bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Favorite new record? Favorite old record? Got a band? Post it here.
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bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:18 pm

i think we've all came across those bands and artists where maybe we like their music but don't like them as people. maybe we can see what good they're doing for the music scene but their music just bounces off you. maybe they have shitty politics. whatever it may be, let's discuss it.

foo fighters: ok, so i get dave is the nice guy of rock, the foo fighters are kinda an entry level band, it's respectable that they're still going nearly 30 years later, they're all talented musicians and they've been well known for helping bands get attention....... but god damn it. the music feels like more of a product than art. also, i kinda see them as one of the bands that i call "festival rock" basically those bands that don't really tour europe anymore. just do the summer festival circuit and call that a tour. see also queens of the stone age, interpol, green day, biffy clyro. you can make the argument it's the best way to reach the largest amount of fans but it's kinda shitty for the fans who might be too young to go to festivals, can't afford it OR can't get the time off work.

idles: i'm gonna get shit for this one but the moment my friend described them as "jesus lizard with english accents" i've not been able to take them seriously since. i agree with their politics, i like some of their songs, i can see the good they're doing for the scene (bringing in a lot of young fans) and i know people who've worked with them who've all said they're super nice...... but god damn it, when their music doesn't grab me, it bounces off so hard that it's in orbit. also, not to sound weird but a lot of the young people i see getting into them are more in the "i was born in the wrong generation" types rather than people who think it's new and fresh. i know there's that saying "own a suit for long enough and it will come back in fashion" but i dunno, something about this suit ain't right. but hey, they've developed a fanbase which is more than can be said for most recent rock bands.

the offspring: i've mentioned before that they were my entry into alternative music and the first band i ever fell in love with. but god damn it's been hard to keep saying i like them. for the most part, i always thought their singles after the signing to columbia were kinda weak but the rest of the album still had their moments. but outside 3 good songs on rise fall rage grace, 2 good songs on days gone by..... i can't call myself a fan. also knowing that they basically fired founding member greg k because it was cheaper to cut him out and hire session guys. pretty shit.
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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by Chippertheripper » Mon Feb 28, 2022 6:43 pm

I’ve trimmed quite a bit of my library since about 2015 or so. While I can still respect the art, if the artist is a shitty human, I’m out. There’s plenty more out there that I don’t even feel like I’m missing out either.
WRT foo fighters, I used to think they were probably the best mainstream band going. The blue record is pretty iconic, the white one has some real great DC post hardcore feels embedded in it, but after that, they pretty quickly morphed into dad rock.
I’ll leave the other two alone.

As for conflicting feelings, I heard this thing when I was younger, and it’s one of those things I wish id never heard. It’s stuck with me and shaped a lot of my tastes and I can’t get away from it.
“There’s nothing worse than mediocrity. It’s fine to love something or to hate something, but to be Meh about it is the worst”.
It’s stupid, I know, but there’s a lot of stuff out there in the middle that I will not give the time of day to, and I know how ridiculous it is, but I can’t move past it.

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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by marqueemoon » Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:24 pm

Feeling pretty conflicted about Beach House at the moment.

As I told my bandmates Once Twice Melody sounds like it could have been written by AI that analyzed all of their previous work. I really like 7 for how dark and strange it gets, but I don’t see them making something like that again.

Four Tet - For every great thing he put out he puts out something utterly bland.

Low - The early formula had definitely run its course, but can’t say I’m a fan of the bombast.

A whole host of bands from my youth who have probably been at it too long.

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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by epizootics » Mon Feb 28, 2022 11:27 pm

s_mcsleazy wrote:
Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:18 pm

idles: i'm gonna get shit for this one but the moment my friend described them as "jesus lizard with english accents" i've not been able to take them seriously since. i agree with their politics, i like some of their songs, i can see the good they're doing for the scene (bringing in a lot of young fans) and i know people who've worked with them who've all said they're super nice...... but god damn it, when their music doesn't grab me, it bounces off so hard that it's in orbit. also, not to sound weird but a lot of the young people i see getting into them are more in the "i was born in the wrong generation" types rather than people who think it's new and fresh. i know there's that saying "own a suit for long enough and it will come back in fashion" but i dunno, something about this suit ain't right. but hey, they've developed a fanbase which is more than can be said for most recent rock bands.
You're not alone with this one. I don't think I ever managed to listen to a full song of theirs - something switches off in my brain and doesn't click back on. To my ears they are one of the many recent British bands that sell fake danger or whatavya. I don't mind most of the music, but I can't shake off the feeling that I am listening to middle class kids trying to sound dark and threatening. Nothing to do with music, but I can spot those a mile away. They were the kids who would frown at me when I told them I was too skint to drink in pubs. "I'm skint too", they'd go. I don't think they realized that my skint was the harsh zero at the end of my bank account when their skint was filled up by their parents on a weekly basis.

