#there was a chart I think that had several different breeds labeled before it got taken down

[trashyvanillabean]

Calling it right now after watching (and rewatching) the Critter Pick bit of 1.6:

Videos of those cakey critters are going to be the equivalent of cat videos.

#vanille throws out the garbage #honkai star rail #honkai star rail 1.6 #there was a chart I think that had several different breeds labeled before it got taken down #my faves so far are Sesame Cake; Rice Dumpling and Lambda's Friend #Sesame Cake strikes me as the kind of unhinged little fucker that is either biting at your heels and ankles; or just staring off into space

[passionate-reply]

Alright, that’s enough talking about albums people have heard of. It’s time for Great Albums to start getting obscure! Find out why Thomas Leer’s The Scale of Ten is the best industrial-sophistipop fusion album you’ve probably never heard of. Transcript below the break!

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! So far in this series, I’ve talked about a lot of widely beloved and classic electronic albums. But I’ve always intended for Great Albums to encompass any and all albums that I, personally, consider “great.” Today, I’m going to be discussing a pretty obscure album and artist for the first time: this is Thomas Leer’s The Scale of Ten.

Thomas Leer got his start as an industrial musician--and about as close to the source as you get, releasing his first full-length LP on Throbbing Gristle’s private label, Industrial Records, in 1979. That album was The Bridge, a collaboration with Robert Rental, and its minimal, distorted drones sound like a lot of other 70s industrial.

Music: “Connotations”

Leer’s early work was underground, but by the time of The Scale of Ten, he had shifted directions, and was actually angling for mainstream pop success.

Music: “Heartbeat”

There are lots of artists who have attempted to make the leap from underground darling to synth-pop star, and Leer was probably one of the least successful at doing that. “Heartbeat” is dying to be a hit single, and it gets priority billing as the opening track of the second side. It’s this awkward breed of “industrial pop,” where a harsh, mechanical screech meets a basic love lyric. I’m sure it’s somewhat unintentional how strident the backing track for this song is, but while it makes the song impossible to parse as pop, I actually enjoy it and think it gives the track a lot of character. You often hear people say, “there’s no such thing as objectively bad music...EXCEPT for music that doesn’t achieve what is intended by the artist.” I have to disagree with that, because I think a track like “Heartbeat,” that fails at being a pop song in a unique and interesting way, is pretty enjoyable to listen to.

Part of the reason why tracks like “Heartbeat” do sound a bit more pop than The Bridge is actually technology. The Fairlight CMI, featured in full force on The Scale of Ten, brought synth and sampling to a wider audience with its relative accessibility, and its softer, more “breathy” sound is now strongly associated with the rash of very commercial synth-pop that came to dominate the charts in the mid and late 80s. Leer got his hands on this when it was new, before a lot of these trends had settled in, and he used this technology in uncanny and unprecedented ways.

Music: “Lust For Loneliness”

But not everything you hear on this album is so strongly dominated by electronics. The pseudo-title track “Number One,” a veritable “ear worm” if I’ve ever heard one, features an abundance of traditional instruments like horns and strings. They were actually arranged by Anne Dudley, famous for her work with the Art of Noise and other production work alongside Trevor Horn. Against this lush, orchestral backdrop, Leer is far from a suave crooner--instead, his thin, nasal vocals seem woefully inadequate to express what he’s getting at. But, as with “Heartbeat,” that incompetence makes this track interesting. I think Leer’s cracking, withered voice comes across as everymannish, and perhaps vulnerable, in contrast to these very slick sophisti-pop instrumentals.

Music: “Number One”

While the frailty of Leer’s voice in “Number One” seems to bring an unintended pathos to it, The Scale of Ten is not without more deliberately ironic compositions. “International,” not to be confused with the similarly-named B-side of Leer’s first single, “Private Plane,” delivers us a peaceful, dreamy soundscape. But taking a closer listen to some of its lyrics reveals that that ultra-polished sound conceals a darker secret: the narrator of this song appears to be smuggling drugs.

Music: “International”

The album title The Scale of Ten appears to be a reference to the lyrics of “Number One.” Given that that track is single bait, it seems plausible that the album was named after its secondary lyric chiefly for marketing purposes--though the fact that it also has exactly ten tracks is somewhat satisfying.

I was initially pretty unimpressed with the cover design. Leer is a good-looking guy and all, but this weird close-up of him staring at us seems like an odd choice. It’s kind of grown on me, though, in a “kitsch chic” kind of way. It wasn’t until I owned this album on vinyl that I realized there’s a bit of an old-fashioned television display effect overlaid onto this image, which does add some subtle, additional visual interest, and makes it feel like some sort of candid surveillance footage or something.

For all of its faults, The Scale of Ten hardly put an end to Thomas Leer’s pop ambitions, and his greatest success in this style was yet to come. Several years later, he would form a bona fide synth-pop duo, with Propaganda frontman Claudia Bruecken. As “Act,” the two of them achieved some minor success--more acclaim than Leer had as a solo artist, anyway.

Music: “Snobbery & Decay”

Following the Act era, Leer would retire from making music for the next several decades. In the past few years, however, he’s returned to music, releasing some of his archival tapes from the 70s and 80s for the first time, as well as putting together some new compositions, playing with electronics, lounge music, and traditional pop influences.

My favourite track on The Scale of Ten, and one of my very favourite songs of all time, is its stunning opener, “Searcher.” Moreso than anything else on this album, “Searcher” really delivers on the premise of “industrial pop,” combining that soft, fluttering Fairlight-heavy sound with dejected vocals narrating a trip through an urban blight-scape. There’s even a fake-out ending! “Searcher” is just unlike anything else, on this album, or otherwise--it’s like a window into an alternate world, a completely different approach to the core ideas of industrial that has almost nothing in common with the rhythm-heavy “electronic body music” of the Continent. That’s all I have for today--thanks for watching!

