Five Friday Indie Production Aesthetics
Alright, the Alela Diane thread has been one of the most interesting on this site for a while, so it’s time to destroy all that mature and considered debate and return to the sort of trivial internet white noise which, if we’re being honest with ourselves, is really what we do best, here at Song, by Toad.
This weekend holds a trip to Manchester and a discussion with a pal of mine about possibly putting some design thinking into this site. I am not happy with it, but I decided to stop buggering about and just accept it for the time being, until I was well and truly ready to design it properly, once and for all.
Now, seeing as we had such a splendid discussion about production values this week, and seeing as last week’s five was so racy as to terrify the living shit out of a large number of people and hence curtail participation, here’s a fitting and much more family fucking friendly Five For Friday. Emerge, join in, release yourselves from the travails of skulking lurkitude. Then get absolutely cabbaged, fuck someone wildly inappropriate and wake up in and empty house in a bath full of ice with a suspiciously angry scar across your abdomen. And have a splendid weekend in the process.
1. Favourite song or band which is as rough and ready as fuck.
2. Favourite song or band which is Big! Big Sound, Big Production, the works.
3. Which ultra-low-fi band could you imagine doing really well with a bit of shiny recording and production?
4. Which big shiny band would you like to hear record a rough-as-a-bear’s-arse demo?
5. Your biggest culture shock when a band you love went glossy.
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Bruce Springsteen – I’m on Fire
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1. Suicide
2. Kings of Leon
3. Enfant Bastard
4. The Killers
5. Saxon…..
1. Cold War Kids’ We Used to Vacation
2. Divine Comedy’s If…
3. Ah, now most low-fi bands that are well know have become successful because their stuff works well in that kind of setting; if you tried to polish it you’d lose the very thing that made it work in the first place. So I’ll go with someone like The Black Keys, who’s stuff doesn’t quite do it for me in it’s current form, but which might sound better if it was given the whole nine yards production-wise.
4. The trouble with this one is that most of the Big and Shiny bands who’s demos I’d like to hear have already released their rough-as-sandpaper demos, and ninety percent of the time they’re utter rubbish. So I guess I’ll go with The Guillemots, as they were rather super live, but their records seemed to have had all the life sucked out of them.
5. I nearly died when Bright Eyes went all “trad. country”; I guess I’m Wide Awake… was quite good, but now they sound as if they’ve had their teeth ripped out.
P.S. I did try to concise and to-the-point, but gave up after two answers…
3. …well known, rather.
Cold War Kids’ We Used to Vacation…rough as fuck?
i like the song…however i would never say it was rought as fuck
I’m thinking of the Up In Rags version, not the album cut (though they are reasonably similar). And I’ll defend my choice: the recordings themselves might be middle-fi, but the performance and delivery of the thing are so jagged and disjointed. You could cut yourself on that guitar part…
where’s everybody else?
On a busy train….Booooooo!!!!
1) Rape me
2)Where the streets have no name
3)Eagle Owl (I can here Orchestras on there I swear)
4)Springsteen (Although he has already done Nebraska, but one with the E-Street band maybe)
5)I can’t answer this one really, but it was pretty funny to see Coldplay basically rip off Arcade Fire for the new record and claim it was a “reinvention”.
I know a really good Scottish band who sound just like the Arcade Fire.
…but there are our little secret!!!
….anyway matty boy….you know the rules….
My five are kind of obvious from the songs I posted.
1. Maxwell Panther, who will be releasing on Song, by Toad in the Summer. Rough as fuck, but I swear there’s gold in there.
2. Nicole Atkins: it’s Broadway pop, but I absolutely love her album. As does Mrs. Toad, so it must be good.
3. Enfant Bastard – Cammy may never forgive me for saying this but I reckon that if someone wanted to try and turn him into a super-edgy, everso cool band he has the kind of songs that would polish up amazingly well. If he could stand this without beating someone to death with a guitar is another question entirely…
4. I’m with Jim, I’d like to hear a demo or session version of Born in the USA or something like that. It would be fucking amazing, I’d put money on it.
5. Although I am coming to terms with it, The Wave Pictures with the edges rubbed off just don’t sound like the Wave Pictures to me. How do you say to a group that you love the sound of them recorded really badly? They didn’t even peak their microphones once on Instant Coffee Baby – heresy!
i love Born in the USA but it sounds so dated….it would be more than awesome to here the demos….
oh fuck it ‘hear’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/feb/20/fierce-panda-indie-label-coldplay
take heed young Matthew
1. I thought Tonight at the Arizona was pretty rough (esp. Hey Hey Revolver) and I preferred it to their self titled album.
