they're just ok. I don't hate them like I hated all that nu-metal stuff at the beginning of the decade, but I'm not running out to buy their albums either. The thing is, there is no PASSION to be found! I feel like just screaming at the radio when I hear the bravery or death cab (ok I know they're not new, but you get my drift) or whatever: "you're in a f-ing ROCK BAND, ROCK will you!!!" Like I dunno, I just can't get into it. Seems like to be a musician you should be passionate about SOMETHING, there should be some ENERGY. All the bands I love, it's like you can feel their heart and soul just powering out, there's some kind of anger or love or hate or...something...that they are getting out...I dunno, I just can't fired up about anyone it seems. Maybe I'm just old now!
I totally agree. I think this is what you're trying to say.
You guys sound like old people. "Back in my day, a candy bar only cost a nickel! :mad: "
nah J.Lo, it's not really about one generation vs. another. I'm not saying it should be the 90s forever. I like bands from the all over the course of rock history. I'm just saying that a lot of stuff that's out there now, just kinda falls flat on the umph factor.
nah J.Lo, it's not really about one generation vs. another. I'm not saying it should be the 90s forever. I like bands from the all over the course of rock history. I'm just saying that a lot of stuff that's out there now, just kinda falls flat on the umph factor.
Oh Maybe Dredg?
There singer is very "emotive" Has a good voice.
check out the first three songs on Catch Without Arms if you have not heard there stuff before.
Great Live band too.
Charlotte 00 Charlotte 03 Asheville 04 Atlanta 12 Greenville 16, Columbia 16 Seattle 18 Nashville 22
i dont think its the music, but the times. The early nineties were the last really wild big concert experience i think. Now i think people are just more laid back at shows for some reason. I dont know why, maybe big arena rocking is dead. Most of these bands can't fill out huge arenas like when rock was still the king.
i do think that this obsession with being a small underground, non sellout band is kinda hurting band's ability to just rock out. Who's fault is that? EARLY NINETIES BANDS!
um, wasn't creed from like 10 years ago? I don't think they are playing that on the radio anymore, what they play on the radio now *IS* the White Stripes, Kings of Leon, the Strokes- those are not '"indie" bands, they just sound indie. These are exactly the bands I am talking about. They have no umph. and there's no difference between these radio bands and all the real "indie" stuff out there in the clubs- same basic type of music.
are you giving us this opinion of yours based on a broad knowledge of the rock music that is out there today? do you listen to all the new releases and give everything a shot, or do you just hear a shins song here, and a white stripes song there, and declare that rock music is boring today and all sounds the same? just curious because i haven't really heard any examples, and why the music is bad.
have you listened to my morning jacket? that band can "rock out" with the best of them. and if you say their is no umph in jim james voice than you are just deaf. how about queens of the stone age, are you gonna say that they can't rock? bright eyes? neko case? not really hard rockers, but a lot of heart, soul, and passion put into their music. arcade fire? i'm sure they suck too right? it seems to me you are just lumping all new rock music into the same category because of a couple boring bands that you've heard. what bands exactly are you comparing this horrible new rock music to?
How does Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie/Postal Service) not put any emotion/passion into his songs? If you don't realize this... listen to the songs in this sequence..
Tiny Vessels -> Transatlanticism -> Passenger Seat (all on Transatlanticism in that track order) It just flows so nicely and it's just amazing. I mean seriously, what is so wrong with Death Cab? I find to be extremely amazing musicians... especially Ben.
agreed, but the good thing about today's music is atleast the kids are into current rock instead them all being into hip-hop like a few years ago. Even if its not doing that much for me.
Not really; as a teacher, I see that the hip hop and rap is still the most popular.
SLC 11/2/95, Park City 6/21/98, Boise 11/3/00, Seattle 12/9/02, Vancouver 5/30/03, Gorge 9/1/05, Vancouver 9/2/05, Gorge 7/22/06, Gorge 7/23/06, Camden I 6/19/08, MSG I 6/24/08, MSG II 6/25/08, Hartford 6/27/08, Mansfield II 6/30/08; Eddie Albany 6/8/09, 6/9/09; Philly 10/30/09, 10/31/09; Boston 5/17/10
I thought the world...Turns out the world thought me
How does Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie/Postal Service) not put any emotion/passion into his songs? If you don't realize this... listen to the songs in this sequence..
