands I didn’t know, I am pretty sure you could have figured out which ones those were, so bite me, I could care less what people think, and you know pretty well I don’t really make stuff up, and really have nobody to impress.
hum as for your critiques of my last couple numbers…. I am kinda too tired to give a damn right now so I will jump into your list… starting with I suppose Floyd…
2) Pink Floyd hit the whole psychedelic music on the head. Some pretty brilliant stuff in there, some not so good stuff. I know this might get my chastised but I actually really enjoy Division Bell, it is so mellow and takes you on to a dream world almost. When I used to have trouble sleeping I would often put that on and it would get me there… Of course dark side of the moon, pulse and the wall are all brilliant…
32) Cream, the only thing I really know about the band is that it had clapton in it and one song White Room.
t-33) Pavement – not enough info to comment.
t-33) Lou Reed – again not enough info to comment.
t-33) The Mars Volta. Cedric and Omar are the Mars Volta. They have gone from doing a experimental concept album to even more experimental and crazy concept album. Their music is wildly complex, and I love it.
37) Soundgarden… humm what to say, they were awesome… At the time Cornell’s voice was in such good form, Kim Thayil incredible on guitar, and mother fucker could Matt Cameron ever pound the drums (something I find PJ underutilized). One thing my brother once pointed out to me was that Soundgarden while quite heavy, had generally quite slow melodic songs. Anyway I have been on a huge SG kick lately at work, Down on the Upside has been on constant rotation.
t-38) Metallica is a band that I enjoy listening to when I am in someone else’s car, or hanging out etc, but have never really gotten into actually listening to them at home. Why? who knows. There older stuff is the goods… Anything after (and including) re-loaded is pretty shit.
t-38) The Beach Boys… humm surfing USA?
t-41) Blur is so Song 2 to me. Anytime I hear anything else from them I think of it and can’t get it out of my head…
t-41) Queen, david Bowie… again meh… I suppose it is kinda funny on Wayne’s world or at a hockey game, other than that, I think I will pass.
t-43) The Streets – not enough info.
t-43) I really haven’t listened to too much Mudhoney so I can’t really comment on the music. However I do know that several of the members were former members of Green River which of course is Stone and Jeff’s former band. Also Matt Lukin is in Mudhoney which connects again with Pearl Jam via the song Lukin. Also if it wasn’t for Mudhoney being formed and causing tensions in Green River Jeff and Stone may never have gone off to join Mother Love Bone, or ended up forming Pearl Jam.
45) Shellac – NC
t-46) My Bloody Valentine – NC
t-46) Beck… I still remember buying Mellow Gold. I loved that album, would listen to it all the time, very excellent. Actually I really enjoyed Odelay as well. Mutations was alright… however he has taken a slow change… granted I think we already talked about this… Anyway the new album is ok, better than the last few I think.
t-46) Tenacious D. The musical stylings of Jack Black and Kyle Gass. I used to listen to these guys so much it wasn’t even funny, actually it was funny because they are fucking hilarious. Jesus Ranch has to be one of my favorites… Funny stuff, just wish I could have went to one of their concerts, and gotten a cum rag!
t-46) Ciccone Youth… NC
t-46) Rage Against the Machine like you said were the only good rap/metal band. However I wouldn’t even call it that, Zack was more yelling screaming and sometimes singing, I suppose you could call it rap. Regardless they hit a cord, they were highly political, pushed a lot of good causes and a solid message. I think often their message was probably lost on a lot of people who just liked the heavy sound, or the crazy riffs but all in all an awesome band I am sorry to see go. I think I enjoy every album they have done, including Renegades. Watching some of the live DVD’s makes me sad I missed seeing them live…
Well there you have it… eat that shit up!
Stefan