2. The Waterboys, Fisherman’s Blue’s. I actually quite like that 80’s production nonsense (I think it’s all or nothing for me) or the boss.
3. I’d quite like to hear that Uhersky Brod Ep with a teensy wee bit of production. Nothing mental liksae.
4. Twilight Sad
5. Was quite sad when I first heard final straw, I loved songs for polarbears and we still have to clean up
Good call!
fucking cough!!!
Chutney: you see our Mr Toad as the next “probably the most indie man alive”? He’s modest, that Williams chap…
Not that I don’t like the ep as is, I’d just like to hear it really.
i see Toad as being able to do something…..nearly good….that is if he can keep his head out of his bum…..ha ha….just joking Matthew!!
However, i do think it takes a fair amount of balls to be doing what he is doing and i found that artical interesting on a couple of levels….which i’ll pass onto the Toad next time i see him.
1. A chap that goes under the name ‘beans on toast’ (definitely worth checking him out on myspace). wank name but ticks the “Favourite song or band which is as rough and ready as fuck” box
2. Muse – maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but the production on the latter albums is just stunning. In my opinion.
3. Black Keys – same as other Tom
4. Portishead – Glory Box
5. Kings Of Leon – I remember the hairy inbred simpletons writing funny songs. They now have celebrity girlfriends and moisturiser.
1.I’ve just been listening to some fashionably early-days-nicked arctic monkeys demos (from their first appearance, well, ish) and they still sound really rather lovely.
2. This is a good opportunity to revel in some of that early 80s electro/indie stuff – The Human League, Heaven 17, maybe on into New Order. There’s a great line in something, possibly ‘Lost In Music’ by giles smith,when he says they had something like four weeks studio time ‘which was the amount of time it would take The Human League to work up a Bass drum sound they were happy with’.
3.There are quite a few ‘never quite going to make it’ indie guitar bands I’m very fond of and, to be honest,whilst it would be nice for them to have some of the success I think they deserve I’m not really sure I’d wish this on anyone.
4. Almost any of them. A lot of the time my favourite songs by my favourite people are already stripped bare (‘Ghosts’ by the jam, the ‘as live’ take of Headstart for Happiness by the stylees on ‘introducing’, for example).
5. The Answer to number 5 is Love by Aztec Camera.
4. Portishead – Glory Box
good call other other tom
It’s always sad to see the people who nurtured “talent” at an early stage being left out in the cold when things hit the big-time.
Do you see Meursault snubbing SbT as soon as they start climbing the charts?
I like Williams’ idea for a “transfer fee” when artists switch labels, but isn’t that what happens when an indie label has actually signed a contract with a new band – so the major has to buy them out?
I guess it’s tricky to find the balance between being a paperwork “square” and a cool, hip-hop-and-happening “gentleman’s agreement” style of label management.
Is it annoying to repeat the questions? I’m lost, especially when they are so wordy :-p
1. Favourite song or band which is as rough and ready as fuck. – The River, Samantha Crain
!
2. Favourite song or band which is Big! Big Sound, Big Production, the works. – The late Beatles, circa Abbey Road. I know, I know, but fuck it all, I love that album and it had a huge impact on me musically and personally. And it’s big production, right? (oh, feeling unsure now… damn you all)
3. Which ultra-low-fi band could you imagine doing really well with a bit of shiny recording and production? – (having trouble here) I’ll take the easy answer and go with “The Furnace” by Meursault because I really want to see what would happen. Sorry Neil, I know it might feel like a real buggering, but it’s in the name of science and all, no?
4. Which big shiny band would you like to hear record a rough-as-a-bear’s-arse demo? – the Foals, do they count as big shiny? I’m having trouble discerning between “production” and “manipulated” sound. I would say also the Heartless Bastards but they aren’t very big or shiny. They do, however utilize a shit load of those pedal thingys to distort their sound. So, I’m once again an ignoramus on this subject, but it’s Friday so fuck it. Have a beer, put that on a t-shirt and have a laugh. Tart thinks those pedal-y things are “production”
5. Your biggest culture shock when a band you love went glossy. – The Replacements, but I loved them still as much. Pleased to Meet Me marked their signing with a major label and incorporated a real MOR sound into what was a great punk/garage band. But it has some of the best songs they ever did.
