elephant 6 - classic or dud?

Ah, Elephant Fucking Six. Bastards. Apples in Stereo are one of the worst live bands I have *ever* seen, and while the first time I saw Olivia Tremor Control they were all right, the second time they were a bunch of boring lunks who needed to be shot. And Neutral Goddamn Milk Hotel aren't all that either.

Etc. Uninspired drivel, I think. There are, I freely admit, exceptions to this rule -- specifically the quite grand Elf Power, who among other things have clearly demonstrated by means of cover versions and the like that they at least listen to music made up through the nineties as well. OTC on record makes for a reasonable enough time. And Mr. Whosit's in Apples in Stereo's solo project Marbles was an enjoyable little treat. But Andy Partridge he ain't.

Ah, what the hell -- I'll take all of Mercury Rev's stuff over it all any day. Screw E6's brand of 'sterling pop' as well -- 'sterling pop' circa 1968, maybe. Give me Timbaland's clipped beats and stuttering basslines instead if we're talking pop, and I can't wait to see who makes him and his contemporaries look old and uninspired in turn, etc.

I bought the Apples' last album which is actually very good (If you like Beatles' influenced psychedelic pop). Olivia Tremor control are quite good too!

CLASSIC!! Yeah, some of the newer bands aren't so good, but there are enough good E6 albums to cover up the cracks. The Music Tapes are good, Julian Koster is one of the nicest people in music today (see their message board to find out why!). Obviously, it'd be nice to have another NMH album, but I don't see this happening for ages. Elfpower also produce some inventive concept-pop. And Of Montreal are the kings of E6 at the moment, though Keith, the logo wasn't on the Gay Parade album either!

I haven't listened to enough Elephant 6 groups to pass valid judgement, but Neutral Milk Hotel are the only band to emerge from that stable to make an impression on me. Even then, it's mostly because of the stream-of-consciousness lyrics than any of that 60s pop aesthetic that's meant to define most E6 bands ( which NMH don't really subscribe to anyway). Here's something to think about: If most indie-kids don't listen to chart-pop because it's constructed in a particular manner designed to move copies and "says nothing about their lives" ( to paraphrase that Smiths line again ) then why do they devour Elephant 6 and Kindercore bands who, for the most part, also follow a unified aesthetic and deal with subject matter which is just as non-personal as any mainstream pop might be ( songs about happy summer days and sugary pre-teen cuteness )?

Because it makes them feel 'special' and 'apart' from 'the herd.' It's amazing what excellent countermarketing can do.

I wouldn't want to listen to music that said anything about my life, it'd be pretty mundane and boring I think. There's nothing wrong with escapism, or singing about summer days.

Dud, by and large. I'm not that into 60s psych, I don't know why I'd want a cloying pomo version of it. It's entirely harmless cause it really doesnt get much press outside the indie scene, but it's yet another entry on the long long list of 90s dead ends.

Oliva Tremor's latest is genius start to finish. And citing crummy bands on E6 doesn't condemn the ones which are good. E6 = scene. Scene = mixed. The idea that they represent a new pop salvation is pretty way off. If anything, SpinArt should get that honor, and even then the stuff is fairly uneven. "Go Maralee" by The Marbles is an incredible pop song. Also some tracks off each album from The Apples' are definite keepers. Also, secret square. Also, The Music Tapes' live show (not the album). Also, the loosely associated Dressy Bessy.

E6 fetishism = dud.

E6 = collectively responsible for individual classics.

Tom,

Will you stop writing 'pomo'? I keep thinking it says 'porno' and I get intrugued.

Hmm, I very nearly posted an E6 Search and Destroy last week, but I'm with Sterling, the brand naming of these bands, the mythology surrounding the label, the Kindercore infantalism, and the 60s fetishism are all duds, but that shouldn't diminish that a record such as In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a classic. As is Beulah's last record, which I don't think has been mentioned.

Some of the bands that have cropped up in the past couple of years with a more tangenial relationship with E6 (the Mendoza Line, Summer Hymns) have manged the Davies/Wilson hybrid with some charm as well.

Dud. There's some good stuff here and there but WAY more hype than substance. And too many beards! Its a shame that bands try to lump themselves together into a "collective". Are they trying to ride another person's coattails? Certainly the hype for these bands increased tenfold after the second Neutral Milk HOtel album. To their credit, I'm not sure that they still tout the "collective" idea (it may be a music writer's ploy). The Apples in Stereo are one of the more overrated bands around. I saw them open for the Flaming Lips about 5 years ago and I thought, "Hey they were a decent band" until the Lips came on and then I was asking myself, "Was there an opening band? I don't remember." Saw them recently and they were way too retro. Hey guys, lets cool it with the Beach Boys worship already. Right down to the singer looking like Mike Love, of all people.

in defense of the e6, as a collective it's kind of hard to sort out all of the crap, but on a band by band basis i think the whole thing fares pretty well. the three core bands (neutral milk hotel, the apples, and the olivia tremor control) have all released consistently quality albums, that, while they might not be classic, have their moments ("glowworm" by the apples never fails to get me bouncing around the room). add all the satellite bands that have put out above average albums (the minders, dressy bessy, of montreal, beulah) and i think i can forgive them for the music tapes and the marshmellow coast.

i have to imagine that a majority of the backlash comes from media hype overemphasizing the sixties fetishism and grade school obsession (most of which doesn't really exist) while failing to really mention the music. this seems to be a fairly standard critical response to pop music with guitars these days. neither classic nor dud, but i'm happy to have them.

Those NMH records fucking killed me (and saved me), and two incredible records is probably more than your average "scene" can manage. And the two OTC fulls were ace, too. Never found a single thing of interest outside of those, though (except the Explanation II thing by Black Swan Network.) I stopped looking long ago, shortly after blowing money on stuff like a Gerbils 7-inch. I'm curious about a few newer bands like Summer Hymns just because some people I respect are into them.

The second Neutral Milk Hotel album is fantastic, the first one isn´t far behind, Apples, OTC, Elf powr got some songs...The Gerbils song "Crayon Box" is one of the best indiesongs out there and Marshmallow Coast is nice....

oh thank you, i had forgotten elf power and i had forgotten to add them to the hit list. only gorky's is allowed to write songs about wizards and cauldrons. robert schneider is the worst offender when it comes to beards, just saw him the other day and man it is out of control. i'm not completely sure but having hair run uninterrupted all the way down from your nose to your chest is probably not cool. kevin barnes is a genius, thank goodness there was no pop-democracy evident on 'coquelicot...' it is starting to rise to alarming proportions in aislers set though, all those trackstar songs coming to light.

E6 is a scene that everyone loves to hate. Even some ofit's proponents are apologetic about liking it --like the bastards at pitchfork, who constantly beeyotch about how bad the E6 bands have gotten, and continue to give high marks to every new release.

But I'm not ashamed to say that E6 rocks. Sure, there's some dud bands -- I happen to think Apples In Stereo is one of them. But there are so many classics -- Olivia Tremor Control, In Montreal, Elf Power, Beulah, The Minders -- especially the Minders, dang, they're good.

Some of the most pretty stuff i have heard in alot time. I like pretty nuf said/