terminal-boredom.com
Terminal Boardumb => Music Shit => Pop Punk => Topic started by: Vince Clortho Keymaster of Gozac on October 13, 2009, 07:27:16 AM
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100804695.html
Will the hair-trigger pace of the blogosphere extinguish our most promising artists before they have the chance to find their voice?
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Have we run out of things to talk about?
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This is serious buddy. the blogosphere is extinguishing our most promising ARTISTS!
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At this point I honestly, sincerely hope someone just assassinates this douche. Maybe he'll pull a Cobain and take care of business himself. Kinda wish I never would have talked shit on the kid in the first place, if I was smart I would have earned his trust and put a fuckin' needle in his arm myself. Maybe it's not too late. Hell, if anyone's friends with him, ask him if next time he's in NY he wants to try shooting dope. First bags on me!
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Will the hair-trigger pace of the blogosphere extinguish our most promising artists before they have the chance to find their voice?
Wasnt this the inbetween epsode banter on a "to be continued" for BJ and The Bear? Find out next week!
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After bursting onto the blogscape late last year, the band has earned hosannahs from the New York Times ("scrappy, energetic"), the Los Angeles Times ("raw, jittery,"), Rolling Stone (three stars) and Spin magazine (four).
those are some damn big blogs, guys. respect!
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"There was no time for me to suck in basements," he says. "I didn't have that."
It never ceases to amaze me how people consistently fail to remember that they in fact have control over their own lives and the decisions they make.
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Kevin - Needle in the arm? I thought you were a "stab in the stomach" kinda guy? Love is making you soft, my friend.
FYI: this Wash Post article is the kind that doesnt get written unless the artist is friends with the writer or some PR guy for the artist or his label pimps it to the writer. I really really doubt that the writer woke up one morning thinking "Man, that Wavves is really taking it hard from Vinnie at Termbo, I need to write about that." I assume that this is just one more cynical attempt by Wavves to play the system.
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I'd gladly trade all the years I have spent sucking in basements for 6 to 8 months of steady multimillion dollar pay checks then never touch a guitar ever again.
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FYI: this Wash Post article is the kind that doesnt get written unless the artist is friends with the writer or some PR guy for the artist or his label pimps it to the writer. I really really doubt that the writer woke up one morning thinking "Man, that Wavves is really taking it hard from Vinnie at Termbo, I need to write about that." I assume that this is just one more cynical attempt by Wavves to play the system.
More like a "The Way We Live Now" trend piece about the internet and hype and its consequences which garners plenty of page views and ups the CPM the WaPo can charge to advertisers.
I highly doubt Nathan Williams has any contact at all with the Washington Posts' editors.
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God, I hope Nathan can still find his voice after all this. Sufjan is thinking of calling it quits. The shrimpy guy from Animals Collective got his dick caught in a zip drive and won't be playing any shows for awhile. Everything is falling apart.
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how can one NOT be reluctant to type the words "brooklyn vegan"?
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I highly doubt Nathan Williams has any contact at all with the Washington Posts' editors.
Aside from the cocaine blowjobs, you mean?
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I highly doubt Nathan Williams has any contact at all with the Washington Posts' editors.
Aside from the cocaine blowjobs, you mean?
Yes I stand corrected. Nathan Williams gave the Washington Post's entire Op Ed page cocaine blowjobs.
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vinnie loves wavves
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WTF is a cocaine blowjob and how come I've never had one before?
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WTF is a cocaine blowjob and how come I've never had one before?
try to sniff out the next big thing -- [it] creates more and more of these tiny sensations.
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I think a cocaine blowjob is kind of like a blumpkin.
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I'm borderline amazed Cocaine Blowjob isn't a band yet.
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Huh? Washington Post fucked up that article.
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I can't wait for next week's installment when Ezra Klein and Fareed Zakaria go deep into the Fluffy Lumber back catalog.
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"After the show, he heads upstairs to face his challengers. Nobody shows up. "
OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHH SNAP
BAM
OUCH BITCHES
TAKE THAT FUCKIN SHIT AND STICK IT UP YOUR ASS AND FUCKIN SMOKE IT
RETRIFUCKINBUTION BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
AINT NOBODY STEPPIN TO THIS BITCH NO MORE SPECIALLY WHEN IT COME TO FUCKIN GALAGA FUCKIN 3 FUCKIN FUCK ALL YOU BITCHES
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"After the show, he heads upstairs to face his challengers. Nobody shows up. "
Guess unlike him, his audience isn't in the position to throw away four hundred dollars or a guitar over a bet on a video game. Must be nice.
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vinnie loves wavves
His music is very accessible. Which may be the reason it's so good. Lotta good songs, I think that LP falls short after many listens. Some songs are great, some are good. The TTT 7" rules and the song "So Bored" is great too. Dude obviously can write a good song. But this argument is already beat so who cares? I just don't think I've ever voiced my opinion on it.
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I hear the next Tom Friedman column will be about Zork's Tape Bruise.
MEDIA DARLINGS!
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TTT finds all the talented talent first. It's no wonder that 7" rules. I remember when I went to the first Wavves show ever to scout him when he was a "virtual unknown". He plugged in his debut guitar, y'know, the one used on the debut record. From that moment, my jaw dropped. He looked over the crowd and asked me what to play. "what should I play?" I said "Shine baby. Just shine." After that, well....ask the world.
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I still hear that first chord from that show when I go to sleep sometimes at night. It went "Ddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrr". Somebody take that dudes alchemy book away cuz its already magic.
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Tic Tac Totally: NO WIENERS!
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Wavves wins again.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M3ab7jlCPz8/SpfVA4OglVI/AAAAAAAABOE/2OsPUO-ve-U/s400/RichardSimmons.jpg)
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Tic Tac Totally: NO WIENERS!
WE ANSWER TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY!!!!!
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Tic Tac Totally: NO WIENERS!
WE ANSWER TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY!!!!!
I wear the shirt to the gym every morning actually. thanks bud.
Also since the print is reversed it reads correctly in the mirror which is where i am looking the whole time while I work out to check how my physique sculpting is going.
Thanks for everything Matt (and Wavves!)!!!! XOXO, Gossip Girl.
