Did you know if you type "Kendrick" into Google, Kendrick Lamar is the first thing that comes up? He's the most popular Kendrick. NOW THAT'S A SHITPOST! (TM) I'm listening to him now and I dig it. If more music sounded like this I'd be excited. Except, you know, with singing.
Gotta disagree on the new Wilco ... I have never been a huge fan but this record is a real grower and a worthy addition to an amazing year for double albums - Beach House, Big Thief, Kendrick, new Elvis Costello (seriously it's the best thing he's done in 20 years) - I would highly recommend sticking with it, what it lacks in studio shenanigans it makes up for in pure musical mastery & when you get into the lyrics it's very of the moment and made the intense horribleness of last week the tiniest bit more tolerable.
Interesting. You're the 2nd commenter to get the impression I don't like Wilco/Cruel Country. Not the case! I don't write about anything in NMFO that I don't like--not in "Good Stuff", at least. Re Cruel Country, I don't necessarily mind the lack of studio wizardry--I meant it mostly as an observation. When I say 8-10 songs are canon-esque, I mean it as high praise. That's astonishingly good for a band that's been around so long. I agree that there's a ton of them this year, but I am fervently anti double-album. It's not that they can't be great (though even the best ones have filler). It's that they exceed our capacity for enjoyment. If eating one hamburger is satisfying, eating two hamburgers should be twice as good, right? Obviously not, because you can only eat so much. Hmm, maybe I'll write more about this... Anyway, thanks for reading!
Oh, and I need to give the EC album another try. He's in my all time Top 10, but I'm not super crazy about where he's at lately. It feels like half the time he's trying to be Cole Porter ad the other half he's trying to compensate for that by making noise for the sake of making noise.
If you're a fan I'd definitely spend some time with the new one, it's the best thing he's done since Brutal Youth IMO (also an underrated EC record). Much better rockers / Burt Bachrach ratio than other recent records & the Bachrachy songs are actually good. And I hear you on Cruel Country, as a very passing Wilco fan I was surprised by how much I'm digging it and am overzealously hyping it to anyone who will listen, yourself included. And thanks for the newsletter, really enjoying it!
Amen. I've streamed Wilco's entire catalog (plus the new single from the new album) and all but "California Stars" has left me with a shrug. The same goes for Foo Fighters. They may be nice guys and all but there are probably hundreds of bands out there just as good. If they didn't exist, music would not be any different.
Wang Chung, I;m not sure about. People used them as a punchline, but it was more about how silly the name seemed. But Spin Doctors is a gooood one. Agreed on FoS.
See, that's one of the thing that makes me question the value of my perspective. I like 3-4 songs on this one one more than anything on To Pimp a Butterfly. But if I'm being honest, I probably admire the guy more than I enjoy him.
Right. I know what you mean. I feel like he's become more of a poet/spoken word artist. I don't deny his talent for lyrics but overall the music is meh.
Did you know if you type "Kendrick" into Google, Kendrick Lamar is the first thing that comes up? He's the most popular Kendrick. NOW THAT'S A SHITPOST! (TM) I'm listening to him now and I dig it. If more music sounded like this I'd be excited. Except, you know, with singing.
Punchline Status... Dave Matthews Band.
Oh hell yeah
Gotta disagree on the new Wilco ... I have never been a huge fan but this record is a real grower and a worthy addition to an amazing year for double albums - Beach House, Big Thief, Kendrick, new Elvis Costello (seriously it's the best thing he's done in 20 years) - I would highly recommend sticking with it, what it lacks in studio shenanigans it makes up for in pure musical mastery & when you get into the lyrics it's very of the moment and made the intense horribleness of last week the tiniest bit more tolerable.
Interesting. You're the 2nd commenter to get the impression I don't like Wilco/Cruel Country. Not the case! I don't write about anything in NMFO that I don't like--not in "Good Stuff", at least. Re Cruel Country, I don't necessarily mind the lack of studio wizardry--I meant it mostly as an observation. When I say 8-10 songs are canon-esque, I mean it as high praise. That's astonishingly good for a band that's been around so long. I agree that there's a ton of them this year, but I am fervently anti double-album. It's not that they can't be great (though even the best ones have filler). It's that they exceed our capacity for enjoyment. If eating one hamburger is satisfying, eating two hamburgers should be twice as good, right? Obviously not, because you can only eat so much. Hmm, maybe I'll write more about this... Anyway, thanks for reading!
Oh, and I need to give the EC album another try. He's in my all time Top 10, but I'm not super crazy about where he's at lately. It feels like half the time he's trying to be Cole Porter ad the other half he's trying to compensate for that by making noise for the sake of making noise.
If you're a fan I'd definitely spend some time with the new one, it's the best thing he's done since Brutal Youth IMO (also an underrated EC record). Much better rockers / Burt Bachrach ratio than other recent records & the Bachrachy songs are actually good. And I hear you on Cruel Country, as a very passing Wilco fan I was surprised by how much I'm digging it and am overzealously hyping it to anyone who will listen, yourself included. And thanks for the newsletter, really enjoying it!
Amen. I've streamed Wilco's entire catalog (plus the new single from the new album) and all but "California Stars" has left me with a shrug. The same goes for Foo Fighters. They may be nice guys and all but there are probably hundreds of bands out there just as good. If they didn't exist, music would not be any different.
I think we may be saying different things re Wilco. But That's definitely how I feel about Foo Fighters (with the exception of Everlong and My Hero)
A few more "punchline status" artists:
- A Flock of Seagulls (undeserved I'd argue, they actually kick ass)
- Wang Chung
- Spin Doctors
- Michael Bolton
I couldn't decide whether to include Vanilla Ice or Billy Joel.
Wang Chung, I;m not sure about. People used them as a punchline, but it was more about how silly the name seemed. But Spin Doctors is a gooood one. Agreed on FoS.
I'm the only one brave to say Kendrick's new album is boring.
See, that's one of the thing that makes me question the value of my perspective. I like 3-4 songs on this one one more than anything on To Pimp a Butterfly. But if I'm being honest, I probably admire the guy more than I enjoy him.
Right. I know what you mean. I feel like he's become more of a poet/spoken word artist. I don't deny his talent for lyrics but overall the music is meh.