|
Post by Desert Dweller on Dec 16, 2023 4:03:06 GMT -5
I think Christmas music is designed to make musicians hate it.
I have finally finished my December performing schedule. I was released a couple days early since the entire choir is not needed at every performance this weekend. I am so happy to not be performing any more Christmas music, sacred or secular. I am going to hate going into stores this weekend and hearing this music playing.
|
|
|
Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Dec 17, 2023 18:06:30 GMT -5
I think Christmas music is designed to make musicians hate it. I have finally finished my December performing schedule. I was released a couple days early since the entire choir is not needed at every performance this weekend. I am so happy to not be performing any more Christmas music, sacred or secular. I am going to hate going into stores this weekend and hearing this music playing. Are there any secular Christmas songs that you, as a person with actual expertise in music theory and performance, like (I'm excluding sacred ones because those I guess include some classical music that I'm assuming you would appreciate on a musical level if you didn't have to perform them every single year)? Also, what is worse, in your opinion: when a pop artist records an egregiously awful, overwrought cover of a Christmas standard, or when a pop artist records their own original Christmas songs and the songs are just absolute garbage (take, for instance, this song from Sia's Christmas album)? I have grown increasingly hostile towards the bulk of Christmas music over the past decade, and currently believe that there are three (3) good Christmas songs. 1) "Please Come Home for Christmas" the original version by Charles Brown (and definitely not the Eagles cover). 2) "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses, and 3) the awkward small talk that David Bowie and Bing Crosby are forced to have at the beginning of the music video to their version of "Little Drummer Boy", where Bing Crosby clearly visibly hates having to be in Bowie's presence but has to feign politeness. Also, "Jingle Bells" is a song for children, and it's fine or whatever for an adult to like it I guess, but it's basically the exact same as being really into "This Old Man" or "The Ants Go Marching" or "The Cleanup Song" from Barney (I was going to include "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" and "There's a Hole in My Bucket" but those are much more sophisticated than "Jingle Bells" and it wouldn't be fair to them).
|
|
|
Post by Nudeviking on Dec 17, 2023 19:15:34 GMT -5
I think Christmas music is designed to make musicians hate it. I have finally finished my December performing schedule. I was released a couple days early since the entire choir is not needed at every performance this weekend. I am so happy to not be performing any more Christmas music, sacred or secular. I am going to hate going into stores this weekend and hearing this music playing. Do you have a greater hatred for the sacred or the secular when it comes to Christmas songs? I am not religious in the slightest but find the Christmas songs about how amazing Jesus being born was far more palatable than shit about "Santa Claus Lane" or a kid being too dumb to realize that the Santa Claus that their mom is making out with is just there dad doing cosplay because mommy has a Santa kink. I think the only secular Christmas song I don't hate at this point is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" because it's kind of a bummer.
|
|
|
Post by pantsgoblin on Dec 20, 2023 16:00:58 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Dec 20, 2023 17:34:58 GMT -5
I have something to confess:
I don't get the Mountain Goats. I find the fandom for them utterly baffling. I don't mean in a "why do they have fans, they're a terrible band" way but in a genuine "what am I not understanding that all these other people do?" way.
|
|
|
Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Dec 20, 2023 18:13:59 GMT -5
I have something to confess: I don't get the Mountain Goats. I find the fandom for them utterly baffling. I don't mean in a "why do they have fans, they're a terrible band" way but in a genuine "what am I not understanding that all these other people do?" way. I’m not a huge Mountain Goats fan, but they are definitely a singles band rather than an albums band for me, if that helps. And John Darnielle is also a horror novelist and I know some people who like his writing.