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Nice man. We made it for that self reflection. Its a deep shirt.
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At this point I honestly, sincerely hope someone just assassinates this douche. Maybe he'll pull a Cobain and take care of business himself.
If we think we hate the over-coverage of Wavves now, imagine if he "died too soon"...Every mainstream media that hasn't already covered him will be talking about what a budding genius he was and how the next three decades was robbed. He'll have movies made about him and everything.
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At this point I honestly, sincerely hope someone just assassinates this douche. Maybe he'll pull a Cobain and take care of business himself.
If we think we hate the over-coverage of Wavves now, imagine if he "died too soon"...Every mainstream media that hasn't already covered him will be talking about what a budding genius he was and how the next three decades was robbed. He'll have movies made about him and everything.
Right. And his new album was going to be a masterpiece that stopped world hunger and shit.
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At this point I honestly, sincerely hope someone just assassinates this douche. Maybe he'll pull a Cobain and take care of business himself.
If we think we hate the over-coverage of Wavves now, imagine if he "died too soon"...Every mainstream media that hasn't already covered him will be talking about what a budding genius he was and how the next three decades was robbed. He'll have movies made about him and everything.
I don't know...the Exploding Hearts tributes died off years ago and their songs were way better than Wavves.
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I don't know...the Exploding Hearts tributes died off years ago and their songs were way better than Wavves.
Yeah, Rick's giving the kid way too much credit. I guarantee if the kid OD's, it won't even make the Washington Post.
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I guarantee if the kid OD's, it won't even make the Washington Post.
how much you wanna bet on that?
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I don't know...the Exploding Hearts tributes died off years ago and their songs were way better than Wavves.
Yeah, Rick's giving the kid way too much credit. I guarantee if the kid OD's, it won't even make the Washington Post.
Also Wreckless Derek was way more entertaining and way more of a trainwreck and he didn't even have the benefit of the mainstream media!
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but what does popjew think about all this?
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First single from the forthcoming "Return From Goth Beach" LP, the limited edition pressing of 2,500 on mauve vinyl "Funny Demon" b/w "Flute Beach" 7" out on Hold Me Records.
(http://www.tictactotally.com/files/funnydemon.jpg)
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First single from the forthcoming "Return From Goth Beach" LP, the limited edition pressing of 2,500 on mauve vinyl "Funny Demon" b/w "Flute Beach" 7" out on Hold Me Records.
(http://www.tictactotally.com/files/funnydemon.jpg)
Thats some next level shit right there.
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I guarantee if the kid OD's, it won't even make the Washington Post.
how much you wanna bet on that?
i would bet your $400 to my guitar that it would, indeed, make the post.
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If they're that hard up for news, I should write to them about how he smoked PCP with a bouncer in Madison and then beat someone in the head with a beer bottle after his show there.
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wiggers have all the fun
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Washington Post had a great story about how So Cow or Mika Miko could be the next Bruce Springstein.
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wiggers have all the fun
(http://14.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpz8pjC1j11qzpxajo1_250.gif)(http://14.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpz8pjC1j11qzpxajo1_250.gif)(http://14.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpz8pjC1j11qzpxajo1_250.gif)
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At this point I honestly, sincerely hope someone just assassinates this douche. Maybe he'll pull a Cobain and take care of business himself.
If we think we hate the over-coverage of Wavves now, imagine if he "died too soon"...Every mainstream media that hasn't already covered him will be talking about what a budding genius he was and how the next three decades was robbed. He'll have movies made about him and everything.
I don't know...the Exploding Hearts tributes died off years ago and their songs were way better than Wavves.
Granted...but I think the media hubbub over Wavves is much more widespread and exhaustive than the coverage of Exploding Hearts. Also, as Wavves impacts on ever-more mainstream strata of media, there are idiots out there who believe this music to be cutting-edge or whatever. On the other hand, even the media that fawned over Exploding Hearts understood them to excel as a tribute to certain styles of the past.
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At this point I honestly, sincerely hope someone just assassinates this douche. Maybe he'll pull a Cobain and take care of business himself.
If we think we hate the over-coverage of Wavves now, imagine if he "died too soon"...Every mainstream media that hasn't already covered him will be talking about what a budding genius he was and how the next three decades was robbed. He'll have movies made about him and everything.
I don't know...the Exploding Hearts tributes died off years ago and their songs were way better than Wavves.
Granted...but I think the media hubbub over Wavves is much more widespread and exhaustive than the coverage of Exploding Hearts. Also, as Wavves impacts on ever-more mainstream strata of media, there are idiots out there who believe this music to be cutting-edge or whatever. On the other hand, even the media that fawned over Exploding Hearts understood them to excel as a tribute to certain styles of the past.
I wonder who will be the "Wreckless Derek" of Wavves when he dies soon. Who will step up to the plate, pick up the mantle, and then promptly sully the legacy and run it into the ground? What will be the Don't Tell Your Boyfriend of the Wavves generation? These questions deserve answers, Ricky!!!!
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This is boring compared to the Matt Horseshit vs. Wavves/The World Washington Post article.
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Wavves will undo his legacy the more he hangs around writing vapid songs.
His collaboration with Zach Hill has already shown how flimsy his staying power is....this stuff plays like an ESPN Sportscenter highlight reel of melodic hooks interspersed montage-style between short blasts of Zach's noise and ludicrous-speed fills and rolls. Zach's touch on these recordings completely overpowers Nathan's hooks...and those hooks are maybe the only constructive thing Nathan has something of a knack for. Upon first listen, the new Wavves with Zach Hill sounds pretty riveting, but by the halfway point of a song, you're already kinda dreading it.
So, really...Wavves is doing a fine job so far of making himself obsolete eventually.
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BUT WHO WILL BE THE WRECKLESS DEREK OF ALL THIS?!?!?! WHOOOOOO?!?!?!?!?!?!?
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I BELONG TO THE WAVVES GENERATION
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New from Capcom Frogger Records, the debut single of today's new music star...the one...the only...GOTHIC WAVVES! This single is pressed on smooth vinyl. Too many copies.