As much as I try, I cannot get into Portishead… what is wrong with me? I lay myself at your feet. Do not stomp with abandon, darlings.
SbT should run a Furnace re-mix competition. There’d probably be loads of shitty “club” versions (which’d be hilarious) but it’d possibly turn out some interesting things too…
All as an academic exercise, however, as the album version of the Furnace is spot on the way it is.
Nah, Portishead are rubbish coffee-table-lite drivel…
sssshhhhhh
1. Half Man Half Biscuit
2. Why Can’t This Be Love – Van Halen
3. Uhersky Brod
4. Bruce Springsteen’s a good shout. I was listening to Tunnel Of Love the other day, and the songs on that album are great, but I’d forgotten how much synth poo there is all over them.
5. Meursault
1) Tom Waits – Actually I’m going to put Mumford and Sons. Basically because I could put Tom Waits for all of these.
2) Bruce Springtseen – Proper stadium rock.
3) God i can’t think. Which is probably why I’m not a record producer. I have to say that I think The Divine Comedy do better with an proper Orchestra behind them. I like when Cinerama did did melodramatic songs like Health and Efficeny with a huge backing. You know, I don’t think I can answer this.
4) Dixie Chicks. Go on, mock. But I like ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’. And The Tragically Hip need to settle and do a nice ‘Bar Room’ record. Wheat Kings blows World Container out of the water.
5) Satunalia by the Wedding Present shocked the hell out of me. Also The Saw Doctors ‘Share the Darkness’. Was that the name of the album. God it was shiney compared to their other stuff. I still like it.
Tart, there is nothing wrong with you. It’s pretentious shit! Portishead is not music, it’s synthetic wank!
Nicole Atkins is an interesting one. Mrs. Bother-of-Toad heard it in a compilation, and made me listen to it. I never really liked her but, after being forced to listen in the car again and again I’m coming around. But your right, there is no reason not to spruce her up and add some really big sounding backing instrumentation. She could use a good crescendo.
Haha! – Not Ready to Make Nice wasn’t a bad song (I think Dan Wilson won a Grammy for it) but the arrangement/performance was disgustingly cheesy and slick; I’d love to hear that “stripped back”. Good choice.
Thank you Tom. The look of cold dead hatered in my brothers eyes when I told him I owned that album. I honestly thought he was going to drop to his knees, clutching his heart yelling “Damn you Dixie Chicks, I HAVE no brother!’.
Well, Taking the Long Way is a hateful album, and not something to admit to owning. If it weren’t for the Semisonic link I’d never have gone near it… so maybe he does have a point.
1. Some Nick Drake – not exactly “rough as fck” but certain songs sound like demos and contain mistakes and stuff. And it’s absolutely ace.
2. Radiohead. Very produced but very well produced.
3. Adam Ross. Nice songs with negative production.
4. MGMT “Time to Pretend” just to hear where it came from. That is a great song but I suspect that it’s very much about the production. That or “Race for the Prize” by Flaming Lips. Coincidentally, same producer.
5. Belle and Sebastian maybe – I love lo-fi B&S more. Or Bloc Party maybe, although they turned sh*t as well as tooling up on their production.
This was hard.
Yeah, the rest of the album didn’t see a lot of playing time.
Oooh, so much to answer.
Jim – if only you could see it, I’d pay to see the look on Bart’s face if anyone suggested an eagleowl/LSO collaboration!
Dav – good point, I wonder if Final Straw would sound decent if performed au natural (stop it) down the local pub.
Tom Chimp – I’ve heard of Beans on Toast. Aren’t they (he?) big mates with Frank Turner?
Tarticles – Sam Crain, very good choice. And definitely with you on Abbey Road, I love that too. And I don’t get Portishead either. At. All.
Ben – actually I’d prefer to hear the Divine Comedy do something like a Toad Session: upright bass, acoustic guitar, vocal, piano, clarinet, and then maybe fiddle and viola or fiddle and cello. Now that would be fucking amazing.
Team Turnip – a demo version of Time to Pretend would be outright fascinating, assuming it sounded like a proper demo. Mind you, a lot of demos don’t have to sound very demo-like anymore.
1. Enfant Bastard-I understand matthew having this as an answer for 3 but cammy’s recording technique is enfant bastard
2. Radiohead-best produced records in music
3. Alela Diane-no comment
4. Radiohead- just thom, johnny, an acoustic guitar and a few beat up synths. mainly just to hear how the sound would affect the writing. listen to this and tell me your not just a teeny bit curious..
