Unpopular Opinions about Music

[27bored]

At the risk of sounding petty, am I the only one who doesn’t like to hear Drake or Taylor Swift talk?

For them to both make such put-upon music, they both have what I call Boardroom Voice

[27bored]

I think I’ve said before that I think the reason artists like Cardi B, Camilla Cabello, J Balvin, Ozuna, among others, are being pushed is because of the political climate we’re in with Trump and immigration and the wall and all that. I’m annoyed by that for two reasons:

1. I...don’t like when corporations and The Suits try to make sociopolitical statements through artists. I don’t have a problem with messages via music in a general sense — that’s part of the power of music — but it’s more annoying when I feel like certain people are being put in position just to Make A Point or fulfill a quota. It feels really manipulative and off-putting. Plus, I like when I feel like a message is emanating from an artist so I can hold them accountable if they sound ridiculous. It’s harder when the message is something stupid and it’s buried in an AutoTuned pop song.

2. Speaking of which, the other problem I have, and this is main issue: THEY’RE USING BLAND, BARELY TALENTED ACTS TO SEND THESE MESSAGES. Camilla Cabello has been on TV so many times performing Havana; it’s not a great song, she isn’t a great singer, she’s cute but nothing special in the looks department, and her album was just a’ight. Why do I keep seeing her, on TV, singing this same five-note song? Twenty years there was a “Latin craze” with Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera, and J. Lo. The former three can sing and perform, and J. Lo can perform and at least had some catchy songs. Camilla was just the cute chick in the kick line for Fifth Harmony. 

Even though, I will say it was slyly ironic that Ricky Martin came out to perform Havana with Camilla at the Grammy’s since twenty years ago he had the Latin-crossover novelty hit Livin La Vida Loca which similarly got played out and has haunted him the rest of his career. 

[Annber03]

*Is sitting here struck by the realization that "Livin' La Vida Loca" is now twenty years old*

Damn. 

[UYI]

33 minutes ago, 27bored said:

Speaking of which, the other problem I have, and this is main issue: THEY’RE USING BLAND, BARELY TALENTED ACTS TO SEND THESE MESSAGES. Camilla Cabello has been on TV so many times performing Havana; it’s not a great song, she isn’t a great singer, she’s cute but nothing special in the looks department, and her album was just a’ight. Why do I keep seeing her, on TV, singing this same five-note song? 

I can't help but wonder (TM Carrie Bradshaw) if her friendship/opening act gig last year with Taylor Swift contributed to her rise. I actually do like Havana and Never Be the Same, but I mean, I can take them or leave them.

Of course, Charli XCX also opened for her last year, and we don't see her as much as we see Camila (but based on the interviews I've seen with her, that's probably in large part because she's less than enchanted with the current accepted "type" of pop stardom; in spite of "Fancy" and "Boom Clap", she seems MUCH more comfortable with being an alt pop type of act).

Here's a UO: While I'm not super familiar with everything Halsey has done, I liked "New Americana", "Bad at Love", AND "Him & I". Yes, really. I mean, there's some dumb lyrics in each (the first song in particular), but I also like Katy Perry, so who am I to judge? 

[27bored]

Here’s a random idea: Post Malone and Halsey should remake “Broken” by Seether.

[GaT]

4 hours ago, 27bored said:

Here’s a random idea: Post Malone and Halsey should remake “Broken” by Seether.

I love "Broken" & I don't think Halsey's voice could carry it like Amy Lee's. 

[27bored]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

I love "Broken" & I don't think Halsey's voice could carry it like Amy Lee's. 

Oh, me neither. I think if that were to happen they would add an annoying trap rhythm to it for the kids and it would probably pale in comparison. But I just think it would fit their personal narratives well, and I’m almost certain Halsey knows and loves that song.

[Blergh]

While I think Lady Gaga's rendition of " Shallow" was brilliant, breathtaking, electrifying and astounding in its power and beauty in A Star Is Born,  alas I have to say her Grammy performance of that song was at best a shadow of what she'd  put forth in the movie. AFAIK, she could have worn a kangaroo costume and that wouldn't have taken away a jot from the musical performance itself but it seemed she was making it a 'number' to be sung by rote at the Grammys rather than the angsty, soul- bearing plea she had done in the movie. 

 All the above said, nothing can take away from how fantastic that song is nor how well she sang it in the movie!

[GaT]

5 hours ago, Blergh said:

While I think Lady Gaga's rendition of " Shallow" was brilliant, breathtaking, electrifying and astounding in its power and beauty in A Star Is Born,  alas I have to say her Grammy performance of that song was at best a shadow of what she'd  put forth in the movie. AFAIK, she could have worn a kangaroo costume and that wouldn't have taken away a jot from the musical performance itself but it seemed she was making it a 'number' to be sung by rote at the Grammys rather than the angsty, soul- bearing plea she had done in the movie. 

 All the above said, nothing can take away from how fantastic that song is nor how well she sang it in the movie!

