Write sentimental/long-winded posts about music you love

[cobl04]

How did it affect the band? Did they get better? Worse? Different? Do you think he committed suicide?

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Well, they continued making music (thankfully) and their sound evolved, Everything Must Go and This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours were vastly different to The Holy Bible in sound and are two bloody great albums if I say so myself. And their work since those albums has been consistently good in my opinion.

They used Richey's unused lyrics for the album Journal For Plague Lovers. I don't know if Richey committed suicide for sure, he had stated that it never felt like an option to him once. He seemed more the sort who'd rather get away from everything and disconnect himself from the part of the world he lived in.

 

[cobl04]

It'd be kinda cool if he was just eking out an existence with some dudes under a bridge somewhere, cut off from the world.

 

[Reggo]

Nice post. Been fortunate enough to not have to do that with any bands I like so far (they've done things I'm not as big a fan of, sure-nobody's perfect, but they've also done more than enough things I love to balance it out), but it's always interesting to hear a fan make statements like this. You argued your case really well. I've heard "Oh Love" a couple times. It's okay. But yeah, not their best.

Also, I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry to hear about all the crap you went through. I'm glad Green Day helped introduce you to this place and you're happy here . It's been nice getting to know you.

I'm still hoping Oh Love is just the Know Your Enemy of Uno. They don't always pick the best lead single for their albums.

I'm sorry to read that, Reggo - breaking up with bands that have been with you through tough times, and in some ways have helped define the person you've become must surely be terrible. The closest I've gone that way is the couple of times I've abandoned U2, only to come back to them, without fail. Each time I've come back to them, it's been from rediscovering things from their back catalogue, not concentrating on what they've become. I suppose that's a fairly obvious thing to consider, but in any case, best wishes in your post-GD life! Enjoy your newfound freedom, and don't let it get you down. Onwards!

Well, that's an idea. I mean, I have all of their officially-released stuff. I've never heard of them having finished, unreleased tracks like Mercy or Flower Child or alternate takes like Native Son or Xanax and Wine. Not because I don't think they don't exist, but I've never gone looking for them and wouldn't know where to start. Well, that's not entirely true. I have one unreleased track from them. After Billie got arrested for DUI, Tre wrote a really funny, but really scathing song about people driving drunk. It was blocked from the official release of Shenanigans, but ended up on Japanese bootlegs somehow and I have that.

Oh, why couldn't I have fallen out of love with My Chemical Romance or something? Something Something Killjoys is a trainwreck, and they're approaching Spinal Tap levels of absurdity with having a new drummer for every album. But maybe that's why I like it, they're absurd in a lot of ways. Green Day doesn't have, like, a Zooropa or an Unforgettable Fire for me. The don't have some gem in their past that when I look at all of this, I can say, "But _____ was amaze-balls."

 

[u2popmofo]

Warning had some pretty cool songs.

 

[Reggo]

True. I really like Insomniac, too. It doesn't get as much attention or love as their other albums, but I think it's pretty damn cool.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

Brilliant post. The Holy Bible is my equal favourite album of all time with Achtung Baby. It (and AB) is the closest to perfection in an album I have heard. Truly amazing. The weakest song for me, being Revol, is still immensely great. That's how good the album is.

Glad you enjoyed the post, and I'm always ecstatic to find other Manics fans. There really is no other album like The Holy Bible. I do love their later work too, especially Lifeblood and Journal for Plague Lovers. And some of my favorite songs of theirs are B-Sides and other such things--Leviathan, Judge Yr'self, Pedestal...

I'd never heard of this Richey dude, but his Wikipedia page suggests he was pretty fucked up. Do you guys think he's dead? (genuine question)

Part of me really wants to believe that Richey is out there somewhere, living a more peaceful life than what he had. Then again, he and the bass player, Nicky Wire, were soulmates, and I just can't believe Richey would be out there and never contact Nicky again. In the Manics biography, there's this quote from Nicky where he says that for years, little things would remind him of Richey and just tear him apart. Something as simple as not being able to answer the phone before it quit ringing would really affect him, because it could always be Richey, finally getting back in touch.

So whether he's alive or dead, I hope Richey has found peace.

Oh, why couldn't I have fallen out of love with My Chemical Romance or something? Something Something Killjoys is a trainwreck, and they're approaching Spinal Tap levels of absurdity with having a new drummer for every album. But maybe that's why I like it, they're absurd in a lot of ways.

