Comments on: A Totally Sincere and Heartfelt Look Back at 2009

By: Our Lo-Fi Love Affair with Girls, Wavves, and Vivian Girls | Music and Culture

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:38:14 +0000

[...] yet, as Matt LeMay so eloquently puts it over at MBV, despite, or maybe because of the way we’ve stumbled across this music—a blog, a friend’s [...]

By: Cyrus

Cyrus — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:40:42 +0000

This article hit the nail on the head so perfectly I was almost tempted to break the dead of silence that is my work office. Music critics (that is, all of us) talk about Times New Viking, Vivian Girls, Wavves etc. all as if they “aren’t aware” of the finished product they’re releasing and simply “create.” We give them the crown of authenticity for “not giving a fuck” and then yank it off of them when they actually take that idea to its logical extreme.

An interesting parallel to the Wavves “meltdown” is The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Initially heralded as part of the lo-fi movement, they played right before Wavves at the Pitchfork Stage of Primavera Sound. Yet instead of “a bunch of earnest youth who don’t give a fuck” TPOBPAH turned out to be a polished live band who had songs that people could pogo and sing along to. Their songs had just enough hazy distortion to please “authenticity seeking” fans who had flocked to see Girls, Crystal Stitls, Vivian Girls, and Wavves, yet the they married that aesthetic choice with what most folks expect out of a concert: entertainment, spectacle, *fun.*

Now the Pains are positioned to outlive the “lo-fi” movement because they really only half-committed to it. They appear to have ditched that trend completely just in time to avoid the backlash, and Pitchfork has decided its no longer OK to call them by the genre tag it had previously imposed on them. Now the Pains’ use of reverb and distortion was merely “an aesthetic choice” while Wavves “just doesn’t know how to play.” And Indy Rock continues to eat its young.

By: davis

davis — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:21:21 +0000

“Too into TMZ style reporting lately”

Uh, I don’t think that sentence needed that last word

By: zaid

zaid — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:35:01 +0000

great article! your example of the wavves meltdown is something i totally feel you on. seems like the folks at pfork/stereogum are a little too into TMZ style reporting lately.

By: Annie

Annie — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:53:40 +0000

Agreed. It’s not news that we live in an era where almost everyone considers him or herself to be a music critic, musician or both (not to mention photographer, DJ, recording engineer, booking agent and promoter). While that should be a positive thing for all things DIY and a chance for the most innovative art to gain an audience, ultimately I think it’s bad news for everyone when it becomes the industry standard. That is not to say that music lovers shouldn’t aim to become part of this world, or that all of these bands suck, but I think as listeners we shouldn’t be ashamed to expect good work from musicians, producers and the like.

It seems that “professionals” are criticized for being “inauthentic,” and musicians who actually strive to, maybe, put on a show are considered “boring” by some of the biggest tastemakers, and simply not covered by others. Bottom line is, there is nothing wrong with taking your work seriously and caring about what you produce.

By: Ike

Ike — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:26:55 +0000

Well put. Clear and concise. I also appreciate any piece that isn’t ultimately reduced to “everything is everything, like what you like and nothing can be said.” And of course anything using the word “clusterfuck.”

In my general opinion, give me something that screams process, difficulty or nuance. Truth in these things can’t be farted out. Drive the pedal, don’t let the pedal drive you. That being said: http://www.myspace.com/thetonycastles

;-D

By: Griffin Kay

Griffin Kay — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:36:30 +0000

This article hits it out of the park! Well done good sir!

By: Gene

Gene — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:03:58 +0000

Well Nose, just because Eric Dolphy and Skip James came before doesn’t preclude contemporary musicians from being “experimental”. Experimentation can be a personal expression, utilizing existing traditions and sounds. It doesn’t need to stand alone as completely original.

I for one am tired of the modern obsession with complete originality. Eric Dolphy still sounds like a jazz and Skip James still sounds like the blues. That doesn’t diminish the importance of their work.

By: Disco Vietnam

Disco Vietnam — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:28:18 +0000

on the money

By: musicforthegods

musicforthegods — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:40:12 +0000

That was a really good article. Hipsters are idiots.
I prefer to like music specifically because it sounds aesthetically pleasing, not because it’s the “new thing.” However, some of my tastes cross over into the “new thing,” but it’s because I liked it, not because someone else did.
Really music critics just make me angry. It’s all opinion. People should be smart enough to form their own.
That’s why I don’t review music on my blog. If I hear something I like, I post it there for more people to discover it. It doesn’t mean it’s the best or the worst, it’s just what I thought was interesting.