Red Mosquito

Blenheim Augustine wrote:LCD Soundsystem is just a guy in a room playing with knobs who to my knowledge has made very little impact in terms of popularity or musical innovation.

Your knowledge is mistaken.

LCD are mad hit n miss for me.

dimejinky99 wrote:LCD are mad hit n miss for me.

For me as well. But to say they're "just a guy twiddling with knobs who's made little impact in terms of popularity" is disingenuous at best. They were very popular-- selling out several dates in Madison Square Garden in a manner of seconds, inspiring films, earning Grammy nominations, being covered by everyone from Franz Ferdinand to John Cale from Velvet Underground. We can argue about the quality of the music (I happen to think they crafted some really clever and effective songs, especially in their last album), but they were fairly noteworthy while they were around. Does that merit "new immortal" status? I don't know.

Id hope itd be more based in cultural reach and influence than commercial considerations and sales, so I guess they're in there. Under the radar as it were. I was unaware they'd done all that.

theplatypus wrote:

Blenheim Augustine wrote:LCD Soundsystem is just a guy in a room playing with knobs who to my knowledge has made very little impact in terms of popularity or musical innovation.

Your knowledge is mistaken.

"Murphy played the majority of the instrumental parts on LCD soundsystem's albums himself. However when performing live, Murphy often called upon a wide variety of musicians depending on their availability."

And I don't see how you can compare "their" popularity or impact to other artists on that list. They seem to be Pitchfork's wet dream though.

Blenheim Augustine wrote:

theplatypus wrote:

Blenheim Augustine wrote:LCD Soundsystem is just a guy in a room playing with knobs who to my knowledge has made very little impact in terms of popularity or musical innovation.

Your knowledge is mistaken.

"Murphy played the majority of the instrumental parts on LCD soundsystem's albums himself. However when performing live, Murphy often called upon a wide variety of musicians depending on their availability."

That was not the part of your post I took issue with, as clarified in my following post.

theplatypus wrote: but they were fairly noteworthy while they were around. Does that merit "new immortal" status? I don't know.

There are shitloads of bands that are "fairly noteworthy" which also means "fairly forgettable in 10 years time". I'm not saying that they weren't popular or good. But the Talking Heads are number 100, Curtis Mayfield is 98 and Tom Petty is number 91 on that list...

theplatypus wrote:

fishbob wrote:I find it kind of weird that Green Day are in there considering their last two albums (if you count the trio or whatever as one) haven't really hit any mark.

I'm pretty sure those albums have sold way more than Backspacer and S/T.

If they weren't placed after American Idiot you wouldn't be hearing much about Green Day these days

Blenheim Augustine wrote:

theplatypus wrote: but they were fairly noteworthy while they were around. Does that merit "new immortal" status? I don't know.

There are shitloads of bands that are "fairly noteworthy" which also means "fairly forgettable in 10 years time". I'm not saying that they weren't popular or good. But the Talking Heads are number 100, Curtis Mayfield is 98 and Tom Petty is number 91 on that list...

We fundamentally agree on their inclusion in the list of "new immortals".

theplatypus wrote:LCD Soundsystem: Great band, but I don't see them as a "new immortal". They had a few great albums, but how big is their influence? How many people started a band because of LCD Soundsytem? Their fans are mostly disaffected post-ironic pseudo-melomanes, and though their albums were consistently well-received and decent charting, I don't know to what extent they'll transcend the short time they spent together.

I was simply clarifying that LCD Soundsystem were more than a niche act with a few thousand followers, included to have a token 'indie' act. They were pretty big, and saying they had 'little impact in terms of popularity' is inaccurate. This is putting aside any opinions about their actual music.

And I keep referring to them as "they" because, even though James Murphy did most of the studio work, Nancy Whang and Pat Mahoney were a pretty integral part of the ensemble-- not just live, but playing on all the studio albums.

fishbob wrote:

theplatypus wrote:

fishbob wrote:I find it kind of weird that Green Day are in there considering their last two albums (if you count the trio or whatever as one) haven't really hit any mark.

I'm pretty sure those albums have sold way more than Backspacer and S/T.

If they weren't placed after American Idiot you wouldn't be hearing much about Green Day these days

Yeah... that's a bit like saying "if Ten hadn't come out, Pearl Jam wouldn't be as popular." Probably true, but what does it have to do with anything?