I guess this is my own UO, but I find "Shallow" to be a really boring song, & I don't understand all the love for it.

[27bored]

On 2/13/2019 at 4:16 PM, GaT said:

I guess this is my own UO, but I find "Shallow" to be a really boring song, & I don't understand all the love for it.

I like the song just fine — nothing to write home about — but I think the success of that song, along with the success of the Greatest Showman soundtrack, is because people are starved for music that sounds like music. I don’t know how I feel about Gaga’s Countrypolitan makeover over the last few years, but I do think a lot of people are hip-hopped out. I wouldn’t be surprised if Adele comes out with another big ballad that does crazy numbers for the same reason.

[truthaboutluv]

On 2/13/2019 at 4:16 PM, GaT said:

I guess this is my own UO, but I find "Shallow" to be a really boring song, & I don't understand all the love for it.

It's okay but highly overrated in my opinion. I actually prefer Always Remember Us This Way far more than Shallow from the soundtrack. 

2 hours ago, 27bored said:

I like the song just fine — nothing to write home about — but I think the success of that song, along with the success of the Greatest Showman soundtrack, is because people are starved for music that sounds like music. I don’t know how I feel about Gaga’s Countrypolitan makeover over the last few years, but I do think a lot of people are hip-hopped out. I wouldn’t be surprised if Adele comes out with another big ballad that does crazy numbers for the same reason.

Why is Hip Hop/Rap even brought up in a conversation about the success of Shallow? Frankly, in my opinion, I can think of many Hip Hop/Rap songs that lyrically destroy many of these "real music" songs. Also people do realize that many of these huge pop songs, even sometimes ballads are produced by some of these Hip Hop/Rap producers right?

People are starved for music that sounds like music..seriously? Because two movie songs/soundtracks did okay? And yet those not real music songs sure dominated the Billboard charts last year.  And when did Gaga have a countrypolitan makeover, considering she turned Shallow into a rock song for her Grammy performance.

And yes, no one would be surprised if Adele comes with another big ballad that does crazy numbers, not because again people are so starved for music that sounds like real music but because it's ADELE. It's what she does - release albums with ballads that sell like crazy. 

I always find the dismissive comments against Hip Hop/Rap not being "real music" interesting because that's what many said when they declared back in the early 80's, when it was really taking off, that it would go the way of Disco. Have a few years of dominance and die. Yeah how's that going?

Edited February 17, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[27bored]

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Why is Hip Hop/Rap even brought up in a conversation about the success of Shallow? Frankly, in my opinion, I can think of many Hip Hop/Rap songs that lyrically destroy many of these "real music" songs. Also people do realize that many of these huge pop songs, even sometimes ballads are produced by some of these Hip Hop/Rap producers right?

I brought up hip-hop/rap because it’s currently the dominant genre in popular music. It was more shorthand for current music that’s popular than hip-hop specifically.

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

People are starved for music that sounds like music..seriously? Because two movie songs/soundtracks did okay? And yet those not real music songs sure dominated the Billboard charts last year.  And when did Gaga have a countrypolitan makeover, considering she turned Shallow into a rock song for her Grammy performance.

Many songs and albums, especially these days, do numbers solely because of streaming. They talked about that on the NYT Popcast last year. If you take away streams, I believe both of those soundtracks were on the top selling albums list, and with streaming, they were high but not as much.

As far as Gaga, I was referring to her last album Joanne for the most part. She did a rock version at the Grammys...to somewhat mixed reviews.

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

And yes, no one would be surprised if Adele comes with another big ballad that does crazy numbers, not because again people are so starved for music that sounds like real music but because it's ADELE. It's what she does - release albums with ballads that sell like crazy.

Eh, not necessarily. She’s done that consistently, yes, but I’ve long theorized that Adele is as big as she is because of who her contemporaries are. Adele has a big voice and sings big songs that seem to use real instruments and dresses like a lady. Not all that special — I’ve often thought Adele could be kind of hoary and a bit, well, boring — but bookended up against current pop music, she stands out.

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I always find the dismissive comments against Hip Hop/Rap not being "real music" interesting because that's what many said when they declared back in the early 80's, when it was really taking off, that it would go the way of Disco. Have a few years of dominance and die. Yeah how's that going?

Like I said, my comments were more shorthand than hip-hop specific. Those soundtracks are what they are, which is probably why they have done so well. Even your pop acts have to wind up making concessions to hip-hop to get a hit — and not just hip-hop, but trap in particular. Look no further than current number one song “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande where she’s rapping using Soulja Boy’s flow from 2010. Or the muted hip-hop beat of “Without Me” by Halsey that’s at number 3 (not to mention the remix of that song featuring JuceWrld). That’s not always the case, but it’s the unfortunate truth that most mainstream acts have to show some literacy in hip-hop/rap (both in sound and the common tropes) to have consistent chart success. Two mainstream projects they don’t seem belabored by that is refreshing. 