5. My Morning Jacket- I tried to like them after the first two albums (which i loved to bits) but they are dead to me now.
posted the same link twice by mistake….what am i like tssh.
I will fix. Give me a second.
And I know what you’re saying about EB. In fact I was a wee bit nervous he’d never speak to me again if he ever read it, but it’s something I’d be curious to hear, just because. It’s definitely NOT something I’d like to really see him do, though. Something would feel wrong with the universe.
Toad: I would cream my pants if the Divine Comedy did a Toad Session. Did you see the stuff he did for the BBC at Glasto a few years back? Just one guitar, one voice and an accordion. Very nice indeed…
Ooh, Radiohead Toad Session! When you support them on their next tour, feel free to suggest it.
Tom – well he appeared on the Yann Tiersen Black Session, and they did a great version of Geronimo. I’ll put it in the podcast this week.
1. I don’t think you get much rougher than Jandek.
2. I still have affection for ’80s U2.
3. The Low Anthem.
4. Prince.
5. The Dresden Dolls/Amanda Palmer…granted, still better than most, but I prefer the old punk cabaret sound to the emo/pop hints on the last 2 albums.
What do you know about the Low Anthem, Vic? They sound really promising, but I’ve not listened to much.
And I’ll second the 80s U2 stuff as well.
Yeah, that Black Session was pretty hot. Neil Hannon’s always doing weird shit; I reckon you could get him. Just send him a really ironic email and I’m sure he’d jump at the chance…
1. Modern Lovers (debut)
2. Scott Walker (or The Divine Comedy)
3. Guided By Voices
4. Prefab Sprout (which sort of happened on the Steve McQueen re-issue)
5. The Clash – Give ‘Em Enough Rope
“It’s always sad to see the people who nurtured “talent” at an early stage being left out in the cold when things hit the big-time.
Do you see Meursault snubbing SbT as soon as they start climbing the charts?”
Sorry, Tom, forgot to answer this. Frankly, they’ll never snub Song, by Toad, or at least, I’d be amazed if they did. Part of this, of course, is that if a big label came knocking I would pack their bags for them and tell them to go for it, so by ’snub’ I think I mean something slightly different from just leaving for a bigger label. I might be more upset if they buggered off just to go to a marginally label that was only slightly bigger, but if they were in Broken Records situation and didn’t go I would fucking well fire the cunts and send them on their way anyway.
Whee, Dev, hello mate.
The Clash is a good, good choice. They changed tack quite dramatically a few times, which must have put the shits right up their fans.
i’s hope you’d reap the rewards anyway….a little % on future sales…..
Well it’s a big question for everyone, really. I’d rather be seen as a nurturing ground than a full-blown record label, but that does mean if anyone makes it big they are almost inevitably going to move on. No idea how to resolve that though. It will probably be related to the record label being a small part of the Toad thing, rather than being a retirement plan in and of itself.
“what’s that darling? columbia records on the blower?!”
see ya losers!
-never gonna happen. a toads for life not just for christmas.
yeah but….don’t you go and end up being a total altruistic fool!!!
re The Clash: I think the rest of said change was all for the better and kept things interesting. But “Rope” is an overproduced pile of shit (presumably meant to sound American radio-friendly) in an otherwise tremendous canon.
Chutters – me or Neil?
Dev – You know, I’ve never listened to it. I’m going to have to now, just out of curiosity.
you Toad you….this is in no way a slight on Neil….people deserve more that just kudos for their belief in things before the big world gets interested.
in fact this is not even about Neil and the boys…..it’s about the other bands that you might be interested in
1. There’s a Baptist Generals song called ‘Ay Distress’ that stops half way through as a mobile starts ringing, followed by the sound of the singer swearig and breaking things and the rest of the band trying to console him. I’m still not sure if its a set-up or not, but I really hope not as it’s absolute genius.
2. Single Ladies by Beyonce. Sorry, I know its getting old now, but I just can’t get passed it. It’s immense.
3 & 4. I’ve no idea. Everything’s relative. Most of the lo-fi bands I like are lo-fi for a reason. It’s part of the charm, and so to with the big production bands. I guess I’d be interested in a big band I like doing a stripped down set. But then, for example, I’ve seen Thom Yorke play a song just himself and a guitar. And it was great. But not sure if it would work for a whole album.
5. Cat Power. It still hurts.
Sorry, I’ve been away for a few days. Anyone heard the new Beirut? It’s AMAZING.
i like it…..no other fud does…..what do these shiteheads know about music anyway
Johnny Pictish Trail likes it, as far as I am aware.