I absolutely love Danger Days. Destroya, Save Yourself, The Kids From Yesterday, S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W, Vampire Money...these easily rank up there with lots of my other favorite MCR songs. And it's my favorite album to listen to when I'm running.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Glad you enjoyed the post, and I'm always ecstatic to find other Manics fans. There really is no other album like The Holy Bible. I do love their later work too, especially Lifeblood and Journal for Plague Lovers. And some of my favorite songs of theirs are B-Sides and other such things--Leviathan, Judge Yr'self, Pedestal...

I love Lifeblood and 1985 would have to be one of my favourite songs of the previous decade. And yes, their B-sides are also wonderful! I'm quite a fan of Black Garden, Sepia, The Vorticists and Everybody Knows/Nobody Cares (oh and the Umbrella cover is pretty damn great too). I could go on, really.

 

[Reggo]

I absolutely love Danger Days. Destroya, Save Yourself, The Kids From Yesterday, S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W, Vampire Money...these easily rank up there with lots of my other favorite MCR songs. And it's my favorite album to listen to when I'm running.

Danger Days is just fun. "Shut up and let me see your jazz hands" will go down as one of the silliest lyrics I've ever heard.

A fun experiment: Listen to Three Cheers, The Black Parade, and Danger Days in order. It plays out like Gerard Way's slow descent into madness.

 

[LemonMelon]

Sing was the end of any degree of affection I had for MCR. I just can't like bands who sound like they're covering those songs contestants sing in the last round of American Idol. The ones about believing in yourself and sucking hard.

 

[IWasBored]

Good green day post, reggz. Sucks that you're feeling that way about the band. I'm pretty glad that by the time page left/was ousted from the barenaked ladies that I was as far removed from some personal shit regarding my feelings toward that band (have no fear, folks. I will never write you a long winded, sentimental post on that. So put the community reference back in your pockets), otherwise I would have lost my shit hearing the old apartment done live without him.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

I love Lifeblood and 1985 would have to be one of my favourite songs of the previous decade. And yes, their B-sides are also wonderful! I'm quite a fan of Black Garden, Sepia, The Vorticists and Everybody Knows/Nobody Cares (oh and the Umbrella cover is pretty damn great too). I could go on, really.

We both could go on...and for that, I give a !

A fun experiment: Listen to Three Cheers, The Black Parade, and Danger Days in order. It plays out like Gerard Way's slow descent into madness.

Might have to try that.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Good green day post, reggz. Sucks that you're feeling that way about the band. I'm pretty glad that by the time page left/was ousted from the barenaked ladies that I was as far removed from some personal shit regarding my feelings toward that band (have no fear, folks. I will never write you a long winded, sentimental post on that. So put the community reference back in your pockets), otherwise I would have lost my shit hearing the old apartment done live without him.

Re: the "Community" reference...you know us too well .

In all seriousness, I like hearing your thoughts on various things, so if you ever were to do that, I'd read it. But if you don't want to, that's fine, too, of course.

 

[cobl04]

THIS is a fight. WE are fighting.

 

[IWasBored]

Sometimes I get the impression it's an incredibly silly band to feel too strongly one way or the other, but you look past the if i had a million dollars and pinch mes, especially to some of the stuff on born on a pirate ship or maybe you should drive, and actually listen to the lyrics from "this is where it ends" or "I live with it every day," it's not the goofiness of one week at all.

Maybe I'll get on a real computer and type it out one of these days, but probably not. Anything I post here will just invite NSW's posts about how he thought i hate everything, and couldn't possibly think anything positive about anything, or he'll take something snot 100% positive and point out that I can even make disparaging remarks about thinks I claim to like, so it's not even worth it. It's one thing when it's mofo calling me a hippie liar, because he's been doing that for close to a decade now, and even though I'm pretty decently removed from the shitty headspace this particular long winded post would delve into, it's not something I really feel like putting out there for a bunch of people on the Internet.

 

[cobl04]

The film clip for Madvillain's “Accordion” might be the least exciting hip-hop video ever. It's certainly the least colourful – and it's not even in black-and-white. But that about sums up Madvillainy. For all the hype, all the laudatory reviews, all the “greatest ___” lists it appears on, Madvillainy is, on the surface, unremarkable. There were no crossover hits. It is significantly shorter than most other hip-hop magna opera. There are no big-name guests, no instantly recognisable samples. The beats from producer Madlib, one half of Madvillain along with MC MF Doom, are hardly the kind to be found in hot night clubs, nor at the business end of singles charts. Even Doom is hardly thrown up in conversations about the best MCs. For god's sake he hides behind a mask on the cover of the album, his left eye visible if you look closely enough, his right just detectable in the right light. So what is it about Madvillainy that makes it such a hip-hop classic?