Tiny Vessels -> Transatlanticism -> Passenger Seat (all on Transatlanticism in that track order) It just flows so nicely and it's just amazing. I mean seriously, what is so wrong with Death Cab? I find to be extremely amazing musicians... especially Ben.
there is a difference between emotion and energy. i like those 3 songs, but let's face it... they're kinda boring. they don't exactly get your heart thumping and give you the urge to jump around and mosh. maybe they make you want to drink a bottle of red and call your ex sobbing, but they're not "get fired up" music. and that seems to be what she's talking about... a lack of energy, not emotion. i will say death cab CAN rock out live (we looked like giants), but by and large they don't.
anyway, i understand the point. going back to my point earlier about the beatles, they are understated and never really go for that cathartic rocking release you get from a song like rearviewmirror. nothing wrong with it, just different. honestly, it took me a while to warm up to the beatles for that very reason. i liked them, but was like "man, i wish they'd just rock out!" eventually, my tastes changed a bit and i grew to love it. but even now, bands like the cold war kids or the national take me a bit to warm up to them becos they don't go for that catharsis. some people, i imagine, never really do.
gtd, to add to my recommendations, get the new built to spill album. that is some serious rocking guitar... goin against your mind and conventional wisdom are amazing.
Uggggggghhhhhhhhhh....so much good music around. Dig a little!
Like what?
If I hear another band that sounds like Johnny Bravo (Greg Brady) I am going to puke! Everything is entirely too soft. The Shins, The Frames...the "LOOK AT ME I'M SENISTIVE" bullshit that everyone is putting out.
Nothing wrong with softer music as long as you mix it up a bit for fucks sakes!
"I don't believe in PJ fans but I believe there is something, not too sure what." - Thoughts_Arrive
there is a difference between emotion and energy. i like those 3 songs, but let's face it... they're kinda boring. they don't exactly get your heart thumping and give you the urge to jump around and mosh. maybe they make you want to drink a bottle of red and call your ex sobbing, but they're not "get fired up" music. and that seems to be what she's talking about... a lack of energy, not emotion. i will say death cab CAN rock out live (we looked like giants), but by and large they don't.
anyway, i understand the point. going back to my point earlier about the beatles, they are understated and never really go for that cathartic rocking release you get from a song like rearviewmirror. nothing wrong with it, just different. honestly, it took me a while to warm up to the beatles for that very reason. i liked them, but was like "man, i wish they'd just rock out!" eventually, my tastes changed a bit and i grew to love it. but even now, bands like the cold war kids or the national take me a bit to warm up to them becos they don't go for that catharsis. some people, i imagine, never really do.
gtd, to add to my recommendations, get the new built to spill album. that is some serious rocking guitar... goin against your mind and conventional wisdom are amazing.
Yes, but I was responding to the PASSION part... you don't have to ROCK OUT to show that you have passion for your music... and yes, I agree... if you want some really good rock out music, you cannot go wrong with Built to Spill ever... especially the new album... the opener is just amazing and doesn't seem like it's that long (8 mins) at all.
I agree. Almost everything now sounds the same. Nothing special.
I love Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains will never make records like they did with Layne again.
SG might reunite for studio recordings but I doubt it. PJ is on a MAJOR downward spiral for this decade,
I doubt they'll ever top their first 5 albums again.
Should start looking outside the box of Seattle and the 90's.
Yes, but I was responding to the PASSION part... you don't have to ROCK OUT to show that you have passion for your music... and yes, I agree... if you want some really good rock out music, you cannot go wrong with Built to Spill ever... especially the new album... the opener is just amazing and doesn't seem like it's that long (8 mins) at all.
i think she admitted passion might have been a misnomer and she meant more that "oomph" (as she put it) that was so central to the early-mid 90s music with the headbanging and jumping around sort of thing. but you're right on the passion part. plenty of these bands have passion. though even then, i'd say it's usually understated and somewhat subdued. i feel that way about death cab.
