TS: bloc party vs. outfield

If I remember correctly, the Outfield were big during my freshman year of college (85/86). I remember driving to my roommate's home in Cleveland for some random holiday. My roommate introduced me to some friends of his: "this is Alex, he's kind've a music jerk." "Oh yeah?" says one, "do you like the Outfield?" I had to confess that I hadn't heard of them. "Oh, DUDE!" was the reply. He literally walks to the jukebox (this exchange was happening in a pizza place), and puts on the song about Josie being on a vacation far away, and starts air-guitaring to it accordingly, looking at me -- expecting zealous approval ala "ISN'T THIS THE GREATEST MUSIC EVER RECORDED?"

It wasn't. It isn't. It's awful. They suck.

There's some charm about the band too. They don't seem half the assholes that The Killers et al do.

Are the Killers assholes? Their guitar player needs a fuckin' haricut, but beyond that, they seem alright.

Another thing that bothered me about the Outfield was that here were four British guys who seemed to be aspiring to sound like typical Yank middle-of-the-road rock like fuckin' Jefferson Starship. I mean, they're British -- and here they were in the mid-80's when fellow British bands like The Jesus & Mary Chain, the Cure and the Smiths (among many, many others) were making some AMAZING music -- and here they were basically aping Mr.Mister. I just couldn't get my head around that.

Also, they named themselves "the Outfield" to sound EVEN MORE American. Ugh.

I really like your story upthread. what a great mental image: some dude air guitaring to the outfield in a pizza parlor circa 1986.

Yeah, you're right -- Level 42 springs to mind. But it just seems like the Outfield were really earnest about it.

A pizza place near the Cedar Point Amusement Park outside of Cleveland, Ohio....in 1986.

Also, they named themselves "the Outfield" to sound EVEN MORE American. Ugh.

I totally understand. The Outfield could so easily be thought of as Asia's kid brother or something, couldn't they?

they wanted to be slick, edgeless, prefabricated mall pop
and they did it to near perfection...

Pioneers is quite Cure, I think.

There's a bombastic English thing instead ;)

Sweet Christ, it's the worst music in the world.

Really? That good? That's a pretty mighty claim, you know - Adorable never did a single thing wrong in their entire career, and not many bands can say that. I've listened again to three of their songs now, including Pioneers, and I don't think they sound like Outfield or Adorable. As far as I'm concerned they seem to be better at getting a good riff or beat going than coming up with songs to match. I'm just not convinced they're a band I can get really excited about.

And no they do not sound a DAMN thing like the Killers.

What about Scout Niblet? or Digable Plaes? or Michael Jackson's Dangerous? Or Slow Jamz? Or Joss Stone's 'You Had me'? Or...?

Surely, at minimum, "Lose Your Love" is better than all these (except "Slow Jamz", which is another song I just can't see how anyone could dislike).

What about Scout Niblet? or Digable Planets? or Michael Jackson's Dangerous? Or Slow Jamz? Or Joss Stone's 'You Had me'? Or...?

Surely, at minimum, "Lose Your Love" is better than all these (except "Slow Jamz", which is another song I just can't see how anyone could dislike).

Well, it's a figure of speech, really. Admittedly, I think I would rather hear the Outfield than Joss Stone's "You Had Me," and I'd rather eat from a fly-attended sack of my own filth than ever have to listen to Scout Niblett again, but this is not to say that I'd ever want to voluntarily subject my ears to "Lose Your Love." Michael Jackson's Dangerous.....hmmm, well, I just hate the guy, but it's at least got a bit more groove and funk than the Outfield. The Digable Planets were just so infuriatingly pretentious, but -- like Jacko -- at least they had a bit of groove to them (though I'm glad they stopped making music). "Slow Jamz" is fuckin' awful, though.