Music: “Searcher”

#music #great albums #album review #album reviews #thomas leer

[everythingmusicandfilm]

Scorpion / Drake Album Review

On the 29th of June 2018 Drake released his highly anticipated double album Scorpion. Whilst Side A is mainly rap orientated and features some incredible bangers, Side B is more R&B and it gets real emotional real fast. The two sides represent angry/bitter Drake vs self searching Drake. The album is definitely drama orientated as Drake recognises how much his music is analysed. He takes this and makes it his own to create a stand out album that will have people talking for years to come.

SIDE A

“Survival”

“Survival”, the first track on the album is about Drake’s career and his rap game (“House on  both coasts but I live on the charts”). He talks about being independent from his label and his beef with other rappers (potentially Meek Mill and Diddy). This song introduces us to the album and lets us know that he will dive into the drama (“Now I gotta deal with all this drama and deal with myself”). The electronic tones over the beat along with the pure passive aggressive rap verse create an intriguing intro to this album (“This just the intro, let me not get ahead of myself”).

“Nonstop”

On this track, Drake praises his own abilities as a rapper and talks about the behind the scenes of being a musician (“I can’t go in public like a civilian for real”). The hook of the song is sampled from a Memphis Tape from 1995 by Mack Daddy Ju and D.J. Squeeky. The rapping on this track is insane as it should be when you’re rapping about how good you are at rapping…(“Money for revenge, man, that’s hardly an expense”). The song has an enriching deep bass with a serious bounce and Drake’s flow on this track has me seriously excited for the rest of the album.

“Elevate”

“Elevate” is about Drake looking back on his accomplishments and what he has done for his friends and family but also wanting to pursue more in life (“I’m in bed awake, thinkin’ how’d I make, all this happen for myself and my family”). One of the more pulsing beats of any of the tracks on the album and some in depth lyrics (“I wanna thank God for workin’ way harder than Satan”). Although it has a slow start this track just gets better as the song goes on.

“Emotionless”

Wow this song had me speechless first listen. “Emotionless” is the first song on the album where Drake acknowledges his son (“I wasn’t hidin’ my kid from the world I was hidin’ the world from my kid”). This is a response to Pusha T’s diss track of Drake. Drake also addresses this social media obsessed society that we live in (“I know a girl whose one goal was to visit Rome then she finally got to Rome and all she did was post pictures for people at home, cause all that mattered was impressin’ everybody she’s known”). The choral singing by Mariah Carey at the start of the song is impressive and surprising and when the beat comes in you know it’s going to be a good song. The lyrics in this song are the best so far and this track was instantly one of my favourites when I first listened to the album.

“God’s Plan”

“God’s Plan” was the first song released from the album and it definitely paved way for Drake’s ongoing success. The song addresses how being in the music industry means people want him to fail but he knows that God won’t let that happen (“I see the things that they wishin’ on me”). He also talks about the struggle of finding legit friends in the industry as most people who enter his life have a motive to benefit themselves. Another topic of the song is Drake honoring his old life before his success. The song is a feel good track with an enticing beat and potentially the most iconic lyrics of the entire album…(“She said ‘do you love me?’ I tell her ‘only partly’, I only love my bed and my momma I’m sorry”). Drake used the $996,631.00 budget for the music video to donate to families, schools and charities.

“I’m Upset”

Potentially the most basic lyrics from the album, Drake in “I’m Upset” addresses how he thinks he needs to protect his money from the women in his life (“I’m a always take the money over sex, that’s why they need me out the way, what you expect?”). Another song playing to his ego and stressing about the problems of being rich although it has interesting relevance after the track “Emotionless”.

“8 out of 10”

On “8 Out of 10” Drake talks about his life at the moment and how he realises that people will always judge and criticise him but he knows that he is still a success (“Your sister is pressin’ play, your trainer is pressin’ play, your wifey your wifey your wifey your wifey - (true)”). This track has an intriguing beat with enticing background vocals…(“I don’t like to talk when there’s nothin’ else left to say”). The song mentions his son once again and is a representation of Drake overcoming criticism to continue releasing bangers.

“Mob Ties”

“Mob Ties” is Drake’s way of severing ties with people who have betrayed him and people who have criminal pasts. The piano sample is from “Affirmative Action” by Nas’ Mafioso and it reminds me of a Linkin Park song for some reason or the background of a mafia movie. The chorus of this song is by far the best part and the tune is one that has been stuck in my head for days (“It’s too late for all that lovey-dovey shit, I’m your brother shit, all that other shit”).

“Can’t Take a Joke”

In “Can’t Take a Joke”, Drake addresses his life as a celebrity as he is living in Hidden Hills, always taking vacations and hanging with friends who ‘can’t take a joke’ (“If they come to Hidden Hills then I know they know the deal”). He stresses about not wanting to fuel the fire with his haters but also he knows that he can’t just sit back. This song continues the themes from “I’m Upset”. Drake’s rap game in this track is strooooong. His strong flow and unusual tempo makes this track unique and it is definitely one of my favourites from the album..(“and I gotta own the things I rap about just for my pride, you know when it comes to pride I can’t put that shit aside”).

“Sandra’s Rose”

“Sandra’s Rose” is about how fame has affected Drake’s life. It is about the money and the girls and how he gets discredited for it (“I’m standin’ at the top of where you n***** are climbin’ to reach, I even got my very own initials inscribed on my sheets”). ‘Sandra’s Rose’ could refer to himself as his mother’s name is Sandra and she used to be a florist (“My mother had a flower shop, but I was Sandra’s Rose”). The lyrics in this track are very in-depth (“Bury me and I’ll be born again, I walk in godly form amongst the mortal men”) and even include a reference to the B side of the album (“Spoiler alert: the second act is tragic”). This song is fill of cold lyrics and soulful background vocals.

“Talk Up”

“Talk Up” is about the road Drake took to get to his success (“My money is young, my problems are old I promise I’m bridgin’ the gap”). Jay-Z raps about his experiences as a rapper (“Already a hood legend, I ain’t need no shine”). The collaboration with Jay-Z is an interesting surprise and is definitely impressive as he manages to reference Donald Trump, Kanye West and the death of XXXtentacion in one verse. This is particularly surprising seeing as XXXtentacion only died last week. The beat in this song is on fire and the rap is definitely a favourite among many Drake and Jay-Z fans.

