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Posted

I don't recall floor seats at the Paramount being too bad, but I'm not exactly a large person.  Others may caution otherwise.

It's basically a big old movie theater.

Posted

Just now catching up on this thread (which started off shit, and then took an interesting turn, and now is back to meh). 

I continue to be confused by the suggestion that music of the early aughts itself is reflective of a shift to passivity in society. 650 is a great poster and I'm sure knows more about music than I do (and is older, so lived through the supposed shift), so I'm not dismissing it out of hand.

It just seems an odd connection to make when the 80s and 90s are littered with very, very popular and important bands who were sad, woe is me saps either lyrically, in tone or in overall vibes. Obviously the Smiths, the Cure, Joy Division, etc. Sonic Youth to some degree. Pearl Jam and Nirvana have some of the biggest sad sap, feel sorry for yourself lyrics around, albeit presented with a veneer of aggression? My avatar released Creep in 92. Elliott Smith. The list goes on and on and on. REM wrote a don't fucking kill yourself song in 1992 as one of the biggest rock bands in the world.

I guess my point is that even if you were to concede that (a) there was some societal shift towards passivity, and (b) the music and/or bands of the early aughts were themselves "passive" (whatever that actually means), it seems to be more coincidental that correlated. 

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Posted
19 minutes ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

veneer of aggression

 

I think most people are getting hung up on style over substance. Like I said, the first band that really made me stop and notice this was Korn. And one of the hardest all time dudes was Gordon Lightfoot. But to your bigger point, I wasn't speaking about sadness, that is endemic to so much great music. Though I'm not a big Cure stan I must confess. It's an emotional stunting, and I'm not sure passive is exactly the right word. Somewhere between passive and reactive maybe is more accurate. It's the notion of events happening to you as opposed to you being an active player in them, a complete lack of agency. In quote it would be the difference between "Well fuck man, this shit sucks" and "Poor me, life's unfair wahhh". People like to point out all the travails of the millennials, which there are a bunch ( 9/11, 08' crash, etc..) but as I said this predates all that. I think it's suburban boredom and ennui personally.

 

There's obviously too many great songs about shitty things than I can count, but just off the top of my head a song from the early aught's that is the opposite of what I'm saying is Pretty Fucked UP by the SUpersuckers, It's about his girl cheating on him, which is no fun, but the message isn't poor me, it's fuck that bitch.

 

 

This obviously isn't some super heavy aggressive song, that's not what I mean. It's relating to it's subject in a proactive manner.

 

 

Just now, jimmyjazz said:

I think the bigger societal shift in the early aughts was a shift towards lousy songwriting.

That's definitely a crime in and of itself.

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Posted (edited)

Much harder song about black post breakup belongings

 

Darren Jesse (drummer) just performed nearby recently and I almost went just to see. 

Edited by Celery Man
Posted

Yeah me too until recently - my sister had that cd in her disc logic case in her Sunfire. I completely forgot about the opening part. It’s kind of an incredible song - if you were making a movie about some band from 1999 it would be the perfect “let’s steal a bit from every possible genre of mainstream rock from this time” type song. And then the band having a verb# name - 🧑‍🍳😘

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Posted

I'm not the biggest fan of their tunes, but I give those guys credit for actually being pretty cool and funny. They have been throwing impromptu backyard shows this year at random houses. And the lead singer is starting an OnlyFans for some reason.

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Posted

despite generally being representative of both my era and scene, I never cared much or paid much attention to the all american rejects. I do think the impromptu show thing that they are doing is kinda cool, but I've heard lots of stories about their lead singer being the biggest primadonna douchebag of all time so I mostly move past them.

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Posted
7 minutes ago, G650 said:

I'm not the biggest fan of their tunes, but I give those guys credit for actually being pretty cool and funny. They have been throwing impromptu backyard shows this year at random houses. And the lead singer is starting an OnlyFans for some reason.

 

5 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

despite generally being representative of both my era and scene, I never cared much or paid much attention to the all american rejects. I do think the impromptu show thing that they are doing is kinda cool, but I've heard lots of stories about their lead singer being the biggest primadonna douchebag of all time so I mostly move past them.

They have like 5 of 6 really good tracks. I'd believe that their lead is a doucher. 

Also a Stillwater/Okie Lite band. Have to stick it to OU whenever you can. 

Posted
6 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

I mostly move past them

 

Just now, ztejas said:

Also a Stillwater/Okie Lite band

That is definitely way beyond my knowledge of All American Rejects.

  • Haha 1
Posted
8 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Damn, when I can hear the AutoTune on note #2 then we're done.

Yeah, it's just weird to write an "I'm gonna kick his ass" song, and then hypertune your voice so you sound like Cher.

That incongruence is one of the defining characteristics of Bro Country.  

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Posted
3 hours ago, Paul Wesley said:

 

That incongruence is one of the defining characteristics of Bro Country

 

Nothing says down on the farm like Melodyne, amirite

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Posted

He’s rolling pretty deep though.

IMG_4334.thumb.jpeg.f0325c20a6aa0c957aa0ea17f5cc778c.jpeg

you try and fuck with a guy wearing a bedazzled leather shirt and a Paul Reed Smith, you’re going to get pepper sprayed.