Edited February 17, 2019 by 27bored

[Wiendish Fitch]

Even if he were 110% innocent of all charges, I would find R. Kelly an average-at-best singer and a mostly awful lyricist. If he ends up rotting in jail, the music world would not lose much (not that I think "talent" should make you above reproach in the eyes of the law).

[27bored]

Yeah I’ve never been crazy about R. Kelly, either. I think he’s one of those acts that was better than average in his prime and that’s all people remember. 

[Ohwell]

John Legend's singing is vastly overrated.  Plus, he and his wife are annoying as hell.

[GaT]

On 3/9/2019 at 2:07 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

Even if he were 110% innocent of all charges, I would find R. Kelly an average-at-best singer and a mostly awful lyricist.

I never understood why the "In The Closet" songs were considered great, I think the lyrics are all stupid.

[Ohwell]

The only R. Kelly song I liked was I Believe I Can Fly.

[27bored]

The only song by R. Kelly that I really like is "Cookie". In fairness to me, I liked it before I realized it was R. Kelly. I think it was on one of the Magic Mike soundtracks and it got some airplay. It's a really freaky song that leaves, like, zero to the imagination, but it's well-produced. It sounds like an accomplished musician who is trying to do something for the kids, which it was. Plus, there are some pretty good YouTube videos of people dancing to it.

[Bastet]

It's possible I mildly enjoy some song I've heard on the radio a few times and never realized is by R. Kelly, but the only song I know for sure is his is "I Believe I Can Fly," and I hate that song to the point that when it was in some movie and was thus every-goddamn-where, if I walked into a store and it was playing, I'd give some thought to whether I could do something else nearby and come back later. 

R. Kelly always makes me think of poor Aaliyah, and my UO is that I never liked a single one of her songs I heard (which doesn't mean I actively disliked any of them, just that her music did absolutely nothing for me, song after song.  I knew someone who worked with her (in fact, one of the other victims of her plane crash), and didn't hear anything bad about her, so it's not like I have any personal negativity coloring things; there was just something about her particular sound as a whole that never, ever did it for me.  I didn't hate the songs, dislike the genre in general, or anything like that -- it was just this weird, specific thing where every new song of hers I heard, I had a well, don't care if I ever hear this again reaction.

[proserpina65]

On 11/18/2018 at 1:24 PM, GaT said:

Shallow is the only song I've heard from the movie, & I don't get all the love. It sounds really boring to me.

I liked it, but now I'm way tired of it.

On the Courtney Love/Kurt Cobain topic, while I don't believe she killed him and think those conspiracy theories are fucked up, I do believe it was such a co-dependent relationship that she probably does bear some small responsibility for his suicide.  Not a lot, maybe, but some.

 

On 12/12/2018 at 2:27 AM, BuyMoreAndSave said:

I feel like live music is kind of overrated in many cases. Like, I have been to some great live shows, but even in the best case you still have to spend a bunch of time standing around and often overheating, in a place that may or may not be a firetrap (*cough*St Vitus Bar). The crowd might be dead which will ruin the show even if the band is good. If it's a more popular band, especially in the NYC area, the venue will have seats instead of standing room only which sucks if it's a band that traditionally would call for a moshpit. TBH, I don't have much interest in seeing bands that don't call for a moshpit or at least some sort of audience jumping around and crushing each other situation. 

But the #1 reason why live music is overrated for me is because for some reason, my brain usually doesn't remember any of the shows I go to besides a vague impression of what happened. I've seen tons of great shows and I hardly remember any of them besides that they were great! And not because of substance use either because I'm not one of those people who gets super drunk/high at shows. It really only has value for me as an in the moment experience. Does this happen to anyone else?

I guess maybe I'm weird, but I remember details about every concert I've ever been to.  Not every detail, mind you, but specific things about each concert.

On 12/12/2018 at 11:34 AM, Shakma said:

I prefer studio albums/tracks to live albums/tracks.  I don't know if this is unpopular, but according to the people I know, it is.  Why would I want to listen to crowd noise when the studio version is the way it's meant to be heard, for the vast majority of listeners?

There are exceptions to the rule, of course: Cheap Trick's I Want You To Want Me, and Jane's Addiction's Jane Says have much better live versions.  But, I stand by my opinion.

I agree.  Concerts are experiences more than just music, and recordings rarely capture the magic.

As for the Beach Boys, I only like Sloop John B and God Only Knows.  And I've never been a big Beatles fan.  I like some of their songs, hate others, and am completely indifferent to the rest.  Same goes for the Rolling Stones.

On 12/19/2018 at 11:51 AM, Dandesun said:

Man, everyone forgets about the Kinks.

I love the Kinks.  Some of Ray Davies' songs are fucking brilliant.  I absolutely adore Waterloo Sunset.  And they put on a mean live show - saw them twice in the early 90s.

On 12/29/2018 at 8:48 PM, BookWoman56 said:

Based on admittedly limited exposure, my opinion is that Taylor Swift is a good songwriter, a great performer, and a mediocre vocalist.