I remember when I first heard the album. After months, probably years of coaxing by the likes of Cassie, LM and later bollox in the hip-hop thread I decided to finally purchase the album – the three of you know my tastes, I figured why bother downloading – and I first played it in my car on the way to see Zola Jesus. It's funny – I didn't like it much on that first listen, and I left the concert much more impressed by Nika Danilova than I had been by Madvillainy. That was on June 2 – I bought Conatus that night and made it through about six tracks on the way home. I have not listened to it since, and yet, according to last.fm, I have played Madvillainy in full at least 10 times since. “Accordion” 24 times, “Raid” 15 times, “Fancy Clown” 14. Funny how that happens with music.

My original reaction to the album was this:

I found it pretty inaccessible. Kind of a frustrating listen with all the sampling, instrumentals, shorter tracks. MF DOOM isn't high up on my list of favourite MCs. Production not quite what I hoped.

But knowing myself, I also said this in the same post:

This, of course, is based on one listen. I'm sure I'll come around.

And did I ever. There was never really any major turning point for me either. I've had a sort of weird experience with this album; other albums I've not liked much originally but came around to usually clicked with me on one particular occasion; I heard something I didn't before, something that annoyed me previously didn't bother me in the slightest on repeated plays. But Madvillainy was an album that just grew slightly (and continues to grow) with every listen. It's like a parasite crawling under your skin, but one that you grow to love considerably instead of opting to have surgically removed. These days I can barely go a week or two without listening to it. Songs, verses, beats, even single lines pop randomly into my head and I am compelled to listen to the album again and it will remain with me for the rest of the day. In spite of itself – short tracks that end before you expect them to, a couple of instrumentals, a lack of obvious, immediate standouts – Madvillainy is extremely catchy. And in an atypical way – more often than not I find random lyrics jumping into my head, rather than beats or hooks, not that there are too many of those to be found.

Let's start with the beats. I don't know much about Madlib. To my knowledge this is the only album I've heard wholly or majorly produced by him, though I'm certain I've heard several other tracks that are credited to him. Throughout the album the beats are laidback but complex, which makes the album best listened to through good bass-heavy headphones. It truly is an album with which you will discover something new on every spin. His samples are incredibly well-done, but the most astonishing thing about it is they never become a distraction. That's not to say they are incongruous or innocuous, more that he works very well with his MC; he lays down the beat, gets out of the way to let Doom do his thing, then gets back to business when he needs to. Oftentimes it is impossible to tell when one track ends and another begins; indeed there are several songs on the album that I still struggle to name six months after first hearing it, because it all flows so expertly. The transitions between tracks are very impressive, particularly in the way Madlib manages to pair songs that, taken on their own, would not appear to suit adjacency. Take the transition between “Rainbows”, a slow, almost beat-less track which samples some horns in between barely-audible vocals from Doom, and “Curls”, a far more upbeat tune with much more committed rapping from Doom. Madlib samples some more menacing-sounding horns before a movie sample, “this villain was a ruthless masked conquerer with aspirations to dominate the universe”, then moving straight into the warped organ of “Curls”. It's not seamless at all, but it works perfectly, and it's a trick he uses again and again, which helps keep the album moving and ensures it never becomes predictable or lethargic.

Then there's the songs themselves. “Accordion” is constructed almost entirely out of an accordion sample from a track called “Experience” by LA producer Daedelus. Madlib simply adds bass and a drum clap around it and lets Doom do his thing. The giddily happy “Raid” is built off some more warped piano, this time taken from an old Latino jazz/swing kinda track by Osmar Milito. (It's on Thom Yorke's iTunes Celebrity Playlist.) “America's Most Blunted” shows off Madlib's mastery with sample after sample after sample, creating an almost cacophonous beat with stilted guitar, grabs of bong hits, record scratches and finally a Sesame Street-aping advert for weed at the very end. “Strange Ways” samples a song called “Funny Ways” by Gentle Giant. The sample is only a few seconds in the original track, but Madlib speeds it up and makes it sound creepy and ominous here. “Fancy Clown” cuts and speeds up the chorus from soul track “That Ain't The Way You Make Love” by ZZ Hill and lays down the most gorgeously melancholic beat on the album as a platform for Doom to lament about a girlfriend who cheated on him. “Eye” has a slinky yet slick, icy-cold R&B beat while “All Caps”, perhaps the album's most well-known track, goes back to more warped piano to great effect. “Great Day” feels like you're out taking a walk on a beautiful Sunday evening while somewhat hungover and “Rhinestone Cowboy” features incessant cheering and clapping, a sort of victory lap. It's not superfluous though, and neither is it self-congratulatory. It simply brings an extra sense of joy to the listener, and it's deserved, given the murkier beats found earlier on the record. It might surprise some to know Madlib is from California; his production style owes more to the jazzier East Coast producers of the late 80s and early 90s. But all it does is prove that Madvillainy is a release that transcends location and time.

