The Album Club 2017

Anteater · 04-19-2017, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

In my review I brought up the type of listener because you can only say that you find something uninteresting so many times before your statements become redundant. In any case, I don't think that Showcase is good. It's boring. It's dull. I guess using "inoffensive" instead of those words makes you pretentious. I hesitated calling outright bad because it was an album not trying to be what I consider a good album.

The soft rock review was a scientifically accurate description though.

Do you know the difference between Westcoast-AOR, yacht rock and soft rock...or anything about the musicians, producers, songwriters, etc. who dabbled in those areas? You'd be surprised at how influential all of it is. Daft Punk won Grammys riding all of that music's coattails after all.

The reason I give you a hard time is that I was a lot like you when I first joined this forum almost a decade ago, but broadened my criteria and learned how to discern the value of different genres based on criteria unique to the genre as opposed to having some pretentious "objective" standard of what an album "had" to be in order to be "good". Go look at the first "Favorite Albums Of All Time" thread I did years ago and compare it to a lot of the stuff I review now. The me back then shat all over a lot of what I listen to now because I didn't know any better (nor did I ever really give them a chance to begin with), and I didn't have an open mind.

You can't judge smooth jazz or yacht rock like you'd judge grindgore or jazz. Not because they are better genres, but because what makes a yacht rock album "good" is not going to be what makes an experimental jazz album "good". They operate by completely different production styles and differ in every other criterion you can think of.

But Frown, you approach music like you made up your mind ahead of time because you've already decided you don't like the aesthetic. And that's fine, but you limit yourself by doing things that way...as a listener and as a musician.

Just my two cents.

**Frownland** · 04-19-2017, 08:02 PM

You lost me when you confused my preferences with some kind of objective standard. That **** is always open to change. Sorry we don't like the same kinds of music all the time bud. You're gonna have to learn to handle that.

The Batlord · 04-19-2017, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

Do you know the difference between Westcoast-AOR, yacht rock and soft rock...or anything about the musicians, producers, songwriters, etc. who dabbled in those areas? You'd be surprised at how influential all of it is. Daft Punk won Grammys riding all of that music's coattails after all.

The reason I give you a hard time is that I was a lot like you when I first joined this forum almost a decade ago, but broadened my criteria and learned how to discern the value of different genres based on criteria unique to the genre as opposed to having some pretentious "objective" standard of what an album "had" to be in order to be "good". Go look at the first "Top 100 Albums" thread I did years ago and compare it to a lot of the stuff I review now. The me back then shat all over a lot of what I listen to now because I didn't know any better (nor did I ever really give them a chance to begin with), and I didn't have an open mind.

You can't judge smooth jazz or yacht rock like you'd judge grindgore or jazz. Not because they are better genres, but because what makes a yacht rock album "good" is not going to be what makes an experimental jazz album "good". They operate by completely different production styles and differ in every other criterion you can think of.

But Frown, you approach music like you made up your mind ahead of time because you've already decided you don't like the aesthetic. And that's fine, but you limit yourself by doing things that way...as a listener and as a musician.

Just my two cents.

Like I said, he's young and still has time to grow.

**Frownland** · 04-19-2017, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Like I said, he's young and still has time to grow.

Which smooth jazz albums have grown on you over the past few years?

It's not like I'm not open to finding a smooth jazz or country pop record that I like, it's just that my experience has not led me anywhere near enjoyment and a lot closer to disdain than anything.

The Batlord · 04-19-2017, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Which smooth jazz albums have grown on you over the past few years?

Never listened to one cause I don't care enough to try atm. But at some point I thought the same about hip hop, country, pop, post-punk, prog, grindcore, metalcore, and countless single artists. I'm perfectly happy to **** on something for the lulz, but am also perfectly happy to discard those opinions. Whereas your musical taste seems to have stalled.

**Frownland** · 04-19-2017, 08:16 PM

Check the second paragraph there sonny, you basically just rewrote it. I used to think hip hop was the worst and now it's one of my favourite genres. That ****'s always open to change. You're probably just confused by my blunt phrasing.

The Batlord · 04-19-2017, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Check the second paragraph there sonny, you basically just rewrote it. I used to think hip hop was the worst and now it's one of my favourite genres. That ****'s always open to change. You're probably just confused by my blunt phrasing.

That's the only genre I ever see you use to try to claim open mindedness. I mean is that it? Experimental ****, (experimental) hip hop, some stuff from your childhood, and a few scattered artists here and there?

**Frownland** · 04-19-2017, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

That's the only genre I ever see you use to try to claim open mindedness. I mean is that it? Experimental ****, (experimental) hip hop, some stuff from your childhood, and a few scattered artists here and there?

I used to hate jazz. I always thought folk was a bunch of lame crap not worth checking out. I used to think all country sucked. I used to not be able to listen to a song with screaming. I thought punk was plain stupid. I thought that classical music was just cliched, boring string music. Want some more? I could list pretty much everything I listen to today that isn't metal or rock.

Again, it's probably my bluntness throwing you off. I don't usually go "well shucks it sure is a nice album for an indie rock band but it's not for me." I usually just call it ****.

Mondo Bungle · 04-19-2017, 08:31 PM

you should

DwnWthVwls · 04-19-2017, 08:32 PM

Where do you stand on your own music?

04-19-2017, 08:02 PM	#682 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	You lost me when you confused my preferences with some kind of objective standard. That **** is always open to change. Sorry we don't like the same kinds of music all the time bud. You're gonna have to learn to handle that. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

04-19-2017, 08:16 PM	#686 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Check the second paragraph there sonny, you basically just rewrote it. I used to think hip hop was the worst and now it's one of my favourite genres. That ***'s always open to change. You're probably just confused by my blunt phrasing. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.* d e a f b o x