Fontaines DC have the same effect on me. Same with Black Midi (who got mightily pissed off when I asked them how rich their families were). The Fat White Family too - we had this hilarious run in with them when they came over to our house after a gig and demanded that a friend of ours, who was a big fan of theirs and all too eager to comply, lend them £100 for coke. We were scheduled to play on the same bill at a festival a couple of weeks later and promised to smash their kneecaps if they didn't reimburse her promptly. They looked really uncomfortable. They were much bigger than we were by then and the organizers for the festival called us a few days later to tell us we had been removed from the bill. They wouldn't say why. ::)

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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by Stephen_42 » Tue Mar 01, 2022 12:14 am

Excellent idea for a thread!

Though I'd point out that Foo Fighters still do tour Europe regularly, and it's not just festivals. They skipped England last time, but I went to see them in Dublin instead. They are doing London dates this time, but all the affordable tickets sold out before I could get any. Still, going to see Foos in other countries is on its way to becoming a tradition for me now.

For me, Muse were the first band to pop into my head for this. I can't quite tell if it's partially a deliberate eccentric persona, or if Matt Bellamy genuinely is full on tin foil hat level conspiracy theorist, but that's become increasingly hard to ignore given that we're in the middle of a global pandemic. And as much as I hate to be one of those "I liked their old stuff" types, they haven't done anything particularly good for the last 10 years. Origin of Symmetry, Absolution and BH&R are all incredible albums. But Resistance was meh, 2nd Law was awful, and everything since has been meh.

Another example: Iron Maiden (or at least Bruce Dickinson) supporting brexit, then complaining it's affecting musicians ability to tour. I love them as a band but, well... What did he think was going to happen?

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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by JSett » Tue Mar 01, 2022 12:21 am

s_mcsleazy wrote:
Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:18 pm
idles
Ian Dury did it better, more cleverly and with style
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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by burpgun » Tue Mar 01, 2022 8:58 am

I usually find that I end up with conflicted feelings about many bands and artists once I start following them on social media. Turns out I want to know less, rather than more, about most of them.

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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by stevejamsecono » Tue Mar 01, 2022 9:22 am

All of 'em?

I dunno. I think most interesting artists have some issues. Music is kind of a universal language in a way that I think it allows people with fucked up world views or pasts to surprise us sometimes with something beautiful we can all understand. Not to say I condone these people if they live shitty lives but I think that some of the magic there is this ability to tap into something others can understand. That's why people are so willing to forgive classic rock icons (i.e. Beatles, Zeppelin, Bowie, etc.) with shady pasts, because it's difficult to deny some of the music.

I think my conflict more tends to come from people that have reputations for being super nice but make really boring music. I doubt that Superchunk has a parking ticket between them and they seem like truly kind, generous folks, but that music doesn't move me half as much as the bands that influenced them (Huskers, Placemats) who clearly have a lot more junk in the trunk. Maybe the story is less interesting as a result? No real redemption arc to be had? I dunno.
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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by cestlamort » Tue Mar 01, 2022 11:28 am

Idles have a lot of buzz (and always sold out shows) here in Seattle, so I haven't seen them, but the records haven't done anything for me. (I do love the Fontaines DC records though. The "hero's death" title track filled the same anthemic mantra niche as the Walkmen "The Rat" did years ago).
Maybe start referring to them as the "Jayzus Lizard"?

Conflicted:
Mark Kozelek. Adored the Red House Painters records, but he's a total heel and it takes a lot of mental effort and bracketing to be able to enjoy them again. "Ghosts of the Great Highway" was my air travel album of choice for years, so sad that's gone.
Morrissey. Ditto. Total heel with the tendency to trumpet his abhorrent politics.
Stone Roses. Same. But they lost me at record #2, so it's easier to take.

A friend in the 90s once described Superchunk as the most conservative/Republican band of the era – because they just kept releasing the same record again and again.

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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by marqueemoon » Tue Mar 01, 2022 1:22 pm

cestlamort wrote:
Tue Mar 01, 2022 11:28 am
Conflicted:
Mark Kozelek. Adored the Red House Painters records, but he's a total heel and it takes a lot of mental effort and bracketing to be able to enjoy them again. "Ghosts of the Great Highway" was my air travel album of choice for years, so sad that's gone.
Morrissey. Ditto. Total heel with the tendency to trumpet his abhorrent politics.
Stone Roses. Same. But they lost me at record #2, so it's easier to take.
Good list. Kozelek is the one that’s been yanked from my personal listening, and mainly because he’s been telegraphing his shittyness in his own lyrics for so long.

Ian Brown and Morrissey were at least *sort* of different people when they made their best stuff.

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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by shoule79 » Tue Mar 01, 2022 4:44 pm

cestlamort wrote:
Tue Mar 01, 2022 11:28 am

Conflicted:
Mark Kozelek. Adored the Red House Painters records, but he's a total heel and it takes a lot of mental effort and bracketing to be able to enjoy them again. "Ghosts of the Great Highway" was my air travel album of choice for years, so sad that's gone.

Morrissey. Ditto. Total heel with the tendency to trumpet his abhorrent politics.
Came here to say these two, and to add Ryan Adams into the mix.