(http://www.tictactotally.com/files/WAVVESSEPNEXTLEVELBUOOY.jpg)
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am i the first to point that the author of this breathtakingly insightful piece of reportage was himself in a moderately successful then subsequently forgotten group in washington dc called q and not u? what a strange thing to write about. wavves arent terribly interesting. the arts desk at the post (i used to work there for many years) has always been a little mystifying. the former music crit there (not the current one who did that ridic interview with psychedelic bullshit) only got the job cos he was the only one to apply for the position. newspapers are fucking up!
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from the subject of this thread i thought it was gonna be an Onion type deal, but this is a real article!?
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I guarantee if the kid OD's, it won't even make the Washington Post.
how much you wanna bet on that?
Yeah c'mon, how much you bet that Kanye West won't OD on a cocaine blowjob on the exact same day just to grab some spotlight.
That's at least 7/4 odds on Kanye blowin up first (at the moment)... just coz I've just created the betting just now. Any takers, Paypal me your bets!
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Wavves wins again.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M3ab7jlCPz8/SpfVA4OglVI/AAAAAAAABOE/2OsPUO-ve-U/s400/RichardSimmons.jpg)
Every time someone types "WAVVES" he wins.
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I thought this thread was gonna be about Rush Limbaugh wantin' to be a part owner of the St. Louis Rams...
I bet that Rush Limbaugh guy digs this Wavves kid. He's living the American/Republican dream -- making money off of an inferior product whilst being a soul-less asshole.
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Just wondering- have there been any other Exploding Hearts-esque accidents that have killed off entire bands? Not to be morbid, but it seems pretty surprising and lucky with the amount of bands touring and driving all fucked up and/or on little to no sleep.
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I have never heard a Wavves song. I am always pretty "behind the times" when it comes to music anyway and I don't read a ton of music blogs so I could really care less. I mostly feel sorry for him...
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At this point I honestly, sincerely hope someone just assassinates this douche. Maybe he'll pull a Cobain and take care of business himself. Kinda wish I never would have talked shit on the kid in the first place, if I was smart I would have earned his trust and put a fuckin' needle in his arm myself. Maybe it's not too late. Hell, if anyone's friends with him, ask him if next time he's in NY he wants to try shooting dope. First bags on me!
What a waste of good dope.
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I didn't know he had a music video!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt6imgDYoTg
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Just wondering- have there been any other Exploding Hearts-esque accidents that have killed off entire bands? Not to be morbid, but it seems pretty surprising and lucky with the amount of bands touring and driving all fucked up and/or on little to no sleep.
Maybe you have heard of a band called Lynyrd Skynyrd.
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Just wondering- have there been any other Exploding Hearts-esque accidents that have killed off entire bands? Not to be morbid, but it seems pretty surprising and lucky with the amount of bands touring and driving all fucked up and/or on little to no sleep.
Maybe you have heard of a band called Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Never heard of em. Power pop?
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I didn't know he had a music video!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt6imgDYoTg
I swear to god this sounds like Nar live and even the headshake is total smiller. I think someone owes the Nars some cash.
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Talking about how Nirvana's Nevermind was overlooked during its time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9b6dZ2dw5Q&feature=related
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Talking about how Nirvana's Nevermind was overlooked during its time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9b6dZ2dw5Q&feature=related
What an idiot. I think I'm gonna shave my head now.
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Talking about how Nirvana's Nevermind was overlooked during its time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9b6dZ2dw5Q&feature=related
Dang.
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i was just makin guacamole and choppin a buncha jalapeno. after i ate it all i went to take a piss and now my shits fuckin burnin like crazy and were all outta milk.
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(http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/Images/wavves.jpg)
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e5FlSy0LEqc/SWGAej4hvrI/AAAAAAAAASQ/gILKFROkDj4/s400/Picture+023.jpg)
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"it was a very important record in my formidable years"
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Talking about how Nirvana's Nevermind was overlooked during its time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9b6dZ2dw5Q&feature=related
Perhaps this backlash is really just a reckoning or hopefully the start of one.
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(http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/Images/wavves.jpg)
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e5FlSy0LEqc/SWGAej4hvrI/AAAAAAAAASQ/gILKFROkDj4/s400/Picture+023.jpg)
stole dat cut yo
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I've seen Kevin sportin' a few different bad haircuts (sorry Kevin) over the years, so this Wavves kid has a wealth of haircut-material to rip-off.
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Yeah, but I bet you never saw me when I used to have THREE mohawks all put up in liberty spikes! That shit was sick. Almost as sick as when I had dreads!
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i was just makin guacamole and choppin a buncha jalapeno. after i ate it all i went to take a piss and now my shits fuckin burnin like crazy and were all outta milk.
(http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11293708/Vicks_Vapor_Rub_ENO_Fruit_Salt_Veet_Cream.jpg)
Mind your environment when you have a sinus infection and have to re-adjust the guild.
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Has he tried to contact anyone on here because of all this? Just curious if there's a heartfelt plea for understanding or a xstasy/valium/xanax/gold spray paint fueled rant-text somewhere.
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"wiks waboorab"
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Talking about how Nirvana's Nevermind was overlooked during its time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9b6dZ2dw5Q&feature=related
Just wanted to make sure no one missed this gold nugget.
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Talking about how Nirvana's Nevermind was overlooked during its time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9b6dZ2dw5Q&feature=related
Just wanted to make sure no one missed this gold nugget.
Thanks for that! Mrs. Acapulco is rolling on the floor laughing as I write this. You should see her.
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I laughed for a good 10 minutes!! I'm laughing again now thinking about it.
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that buzzer should have went off at 10 seconds in.
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I just did the math and Nathan is a young 23. Nevermind is a younger 19.
I guess what he means to say is that at 4 he was rocking the Nirvana but
no one else in the romper room paid it no mind. Must have been lonely to be so
hip at that age. Poor dumb Nathan.
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he even holds the microphone like an idiot
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Yeah, I mostly just feel bad for him.
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i remember being six when that cd came out and everyone on the jungle gym going apeshit over it. so i dont know man i think he's full of shit! or maybe it was just a regional hit for them...
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I really don't like this guy.
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...but Rolling Stone only gave it like 2 stars at first.
criminally ignored.
i hate to pile on; i wish i hadnt watched that video. i dont think he was trying to be clever or funny. if so, he should head straight to hollywood.