|
|
|
Post by Some Kind of Munster on Dec 20, 2023 19:25:03 GMT -5
I have something to confess: I don't get the Mountain Goats. I find the fandom for them utterly baffling. I don't mean in a "why do they have fans, they're a terrible band" way but in a genuine "what am I not understanding that all these other people do?" way. I’m not a huge Mountain Goats fan, but they are definitely a singles band rather than an albums band for me, if that helps. And John Darnielle is also a horror novelist and I know some people who like his writing. I’m not really a Mountain Goats fan either (don’t think I’ve actually listened to an entire album but I’m familiar with a handful of songs and they’re… fine) but I’ve read two of Darnielle’s novels and I’d say I like his writing but ultimately found them both pretty deeply flawed. Like he has a distinctive writing voice and effectively builds suspense but then he just doesn’t do anything with it. So maybe there are some parallels between his songwriting and his prose writing?
|
|
|
Post by William T. Goat, Esq. on Dec 20, 2023 23:36:07 GMT -5
I'm putting out a second mashup album soon. Don't expect much Justin Timberlake and Korn this time around.
|
|
|
Post by Desert Dweller on Dec 21, 2023 20:23:09 GMT -5
I think Christmas music is designed to make musicians hate it. I have finally finished my December performing schedule. I was released a couple days early since the entire choir is not needed at every performance this weekend. I am so happy to not be performing any more Christmas music, sacred or secular. I am going to hate going into stores this weekend and hearing this music playing. Do you have a greater hatred for the sacred or the secular when it comes to Christmas songs? I am not religious in the slightest but find the Christmas songs about how amazing Jesus being born was far more palatable than shit about "Santa Claus Lane" or a kid being too dumb to realize that the Santa Claus that their mom is making out with is just there dad doing cosplay because mommy has a Santa kink. I think the only secular Christmas song I don't hate at this point is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" because it's kind of a bummer.
Same. And I'm an atheist! There are probably some sacred pieces that I could listen to and not get annoyed by. I have performed Handel's "Messiah" every year, and the Christmas portion of that is not yet annoying to me. It just gets boring having to sing it every year. (Though, my favorite parts of the "Messiah" are not in the Christmas section. And unquestionably the two best arias are not in the Christmas section. They are in the final section.)
And I have previously shared some sacred choral pieces that I do really like.
But yeah, the secular stuff just irritates me beyond belief. I think the only secular Christmas music that I own is the Vince Guaraldi Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. And that's not a secular Christmas special, so I don't know if it qualifies.
|
|
|
Post by Desert Dweller on Dec 21, 2023 20:33:26 GMT -5
I think Christmas music is designed to make musicians hate it. I have finally finished my December performing schedule. I was released a couple days early since the entire choir is not needed at every performance this weekend. I am so happy to not be performing any more Christmas music, sacred or secular. I am going to hate going into stores this weekend and hearing this music playing. Are there any secular Christmas songs that you, as a person with actual expertise in music theory and performance, like (I'm excluding sacred ones because those I guess include some classical music that I'm assuming you would appreciate on a musical level if you didn't have to perform them every single year)?
Yeah, the sacred music is more tolerable because a lot of it is classical in nature, so it has enough complexity that it doesn't annoy me as much. However, the basic Christmas carols, even if sacred, do get tiresome. And I'd prefer to just not hear those.
These seem equally bad to me? I just listened to that song, and it was definitely annoying. When I say I listened to it, I mean that I made it through slightly less than one minute before I had to turn it off. I wish it had a video so that I could have muted it and just looked at cute puppies.
|
|
|
Post by Desert Dweller on Dec 21, 2023 20:35:13 GMT -5
Tonight, December 21st, instead of listening to Christmas music, I am watching the Willie Nelson 90th birthday concert. Which perhaps is the only time you will ever see Helen Mirren present Beck who then plays a Willie Nelson song.
Edited to add: This concert is pretty good, really! Nice to see real musicians performing well-constructed songs. Of course, these songs are all 40+ years old.
Edited again: The final set in this concert has Willie Nelson singing with Keith Richards. Which reminds me that I still need to listen that Stones album they released recently. Which I will also listen to this weekend rather than listen to Christmas music!