snow patrol is another good example. they are clearly a very passionate band, but on the album they are very restrained. they never really rock out. so i totally understand people that think they are boring, even if i like them (though to be fair, their radio songs ARE boring, they have a lot of great rocking album tracks, the guy's a huge pearl jam fan and it often shows).
are you giving us this opinion of yours based on a broad knowledge of the rock music that is out there today? do you listen to all the new releases and give everything a shot, or do you just hear a shins song here, and a white stripes song there, and declare that rock music is boring today and all sounds the same? just curious because i haven't really heard any examples, and why the music is bad.
have you listened to my morning jacket? that band can "rock out" with the best of them. and if you say their is no umph in jim james voice than you are just deaf. how about queens of the stone age, are you gonna say that they can't rock? bright eyes? neko case? not really hard rockers, but a lot of heart, soul, and passion put into their music. arcade fire? i'm sure they suck too right? it seems to me you are just lumping all new rock music into the same category because of a couple boring bands that you've heard. what bands exactly are you comparing this horrible new rock music to?
my morning jacket is terrible, prime example of what I'm talking about. QOTSA are AWESOME but they are not a "new" band, I've been listening to them for years, and they are not part of the new popular genre. bright eyes isn't new either, but a good example of what I'm talking about. I have no idea who arcade fire is.
And actually....I like the shins and I like the white stripes (not so much their more recent stuff). I don't hate every band that's mellow or whatever, the problem is that EVERYONE on the radio sounds like the shins these days. "the sound" that's out there is just bland...the songs aren't "bad" as I said, it just that rock doesn't rock anymore. I mean Band of Horses, the bravery, modest mouse, death cab, panic at the disco, vampire weekend, the editors, silver sun pickups, snow patrol, etc- all these big bands that are the most popular now. There's nothing good in the whole lot. Even if you like the single because it has a good hook or something, buying the album is a huge mistake (and even the names are bad..."snow patrol"? seriously? that's not very rock. they don't sound like bands, they sound like products).
It's like this: "indie rock" and "emo" where fine when they were "indie" and "emo"- you could pick out the few good bands you liked and listen to them when you're bored or something. But the problem is that now they are the mainstream- that sound has completely taken over. there's no alternative to it. Every band is the same. And let's face it, they're all just making radio friendly songs to sell as singles on itunes. I get the feeling when I listen to these bands that they don't even really like music, they're just making a mass produced product. that's mainly what I'm trying to get at. I mean what did these kids in these bands listen to growing up? the music is just BORING. There's just no meaning to it, no power, no passion.
like that band of horses song that's on the radio: "when I lived alone, is there a ghost in my house." Is it a decent string of notes? Ok, sure. but that's it. it's like the band could all become insurance salesmen tomorrow and fit right in.
Yeah, I'll agree with you on that soulsinging. I think what it comes down to for me is actually labeling a band under a certain genre... I mean, Death Cab can rock, but mainly they're just mellow... and it's just sort of depressing uplifting music (at least for me... same with Sigur Rós), but it's like, if people ask what genre a band is... I don't know how to answer because usually the band is a lot of everything... like Beck... what the fuck is he? He's everything from country->hip hop->rock->folk->noise rock... etc, he's just insane.
I don't know how to answer because usually the band is a lot of everything... like Beck... what the fuck is he? He's everything from country->hip hop->rock->folk->noise rock... etc, he's just insane.
One of the best recording artist in the last 15 years.
i will say death cab CAN rock out live (we looked like giants), but by and large they don't.
I've seen death cab like 2 or 3 times (including opening for PJ). I seriously wanted to go to sleep. it was droning and droning and droning on and on...
anyway, i understand the point. going back to my point earlier about the beatles, they are understated and never really go for that cathartic rocking release you get from a song like rearviewmirror. nothing wrong with it, just different. honestly, it took me a while to warm up to the beatles for that very reason. i liked them, but was like "man, i wish they'd just rock out!" eventually, my tastes changed a bit and i grew to love it. but even now, bands like the cold war kids or the national take me a bit to warm up to them becos they don't go for that catharsis. some people, i imagine, never really do.
