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| From | "Jaimie Vernon" <bullseyecanada@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | Re: Burying Hooks |
| Date | Mon, 09 Jan 2006 02:29:14 -0500 |
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At Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 21:04:22 Jeff wrote:
>Never under-estimate the almighty power of distortion, brutha!! It's what
>gives all good
>rock the balls it deserves.
In the right hands, yes.....though Segarini will surely smite us all for
even suggesting that a distortion pedal could be used for anything except
hitting the drummer in the head with it :-)
Love the Minutemen, love Bad Brains but Sonic Youth et al just seem shrill
in comparison. Not worse or bad, just affecting my sensibilities
differently.
>While it's one thing to simply "not like" an artist or a particular
>song....
Um....I don't believe I said I didn't like these acts. I was merely pointing
out my disappointment in their career paths as "artistes". Do I listen to
them? No....because of all my previously mentioned reasons.
>I wouldn't sell Husker Du, JAMC, Sonic Youth or My Bloody Valentine
>short...just because you >think they may have lost out on wider commercial
>appeal...or sold their art only to themselves. The <influence of each of
>these acts on the indie scene (to this day) has far outweighed number of
> >records they've sold.
I find it intriguing the number of emails in this thread that point out what
an influence these acts have had on others. Not really sure what it has to
do with my point except to say that there were at least enough people to
make them cult faves. Colour me indifferent if I care less about whether
someone changed the world musically....it doesn't necessarily make them good
at what they do (or bad).
Does burying one's vocals in the mix or washing out a complete song with
feedback/distortion/wailing from a brown potato sack make an artistic
statement? Probably. Does it make them cutting edge, avante garde, defiant
musical militants? Maybe. Does it mean I like it? Only sometimes.
There's exceptions like the early Jesus & Mary Chain (which I adore
actually), but it was such a one-trick gimmick and when the feedback was
finally removed they sabotaged themselves by becoming bland. Maybe that's
what they were really hiding behind the guise all along.
I'm not looking for Top40 music here. I think what I'm asking for from these
acts is growth (and not necessarily musical maturity....cause as Stewart
pointed out, it just turned J&MC into wusses).
For me, playing like you just learned your instrument is easy. Sounding like
you've been playing it for 100 years is the trick. New directions and
sideways thinking perhaps. I don't know....I will know it when I hear it.
Jaimie Vernon,
Whose head hurts from having to "think" about music.
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