“Is There More”

On “Is There More” Drake addresses how he is more than just a rapper but at the same time he questions what this ‘more’ is (“Is there more to life than digits and bankin’ accounts? Is there more to life than sayin’ I figured it out?”). The song includes some ambient sounds in the background, reflecting a seek for purpose and Nai Palm ends the song. The song shows Drake’s powerful rapping skills and the lyrics are a lot to unpack. The track is the last song on Side A which is mostly rap songs about his fame and success and it preludes to the Side B where we glimpse into this life Drake has that he doesn’t rap about.

Side A

Wow Side A is definitely my favourite side of the album and I am very very impressed. It is a representation of ‘Drake the rapper’ as he gets angry and vents about his way to success and reflects on his life. The lyrics definitely play to Drake’s ego as he brags about his success. In these twelve songs, Drake shows all sides of himself and proves his rap game is better than ever. The deep bass beats, strong vocal flow and lyrics that make me speechless make this the best we have seen from Drake.

SIDE B

“Peak”

On “Peak” Drake discusses his failed relationships that reached their ‘peak’ and then didn’t work out. He refers a lot to British culture, hinting that the girl he is talking about is British (“England breeds proper girls”). The song has mellow electronic sounds that remind me of “Marvin’s Room” and it introduces the Side B of the album as the more R&B side. The outro of the song is Stefflon Don, Vinessa Douglas and Rhea Kpaka. Overall a rather underwhelming start to the second half of the album.

“Summer Games”

“Summer Games” slows the tempo down as Drake addresses his heartbreak that occurred during the summer. Drake states in a very obvious way that the girl said ‘I love you’ too early and he wasn’t ready for the commitment (“You said ‘I love you’ too fast, so much for that, girl, summer just started and we’re already done”). He also addresses the effects of the internet in relationships (“You say I led you on but you followed me, I follow one of your friends you unfollow me”). The song has a very vintage electronic groove with deep synth sounds.

“Jaded”

“Jaded” is referring to the idea of being overworked or having too much of something (“Always felt like stickin’ round’s the same as being stuck”). Some believe this track is about Jorja Smith who is a bit younger than Drake (“Differences in ages, you’re old enough but you’re still a baby”). Drake is singing a lot more on this track but the song just seems like a filler song and it does not stand out. The deep bass drums and synth overlays help pick it up however (“Yes I’m hurting, yes I’m Jaded”).

“Nice For What”

After three slow dragging songs, Side B has finally turned up with “Nice For What”. “Nice For What” is a love letter to the women in his life as Drake addresses female empowerment. He knows what women go through in this digital age and the resistance they are met with but he wants them to know that he understands and appreciates them (“I’ve been peepin’ what you bringin’ to the table, workin’ hard girl everything paid for”). The pre-chorus and chorus is sung by Lauryn Hill and she definitely heightens the song (“Care for me, care for me, you said you’d care for me”). Also Leticia Wright is the one who says (“Watch the breakdown”). This upbeat number is an attempt to celebrate all the women who are suffering and their hard work (“You know dark days, you know hard times”). The fantastic R&B beat, the crisp drums and empathetic lyrics create a R&B spectacle I can’t get enough of.

“Finesse”

“Finesse” is about a woman in Drake’s life who he would rather have a kid with than his son’s real mother, Sophie Brussaux (“I want my baby to have your eyes”). The harmonies in this song are impressive and the hook is enticing. The slow R&B chorus and Drake’s voice dragging the notes creates a rather unique song with a haunting beat (“Can’t be in a room with you and stand on differents sides, you stay on my mind”).

“Ratchet Happy Birthday”

This track is a mellow upbeat song with slightly immature lyrics (“Petty bullshit shouldn’t excite you on your birthday”). Drake sings about a woman he knows who is lacking emotional feeling (“To be, to feel, to fill, that emptiness inside you”). Ironically this song does the same thing and is not a song I’m exactly raving about. It fails to dive into the bounce it so clearly needs and ends up dragging.

“That’s How You Feel”

“That’s How You Feel” addresses a girl Drake is interested in but he’s not sure if she feels the same way (“Told you I couldn’t really draw the line”). In this track Drake samples the live performance of Nicki Minaj’s “Boss Ass Bitch” (“Rule number one to be a boss-ass bitch”), potentially the best part of the whole song. The chorus has a unique rhythm that is easy to get stuck in your head (“I know you like to drink ‘til the sun up, grind ‘til you come up, work all winter, shine all summer”). This song has really good production and is a good mixture between rapping and singing.

“Blue Tint”

“Blue Tint” addresses an ex that Drake has got back together with and how he is surprised that she has changed and he’s ready to give her another chance (“Look who I’m fuckin’ again, I had her on ice but then I watched the ice get thin”). He also frequently refers to his money, power and reputation in the rap game (“My window got blue in the tint ooh”). Future also features on this song (“Blue faces, I got blue diamonds, blue tint yeah”). This song has a great modern drum beat however I do wish Future featured a little more on the song.

“In My Feelings”

No matter where I am, whenever this song comes on I will automatically start dancing. This is by far one of my favourite tracks from the album. The song is a love letter to the members of City Girls, a pop musical girl group (“Kiki, do you love me? Are you riding? Say you’ll never ever leave from beside me”). There are several vocal samples including the track “Smoking Gun” by Magnolia Shorty. Also “Lollipop” by Lil Wayne is used and the seventh episode of Atlanta, which stars Childish Gambino. The episode was titled ‘Champagne Papi’ and the character is saying how he needs a photo with Drake for his instagram. The song has a sick New Orleans bounce that makes you want to dance all night long, it is a pure R&B track (“Two bad bitches and we kissin’ in the wraith”).