Madvillainy was also the first time I had heard MF Doom rap. On that first listen, much like the beats, I wasn't all that impressed. He isn't a quick rapper (at times he almost sounds like he is trying to catch up to himself) and his style is very laid-back, if verbose. There are literally zero choruses on the album. But spin the album a few times and you will soon have a new MC to add to your list of favourites. Doom may not be the most accessible or appealing rapper, especially to relative newcomers to hip-hop, but he does so many little things that only boost your appreciation on repeat listens. He is one of the best in the game with rhymes and it's only close listening that will reveal that. Take opener “Accordion” - he raps most of the song with four line rhymes that mesh expertly with the beat.

Livin' off borrowed time the clock tick faster
That'll be the hour they knock the slick blaster
Dick Dastardly and Mutley with sick laughter
A gun fight and they come to cut the mix-master

That's an incredible start but Doom is so smooth and laid-back in the way he raps, and slips so comfortably into the beat, that it can take a few listens to appreciate what he's doing. The lyrics to the song itself are really nothing more than your typical MC boast - “know who's the illest ever like the greatest story told” - but it is chock full of such well-crafted, memorable lines that it's one of the most addictive hip-hop tracks ever, let alone on the album. (Hell, Mos Def even did the song during a live set.)

Just keep your eye out, like 'aye aye cap'n

Got more lyrics than the church got 'ooh-lord's

Slip like Freudian / your first and last step to playin' yourself like accordion

Doom rarely settles into one style either, frequently changing from song to song. While “Accordion” features mostly full lines, the very next track, “Meat Grinder” sees Doom cram as many words into one line as possible, sometimes going five or six seconds without so much as taking a breath.

Then it's last down 7 alligator 7 at the gates of heaven knockin' no answer slow dancer hopeless romancer dopest flow stanzas

Many of his lines use words or phrases which are very seldom found in hip-hop. From the same track, when do you ever see a line like “the worst-hated god who perpetrated odd favours / demonstrated in the perforated Rod Lavers”? And the line is so calmly, so slyly rapped by Doom that it almost slips on by without you noticing that he's just referenced a former Australian tennis player.

“Figaro” is another track that shows off Doom's immense ability to rhyme mercilessly. Again, it's not necessarily fast, but it's very controlled and the way he crams so many words, references and phrases into such a short amount of time will leave your head-spinning. The whole track is extremely impressive – one line is “as he get older he get colder than a witch tit” - but take this section for example.

Do not stand still / both show skills / close but no crills / toast for po'ills / post no bills / coast to coast Joe Schmoes flows ill / go chill / not supposed to overdose on No Doz pills

Doom mumbles his way through it all with ease, without taking a breath. It's mind-blowing.

Don't ask me about the lyricism on this album, as I'm not really sure I get what it's all about. It seems to be relatively typical for the genre, with lyrics about girls, booze, drugs, money. There isn't any conscious social commentary going on here so if you're looking for a hip-hop album with a message, Madvillainy's not it. (Aside from “Strange Ways” which deals with petty crime and war.) But what it does have in absolute spades is extremely clever, witty rhyming, catchy, funny one-liners and hilarious little vignettes. Take “Operation Lifesaver”, for example, only a minute-and-a-half long, but a funny tale of Doom trying to hit on a girl at a club:

Wow, you caught me off guard
Tried to breathe out but she made me cough hard
Contact the god and let him know to slip two in; fine, how are you doing?
Can I get you a drink? This one's a shoo-in
Awkward situation that I'm on a mission to ruin
Her big butt and smile was like camo
Hit up the men's room I need more ammo... (fire in the hole)

And on it goes. Hip-hop is often funny, but rarely, if ever, is it as interesting, quirky and enjoyable as it is on Madvillainy. Doom is pretty hilarious on this album, and before I list a few more of my favourite lines I'll just post two of the funniest lines on the album.