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,006
|
Post by moimoi on Dec 21, 2023 20:47:08 GMT -5
I'm watching Todd in the Shadows worst songs of 2023 (a couple days early on Patreon) and I must conclude, based on this, Needledrop's video, and my own paltry 'best of' list for the year, that this was the year that everybody in music just gave up. Like: congratulations, Taylor Swift, you made "Fetch" happen and boygenius IS exciting...somehow. The National put out TWO releases this year FFS. What a DULL DULL lackluster year.
|
|
|
Post by Desert Dweller on Dec 21, 2023 22:07:49 GMT -5
I'm watching Todd in the Shadows worst songs of 2023 (a couple days early on Patreon) and I must conclude, based on this, Needledrop's video, and my own paltry 'best of' list for the year, that this was the year that everybody in music just gave up. Like: congratulations, Taylor Swift, you made "Fetch" happen and boygenius IS exciting...somehow. The National put out TWO releases this year FFS. What a DULL DULL lackluster year.
Every year for the past 10 years, or so, I've thought, "There has to be some big change now, right? It can't get any duller than this? Now is when we're finally going to get that big shift in popular sound, right?"
But this year was the year of Taylor Swift, who has to be the dullest major pop star of all time, right? (Not personally. I don't really know anything about her personally. But wow, her songs are boring.)
It shows no sign of abating. And Spotify seems designed to elevate the most boring stuff to make it the most popular.
Bah, technology!
|
|
|
Post by ganews on Dec 21, 2023 22:49:44 GMT -5
I'm watching Todd in the Shadows worst songs of 2023 (a couple days early on Patreon) and I must conclude, based on this, Needledrop's video, and my own paltry 'best of' list for the year, that this was the year that everybody in music just gave up. Like: congratulations, Taylor Swift, you made "Fetch" happen and boygenius IS exciting...somehow. The National put out TWO releases this year FFS. What a DULL DULL lackluster year. Hey come one, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard put out two albums too! Cherry Glazerr! Dean Johnson!
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,006
|
Post by moimoi on Dec 21, 2023 23:00:56 GMT -5
I'm watching Todd in the Shadows worst songs of 2023 (a couple days early on Patreon) and I must conclude, based on this, Needledrop's video, and my own paltry 'best of' list for the year, that this was the year that everybody in music just gave up. Like: congratulations, Taylor Swift, you made "Fetch" happen and boygenius IS exciting...somehow. The National put out TWO releases this year FFS. What a DULL DULL lackluster year. Hey come one, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard put out two albums too! Cherry Glazerr! Dean Johnson! But KGLW always put out at least two albums!
|
|
|
Post by ganews on Dec 22, 2023 0:13:41 GMT -5
Hey come one, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard put out two albums too! Cherry Glazerr! Dean Johnson! But KGLW always put out at least two albums! No, it's been just one album a couple times, and last year was like five.
|
|
|
Post by ganews on Dec 22, 2023 0:17:23 GMT -5
Tonight, December 21st, instead of listening to Christmas music, I am watching the Willie Nelson 90th birthday concert. Which perhaps is the only time you will ever see Helen Mirren present Beck who then plays a Willie Nelson song.
Edited to add: This concert is pretty good, really! Nice to see real musicians performing well-constructed songs. Of course, these songs are all 40+ years old.
Edited again: The final set in this concert has Willie Nelson singing with Keith Richards. Which reminds me that I still need to listen that Stones album they released recently. Which I will also listen to this weekend rather than listen to Christmas music!
Thanks for that, I had forgotten this was going to be on.
|
|
|
Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Dec 22, 2023 13:20:18 GMT -5
I'm watching Todd in the Shadows worst songs of 2023 (a couple days early on Patreon) and I must conclude, based on this, Needledrop's video, and my own paltry 'best of' list for the year, that this was the year that everybody in music just gave up. Like: congratulations, Taylor Swift, you made "Fetch" happen and boygenius IS exciting...somehow. The National put out TWO releases this year FFS. What a DULL DULL lackluster year. Moimoi, what if I told you that in 2023 The Mars Volta apparently released an acoustic version of that tepidly-received album they released last year?
|
|
|
Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Dec 22, 2023 13:38:47 GMT -5
I'm watching Todd in the Shadows worst songs of 2023 (a couple days early on Patreon) and I must conclude, based on this, Needledrop's video, and my own paltry 'best of' list for the year, that this was the year that everybody in music just gave up. Like: congratulations, Taylor Swift, you made "Fetch" happen and boygenius IS exciting...somehow. The National put out TWO releases this year FFS. What a DULL DULL lackluster year.