“Don’t Matter To Me”

“Don’t Matter To Me” features a collaboration with the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson (“It don’t matter to me what you say”). The featured vocals of the late Michael Jackson give the song a rather nostalgic feel or a slightly haunting one, I haven’t decided which yet. In Drake’s verse he addresses an ugly breakup with an ex (“Drinking’s enough of a vice, drugs just aren’t suiting you right”). The song mixes classic R&B vibes with a modern edge and whether MJ’s vocals are welcoming or haunting, they are definitely surprising.

“After Dark”

Definitely the more sensual of lyrics on the album, “After Dark” addresses a girl Drake wants to hook up with and he explains exactly how he will do it (“Put your phone down, you’re gonna need two hands, after dark”). Drake sounds really good on this track, definitely some of his best vocals. The featured vocals from Ty Dolla $ign are impressive and they kind of steal the song (“You said ‘do anything but just don’t lie to me’, I said I ride for you girl you said you ride for me”). The song has a thumping beat with an interesting guitar riff. It is a true R&B beat and the collaboration between Drake, Ty Dolla and Static is one I didn’t know I needed so bad.

“Final Fantasy”

Just when you thought “After Dark” was as sexual as it was gonna get, Drake comes through with “Final Fantasy”. On this track Drake describes his sexual fantasies as he realises he does not address this often so he wants to tell this girl exactly what he wants (“Yeah I never really talk about dick that I wanna give you, or places I wanna get to, neck grab, head grab, arch back, heart attack, cardiac”). The song features a sample from the video game ‘Final Fantasy’. The song is a raw and honest view of Drake’s sex life (“Make that face up if you dare but just be prepared that I am gonna cause that lipstick to smear”), (“I hope that the apocalypse is the only thing that doesn’t come now - well what now?”). I really like the keys in the background and Drake rapping over R&B beats is definitely something I love to hear.

“March 14”

“March 14”, the final track of the album and let’s be honest whenever a Drake song has a date or place as the title you know it’s gonna be good. On this track, Drake has an in-depth honest conversation about his child (“She’s not my lover like Billie Jean but the kid is mine”). He discusses the idea of being a single father and how that was something he disliked about his own father growing up (“Single father, I hate when I hear it, I use to challenge my parents on every album now I’m embarrassed to tell ‘em I ended up as a co-parent”). He tells his son that he won’t have to worry about the struggles of having separated parents (“I don’t want you worry ‘bout whose house you live at or who loves you more...I’m too proud to let that come between me and you now”). The date March 14 could refer to the day Drake played ‘Fortnite’ with Ninja or the day he met Kanye West to help record his album. A melodic piano comes in at the end as Drake addresses his pain (“No one to guide me, I’m all alone, no one to cry on I need shelter from the rain, to ease the pain, I’m changing from boy to a man”). Proving that although he may rap about being successful and powerful, he is still lost and searching for himself.

Side B

Side B dragged in a few places and it is definitely a representation of ‘Drake the singer’. It may be slightly bitter but it is also extremely raw and honest. Side B has more slow R&B tracks reminiscent of his early career. While there are shining moments, the music on Side B doesn’t seem to stick as much as Side A.

Overall I think Scorpion is an album for the ages. Some lyrics are immature or bitter and some are just an outright brag about his fame, money and power. However with his climb to success and struggles he’s encountered on the way, it seems only fair that Drake should be allowed to rap about this. Side A is definitely the more rap focused side and it produces some quality jams like “Emotionless”, “God’s Plan” and “Talk Up”. Side B is the more raw and emotional R&B side that produces some honest and enticing tracks like “Nice For What”, “In My Feelings” and “March 14”. Side A is definitely my favourite side as it proves Drake’s rap game is stronger than ever, whereas Side B although had its shining moments, seemed to drag a little. The album may be more of a circle than an ongoing journey but it takes us on an emotional roller coaster that we will no doubt be experiencing for years to come.

#drake #scorpion #music #album #review

[strangledeggs]

The Day The Music Dies: Rock And Roll's Iceage

Apparently I wrote this whole thing last year and then never posted it! I think it’s because I was second-guessing its actual quality, but it’s been so long since I posted here that I think I owe any hangers-on some piece of writing, so here’s my concert/discography review of Iceage combined with musings on the perpetual “death of rock and roll”:

July 8th, 2018 Recently, I’ve been reading a posthumous collection of the writing of 60s-generation rock critic Ellen Willis, “Out Of The Vinyl Deeps”. It’s been a fascinating read so far due in part to her intriguing perspectives on various musical acts from the 60s-80s and beyond - but also in part to the bizarre contrast her strongly rock-centric writing forms with a much more recent Vice article by Dan Ozzi I read that heralds (once again) the “death of rock”*. As tiresome as it is to beat this long-deceased horse, I think it’s worth exploring the reasons why Ozzi seems to think that rock’s “death” (which turns out to be more of a clickbait-trick, as he ultimately pulls a 180 to march out the equally-tired counterpart claim “It’s not dead, it’s just underground!”) is actually a good thing and the mistakes he might be making in his assumptions about where it might go next. And throughout this exploration, I’m going to try and weave in a narrative about Iceage, a “rock” band who came of age in this supposedly “anti-rock” era and whose recent modest success and continually developing sound seem to run both parallel to and against Ozzi’s narrative.

I’d argue that Ozzi’s first mistake is treating “rock” as a genre that exists in itself, rather than a tenuous category that’s been something of a moving target since its inception in the public consciousness. From the piece’s beginning, Ozzi notes the current chart dominance of hip-hop that increasingly eclipses even the most successful rock acts not only of our time, but even of previous eras. But why should we be treating these categories as separate? In truth, hip-hop is just a re-branding of the same type of music as rock, existing as mere subspecies on the pop music continuum (note that it’s “pop music”, not just “music” - that’s important, and I’ll get into it later). If this seems unintuitive, we could look to the past, which reveals how rock music only assembled itself out of the skeleton of American rhythm and blues of the 30s-50s and later gave way to soul, funk and all the other genres that would form the elements of hip-hop. Arguably, even the electronic music that now dominates the charts and hip-hop beats got its start in relation to pop and rock - just listen to the chugging rhythms of Kraftwerk and then notice how they were sampled on some of the earliest hip-hop singles by Afrika Bambaataa.