I'm with you on that.  I like a lot of her songs, but don't buy most of it.  I do really like Look What You Made Me Do and I absolutely love Delicate.

On 12/29/2018 at 10:19 PM, Shakma said:

For me, it's the manipulative, calculating way she does it that puts me off. 

I guess my UO is that I don't find anything manipulative or calculating about Taylor Swift.  I'm not particularly a fan, but I don't get the hate, either.

I don't hold musicians/singers/performers responsible for what their fans do, for the most part, unless they encourage it.

 

On 12/31/2018 at 2:28 PM, 27bored said:

I'll add a UO to piggyback off this point: it annoys me that Ed Sheeran can sell out shows with just his guitar and loop machine. The dude sounds good live, so I'm not hating on him, but it's annoying. Ed just gets up there in Vans and whatever's clean and doesn't comb his hair and just busks...in front of thousands of people. It's the same reason American Idol became a letdown. The Search for a Superstar always wound up turning out a white guy who would rather strum his guitar in a coffeeshop with a tips jar than someone who understands the need for spectacle. And while I'll admit that many times I don't buy the random accusations of sexism in our music and culture, I have to say this is one time I have to say there is some sexism at work. Because I can't see us letting a chick with a guitar with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and whatever is comfortable blow up....I don't care how cute the songs are.

Some of us are fine with that.  Spectacle is great, but it's not necessary for a fantastic live performance.  One of the best (if not the very best) concerts I ever saw was just Elvis Costello and his collection of guitars.  Now, admittedly, Elvis is a phenomenal songwriter (the best, imo), and that makes a huge difference.  But that concert was basically a guy strumming his guitar, singing and telling the stories behind the songs.

On 1/4/2019 at 3:57 AM, 27bored said:

How do you guys feel about Camila Cabello? And more specifically, how do you feel about Havana?

I love Havanna, but it does get played a lot.  I also like Never Be The Same.

On 1/18/2019 at 5:54 PM, UYI said:

Also, in another UO related to this topic: Quarterflash do NOT get enough love. This song is great. THAT SAX RIFF.

I have that album.  Love it.

[Danny Franks]

On ‎3‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 7:33 PM, Ohwell said:

The only R. Kelly song I liked was I Believe I Can Fly.

I really liked Gotham City and If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time as well. It's sad that I can't listen to them any more.

[Wiendish Fitch]

Wilson Phillips had their moments, but I can't stand their signature song "Hold On". I find it to be saccharine, irritating, and weirdly sanctimonious. No joke, I seize up whenever I hear it in stores. I prefer "Impulsive" and "Give it Up". Frankly, I think Haim blows Wilson Phillips out of the water (Something to Tell You is too underrated).

I greatly preferred Monica to Brandy, and I think Miss Thang and The Boy is Mine truly hold up.

My favorite version of "The Power of Love"... is Michael Crawford's. He sings it with real sincerity first, vocal gymnastics second (sorry, I'm not a Celine Dion fan).

[Neko]

5 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I greatly preferred Monica to Brandy, and I think Miss Thang and The Boy is Mine truly hold up.

I also preferred Monica to Brandy.  I liked Mya, too.  Moodring is still a good album.

[Enigma X]

I am another who preferred Monica to Brandy. 

For whatever reason (I think the remake of Lady Marmalade was being played in a movie) the other day I looked Mya up, because I was wondering what became of her. I liked her voice but did not know many of her songs.

[UYI]

"Angel of Mine" is the song by Monica that I remember most. I still like it now.

My favorite Dolly Parton song is "Joshua", her first country number one, way back in 1971. LOTS of twang!

[Annber03]

35 minutes ago, UYI said:

"Angel of Mine" is the song by Monica that I remember most. I still like it now.

I love that song. 

[proserpina65]

This isn't really an unpopular opinion so much as a question: is K-Pop really so big in the US that it merits a double issue of Entertainment Weekly for one of its groups?

[UYI]

42 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

This isn't really an unpopular opinion so much as a question: is K-Pop really so big in the US that it merits a double issue of Entertainment Weekly for one of its groups?

I think it's more that BTS in particular is the biggest group of the K-Pop scene to become famous on an international level* (eat THAT, Psy! lol), although I do know quite a few people (both in real life and online) who really seem to love it, with or without BTS.

Which makes my UO that I have no interest in K-Pop whatsoever (or J-Pop, for that matter, although I don't think that genre is QUITE as big, certainly not internationally).

*IIRC, they are actually the best-selling current band in the world now, period, and their popularity seems to have finally caught up with most people stateside, so while I personally have no interest in them or any other K-Pop (or J-Pop) band, I CAN see why their success has been deemed magazine cover-worthy.

Edited March 29, 2019 by UYI

[GaT]

6 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

This isn't really an unpopular opinion so much as a question: is K-Pop really so big in the US that it merits a double issue of Entertainment Weekly for one of its groups?