As I said in my last post, I'm all for diversity in rock. I like the sort of indie sound when it was indie, and it was just one sort of sub-genre, and you could get into the really good bands. I like sunny day real estate, I like guided by voices...because at the time it was a change up, and they are quality, there *IS* feeling in that music. If any of these bands had some real FEELING in their music, if you could buy what they're selling...that would be fine. I don't buy it with these bands. The music sounds like it was slapped together with no thought, no energy, as I said, like they don't even care.
my morning jacket is terrible, prime example of what I'm talking about. QOTSA are AWESOME but they are not a "new" band, I've been listening to them for years, and they are not part of the new popular genre. bright eyes isn't new either, but a good example of what I'm talking about. I have no idea who arcade fire is.
And actually....I like the shins and I like the white stripes (not so much their more recent stuff). I don't hate every band that's mellow or whatever, the problem is that EVERYONE on the radio sounds like the shins these days. "the sound" that's out there is just bland...the songs aren't "bad" as I said, it just that rock doesn't rock anymore. I mean Band of Horses, the bravery, modest mouse, death cab, panic at the disco, vampire weekend, the editors, silver sun pickups, snow patrol, etc- all these big bands that are the most popular now. There's nothing good in the whole lot. Even if you like the single because it has a good hook or something, buying the album is a huge mistake.
It's like this: "indie rock" and "emo" where fine when they were "indie" and "emo"- you could pick out the few good bands you liked and listen to them when you're bored or something. But the problem is that now they are the mainstream- that sound has completely taken over. there's no alternative to it. Every band is the same. And let's face it, they're all just making radio friendly songs to sell as singles on itunes. I get the feeling when I listen to these bands that they don't even really like music, they're just making a mass produced product. that's mainly what I'm trying to get at. I mean what did these kids in these bands listen to growing up? the music is just BORING. There's just no meaning to it, no power, no passion.
like that band of horses song that's on the radio: "when I lived alone, is there a ghost in my house." Is it a decent string of notes? Ok, sure. but that's it. it's like the band could all become insurance salesmen tomorrow and fit right in.
that's a weird collection you've got there. i don't see any of those bands sounding similar. snow patrol is as mainstream as it gets... they're closer to u2 and coldplay than anyone in that list. band of horses i can see going with the shins... that subdued jangly indie sound. silversun pickups rock pretty well, not sure how you associate them with panic at the disco, who are as punk pop as it gets. and modest mouse doesn't sound like anyone else i've ever heard at all. i can see not liking them, but i can't see associating them the editors.
im curious what you dislike about my morning jacket so much? they rock harder than pearl jam does these days. also, have you bought albums by any of the artists you just listed? band of horses has a lot of stellar songs (though i can see why you wouldn't like them based on your description). but i would think if you had bought a snow patrol album (besides their new one, which flat out sucks, the one before that one is excellent) you would find that those radio songs are easily their weakest and there are a lot of great rockers to balance out the midtempo anthems. they've got a pretty dynamic sound, nothing like the strokes. do you say that becos you've bought albums by these groups or becos you've heard a few singles and figure they never change their sound?
in general though, i understand your point. it's part of why i started listening to hip hop. there just wasn't enough attitude in the rock these days. i like indie and not all indie bands/songs sound the same. but generally they are more subdued and moody. hip hop is probably the most exciting genre out there now.
PJ is on a MAJOR downward spiral for this decade,
I doubt they'll ever top their first 5 albums again.
I couldn't disagree more. PJ are a better band now than they ever were back in the 90s. Avocado is the best thing they've done in years.
As for the topic of this thread, you folks need to stop listening to the radio and dig a little deeper. There are dozens and dozens of brilliant bands and artists all over the world making some of the most amazing and passionate music you'll ever hear in your life. You just have to know where to find them. Magazines like Paste, Harp, Magnet, and of course the Internet are currently the best sources right now for finding out about great new artists. All it takes is a little research.
