Pre-Order Thread

Dead C said:
Was that his question? Or was his question if they are overlooked because they deserve to be or not?

I'd rather add up all the commenters in here who know who they are.

I just don't believe that anyone's individual relationship with a band is necessarily reflective of any greater pattern or reasoning, unless you have some data.

Being "big enough" also isn't a measurement of greatness to me.

Offering a personal anecdote about your lack of familiarity only makes the point that you might not be the best person to offer a conclusion on how great they are, not the other way around. It just seemed like a flawed basis for why they should be docked credit. A lot of the greatest and most influential artists aren't the most mainstream or recognized.

If somebody asked if Guided By Voices was the best to ever do it, that would just be another thing prompting me to give them another shot. There are acts like them who are greatly respected by people whose opinions I greatly respect, but I've never gotten into. With GBV specifically, they have a million albums and the "classic" releases that I've tried didn’t immediately connect. Part of that probably has to do with the fact that I was "trying" and things often need to click organically.

One example of that is of Montreal. I wasn't getting it at first and one day it clicked. They didn't suddenly get better just because I felt different about them.

If you ask me, Grateful Dead are "the best to ever do it," but there was a time a looong time ago when I'd rather be listening to Soundgarden.

The best GBV comparison is probably KGATLW, because they have such a vast catalog and range that it can be difficult to step into it. Right now, I feel like Gizz is one of the best doing it, but I didn't know that initially. I was just lumping them in with the Oh Sees scene.

Another thing that affects perspectives of greatness is when you hear an influential act long after you've heard all the acts they've influenced. Ironically, they can come across as less original, when the opposite is true.

There was a time in the 90s where I'm pretty sure that I was mixing up the name of Shudder To Think with Guided By Voices. That's just me being a fucking weirdo; I don't feel that's fair reflection on Bob Pollard.

If someone thinks GBV is the best to ever do it, I feel like I just have to accept that they might be correct and I just don't know it yet.

Edit: I should add that I respect you and your opinions on this forum. I'm not trying to be a dick; I just enjoy analyzing and discussing this sort of stuff.
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I do enjoy your long form analyticals. Also still waiting for of Montreal to click for me. And Guided by Voices, and The Mountain Goats, and The Tragically Hip and The National and
 
Melt Face Molly Drop said:
I do enjoy your long form analyticals. Also still waiting for of Montreal to click for me. And Guided by Voices, and The Mountain Goats, and The Tragically Hip and The National and
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I used to ride the bus every day and just randomly listen to stuff. That's when of Montreal clicked. What sounded like erratic chaos turned into a symphony one day.

Mountain Goats fucked me up last time I saw them and I almost cried. I'd respected Darnielle before that, but never fully connected to it. I got invited to be listed for the show, so I went. I think what seems like a conflict in his sound might actually be the key. The lyrics are poignant while the delivery isn't overly self important. When they land it feels even more direct, because it's the weightiness and the truth of what he's saying as opposed to some forced or dramatic delivery.

I think that the magic of a lot of these acts like the National is subtle and often really needs to grow on, if not around, you. I know exactly what you're talking about in regards to all of them.

Another artist that puzzles me is St. Vincent. I probably still have confusion with her recorded material, but both times I saw her, she convinced me in those moments that she was one of the greatest acts going. Everything sounded amazing. Then I'd play an album again and wonder what happened.

It's not exactly the same, but it reminds me of when I saw Terminator 3 the first time while taking a million bong hits. The whole thing was trash and played out like an endless series of product placement ads. I viewed it like an "accidental," yet brilliant, art project where I was forced to battle the influence of their aggressive and persistent advertising onslaught. I felt like I had to share that with people afterward. Turns out that I was just forcing others to watch a really shitty movie.

That said, I do think St Vincent is good. I saw her both times sober


...I think.
 
Dead C said:
Was that his question? Or was his question if they are overlooked because they deserve to be or not?

I'd rather add up all the commenters in here who know who they are.

I just don't believe that anyone's individual relationship with a band is necessarily reflective of any greater pattern or reasoning, unless you have some data.

Being "big enough" also isn't a measurement of greatness to me.

Offering a personal anecdote about your lack of familiarity only makes the point that you might not be the best person to offer a conclusion on how great they are, not the other way around. It just seemed like a flawed basis for why they should be docked credit. A lot of the greatest and most influential artists aren't the most mainstream or recognized.

