2014 Musical Recordings

Michael K. wrote:4. Malkmus & The Jicks | Wig Out at Jagbags

oh well hey now

Duff... wrote:Read a paragraph over the weekend, see little reason to return to it.

Could you elaborate. I couldn't find anything to disagree with other than the fact that he likes the Strokes and the National.

Ҩ wrote:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/magazine/the-pernicious-rise-of-poptimism.html?ref=magazine
Does anyone disagree with this?

does anyone not disagree with this?

i read the whole article. it was fun the way the author would go on an aside in a reasonable direction (for example, saying poptimism was a useful correction to the white, male, classicism of rock n' roll) and then pivot into shrill sanctimony about shit written in Slate. a lot of useless words to devote to a straw man.

I detest the sort of things he's talking about whether they're sentiments espoused by paid critics or message boarders and I agree with the main idea he's trying to get across. That said, insinuating that The National are in any way a challenging or important band that are somehow getting overlooked these days is not the way to do it!

I think Duff meant something along the lines of

Deborah Frost wrote:Marvin Gaye was never treated as a mere pop singer. By anyone. But any piece that leads with the "vaunted Pazz & Jop Poll" of presumably 2013 can not possibly be taken seriously. Even when written by a Sitcom historian.

undo wrote:I detest the sort of things he's talking about whether they're sentiments espoused by paid critics or message boarders and I agree with the main idea he's trying to get across. That said, insinuating that The National are in any way a challenging or important band that are somehow getting overlooked these days is not the way to do it!

Good post, undo.

Michael K. wrote:One quarter in:

01. Marissa Nadler - July
02. Francis Harris - Minutes of Sleep
03. New Bums - Voices in a Rented Room
04. Efdemin - Decay
05. Paul Cary - Coyote
06. Neil Finn - Dizzy Heights

special shoutout to the Gigi Masin compilation Talk To The Sea, which were it not a compilation, would be atop this list.

That NYT guy still doesn't get it:

But should gainfully employed adults whose job is to listen to music thoughtfully really agree so regularly with the taste of 13-year-olds?

Also poptimism does not equal "championing popular music on the radio." Any professional critic who doesn't get what the term actually means (a decade after its rise) should just enjoy his National records.

I think it's funny he singled out indie beard rock, when (to my eyes) there's a lot of overlap between fans of that music, and people comfortable with liking "manufactured" music. I've never heard even the biggest National fan gush over their craft, chops, authenticity, etc. They just enjoy the tunes.

It's also funny that the Strokes are one of two bands he mentioned in the same paragraph as indie rock & bearded bands, since they are neither.

I feel like The National get their share of accolades with regard to Berninger's lyrics, at the very least. Also what's-his-name on drums, he's great at playing them.

Michael K. wrote:Spotify - which is the singular music conveyance that has simultaneously stifled and invigorated my music intake for the past couple years

mang oh mang is this ever true

raj bigson wrote:

Michael K. wrote:Spotify - which is the singular music conveyance that has simultaneously stifled and invigorated my music intake for the past couple years

mang oh mang is this ever true

Curious about this. I don't listen to a whole lot of Spotify, but it has come in handy listening to a few albums. How do you guys feel that it "stifles" your music intake?

yeah, struggling to grasp how it's stifling. I guess there can be a bit of decision anxiety what with the virtually endless expanse of music that it offers, but man, it's mostly just really great.

I use it primarily at work.

I've run into a few instances of musicians having a limited (ex. Four Tet, Nils Frahm, Legowelt) or non-existent (ex. Beer On The Rug collective, Vermont) presence on Spotify, and I do feel as though the advertising can lessen the enjoyment of certain listening experiences to the point where it might be more enjoyable to hear the long player via some other listening option. Beyond these qualms though, I'd say Spotify is a pretty great service that I use constantly.

Now Playing: Grooveshark

vIv wrote:Curious about this.  I don't listen to a whole lot of Spotify, but it has come in handy listening to a few albums.  How do you guys feel that it "stifles" your music intake?

I can't speak for Miguel, but I tend to put off listening to things that aren't on Spotify. There's so much there that it's easier to just find something they do have than to exert the (admittedly pretty small) amount of additional effort it would take to find the music in question elsewhere. I tend to listen to things that are on Spotify immediately and repeatedly; if they aren't on Spotify, I listen to them belatedly and less frequently.

Spotify's catalog is impressive, and at least a few times a month, I'm surprised to find something I was sure they wouldn't be streaming. But there's obviously tons of stuff they don't have, whether it is obscure elite music from the past or just brand new music. For example the service feels pretty disconnected from a lot of what's happening in rap music (that you might hear primarily in mixtapes / youtube / Soundcloud / etc.). I definitely feel like I've listened to less rap overall since I started using Spotify.

