Red Mosquito

I think the whole 'new wave' aspect of Backspacer is a bit overstated. It's really only Got Some and Supersonic, maybe The Fixer as well, that have that aspect to them? The rest is this mix that doesn't really hold together well, of Ed's increasingly folky acoustic numbers, some of the aforementioned poppy, new wave stuff, and lite-rock anthems.

EJ wrote:I'd rather listen to Coldplay's version.

Prove it!

Strat wrote:

EJ wrote:I'd rather listen to Coldplay's version.

Prove it!

stupidmop wrote:I appreciate that they tried to do something different, i just do not enjoy the sound of it. There's just too much going on, it's a swirling sonic mess of wtf to me.

The demo is ok though.

I wouldn't be bothered if they used synths if they used them well. That's my main issue with their last 2 reocords compared to all of their previous. All of their albums from 10 to Riot Act are developed in their overall sound. They sound like whatever they had to say they made sure it came through and i don't even like all of it. Then came s/t and all they seem to have to say is - loud.
I don't think everything's done wrong on BS. The End is exactly like it should be, so is, like it or not, The Fixer and so on. That's where a good producer would have to step in if the band can't do it any more. It seems that O'Brien's input was the exact opposite. For instance he made what was the bridge of Just Breathe the chorus which doesn't make the song better it just makes it more generic.

I do think there are good songs on the last 2 albums i just don't think they are "developed" as well as their songs used to be.

harmless wrote:It's unlikely they'll listen to Brendan less*, but that would be nice.

I did have another thought though: what if listening to Brendan didn't kill Backspacer? What if it was just listening to Brendan's advice on how to achieve their goal ('pop' / 'new wave' or whatever)? What if he's just really good at doing what he feels is called for from record to record? What if, given a new aim for this record, Brendan does just fine and we get a nicely produced rock album?

*edited for clarification.

Yeah, I don't think Brendand was the problem with Backspacer. If there is a problem, it's the song writing, not the production (sans SoS which I have grown to enjoy). Could Amongst the Waves, UK, GSMF or Johnny Guitar sounded any better? For a band 20 years in, I think they put out a really good record with solid songs and great lyrics.

My only complaint with Brendan, besides the beat on SoS, is taking the base out of Ed's voice, but I think Ed might have pushed that more than BoB. Also, I love the way he made Matt and Jeff come across.

I've got a good feeling about this new record, but I'm not expecting the dirty, dark record I hope for.

Mine wrote:

stupidmop wrote:I appreciate that they tried to do something different, i just do not enjoy the sound of it. There's just too much going on, it's a swirling sonic mess of wtf to me.

The demo is ok though.

I do think there are good songs on the last 2 albums i just don't think they are "developed" as well as their songs used to be.

Developed is a good word. They definitely don't go as "deep" as prior records and I wonder if that is development or just where they are now.

digster wrote:I think the whole 'new wave' aspect of Backspacer is a bit overstated. It's really only Got Some and Supersonic, maybe The Fixer as well, that have that aspect to them? The rest is this mix that doesn't really hold together well, of Ed's increasingly folky acoustic numbers, some of the aforementioned poppy, new wave stuff, and lite-rock anthems.

I don't agree. Early new wave diverged from punk, and sounded a little like punk (as you mention) but all the new wave bands and artists I can think of progressed into lots of styles, involving lots of crazy instrumentation. I'm not sure if there's anything in common between them except for an eclecticism of influences. I couldn't describe much later Blondie, Cure or someone like Elvis Costello as at all punk. Each of these, and more, wrote their fare share of 'Speed of Sound's.

Did a lot of us not find ST to be very overbaked? I thought it was.

Mine wrote:

stupidmop wrote:I appreciate that they tried to do something different, i just do not enjoy the sound of it. There's just too much going on, it's a swirling sonic mess of wtf to me.

The demo is ok though.

I wouldn't be bothered if they used synths if they used them well. That's my main issue with their last 2 reocords compared to all of their previous. All of their albums from 10 to Riot Act are developed in their overall sound. They sound like whatever they had to say they made sure it came through and i don't even like all of it. Then came s/t and all they seem to have to say is - loud.
I don't think everything's done wrong on BS. The End is exactly like it should be, so is, like it or not, The Fixer and so on. That's where a good producer would have to step in if the band can't do it any more. It seems that O'Brien's input was the exact opposite. For instance he made what was the bridge of Just Breathe the chorus which doesn't make the song better it just makes it more generic.

I do think there are good songs on the last 2 albums i just don't think they are "developed" as well as their songs used to be.

I agree with what you say about Just Breathe's changes not making the song any better. But again, maybe (generic) 'pop song', something palatable, is what they wanted for that album's theme?

dimejinky99 wrote:Did a lot of us not find ST to be very overbaked? I thought it was.

Overall I thought Backspacer was the better album but I don't really ever listen to either of them these days.

dimejinky99 wrote:Did a lot of us not find ST to be very overbaked? I thought it was.

i guess it depends on what you mean by overbaked. It was a loud, abrasive, in your face record. That served it quite well on some songs, and not well at all on some others. But it makes sense for the time, the same way Backspacer being more light made sense.

Maybe I overstate the surrounding political and social context in which those albums are made, but I think the single biggest influence on how the Riot Act--Backspacer run of records sounded was the Bush administration and the politics of that era. The absence of an overly heavy feel to the album (which both Riot Act and S/T had, albeit in different ways) is that feeling so many people on the political left felt in the aftermath/early days of the Obama Administration. The nightmare is over. We can relax.