10:39 PM Wednesday 15 June 2005

First of all, I have no problem with the concept of making shit up if it’s either funny or biting. Unfortunately what you did was neither. I think a drunken, punderful Isaac last May Days at Madden’s cabin was on more of a roll than you were with your corny-ass shit. So go eat a peach.
Now, to the critiques:
Floyd: Yeah, Division Bell puts me to sleep, too, but in the negative coxtext of the phrase. Pink Floyd ended for all intents and purposes in 1979. Of course, pretty much everything they did before then was fucking brilliant. ‘Jugband Blues’ could be a Kyle Kusch theme song at this point.
Cream: Were only together for two years, but what a two years it was. Three albums that changed the world and invented the power trio in rock. Basically it was the best drummer, best bassist and best guitarist in Britain getting together to form a band. Sickeningly good (although some of the more druggy songs have pretty cheesy lyrics, but that’s minor).
Pavement: Nothing of theirs is outstanding except for maybe ‘Stereo’. Good filler music to pass the time, though.
Lou Reed: To this day, Metal Machine Music still stands up as one of the most melodically diverse albums ever made. (Ed. note: Now that’s sarcasm.)
Nothing more needs to be said about the brilliance of the Mars Volta, and we’ve done SG, so we’ll move to Metallica: First three albums ONLY. I can’t even listen to the Black Album, let alone anything post-Load.
Beach Boys: This is such a weird case. Teeny-bop boy band suddenly matures and puts out the greatest album and some of the best songs yet produced by man, then leader becomes a recluse and band becomes adult-contemporary laughingstock your parents feel nostalgic about. Everything between (and including) ‘California Girls’ and ‘Good Vibrations’ is insanely good. The rest you can easily find in the 69-cent bin at the supermarket.
Blur: One of the saddest days of my life was hearing ‘Song 2′ for the first time. Easily the worst song Blur ever made, it was considered a throwaway track on their 1997 album to the point they didn’t even give it a proper title. Dumbass Yankee DJ’s and sport-team PA operators like the ‘Woo-hoo’ part and so it gets played to death. Three brilliant albums and at one point the best band in Britain, and all anyone on this side of the pond knows them is the interminable piece of Hepatitis-C- infected monkey crap known as ‘Song 2′. (A full length version of Kyle Kusch’s ‘Song 2′ rant can be purchased at independent book retailers everywhere.)
Queen: See the last line of the Pavement entry. Stay away from anything after 1980.
The Streets: Nothing I feel like explaining right now. Look it up yourself.
Mudhoney: Stuck to the stereotypical ‘Seattle’ longer than anyone else. Probably the loudest Seattle band after maybe the Melvins.
Shellac: Steve Albini’s band after Big Black. But what’s Big Black, you say? Oh, Jesus…
My Bloody Valentine: The top band of the turn-of-the-’90′s shoegazing movement in Britain. Basically droning, hypnotic guitars and soft-spoken vocals that basically produced the equivalent of listening to music underwater.
Beck: All over the place. Hard to get a handle on the guy.
Tenacious D: Come on, they invented inward singing. What more needs to be said?
Ciccone Youth: A one-album Sonic Youth-Mike Watt collaboration that made fun of Madonna and pop culture. Notable for a karaoke version of ‘Addicted To Love’ and a track consisting of a minute of silence.
RATM: Fuck, yeah.
So there you have it. Our synopses are complete. Can’t wait to hear your responses. Been listening to ‘Revolver’ all day. God, how awesome. I also played PF’s ‘Echoes’ and the Avalanches’ ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’ fifty million times. Who needs drugs?
Kyle

10:21 PM, Thursday 16 June 2005

Responses, I don’t have much to say. Just that I am going to have to check out some Cream, and am going to eat a peach. If you were to suggest the best 5 beach boys songs what would they be? Lastly I figure I might as well say what I am listening to now. I have checked out the Bloc Party, heard they were good. They have some quick ass drums, might be from a drum machine and a very English feel to them. I have also been listening to the Doves a bunch. Not sure how to place them, at times they have very dreamy vocals and other times they are all out. Anyway I am quite enjoying them, and think I may check out their show next month.
Stefan

8:56 AM Friday 17 June 2005

The five best Beach Boys songs? For a sampler, I’d check out ‘Good Vibrations’, ‘God Only Knows’, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘Here Today’ and maybe ‘Do It Again’ or ‘Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow’. Or, better yet, just get the whole Pet Sounds album (preferably the stereo version). Pretty good production for any era, let alone 1966. Bloc Party I’ve heard a couple times but not enough to pass judgement. The Doves seem like a watered-down, poppier version of the shoegazing-era bands (see My Bloody Valentine, Lush or Spacemen 3/Spiritualized for the real thing).
Your turn to start next week. Maybe we can get some political discussion going.
Kyle