LP13: Oh well Oh Well Oh Well Oh Well....Tell Me More!

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:shrug: Check the stats for yourself. Aphex Twin released some EPs in 2004 that were about the equivalent of Dylan's Basement Tapes and his popularity on Google Trends shot up to 100. He got back up to 100 when the album was announced and is sitting at 32 right now.

(And just to be fair, U2's been sitting at the high 70s - 100s all month, so I'm sure they're going to stay there until an album comes out, if they aren't just always there, by virtue of being U2.)


EDIT: Here, I don't know why people have to argue over every little thing. It's OK to say that another band is going to have some success with a big comeback album, even if it won't be as big as precious U2. To dismiss another band out of hand, just cause 1) You don't like them 2) Aren't familiar with them 3) They aren't U2 is so tediously stupid:

1zegt9l.png


Like what was said on the last page, I fully expect Aphex Twin's album to be about as big a deal as MBV was and that broke the damn internet.

Also, please note, there was no rumblings about a new Aphex Twin album at all before the announcement, thus the spike.
 
Registered Dude said:
Aphex Twin's comeback album will be as big as My Bloody Valentine's comeback album
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I heard a couple of tracks expected on the new album and it's promising. I hope he does well so more gets released since he has hard drives of music sitting around unreleased.


Sent from my iPod touch using U2 Interference
 
But it really does seem to be the issue. Anytime someone in here dares say that an album may take away from some of the publicity of U2's, it gets dismissed out of hand. It's silly.
 
bono_212 said:
It's not that, but, I just don't see a HUGE deal getting made this time around. There will be press, but if a "blip" to BVS is what will surround Aphex Twin's album, then I suspect about the same level of coverage for U2.
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I agree with bono_212 on the amount of splash that U2's album will make. I think that it will be a small to medium blip. The ONLY thing that could change that is if they get lucky and they have a single that hits, and sticks for a bit. But I'm telling you, Invisible or OL type song is NOT gonna do that.
The only other thing would be if they do something truly unique or big marketing wise. Whether its with Apple or something completely different.
Weird Al, while very different from U2 put out videos every day that got people really buzzing about it, and he got his first number one album at the age of 54.

I'm just saying that you can expect an initial couple weeks of buzz, but it will die out quickly (like Invisible did) and will fizzle. They will have a successful tour and life goes on.

Moral of the story. Music has to be beyond exceptional And/or they do some really big, unique marketing.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqTKOq8DmWU

10 Things You Never Knew About... Aphex Twin | Features | Clash Magazine

5. He was willing to do a Madonna remix (she was begging) but only if she did an impression of a pig on the track. Once an unnamed female pop artist requested a remix and was flatly ignored. She flew to London and tracked him down. AT agreed, on condition that she recorded a quota of noises with her genitalia.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjmmjXGwarU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmKYPpTkjIY
 
bono_212 said:
But it really does seem to be the issue. Anytime someone in here dares say that an album may take away from some of the publicity of U2's, it gets dismissed out of hand. It's silly.
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Oscar nailed it earlier. I think most of us are trying to say that it's apples and oranges. AT is niche, and no matter how much U2 shrunk their footprint, they're not niche. Neither Remasters or AT get magazine covers, but U2 still will.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
purpleoscar said:
Aphex Twin is a niche product that will have sales at best like Boards of Canada.


Sent from my iPod touch using U2 Interference
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Isn't he more popular for some reason? Sales aren't the point, though. I don't know why some people - not you - find it so hard to believe that if a long-awaited album by a critical darling/legendary artists will get a hell of a lot of press and would by definition distract from the amount of attention give to U2.

Sure, Rolling Stone and Q will salivate over U2, but the more relevant internet publications would probably prefer to not allocate space to U2 given the amount of questions there are regarding Aphex Twin and Bob Dylan.

For instance, both Stereogum and Popfork - sorry, Pitchfork - have printed every detail of the AFX unveiling, from the blimp to interview previews. There has been nothing about U2s activities over the last few months, and Pitchfork never mentioned their last two singles. Both of those sites are more popular and relevant than Rolling Q. If U2 want to maximize their exposure, they'll have to avoid both Aphex Twin and Bob Dylan. It might be hard for some here to realize, but excitement for the U2 record is somewhere close to the last proper Stones record.
 
womanfish said:
I agree with bono_212 on the amount of splash that U2's album will make. I think that it will be a small to medium blip. The ONLY thing that could change that is if they get lucky and they have a single that hits, and sticks for a bit. But I'm telling you, Invisible or OL type song is NOT gonna do that.
The only other thing would be if they do something truly unique or big marketing wise. Whether its with Apple or something completely different.
Weird Al, while very different from U2 put out videos every day that got people really buzzing about it, and he got his first number one album at the age of 54.

I'm just saying that you can expect an initial couple weeks of buzz, but it will die out quickly (like Invisible did) and will fizzle. They will have a successful tour and life goes on.

Moral of the story. Music has to be beyond exceptional And/or they do some really big, unique marketing.
Click to expand...

It's pretty incredible the total lack of impact those two singles had. In 1997 Holy Joe was on the weekly alt rock countdown show for weeks and was in rotation. That was a damn b-side! If someone had told me that in 2013/14 new U2 singles, the first in several years, would be roundly ignored outside of the awards awarders I'd have said they're fucking crazy. That's kind of what I mean when I say their stock is low and they're going to have to fight for attention: they released two songs in the void of winter, so what's going to happen to them if they go up against albums that will get a lot of press like Taylor Swift, Aphex Twin, or Bob Dylan? It's the complete basement tapes, people! Think Mojo, Q, or RS won't be filling every page with stuff about that one?
 