Green Day's last two albums don't affect the impact and influence of its albums before though. Some might argue that Pearl Jam's last two albums haven't "hit any mark" either.

Touche everybody

theplatypus wrote:And I keep referring to them as "they" because, even though James Murphy did most of the studio work, Nancy Whang and Pat Mahoney were a pretty integral part of the ensemble-- not just live, but playing on all the studio albums.

Yeah - I don't think we are fundamentally disagreeing. Damn. I blame coffee and lack of new Pearl Jam for my tone.

Every 11 year old till the end of time will find and love Green Day. By 15 they'll be over it but still. They are a perfect band for that age.

WtOB? wrote:Green Day's last two albums don't affect the impact and influence of its albums before though. Some might argue that Pearl Jam's last two albums haven't "hit any mark" either.

last 6

A few notes on this - strange to ever see Pearl Jam getting their due from Rolling Stone. I guess I still see the magazine as having it our for them since the whole 1996 article that stemmed from some sort of rift.

Someone noted they could see the Roots as having a long successful career what with their Fallon house band status - but they have had once of the most impactful and influencial careers in the history of the genre before they even contemplated the Fallon gig. I mean pop in Things Fall Apart, Phrenology, and How I Got Over and you'll hear three distinct and relevant sounds coming from three decades of greatness. And that doesn't even consider the live show, which I have seen few better.

The band I thought was missing on this list was the Black Keys. Their megahuge commercial success didn't explode until this Brothers/El Camino era, but they are a band that truly built their enterprise one fan at a time over many years - enough to trust that they could sway from their garage blues Rubber Factory roots and deliver some real impressive and interesting music (Blakroc, the last two albums, and everything in between). One of few bands without a single even mediocre album 11-12 years in.

RS loved backspacer, and called it one of the most underrated albums of that year. I forget how they felt about S/T

liebzz wrote: Someone noted they could see the Roots as having a long successful career what with their Fallon house band status - but they have had once of the most impactful and influencial careers in the history of the genre before they even contemplated the Fallon gig. I mean pop in Things Fall Apart, Phrenology, and How I Got Over and you'll hear three distinct and relevant sounds coming from three decades of greatness. And that doesn't even consider the live show, which I have seen few better.

To clarify, what I said was:

theplatypus wrote:they've already shown themselves to be a very diverse and dynamic band, what with their gig as the Fallon house band.

meaning their standing as the house band for a daily TV show puts their range and ability in full display: they are able to think on their feet, work out arrangements and adapt/subvert stylings and genres on a talk show schedule. That is no small feat. Additionally, their status as the Fallon house band allows them a host of networking opportunities and musical connections, which will only add to their legacy: they've already recorded an album with Elvis Costello, whom they met on the show. Therefore,

theplatypus wrote: I can definitely see them having a long, steady career of consistent quality across many decades.

I am aware of their history prior to joining the show; that's not what my remark was about.

theplatypus wrote:

liebzz wrote: Someone noted they could see the Roots as having a long successful career what with their Fallon house band status - but they have had once of the most impactful and influencial careers in the history of the genre before they even contemplated the Fallon gig. I mean pop in Things Fall Apart, Phrenology, and How I Got Over and you'll hear three distinct and relevant sounds coming from three decades of greatness. And that doesn't even consider the live show, which I have seen few better.

To clarify, what I said was:

theplatypus wrote:they've already shown themselves to be a very diverse and dynamic band, what with their gig as the Fallon house band.

meaning their standing as the house band for a daily TV show puts their range and ability in full display: they are able to think on their feet, work out arrangements and adapt/subvert stylings and genres on a talk show schedule. That is no small feat. Additionally, their status as the Fallon house band allows them a host of networking opportunities and musical connections, which will only add to their legacy: they've already recorded an album with Elvis Costello, whom they met on the show. Therefore,

theplatypus wrote: I can definitely see them having a long, steady career of consistent quality across many decades.

I am aware of their history prior to joining the show; that's not what my remark was about.

As long as well all agree they are awesome, I'm cool with that. I probably took the quote out of context. My bad. It sounded baffling in the moment.

I'm clearly having trouble expressing myself this morning.