tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post3136806512327428431..comments2023-10-06T06:54:22.647-05:00Comments on there's NOTHING QUITE LIKE the blinding light...: Kanye, The Gaslight Anthem, and the Everlasting Importance of the AlbumUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-45832105044388818122009-02-12T12:24:00.000-06:002009-02-12T12:24:00.000-06:00Scott, I'm not familiar with this Sgt. Peepers Lon...Scott, I'm not familiar with this Sgt. Peepers Lonely Hearts Club Band album... <BR/><BR/>Alex, I wasn't relating the sound of Gaslight Anthem/Fallon to the sound of Okkervil River/Sheff, because the two bands' approaches couldn't really be more different. I was talking about content. They write about the same type of shit. The sentiment behind a lot of GA songs reminds me of the sentiment behind a lot of OR songs.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00928148614540665905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-57656582371521019902009-02-11T12:40:00.000-06:002009-02-11T12:40:00.000-06:00I borrowed my wife's cousin's I-Pod while vacation...I borrowed my wife's cousin's I-Pod while vacationing in Canada a few years ago. He is in college and I was curious to see what was going on in his music world. I was agast. The whole thing was full of singles. The poor kid had no idea what album Karma Police was from. he didn't know that Lucy in the Sky was from an album Called Sgt. Peepers Lonely Hearts Club Band. He had no idea that there was any point or relevenace to when a song was created during the evolution of a band. I felt really sorry for him and really scared for his geeneration.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04593955689470953995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-3044382508890022652009-02-10T19:22:00.000-06:002009-02-10T19:22:00.000-06:00Cassettes were not stupid, and I disagree with the...Cassettes were not stupid, and I disagree with the notion that they weren't durable. You could throw one of those across the room and it would still work. Try that with a CD or a record. <BR/><BR/>Brian, I'm hearing the Will Sheff / Brian Fallon connection all that much. Maybe if Sheff would smoke about 6 packs a day.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622585337986072758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-13529721712195276802009-02-10T16:46:00.000-06:002009-02-10T16:46:00.000-06:00Cassettes weren't stupid from the time the Walkman...Cassettes weren't stupid from the time the Walkman was invented to the time the Discman was invented. Unless you had a Recordman or something.Jim P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08701868662513464680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-90790599930286487402009-02-10T13:08:00.000-06:002009-02-10T13:08:00.000-06:00Jay Reatard has the "singles band" thing on lock. ...Jay Reatard has the "singles band" thing on lock. And since we're (kind of) on the subject, who remembers cassingles? Man, those things were stupid. Cassettes in general were stupid. They just felt insubstantial and impermanent, and there was simply no way you could make them last. No matter how much care you took with them, by their nature they would decay.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00928148614540665905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-68096395181656711032009-02-10T11:58:00.000-06:002009-02-10T11:58:00.000-06:00I think the album/song argument should break down ...I think the album/song argument should break down along the lines of what the artist thinks is the best format to get their stuff out there. Brian is right that they shouldn't do what the market demands. If a band considers themselves to be a singles band, then by all means release single tracks. If you're an album band, do that. Radiohead has been talking about putting out a series of EPs instead of a proper album for years now. <BR/><BR/>While I think the music industry as a whole is basically completely fucked, I think things are good now in that bands don't have to always put their music out on an album. They can go the single route, or even the guitar hero route. And as long as it's the band choosing what to do, and even though I'm an album guy to the core, I'm fine with that.Jim P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08701868662513464680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-68511492336831728022009-02-10T09:29:00.000-06:002009-02-10T09:29:00.000-06:00I'm on the Gaslight Anthem bandwagon too. I got ho...I'm on the Gaslight Anthem bandwagon too. I got hooked a little while back when amazon mp3's offered one of their songs for free.Nate Sinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14887265872910897659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-35640491114379903682009-02-10T08:57:00.000-06:002009-02-10T08:57:00.000-06:00If I'm understanding Audrey and Alex correctly, we...If I'm understanding Audrey and Alex correctly, we all agree that purchasing patterns, not listening patterns, have changed. Now that we can buy only one track, many of us do buy only one track, but I think Corgan is dead fucking wrong to change what he does to fit a market paradigm that might not last. License a song to (or write a new one for) a video game, but don't <I>only</I> do that. Everyone predicted the death of vinyl with the advent of digital technology, but it's still going strong. My points: Don't undersell your public by catering to trends. Don't forget the niches, because they'll always be there, waiting to rip the cellophane wrapping off the CD or LP.<BR/><BR/>Gaslight Anthem are totally rad. I love that record because it's honest. You really (really, <I>really</I>) have to believe in a line like, "I learned about the blues from this kitten I knew. / Her hair was raven and her heart was like a tomb." Gaslight Anthem and singer/lyricist Brian Fallon remind me most of a less literary Okkervil River and Will Sheff.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00928148614540665905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-9058394815008333992009-02-10T08:04:00.000-06:002009-02-10T08:04:00.000-06:00I completely agree about Kanye's SNL performance. ...I completely agree about Kanye's SNL performance. I thought it was amazing - I think that his voice sounded like crap made it better, more intimate and personal or something. I haven't heard the album yet but 'll give it a listen. after reading this. <BR/><BR/>Also, I've kind of started to listen to the Gaslight Anthem album. It's perilously close to too poppy, but I think it's really good. It's hard to make a traditional rock album that isn't horrible.Jim P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08701868662513464680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-47627610852181627462009-02-10T05:59:00.000-06:002009-02-10T05:59:00.000-06:00Thanks, I had a feeling only a select few (Corgan ...Thanks, I had a feeling only a select few (Corgan fans) would get that reference. I almost cited but that that interview has apparently been vanquished from the Internets.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622585337986072758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-64974004728244106502009-02-09T23:35:00.000-06:002009-02-09T23:35:00.000-06:00Also, well played on the veiled Albini reference :...Also, well played on the veiled Albini reference :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-85978779571632505622009-02-09T23:28:00.000-06:002009-02-09T23:28:00.000-06:00I too love 808s and Heartbreak, and I feel similar...I too love 808s and Heartbreak, and I feel similarly re: his awesomely daring recent TV performances. To my minor credit I had managed to get into Kanye slightly earlier: when I saw on TV his performance at Live Earth. That wasn't quite as daring but I sure thought "woah, this guy is some performer."<BR/><BR/>Re: Corgan, he will put out an albumlike group of songs sooner or later, and I bet sooner. You simply can't read too much into any one interview with the guy. He shoots from the hip, but fortunately he also doesn't let himself get pinned down by his past pronouncements.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141139839966820748.post-2773041146595963332009-02-09T23:26:00.000-06:002009-02-09T23:26:00.000-06:00Itunes and digitalized music has put the control m...Itunes and digitalized music has put the control more in the hands of the listener. So if we don't want to wade through an album to get to the best tracks, then we don't have to. It feeds our ADHD brains, our need for instant gratification. It may ruin the casual listener's appreciation for an album in it's entirety, but I doubt it'll detract crazies like ourselves who still get wildly impatient over ripping the cellophane wrapping off the cd (and that retarded label that is on top) and taking it from the top.Audreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17516775184275781073noreply@blogger.com