Newer SKM, from the last decade or so is tough to listen to, so that makes it easier.

Grew up on Moz and the Smiths. Still listen to the Smiths for Marr, and old Morrissey for nostalgia. I just try to avoid news articles about him.

Got into Ryan Adams a few years before the grooming thing came out. Albums were hit and miss, but really liked some of them. That’s done now.

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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by X-Ray Spex » Tue Mar 01, 2022 4:46 pm

epizootics wrote:
Mon Feb 28, 2022 11:27 pm
s_mcsleazy wrote:
Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:18 pm

idles: i'm gonna get shit for this one but the moment my friend described them as "jesus lizard with english accents" i've not been able to take them seriously since. i agree with their politics, i like some of their songs, i can see the good they're doing for the scene (bringing in a lot of young fans) and i know people who've worked with them who've all said they're super nice...... but god damn it, when their music doesn't grab me, it bounces off so hard that it's in orbit. also, not to sound weird but a lot of the young people i see getting into them are more in the "i was born in the wrong generation" types rather than people who think it's new and fresh. i know there's that saying "own a suit for long enough and it will come back in fashion" but i dunno, something about this suit ain't right. but hey, they've developed a fanbase which is more than can be said for most recent rock bands.
You're not alone with this one. I don't think I ever managed to listen to a full song of theirs - something switches off in my brain and doesn't click back on. To my ears they are one of the many recent British bands that sell fake danger or whatavya. I don't mind most of the music, but I can't shake off the feeling that I am listening to middle class kids trying to sound dark and threatening. Nothing to do with music, but I can spot those a mile away. They were the kids who would frown at me when I told them I was too skint to drink in pubs. "I'm skint too", they'd go. I don't think they realized that my skint was the harsh zero at the end of my bank account when their skint was filled up by their parents on a weekly basis.

Fontaines DC have the same effect on me. Same with Black Midi (who got mightily pissed off when I asked them how rich their families were). The Fat White Family too - we had this hilarious run in with them when they came over to our house after a gig and demanded that a friend of ours, who was a big fan of theirs and all too eager to comply, lend them £100 for coke. We were scheduled to play on the same bill at a festival a couple of weeks later and promised to smash their kneecaps if they didn't reimburse her promptly. They looked really uncomfortable. They were much bigger than we were by then and the organizers for the festival called us a few days later to tell us we had been removed from the bill. They wouldn't say why. ::)
Gonna need more info on the Black Midi run in, that sounds hilarious.
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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by cestlamort » Tue Mar 01, 2022 6:20 pm

shoule79 wrote:
Tue Mar 01, 2022 4:44 pm

Newer SKM, from the last decade or so is tough to listen to, so that makes it easier.

Grew up on Moz and the Smiths. Still listen to the Smiths for Marr, and old Morrissey for nostalgia. I just try to avoid news articles about him.

Got into Ryan Adams a few years before the grooming thing came out. Albums were hit and miss, but really liked some of them. That’s done now.
My feelings exactly. I'd meant to include Adams here, too.

I'd viewed Morrissey's stuff in the same vein as when asked about my favorite (light) movies: "Sixteen Candles and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Well, except for the racist parts."

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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by mackerelmint » Tue Mar 01, 2022 6:33 pm

I have the same feelings about Morrissey. I feel like he was born at age 22, and has never actually matured at all in his entire life. When he was in his 20s, it was fine. Then he just added the racism.

Still love the Smiths and a lot of his solo stuff, though. Separating the art and the artist, I've found, is something that some are able to do more than others. I'll still watch the Cosby show, for example. But how willing to bother separating one and the other is very much a product of how much I like the art in the first place. I'll still give Moz and Bill credit where it's due, but bring up Led Zeppelin and to my mind the only thing that exists is tight pants and kidnapping teenaged girls for sex.
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Re: bands/artists you have conflicting feelings about?

Post by Pepe Silvia » Tue Mar 01, 2022 7:56 pm

s_mcsleazy wrote:
Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:18 pm


foo fighters: ok, so i get dave is the nice guy of rock, the foo fighters are kinda an entry level band, it's respectable that they're still going nearly 30 years later, they're all talented musicians and they've been well known for helping bands get attention....... but god damn it. the music feels like more of a product than art. also, i kinda see them as one of the bands that i call "festival rock" basically those bands that don't really tour europe anymore. just do the summer festival circuit and call that a tour. see also queens of the stone age, interpol, green day, biffy clyro. you can make the argument it's the best way to reach the largest amount of fans but it's kinda shitty for the fans who might be too young to go to festivals, can't afford it OR can't get the time off work.
Foo Fighters is perplexing to me. I still like their first four albums, but after that they fell off my radar only for them to have a resurgence as a generic and uninspiring band, but yet they are the biggest they have ever been and somehow reached this legendary status. Granted when There's Nothing Left to Lose came out, I was 12 and my classmates weren't into Foo Fighters and I had no visibility of the real world. But it just seems like they had a few good mainstream hits, then rode that wave and never produced anything notable again but picked up a ton of fans.

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