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i remember being six when that cd came out and everyone on the jungle gym going apeshit over it. so i dont know man i think he's full of shit! or maybe it was just a regional hit for them...
It might have played well on the jungle gym, but the sandbox was really square.
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Where's the one where he talks about Sgt. Pepper's being an underground cult classic?
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He might not have had time to suck in basements, but I definitely saw him suck shit in a kitchen. Complained the entire time.
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...but Rolling Stone only gave it like 2 stars at first.
3 out of 5
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/238528/review/6068092
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article written by Chris Richards, formerly of Q And Not U (Dischord)...
I remember hearing about Wavves and all the hype, the first thing that came to mind was... "where the fuck did this band come from?".
Remember how a few years back, certain bands popped out of nowhere and all of a sudden the members were dating movie stars and appearing on Late Nigh talk shows... and now no one gives a fuck? (Strokes anyone?)
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article written by Chris Richards, formerly of Q And Not U (Dischord)...
I remember hearing about Wavves and all the hype, the first thing that came to mind was... "where the fuck did this band come from?".
Remember how a few years back, certain bands popped out of nowhere and all of a sudden the members were dating movie stars and appearing on Late Nigh talk shows... and now no one gives a fuck? (Strokes anyone?)
everyone still loves the strokes WTF?
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At least the Strokes wrote a few good songs.
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At least the Strokes wrote a few good songs.
a few?! like a whole album of good songs and then some..
Strokes "Is This It" CD
I?d like to take this opportunity to tell the reader how I feel about the Strokes. The Strokes did take the shortcuts. They have become an overnight success. The reader might ask how? Well, it?s not any of my business to draw inconclusive conclusions on that subject, but I must ask the reader if he or she knows how hard it is to be successful in the music industry? And do it on your own terms? Actually, it?s like throwing a pebble into a tornado and hoping that same pebble will come out on the other side.
So let it be established to the reader that the Strokes are known around the world. They are in the press, touring all the time, doing ?it'. Jealous? That?s why a lot of people don?t like the Strokes. They are envious of the group?s prosperity. Not me though, I?m, as I?ve always been, in it strictly for the music; and the Strokes? music is some of the best music out there.
So, now that the reader has been told how I feel about the Strokes, I should explain to he or she why I feel that the Strokes? music is some of the finest music around. It has to do with rhythm. It also has to do with melody. And, I might add dear reader, it has to do with timing. While the Strokes? sound isn?t groundbreaking or new, they are superb at penning solid rhythmic tracks, never letting up on the beat. And they combine that rhythm with a harmonious melody that is quite catchy and, if I may be so candid as to say, just captivating. The timing has to do with how the band reacts to one another. When certain members chime in at the right time. A guitar solo here, a cymbal crash there, stressing the right amount of power to a certain lyric, the Strokes are one of the steadiest groups I have ever heard.
And if the reader is a regular here at blankgeneration.com, I?m sure he or she has read about the Strokes from other staff members. Comments have been made about how they sound like the Velvet Underground, Pixies, and the Buzzcocks. Let me say to the esteemed reader of blankgeneration.com that all of these groups do have a certain influence on the Strokes, however, the Strokes are not the new Velvet Underground, Pixies, Buzzcocks, or whoever. The Strokes sound like the Strokes, period.
It must also be known to the reader that I am reviewing the domestic version of the Strokes? Is This It record, released on 10/09/01. It has come to my attention that because of the terrorist attacks on New York City on 09/11/01 the Strokes decided, before the official domestic release date of Is This It, to take the song "New York City Cops" off the album and replace it with the song "When It Started."
I must tell the reader of this review that this saddens me, but the sadness is infinitesimal. I am sad because the Strokes, while still playing "New York City Cops" in their live shows, do not believe in the song enough to brave the wrath of the public and keep the song on the domestic album. To those readers who have not heard the song and are wondering what all the commotion is about, well let me explain. The chorus of the aforementioned tune goes ? "New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ They Ain?t Too Smart!" If the Strokes are bold enough to write a song depicting their distaste?s for how the NYPD operates, and play the song live, they should be bold enough to keep "New York City Cops" on the domestic release of Is This It.
As I said to the reader in the paragraph above, my sadness over the loss of "New York City Cops" is minuscule. It is because of those inane lyrics - "New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ They Ain?t Too Smart!" Please Julian Casablancas (the vocalist and songwriter for the Strokes), you can do better than that! America is quite lucky to have the song "When It Started" instead of "New York City Cops."
With that being said, I think it?s about time to conclude this comprehensive review of the Strokes? exalting eleven-song album Is This It. The group has been labeled the new ?it? band by thousands of people. Ironically the Strokes are ?it?. And, reader of this extensive record review, anyone who says they have some aversion towards the Strokes? music is simply lying, because no one could resist the Strokes? infectious songwriting. (JD)
(RCA Records)
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Strokes "The Modern Age" CDEP
There certainly is a lot of hype behind The Strokes, isn?t there? They?re the new Velvet Underground! They?re the new Stooges! They?re Television AND the Ramones! However, they?re apparently levelheaded enough not to read their own press, and for that I?d give them a fair shake. I thought I?d wait until their full-length came out, but seeing how it was held back I shelled out the cash for the single. The first time I listened to it, I absolutely hated "Modern Age", thought "Last Nite" was ?okay? at best, and really liked "Barely Legal." When the CD ended, I thought to myself, "big deal." Then I started listening to it again...and again...and again and again and again until I was trapped and it completely grew on me. So yeah, it?s true. The Strokes are an amazing band. (MB)
(XL Recordings/The Beggars Group 580 Broadway Suite 1004 NYC 10012)
Strokes "Is This It" CD/LP
I know. As an avid reader of blankgeneration.com, you must be shaking your head to see yet a THIRD review of this album in the last couple of weeks, in addition to every other mainstream magazine in the entire fucking world going apeshit over these art-school dropouts. But you don?t actually read Rolling Stone and/or Spin to find out what a good album really is, do you? Fuck no! You come here because you know that Blank Generation gives a platform to reviewers who don?t have their heads up their asses. So I guess that brings us to the burning question: Why have three Blank Generation staffers (including the commander & chief himself, Joe Domino) given this album a glowing review (as I?m about to do) in the last few weeks? I mean if Spin likes this shit, it can?t be good, right? Fuck you! Didn?t you just agree that you don?t go to Spin and/or Rolling Stone to know what?s a good album? Yeah, then quit your fuckin? whining about us going "mainstream" and trust us like you always have. Why? Because the Strokes? album Is This It isn?t just it (figuratively speaking), it might very well be one of the best albums released this year (literally).