I'm no K-Pop expert, but yesterday for the first time, I saw "ddu-du ddu-du du" by Blackpink on Nick Music. I think they're the biggest girl K-Pop band, & if Nick has started playing their videos, they must have gotten pretty popular in the US.

[Silver Raven]

48 minutes ago, GaT said:

I'm no K-Pop expert, but yesterday for the first time, I saw "ddu-du ddu-du du" by Blackpink on Nick Music. I think they're the biggest girl K-Pop band, & if Nick has started playing their videos, they must have gotten pretty popular in the US.

I'm definitely not a K-Pop fan, but I do like "ddu-du ddu-du du". It may have something to do with Rose' taking my breath away in the video.

Edited March 30, 2019 by Silver Raven

[GaT]

4 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

I'm definitely not a K-Pop fan, but I do like "ddu-du ddu-du du". It may have something to do with Rose' taking my breath away in the video.

I have absolutely no idea who is who in the group, so I Googled Rose & found this link https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2185455/4-things-know-about-k-pop-star-rose-blackpinks-high. Did you know she was Australian? Also, she trained for over 4 years to join the group. I wonder about the other girls.

[KatWay]

BTS kind of unexpectedly exploded in the US (in terms of what a K-Pop group could achieve), and a lot of other K-Pop companies followed suit to specifically market their groups at the US market as well. Blackpink seems to have the most success on that front, they were signed with Interscope, got a Dua Lipa collab and are now going to be at Coachella. They also had a Billboard cover, though apparently they only charted at 40? on the albums chart last year, so I think they're getting a strong push here. Their US tour hasn't sold out from what I can see, so I guess they're not as popular as BTS, but as a girl group I'm assuming they have a much better chance to get casual viewers and listeners, so they might have a shot.

BTS are probably gonna have their third no 1 album on the BB200 bar any surprise releases by sales or streaming heavyweights, so the cover seems deserved.

[blackwing]

On 3/18/2019 at 3:26 PM, Ohwell said:

John Legend's singing is vastly overrated.  Plus, he and his wife are annoying as hell.

Completely agree.  I can't stand his high pitched voice and his expressions and he is the reason why I avoided that "Jesus Christ Superstar".  I can't stand Chrissy Teigen.  Unfortunately, the media, especially Useless Today, seems to love her and seem to treat every tweet or post from her as some kind of guru advice on life.  If she farts they will print an article about it.

On 3/27/2019 at 7:06 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

Wilson Phillips had their moments, but I can't stand their signature song "Hold On". I find it to be saccharine, irritating, and weirdly sanctimonious. No joke, I seize up whenever I hear it in stores. I prefer "Impulsive" and "Give it Up". Frankly, I think Haim blows Wilson Phillips out of the water (Something to Tell You is too underrated).

Aww I loved Wilson Phillips.  I think the reason why the song has such staying power is precisely because of its message.  They wrote the song about Chynna's battle with drug addiction and I believe they said they got a lot of letters from people who had contemplated suicide and heard the song and resolved to hold on for one more day.  I was disappointed when they broke up.  I remember waking up at 6 AM so I could buy tickets to their concert back when you actually had to go to a physical store to buy concert tickets.  I was one of only two people there and got tickets in the front row.  Then the concert got cancelled I guess due to poor sales.  

[proserpina65]

Thanks everybody for your replies about K-Pop.  Obviously it's not my scene, so I had no idea about its popularity.

[UYI]

Kimberly Schlapman has just as good a voice as Karen Fairchild and deserves to sing lead more often on Little Big Town's songs. 

[KillingAdam]

On 3/20/2019 at 10:35 AM, proserpina65 said:

On the Courtney Love/Kurt Cobain topic, while I don't believe she killed him and think those conspiracy theories are fucked up, I do believe it was such a co-dependent relationship that she probably does bear some small responsibility for his suicide.  Not a lot, maybe, but some.

25 years since Kurt Cobain locked himself in a greenhouse, wrote a suicide note, shot up with heroin and blew his head off with a shotgun.

THAT is a full days work.

Technically it's 25 years and two days since his body wasn't seen/discovered for a day, but HEY!!! close enough.

The day he was discovered also happened to be the day that Pearl Jam played the Patriot Center in Fairfax VA.

I had floor seats 4th row SLIGHTLY left of center stage.

I didn't have cable at the time so had no clue that Kurt Loder was doing live updates on MTVNews.

I listened to a mix tape on the way to the show. Walking to the venue I saw people standing around in groups, talking very quietly. Not what you'd expect from people outside a concert venue, but maybe that was how grunge music fans rolled.

Got inside, went to a T-shirt stand, got a PJ shirt with a drawing of a puppet wearing a shirt that said 'freak' on it.

I had ZERO interest in seeing/listening to the opening act which was another grunge band from Seattle, Mudhoney, so I just did laps around the concourse, occasionally stopping. Like outside there were groups of people, talking quietly, some seemed to be crying, there were people hugging each other. Again, I had ZERO CLUE.