But this year was the year of Taylor Swift, who has to be the dullest major pop star of all time, right? (Not personally. I don't really know anything about her personally. But wow, her songs are boring.)
I will give Taylor Swift credit for this. I find her far less obnoxious than the vast majority of present day pop artists, most of whom I find almost unbearable to listen to. That said, most of her music is pretty boring (and her elevation to the biggest artist of her generation at this point is starting to make me pretty sick of her music), so the fact that she stands out to me as one of the better current pop stars kind of proves your point.
|
|
|
Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Dec 22, 2023 13:39:19 GMT -5
But KGLW always put out at least two albums! No, it's been just one album a couple times, and last year was like five. What is your ranking of the five?
|
|
|
Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Dec 22, 2023 13:50:37 GMT -5
I'm watching Todd in the Shadows worst songs of 2023 (a couple days early on Patreon) and I must conclude, based on this, Needledrop's video, and my own paltry 'best of' list for the year, that this was the year that everybody in music just gave up. Like: congratulations, Taylor Swift, you made "Fetch" happen and boygenius IS exciting...somehow. The National put out TWO releases this year FFS. What a DULL DULL lackluster year. The main thing I disagreed with in that video was that I thought Todd in the Shadows is being far too nice to the Fudge Rounds guy. I do not trust his "I'm not really on the right or the left," schtick, and while I don't think he ever expected to have a song that charted at all, his lyrics very strongly suggest a quite reactionary worldview. Also, I guess the wordplay of "Rich men" and "Richmond" is mildly clever, but apart from that the lyrics to that song are laughably bad. Like, leaving aside the reactionary nature of the line "If you're five foot three, and three hundred pounds, taxes ought not to pay for your bags of Fudge Rounds" is such a tortured line. Also, the line about "miners" vs. "minors" is clearly meant to express disgust at politicians who associated with Epstein, but the way it's written "I wish politicians would look out for miners / And not just minors on an island somewhere" makes it sound like he's complaining about politicians who are trying to achieve justice for Epstein's victims. Oliver Anthony Music is a horrible lyricist.
|
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,006
|
Post by moimoi on Dec 22, 2023 14:12:58 GMT -5
I'm watching Todd in the Shadows worst songs of 2023 (a couple days early on Patreon) and I must conclude, based on this, Needledrop's video, and my own paltry 'best of' list for the year, that this was the year that everybody in music just gave up. Like: congratulations, Taylor Swift, you made "Fetch" happen and boygenius IS exciting...somehow. The National put out TWO releases this year FFS. What a DULL DULL lackluster year. The main thing I disagreed with in that video was that I thought Todd in the Shadows is being far too nice to the Fudge Rounds guy. I do not trust his "I'm not really on the right or the left," schtick, and while I don't think he ever expected to have a song that charted at all, his lyrics very strongly suggest a quite reactionary worldview. Also, I guess the wordplay of "Rich men" and "Richmond" is mildly clever, but apart from that the lyrics to that song are laughably bad. Like, leaving aside the reactionary nature of the line "If you're five foot three, and three hundred pounds, taxes ought not to pay for your bags of Fudge Rounds" is such a tortured line. Also, the line about "miners" vs. "minors" is clearly meant to express disgust at politicians who associated with Epstein, but the way it's written "I wish politicians would look out for miners / And not just minors on an island somewhere" makes it sound like he's complaining about politicians who are trying to achieve justice for Epstein's victims. Oliver Anthony Music is a horrible lyricist. By far, I think the best response to Oliver Anthony is this:
|
|
Dellarigg
AV Clubber
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
Posts: 7,514
Member is Online
|
Post by Dellarigg on Dec 22, 2023 15:52:45 GMT -5
Tonight, December 21st, instead of listening to Christmas music, I am watching the Willie Nelson 90th birthday concert. Which perhaps is the only time you will ever see Helen Mirren present Beck who then plays a Willie Nelson song.