Rock critics for the obvious reasons have called the Strokes the "next Velvet Underground." Lead vocalist Julian Casablancas sounds uncannily like Lou Reed. They?re arty. They?re from New York. Musically, a good argument can be made that the Velvet Underground probably makes up a good portion of the blueprint for the Strokes sound. However, as our wise editor Joe noted last week in his review of Is This It, the Strokes overall sound is theirs. They do not sound like any one band. You cannot just grab the Buzzcocks, the Velvet Underground and Television, throw them into a blender and expect the Strokes sound, even if all three of those bands? sounds show up in that of the Strokes. For one thing, the Strokes rhythm section might be tighter than all three of those bands combined. Furthermore, the Strokes take elements from these bands and quite a few others and give it a futuristic spin. This does not sound like music that could be straight-out of the 1970?s. This is music that is ahead of its time.
I was skeptical just like the rest of you. When I went to see the band some three weeks ago, the club was packed with a bunch of pseudo-important local rock journalists quipping remarks like, "I bet these guys fucking suck," in anger from their guest-list spots being bumped down a few spaces, not to mention all of the trend hopping, leather clad indie rockers that packed the club two-hundred over its usual capacity in the company of their emo girlfriends. Needless to say, it?s not exactly the kind of atmosphere I like putting myself in on a regular basis when I decide what shows to check out for the month. I even contemplated a few times during the evening whether or not it was worth all the effort involved on my part to weasel my way into a sold-out show.
Then the Strokes took the stage and erased all of that with just a few chords into the first song. I was floored. Musically, the Strokes were like an explosion of sonic, droning waves of guitars and drum rhythm. As I noted earlier, their rhythm section is as tight as they come. There is no defined lead guitarist in the Strokes; both guitarists are second to none and are among the fastest, un-palm muted guitar strummers I have ever seen or heard. Nearly every background chord seems to have an intoxicating, deliberately fast-strummed drone to it (similar to that of the Piranhas, minus the snarl). Their drummer might not be the next Keith Moon, but man, let me tell you- He?s fuckin? amazing. Crisp and precise to the point of drum-machine-like perfection, yet bombastic and subtly explosive at moments when the rhythm section really needs to turn on the afterburners. He carries the fucking rhythm section at times. Everything just seems to work well musically with this band. Not a wasted bass line, guitar chord or drum beat is audible in listening to their songs. While I believe that there is a certain bit of live energy is missing from the album (as with virtually any great live band), every single observation I made above applies to Is This It.
Songs like "Soma," "Alone Together," "Hard To Explain," and the explosive concluder "Take It Or Leave It" are among the best and most infectious songs I?ve heard all year. Is This It might be as intentionally ironic as album titles go these days, but at the end of these 11 songs, there is no question left in my mind- This most-definitely is it. (SA)
(RCA/BMG)[/quote]
strokes used to get the respect from yall.
Quote from: goneoffdatlean on Today at 02:46:01 PM
At least the Strokes wrote a few good songs.
a few?! like a whole album of good songs and then some..
Quote
Strokes "Is This It" CD
I?d like to take this opportunity to tell the reader how I feel about the Strokes. The Strokes did take the shortcuts. They have become an overnight success. The reader might ask how? Well, it?s not any of my business to draw inconclusive conclusions on that subject, but I must ask the reader if he or she knows how hard it is to be successful in the music industry? And do it on your own terms? Actually, it?s like throwing a pebble into a tornado and hoping that same pebble will come out on the other side.
So let it be established to the reader that the Strokes are known around the world. They are in the press, touring all the time, doing ?it'. Jealous? That?s why a lot of people don?t like the Strokes. They are envious of the group?s prosperity. Not me though, I?m, as I?ve always been, in it strictly for the music; and the Strokes? music is some of the best music out there.
So, now that the reader has been told how I feel about the Strokes, I should explain to he or she why I feel that the Strokes? music is some of the finest music around. It has to do with rhythm. It also has to do with melody. And, I might add dear reader, it has to do with timing. While the Strokes? sound isn?t groundbreaking or new, they are superb at penning solid rhythmic tracks, never letting up on the beat. And they combine that rhythm with a harmonious melody that is quite catchy and, if I may be so candid as to say, just captivating. The timing has to do with how the band reacts to one another. When certain members chime in at the right time. A guitar solo here, a cymbal crash there, stressing the right amount of power to a certain lyric, the Strokes are one of the steadiest groups I have ever heard.
And if the reader is a regular here at blankgeneration.com, I?m sure he or she has read about the Strokes from other staff members. Comments have been made about how they sound like the Velvet Underground, Pixies, and the Buzzcocks. Let me say to the esteemed reader of blankgeneration.com that all of these groups do have a certain influence on the Strokes, however, the Strokes are not the new Velvet Underground, Pixies, Buzzcocks, or whoever. The Strokes sound like the Strokes, period.
It must also be known to the reader that I am reviewing the domestic version of the Strokes? Is This It record, released on 10/09/01. It has come to my attention that because of the terrorist attacks on New York City on 09/11/01 the Strokes decided, before the official domestic release date of Is This It, to take the song "New York City Cops" off the album and replace it with the song "When It Started."
I must tell the reader of this review that this saddens me, but the sadness is infinitesimal. I am sad because the Strokes, while still playing "New York City Cops" in their live shows, do not believe in the song enough to brave the wrath of the public and keep the song on the domestic album. To those readers who have not heard the song and are wondering what all the commotion is about, well let me explain. The chorus of the aforementioned tune goes ? "New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ They Ain?t Too Smart!" If the Strokes are bold enough to write a song depicting their distaste?s for how the NYPD operates, and play the song live, they should be bold enough to keep "New York City Cops" on the domestic release of Is This It.