But we don’t even need to reach that far back, considering the evidence is right here in front of us: why would Rae Sremmurd name their single “Black Beatles” if they didn’t see themselves as existing on some kind of continuum with the legendary pop/rock band? “Hip-hop is the new rock” is more than just a catch-phrase - it’s a revelation as old as hip-hop’s genesis and can be demonstrated through the crossover success of Run-DMC and Rage Against The Machine, as well as the usual hallelujah’s that accompany mass cultural movements; compare Chuck Berry’s “Hail, hail rock and roll!” with Kanye West’s “Is hip-hop just a euphemism for a new religion?” Even the formal/technical details of the genres can be shown to be similar when broken down, but I won’t bore you with the details of this here. It’s clear that, like most “new waves” in pop music, hip-hop and rock share a symbolic status as emblems of “youth culture”, albeit as it has taken shape in different eras to different demographics.

Suppose, though, that this syncretism isn’t your kind of thing. You might think that, all formal and demographic similarities aside, rock is still noticeably different from hip-hop on an immediate level. And this is important to recognize, too: you wouldn’t ask a famous rock musician to suddenly start rapping or mixing beats; that’s decidedly a different skill set for what can reasonably be labelled a separate genre. So we’ll agree that on some level, rock is of a different breed, and therefore its “death” is something that can be talked about intelligibly. This brings us to Ozzi’s second mistake, which is his diagnosis of the kinds of pitfalls that befell rock, leading to its demise. Rock, he argues, currently suffers from too many “clone” acts, like the endless waves of “post-grunge” Nickelback-esque posers who are still trying to be the next Pearl Jam. He argues that rock seems to naturally follow this cycle in which the underground brings a new sound to the forefront (like grunge), then the new sound is diluted by commercialism and obliterated into blandness as a wave of imitators rush to try and ride the new trend to fame. And now, he concludes, rock will have something of an “underground renaissance” since the imitators will be less attracted to the genre; thus new sounds can abound in indie heaven without the fear of those nasty, co-opting sellouts**.

A nice story, isn’t it? Rock thrives as the underdog because creativity is stifled by commercialism. Only it’s not particularly true; I’d be interested to see Ozzi explain why, if his story is true, rock began as an intensely commercial genre in the 50s*** and remained such for the most part until its recent “demise”. Further, there’s something a little uncomfortable that’s implicit in what Ozzi’s claiming: I buy his take on EDM as a stagnant genre that largely exists to sell products, but does he believe the same is true of hip-hop? Because if so, he’d be flying in the face of most respectable contemporary music criticism. Modern critics have consistently been praising hip-hop as a wellspring of stylistic creativity and innovation for the last three decades, severely undermining the credibility of Ozzi’s narrative. And isn’t hip-hop just as full of uninspired imitators as rock? Why haven’t these profit-motivated trend-riders sunk the genre?

There’s another problem with this story, and I think it relates directly to the kind of revisionist historical trajectory that music sites like Pitchfork and Noisey have been trying to push for. Ozzi makes an interesting assumption in his “underdog” model that made me almost immediately suspicious of it: he seems to equate “underground” with “better”, not just as a relationship between stifling commercialism and the mythical “free artist”, but also as the inverse relationship in which this “free artist” is magically “better” the less bound they are to anyone’s restrictions. To which I will respond****: remember the 60s? The 60s, by many accounts (including many recorded ones), were a time of extreme musical indulgence by the era’s hippie bands. The “free artist” was fully unbound, at least temporarily...and make no mistake, some excellent innovation and music came out of it! But the “jamming” of the 60s bands also represents a kind of nadir in terms of gaps between the audience (critical or popular) and the artist. Even some of the most brilliant performers of the time became prone to some extreme displays of self-indulgence. Indeed, much of the “indie rock” crowd of the last decade still turn up their noses at the 60s for this reason, as do the post-punk and punk movements that predate them. Is the unbound artist always right? Even when this is the result?

But it’s not just the 60s that I want to point the finger at here; I believe there’s a profound hypocrisy going on within later underground movements right up to today, and I would even go so far as to claim that it’s often rooted in a subconscious elitism and racism. Keep in mind, as I develop the following points, that the “jamming” of the 60s had precursors in the blues and jazz that the often-white performers had based their own songs on. Consider that the self-indulgence didn’t disappear after the 60s, either: if anything, it was amplified into the new frontiers of “progressive rock”, which began to imitate classical structures - it’s more complex, see? Punk rock, as I have summarized in another article on its relationship to hip-hop, was largely a reaction to this newfound “refinement” of rock music; it blew a raspberry in the face of bands composing “symphonies” and (gulp) “rock operas”. But both punk and prog faced a common enemy on the charts: disco. While many of the biggest disco hits were by white performers, it was decidedly a “black” genre with its roots in the very black genre of funk. This is important, please remember it.

Whether or not we can credit punk with dethroning prog, disco outlived both and weaved its way into the “new wave” of punk-based rock bands that followed - if you don’t believe me, go back and re-listen to the B-52s and Blondie again. Synthpop and dance music rose up alongside it in the 80s, threatening to take the edge off of rock. Please note here that I only say this in relation to what are likely the perspectives of rock purists. A major part of the point I’m trying to make here is that a new class of rock fans who arose at this point in time, the “purists” who thought rock should be more about returning to what it was like in the 50s-70s before it was “corrupted” by punk and disco, are the ones who help bring about the genre’s downfall. As “rock” came to be associated more and more with the firmly established distorted-guitar sounds of everyone from Chuck Berry to Led Zeppelin, the nostalgic movement of those who wanted to Make Rock Great Again only grew. What’s really intriguing about this movement is how increasingly white it became, as black audiences embraced the new sounds of hip-hop and early house music in the 80s. Soon, the mainstream rock charts were flooded with a horde of Zeppelin imitators in the form of “hair metal”, an ultimately nostalgic and deeply conservative form of rock that sought to undo the perceived damage new wave had done to the genre.