If somebody asked if Guided By Voices was the best to ever do it, that would just be another thing prompting me to give them another shot. There are acts like them who are greatly respected by people whose opinions I greatly respect, but I've never gotten into. With GBV specifically, they have a million albums and the "classic" releases that I've tried didn’t immediately connect. Part of that probably has to do with the fact that I was "trying" and things often need to click organically.

One example of that is of Montreal. I wasn't getting it at first and one day it clicked. They didn't suddenly get better just because I felt different about them.

If you ask me, Grateful Dead are "the best to ever do it," but there was a time a looong time ago when I'd rather be listening to Soundgarden.

The best GBV comparison is probably KGATLW, because they have such a vast catalog and range that it can be difficult to step into it. Right now, I feel like Gizz is one of the best doing it, but I didn't know that initially. I was just lumping them in with the Oh Sees scene.

Another thing that affects perspectives of greatness is when you hear an influential act long after you've heard all the acts they've influenced. Ironically, they can come across as less original, when the opposite is true.

There was a time in the 90s where I'm pretty sure that I was mixing up the name of Shudder To Think with Guided By Voices. That's just me being a fucking weirdo; I don't feel that's fair reflection on Bob Pollard.

If someone thinks GBV is the best to ever do it, I feel like I just have to accept that they might be correct and I just don't know it yet.

Edit: I should add that I respect you and your opinions on this forum. I'm not trying to be a dick; I just enjoy analyzing and discussing this sort of stuff.
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I enjoy Guided By Voices.
 
Dead C said:
It's not exactly the same, but it reminds me of when I saw Terminator 3 the first time while taking a million bong hits. The whole thing was trash and played out like an endless series of product placement ads. I viewed it like an "accidental," yet brilliant, art project where I was forced to battle the influence of their aggressive and persistent advertising onslaught. I felt like I had to share that with people afterward. Turns out that I was just forcing others to watch a really shitty movie.
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This was me with Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy. Watched it sober and thought it was the dumbest shit ever put to film. Then I watched it by chance after smoking a ton of weed and Thought it was the most innovative and hilarious film I had ever seen.
 
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TenderLovingKiller® said:
I enjoy Guided By Voices.
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I know. I know tons of other people who love similar things that I do and love GBV. I don't even dislike them at all, I just never fully connect to them or return to their music without being on the mission to "give this another go." I probably want too much from it too quickly, when most of the stuff I love has never happened that way. "Alright, man. Time to fall in love. Let's do this. Focus." It's so ridiculous. Generally, things seem to find me whenever they're supposed to, if they're supposed to.

TenderLovingKiller® said:
This was me with Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy. Watched it sober and thought it was the dumbest shit point to film. Then I watched it by chance after smoking a ton of weed and Thought it was the most innovative and hilarious film I had ever seen.
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It happens.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
This was me with Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy. Watched it sober and thought it was the dumbest shit point to film. Then I watched it by chance after smoking a ton of weed and Thought it was the most innovative and hilarious film I had ever seen.
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The Waterboy is a comedy classic. Having grown up in Louisiana, it has a special place for me.
 
Dead C said:
I know. I know tons of other people who love similar things that I do and love GBV. I don't even dislike them at all, I just never fully connect to them or return to their music without being on the mission to "give this another go." I probably want too much from it too quickly, when most of the stuff I love has never happened that way. "Alright, man. Time to fall in love. Let's do this. Focus." It's so ridiculous. Generally, things seem to find me whenever they're supposed to, if they're supposed to.
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I bet if you saw em live it might click. They are a fun band to get drunk to. No need to look for anything more. Just watch Bob in a small club pogoing around the stage in between shoulder high kicks while howling about UFOs and it will all start to come together by your 6th Rainier.

I get your larger point though. Sometimes you just need for the right song to be playing at the right time for everything to fall into place. I have a tough time writing any band off because Who knows what might happen next. I could overhear a song in the background of a movie, or on some random persons car stereo while pumping case or have a random track stream on Spotify as I walk around the neighborhood at dusk and everything immediately change and pops into place.
 
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Indymisanthrope said:
The Thievery Corp question is less about whether we "get" them and more rooted in the fact that I've been casually aware of them for years & years and always just thought they must be considered giants of their genre. It's only the lack of general discourse about them that made me second guess.

I'm consistently surprised on this forum when acts I'd dismiss as mid-tier are venerated as icons here, or when I think somebody is a major, major player, only to find out a lot of folks have never heard of them.

