Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
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Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
In the new Mojo, there's a really good article on and interview with Ry Cooder. I have several Cooder albums because he's an artist I really wanna like because he hits all the right buttons, but never really gets over the hump with me.
A lot of my likes for artists are in the singer's tone and whether I enjoy it. For me, Cooder's just sits there. He's a great musician and plays with great people, but it just doesn't fully register for some reason.
I wanna like him, but I can't.
He's playing San Francisco in three weeks with Roseanne Cash playing her father's music. If it's her singing and him playing, I will definitely think about it, but he's playing SF again in July and I won't lift a finger.
A lot of my likes for artists are in the singer's tone and whether I enjoy it. For me, Cooder's just sits there. He's a great musician and plays with great people, but it just doesn't fully register for some reason.
I wanna like him, but I can't.
He's playing San Francisco in three weeks with Roseanne Cash playing her father's music. If it's her singing and him playing, I will definitely think about it, but he's playing SF again in July and I won't lift a finger.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Jefferson Airplane has so many things in their favor - great singing, writing and playing - but so far the end result has never grabbed me. I've given After Bathing At Baxter's a few listens here and there, and I like it, but I feel like I should love it. I have a feeling one day it will click for me, there's definitely something there. I just don't like when they're all caterwauling at once, I prefer one lead singer at a time with these guys.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Another band that checks all the right boxes but have never gotten in line with are X-Ray Spex. Like I wrote, a lot of it has to do with the singer's tone. I'm not a big believer in good singing or bad singing in pop music, but whether I like a singer's tone.
I can only take one X-Ray Spex song before Poly Styrene's caterwauling hurts my ears. And it's not like I don't like female fronted punk bands. I love the Avengers and Penelope Houston.
It usually comes down to either the singer and/or guitar tone. If the electric guitar sounds too generic or does nothing for me, I'm done.
I can only take one X-Ray Spex song before Poly Styrene's caterwauling hurts my ears. And it's not like I don't like female fronted punk bands. I love the Avengers and Penelope Houston.
It usually comes down to either the singer and/or guitar tone. If the electric guitar sounds too generic or does nothing for me, I'm done.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
The Cramps
Matt 'interesting' Wilson wrote:So I went from looking at the "I'm a Man" riff, to showing how the rave up was popular for awhile.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Death Grips for me. I want to like them (and should like due to my love for experimental hip-hop), but I cannot fully embrace them just yet. I’ll keep trying because I know something is there.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
sloopjohnc wrote:Another band that checks all the right boxes but have never gotten in line with are X-Ray Spex. Like I wrote, a lot of it has to do with the singer's tone. I'm not a big believer in good singing or bad singing in pop music, but whether I like a singer's tone.
I can only take one X-Ray Spex song before Poly Styrene's caterwauling hurts my ears. And it's not like I don't like female fronted punk bands. I love the Avengers and Penelope Houston.
It usually comes down to either the singer and/or guitar tone. If the electric guitar sounds too generic or does nothing for me, I'm done.
We were in a bar on the Lower East Side last night that was advertised as having a great jukebox. I put on a load of stuff including some X Ray Spex and was having fun tapping my toes and singing. When we left, Mike told me that when I went for a piss afterwards a load of twenty something blokes were all laughing at the bar at how bad they had thought the X Ray Spex song was and how bad her singing was. It was a wise move to tell me after we had left. I didn’t want to have to defend Poly’s honour.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Pink Floyd post Syd
Great sleeves, strong vibe, melancholy Englishness
Largely boring and overrated. Also Roger bleedin Waters
Great sleeves, strong vibe, melancholy Englishness
Largely boring and overrated. Also Roger bleedin Waters
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
sloopjohnc wrote:I can only take one X-Ray Spex song before Poly Styrene's caterwauling hurts my ears.
I would say that was a job successfully done then. To my eternal shame, I don't own any X Ray Spex, but this is pretty much the definitive punk performance:
None of this listener friendly nonsense, punk should be an assault.
Last edited by Darkness_Fish on 17 Apr 2018, 20:56, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Zappa (mostly)
Rufus Wainwright
Led Zeppelin
Rufus Wainwright
Led Zeppelin
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
*FRESH 'N' SEXY* wrote:The Cramps
Blasphemy !
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
I guess there's a few things I'd mention here. I mean I quite like some Autechre, but I've never been wildly excited by anything they've released. I wish I could find something of theirs that would set off the frenzied, unquestioning fan-boy devotion that otherwise sensible adults show. Not even a dig at driftin there, btw, I'm thinking of the Frozen Reeds twitter account, the people who dissect the 30-hour soundcloud/bandcamp/whatever dumps.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Dayodead wrote:*FRESH 'N' SEXY* wrote:The Cramps
Blasphemy !
I don't think I've heard one Cramps song I love. Maybe two or three that are OK.
And yet their influences are impeccable, their fans are always cool, they look and sound great...
Matt 'interesting' Wilson wrote:So I went from looking at the "I'm a Man" riff, to showing how the rave up was popular for awhile.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Townes Van Zandt
Matt 'interesting' Wilson wrote:So I went from looking at the "I'm a Man" riff, to showing how the rave up was popular for awhile.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Some of the earlier jazz gods, pre-Coltrane. I guess Charlie Parker would be the main one, and even back to Louis Armstrong. I can appreciate what they were doing, their importance, etc, but it just doesn't grab me by the soul.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
The Faces.
I want to like their plodding good-time reverie/pub rock but just can't.
I want to like their plodding good-time reverie/pub rock but just can't.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
*FRESH 'N' SEXY* wrote:The Cramps
See, that's what I mean. They seem right up your alley.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Hugh wrote:Zappa (mostly)
Rufus Wainwright
Those are two I can't get into either. I like bands like the Residents, Captain Beefheart and Pere Ubu, but again it's Zappa's smart alecky voice. I don't like it.
I think Rufus Wainwright is talented, but I don't think his voice has the gravitas or power to carry what his songs are trying to do. Not for me anyway. If he had more of a Ben Folds perspective on his songs, I might like him better. I like Ben Folds.
I think of Wainwright as a less quirky Fiona Apple. Apple has a powerful, resonant voice that carries her songs. But that's just me. It could totally be me, because the guy is talented.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
Hugh wrote:Zappa (mostly)
Yes -interesting guy, clearly hugely talented, but I struggle to like anything.
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Re: Artists You Wanna Like, But Can't
The Grateful Dead
I like a lot of the stuff "about" them. They're non-commercial, highy unique and idiosyncratic, never chased trends, tried to look out for their fans, really good musicians, a long history with a lot of different music, much of it improvised, they're bootleg-friendly, clearly love what they do and inspire holy devotion in their fans...
I just can't get into it. God knows I've tried. I went to see them live twice, once they were terrible, once they were OK but not very memorable. Maybe the one period of their history I would call myself a "fan" of, is their first couple of years, like 1965-66. But even that, I wouldn't choose to listen to most nights.
I like a lot of the stuff "about" them. They're non-commercial, highy unique and idiosyncratic, never chased trends, tried to look out for their fans, really good musicians, a long history with a lot of different music, much of it improvised, they're bootleg-friendly, clearly love what they do and inspire holy devotion in their fans...
I just can't get into it. God knows I've tried. I went to see them live twice, once they were terrible, once they were OK but not very memorable. Maybe the one period of their history I would call myself a "fan" of, is their first couple of years, like 1965-66. But even that, I wouldn't choose to listen to most nights.
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