Edited to add: This concert is pretty good, really! Nice to see real musicians performing well-constructed songs. Of course, these songs are all 40+ years old.
Edited again: The final set in this concert has Willie Nelson singing with Keith Richards. Which reminds me that I still need to listen that Stones album they released recently. Which I will also listen to this weekend rather than listen to Christmas music!
I’m such a Stones fan that I can happily listen to any of the albums considered their nadir ( Black and Blue, for instance, or Dirty Work), so bear that in mind when I say I think the new one is a great piece of work. I’ve listened to it loads since it came out, and some of the songs I wasn’t sure about have really grown on me, which is always a good sign. It’s not late 60s/early 70s golden era good, of course, but it’s comfortably at the top of their second division, nestled along with Some Girls and Tattoo You. And Keith’s vocal is one of the many highlights.
|
|
|
Post by Desert Dweller on Dec 22, 2023 22:38:49 GMT -5
But this year was the year of Taylor Swift, who has to be the dullest major pop star of all time, right? (Not personally. I don't really know anything about her personally. But wow, her songs are boring.)
I will give Taylor Swift credit for this. I find her far less obnoxious than the vast majority of present day pop artists, most of whom I find almost unbearable to listen to. That said, most of her music is pretty boring (and her elevation to the biggest artist of her generation at this point is starting to make me pretty sick of her music), so the fact that she stands out to me as one of the better current pop stars kind of proves your point.
Sometime over the past week I was listening to some YouTube video that was doing a pop culture-related review of... something, not music. I can't even remember what. At one point a song starts playing, and then the YouTuber makes a joke about how this thing she's reviewing sounds like this one particular Taylor Swift song. And it still took my brain a full 10 seconds to realize that the song she was playing WAS that Taylor Swift song. I swear, this sounded like some watered down "elevator music" version of a pop song. Like, I thought this YouTuber had intentionally made a bad version of this song, to fit her joke in the video.
But no. That WAS the song. And I say this knowing how much Autotune and Pitch Correction make everyone's voice sound bland, but wow, her voice was bland on that.
|
|
|
Post by Desert Dweller on Dec 22, 2023 23:54:20 GMT -5
Edited again: The final set in this concert has Willie Nelson singing with Keith Richards. Which reminds me that I still need to listen that Stones album they released recently. Which I will also listen to this weekend rather than listen to Christmas music! I’m such a Stones fan that I can happily listen to any of the albums considered their nadir ( Black and Blue, for instance, or Dirty Work), so bear that in mind when I say I think the new one is a great piece of work. I’ve listened to it loads since it came out, and some of the songs I wasn’t sure about have really grown on me, which is always a good sign. It’s not late 60s/early 70s golden era good, of course, but it’s comfortably at the top of their second division, nestled along with Some Girls and Tattoo You. And Keith’s vocal is one of the many highlights.
I just listened to the whole album. Yeah, it is the best one I've heard from them in a long time. Tons of fun. Love the energy. And the modern production wasn't overwhelming or distracting. There were a couple songs that didn't really grab me, but I'll give it a couple more listens this weekend.
|
|
Dellarigg
AV Clubber
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
Posts: 7,514
Member is Online
|
Post by Dellarigg on Dec 23, 2023 4:38:31 GMT -5
I’m such a Stones fan that I can happily listen to any of the albums considered their nadir ( Black and Blue, for instance, or Dirty Work), so bear that in mind when I say I think the new one is a great piece of work. I’ve listened to it loads since it came out, and some of the songs I wasn’t sure about have really grown on me, which is always a good sign. It’s not late 60s/early 70s golden era good, of course, but it’s comfortably at the top of their second division, nestled along with Some Girls and Tattoo You. And Keith’s vocal is one of the many highlights.
I just listened to the whole album. Yeah, it is the best one I've heard from them in a long time. Tons of fun. Love the energy. And the modern production wasn't overwhelming or distracting. There were a couple songs that didn't really grab me, but I'll give it a couple more listens this weekend.
