Bizarre comparisons

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Do you ever read a review of an album, and it is compared to an artist, but the similarities elude you completely? This is inspired mainly by the Gemma Hayes album, which was compared to MBV in many reviews. Baffling! Sounds more like a rustic folky vibe to me, not like MBV in the slightest.

Also, the new Coldplay album has been compared to Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips, Sigur Ros and MBV in various reviews. Eh? Which songs sound like those artists? Cos I'm at a loss...

Another bizarre one was when "Put Yer Money Where Yer mouth is" by Oasis was described in The Times' review as sounding like "Add N to X jamming with the Sex Pistols". Ok, the Pistols definitely, but Add N to X? That's pushing it...

Do you disagree? Tell me also about comparisons that baffle you.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Sunday, 17 November 2002 23:06 (twenty-three years ago)

From ILM itself, Ned Raggett's proclamation of the similarity between Eels and Vonda Shepherd. As much as I'd have to have seen, say, "Dog Faced Boy" or "Fucker" on Ally McBeal, I can't see a single damn thing relating them in any way shape or form.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 17 November 2002 23:08 (twenty-three years ago)

i think the similarity may arise in the fact that both are forgettable, middle of the road parp with toad voices.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 17 November 2002 23:12 (twenty-three years ago)

jess beat me to the punchline

― minna (minna), Sunday, 17 November 2002 23:12 (twenty-three years ago)

tee hee.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 17 November 2002 23:17 (twenty-three years ago)

As Jess has put it so eloquently, I need not add anything more.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 17 November 2002 23:57 (twenty-three years ago)

The Beck for people who hate all that awful hip-hop. The Elvis Costello quality forgot. A Dan Hill for the 'adult album alternative' generation, where appearing seemingly deep and meaningful makes more sense than actually being so. The male Vonda Shepherd.
Classic. In the sense of me wanting to beat E about the head with a fragment of the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

haha the rest of the diatribe is classic too.

― minna (minna), Monday, 18 November 2002 00:32 (twenty-three years ago)

In conclusion, I hate you all.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 18 November 2002 01:25 (twenty-three years ago)

is the flaming lips guy's hair frosted?

― keith (keithmcl), Monday, 18 November 2002 01:31 (twenty-three years ago)

The Eels = modern day equivalent of "Old Shep"

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Monday, 18 November 2002 01:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey, man, Walter Brennan was a major influence on Red Sovine, so don't blame any of that Eels shit on him.

― Curt (cgould), Monday, 18 November 2002 01:56 (twenty-three years ago)

parp...

― gygax!, Monday, 18 November 2002 10:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Pfft. The eels' electro-shock blues is a great album. I'd take it over all the Beck and Elvis Costello I've ever heard. And whether or not its on Ally McBeal, I don't fucking care.

― bnw (bnw), Monday, 18 November 2002 10:17 (twenty-three years ago)

"The Beck for people who hate all that awful hip-hop"

I love Beck, but I also like the Eels a lot. A tendency to press the contrived-weirdness-button once to often can be a little off-putting, but largely it's excellent quirky grunge-power-pop and sweet balladry all the way. Beautiful Freak and Daisies of the Galaxy are excellent, and definitely nothing like Vonda Shepard!

Whoa, this thread's gotten side-tracked. Not that I particularly care, or anything! Continue!

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 18 November 2002 12:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Jess... how can they be middle of the road? I mean, seriously. Middle of the road bands don't really tend to put their sister's suicide note to music, or releasing probably some of the most harrowing music ever released (if you can actually listen to "Electro Shock Blues" without getting seriously depressed, then you probably have no emotions).

A review for "Souljacker" said that Eels are the band Marilyn Manson wishes he could be. That's so true as to not even be funny.

Oh, and as for "The Beck for people who hate all that awful hip-hop", haven't you heard either a) their cover of "Get Yr Freak On" or b) their duet with Afroman?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 18 November 2002 13:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Hip-hop influences not so prevalent in Eels, it must be said, duets with, and covers of, hip-hop artists notwithstanding. Still, a grungier, less hip-hop influenced take on Beck doesn't mean Eels = Beck, for hip-hop haters only. It's possible to enjoy both. I don't think they're MOR, either.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 18 November 2002 13:22 (twenty-three years ago)

E said that the Eels were better than Beck because they had three turntables and two microphones. Fair point.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 18 November 2002 13:41 (twenty-three years ago)

Middle of the road bands don't really tend to put their sister's suicide note to music

No, they just put a translated version of their own instead ("Goodbye Mama it's hard to die!").

haven't you heard either a) their cover of "Get Yr Freak On" or b) their duet with Afroman?

The first sounds frighteningly awful, the second indicates a love of novelty tunes.

if you can actually listen to "Electro Shock Blues" without getting seriously depressed, then you probably have no emotions

Oh come on, this is a cop out and you know it; it's the type of statement writers eventually and hopefully get away from. You listen to it and get seriously depressed; others need not.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 18 November 2002 14:09 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't get the Vonda Sheppard comparison either, other than she has a better beard. Seems to me he's in a more obvious tradition of American singer songwriter's like Randy Newman or David Ackles (who I both love) who walk the tightrope between tender sentimentality and good old misanthropy.

I won't deny that a lot of his stuff is middle of the road but then so what. I don't think the form is without redemption and if you're delivering sugar coated bullets like Susan's House or Motherfucker, it can be more stark and dislocating than Marilyn Mansons adolescent gothic theatre.

Dom, you're wrong about 'electro shock blues', it's a tough and uncomfortable listen in places but it has the one of the most emotionally uplifting endings to an lp that I can think of. I find it difficult to listen through the battered optimism of 'last stop this town' without the bottom lip quivering.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Monday, 18 November 2002 15:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Anyone who can listen to "Old Shep" and not get depressed truly has no emotions. Anyone who disagrees with this statement is clearly middle of the road. Thus, The Eels rule and we can all go home, yay!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Monday, 18 November 2002 23:47 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

I feel the long awaited Guns & Roses album "Chinese Democracy" will see comparisons to German hardcore drum & bass artist Panacea with mellow undertones of the late great Mock-Indian organist Korla Pandit.

― Hayden (Hayden), Sunday, 12 January 2003 10:40 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.