But that’s the mainstream; that’s only half of the problem. While those who still cared about the position of rock on the charts were fretting about what was to become of the genre, those few die-hard punks who hadn’t given up their commitment to total disruption of everything were busy deciding on the answer to that very question. The underground post-punk movement effectively shaped the future of rock, as bands that played just under the new wave radar started incorporating a hodgepodge of bizarre non-rock influences including African music, electronic music, noise and even disco itself. But while this is a fascinating time for innovation in the genre, those who would romanticize it should note that it had an ugly side: for every band like the Talking Heads, who sought to assimilate disco and hip-hop into new hybrid sounds, there were several more pretentious acts who relapsed into prog as they fetishized the work of avant-garde classical composers. What’s really interesting here is that the developing “indie” scene at the time seems to have eaten it all up with equal aplomb; thus dull, ambient muzak and formless noise experimentation (which might normally have had little appeal beyond a select group of devoted acolytes) suddenly became a part of rock’s future DNA just as funk did - maybe even moreso.

As it turned out, this kind of omnivorous attitude led the indie scene down some strange alleyways. Of the various scattered subgenres that emerged to a wider audience in the 90s, one known as “post-rock” was among the most influential. It can sometimes be hard to precisely define post-rock as the terms has, in the past, occasionally been used by music journalists whenever they’re trying to describe a sound that seems to transcend the roots of “classic” rock, but I think post-rock-as-genre can be described in terms of some very specific features that have come to dominate its performers’ tendencies: typically, the songs are long, upwards of 10 minutes; they are largely instrumental, often entirely so; they are organized less like “songs” and more like…“movements” of, er, “symphonies”; the “compositions” (I suppose we’ll call them) tend to be comprised of “textures” rather than the more traditional pop elements such as rhythmic figures, riffs and lyrics - which is not to say it’s devoid of melody...however, the genre does seem to pride itself in its noisiness and “drone-yness”. In short, it seems almost as if post-rock is an attempt to re-cast the “rock band” ensemble as something akin to “high art” by associating it with elements of classical music, effectively trying to establish the genre more in line with the “modern classical” tradition than with pop music. Needless to say, it’s a far cry from punk’s witty mockery, though just as reactionary, I would argue.

Here, we reach the real crux of my argument: it’s interesting to me that my previous statement is actually something of a controversial claim. Today, the influence of this “dull muzak” and “post-rock” remains strong in the modern indie scene - stronger than it was at the time, quite possibly. Certainly stronger than hip-hop or disco’s influence. My suspicion is that this is the source of the elitism and racism I mentioned earlier. The elitism comes in the form of Ozzi’s (and the collective indie scene’s) strange assumptions that underground = better, which leads us to conclude that the ambient fluff that’s plagued post-punk from the start must be better, because it was never in the public spotlight, right? This also sheds some light on the strange persistence of the scene’s distrust of acts that describe themselves simply as “rock”, acts that don’t tag themselves with some subgenre as a sort of dog-whistle disclaimer: HEY, WE’RE NOT LIKE THOSE MAINSTREAM GUYS, WE’RE WEIRD! For such a long time, acts that were simply “rock” like hair metal (which, as far as I know, is not a genre by which the bands involved referred to themselves) were actually privileged on the charts and represented a new low for rock commercialism. Only now, this suspicion persists hopelessly out-of-context; hair metal died 30 years ago, and yet the new generation indie scene still finds it hard to congratulate a straightforward rock band like Wussy, who are in fact in the same financial shoes as the rest of the underground despite writing several album’s worth of songs better than most of what’s come out of it in the past two decades - all because they don’t put on high-art airs.

The racism becomes evident once you realize that the forgotten influences of disco and hip-hop are largely black genres. What’s more, the punk scene (from my observations) has done little to reach out to hip-hop: though rappers increasingly pay tribute to the rock music they were raised on, I see few attempts to try and get black hip-hop acts collaborating with an often-white punk scene. To some degree, I don’t blame them: when a scene consistently chooses white men who noodle aimlessly and atonally on unaccompanied guitars over you*****, why would you want to work with them? It’s almost as if the new tastemakers in rock have grown inexplicably cold to anything that doesn’t elevate them to some kind of status as avant-garde heroes, to anything that shows the slightest touch of warmth towards a wider audience.

Which brings me to Iceage. Iceage is a Danish band that made their international debut in 2011 and are best described as post-punk. They have risen into favour with precisely the type of scene which I spent the previous paragraphs interrogating, and though they’re better than many, they don’t quite escape its worst tendencies. But they do rock, and that has to count for something, doesn’t it?

Seeing as the band only has four studio albums out and has changed its sound significantly on each, I will give a brief overview of their discography here. A brief disclaimer should precede: I have listened to most of these albums only once from start to finish, so take my opinions on them with a grain of salt. That being said, I know what I heard and I know what I like. “New Brigade”, the band’s debut, is arguably their most successful. The single “Broken Bone” is a harsh post-punk explosion of clattering rhythms and guitars that seem to be scrambling to keep up with each other. “White Rune” is more militant and just as catchy, if not moreso. Elsewhere, the album is enjoyable, if a little bit sonically cluttered, but a burst of melody breaks through in the excellent closer “You’re Blessed”.

Seemingly attentive to the problem this clutter could pose, the band focused their sound a little more on the follow-up album “You’re Nothing”; here, the noise feels more artful and the tempos come closer to hardcore punk. Unfortunately, the focus doesn’t help the songs much, and few songs from it made much of a serious impression on me despite enjoying it in the moment.

By this point, Iceage had started to gain something of a more serious following, and their next album, “Plowing Into The Field Of Love”, felt like the biggest “event” of their career since the release of “Broken Bone”. Which is really a shame, since it’s by far their weakest - this happened to be the album where the band inexplicably succumbed to their worst “art rock” tendencies and many of the songs lack rhythmic vitality, drag and ultimately feel directionless. Still, it has what may be their best song on it, a surprise gothic country stomper called “The Lord’s Favourite”. And “Against The Moon” is one of the few exceptions where the band’s experiments with textures here pay off; it’s actually quite pretty (even when you notice that the full line in the chorus is “pissing against the moon”).

