Here's a lurker ready to open fire. They always said
you've got to watch out for the quiet ones, so here
goes...

I heard about the Franz Ferdinand album and the
noteworthy comparisons to Gang Of Four, XTC and Orange
Juice months ago. Intrigued, I caught an earful at a
local Borders. What I heard didn't grab me enough to
pick it up at the time.  

Later on, I noticed their name popping (no pun
intended) up all over the place and it got my
curiosity going to give it another try. It was
advantageous that the album was rereleased with bonus
tracks at about the same low price, so I put it on my
Christmas list. December 25 rolls around...thanks,
Santa!

It took me two days of listening to place that record
way up high on my Top 20 Audities list for the year.
Hearing it outside a store, I thought it was amazing. 

It's true about the press having a positive
effect...it made me take another look at the album.
But the album delivered on that promise and it wasn't
just BS. 

Now, I've had that Candy Butchers album for just about
a year now, and I STILL can't figure out what everyone
sees in it. Compared to what Mike Viola has proven
he's capable of writing and producing, I thought 'Hang
On Mike' was a whiny, half-in-the-bag effort that
should have been taken off life support. Why he
doesn't rerecord his aborted Blue Thumb album is
beyond me. Now THAT'S 'pure pop' to these ears, and I
can see why people would get excited about that. It's
a better-written collection of songs, far as I'm
concerned.

And why would this Top 20 list be more relevant if
everyone got to hear the 'same bunch of records' to
compile a year-end poll? This ain't Audities Bandstand
Rate-A-Record.  I'll take album list diversity for the
annual Top 20 Poll over that anyday. 

So there you have it...shots have been fired, and I am
now spent. Back to Audities lurkdom. 

But before I go, thanks, Mr. Bennett, for again going
to all the great lengths of putting that Top 20 Poll
together. Much appreciated.

Bill


--- audities-owner@smoe.org wrote:

Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2005 11:47:44 -0800
From: "AssociationWorks"
<AssociationWorks@comcast.net>
To: <audities@smoe.org>
Subject: Re: Top 20 of 2004 poll update
Message-ID: <032e01c4f428$975dc2b0$b68bbc43@Franklin>

I think my point here is (and sorry for not
elaborating) is that there 
is a
UNIVERSE of
style and sound between Eugene Edwards and Franz
Ferdinand...both in 
the
indie
and major label market. I'm just surprised to see FF
lumped in with 
nine
other top albums
I would consider more befitting the tastes of people
on this list...and 
I
chalk it up to HYPE.

What's onerous about these "best of" lists is that
they are reflective 
of
exactly what
people bought in a given year and/or couldn't get off
their radar
screen...and is not
reflective of a broader range of stuff released in a
given year. If 
everyone
in a poll was given
the opportunity to listen to the same bunch of
records, you'd have a 
much
more relevant
and interpretive Top 20 list.

IMHO....FF is a very mediocre indie pop record that is
riding the 
successful
wave of post-punk revivalism spawned by other peddler
of rehash like 
the
Strokes, Interpol, etc. Had the album not received
half the gushing 
press
and radio play they got in 2004 no one on this list
would give a
rats ass about them.

That's my opinion......I'm sticking to it......and I
welcome more 
snappy
remarks from Stewart.

fire away pop soldiers,
Jeff


		
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