"I try my best to chug, stomp, weep, whisper, moan, wheeze, scat, blurt, rage, whine, and seduce. With my voice I can sound like a girl, the boogieman, a Theremin, a cherry bomb, a clown, a doctor, a murderer. I can be tribal. Ironic. Or disturbed. My voice is really my instrument."
i think she admitted passion might have been a misnomer and she meant more that "oomph" (as she put it) that was so central to the early-mid 90s music with the headbanging and jumping around sort of thing. but you're right on the passion part. plenty of these bands have passion. though even then, i'd say it's usually understated and somewhat subdued. i feel that way about death cab.
no it's like a combo of the two that I'm talking about. 1) I would like some harder rock to rock out to but 2) I feel like a lot of this music out there is so hap-hazard. It's like there's no substance at all, like the bands don't even care. like it was all written and recorded at the mall.
no it's like a combo of the two that I'm talking about. 1) I would like some harder rock to rock out to but 2) I feel like a lot of this music out there is so hap-hazard. It's like there's no substance at all, like the bands don't even care. like it was all written and recorded at the mall.
then i think it IS just a "one generation vs. another" thing like j-lo said. becos i think all of the bands you listed (minus panic, the bravery, vampire... who i've never heard) play with plenty of passion and substance. it's just a different sound from the grunge or even older indie music. it's not so overt. band of horses is a phenomenal band. there is lots of passion, it's just a very wistful and melancholy sound that doesn't really hit you over the head with its emotion like scott stapp trying to prove a point.
that's a weird collection you've got there. i don't see any of those bands sounding similar. snow patrol is as mainstream as it gets... they're closer to u2 and coldplay than anyone in that list. band of horses i can see going with the shins... that subdued jangly indie sound. silversun pickups rock pretty well, not sure how you associate them with panic at the disco, who are as punk pop as it gets. and modest mouse doesn't sound like anyone else i've ever heard at all. i can see not liking them, but i can't see associating them the editors.
yes they are all different for whatever reasons, but what they all have in common is that their music doesn't sound like they give a shit. doesn't sound like they have anything the least bit interesting to make music about or for.
im curious what you dislike about my morning jacket so much? they rock harder than pearl jam does these days. also, have you bought albums by any of the artists you just listed? band of horses has a lot of stellar songs (though i can see why you wouldn't like them based on your description). but i would think if you had bought a snow patrol album (besides their new one, which flat out sucks, the one before that one is excellent) you would find that those radio songs are easily their weakest and there are a lot of great rockers to balance out the midtempo anthems. they've got a pretty dynamic sound, nothing like the strokes. do you say that becos you've bought albums by these groups or becos you've heard a few singles and figure they never change their sound?
I've seen my morning jacket...once? or twice maybe? I know I saw them open for PJ and I think I saw them once before outside of that too...not sure...Oh I think I saw them open for the foo once?. Anyway, I was like covering my ears. I've heard one of their albums. I've never heard a snow patrol album, that reference was based on radio. Most of the other bands I list i've got the albums or my ex boyfriend had them and/or I've seen them live. I've TRIED to get into them...but it's like...I dunno, having sex and never climaxing.
in general though, i understand your point. it's part of why i started listening to hip hop. there just wasn't enough attitude in the rock these days. i like indie and not all indie bands/songs sound the same. but generally they are more subdued and moody. hip hop is probably the most exciting genre out there now.
I dunno, I feel like it would suck a lot less if this were the case .
and i feel like you might just not be willing to hear it becos you're used to the 90s alternative scene where that passion was easy to hear front and center by exaggerated vocal dramatics and wanker guitar noodling. the passion is there. the fact that you say "their music doesn't sound like they give a shit. doesn't sound like they have anything the least bit interesting to make music about or for" to describe modest mouse and band of horses shows you're just not willing hear it, not that they're not passionate or don't care. modest mouse has been making music for well over a decade. they released about 4 albums before they ever even got a song played on radio. if they "didn't give a shit" they would have given up a long time ago. but they are incredibly passionate about their music and the fact that it is often too weird or experimental to say "im sad/angry/whatever" in hyperbolic cock rock fashion like pearl jam did in 1991 doesn't mean there is no passion in the music. you just aren't hearing it.
attitude may be lacking. much of today's music is very introverted. grunge and alternative always had that outwardly focused "fuck the system" anger going. indie today is much more prone to introspection and the like. so maybe that is why you don't care for it or don't think it is passionate, becos it is not as driven by attitude as it is by introspection. like i said, maybe you ought to check out some hip hop. the last roots album is amazing.