As I said to the reader in the paragraph above, my sadness over the loss of "New York City Cops" is minuscule. It is because of those inane lyrics - "New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ They Ain?t Too Smart!" Please Julian Casablancas (the vocalist and songwriter for the Strokes), you can do better than that! America is quite lucky to have the song "When It Started" instead of "New York City Cops."
With that being said, I think it?s about time to conclude this comprehensive review of the Strokes? exalting eleven-song album Is This It. The group has been labeled the new ?it? band by thousands of people. Ironically the Strokes are ?it?. And, reader of this extensive record review, anyone who says they have some aversion towards the Strokes? music is simply lying, because no one could resist the Strokes? infectious songwriting. (JD)
(RCA Records)
Strokes "The Modern Age" CDEP
There certainly is a lot of hype behind The Strokes, isn?t there? They?re the new Velvet Underground! They?re the new Stooges! They?re Television AND the Ramones! However, they?re apparently levelheaded enough not to read their own press, and for that I?d give them a fair shake. I thought I?d wait until their full-length came out, but seeing how it was held back I shelled out the cash for the single. The first time I listened to it, I absolutely hated "Modern Age", thought "Last Nite" was ?okay? at best, and really liked "Barely Legal." When the CD ended, I thought to myself, "big deal." Then I started listening to it again...and again...and again and again and again until I was trapped and it completely grew on me. So yeah, it?s true. The Strokes are an amazing band. (MB)
(XL Recordings/The Beggars Group 580 Broadway Suite 1004 NYC 10012)
Strokes "Is This It" CD/LP
I know. As an avid reader of blankgeneration.com, you must be shaking your head to see yet a THIRD review of this album in the last couple of weeks, in addition to every other mainstream magazine in the entire fucking world going apeshit over these art-school dropouts. But you don?t actually read Rolling Stone and/or Spin to find out what a good album really is, do you? Fuck no! You come here because you know that Blank Generation gives a platform to reviewers who don?t have their heads up their asses. So I guess that brings us to the burning question: Why have three Blank Generation staffers (including the commander & chief himself, Joe Domino) given this album a glowing review (as I?m about to do) in the last few weeks? I mean if Spin likes this shit, it can?t be good, right? Fuck you! Didn?t you just agree that you don?t go to Spin and/or Rolling Stone to know what?s a good album? Yeah, then quit your fuckin? whining about us going "mainstream" and trust us like you always have. Why? Because the Strokes? album Is This It isn?t just it (figuratively speaking), it might very well be one of the best albums released this year (literally).
Rock critics for the obvious reasons have called the Strokes the "next Velvet Underground." Lead vocalist Julian Casablancas sounds uncannily like Lou Reed. They?re arty. They?re from New York. Musically, a good argument can be made that the Velvet Underground probably makes up a good portion of the blueprint for the Strokes sound. However, as our wise editor Joe noted last week in his review of Is This It, the Strokes overall sound is theirs. They do not sound like any one band. You cannot just grab the Buzzcocks, the Velvet Underground and Television, throw them into a blender and expect the Strokes sound, even if all three of those bands? sounds show up in that of the Strokes. For one thing, the Strokes rhythm section might be tighter than all three of those bands combined. Furthermore, the Strokes take elements from these bands and quite a few others and give it a futuristic spin. This does not sound like music that could be straight-out of the 1970?s. This is music that is ahead of its time.
I was skeptical just like the rest of you. When I went to see the band some three weeks ago, the club was packed with a bunch of pseudo-important local rock journalists quipping remarks like, "I bet these guys fucking suck," in anger from their guest-list spots being bumped down a few spaces, not to mention all of the trend hopping, leather clad indie rockers that packed the club two-hundred over its usual capacity in the company of their emo girlfriends. Needless to say, it?s not exactly the kind of atmosphere I like putting myself in on a regular basis when I decide what shows to check out for the month. I even contemplated a few times during the evening whether or not it was worth all the effort involved on my part to weasel my way into a sold-out show.
Then the Strokes took the stage and erased all of that with just a few chords into the first song. I was floored. Musically, the Strokes were like an explosion of sonic, droning waves of guitars and drum rhythm. As I noted earlier, their rhythm section is as tight as they come. There is no defined lead guitarist in the Strokes; both guitarists are second to none and are among the fastest, un-palm muted guitar strummers I have ever seen or heard. Nearly every background chord seems to have an intoxicating, deliberately fast-strummed drone to it (similar to that of the Piranhas, minus the snarl). Their drummer might not be the next Keith Moon, but man, let me tell you- He?s fuckin? amazing. Crisp and precise to the point of drum-machine-like perfection, yet bombastic and subtly explosive at moments when the rhythm section really needs to turn on the afterburners. He carries the fucking rhythm section at times. Everything just seems to work well musically with this band. Not a wasted bass line, guitar chord or drum beat is audible in listening to their songs. While I believe that there is a certain bit of live energy is missing from the album (as with virtually any great live band), every single observation I made above applies to Is This It.
Songs like "Soma," "Alone Together," "Hard To Explain," and the explosive concluder "Take It Or Leave It" are among the best and most infectious songs I?ve heard all year. Is This It might be as intentionally ironic as album titles go these days, but at the end of these 11 songs, there is no question left in my mind- This most-definitely is it. (SA)
(RCA/BMG)
"Jealous? That?s why a lot of people don?t like the Strokes. They are envious of the group?s prosperity. Not me though, I?m, as I?ve always been, in it strictly for the music; and the Strokes? music is some of the best music out there."
wish this was true for some of yall!!!
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Strokes "The Modern Age" 7"* & "Hard to Explain" 7"**
*This is a single vinyl version of the CDEP I reviewed earlier on Blank Generation. The vinyl gives the songs a warmer feel, as vinyl releases usually do to music, but it?s missing a third track, "Barely Legal", that isn?t on the vinyl version. If yer like me, then you will go out and get this 7" because even though you have the songs already, you NEED them on vinyl too.