Made my way to my seat and it....well it certainly wasn't the best concert I've been to. Eddie Vedder isn't a great speaker even when he's dead sober, and he was 3/4's of the way through a bottle of wine when PJ took the stage. He said, in part, "Sometimes, whether you like it or not, people elevate you, it's real easy to fall."

I STILL HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE FUCK HE WAS TALKING ABOUT.

It wasn't until I got to my car and started driving home listening to our local rock station that I heard the news.

And I didn't feel anything, good, bad or indifferent.

I didn't like Cobain for a few reasons.

Courtney Love being a huge one. Talk about a fucking no talent golddigger. She must have been the best cocksucker on the planet to get to where she was, 'cause she has ZERO musical talent.

But I felt Cobain was a hypocrite and a phony. he was endless bleating about how Pearl jam sucked shit and were garbage and sellouts and the GREAT Nirvana were the ONE TRUE PUNK BAND and the ONLY BAND KEEPING IT REAL  and the ONLY BAND ADHERING TO THE PUNK AESTHETIC.

Lets just look at the actual facts.

One band gave in to corporate pressure and changed the artwork for one of their albums. One band made music videos and the lead singer of that band would get on the phone to MTV and scream at the executives for 3 hours because they thought their videos weren't being played enough.

One band demanded and was given complete control over the artwork and design on their albums, even when this cut drastically into their own royalties. One band refused to release a song as a single even though record execs at their label literally got down on their knees and begged. One band refused to make ANY music videos for over 6 years. One band refused to release ANY singles from an album saying that they felt the album should be listened to in it's entirety.

The first band was Nirvana.

The second band was Pearl Jam.

[Popples]

9 hours ago, KillingAdam said:

The day he was discovered also happened to be the day that Pearl Jam played the Patriot Center in Fairfax VA.

 

Hey, neighbor!

[UYI]

I guess my UO is that I have a lot of respect for Courtney Love. I watched her Behind the Music episode on YouTube sometime ago and was blown away by how much shit she had to deal with growing up/when she left home and was first finding her way/pursuing music. Is she perfect? Hell no. But she is survivor, a feminist, and Live Through This is an INCREDIBLE album. Period. 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, UYI said:

Live Through This is an INCREDIBLE album. Period.

A "like" is not enough.  Amen.

[Silver Raven]

What is going on with all of the mumbling these days?  First it was Sia whose lyrics were incomprehensible, then Ariana Grande, and now we've got Khalid singing "Better"

And Benny Blanco with "Eastside"

Enunciate, dammit!

[Wiendish Fitch]

It almost makes one nostalgic for Oasis, where Liam Gallagher's enunciation was so precise and calculated, you'd swear he was auditioning to play Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady.

[DearEvette]

On 3/19/2019 at 3:33 PM, Ohwell said:

The only R. Kelly song I liked was I Believe I Can Fly.

I was never a really and R. Kelly.  His brand of R&B was never my cuppa.  But I dammit, I had forgotten about his collaboration with Sparkle on 'Be Careful' until she showed up in the documentary.  And then I remember I used to effing love that song.  Sigh.

[truthaboutluv]

3 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I was never a really and R. Kelly.  His brand of R&B was never my cuppa.  But I dammit, I had forgotten about his collaboration with Sparkle on 'Be Careful' until she showed up in the documentary.  And then I remember I used to effing love that song.  Sigh.

Yup, that's the thing about R Kelly. Because he was also a successful producer and songwriter, he has many hit songs that people don't know or remember, that he wrote. 

[27bored]

On 3/19/2019 at 11:17 PM, Bastet said:

R. Kelly always makes me think of poor Aaliyah, and my UO is that I never liked a single one of her songs I heard (which doesn't mean I actively disliked any of them, just that her music did absolutely nothing for me, song after song.  I knew someone who worked with her (in fact, one of the other victims of her plane crash), and didn't hear anything bad about her, so it's not like I have any personal negativity coloring things; there was just something about her particular sound as a whole that never, ever did it for me.  I didn't hate the songs, dislike the genre in general, or anything like that -- it was just this weird, specific thing where every new song of hers I heard, I had a well, don't care if I ever hear this again reaction.

I'll always have a sizable soft spot in my heart for Aaliyah, but from an artistic standpoint she didn't bring a ton to the table regarding her music. She had a thin, girlish voice -- somewhere between Mya and Ashanti -- but her talent was her tone cut through Timbaland's busy, intricate hip-hop beats. She had a very conversational singing style that worked for her material, but I can see why a lot of people wouldn't be impressed. I will say, her last album is a classic, and I think We Need A Resolution deserves more recognition in the pantheon of pop hits from the aughts.

On 3/27/2019 at 1:37 PM, Shakma said:

I also preferred Monica to Brandy.  I liked Mya, too.  Moodring is still a good album.

Mya came out with a song called "Ready for Whatever" last year that I LOVED. It should be a hit, and it would be if she was backed by a major label. Ugh, guess who co-wrote it. Yup. R. Kelly.