Just because he’s famous doesn’t make him right.
me and Jonny P are like that…..picture me crossing my fingers
Here’s a Friday Five which was emailed to me by a chap called Andrew:
1. Favourite song or band which is as rough and ready as fuck.
mas y mas, Los Lobos
soul fixin man, Luther Allison
blind in texas, Wasp
2. Favourite song or band which is Big! Big Sound, Big Production, the works.
paul weller, paul weller
3. Which ultra-low-fi band could you imagine doing really well with a bit of shiny recording and production?
any suggestions, can’t pull a good one out here
4. Which big shiny band would you like to hear record a rough-as-a-bear’s-arse demo?
REM, Tool
5. Your biggest culture shock when a band you love went glossy.
pink floyd released Momentary lapse of reason, still tasting the vomit in my mouth.
Metallica released the black album
AC/DC released who made who
(you know how I know he’s gay?) Elton John released I’m still standing
Leave Andrew alone.
He sounds like a good guy.
i think he sounds like he has a cool taste in cool music…..whats he doing writing on this blog?
Go to the pub you cunts.
1)Sister Ray…….I know its obvious but it just is
2)The Pan Within
3)Leave them all alone twee wins.
4) I’d like to see Morrisey stripped right back again, I’m pretty sure the songs would make it through……….erm maybe
5)Stiff Little Fingers Now Then Album….I left the room with a tear in my eye and head hung l
“I’d like to see Morrisey stripped right back again”
Fucking pervert. Actually, that’s almost a t-shirt (no, don’t worry, I won’t).
My lovely missus loves the Stiff Little Fingers – don’t tell me they’ve got a Keane album in their closet! Actually, more to the point, don’t tell her!
Bart, Rampant Chutney Consumerism,
I stumbled in like a drunk a few months ago and I have yet to find the door. Have a good weekend!
Andrew, Chutney boy likes Bon Jovi, so don’t under any circumstances take any shit from him.
Tart, I don’t get Portishead either. And I know I’m supposed to do the five before I comment but I’m not at all knowledgeable enough to get involved in talks of production because I know absolutely nothing about all that technical mumbo jumbo. So there.
2. Nicole Atkins: it’s Broadway pop, but I absolutely love her album. As does Mrs. Toad, so it must be good.
Fifty Parnd, please.
Mmmmmm Morrissey stripped! Now there’s a proposition that will get me through the weekend, thank you very much xoxo
1. Sleepcure Theory Advancer by Capstan Shafts
2. The Seventh Seal by Scott Walker
3. Phosphorescent
4. Shearwater
5. Copperopolis by Grant Lee Buffalo
Chutters doesn’t just like Bon Jovi; he can arrange their albums into various top five listys depending on mood and occasion.
I didn’t even know they had even done five albums.
‘Chutters’ is going to stick, isn’t it?
Oh yeah!
I’m loving both the slightly pissed typos in that last comment!
I rule!
Ha! Agnes, way to give the FU to the lot of em! I shoulda done that myself, you wise woman, you. xoxxo
Campfires, good call on Grant Lee Buffalo.
But wasn’t it the album *after* Copperopolis that was reeeally heavily produced..?
Here at Toad HQ, we have just taken delivery of a set of Mercury S Tannoys (£30 on eBay, I fucking love eBay).
Now, never mind all this pish, what should I be playing to test my new speakers out?
Just tried Blue Monday, every note sounded so clean it was like it had just been washed. Sweet, sweet speakers.
Until we melt the fuckers as usual of course. Third set of speakers in 12 months.
.
Nase, I believe you’re referring to Jubilee? Yes, Jubilee does sound a bit like it was mixed by the production crew from a late-period REO Speedwagon record. I still kinda like it, though, because it has John Brion and Robyn Hitchcock on it, who are always good fun. And Truly, Truly and The Shallow End are decent tunes.
Mrs. Toad rocks.
If I’m not here when you get back from Manchester, its because I have been done for noise pollution.
These speakers are total mimsy ticklers. They could shake the shitstains off a tramp’s drawers.
Dancing in the dark will be fucking awesome at the next party we have.
“Mimsy ticklers”? What a great band name that would be.
I never got the fuss about Blue Monday, apart from all that biggest selling 12-inch or whatever the specifics were, it’s actually a terrible track. New Order have done dozens of songs light years better.