Have you ever listened to Mindless Self Indulgence? I guess they're not totally *new* but they're sure different and they are a BLAST live.
Chiodos rocks okay. Are you looking only for singing and no screamo? I mean, there's bands out there. You should go to more festivals - for a pretty small price you get a chance to listen to a bunch of bands. I usually discover one per festival that I want to investigate further. You can't rely on the radio to find new music any more.
How about Tiger Army? They are FABULOUS. Again, not totally new, but great.
Street Dogs? And they'll be at Warped this year.
And I do not think people are more mellow at shows, if you go to the right shows. I stay out of the line of fire, but a wall of death is still fun to watch if you're not in it.
R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
Comments
You guys sound like old people. "Back in my day, a candy bar only cost a nickel! :mad: "
I remember when this forum was green fields, far as the eye could see, and we had to walk six miles through the snow to get to a PJ show.:p
Uggggggghhhhhhhhhh....so much good music around. Dig a little!
definitely do so!!! i still am waiting for them to tour up here.. im thinkin ill see em at a festival before here though
08/02/07 - LOLLA!!!
I totally agree. I think this is what you're trying to say.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRkA6zugNMQ&feature=related
the other foot in the gutter
sweet smell that they adore
I think I'd rather smother
-The Replacements-
nah J.Lo, it's not really about one generation vs. another. I'm not saying it should be the 90s forever. I like bands from the all over the course of rock history. I'm just saying that a lot of stuff that's out there now, just kinda falls flat on the umph factor.
Oh Maybe Dredg?
There singer is very "emotive" Has a good voice.
check out the first three songs on Catch Without Arms if you have not heard there stuff before.
Great Live band too.
Charlotte 03
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Seattle 18
Nashville 22
i do think that this obsession with being a small underground, non sellout band is kinda hurting band's ability to just rock out. Who's fault is that? EARLY NINETIES BANDS!
are you giving us this opinion of yours based on a broad knowledge of the rock music that is out there today? do you listen to all the new releases and give everything a shot, or do you just hear a shins song here, and a white stripes song there, and declare that rock music is boring today and all sounds the same? just curious because i haven't really heard any examples, and why the music is bad.
have you listened to my morning jacket? that band can "rock out" with the best of them. and if you say their is no umph in jim james voice than you are just deaf. how about queens of the stone age, are you gonna say that they can't rock? bright eyes? neko case? not really hard rockers, but a lot of heart, soul, and passion put into their music. arcade fire? i'm sure they suck too right? it seems to me you are just lumping all new rock music into the same category because of a couple boring bands that you've heard. what bands exactly are you comparing this horrible new rock music to?
Tiny Vessels -> Transatlanticism -> Passenger Seat (all on Transatlanticism in that track order) It just flows so nicely and it's just amazing. I mean seriously, what is so wrong with Death Cab? I find to be extremely amazing musicians... especially Ben.
I thought the world...Turns out the world thought me
there is a difference between emotion and energy. i like those 3 songs, but let's face it... they're kinda boring. they don't exactly get your heart thumping and give you the urge to jump around and mosh. maybe they make you want to drink a bottle of red and call your ex sobbing, but they're not "get fired up" music. and that seems to be what she's talking about... a lack of energy, not emotion. i will say death cab CAN rock out live (we looked like giants), but by and large they don't.
anyway, i understand the point. going back to my point earlier about the beatles, they are understated and never really go for that cathartic rocking release you get from a song like rearviewmirror. nothing wrong with it, just different. honestly, it took me a while to warm up to the beatles for that very reason. i liked them, but was like "man, i wish they'd just rock out!" eventually, my tastes changed a bit and i grew to love it. but even now, bands like the cold war kids or the national take me a bit to warm up to them becos they don't go for that catharsis. some people, i imagine, never really do.
gtd, to add to my recommendations, get the new built to spill album. that is some serious rocking guitar... goin against your mind and conventional wisdom are amazing.
Like what?
If I hear another band that sounds like Johnny Bravo (Greg Brady) I am going to puke! Everything is entirely too soft. The Shins, The Frames...the "LOOK AT ME I'M SENISTIVE" bullshit that everyone is putting out.