The nightmare is over. We can relax.

So, can we expect a return to cynicism now that Obama has been revealed as Black Bush?

Prediction: we'll find in about 6 months to 1 year's time that Backspacer set up the 10th album perfectly.

Put another way: imagine if they did another "middle of the road" rock record instead of the left turn (for them) of Backspacer. There would be no interesting context to place the new record in. It would probably feel like "more of the same," which equals death for a longtime rock band.

Now, this doesn't mean Backspacer is a genius record, rather it's exactly what they intended it to be - a fun palate cleanser of sorts meant to add a new color to the palette (to mix metaphors).

After the new record is out, Backspacer will be something to react off of instead of endlessly reflect upon. The former suits it better.

tommymctom wrote:

The nightmare is over. We can relax.

So, can we expect a return to cynicism now that Obama has been revealed as Black Bush?

Am I going to hell if I laughed at this?

evenslow wrote:Prediction: we'll find in about 6 months to 1 year's time that Backspacer set up the 10th album perfectly.

Put another way: imagine if they did another "middle of the road" rock record instead of the left turn (for them) of Backspacer. There would be no interesting context to place the new record in. It would probably feel like "more of the same," which equals death for a longtime rock band.

Now, this doesn't mean Backspacer is a genius record, rather it's exactly what they intended it to be - a fun palate cleanser of sorts meant to add a new color to the palette (to mix metaphors).

After the new record is out, Backspacer will be something to react off of instead of endlessly reflect upon. The former suits it better.

i like the thought, but i still hope backspacer was just totally a one off and they decide not to try it again, though that might also mean that in 5 or 6 years it is being called a lot of peoples favorite because its so much different then everything else they have done.

harmless wrote:

tommymctom wrote:

The nightmare is over. We can relax.

So, can we expect a return to cynicism now that Obama has been revealed as Black Bush?

Am I going to hell if I laughed at this?

Artwork for the new album leaked...

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

evenslow wrote:Prediction: we'll find in about 6 months to 1 year's time that Backspacer set up the 10th album perfectly.

Put another way: imagine if they did another "middle of the road" rock record instead of the left turn (for them) of Backspacer. There would be no interesting context to place the new record in. It would probably feel like "more of the same," which equals death for a longtime rock band.

Now, this doesn't mean Backspacer is a genius record, rather it's exactly what they intended it to be - a fun palate cleanser of sorts meant to add a new color to the palette (to mix metaphors).

After the new record is out, Backspacer will be something to react off of instead of endlessly reflect upon. The former suits it better.

i like the thought, but i still hope backspacer was just totally a one off and they decide not to try it again, though that might also mean that in 5 or 6 years it is being called a lot of peoples favorite because its so much different then everything else they have done.

that's the point i was making

evenslow wrote:

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

evenslow wrote:Prediction: we'll find in about 6 months to 1 year's time that Backspacer set up the 10th album perfectly.

Put another way: imagine if they did another "middle of the road" rock record instead of the left turn (for them) of Backspacer. There would be no interesting context to place the new record in. It would probably feel like "more of the same," which equals death for a longtime rock band.

Now, this doesn't mean Backspacer is a genius record, rather it's exactly what they intended it to be - a fun palate cleanser of sorts meant to add a new color to the palette (to mix metaphors).

After the new record is out, Backspacer will be something to react off of instead of endlessly reflect upon. The former suits it better.

i like the thought, but i still hope backspacer was just totally a one off and they decide not to try it again, though that might also mean that in 5 or 6 years it is being called a lot of peoples favorite because its so much different then everything else they have done.

that's the point i was making

wishful thinking im afraid.

evenslow wrote:

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

evenslow wrote:Prediction: we'll find in about 6 months to 1 year's time that Backspacer set up the 10th album perfectly.

Put another way: imagine if they did another "middle of the road" rock record instead of the left turn (for them) of Backspacer. There would be no interesting context to place the new record in. It would probably feel like "more of the same," which equals death for a longtime rock band.

Now, this doesn't mean Backspacer is a genius record, rather it's exactly what they intended it to be - a fun palate cleanser of sorts meant to add a new color to the palette (to mix metaphors).

After the new record is out, Backspacer will be something to react off of instead of endlessly reflect upon. The former suits it better.

i like the thought, but i still hope backspacer was just totally a one off and they decide not to try it again, though that might also mean that in 5 or 6 years it is being called a lot of peoples favorite because its so much different then everything else they have done.

that's the point i was making

i thought you were meaning the whole " the tenth album is the logical extension of backspacer" only they make it work better and it is liked

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

evenslow wrote:

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

evenslow wrote:Prediction: we'll find in about 6 months to 1 year's time that Backspacer set up the 10th album perfectly.

Put another way: imagine if they did another "middle of the road" rock record instead of the left turn (for them) of Backspacer. There would be no interesting context to place the new record in. It would probably feel like "more of the same," which equals death for a longtime rock band.

Now, this doesn't mean Backspacer is a genius record, rather it's exactly what they intended it to be - a fun palate cleanser of sorts meant to add a new color to the palette (to mix metaphors).

After the new record is out, Backspacer will be something to react off of instead of endlessly reflect upon. The former suits it better.

i like the thought, but i still hope backspacer was just totally a one off and they decide not to try it again, though that might also mean that in 5 or 6 years it is being called a lot of peoples favorite because its so much different then everything else they have done.

that's the point i was making

i thought you were meaning the whole " the tenth album is the logical extension of backspacer" only they make it work better and it is liked

nope. read it again doc. then go to your room and think about what you've done.