The group’s most recent album, “Beyondless”, is something of a return to form. The texture experiments feel more coherent, sometimes evoking jazz fusion, albeit without the virtuosic wankery. Plus there are real songs here: “Pain Killer” and especially “Catch It” are monstrously catchy, and the driving (and aptly-titled) “The Day The Music Dies” boasts a killer guitar riff and horn section. There are still some directionless passages, but otherwise I’ve found it to be their strongest since “New Brigade”.

Of course, the band could easily sink into post-punk anonymity if not for the conspicuous personality of its lead singer, Elias Bender Rønnenfelt. He screams, he roars, he rasps, he strangles these songs with the conviction of one truly dedicated to not giving a shit. It should here be mentioned how much this band improves live: when I saw them recently after the release of “Beyondless”, everything was amped-up energy-wise; a violinist joined the guitar for complementary leads; the riff from “The Day The Music Dies” approached a chugging Nine-Inch-Nails intensity; new rhythmic breakdowns updated old classics like “White Rune”; Elias brought his presence in the form of a suit jacket and his drunken(?) stumbling around the stage. Needless to say, the live show is the way to experience these guys. It’s very much rock, no matter what the critics might try and tell you, and if you love the genre and get a kick out of Elias’s scowling bitterness, it’s worth checking out.

I did, however, mention the band’s tendencies to succumb to some of the pretentiousness of their art rock peers, and such tendencies were not completely absent from the show. The most glaring flaw was the inclusion of new age harpist Mary Lattimore as the only opener. The sound didn’t fit in the slightest and I know I was hardly the only attendee who sat in confusion through it, waiting for the show we came for to really start. This kind of choice once again highlights the very kind of thing that threatens to sink rock as a genre: Iceage might be on the cutting-edge, but cut too deep and you might just slash your chances of reaching a wider audience. I don’t know if they were responsible for the choice of opener or if this was just some sort of label-mate touring deal, so I can’t assign blame properly here, but the choice is baffling either way and deeply reflective of the scene’s aforementioned elitism and racism. Especially the latter, come to think of it - if “Beyondless” contains obvious jazz and soul influences, why not get a black jazz group to join you if you wanted to keep the lineup eclectic? The band’s sound suggests the possibility of such a co-existence, but the faces at the show unfortunately suggest otherwise. It could very well be an unconscious racism, but it would still be nice to see white rock bands pay more than lip service to the black musicians they have always been indebted to.

Something about Iceage feels decidedly “unsafe”, which is an image many punk and post-punk bands have tried to project in the past. In terms of keeping the punk spirit alive, I appreciate this to some degree, but there are times I really do worry about these guys - not in terms of my own safety, but in terms of theirs. The “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide”****** has been a recurring theme throughout the genre’s history, and it feels eerily significant that the band performed at a venue called “The 27 Club” the night I saw them. Is there a suicidal impulse in the indie rock scene? I don’t just mean literally - there seems to be a kind of metaphorical death wish in the way these musicians tear out their roots. It’s if those who set out to play rock music don’t actually want to see the genre survive. Not everyone, I’ll grant! There are many great independent groups doing much to keep the music they love alive long past its presumed expiry date. But what to be done for those whose music suggests such self-effacement? And what to be done about the implicit racism that follows this? I’m not about to place the burden of “the future of rock” on Iceage’s shoulders, but it might be worth turning to some of their lyrics for closing remarks:

Performed an exorcism on myself,

Cited prayers and rites of deliverance,

Yet here I am, somehow still possessed,

The future's never starting,

The present never ends,

I left us both bombarded,

But I'm not here to make amends

*“Rock Is Dead, Thank God”.

**Yes, I’m exaggerating a bit here in terms of how he phrases it, but this kind of sentiment definitely exists and he’s not not feeding into it with this narrative.

***Hell, the Who made an excellent concept album satirizing pop commercialism in 1967!

****Not without irony - I was a 90s kid myself.

*****Based on a real show I witnessed. And no, this is not Sonic Youth I’m referring to - Sonic Youth has rhythm!

******Which, you might remember, was a song written by a man who died at 69 - it needn’t always be a tragic early end!

#Music #Music criticism #Rock #Punk #Music analysis #Rock is dead #Rockism

[carasueachterberg]

Flannery is about to enter her sixth month in OPH care which makes her a ‘long-term dog’.

photo Nancy Slattery

Currently, up to 30% of the dogs on our site are ‘long term dogs’. There’s a reason why each dog got that label and it certainly doesn’t mean those dogs aren’t good dogs.

It’s just means that these dogs don’t fit the cookie-cutter mold of what many people consider a desirable dog. Each of these dogs will need an intentional adopter who is willing to continue training the dog and understand how to manage the dog. This person will need to be patient and loving and committed. He/she will have to respect the dog, listen to the dog, and set the dog up for success.

As I write these words I realize that they describe what every adopter should be doing.

In our fast-paced world where we’re so comfortable outsourcing much of our lives—from meal-planning to lawn care to wine selection, we’d like a new dog to fill our home with love and joy and no extra work or mess. We’re disappointed if the dog isn’t house-broken and crate-trained or pulls on the leash. We expect that the dog will be good with other dogs, tolerant of cats, and friendly with all kinds of people. We want a cuddly dog, who already knows commands like sit and stay and down, and certainly, we can’t have a dog who barks excessively. The dog should have plenty of energy to play, but not so much energy that they bounce off the walls, leap on visitors or tackle the two-year-old. Oh, and the dog needs to be young and cute and just the right size.

Don’t get me wrong there are a few dogs that fit that bill, but truly, most don’t.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of not having been exposed to those things and with the right introduction, training, and patience, many dogs will fulfill those ideals. But some dogs won’t. It could be their upbringing or their breeding, or it could just be the personality of the dog.