Hollow Island said:
It's pretty incredible the total lack of impact those two singles had. In 1997 Holy Joe was on the weekly alt rock countdown show for weeks and was in rotation. That was a damn b-side! If someone had told me that in 2013/14 new U2 singles, the first in several years, would be roundly ignored outside of the awards awarders I'd have said they're fucking crazy. That's kind of what I mean when I say their stock is low and they're going to have to fight for attention: they released two songs in the void of winter, so what's going to happen to them if they go up against albums that will get a lot of press like Taylor Swift, Aphex Twin, or Bob Dylan? It's the complete basement tapes, people! Think Mojo, Q, or RS won't be filling every page with stuff about that one?
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Let's wait for the first single to see what happens. If it's a smash then this will be moot. If it's a "Midnight" by Coldplay then it will fail.
 
bono_212 said:
But it really does seem to be the issue. Anytime someone in here dares say that an album may take away from some of the publicity of U2's, it gets dismissed out of hand. It's silly.
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No it doesn't.

To say an artist with massive world wide appeal, say a Taylor Swift, will take away from a U2 release is a very logical statement.

To say Aphex Twin will is just silly.

This is not to say anything of the quality of the release or the artist. Just the mass world wide popularity.
 
yeah, I certainly hope it's a smash...if it's good. Even if it's not good by U2's standards it will still destroy the competition in the mainstream.

I'd be overjoyed if the album was political in nature and the band became more outspoken again. The world is really fucked up right now (even without goddamn climate change waiting for us!) and the mainstream is by turns vacant and moronic to a shocking degree. Maybe the 90s were an anomaly, but I remember when rock stars, rappers, and even pop stars spoke out about things...I think if the 2 were a bit more outspoken it would do their profile favours too, and people would take them more seriously, which is what they want. Really though it would be nice to have someone in the pop world speaking about Gaza, Syria, American legislators going to a retreat to instruct them how to dispel climate change denial and prevent meaningful action from being taken...you name it.

Wouldn't it be great if Bono was in the news as a member of U2, not a professional politician sidekick, talking about that stuff rather than Nicki Minaj and her love of anacondas?
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
No it doesn't.

To say an artist with massive world wide appeal, say a Taylor Swift, will take away from a U2 release is a very logical statement.

To say Aphex Twin will is just silly.

This is not to say anything of the quality of the release or the artist. Just the mass world wide popularity.
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I think you're missing the point: it's not about taking away from the release - Aphex Twin and Bob Dylan aren't going to steal sales from U2. They will steal column inches though, and U2 want those. They always do, and now more than ever given their overwhelming desire to be relevant. The more relevant publications will be all over Aphex Twin and Dylan, and given the level of attention given to Invisible and OL there is no reason to think that if U2 release their album anywhere near AFX or Dyaln that they won't suffer. Not that they'll be ignored, but there's a limited amount of space. If AFX had been releasing albums steadily over the last decade it wouldn't matter. If this was a regular Dylan album, it wouldn't matter. But both are things that nobody ever thought would happen, and that's a bit more exciting to the press than U2's 13th album, one that follows to non-entity singles and a mediocre album.
 
Hollow Island said:
I think you're missing the point: it's not about taking away from the release - Aphex Twin and Bob Dylan aren't going to steal sales from U2. They will steal column inches though, and U2 want those. They always do, and now more than ever given their overwhelming desire to be relevant. The more relevant publications will be all over Aphex Twin and Dylan, and given the level of attention given to Invisible and OL there is no reason to think that if U2 release their album anywhere near AFX or Dyaln that they won't suffer. Not that they'll be ignored, but there's a limited amount of space. If AFX had been releasing albums steadily over the last decade it wouldn't matter. If this was a regular Dylan album, it wouldn't matter. But both are things that nobody ever thought would happen, and that's a bit more exciting to the press than U2's 13th album, one that follows to non-entity singles and a mediocre album.
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No, I get it. I mean... Your pitchforks and the like aren't going to give any space to U2 other than a short review anyways. That's all they've done for the last decade or so, and all they do for most so called "mainstream" artists.

Your mainstream media is going to give U2 just as much print off the bat as they always would. It'll only continue if the album is a success. If it isn't, like No Line, it won't.
 
Hollow Island said:
I think you're missing the point: it's not about taking away from the release - Aphex Twin and Bob Dylan aren't going to steal sales from U2. They will steal column inches though, and U2 want those. They always do, and now more than ever given their overwhelming desire to be relevant. The more relevant publications will be all over Aphex Twin and Dylan, and given the level of attention given to Invisible and OL there is no reason to think that if U2 release their album anywhere near AFX or Dyaln that they won't suffer. Not that they'll be ignored, but there's a limited amount of space. If AFX had been releasing albums steadily over the last decade it wouldn't matter. If this was a regular Dylan album, it wouldn't matter. But both are things that nobody ever thought would happen, and that's a bit more exciting to the press than U2's 13th album, one that follows to non-entity singles and a mediocre album.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but they are such different markets, that I don't even think they are competing with the same media. That is unless Aphex Twin has a "Get Lucky" sized hit. U2 are aiming for mainstream publications, Rolling Stone, Q, etc. Aphex Twin is more Pitchfork, Stereogum, etc.

Now, the Adele, Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters releases are more of a problem for U2 than Aphex Twin.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
No, I get it. I mean... Your pitchforks and the like aren't going to give any space to U2 other than a short review anyways. That's all they've done for the last decade or so, and all they do for most so called "mainstream" artists.

Your mainstream media is going to give U2 just as much print off the bat as they always would. It'll only continue if the album is a success. If it isn't, like No Line, it won't.
Click to expand...

We're not saying different things here, essentially. My comments were all basically directed at BVS suggesting Aphex and Dylan were "blips".
 
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