And so we drown, sir, we drown

[clevermanka]

Earlier this week I talked with someone about my love of male singers with weird (or purposefully affected) voices. Placebo's Brian Molko. Muse's Matthew Bellamy. Circa Survive's Anthony Green. I love Thom Yorke's voice, but Radiohead's music just doesn't do it for me. Perhaps alas. A lot of these voices started in the fucking amazing early 90s Britpop scene with that culture's embracing and promotion of emo androgyny. That's, like, two of my favorite musical themes squished together. Bands like Elastica, Lush, and Blur were the only things I listened to besides rockabilly during that time period. I disliked grunge (still do, sorry, mckitterick), and didn't realize until years afterwards that Britpop was an active movement against it.

Recently, I was flipping through a Tumblr I don't follow (because NSFW) and I came across a song link she'd put up for the band Suede. I'd never heard of them (how I'd never heard of them is a mystery because apparently they were a founding band of Britpop), but holy crap this song.

I got all excited about it and checked out the full album on YouTube. But it was really meh. Why does the rest of the album have to be so...not great? DISAPPOINT.

God's truth, though, I never liked Oasis.

Comments

[hdsqrl.livejournal.com]

How funny - I agree the first video's song is great. I started to play the album video and got 30 seconds in and was annoyed. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

You see, you see, THIS is why single-song downloads have taken over. I'm all for "buy the whole damn CD to support the artist", but not when the artist fails to come through with a great experience. (Is it kill all the things day AGAIN?)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I love that I can usually preview an album by searching for it on YouTube.

Can't help but wonder, though...did I used to just be more accommodating/accepting of meh songs in the past? Or did artists put more care into crafting albums until a few years ago? Obviously that's not the case for all albums (current example given), but I remember buying CDs back when they cost $20 and feeling confident about the investment.

Am I more picky now? Or is it something else?

[hdsqrl.livejournal.com]

I think they gave more care back in the day. Today we have the instant-gratification/quick turnaround expectation, and since it's easier than ever to reach a billion possible listeners, they turn out music that's just-okay instead of really great. Even my own kids turn up their noses at today's music in favor of older stuff that's "actually GOOD" in their words.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

At least there are still a few current artists putting out incredible, cohesive albums. Muse is a perfect example. Interestingly enough, though, the album of theirs that contains the song that got the most radio play (Black Holes and Revelations) is my least favorite.

That's awesome about your kids liking a wide range of music and not just listening to what's hot today. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of what gets played on hit radio. But I like having such an eclectic range of choices in my CD collection. I'm grateful that the culture of my teen years allowed (heck, encouraged, even) listening to both the classic rock station (Led Zep, Jimi Hendrix) and Top 40 (Duran Duran, INXS). And then of course there were bands that got played on both stations (ZZ Top, Aerosmith). Say what you like about any other aspect of the 80s (politics, fashion), the music of that decade was fucking amazing.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

oh good lord, I totally remember Suede. And I also remember that particular album. I love that album.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Yeah? Can you sell me on it? I want to like it because of The Drowners, but I'm not feeling the rest of the album.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

I don't think I'm able! Cuz if you don't like chocolate cake or escargot, nothing I can say is gonna make you say, "oh YUM!"

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

True. I'm listening to it again because I know sometimes it takes a while for a sound to grow on me.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

just curious what you think about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEalg62F8Zg

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I'm a casual listener of Brian Ferry (Roxy Music as well as his solo work), but I don't have any of his albums. He was a damn snappy dresser, though!

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

I can't get the link to work on my phone but I'm guessing it's the video for Animal Nitrate? Because a friend linked it yesterday with the note that it was for all his Hiddleston-look-alike loving friends.

I didn't start listening to Britpop until way after it was popular. I found it to be too gutless when I was in my industrial phase but I like it a lot more now. I think Charlatans UK were another band I like in that vein, I've been listening to completely different music lately.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Nah, it's a video embed to Suede's song "The Drowners."

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

Finally watched it, and a few others. Man, if there had been guys like that around town when I was young I might have actually dated people in high school.

I think Bernard Butler (the guitarist) is brilliant but Brett Anderson's voice can get to me after awhile.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

Oh wait, maybe not AN?

Do you like The Stone Roses? I took 10 years but now I love their debut album.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Not...really? They're kind of like the opposite of Radiohead for me. I like their guitar-driven sound, but the lead singer's voice is too, um...Morrissey? for me.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

It definitely isn't distinctive, though pleasant.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_luaineach/]

Oh man, I loved the stone roses. I loved the whole 'madchester' movement - happy mondays, the charlatans, 808 state... As far as I was concerned at the time, that guitar and disco drumming was EXACTLY the freshening up alternative music needed. A perfect segway on to new sounds.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I finally came around, though it took me quite a while.

Had to add to this: even though it's not my favorite song overall, the full on stop and then from about 6:30 to the end in "I Am The Resurrection"? Always gets my brain spinning and makes me want to dance around in circles.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

The "only one song I like" has been a thing for me for so long that I'd have to go WAY back for feeling like a whole one made me smile, with some notable exceptions, like the recent Little Big Town, but some of them did grow on me.

The beginning of that album is too 60s for me to be able to go further.. blech. I now know why I never got into Britpop. I didn't even know it was a thing til today. I'm going to crawl back into my hole now. :)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Did you mean to include a link or a gif? There's a huge blank space at the end of your comment...

Ah! Never mind. I see it in the edit.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

I was trying to make it smaller, but FAIL. I's sorry it's big.. but I LOVE it so much.

I hate that LJ won't let you edit once there's a response.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

No worries about big gifs on this LJ! =D

[http://users.livejournal.com/_luaineach/]

disliked grunge (still do, sorry,

I never listened to grunge in the 90s either. I was still into that Manchester sound, britpop, Sublime (and whatever bands like them would be considered). I remembering seeing Soundgarden at the Vic in Chicago in 1990 and they were the scrubber dog opening band for Faith No More who was the opening band for Voi Void, who was headlining. I always liked Faith No More, too. And the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But, not *grunge* per se. And then a few years ago I heard this Chris Cornell cover of Billie Jean and LOVED it:



and so I reassessed all things Chris Cornell and, thus, Soundgarden. And I find I have a real appreciation for them now. So, I guess almost two decades after the fact (wait. what? TWO DECADES?), i can now say I like grunge. Plus, who knew Chris Cornell was such a damn hottie all this time?

I remember Suede and have always thought they were meh.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I always loved (and still do) RHCP. I started listening when they were still largely punk-inspired (Uplift Mofo Party Plan) and then stuck with them as they developed. They're definitely one of the most consistently-good bands still putting out quality stuff, IMO.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

I wasn't a huge Faith No More Fan but Mike Patton? Amazing singer! I preferred Mr Bungle, and then followed that thread out to loving The Secret Chiefs which are almost a completely different, awesome animal.

I picked up a few of the early grunge records and then was all, "Eh". I remember some music magazine declaring Kurt Cobain the voice of a generation and I declared, "Not for me!"