What Are You Listening To?

[WIP]

I've known of Toronto's "Metric" for a long time, and they never impressed me much. It always seemed like a somewhat cheesy outfit based mostly around Emily Haines' short shorts, long legs, and overly-cutesy vocals.

-k

Which was the only reason I clicked on their youtube videos!

In all fairness, I should add that when I saw them...on some late night TV show, I was impressed that she actually can play, and is more than eye candy to promote the band. I don't waste time watching, let alone listening to most of the pop-female acts that get hyped and promoted today....Rihanna....Katy Perry....Brittany Spears....let me know when you actually have some musical contributions worth listening to.

Edited January 10, 2013 by WIP

[DogOnPorch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NleFhhNbELA

I'm gonna put on an iron shirt and chase the Devil outta Earth.

[RB]

Which was the only reason I clicked on their youtube videos!

In all fairness, I should add that when I saw them...on some late night TV show, I was impressed that she actually can play, and is more than eye candy to promote the band. I don't waste time watching, let alone listening to most of the pop-female acts that get hyped and promoted today....Rihanna....Katy Perry....Brittany Spears....let me know when you actually have some musical contributions worth listening to.

pop-female acts? only

how about pop-male acts

give credits when due, - not the best role model, but Brittany Spears can actually sing..carry a note

[DogOnPorch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn4iuxQVQzY

[Guest]

EDIT

I think the best version of the song was done in a live album....I believe this tour was the last time Bryan Ferry performed with Roxy Music, and the taped concert from that tour was the best work they ever did, with this version of Like A Hurricane being better than Neil Young's....sorry Neil fans, but his guitar playing is a mess as usual on that song! I don't think Neil ever grasped the difference between what he wanted to play and what his limitations were on guitar. Listen for the Phil Manzanera solo near the end of this piece to hear how it should be done! This live album also included a cover version of another John Lennon song: Jealous Guy.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. The raw power of Neil Young's guitar is exactly what I like about that song. To me, the best version I've heard is the one on "Live Rust".

As for Roxy Music, I was a huge fan back in the day. Saw them live a couple of times and even got Ferry's autograph. But to me they were Do the Strand and Virginia Plain.

[WIP]

pop-female acts? only

how about pop-male acts

give credits when due, - not the best role model, but Brittany Spears can actually sing..carry a note

yeah, I could have mentioned Justin Bieber too, but then I start feeling sick to my stomach, if I dwell too much on these pop acts that are more about marketing products than making music. It may not be fair to dump on female manufactured pop stars, but the fitness club I go to a couple of times a week seems to cater to the females when it comes to the music they play on the P.A. system....this, is why I always make sure I have my Ipod with me....but, when I don't have it on, I am struck by how they can play one girl pop act after another and I can't tell one singer from the last one or the next one....they all sound the same and sing the same style, and have pretty much the same bland hip hop crap arrangements behind them!

And Brittany Spears...to each his own I suppose. I don't find her singing all that exceptional. Everything about her music career is someone else's creation. Does she actually have any connection with the writing, arranging and producing of her records?

[WIP]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn4iuxQVQzY

Okay, that's better than what I heard from her on Saturday Night Live, but I'm still not motivated enough to actually pay for the unplugged Katy Perry.

I'll see your Katy Perry and raise you Brittany Rogers of Alabama Shakes. My bias is towards rock and this is the best thing I've come across in awhile:

[WIP]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. The raw power of Neil Young's guitar is exactly what I like about that song. To me, the best version I've heard is the one on "Live Rust".

Yep. And I don't want to dump on Neil Young; I like a lot of his music, and really appreciate that he doesn't stand in one place and keep doing the same thing over and over. If you track his career, he's been a folkie, hard rock, country, rockabilly, even electronica....remember an album he did in the early 80's when synthesizers were the rage, called Trans. it wasn't his best work, but it was interesting that after a string of successful albums, he was open to going off in a whole different direction and experimenting with all the new electronics coming out at the time.

The problem I've had with his guitar leads is something that irritates me about a lot of lead guitarists, who are more concerned with how fast they can shred, and what chords they can reach, rather than hitting them clean. I just got the feeling that Neil Young hides a lot of fumbling in that heavy distortion. It really bothered me in "Rocking In The Free World." The guitar solo on that song...even the record version is a total mess! It should have been handed off to someone else. It ruined a great song.

