This, thanks to TH's recommendation of oomsa.com
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
What was all the Hot Fuss about? A look back.
I remember it like it was yest'dy: My Chemical Romance was mySpace's poster child, the Brazil's tiny Obvio! was tempting us with petrol savings, and I had a real, paystub-issuing job. The year was 2007, and Arcade Fire's Neon Bible was the talk.
I looked back on the spring this week, by popping in Neon Bible. And what I found intrigued me.
I'm not that good at liking stuff that everybody's liking and telling me that I, too, should wholeheartedly enjoy. It's too much pressure. I back out. That's what happened with this record. I saw the lederhosen and clogs, or whatever they wear, saw the religious angst (which both repelled and attracted me), and saw the hurdy-gurdy on stage, or whatever they play, and thought "okay, I like the deconstruction, but is all that hopelessness really necessary?" or something. I listened just enough to have a qualified opinion, and moved on.
But on further listen, with everyone having moved on to the Motion City Soundtrack, or whatever, my thoughts had changed. For starters, I'm AMAZED, really amazed, at how dated this music sounds. This record absolutely will NOT age well. It sounds like it was made in 1988, and not the cool 1988. I mean like Flock of Seagulls 1998. I was in the gym this week, also, and Tonight, Tonight, Tonight came on, and I thought "Mullet-y Phil actually sounds more relevant than the record Arcade Fire gave us 9 months ago. Is that bizarre or what?" The irony is that AFire's throwback gear and sound would lead you to believe it will transcend the age. But kids, it won't.
I also had an impatience for what I perceive to be Win Butler's mania. He has a desperation about him, and not the kind, like John Baptist's, that you want to follow to Kingdom Come. Win sounds beyond all hope and reconciliation. Like Thom Yorke, I suppose that's a reasonable place to be in our world... but, like Thom Yorke, I just don't want to spend my discretionary time staring at it. Win seems to think that the more rabid he sounds, the more he'll get me to listen. But no. The more I want to marginalize him, is more like it. I do like the artiness of it all, though: I like that AFire exists, and that they do what they do in such unorthodox ways. Speaking of unorthodox, did anybody ever listen to the White Stripes' Icky Thump? Now that was some FUN wheels-off bang.
The other thing that struck me, that I haven't really thought since Wake Up, is how much I like Win's voice. It sounds terrific to me, like a hybrid of David Byrne and James' Tim Booth. I really dig it.
Lastly, I always expect to cheerlead people who want to dismantle religion. But what I find is that, when people are aware enough to want to dismantle it, they're usually clever enough to come up with something else in its place. And that's what they (rightfully) spend their time on, and that's what I usually disagree with. So I'll agree with Win's analysis of the problem, but that's only about 20% of what he has to say. He spends 80% of his time going to Apocalypse and all the terrible mutations, which doesn't help me or attract me. So I'll hug him if I see him--I believe we've been bitten by the same snake--but I might not sign my name to his declarations.
And, if I drive you to the record at all, please spend some time on No Cars Go, a hopeful and exuberant song that Win didn't write. "Women and children! Little babies! Old folks! ...let's go!!!"
I looked back on the spring this week, by popping in Neon Bible. And what I found intrigued me.
I'm not that good at liking stuff that everybody's liking and telling me that I, too, should wholeheartedly enjoy. It's too much pressure. I back out. That's what happened with this record. I saw the lederhosen and clogs, or whatever they wear, saw the religious angst (which both repelled and attracted me), and saw the hurdy-gurdy on stage, or whatever they play, and thought "okay, I like the deconstruction, but is all that hopelessness really necessary?" or something. I listened just enough to have a qualified opinion, and moved on.
But on further listen, with everyone having moved on to the Motion City Soundtrack, or whatever, my thoughts had changed. For starters, I'm AMAZED, really amazed, at how dated this music sounds. This record absolutely will NOT age well. It sounds like it was made in 1988, and not the cool 1988. I mean like Flock of Seagulls 1998. I was in the gym this week, also, and Tonight, Tonight, Tonight came on, and I thought "Mullet-y Phil actually sounds more relevant than the record Arcade Fire gave us 9 months ago. Is that bizarre or what?" The irony is that AFire's throwback gear and sound would lead you to believe it will transcend the age. But kids, it won't.
I also had an impatience for what I perceive to be Win Butler's mania. He has a desperation about him, and not the kind, like John Baptist's, that you want to follow to Kingdom Come. Win sounds beyond all hope and reconciliation. Like Thom Yorke, I suppose that's a reasonable place to be in our world... but, like Thom Yorke, I just don't want to spend my discretionary time staring at it. Win seems to think that the more rabid he sounds, the more he'll get me to listen. But no. The more I want to marginalize him, is more like it. I do like the artiness of it all, though: I like that AFire exists, and that they do what they do in such unorthodox ways. Speaking of unorthodox, did anybody ever listen to the White Stripes' Icky Thump? Now that was some FUN wheels-off bang.
The other thing that struck me, that I haven't really thought since Wake Up, is how much I like Win's voice. It sounds terrific to me, like a hybrid of David Byrne and James' Tim Booth. I really dig it.
Lastly, I always expect to cheerlead people who want to dismantle religion. But what I find is that, when people are aware enough to want to dismantle it, they're usually clever enough to come up with something else in its place. And that's what they (rightfully) spend their time on, and that's what I usually disagree with. So I'll agree with Win's analysis of the problem, but that's only about 20% of what he has to say. He spends 80% of his time going to Apocalypse and all the terrible mutations, which doesn't help me or attract me. So I'll hug him if I see him--I believe we've been bitten by the same snake--but I might not sign my name to his declarations.
And, if I drive you to the record at all, please spend some time on No Cars Go, a hopeful and exuberant song that Win didn't write. "Women and children! Little babies! Old folks! ...let's go!!!"
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