And I'm sorry, but I've always thought the cover to Moodring was funny. Mya looks like she's about to take a sexy shit. No, seriously:

On 3/29/2019 at 4:14 PM, proserpina65 said:

This isn't really an unpopular opinion so much as a question: is K-Pop really so big in the US that it merits a double issue of Entertainment Weekly for one of its groups?

They're trying to make it a thing. BTS is a legit phenomenon -- not entirely sure why, but you can hear the good songcraft even without understanding the lyrics -- but they're trying and trying to make Blackpink happen, and I think there's a lot of money being passed around to do that. So I don't think K-Pop and a genre is as big as the media suggests. I think it's one act who caught on, so now they're hoping they can start a parade not unlike the Latin pop/trap thing.

[topanga]

On 3/27/2019 at 8:06 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I greatly preferred Monica to Brandy,

I preferred early Brandy to Monica. For some reason, Brandy's voice was stronger and more dynamic when she was 14-15 than when she got older. In later years, her voice took on this breathy quality that lack range. Her early material was better, too. 

That being said, I still like Brandy as a person. 

[UYI]

Am I the only one who is a bigger John Mellencamp fan than Bruce Springsteen fan?

Don't get me wrong, Bruce is amazing--but I feel like John has never fully gotten the accolades he deserves, probably in large part due to the fact that he is less crazy about the spotlight/touring overall. I do feel guilty about it sometimes, because of the implication that you are somehow lesser than for liking John more than Bruce (the whole repping for Indiana vs. New Jersey thing--the idea of Midwestern blandness vs. East Coast "cool"--probably factors in there, too), but I love him and will always stick up for him and his music. I personally really love his evolution from Heartland rocker to Americana/folk artist. It fits him like a glove, for sure. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by UYI

[GaT]

I don't understand why Billie Eilish is being hailed as the next big thing. I find her music boring, & al her videos seem to have something coming out of her nose or her eyes. I dont find anything about her interesting.

[BuyMoreAndSave]

On 4/6/2019 at 12:50 AM, KillingAdam said:

I had ZERO interest in seeing/listening to the opening act which was another grunge band from Seattle, Mudhoney, so I just did laps around the concourse, occasionally stopping.

But I felt Cobain was a hypocrite and a phony. he was endless bleating about how Pearl jam sucked shit and were garbage and sellouts and the GREAT Nirvana were the ONE TRUE PUNK BAND and the ONLY BAND KEEPING IT REAL  and the ONLY BAND ADHERING TO THE PUNK AESTHETIC.

Unpopular opinion: Mudhoney is way better than Pearl Jam. How was Mother Love Bone so good and Pearl Jam is so bad even though it has two of the same members....

Kurt definitely didn't think he was in the one true punk band. He was open about the bands he was influenced by and promoted a lot of other underground(ish) bands. He even joked that Nirvana was basically a ripoff of the Pixies. However I also wouldn't consider Pearl Jam to be punk in the slightest and I think it was kind of stupid for them to be lumped together in the same genre. Nirvana had more in common with bands like The Jesus Lizard and Unwound than bands like Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains.

On 2/11/2019 at 9:59 PM, 27bored said:

1. I...don’t like when corporations and The Suits try to make sociopolitical statements through artists. I don’t have a problem with messages via music in a general sense — that’s part of the power of music — but it’s more annoying when I feel like certain people are being put in position just to Make A Point or fulfill a quota. It feels really manipulative and off-putting. Plus, I like when I feel like a message is emanating from an artist so I can hold them accountable if they sound ridiculous. It’s harder when the message is something stupid and it’s buried in an AutoTuned pop song.

2. Speaking of which, the other problem I have, and this is main issue: THEY’RE USING BLAND, BARELY TALENTED ACTS TO SEND THESE MESSAGES. Camilla Cabello has been on TV so many times performing Havana; it’s not a great song, she isn’t a great singer, she’s cute but nothing special in the looks department, and her album was just a’ight. Why do I keep seeing her, on TV, singing this same five-note song? Twenty years there was a “Latin craze” with Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera, and J. Lo. The former three can sing and perform, and J. Lo can perform and at least had some catchy songs. Camilla was just the cute chick in the kick line for Fifth Harmony. 

I totally agree with you and I bet a lot of people would get very offended by this sentiment, but it's true.

I don't mind Camila Cabello (although one pop song about love after another gets pretty boring after a while...most pop musicians do this of course) and don't really know the other two artists, but Cardi B engages my full "get off my lawn" inner old person lamenting the degradation of basic societal standards. Are we really this low class now? Why does this have to be the image we are celebrating? It's also complete bullshit that she won the Grammy, especially over Mac Miller who would never get another chance to win it (and Nipsey Hussle although they didn't know it at the time). Everyone knows it is just because of demographics that she won. She barely even wrote her own songs unlike the other people nominated.

On 3/10/2019 at 6:08 PM, 27bored said:

Yeah I’ve never been crazy about R. Kelly, either. I think he’s one of those acts that was better than average in his prime and that’s all people remember. 