**So I pick up the two newest issue of The Neus Subjex at Staples (where I do my printing because they have the best price). There?s a lot of battles to be fought when it comes down to Mom and Pop or Local businesses versus chains like Staples, but the fact of the matter is no matter how many times I pay up to twice the cost per photocopied Neus Subjex, it?s not like I have full-heatedly joined the battle, so to say because wherever I go to get The Neus Subejx done (be it Staples or the local copy shtick down the road) I?m still driving there in my General Motors car with gas I bought from some larger than life gas refinery. I live in Ohio. I?m as independent as possible, but when a amplifiers speaker suddenly blows when your playing through it, AND you do the responsible thing and replace the speaker (THE SAME WAY you replaced the speaker in your own amp when you blew that) and that takes all your money for the week, you will go to Staples and do your zine which is better than doing no zine at all?
So yeah, this discussion is important because The Strokes are not on an independent label AND I DON?T FUCKING CARE. NOT ONE FUCKING BIT. All I know is that from the first moment I heard "The Modern Age" I have flipped about this band?s sound.
On their new single, which leads the vanguard because I found out today the import of their full length CD JUST arrived at Shake It Records and yes, I have secured myself a reserve copy that I will pick up on Wednesday so I have something that I have really anticipated to listen to on my special weekend.
On side A of the new single you have "Hard to Explain" which is a real surprising track. This song solidifies the theory I had been developing about The Strokes- they are a "feel good" band. Their songs are stories and episodes of lives and tragedies. You get no beginning, you get no end; on songs like "Hard to Explain" you?re dropped off in the middle to wonder about the pre's and post of the story. The Velvet Underground/Lou Reed sound is there, but with the keyboards and stiff drums which dropout in a couple key points of the song leaving the bass giving a catchy little twist to the song, they remind me of the Cure, EARLY Cure. Wait, what does it matter? I have yet to hear a truly repulsing Cure song really, and number the Cure?s earlier songs as some of the best art-punk songs ever written (I.E. "Grinding Halt", "Cairo" and of course, "Standing on a Beach"). Just as tides have changed and Joy Division are seeing some better opinions in certain circles, we, with 'we' meaning the Neoteric Directorate (you know who you are) have a LONG way to go with the Cure.
The side B track, "New York City Cops" features even more of that great story telling. I listen to the song and try to picture the scene being sung about in my head. I have a pretty good imagination really, thank god, so I really just get lost in this track. The song is upbeat and not only features that same ol' Lou Reed comparison and that new Cure comparison, but I?m going WAY out there and saying that I am hearing some Iggy Pop solo stuff in here too. No, not Stooges.... I said Iggy's SOLO stuff dumb-ass. I, for one, see Iggy's solo career as just as inspiring as his work with The Stooges. I feel "New York City Cops" could easily be on an LP like "New Values."
Yeah, Shake It Records said they have sold like twenty of the first CDEP, which is a pretty good amount for Cincinnati really. Hell, just standing around inside Shake It Records Chip Slob told me I should buy a book that just came in about the Who that I remember browsing at when I was over his house once. I done had both these singles in my "to buy" pile and while he talked to me I was preparing to play "Modern Age" for another store patron that I knew and asked what was around that was worth buying. I told Chip that if he would buy a copy of "Unknown Pleasures" by Joy Division, I would buy that book about the Who. No Dice... Chip wasn't that BRAVE.
So I place "Modern Age" on the turntable and CRANK IT UP DUDE. JB, Shake It proprietor, instantly begins a form of half dancing much like myself. When I hear the Strokes and when JB hears The Strokes too, it?s time to move! That guy who I played "Modern Age" for ended up getting a copy of that CDEP. Today I called and reserved my import copy of the new full length. "Fuckin' A JB!!!" I tell him, "I will be down there on Wednesday to pick it up!" We talk for a minute about how cool the release is (he was listening to it) and I ask him "So it?s THAT good huh?" "Yeah" he responds, "The Strokes are going to save rock and roll."
"I know" I responded, "I know?" (SAB)
*(Beggars Banquet/XL Recordings 580 Broadway suite 1004 NYC, NY 10012)
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Yeah, Joe did an interview with them early on that I think he never printed. Everybody seemed to like the Strokes. I thought they were OK. For something that was played on mainstream radio, they were great.
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How did Blank Gen people know about Strokes if they were on a major label right away and never did any time in the underground? They didn't tour or anything before they were already signed and shit right? Where did one even hear about them prior to Rolling Stone/Mtv?
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When I went to see the band some three weeks ago, the club was packed with a bunch of pseudo-important local rock journalists quipping remarks like, "I bet these guys fucking suck," in anger from their guest-list spots being bumped down a few spaces...
Out of curiosity why would one be mad if their name was towards the bottom of the guestlist vs. the top? Pray tell.
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They played a lot in NYC before The Modern Age EP came out. That EP was on XL, I think, but it was really a local phenomenon more than anything. They got a big writeup in the Voice that prompted a lot of people (me included) to seek out the EP. There was nothing else like it at the time and I dug the hell out of it. "The Modern Age" actually reminded me a little bit of the early Fells, when they were more of a Velvets/Modern Lovers influenced garage band. I don't think anyone expected them to blow up the way they did. There was a lot of anticipation for the album. Kim's got copies of the import CD and I bought it pretty much the day it arrived, as did a lot of people.
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Being the children of the wealthy NYC fashion/culture elite probably helped them out a bit on getting a record deal.
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Around the same time there was the White Stripes who a lot of people I know had been fans of for years in the underground, and whatever that Swedish band was that used to be on Epitaph that a lot of GB/Milwaukee kids seemed to dig, but it seemed like here in WI with the Strokes they were completely unknowns one minute and then big the next.
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first time i heard of the strokes was in Rolling Stone. i remember it clearly, i was sitting at my computer in my dorm room and i decided i'd get the album when it came out. i seem to remember MC5 and Stooges comparisons, and then getting the record and deciding those were only apt in the hair department. still loved that record, though. may have to put it on today.
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well, okay..."loved" is a strong word. i thought it was pretty rad.
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I definitely loved the record. It made me feel like a thirteen year old girl. I couldn't help but smile and bop my head around or dance about while listening to that album.
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Being the children of the wealthy NYC fashion/culture elite probably helped them out a bit on getting a record deal.