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Posted
3 hours ago, G650 said:

Nothing says down on the farm like Melodyne, amirite

In this video, the autotune is just part of the package.  I mean, we have a 3/4 waltz, we have the modern equivalent of a puka shell necklace, plaid pants that even Paul Westerberg thinks look stupid, and finally the falsetto.  It's the Mount Rushmore of pussification.

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Posted
11 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

probably stole them from tommy’s closet

Paul had plenty of his own.  Here's the reunion show I flew up to see in St. Paul -- apropos of the thread, look who's on drums:

The Replacements at Midway Stadium in St. Paul.

 

What a fucking set list (spoilered for length):

Spoiler

Favorite Thing

Takin' a Ride

I'm in Trouble

Don't Ask Why

I'll Be You

Valentine

Waitress in the Sky

Tommy Got His Tonsils Out

Take Me Down to the Hospital

I Want You Back (Jackson 5)

Going to New York (Jimmy Reed) with Tony Glover

Color Me Impressed

Nowhere Is My Home

If Only You Were Lonely

Achin' to Be

Kiss Me on the Bus

Androgynous

I Will Dare

Love You Till Friday / Maybelline (Chuck Berry)

Merry Go Round

I Won't

Borstal Breakout (Sham 69)

Swingin' Party

Love You in the Fall

Can't Hardly Wait

I Don't Know / Buck Hill

Bastards of Young

Encore

Skyway (Paul solo)

Left of the Dial

Alex Chilton

Encore #2

Unsatisfied (fan video)

 

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Posted

I clicked on this thread because I was shocked there was a 4 page thread on this topic and have skimmed through after the first few posts.  I don't have much of an opinon on the topic (probably lean towards The Killers), but I will do without any Modest Mouse slander whatsoever.  They have an incredibly diverse catalog that spans almost 30 years:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could go on and on.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

I'm sorry if this thread got too contentious for any of you - or if any of you are tired of seeing me start threads or post in general (well I'm not sorry about that, you can just ignore me).

I felt like bumping this because I was wondering today what the most iconic/best rock track of the 2000s is. i.e. 2000 onward. Not just 2000-2009.

I thought about this thread because The Killers have at least one song that deserves serious consideration. 

I'm not sure the Foo has any. Their best song - Everlong - they did in '97.

Again - just my fucking opinion. I like the Foo Fighters a lot. Was just curious to hear other submissions.

Gun to my head "rock song of the 21st century" I think I go here:

(Should I start a new thread?)

Edited by ztejas
Posted (edited)

7NA is obviously a huge contender.  I'd suggest Spoon "The Way We Get By" or Wilco "Heavy Metal Drummer", although neither rocks as hard as 7NA.

Neither is anywhere near as well known, though.

Edited by jimmyjazz
Posted (edited)

I’ll throw in a quote from wiki about The Pretender since it’s FF and felt like it was played every 15 minutes for months that naught both support and then negate its nomination. 
 

Quote

The Pretender" was the most densely played alternative rock song of 2007. It held the record for longest running number-one in the Modern Rock Tracks' history, beating a then-record of 16 weeks by Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Scar Tissue", Staind's "It's Been Awhile", and Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", with 18 weeks at number one, until Muse's "Madness" reigned for 19 weeks in 2012–13,[12] but that later got eclipsed by Portugal.

 

Edited by Pato del Muerto
Posted
1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I’ll throw in a quote from wiki about The Pretender since it’s FF and felt like it was played every 15 minutes for months that naught both support and then negate its nomination. 
 

 

I honestly forgot that song existed.

Posted

Random stream of consciousness now that I see the thread (not that anyone cares):

  • 7NA has evolved into an anthem, evident by the fact that damn near all high school bands include it in their repertoire 
  • Music is personal - one man's trash is another man's treasure.
  • I can simultaneously appreciate/enjoy/love/whatever: Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, James, Psychedelic Furs, The Smiths, Gun's and Roses, Velvet Revolver, Spoon, Rush, The Clash, VU, The Stone Roses, INXS, Collective Soul, Talking Heads, Journey, Lord Huron, Airborne Toxic Event, Band of Horses, NIN, The Cult, etc. and it's just fine.  
  • It is entirely possible that my opinion annoys the shit out of you.  That's fine with me.

A couple of random songs for you.  

1 - One of the better Killers songs, IMO

 

One of my favorites from James.  They have many I really like.

 

 

  • 3 months later...
Posted
1 minute ago, jimmyjazz said:

That's the beauty of art . . . I could name dozens of better songs by the Foos.

The Foo does not have 12 songs better than When You Were Young. 

Posted
22 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

Killers thread ztejas

as

Shane Gillis thread : Derka

as

What happened to Demi thread: Spystud

God forbid I have a fucking opinion about something. I can't remember the last time you posted anything that I gave a shit about one way or another. 

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Posted
15 minutes ago, ztejas said:

God forbid I have a fucking opinion about something. I can't remember the last time you posted anything that I gave a shit about one way or another. 

