From: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org (alloy-digest) To: alloy-digest@smoe.org Subject: alloy-digest V11 #41 Reply-To: alloy@smoe.org Sender: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "alloy-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. alloy-digest Monday, February 13 2006 Volume 11 : Number 041 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Alloy: Alloy birthday - Who's an original member? [CJMark@aol.com] Alloy: The Appeal of Thomas's Music ["Cory Stickel" > Hi All, > > Since we've made it past 10 years, I'm wondering how many of us are > original members? It was so long ago I can't recall how it came down but > I think Alloy was actually created sometime after we met on an earlier > list (The Flat Earth?). I've totally forgotten all that, but I do recall > I was there at the beginning when Alloy was formed. > > Oh, and I don't intend this to be an original member vs. newer, so I'm > also interested in how long some of you have been posting and lurking in > this list, even if not an original member. How about it? > > Keith D. > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > From: "Kara R. Laidlaw" > Reply-To: alloy@smoe.org > To: > Subject: Re: Re: Alloy: Another missed birthday. Missed no longer!!! > :^) > Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 23:38:23 -0600 > > > >Robin wrote sweetly, :^) > > > > > All hail Paul, Supreme Being of Alloy! > > > >**************************** > >I raise my Diet Pepsi to Robin and Paul and Monya and, heck, ALL > Alloyans everywhere!!!! We (I'm proud to number myself among you now) > ROCK!!!!!!!!!!! > >**************************** > > > > > THANK YOU Paul for creating this marvellous forum, and thank you > for trusting me to press buttons and throw switches behind the > scenes. Ten years... that's astonishing. > > > >**************************** > >It's lovely here, Robin and Paul. I feel like I've come home, at > long last. :^) > > > >Happy to no longer be adrift among the great unwashed who neither > know nor care about music, > > > >Kara! :^) > >**************************** ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2006 14:56:01 -0500 From: "Cory Stickel" Subject: Alloy: The Appeal of Thomas's Music I have to admit that I don't post here much, but after reading all the concert reviews and seeing the posts lately about one-hit-wonders and such, it got me thinking about just what it is that makes Thomas's music so appealing. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but here goes anyway. I think the biggest draw has to be the sheer originality and unpredictability of the songs. So many artist, especially now days, seem to always want to "play it safe" with something that'll hit the charts and that isn't too "deep." The music all starts to sound the same, and there's not really a whole lot to the lyrics. It just all seems to be candy-coated fluff. Most artists tend to be stuck in the same genre, as well. There's no testing the waters with other styles. Thomas's music ranges from Electronica to Jazz to Swing to Hollywood Pop to Generic Pop to... Well, what style HASN'T he done by now? The tunes always stay fresh and new, even within the same album. I can't think of too many other artists who constantly branch out like he does. And you get sucked right into the song from the very beginning. The opening to "Flying North," "Eastern Bloc," and "Key to Her Ferrari" get me every time. The music alone paints such a beautiful world of sound to get lost in; "a private fantasy." And then there are the lyrics. What's gonna make you think more about the meaning of a song than "Budapest by Blimp," "Screen Kiss," or "Cloudburst at Shingle Street," just to name a few. People don't seem to want to think too hard about a song's meaning anymore. If it's not spelled out right in front of you, then it's bizaare, so forget it, and I think that's a sad view-point to take. Music is an art form that's open to interpretation. Since when was it ever strictly black and white? I'll never forget when my Dad took one look at the lyrics for "Budapest by Blimp" and said, "He must of been on drugs when he wrote this," and then went on to never want to hear a Dolby song played in the house after that. I think the strangeness of the lyrics is probably the best part of the music. Thomas's lyrics could be interpreted so many ways that you could take his entire catalogue and come up with countless stories to go along with each song (or group of songs). I love what he said about "One of Our Submarines" on the Forty album: it was about one of his uncles, but was also a metaphore for The British Empire. I think that "May the Cube be With You" could be looked at literally as a goofy sci-fi story-song, but at the same time could be seen as a metaphore for Thomas's entire music career, the fans he's collected over the years, and that stupid lawsuit over who could use the name "Dolby's Cube." These are just two examples, but I'm sure you all could come up with tons more. Yes, there are some people who will remember Thomas strictly for "Blinded by Science" and/or "Hyperactive," and I feel sorry for them because they truly don't know what they're missing. But Thomas is known as a "cult" act, and for his die hard fans: I think there's no better "cult" to belong to. [IMAGE] Cory (aka. Europa) "When I played poker last night with a pack of Tarot cards, I got a full house and four people died." ~Steven Wright - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Find flowers, candy and directions to a romantic restaurant with Windows Live Local ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2006 18:29:39 -0600 From: "Kara R. Laidlaw" Subject: Re: Alloy: The Appeal of Thomas's Music--yeah yeah yeah! :^) Cory had me cheerin' by writing this so passionately, and hittin' it right on the nail, :^) > From: "Cory Stickel" > Date: 2006/02/12 Sun PM 01:56:01 CST > To: alloy@smoe.org > Subject: Alloy: The Appeal of Thomas's Music > > > I have to admit that I don't post here much, - ---------------------------------- Well, you just waited until you had something to say, didn't ya! ;^) Beautiful!!! :^) - ---------------------------------- > but after reading all the > concert reviews and seeing the posts lately about one-hit-wonders and > such, it got me thinking about just what it is that makes Thomas's music > so appealing. