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| From | shawn campbell <thursdayinjune@yahoo.com> |
| Subject | Re: burying hooks |
| Date | Sun, 8 Jan 2006 20:52:02 -0800 (PST) |
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Shawn replies to Jamie's comments below:
Man, this thread is so frustrating to me! It
represents a view that seems so narrow, and is often
what I find off-putting about the world of power pop.
I have never found the hooks in songs by Sonic Youth,
Pavement, Husker Du, the Jesus and Mary Chain, or My
Bloody Valentine to be particularly difficult to
discern. Sure, no one will accuse any of these
artists of being power pop, or even necessarily "pop,"
but I find it strange that their failure to turn out
clean, unadorned pop songs is viewed as
self-indulgence. To me, it seems the same as
suggesting Miles Davis should've kept things to three
minutes and thrown in some more hooks -- the artists
mentioned weren't trying to be mainstream pop acts!
From first listen, I enjoyed all of the artists
mentioned because they sounded different and
interesting, while still being tuneful and having song
structures I recognized. None of the acts you name
seemed particularly difficult to me (except maybe Land
Speed Record-era Husker Du and Sonic Youth at their
artier moments), nor can I comprehend viewing the
aspects that made them stand out (walls of feedback,
non-traditional vocals) as attempts to disengage
listeners. What made many of these bands so thrilling
both as recording artists and as live acts was that
combination of familiarity and newness. And what made
the records so great to listen to was the revelation
in playing to them over and over and constantly
hearing something new.
Furthermore, I don't see anything problematic in a
band having a clear vision about how their music
should be presented, or in wanting to challenge their
audience. After all, who should have more right than
the artist in deciding how their records should sound?
Sure, if you step into the studio and say, "I want a
#1 pop hit, but I want a giant wash of buzzing
feedback and off-kilter vocals," you may have a
problem. But the main goal of the bands named here
was not world domination. All these acts greatly
valued the integrity of their music, and were reacting
against the blandness of mainstream pop. Adding walls
of feedback or reverb, mixing the vocals low or
featuring a "challenging" voice were conscious choices
by these bands, not examples of poor production. To
criticize them for wanting to sound completely
different from the mainsteam they despised seems
absolutely ridiculous to me.
>Jamie sez:
>My reaction to this is not cynicism, it's
disappointment
>in their lost opportunity to engage me, or probably a
lot more >potential listeners. I'd throw My Bloody
Valentine, The Cynics, >Husker Du, Sonic Youth and a
whole rash of other >self-realized/self-important acts
in there as well...
>I just don't see the point in producing work that
only YOU, as >the creator, can stand listening to. Why
insulate yourself in a >musical form that few people
appreciate? I'm sure I could have >turned a lot of
people on to the Jesus And Mary Chain had they,
>y'know, released a song that didn't make you want to
stick a >pitchfork in your eye or decapitate your next
store neighbour >after the first 45 seconds...
>These acts have the distinction of being
self-absorbed or >actuated or realized because they at
least appear to be >unrelenting in their "vision" of
what they think their
>music should be presented as -- without the benefit
or >hinderence of labels/producers/etc from the
mainstream. I think >calling them "self-indulgent"
would be unfair, but >"self-important" would be a
little more to the point because >only their inner
muse allows them to see the direction or sound
>they're unleashing on the world. Maybe others "get
it" and >that's great for the ego-stroked cult idol
crown that many >musicians sometimes would like to
wear, but ultimately the >appeal is limited and the
acts tend to self-destruct under the >weight of their
own gravitas.
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