Red Mosquito

"The Great Salt Lake" is better than all their other songs put together.

If it is, it's just because of all those songs from "Mirage Rock" with negative net value, dragging down the average.

They really lost something after the dude with the lower register left after "everything" he went and formed a band called grand archives or something that had a great doing called sleep driving ( I think) the original EP version slays.

Everything all the time has some high points for sure, don't know if anything tops the meshing of harmonies and vocals wrapped around That cascading guitar line in "I go to the Barn"

Would love a high quality vinyl pressing of thus album, my original sounds like arse.

I had no idea KD was such a racist

Oh, I knew.

Thanks, trag -- and I certainly respect what you're saying, as well as the degree of insight you have access to as a result of your background. I think what I meant to convey was that, in the end, I only feel qualified to assess the music as it exists in recording or performance. Trying to factor in the backgrounds of the artists, whether or not they possess the personal authenticity to credibly generate meaningful art, etc. -- there is just too much room for error in evaluating this type of thing for me to feel confident that I can do it without making an idiot of myself. I don't mean to suggest that everyone should simply fall in line and default to the status quo -- I just don't see any intrinsic value in deviating from it just for the sake of momentarily and superficially defying expectations. Like, should Ben Bridwell have at some point said, "Whoa, guys, we're making exactly the kind of music people would expect us to make based on our appearance -- let's re-think this. How do you guys feel about R&B?" I admire artists who can step outside themselves and shift gears at will like that, but they're rare. More often I think people simply make the music that they feel driven to make, pursuant to whatever perfect storm of circumstances have paved the way -- cultural influence, ego, what they feel the world expects of them, what their own tastes genuinely are, and (not to be underestimated) whatever sounds just naturally come out when these people pick up instruments and start playing. As a listener, I am more interested in what comes out of a song than I am in what goes into it.

Of course, if what comes out is a tedious bore, that's another story. And I agree that Band of Horses are not exactly a band putting forth a wealth of new ideas. But music is not always about new ideas -- sometimes it's just about a feeling that reverberates in your gut, a sound that rattles your bones, or a swell of emotions that hits you in just the right spot. Band of Horses -- especially on the first couple albums -- tap into some combination of those things often enough for the music to ring true to me. Those first couple albums have deep, open guitar sounds and a sort of lo-fi ambience that appeal to me, particularly since I find the basic melodies and craft of the songs to be sturdy in a sort of uncomplicated, unfaltering way. By the fourth album, an element of blandness had taken over that had washed away some of those more tangible qualities. With that record, I understand the charges of mediocrity...

Everything humans do is based on ego. Even complaining someone has an ego strokes the accusers ego allowing them to feel superior. Parsing bands motivations is so 1991.

I just think they're boring and wanted to annoy lenny.

I shouldn't have gotten so worked up about it.

I felt the urge to stand up and defend my fellow white, bearded man. So, I attacked both of you in your weak spot---your intelligence.

matt reeder wrote:"The Great Salt Lake" is better than all their other songs put together.

Pretty much this. Guys, they aren't that great. Sorry.

Kaius wrote:I felt the urge to stand up and defend my fellow white, bearded man. So, I attacked both of you in your weak spot---your intelligence.

don't drag me into this mess; i just made a joke post

LoathedVermin72 wrote:

Kaius wrote:I felt the urge to stand up and defend my fellow white, bearded man. So, I attacked both of you in your weak spot---your intelligence.

don't drag me into this mess; i just made a joke post

It was shallow and racially insensitive, LV.

It was a pretty good post.

tommymtcom wrote:I just think they're boring and wanted to annoy lenny.

it's cool, I was looking for an excuse to write three needlessly long paragraphs

tragabigzanda wrote:

bada wrote:Everything humans do is based on ego. Even complaining someone has an ego strokes the accusers ego allowing them to feel superior. Parsing bands motivations is so 1991.

Not saying I don't have an ego, or that artists shouldn't. Trying to say that great music either A) attempts to push boundaries or B) doesn't try to present itself as more important than it really is (like Kesha, Katy Perry, et al). Anything else is just noise to my ears.

I don't know. That's seems like an ironically narrow-minded view of what makes good art.

tragabigzanda wrote:

bada wrote:Everything humans do is based on ego. Even complaining someone has an ego strokes the accusers ego allowing them to feel superior. Parsing bands motivations is so 1991.

Not saying I don't have an ego, or that artists shouldn't. Trying to say that great music either A) attempts to push boundaries or B) doesn't try to present itself as more important than it really is (like Kesha, Katy Perry, et al). Anything else is just noise to my ears.

wut