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but here > goes anyway. - --------------------------------- Go Cory! Go Cory! Go Cory!!! :^) - --------------------------------- > I think the biggest draw has to be the sheer originality and > unpredictability of the songs. So many artist, especially now days, seem > to always want to "play it safe" with something that'll hit the charts > and that isn't too "deep." The music all starts to sound the same, and > there's not really a whole lot to the lyrics. It just all seems to be > candy-coated fluff. Most artists tend to be stuck in the same genre, as > well. There's no testing the waters with other styles. > - ------------------------------- Oh, Cory, my heart is fluttering! I feel the same way, and I bet there's a lot of Thomas' fans who are reading this right now, maybe even Thomas himself [Oooohh there's a thought], and thrilling to the truth that you've set forth!! - ------------------------------- > Thomas's music ranges from Electronica to Jazz to Swing to Hollywood Pop > to Generic Pop to... Well, what style HASN'T he done by now? The tunes > always stay fresh and new, even within the same album. I can't think of > too many other artists who constantly branch out like he does. And you > get sucked right into the song from the very beginning. The opening to > "Flying North," "Eastern Bloc," and "Key to Her Ferrari" get me every > time. The music alone paints such a beautiful world of sound to get lost > in; "a private fantasy." > > And then there are the lyrics. What's gonna make you think more about > the meaning of a song than "Budapest by Blimp," "Screen Kiss," or > "Cloudburst at Shingle Street," just to name a few. People don't seem to > want to think too hard about a song's meaning anymore. If it's not > spelled out right in front of you, then it's bizaare, so forget it, and I > think that's a sad view-point to take. Music is an art form that's open > to interpretation. Since when was it ever strictly black and white? > I'll never forget when my Dad took one look at the lyrics for "Budapest > by Blimp" and said, "He must of been on drugs when he wrote this," and > then went on to never want to hear a Dolby song played in the house after > that. I think the strangeness of the lyrics is probably the best part of > the music. - --------------------------------- I agree--nobody writes lyrics like our Thomas does! I am quite often stunned when I read his lyrics by themselves--they seem to have one meaning when they're accompanied by music, and then another in stark black-and-white in the CD booklet or what-have-you. It is indeed a shame that some non-Dolby-fans are so closed-minded. - --------------------------------- > Thomas's lyrics could be interpreted so many ways that you could take his > entire catalogue and come up with countless stories to go along with each > song (or group of songs). I love what he said about "One of Our > Submarines" on the Forty album: it was about one of his uncles, but was > also a metaphore for The British Empire. I think that "May the Cube be > With You" could be looked at literally as a goofy sci-fi story-song, but > at the same time could be seen as a metaphore for Thomas's entire music > career, the fans he's collected over the years, and that stupid lawsuit > over who could use the name "Dolby's Cube." These are just two examples, > but I'm sure you all could come up with tons more. - ------------------------------ Yes, let's do try!! :^) - ------------------------------ > Yes, there are some people who will remember Thomas strictly for "Blinded > by Science" and/or "Hyperactive," and I feel sorry for them because they > truly don't know what they're missing. But Thomas is known as a "cult" > act, and for his die hard fans: I think there's no better "cult" to > belong to. [IMAGE] > > Cory (aka. Europa) - --------------------------------- Oooo, another Europa! Cool! I don't have a Thomas-song nickname yet--I'd like to be known as Caroline 452, if no one objects... :^) Yes, I know it's 'Caroline four-five-two', but that takes longer to type! ;^) - --------------------------------- > "When I played poker last night with a pack of Tarot cards, I got a full > house and four people died." ~Steven Wright - --------------------------------- Man, I LOVE Stephen Wright! Cory, I do believe you probably have good taste in just about everything!! Thank you, from the bottom of my singing heart, for de-lurking!!! :^) Love and appreciation of your own appreciation, and hopes that you will post more often, Kara! :^) - --------------------------------- It's All About the Music. :^) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2006 21:01:02 -0700 From: Beth Meyer Subject: Re: Alloy: The Appeal of Thomas's Music--yeah yeah yeah! :^) A couple of notes: > > These are just two examples, > > but I'm sure you all could come up with tons more. > > ------------------------------ > Yes, let's do try!! :^) > ------------------------------ > Actually, I seem to remember us doing this some years ago - posting our own interpretations of Dolby songs. I definitely remember writing up my interpretation of "Airwaves", which seemed terribly obvious to me, and then being astounded at how many different other ways there were to envision the song! Does anyone remember that more clearly than I do? > --------------------------------- > Oooo, another Europa! Cool! I don't have a Thomas-song nickname yet--I'd like to be known as Caroline 452, if no one objects... :^) Yes, I know it's 'Caroline four-five-two', but that takes longer to type! ;^) > --------------------------------- Well, I know we already had one Europa and a Miss Sakamoto, but I don't remember a Caroline 452 offhand. Maybe nobody wanted to be named after a pirate radio station ;-) I never picked up a nickname from a Dolby song, but then the character I most identify with is probably the nameless protagonist of "I Scare Myself" (I'm definitely neurotic enough), so there ya go. Oh, I am most glad to hear of the migraine-relieving effects of Dolby music, as I get them all the time. Oddly enough, I remember that the afternoon before I saw him perform on the "Aliens Ate My Buick" tour in Atlanta, I had to leave work with a vicious migraine - but I don't recall having thought to put on his music, even so. (I generally go for darkness and silence, as much as possible.) Fortunately, I managed to knock it out and went to the concert migraine-free! - -Beth bethmeyer@mindspring.com ------------------------------ End of alloy-digest V11 #41 ***************************