As for Roxy Music, I was a huge fan back in the day. Saw them live a couple of times and even got Ferry's autograph. But to me they were Do the Strand and Virginia Plain.

I can understand why most of their fans gravitate to the earlier work. I remember at the time, back in the early 70's, those first two Roxy Music Albums were totally original, unlike anything else before them....similar to David Bowie....but I actually found their last two records and that final live album the ones that I preferred to listen to. Do The Strand and Virginia Plain just had a quality that was a little too edgy and frantic for my tastes.

[DogOnPorch]

[DogOnPorch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRhHDS69iU0

[DogOnPorch]

Might be 'new' to some folks.

[DogOnPorch]

And some good memories for Gosthacked...

(Loleatta Holloway not pictured ) Edited September 13, 2013 by DogOnPorch

[Mighty AC]

A very theatrical Canadian artist that made a small splash and disappeared quickly.

[WIP]

And some good memories for Gosthacked...

(Loleatta Holloway not pictured )

I can't say I like the music, but that video makes me want to believe in reincarnation, and come back as a saxophone.

[DogOnPorch]

I can't say I like the music, but that video makes me want to believe in reincarnation, and come back as a saxophone.

A remix of this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-q2NLrntX8

Edited September 13, 2013 by DogOnPorch

[WIP]

A remix of this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-q2NLrntX8

1:17, 2:07, 3:10, 4:07. Did I miss anything?

[DogOnPorch]

1:17, 2:07, 3:10, 4:07. Did I miss anything?

Yes...probably a dance partner.

[Mighty AC]

I'm diggin' The Joy Formidable lately. Here is a song you've probably heard on the radio:

Here is another solid tune with a great video:

[WIP]

I'm diggin' The Joy Formidable lately. Here is a song you've probably heard on the radio:

Here is another solid tune with a great video:

You'll probably like this then: their half hr. set at the Glastonbury Festival

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mf6A8KxVQkE

FULL CONCERT (click on a time mark to go directly to a song):

01. Intro - 0:00

02. A Heavy Abacus - 0:21

03. Austere - 4:45

04. The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade - 10:50

05. Cradle - 16:43

06. Whirring - 21:04

The Joy Formidable are an alternative rock band formed in 2007 in North Wales and currently located in London, England. The band consists of Ritzy Bryan (lead vocals, guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Thomas (drums, percussion).

Official site: http://www.thejoyformidable.com

Edited January 14, 2013 by WIP

[GostHacked]

Which was the only reason I clicked on their youtube videos!

In all fairness, I should add that when I saw them...on some late night TV show, I was impressed that she actually can play, and is more than eye candy to promote the band. I don't waste time watching, let alone listening to most of the pop-female acts that get hyped and promoted today....Rihanna....Katy Perry....Brittany Spears....let me know when you actually have some musical contributions worth listening to.

All those you mentioned are completely fabricated artists by the record company. Meaning that in many cases they don't write their own material, and what they produce is really shallow incredibly forgetful music (if you can call it music). Pop music rarely if ever means good music.

[DogOnPorch]

One of the first axioms one learns in the music biz is it ain't what U like. Plus, even the Lady GaGa-s have something to get them where they are (cut from the same cloth as Tori Amos, oddly...classically trained pianists.)

Edited September 13, 2013 by DogOnPorch

[WIP]

All those you mentioned are completely fabricated artists by the record company. Meaning that in many cases they don't write their own material, and what they produce is really shallow incredibly forgetful music (if you can call it music). Pop music rarely if ever means good music.

What makes a lot of baby boomers cranky about the state of popular music today is that it has gone full circle, right back to being the carefully managed crap that most kids had to put up with prior to about 1965. The Industry lost control of the artists for awhile. There was a long period that started with the British Invasion, where bands said I'm not selling my songs to the record companies so they can hand them over to their stable of artists. We're going to do them ourselves, and if no one likes it - good, and if people buy it - great! And, around that time, the artists started dressing the way they wanted and acting outrageous, and giving the talent development people at the record companies heartburn and heart attacks. But, the chaos provided a lot of the best music that was ever put down on record.

And now....since at least the time of American Idol, we're right back to where we started, and it's even worse, because the new bands can't make a dollar off of records or videos, they have to tour to make the money; and that's why so many Indy bands just post their music online as a kind of advertisement to get people to the concerts.