In the way of these things, the only song I could do without - Mess It Up - is the next single. Btw, have you seen Maestro yet? I started off being a little irritated by it, but it slowly won me over to the point where I think I'll have to watch it again. Bradley Cooper was eerily like him, and the ageing makeup is the best I've seen.
|
|
|
Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Dec 23, 2023 7:52:20 GMT -5
Tonight, December 21st, instead of listening to Christmas music, I am watching the Willie Nelson 90th birthday concert. Which perhaps is the only time you will ever see Helen Mirren present Beck who then plays a Willie Nelson song.
Edited to add: This concert is pretty good, really! Nice to see real musicians performing well-constructed songs. Of course, these songs are all 40+ years old.
Edited again: The final set in this concert has Willie Nelson singing with Keith Richards. Which reminds me that I still need to listen that Stones album they released recently. Which I will also listen to this weekend rather than listen to Christmas music!
I’m such a Stones fan that I can happily listen to any of the albums considered their nadir ( Black and Blue, for instance, or Dirty Work), so bear that in mind when I say I think the new one is a great piece of work. I’ve listened to it loads since it came out, and some of the songs I wasn’t sure about have really grown on me, which is always a good sign. It’s not late 60s/early 70s golden era good, of course, but it’s comfortably at the top of their second division, nestled along with Some Girls and Tattoo You. And Keith’s vocal is one of the many highlights. Was that Bob Dylan album that came out this year good?
|
|
|
Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Dec 23, 2023 7:57:10 GMT -5
I’m such a Stones fan that I can happily listen to any of the albums considered their nadir ( Black and Blue, for instance, or Dirty Work), so bear that in mind when I say I think the new one is a great piece of work. I’ve listened to it loads since it came out, and some of the songs I wasn’t sure about have really grown on me, which is always a good sign. It’s not late 60s/early 70s golden era good, of course, but it’s comfortably at the top of their second division, nestled along with Some Girls and Tattoo You. And Keith’s vocal is one of the many highlights.
I just listened to the whole album. Yeah, it is the best one I've heard from them in a long time. Tons of fun. Love the energy. And the modern production wasn't overwhelming or distracting. There were a couple songs that didn't really grab me, but I'll give it a couple more listens this weekend.
I feel this way (in that the artists have unbearably dull and bland voices, not that they’re all autotuned, I’m not good at perceiving the difference when it isn’t being used to create a deliberately artificial effect) about every male Anglophone pop star of the past decade. Like, pop music has been bleak in general over this time span, but especially for dudes, I feel.
|
|
Dellarigg
AV Clubber
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
Posts: 7,514
Member is Online
|
Post by Dellarigg on Dec 23, 2023 8:43:54 GMT -5
I’m such a Stones fan that I can happily listen to any of the albums considered their nadir ( Black and Blue, for instance, or Dirty Work), so bear that in mind when I say I think the new one is a great piece of work. I’ve listened to it loads since it came out, and some of the songs I wasn’t sure about have really grown on me, which is always a good sign. It’s not late 60s/early 70s golden era good, of course, but it’s comfortably at the top of their second division, nestled along with Some Girls and Tattoo You. And Keith’s vocal is one of the many highlights. Was that Bob Dylan album that came out this year good? I'll confess that I only glanced at it and assumed it was another live album I could safely skip. I see now it's a revisiting/reworking of old songs, and quite a decent selection of same, so I'll listen to it later and maybe get back to you, maybe not.
|
|
Rainbow Rosa
TI Forumite
not gay, just colorful
Posts: 3,604
|
Post by Rainbow Rosa on Dec 23, 2023 13:12:22 GMT -5
I have something to confess: I don't get the Mountain Goats. I find the fandom for them utterly baffling. I don't mean in a "why do they have fans, they're a terrible band" way but in a genuine "what am I not understanding that all these other people do?" way. John Darnielle is possibly the clearest evidence for the Roth-Costello hypothesis.
|
|