From “Money Folder”, a wonderful, cheeky pun on girls and alcohol - “Don't mind me, I wrote this rhyme lightly off of two or three heinies / and boy was they fine, G! / one black, one Spanish, one Chinese”

And from “Great Day”, where Doom sets up the rhyme to make the listener expect to hear the line end with the word “bitches” before he literally interrupts himself and changes it - “And I wish they fix the door to the Matrix, its mad glitches / spit so many verses sometimes my jaw itches / one thing this party could use is more *ahem* booze”

Some of my favourite funny lines:

Hey you! Don't touch the mic like it's AIDS on it - “Accordion”
Borderline schizo, sorta fine tits though - “Meat Grinder”
Doom nominated for best rolled L's / and they wonder how he dealt with stress so well - “America's Most Blunted”
A rhyming klepto who couldn't go up in the store no more - “Curls”
Egads, she got enough style to start three fads / true that, she bad, I wonder what she might do with kneepads - “ Money Folder”
Remember our vacation out to Maryland? I dooked the maid Carolyn, she made me throw the towel in - “Fancy Clown”

And some of my favourite lines from the album for whatever reason. This is one of the best things about the album, there are just so many catchy lines that continuously pop into my head.

On one scary night I saw the light / heard a voice that sound like Barry White / said 'sure you're right' - “Raid”
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone / after you who's last / it's Doom, he's the worst known - “Money Folder”
When the smoke clear you can see the sky again / there will be the chopped off heads of Leviathan - “Strange Ways”
Oh my aching hands / from raking in grams and breaking in mic stands - “Rhinstone Cowboy

Literally every word of “All Caps” and “Great Day”, but these two bits in particular

Whip up a slice of nice verse pie / hit on the first try / Villain, the worst guy - “All Caps”
Couldn't find a pen had to think of a new trick / this one he wrote in cold blood with a toothpick - “Great Day”

I could go on and on and on about this album but that'll do me for now. To close, Madvillainy is the most unique hip-hop album I've ever heard and there aren't many albums in any genre that reward repeat listens like Madvillainy does. One of the best examples of the phrase “greater than the sum of its parts”.

I didn't like it at first. Six months later and it's become one of my favourite albums ever. Please listen to it. It's addictive.

 

[cobl04]

Anyone? this is the best thread we have!!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Can't comment on the artist, as I've never heard anything by him (though this post does have me intrigued), but I did like reading your thoughts. Particularly given how drastically you changed your mind.

 

[cobl04]

Haha you were nearly the last person I thought would be able to comment so it's all good Thanks for reading!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

You're welcome! Hopefully someone will be able to properly discuss this with you, though.

I keep wanting to post something here myself, but I'm not sure what or whom I'd want to write about. Hmmmm. But I do like it when this thread pops up with some new essay.

 

[IWasBored]

You were nearly the last, bet I'm the last!

 

[LemonMelon]

l TOLD YOU SO

 

[joyfulgirl]

Anyone? this is the best thread we have!!

Yeah but that's way long, dude.

Spoiler

I shall read.

 

[cobl04]

It is pushing 3000 words

And I knocked it out in about a fifth of the time it will take me to write this 2000 word essay I've got due for philosophy...

You were nearly the last, bet I'm the last!

Yep

 

[No spoken words]

I read it, always enjoy this thread, regardless of whether I share an affinity for the artist, or am on the opposite end of the spectrum.

 

[cobl04]

I didn't really want to sound like a desperate 12-year-old girl, by the way all, I just enjoy chatting about everything and anything as you know

 

[joyfulgirl]

I now know all about Madvillain. Thanks, cobbler.

But what I really got from all that (not being a big rap fan) is that I needed to go find that Thom Yorke iTunes playlist which seems to no longer exist.

And I'm also going to check out some Madvillain. That accordion thing sounds interesting.

FYI for future reviews: the parasite analogy didn't really work for me.

 

[cobl04]

I should have checked to see if that playlist still exists. It was probably around a long time ago.

Duly noted

 

[joyfulgirl]

Spoiler

I had a bad bout with parasites. I'm scarred.

 

[No spoken words]

One of my favorite posters, who I miss around these parts, onebloodonelife, once sent me some Madvillain stuff to listen to. I enjoyed it.