[SIDEBAR: And, for the record, how many of us are so perfect?]

I spent nearly a year with my last ‘long-term dog’ and she is still in foster care now with a different foster home, a year later, having been adopted and returned. Gala is a gorgeous girl who tugs on my heartstrings every time I see her face pop-up on Facebook.

The depth of love and smarts in that dog still echoes in my life. She needs the right adopter and it breaks my heart that there has been no one willing to give her a chance in all this time, because landing Gala in your life would be like winning the love lottery, so complete is her devotion.

Flannery, like Gala, can be complicated, but like Gala she is also an absolute love, completely devoted to the people in this family. She has plenty of happy energy and is easy to train, but needs assistance negotiating the human world, mostly because, like Gala, she is so darned sensitive and smart. She notices things that other dogs might not and reacts to people with her whole heart, both traits that can overwhelm her.

For instance, I took Flannery to an adoption event on Sunday in a small, busy, crowded pet store. She did really well for the first twenty minutes.

Flannery is a small dog and couldn’t see beyond the piles of cat trees, people legs, and store shelves that surrounded her.

Consequently, each new person surprised her and this was terribly exciting. Her tail was on full speed wag and it was all she could do to give me a few ‘sits’ as I tried to distract her from the activity and dogs around her. Her adrenaline sky-rocketed when two little boys approached and she slathered them in kisses, leaping up again and again for attention, before collapsing in a puddle beside them.

Eventually, though, the high energy and stress of meeting person after person got to her. She grew tired of the constant hands reaching for her and began to growl a low warning. That was my cue and we made a hasty exit. I knew she wouldn’t take her fear any further, as long as I heeded her request.

That growl said, “I’ve had enough. Even though I know this is all terribly exciting and part of me wants you to rub my belly and let me lick your face, the other part of me is overwhelmed by processing so many sights and sounds and smells. I need a break.”

The pictures and video of Flannery’s time at the event all document a happy little pup, lapping up the attention, but had we stayed much longer the pictures would have shown a much different dog. Because I know Flannery and because I listened to Flannery, we came home and had a perfectly pleasant rest-of-the-day.

So, is Flannery people friendly?

Absolutely. But Flannery has a limit to how much stimulation she can process. Flannery will need an adopter who knows this about her and who will listen to her when she’s had enough.

I think adopting a dog is a bit like getting married. You choose your dog/mate because you love this other soul, but you know (or should know) going in that there will be times when you will not love everything about the dog/mate and you will need to take a step back and figure out how you can help them and how you can co-exist.

Maybe your mate doesn’t like a houseful of noisy guests, maybe that stresses him/her out. So, it works better for you to meet your friends out at a bar or to go away for a weekend together. This doesn’t mean that your mate doesn’t like you to have friends, it just means you need to be respectful of your mate’s needs. Because your mate can tell you these things, it’s clear when change is necessary.

[SIDEBAR: When your mate doesn’t tell you these things, the car can begin to go off the rails…]

This works the same way with your dog. Maybe your dog finds meeting new people stressful, so you crate your dog when friends come over. You let your dog hear, smell, even see the people, but you don’t force your pup to meet them. Maybe your pup will be ready to meet them after the hype of entry has ended, maybe not. This does not mean you don’t have a good dog, it simply means you are being respectful of your dogs’ needs.

Sadly, the high number of long-term dogs in OPH care is a reflection of the fact that few people are willing to figure out how to manage a dog that acts outside the boundaries of what we expect. Dogs are not machines, though, and even the easiest dog needs your respect and effort. They love us with such complete devotion and in return deserve our respect and willingness to adapt to their needs.

The amazing thing about both Flannery and Gala is that neither really needs that much management, and the unbridled devotion you receive in return is off the charts. Both of these girls are funny, smart, quirky dogs who will adore their ‘person’ until the end of time. Once more, they both make exceedingly entertaining company.

photo Nancy Slattery

Photo Nancy Slattery

photo Nancy Slattery

OPH has begun exploring ways to better market our long-term dogs to help them find their forever families. They are offering more free training, more support, longer trial adoptions, even reduced fees for these special dogs. We want adopters to know that we will not desert you once the adoption takes place—we are invested in your success and the dog’s.

Finding homes for long-term dogs is a challenge that all rescues and shelters face. It’s a problem that only grows as we strive for a no-kill nation. Saving all the dogs, including the ones that a little more complicated will require effort and education and adopters who are open to a dog that is not a cookie-cutter pup.

And the thing I know, that all of us who have fostered a long-term dog know, is that the risk an adopter might feel they are taking in adopting one of these pups, is not a risk at all because all these dogs need is a little understanding and in return you’ll get a lifetime of love.

The bottom line when it comes to dogs and to marriage and to life is this – the more time and love and effort you invest, the bigger the payoff.

If you’re ready to make an investment, you can find Gala, Flannery, and many more incredibly amazing and absolutely adoptable dogs at OPHRescue.org.

Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to know more about my blogs and books, visit CaraWrites.com or subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter (which is rarely monthly, but I’m working at it…everybody needs a goal).

If you’d like to know more about the book, Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs, visit AnotherGoodDog.org, where you can find more pictures of the dogs from the book (and some of their happily-ever-after stories), information on fostering, the schedule of signings, and what you can do right now to help shelter animals! You can also purchase a signed copy or several other items whose profits benefit shelter dogs!

If you’d like to know how you can volunteer, foster, adopt or donate with OPH, click here. And if you’d like more pictures and videos of my foster dogs past and present, be sure to join the Another Good Dog Facebook group.

I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to comment here on the blog, email [email protected] or connect with me on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram.

Best,

 Cara

Released August 2018 from Pegasus Books and available now

    Risk Worth the Reward: Long Term Dogs are worth saving #dogrescue #itsnoteasy but it's #worthit Flannery is about to enter her sixth month in OPH care which makes her a ‘long-term dog’.

#dog management #dog rescue #dog training #long term dogs #patience