Nothing wrong with softer music as long as you mix it up a bit for fucks sakes!
a lot of these bands do rock out live. KoL for sure. Their new album is a lot more subdued and artsy but their first two rock my balls off.
Yes, but I was responding to the PASSION part... you don't have to ROCK OUT to show that you have passion for your music... and yes, I agree... if you want some really good rock out music, you cannot go wrong with Built to Spill ever... especially the new album... the opener is just amazing and doesn't seem like it's that long (8 mins) at all.
SG might reunite for studio recordings but I doubt it.
PJ is on a MAJOR downward spiral for this decade,
I doubt they'll ever top their first 5 albums again.
Should start looking outside the box of Seattle and the 90's.
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
i think she admitted passion might have been a misnomer and she meant more that "oomph" (as she put it) that was so central to the early-mid 90s music with the headbanging and jumping around sort of thing. but you're right on the passion part. plenty of these bands have passion. though even then, i'd say it's usually understated and somewhat subdued. i feel that way about death cab.
snow patrol is another good example. they are clearly a very passionate band, but on the album they are very restrained. they never really rock out. so i totally understand people that think they are boring, even if i like them (though to be fair, their radio songs ARE boring, they have a lot of great rocking album tracks, the guy's a huge pearl jam fan and it often shows).
my morning jacket is terrible, prime example of what I'm talking about. QOTSA are AWESOME but they are not a "new" band, I've been listening to them for years, and they are not part of the new popular genre. bright eyes isn't new either, but a good example of what I'm talking about. I have no idea who arcade fire is.
And actually....I like the shins and I like the white stripes (not so much their more recent stuff). I don't hate every band that's mellow or whatever, the problem is that EVERYONE on the radio sounds like the shins these days. "the sound" that's out there is just bland...the songs aren't "bad" as I said, it just that rock doesn't rock anymore. I mean Band of Horses, the bravery, modest mouse, death cab, panic at the disco, vampire weekend, the editors, silver sun pickups, snow patrol, etc- all these big bands that are the most popular now. There's nothing good in the whole lot. Even if you like the single because it has a good hook or something, buying the album is a huge mistake (and even the names are bad..."snow patrol"? seriously? that's not very rock. they don't sound like bands, they sound like products).
It's like this: "indie rock" and "emo" where fine when they were "indie" and "emo"- you could pick out the few good bands you liked and listen to them when you're bored or something. But the problem is that now they are the mainstream- that sound has completely taken over. there's no alternative to it. Every band is the same. And let's face it, they're all just making radio friendly songs to sell as singles on itunes. I get the feeling when I listen to these bands that they don't even really like music, they're just making a mass produced product. that's mainly what I'm trying to get at. I mean what did these kids in these bands listen to growing up? the music is just BORING. There's just no meaning to it, no power, no passion.
like that band of horses song that's on the radio: "when I lived alone, is there a ghost in my house." Is it a decent string of notes? Ok, sure. but that's it. it's like the band could all become insurance salesmen tomorrow and fit right in.
in the last 15 years.
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
I've seen death cab like 2 or 3 times (including opening for PJ). I seriously wanted to go to sleep. it was droning and droning and droning on and on...
As I said in my last post, I'm all for diversity in rock. I like the sort of indie sound when it was indie, and it was just one sort of sub-genre, and you could get into the really good bands. I like sunny day real estate, I like guided by voices...because at the time it was a change up, and they are quality, there *IS* feeling in that music. If any of these bands had some real FEELING in their music, if you could buy what they're selling...that would be fine. I don't buy it with these bands. The music sounds like it was slapped together with no thought, no energy, as I said, like they don't even care.
that's a weird collection you've got there. i don't see any of those bands sounding similar. snow patrol is as mainstream as it gets... they're closer to u2 and coldplay than anyone in that list. band of horses i can see going with the shins... that subdued jangly indie sound. silversun pickups rock pretty well, not sure how you associate them with panic at the disco, who are as punk pop as it gets. and modest mouse doesn't sound like anyone else i've ever heard at all. i can see not liking them, but i can't see associating them the editors.
