Random Music CXXV: Least necessary thread edition

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My challenge to Interference is to listen to the following Biffy Clyro songs in order:

Different People
Black Chandelier
Victory Over The Sun
The Thaw

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On the subject of the Beach Boys - I actually saw them live last summer('them', of course, being the glorified Beach Boys cover band they are now).

My dad was gifted two tickets to their tour stop in our area. We both like the Beach Boys 60s material, though we can both probably be plenty happy with just Pet Sounds and the Greatest Hits(though I'm not really familiar with the Smile material, will have to remedy that).

We were not, however, very excited about the prospect of seeing the 'Beach Boys' as constituted in 2018. Like a lot of people, we dislike Mike Love(come on, he's an insecure egomaniac who thinks he was the genius and Cousin Brian rode his coattails), and is the Beach Boys without any Wilsons or even Al Jardine really the Beach Boys? Isn't it like Axl Rose calling that band he toured with for ten years before the Slash reunion Guns'N'Roses? Or Billy Corgan calling the band the Smashing Pumpkins when there were no other Smashing Pumpkins left in it?

But he had the tickets and I was the only one in his orbit that would've had any interest, so we decided to go. And you know what? I'm glad we did. We ended up having a really good time. The rest of the group outside Love are legit musicians, and timeless songs performed by legit musicians will almost always be eminently enjoyable, everything else aside. We were particularly impressed with the one guy in particular, who was essentially singing every falsetto part of all those early songs(Surfin USA, Surfin Safari, Fun Fun Fun, Catch A Wave, I Get Around, etc), and doing it as clearly as if it were on record. Maybe the most important guy in the lineup, 'cause he was the only one doing that stuff and you basically can't do those songs at all without it.

So it was a ton of fun getting to hear all that stuff. Highlights(aka my favorite songs) were I Get Around(probably my second favorite BB song), Wouldn't It Be Nice, Good Vibrations, California Girls, and of course, God Only Knows.

God Only Knows is without question, by a wide margin, my favorite BB song. I was making a list a while back of studio vocal takes that make you think, to borrow Bono's phrase, 'God walked through the room when he was recording that take'. The list included, among others, Thom Yorke's recording of Reckoner, Art Garfunkel's recording of Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Carl Wilson's recording of God Only Knows.

It's just perfect. One of the greatest songs ever written. One of the greatest studio recordings.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm glad we went to the show, we had a great time, God Only Knows is God-tier(pun intended), and I should check out the Smile material.
 
I listened to the songs in question with Travis. Loved the first two. Hated 'Look' and was shocked by how much I liked 'Surfs Up'.

I still don't know if I'll ever listen to that album, but I did flip over to 'Good Vibrations' after that run was done. Jesus, I love that song.
 
I still don't know if I'll ever listen to that album, but I did flip over to 'Good Vibrations' after that run was done. Jesus, I love that song.

This song has been ruined for Aussies for decades as a discount electronic store jingle.
 
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Even having not heard it myself, seeing axvers response to those songs was pretty disappointing. Again, that comes from a) knowing what went into the writing and recording of them (recommending Love and Mercy a second time here) and B) being aware that the Smile sessions are pretty universally acclaimed.

Just seemed like an attempt to hate from the second the post started.

I went in expecting some slightly corny surf rock. But after the idiotic "doing doing" and general mess that is Cabin Essence, you might say I was no longer in a good or generous mood. I was legit surprised by how awful that song was, or that it was made by the band who I know from a few frivolous hits and a now-faint memory of being slightly bored sitting through Pet Sounds a decade ago. I really don't know how any of you can defend it.

Also I'm not sure why I'm meant to be more generous because a lot of time and effort went into it by people over fifty years ago who certainly aren't going to be reading my reckons. Like, I'm sure all those great jazz records at the top of RYM's charts involve extremely sophisticated musical knowledge too, but it doesn't change the fact that most of the time they sound like a whole lotta aimless honking to me.

like half of axver's complaints are basically invalid too... they're called the smile sessions because they're recording sessions of an unfinished album. of course there's stops and starts and changes because they're fucking writing the songs.

How the fuck was I, not a fan of the band, meant to be aware of this? Nobody's going around trying to suggest some run of five tracks on Axtung Beibi is the peak of U2, but this certainly was sold as some masterpiece of music.

This song has been ruined for Aussies for decades as a discount electronic store jingle.

Wouldn't It Be Nice has to be the one ruined the most. Wouldn't it be nice to win a million, wouldn't it be nice if the world were Cadbury, wouldn't it be nice if yet another fucking company wrote their own version of this.
 
Extreme lols at people taking Axver’s post seriously
I certainly didn't. That's why my response was a joking comment on his review style. He seemed to be putting on his Horrible Music Hour hat, only this time for an album that's hanging around just outside of RYM's top 100 all-time.

Reminded me of back in the day when he used to listen to LMP's DI lists and shit on James Brown and Prince. [emoji38]
 
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If you don't get Total Sex Predator vibe from his creepy music, that must be nice.

It's not as if the man's personal life casts him in a great light either.
 
I'm in the fucking shallows compared to Sting and his army of alts.
 
Anyone listen to Supergrass? I would be surprised if they were not an influence on LCD Soundsystem somehow, especially through a track like Kiss of Life.
 
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