Speaking of "are we really this low class!" The only song I really knew by him was Ignition which was a classic 2000s party song...now I learn that he released it during his trial for child rape and the radio stations promoted it anyway....I looked up the lyrics to his first album after seeing the documentary, and I can't believe people ever liked this gross stuff let alone hailed him as some kind of genius. I mean like he has a song called "I Like the Crotch on You" and he even makes references to underage sex on the album....

On 3/20/2019 at 10:35 AM, proserpina65 said:

On the Courtney Love/Kurt Cobain topic, while I don't believe she killed him and think those conspiracy theories are fucked up, I do believe it was such a co-dependent relationship that she probably does bear some small responsibility for his suicide.  Not a lot, maybe, but some.

I don't think she has responsibility for his decisions that he made as an adult. I'm not sure what happened with his death. The ballistics stuff is weird. I think it's possible his heroin tolerance could have been that high. However I highly doubt Courtney was involved, for the simple reason that I don't think she could have kept quiet about it for 25 years. I hope Dylan Carlson wasn't involved since I like his band Earth, but I also don't really get that vibe from him. I am still side-eyeing the claim that he was Kurt's best friend though because there doesn't seem to be much evidence of it.

Edited May 19, 2019 by BuyMoreAndSave

[WendyCR72]

On 5/19/2019 at 1:17 AM, BuyMoreAndSave said:

Kurt definitely didn't think he was in the one true punk band. He was open about the bands he was influenced by and promoted a lot of other underground(ish) bands. He even joked that Nirvana was basically a ripoff of the Pixies. However I also wouldn't consider Pearl Jam to be punk in the slightest and I think it was kind of stupid for them to be lumped together in the same genre. Nirvana had more in common with bands like The Jesus Lizard and Unwound than bands like Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains.

See, I don't think Pearl Jam ever claimed to be punk or whatever. "Grunge" seemed to me to be an easy label for record companies to lump all Seattle bands under in the late '80s/early '90s, when the truth is, all of those bands had a distinct sound.

Pearl Jam now is a bit rote, but early Pearl Jam? I can't agree they were bad. "Ten" was one of the best debut records I had heard from a band in ages. And it hasn't suffered from sounding dated.

I guess my UO is, while I did like Nirvana's "Nevermind", the reverence the band received - probably in part because of Kurt Cobain's suicide - always mystified me. Sure, they were good, but so were so many of those Seattle bands. I'd argue both Soundgarden and Alice in Chains had the better singers, but Nirvana got the glory. But then, as I said above, to truly compare them is apples and oranges.

[BuyMoreAndSave]

12 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

See, I don't think Pearl Jam ever claimed to be punk or whatever. "Grunge" seemed to me to be an easy label for record companies to lump all Seattle bands under in the late '80s/early '90s, when the truth is, all of those bands had a distinct sound.

Pearl Jam now is a bit rote, but early Pearl Jam? I can't agree they were bad. "Ten" was one of the best debut records I had heard from a band in ages. And it hasn't suffered from sounding dated.

I guess my UO is, while I did like Nirvana's "Nevermind", the reverence the band received - probably in part because of Kurt Cobain's suicide - always mystified me. Sure, they were good, but so were so many of those Seattle bands. I'd argue both Soundgarden and Alice in Chains had the better singers, but Nirvana got the glory. But then, as I said above, to truly compare them is apples and oranges.

I don't know if they ever did claim to be punk, but obviously Kurt would claim that Nirvana was a "true punk" band compared to Pearl Jam and it didn't really make him a pretentious hipster to say that (although everyone from the Olympia scene was a pretentious hipster to some extent).

Nah, Pearl Jam is boring. Also probably about 95% of why I dislike them is because of the "Jeremy" song. He fictionalized an actual dead kid's life, who he publicly named, and made unsubstantiated accusations about him being some kind of psychopath and his parents being neglectful. The real Jeremy's family was very upset over it and to this day Pearl Jam fans come to his grave and harass his family. I saw a news story about it a while ago where they interviewed his mom and even in the comments Pearl Jam fans were twisting his mom's words to be like "well obviously he killed himself because she was a shitty parent"...like you don't even know her, but sure, let's just blame the nearest woman. Fuck Eddie Vedder. He sucks as a singer too.

I think the main reason why Nirvana got that much attention is because they were the "gateway drug" to a lot of the weird underground 90s music, even to this day, in a way that the other grunge bands weren't. Soundgarden and AIC kicked ass and I agree they were better bands (AIC is my favorite band of all time) but they really didn't bring the "WTF" factor like Nirvana and overall were fairly conventional.

I first listened to Incesticide and In Utero when I was 9 or 10 which had some of the weirdest songs in Nirvana's discography. I didn't know what hit me and had never heard anything remotely like that before. It subconsciously shaped a lot of my music taste. There was a whole world of underground music that a lot of people had no idea of until Nirvana came out. I'm still amazed In Utero was so popular for how conventionally "unpleasant" it sounds.