It's good to hear people's opinions when they're already familiar with the artist, but hearing from people who aren't familiar with the artist can be just as informative, because it's suggestive of how much of a cultural imprint they've actually left. That may even be more informative, because not knowing an artist's music but still having a sense of their influence says that their impact is less disputable to start with.
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To a certain extent, I agree. Problem is that blind spots are just that - blind spots. Just because I don’t know about or am unfamiliar with an artist doesn’t mean they are any less important. I didn’t know about Big Star until I was well in my 30s. This doesn’t change their significance or impact.

The other thing with electronic music is that there is an impressive quantity to such a relatively young musical genre. The fact that they have had a career since the mid nineties speaks to a certain amount of success/stature.

I feel the GBV (a band that is a particular blind spot for me) comparisons are apt as I think both bands are respected and loved by those in the know but that outside of the music intelligentsia are relatively unknown.
 
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Indymisanthrope said:
The Thievery Corp question is less about whether we "get" them and more rooted in the fact that I've been casually aware of them for years & years and always just thought they must be considered giants of their genre. It's only the lack of general discourse about them that made me second guess.

I'm consistently surprised on this forum when acts I'd dismiss as mid-tier are venerated as icons here, or when I think somebody is a major, major player, only to find out a lot of folks have never heard of them.

It's good to hear people's opinions when they're already familiar with the artist, but hearing from people who aren't familiar with the artist can be just as informative, because it's suggestive of how much of a cultural imprint they've actually left. That may even be more informative, because not knowing an artist's music but still having a sense of their influence says that their impact is less disputable to start with.
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Weirdly, as someone who listens to a lot of electronic, I always got the vibe they were more popular with people not as into the genre than with people really into it. I could be wrong, of course.
 
LeSamourai said:
Weirdly, as someone who listens to a lot of electronic, I always got the vibe they were more popular with people not as into the genre than with people really into it. I could be wrong, of course.
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Yeah, it seems to me that people that enjoy them really enjoy them. I am aware of them but could not name a track or album. I am more of a surface level electronic music fan though.
 
Signed sleeve version of the amber Yanya record here from UK, shipping not too bad to states at $9

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Nilüfer Yanya - My Method Actor: Signed Limited Crystal Amber Vinyl LP - Recordstore

Limited signed sleeve edition!One of the most exciting musicians today, Nilüfer Yanya returns with a brand new studio album ‘My Method Actor’ set to release Sept 13th via Ninja Tune. With a unique blend of soulful melodies, indie rock grit, and jazz influences, Yanya’s music continues to...
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Essential Scarface. Under $30!
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The Fix (2xLP)

Scarface's 7th studio album and his first on Def Jam features production by Mike Dean, Kanye West, Tony Pizarro, Nottz, and The Neptunes. Tracklist:A1 The FixA2 SafeA3 In Cold BloodB1 Guess Who's Back feat Beanie Sigel, Jay-ZB2 On My BlockB3 Keep Me DownC1 What Can I Do?C2 In Between Us feat Nas...
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scarfacefix_600x.png
 
blenoxsmith said:
Signed sleeve version of the amber Yanya record here from UK, shipping not too bad to states at $9

recordstore.co.uk

Nilüfer Yanya - My Method Actor: Signed Limited Crystal Amber Vinyl LP - Recordstore

Limited signed sleeve edition!One of the most exciting musicians today, Nilüfer Yanya returns with a brand new studio album ‘My Method Actor’ set to release Sept 13th via Ninja Tune. With a unique blend of soulful melodies, indie rock grit, and jazz influences, Yanya’s music continues to...
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FWIW, she is also selling signed sleeve copies via her website. Shipping looks to be $7.80.
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CRYSTAL AMBER VINYL

This item is a pre-order and will be released on 13th September 2024. 140g Crystal Amber 1LP in printed retro inner sleeves, housed in a printed matte varnish 12” Gatefold Sleeve - SIGNED BY NILÜFER. Download Code sticker included. Image is for illustration purposes only. Actual product may vary.
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LeSamourai said:
Weirdly, as someone who listens to a lot of electronic, I always got the vibe they were more popular with people not as into the genre than with people really into it. I could be wrong, of course.
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Hemotep said:
I get this impression too, although count me as someone who listens to a lot of electronica and loves them, so I could also be wrong, haha.
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I was camping in the desert in Arizona years ago with a field crew of biologists. I turned on some Thievery Corporation and was quickly told to turn the Enya bullshit off.
 
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