― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:50 (twenty-one years ago) link
James: Music should be assessed on its own terms out of fairness and common sense, basically. I think that anyone who should consider themselves to be a decent and professional critic should consider each work of art on its own terms as well as how it relates in the context of the culture at large. Ultimately, I believe that the larger context is much less important, and when writers focus on that (as Christgau certainly does) it ceases to be about the piece of art and more about how that art relates to their set of biases and their limited understanding of something much larger than themselves.
Too much of this review is spent trying to contextualize Radiohead within a world that exists entirely in the head of one man, informed mostly by other people who have a similarly skewed and myopic view of culture and art.
So I say: fuck context. Trying to fit things into a percieved context of the world reveals only the biases, ego, and limited understanding of the critic, and are not very helpful in the long run.
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:55 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Andy K (Andy K), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:56 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:57 (twenty-one years ago) link
Radiohead don't cover every emotion that a person can have, but they do cover a lot of nuances within their limited emotional palette, which I think is a major part of their appeal. I think that they are good at capturing lots of in-between emotions, which isn't always easy. Think of it like you're mixing paint - it's like they've got a knack for mixing very specific obscure shades and hues of green and blue.
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:02 (twenty-one years ago) link
Because Kurt taught us how to feel, man. *sob*
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:04 (twenty-one years ago) link
and why shouldn't emotional range be important? there would be just as much of a problem if the Ramones had been the biggest band in the world, too--as in, gee, how does something with such preconceived limits reach so many people? (and haha Ned but get real, that's not what he's saying at all)
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:06 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:07 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:07 (twenty-one years ago) link
Dan: I dunno, you can list, I guess, but I never hear anything really cut through. I'm not asking for "happy," obviously, since I'm counting "True Love Waits" as part of what I'm looking for; it just all feels a bit like watching Sisyphus push the boulder up the hill, except without the part where it rolls back down, or like watching Prometheus chained to the rock, except the birds never come. That's just me.
― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:10 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
Also, Michaelangelo - who do you think out there has a wide emotional range?
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:20 (twenty-one years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:20 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:21 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:21 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
ams: "moldova"?
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:26 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:27 (twenty-one years ago) link
How many people realistically expect one artist to cover all of their listening needs in terms of emotional range? I guess if you're only going to listen to one artist it'll get tedious very quickly, but if you've got anything even close to a well rounded record collection (which I think most people do, in their own way), you're probably going to go to different artists for different emotions, different ideas, different occasions. So it really doesn't matter if one artist only is good at covering three or four basic emotions. Someone else will compensate.
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:28 (twenty-one years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:28 (twenty-one years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:30 (twenty-one years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:32 (twenty-one years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:33 (twenty-one years ago) link
part of what i'm saying is rather simplye: it's disingenuous to say "africa" when he means "rhythm and blues"! if he actually means "africa" then it is simply not germane. (saying "rhythm and blues" isn't terribly germane either, but it's not risible.)
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:33 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:34 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:35 (twenty-one years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:36 (twenty-one years ago) link
So is he invoking r&b, or african music, or what?
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:36 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:38 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:38 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:40 (twenty-one years ago) link
I can't see why Christgau would mention Africa if he simply meant that Yorke's voice had little mbalax (or juju, or Afrobeat) in it? And this is different from Cobainbuckleyknowlesdioncreedaguilera how? I get the sense that "Africa" is meant to invoke some tradition which includes r&b and leaves out guys like Yorke.... which I think is misguided and disingenuous.
I hope this doesn't turn ugly because I'm not trying to make fun of you or anything, Matos, I'm honestly a bit confused at this point.
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:40 (twenty-one years ago) link
xpost
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:42 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:43 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Sonny A. (Keiko), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:43 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:44 (twenty-one years ago) link
(don't we all wish we could describe music in terms that are more vivid and concrete!!)
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:44 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:45 (twenty-one years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:48 (twenty-one years ago) link
but there's no dichotomy being set up! he's using lack-of-Africa as a description of Yorke's vocal style--it's a parenthetical comment, used to shade the comment. he's referred to De La Soul as pretentious college boys too and you won't see him refusing to say they're African.
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:48 (twenty-one years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:49 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:50 (twenty-one years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:51 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:54 (twenty-one years ago) link