[Mighty AC]

You'll probably like this then: their half hr. set at the Glastonbury Festival

FULL CONCERT (click on a time mark to go directly to a song):

01. Intro - 0:00

02. A Heavy Abacus - 0:21

03. Austere - 4:45

04. The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade - 10:50

05. Cradle - 16:43

06. Whirring - 21:04

The Joy Formidable are an alternative rock band formed in 2007 in North Wales and currently located in London, England. The band consists of Ritzy Bryan (lead vocals, guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Thomas (drums, percussion).

Official site: http://www.thejoyformidable.com

Very cool! Thanks for posting this.

[GostHacked]

What makes a lot of baby boomers cranky about the state of popular music today is that it has gone full circle, right back to being the carefully managed crap that most kids had to put up with prior to about 1965. The Industry lost control of the artists for awhile. There was a long period that started with the British Invasion, where bands said I'm not selling my songs to the record companies so they can hand them over to their stable of artists. We're going to do them ourselves, and if no one likes it - good, and if people buy it - great! And, around that time, the artists started dressing the way they wanted and acting outrageous, and giving the talent development people at the record companies heartburn and heart attacks. But, the chaos provided a lot of the best music that was ever put down on record.

I think the Internet is providing a nice avenue for new artists that want to have more control over their music and how it is used and distributed. Personally for me, all my music that I have done so far is available for free. I mean if someone is going to pirate it, I am just happy that it IS being pirated, if someone likes it that much.

Through things like Soundcloud, I have discovered a lot of new artists that are producing some really great stuff. And they are taking control of it all from the start. Allowing them to keep their musical integrity by doing it all on their own. It's not easy, but a lot more rewarding.

And now....since at least the time of American Idol, we're right back to where we started, and it's even worse, because the new bands can't make a dollar off of records or videos, they have to tour to make the money; and that's why so many Indy bands just post their music online as a kind of advertisement to get people to the concerts.

I guess it was like that for my Grandparents listening to my parents pop music in those days, and same with my parents with me listening to the much of the horribleness that was the 80s and really bland pop music.

But I don't think an artist should rely on record sales as a way to make money knowing the record company is going to take a good chunk of those record sale profits. Studio time and a good producer come at a price. If you deal with a major label for distribution/marketing of your material then you are going to spend a lot of time on the road to make money doing live shows. If the record companies were not that greedy then you'd have more artists keeping more money for themselves. But again, that means a lot more work for the band in and out of the studio to distribute/market their own material. This is also another large part of the cost and another major reason why bands don't make the money off album sales as everyone thinks.

I think the whole mental approach of making money off your artistry is vanishing for the most part. There are many bands out there that deserve a lot of airplay, but when those same record labels mentioned in the above paragraph, it is hard to compete and get your stuff out there through traditional means. I am talking about making a CD and having it sold in a store like HMV. The Internet is allowing new artists to market themselves with ease and with the potential to reach a lot more listeners and in places you may not have even heard of. Through the traditional means, you might only be able to have your CD sold in Canadian music stores.

I should entrain the idea of having my stuff sold through entities like Beatport or iTunes. Not sure what their overhead is, but I don't have to spend money on producing physical CDs.

There are some artists that have managed to market and produce their own material and have more of a say in their content and how it is all used. Prince is a fantastic example, he does a great deal of the work himself (production and marketing) and managed to keep a lot of his money along the way. His live shows are amazing and worth the ticket price. He opened his own label and now does everything that way and for many other artists as well.

Another example of the above would be Trent Reznor. He had made one or two of his CDs available for free to download right from NIN's homepage. Like Prince, he did a lot of the work himself and then managed to open his own label and continue his success.

One last example would be one of my faves .. Rush. They like the other two have done much of the same (without opening a record label) but have managed to keep their musical integrity over the years. They do a lot of the work themselves allowing more money to come to their pockets instead of the record label's pocket.

[WIP]

Very cool! Thanks for posting this.

You're welcome! I noticed that the index I copied doesn't work unless you open the video on the Youtube page though.

I discovered this band the same way I find most new music: my youngest son says "here's something you might like," or "you'll like this" if it's something really retro....like My Morning Jacket...who look and sound like they were transported here from 1975.