Basically what Spotify chooses to offer - or what labels/artists choose to do business with them - is a filter on my listening that wouldn't otherwise be there, and I'm always suspicious of filters. I try to use Soundcloud and 8tracks regularly, and I do pretty frequently hear things that I wouldn't hear on Spotify. I like Spotify a lot and will continue to use it, I just have some mixed feelings about it dominating my listening.

that all makes plenty of sense. w/r/t to the above point about advertising, that's done away with when you pony up the $9 per month, which I quite willingly do.

w/r/t to Things That Aren't on Spotify -- I do plenty of supplementing with my iphone. even some things I'm digging lately that I know ARE on Spotify end up on my phone, because if I'm not sitting at my work computer, I don't really use it at all.

I dunno, found a pretty nice balance myself. I run into the same thing about "not listening to things that aren't on Spotify" but that's only when I have a marginal interest in them (see the new Liars album, for instance, which turned out to be terrible)

raj bigson wrote:

vIv wrote:Curious about this.  I don't listen to a whole lot of Spotify, but it has come in handy listening to a few albums.  How do you guys feel that it "stifles" your music intake?

I can't speak for Miguel, but I tend to put off listening to things that aren't on Spotify. There's so much there that it's easier to just find something they do have than to exert the (admittedly pretty small) amount of additional effort it would take to find the music in question elsewhere. I tend to listen to things that are on Spotify immediately and repeatedly; if they aren't on Spotify, I listen to them belatedly and less frequently.

Spotify's catalog is impressive, and at least a few times a month, I'm surprised to find something I was sure they wouldn't be streaming. But there's obviously tons of stuff they don't have, whether it is obscure elite music from the past or just brand new music. For example the service feels pretty disconnected from a lot of what's happening in rap music (that you might hear primarily in mixtapes / youtube / Soundcloud / etc.). I definitely feel like I've listened to less rap overall since I started using Spotify.

Basically what Spotify chooses to offer - or what labels/artists choose to do business with them - is a filter on my listening that wouldn't otherwise be there, and I'm always suspicious of filters. I try to use Soundcloud and 8tracks regularly, and I do pretty frequently hear things that I wouldn't hear on Spotify. I like Spotify a lot and will continue to use it, I just have some mixed feelings about it dominating my listening.

No no, speak away. This captures my thoughts really well. That bit about the filter, that hits it. W/ Spotify, I don't have to worry about my compulsive organizational issues w/r/t iTunes and my computer in general. W/ Spotify, I can just turn on an app and search for something. But I find myself thinking, "what in the fuck do I want to listen to??!?" Just how I spend more time on Netflix searching for something to watch than I do actually watching something worthwhile - and often end up watching some shitty stand up or something because I'm too tired to resist any longer - I often just play something from the p4k or ADM apps or just spin an old standby when using Spotify. It's a filter, and that sucks, but it's also an easy chair that makes lazy listening far too comfortable.

I agree with Michael re: netflix similarities. Often, I will think of something away from my computer and when I finally get on spotify, the discover page and the sheer volume of possibilities shut my brain down. Also, I agree with those who've said its hard to find certain albums or artists. Villalobos has almost nothing, no demdike stare, and yet, on the other hand, you can find hard to get albums from dj rashad and traxman.

I have found myself wishing for Villalobos on spotify several times, yes.

sort of hate using spotify, but i havent in a long time so idk

it sort of lessens the impact certain albums may have on me (and to a more general extent i hate streaming music on my computer because i can't concentrate and it always ends up being nothing but background music), like there are quite a few albums that i never bothered to download because i remember being meh about them but thats probably more spotify's (or any streaming device's) fault than the actual album's.

also i have limited internet download quota at my dorms so fuck streaming

Michael K. wrote:W/ Spotify, I don't have to worry about my compulsive organizational issues w/r/t iTunes and my computer in general.

This! I'm ashamed to think about how many hours I've spent organizing & renaming files, editing MP3 tags, and procuring album art. Not to mention downloading the stuff in the first place. All for what?

Michael K. wrote:Just how I spend more time on Netflix searching for something to watch than I do actually watching something worthwhile - and often end up watching some shitty stand up or something because I'm too tired to resist any longer

This too, goddamn.

I just downloaded the newest Spotify update and it's the most dramatic interface change they've made since I started using it.

Anyone else ever meant to buy an album and "support the artist," but then see that it's on Spotify and decide to save your money instead?

All this Spotify chit-chat is great and all, but on first listen I'm completely engaged and grooving to the Todd Terje and will likely listen to the whole thing again right after lunch.

undo wrote:Anyone else ever meant to buy an album and "support the artist," but then see that it's on Spotify and decide to save your money instead?

Usually the opposite for me. I only want to "support the artist" after hearing it on spotify / youtube / soundcloud enough times that I feel compelled to own the vinyl.

yancy wrote:

undo wrote:Anyone else ever meant to buy an album and "support the artist," but then see that it's on Spotify and decide to save your money instead?

Usually the opposite for me. I only want to "support the artist" after hearing it on spotify / youtube / soundcloud enough times that I feel compelled to own the vinyl.

Purchasing vinyl - other than going to shows, which I do so infrequently lately - is the only satisfying and refreshing capitalist transaction I have w/ music these days. I work in this order as well - I buy what I've heard and am excited about owning.