That goes without saying. Those guys had a manager from Day One. Theirs was kind of an old-fashioned "industry" success story in that respect. They played a bunch of gigs around town, recorded a demo, their manager shopped it around, they got signed, and blew up. I think about six months passed between the time The Modern Age came out and the LP coming out on RCA. It was fun at the time! We saw them live on Halloween, 2002 and they just played the record from start to finish. It was a good time. Saw them again on New Year's Eve that year w/ Guided By Voices at the Apollo, which was weird. That was probably the most fun I've had on New Year's Eve in New York.
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the "modern age" EP and "is this it" are both rad. if "is this it" were limited to 300 copies, it would be a termbo white whale. the band was too smart for that, though, and opted for more money and hotter chicks.
i just remember they were a big deal at the college radio station i worked at. i went and saw them live in lawrence, ks right before the LP came out. there were probably 800 people there.
i actually hated them and their music for a long time after that show, because the show was boring as shit. they just played the record, standing still, and it didn't even sound very good.
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When the first Strokes record came out my then roommate knew a girl who did merchandising for RCA. Basically she would drive around to major record stores like Tower all over NY and NJ and create elaborate window displays for whatever was being pushed hard. She hooked us up with the Strokes album and a whole bunch of other promo items like a giant window decal and some other stuff. If I had the foresight back then I would be flipping some of that shit on the 'bay right now. I think their stuff still gets a little money.
That said I like their first record a lot and could probably get into it right now if I could only figure out where the CD is. Still holds up for sure and songwriting-wise is miles above a lot of the shit that gets hyped2DETH around these parts. They do have awesome dynamics in their songs. Whether you credit that to the band or producer is your thing.
Never checked out anything else beyond that first album though. Also around the same time when the Electric Shadows were starting we shared a rehearsal space with a band that was snatched up and subsequently buried by Capitol Records in the wake of the Strokes/White Stripes success circa-2002 and Capitol pretty much subsidized that spot for a few years so I have the Strokes to thank for that. Sickest rehearsal space ever too, right by Port Authority and all the pornography and jack off booths one could ever need plus a liquor store and fried chicken take out place right on the ground floor.
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Also I should add said RCA employee also hooked me up with a 3 or 4 disc Waylon Jennings box set that is miles above any record released in the last few decades.
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Tom Petty should have sued for them ripping off "American Girl" at the start of "Last Nite", he'd be rollin' in some extra dough right now... not that he needs any more dough.
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I sold my promo only White Stripes turntable slipmat for over 100 bucks on eBay last year. THANKS THE STROKES!
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"RS: Have you heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers song ?Dani California? yet, because obviously it sounds a lot like ?Mary Jane?s Last Dance.?
Petty: Yes, I have. Everyone everywhere is stopping me. The truth is, I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock & roll songs sound alike. Ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes took ?American Girl? [for their song ?Last Nite?], and I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, ?OK, good for you.? It doesn?t bother me.
RS: There have been news reports that you were going to sue the Chili Peppers.
Petty: If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe. But I don?t believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs."
also the solo from this song is fuckin sick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM2Ssne97ek&feature=related
i got in a verbal argument on avenue a one time with the one guitar player when he denied bein in the band. he ran into a cab as his girlfriend flipped me off and called me an asshole. the same week the bass player came in to my work and we had a very friendly conversation about how to make falafel.
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Around the time the Strokes were getting popular I was banging this girl who always wanted to listen to Coldplay who were also taking off around the same time. Spent a good amount of time in 2001 and 2002 in a beautiful co-op apartment across the street from The Strand naked listening to Coldplay. Now there is a band that needs a backlash. I'm sure Acapulco will defend them to the death.
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My gf listens to the first Strokes album waaay too much.
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i heard the second strokes album once or twice...the first half is okay, then i realized it's just kind of a re-hash of the first record but not as good. i think i heard a single a couple years ago that was way different, and i didn't hate it, but it didn't do enough to make me find more. i saw it on t.v. and i liked the fact that casablancas or whatever had some kinda throat thing so he was just kinda wailing and not singing at all.
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so back to Wavves... are we looking at a potential Kurt Cobain situation here?
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The Strokes suck. Get over it.
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The Strokes suck. Get over it.
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The Strokes suck. Get over it.
they are the best, get into it
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TV Ghost loves The Strokes. It's true!
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so back to Wavves... are we looking at a potential Kurt Cobain situation here?
Nirvana>Wavves
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so back to Wavves... are we looking at a potential Kurt Cobain situation here?
Nirvvana>Wavves
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so back to Wavves... are we looking at a potential Kurt Cobain situation here?
Nirvvana>Wavves
Wavvana
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Teenage Fanclub is the best band.
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How did Blank Gen people know about Strokes if they were on a major label right away and never did any time in the underground? They didn't tour or anything before they were already signed and shit right? Where did one even hear about them prior to Rolling Stone/Mtv?
A remember a bunch of Columbus kids were obsessed with that EP before the album came out and before they blew up. I saw them play in Chicago in the fall of 2001 and they had already blown up without my knowing it (huge place that was packed).
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I really have no idea when liking the Strokes became punk
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It's not punk. Fuck punk.
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I really have no idea when liking the Strokes became punk
trying to be punk = not punk
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My roommate was listening to 'Hard To Explain' the other day and I was shocked by how weird it sounded, the music straight up sounds like Blank Dogs with black metal guitars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM2Ssne97ek&feature=related. I always thought all of the VU/Television type comparisons were retarded because of how weird and unnatural the Strokes' records sound. Pretty good band.
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My roommate was listening to 'Hard To Explain' the other day and I was shocked by how weird it sounded, the music straight up sounds like Blank Dogs with black metal guitars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM2Ssne97ek&feature=related. I always thought all of the VU/Television type comparisons were retarded because of how weird and unnatural the Strokes' records sound. Pretty good band.
Shit, you're right. That song does sound like Blank Dogs. Only with better hooks and vocals.
The VU/TV comparison makes perfect sense on the Modern Age EP. "The Modern Age"is very self-consciously derived from VU/Modern Lovers and "Last Night" sounds a helluva lot like a Voidoids tune to me.