Paranoid Andriod might be a nice track to take your speakers out for a walk.
Wait till you see them Dylan, not only are they awesome, they are pretty too see:
http://www.zenn.com.sg/Mercury-S.JPG
If you really want to test your speakers’ range, might I suggest Like Organza and Spinner by Brian Eno & Jah Wobble?
Mrs. Toad, is that Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours that I see peeking out from behind the speaker case? Do you care nothing for your indie cred? I suggest you photoshop something by Bonnie Prince Billy in there post-haste.
New here, but what a good set of questions …
1/ Michael Shelley – Shrink Me Down
A demo on some rubbish powerpop comp. He rerecorded it properly for his official debut, on Shoeshine, and it was rubbish.
2/ Born to Run
3/ Maybe one of those Swedish indiepoppers – Sambassadeur, perhaps.
4/ AC/DC. Would love to hear them recorded live in the studio.
5/ It’s all relative, but the last Hold Steady album would have benefitted from slightly fewer than the 36,500 guitar tracks that evidently went on it.
It’s true. Now Elegia from Low-Life? That would be a much better speaker-tester.
Well they just pasted out a hearty rendition of Enter Sandman to the neighbourhood so I reckon rock is covered.
Moving onto ska now…
I need a fucking massive classical track too – the one with the kettle drums that sounds like it was written by Nazis for Nazis? Whats it called?
Also some really quiet picky picky acoustic stuff.
and violins, I’ll need to try some Eighteenth Day of May.
I love today.
Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss perhaps? The one from 2001.
If you want violins, go with Mussolini’s Son.
C&B, that is not our house in that picture, and we do NOT have a copy of Rumours.
Suuuuure you don’t. I get it. Mum’s the word.
She should try James Yorkston for something quiet.
Ooh, they’re purty.
C&B, what would a picture of our house be doing on a website which sells audio components? Now fuck off.
Christ that Strauss is some serious shit isn’t it? I don’t listen to classical much but that rocks.
Or maybe that Things In Herds record, Nothing Is Lost? Barely makes a peep, that one.
Matthew, all I can say is you make loving fun.
A website that sells broken audio components maybe.
Doesn’t the copy of Rumours on your iTunes count then Matthew?
“Truly Truly” was always the highlight for me, too.
Just looking at my copy now and it all comes back–it was Paul Fox at the desk (who also produced a Robyn record around this time–and maybe XTC, too..?), heavy on the compression, multi-tracking and sugar syrup. Still great songs. But hardly the aesthetic Grant Lee Buffalo started out with and, perhaps not coincidentaly, the album that broke up the band.
Mrs. Toad, for some good strings, can I suggest Echo & The Bunnymen’s “Silver”..?
>> I believe you’re referring to Jubilee? Yes, Jubilee does sound a bit like it was mixed by the production crew from a late-period REO Speedwagon record. I still kinda like it, though, because it has John Brion and Robyn Hitchcock on it, who are always good fun. And Truly, Truly and The Shallow End are decent tunes.
What’s wrong with ‘Rumours’?
What’s wrong with Rumours?
Fantastic album.
Great songs and performances. A unique and indelible moment in rock history.
Wow. Spooky simul-comment.
(Yes, it did take me over 14 minutes to compose those three sentences, in between listening to Dreams and The Chain)
Understandable. It’s hard to type quickly when you’re doin’ the five-knuckle chuckle to photos of Stevie Nicks in her ballerinatard.
1. I fucking love Titus Andronicus at the moment. I don’t know that they’re particularly lo-fi, but I certainly can’t imagine they sound like what a label wants bands to sound like.
If I’ve done that bit wrong, then I’ll go ‘Bee Thousand’. Cos it’s about the best album ever.
2. A fair bit of the mainstream pop that’s come out in the last year or two actually. Rihanna’s ‘Disturbia’, MIA’s ‘Paper Planes’, TI – ‘Live Your Life, and obviously ‘Time To Pretend’.
Plus early U2 is pretty special.
3. I honestly don’t know. I suppose Meursault are the most obvious one. But then, I can’t really see any reason why they’re not already selling out stadia, so perhaps I’m not the best judge.
4. I’d like to see Oasis make scratchy, 3 minute pop and punk songs. I hate that plodding bass, ‘Big Rock’ sound of theirs, but they’ve written some undeniably great songs.
5. Liz Phair wrote one of the rawest, greatest albums of the 90s. And now sings backup vocals for Sheryl Crow. Every time I think of this I die a little inside.