im curious what you dislike about my morning jacket so much? they rock harder than pearl jam does these days. also, have you bought albums by any of the artists you just listed? band of horses has a lot of stellar songs (though i can see why you wouldn't like them based on your description). but i would think if you had bought a snow patrol album (besides their new one, which flat out sucks, the one before that one is excellent) you would find that those radio songs are easily their weakest and there are a lot of great rockers to balance out the midtempo anthems. they've got a pretty dynamic sound, nothing like the strokes. do you say that becos you've bought albums by these groups or becos you've heard a few singles and figure they never change their sound?
in general though, i understand your point. it's part of why i started listening to hip hop. there just wasn't enough attitude in the rock these days. i like indie and not all indie bands/songs sound the same. but generally they are more subdued and moody. hip hop is probably the most exciting genre out there now.
I couldn't disagree more. PJ are a better band now than they ever were back in the 90s. Avocado is the best thing they've done in years.
As for the topic of this thread, you folks need to stop listening to the radio and dig a little deeper. There are dozens and dozens of brilliant bands and artists all over the world making some of the most amazing and passionate music you'll ever hear in your life. You just have to know where to find them. Magazines like Paste, Harp, Magnet, and of course the Internet are currently the best sources right now for finding out about great new artists. All it takes is a little research.
-Tom Waits
no it's like a combo of the two that I'm talking about. 1) I would like some harder rock to rock out to but 2) I feel like a lot of this music out there is so hap-hazard. It's like there's no substance at all, like the bands don't even care. like it was all written and recorded at the mall.
then i think it IS just a "one generation vs. another" thing like j-lo said. becos i think all of the bands you listed (minus panic, the bravery, vampire... who i've never heard) play with plenty of passion and substance. it's just a different sound from the grunge or even older indie music. it's not so overt. band of horses is a phenomenal band. there is lots of passion, it's just a very wistful and melancholy sound that doesn't really hit you over the head with its emotion like scott stapp trying to prove a point.
yes they are all different for whatever reasons, but what they all have in common is that their music doesn't sound like they give a shit. doesn't sound like they have anything the least bit interesting to make music about or for.
I've seen my morning jacket...once? or twice maybe? I know I saw them open for PJ and I think I saw them once before outside of that too...not sure...Oh I think I saw them open for the foo once?. Anyway, I was like covering my ears. I've heard one of their albums. I've never heard a snow patrol album, that reference was based on radio. Most of the other bands I list i've got the albums or my ex boyfriend had them and/or I've seen them live. I've TRIED to get into them...but it's like...I dunno, having sex and never climaxing.
ATTITUDE. exactly. good word.
I dunno, I feel like it would suck a lot less if this were the case
and i feel like you might just not be willing to hear it becos you're used to the 90s alternative scene where that passion was easy to hear front and center by exaggerated vocal dramatics and wanker guitar noodling. the passion is there. the fact that you say "their music doesn't sound like they give a shit. doesn't sound like they have anything the least bit interesting to make music about or for" to describe modest mouse and band of horses shows you're just not willing hear it, not that they're not passionate or don't care. modest mouse has been making music for well over a decade. they released about 4 albums before they ever even got a song played on radio. if they "didn't give a shit" they would have given up a long time ago. but they are incredibly passionate about their music and the fact that it is often too weird or experimental to say "im sad/angry/whatever" in hyperbolic cock rock fashion like pearl jam did in 1991 doesn't mean there is no passion in the music. you just aren't hearing it.
attitude may be lacking. much of today's music is very introverted. grunge and alternative always had that outwardly focused "fuck the system" anger going. indie today is much more prone to introspection and the like. so maybe that is why you don't care for it or don't think it is passionate, becos it is not as driven by attitude as it is by introspection. like i said, maybe you ought to check out some hip hop. the last roots album is amazing.
Chiodos rocks okay. Are you looking only for singing and no screamo? I mean, there's bands out there. You should go to more festivals - for a pretty small price you get a chance to listen to a bunch of bands. I usually discover one per festival that I want to investigate further. You can't rely on the radio to find new music any more.
How about Tiger Army? They are FABULOUS. Again, not totally new, but great.
Street Dogs? And they'll be at Warped this year.
And I do not think people are more mellow at shows, if you go to the right shows. I stay out of the line of fire, but a wall of death is still fun to watch if you're not in it.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008