Responding to differing opinions and offhand sarcastic remarks with wildly over the top personal attacks? EXACTLY like both of those threads! Let's keep it going!

  • Haha 1
Posted
1 minute ago, irishtexan said:

Responding to differing opinions and offhand sarcastic remarks with wildly over the top personal attacks? EXACTLY like both of those threads! Let's keep it going!

I posted a music video and a firm statement directly related to the title and the thread. JJ hit me back. I commented again. 

I'm not sure what is going on here besides you not contributing anything. 

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Posted (edited)

OK. I'll contribute. You're right in that Mr. Brightside is in the conversation for the biggest hit of the early 2000s. It really might be the biggest hit of the decade. It's hard to understate how big that song is. While it's definitely not even close to the "BEST" song from that era, it might be the biggest. It's the highest selling single of all time to never top the chards. It's the most streamed song from the 2000s on Spotify. It's fucking massive. Crowds of a hundred thousand will sing every word to the song at English soccer matches. A song about a creep watching his girlfriend getting banged out by some other dude has somehow become a jock jam. For years I thought the Killers were a britpop band. They're an American band aping the sound of late 90s/early aughts britpop in a similar way to the early british invasion bands playing the music made by black blues musicians. 

The Foos aren't an apt comparison. Their roots are in the "hard rock" music that Dave Grohl played in Nirvana and Pat Smear played in the Germs, albeit a version that is extremely sanitized to appeal to a broad audience. They put out multiple albums with top-10 singles and have nearly unparalleled longevity in being in the conversation as the biggest band in the world. But the only thing they have in common is that they both play "rock" music and are popular bands. 

So my opinion is comparing the two makes no sense. It's like comparing Wings to the Police. 

 

Edited by irishtexan
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Posted
1 hour ago, irishtexan said:

OK. I'll contribute. You're right in that Mr. Brightside is in the conversation for the biggest hit of the early 2000s. It really might be the biggest hit of the decade. It's hard to understate how big that song is. While it's definitely not even close to the "BEST" song from that era, it might be the biggest. It's the highest selling single of all time to never top the chards. It's the most streamed song from the 2000s on Spotify. It's fucking massive. Crowds of a hundred thousand will sing every word to the song at English soccer matches. A song about a creep watching his girlfriend getting banged out by some other dude has somehow become a jock jam. For years I thought the Killers were a britpop band. They're an American band aping the sound of late 90s/early aughts britpop in a similar way to the early british invasion bands playing the music made by black blues musicians. 

The Foos aren't an apt comparison. Their roots are in the "hard rock" music that Dave Grohl played in Nirvana and Pat Smear played in the Germs, albeit a version that is extremely sanitized to appeal to a broad audience. They put out multiple albums with top-10 singles and have nearly unparalleled longevity in being in the conversation as the biggest band in the world. But the only thing they have in common is that they both play "rock" music and are popular bands. 

So my opinion is comparing the two makes no sense. It's like comparing Wings to the Police. 

 

 

1 hour ago, irishtexan said:

OK. I'll contribute. You're right in that Mr. Brightside is in the conversation for the biggest hit of the early 2000s. It really might be the biggest hit of the decade. It's hard to understate how big that song is. While it's definitely not even close to the "BEST" song from that era, it might be the biggest. It's the highest selling single of all time to never top the chards. It's the most streamed song from the 2000s on Spotify. It's fucking massive. Crowds of a hundred thousand will sing every word to the song at English soccer matches. A song about a creep watching his girlfriend getting banged out by some other dude has somehow become a jock jam. For years I thought the Killers were a britpop band. They're an American band aping the sound of late 90s/early aughts britpop in a similar way to the early british invasion bands playing the music made by black blues musicians. 

The Foos aren't an apt comparison. Their roots are in the "hard rock" music that Dave Grohl played in Nirvana and Pat Smear played in the Germs, albeit a version that is extremely sanitized to appeal to a broad audience. They put out multiple albums with top-10 singles and have nearly unparalleled longevity in being in the conversation as the biggest band in the world. But the only thing they have in common is that they both play "rock" music and are popular bands. 

So my opinion is comparing the two makes no sense. It's like comparing Wings to the Police. 

 

@sidis can we get a musical breakdown (similar to your exegesis on the mo bamba thread) on how Mr. bright side became a stadium staple at sports events?

Posted
1 hour ago, irishtexan said:

OK. I'll contribute. You're right in that Mr. Brightside is in the conversation for the biggest hit of the early 2000s. It really might be the biggest hit of the decade. It's hard to understate how big that song is. While it's definitely not even close to the "BEST" song from that era, it might be the biggest. It's the highest selling single of all time to never top the chards. It's the most streamed song from the 2000s on Spotify. It's fucking massive. Crowds of a hundred thousand will sing every word to the song at English soccer matches. A song about a creep watching his girlfriend getting banged out by some other dude has somehow become a jock jam. For years I thought the Killers were a britpop band. They're an American band aping the sound of late 90s/early aughts britpop in a similar way to the early british invasion bands playing the music made by black blues musicians. 

The Foos aren't an apt comparison. Their roots are in the "hard rock" music that Dave Grohl played in Nirvana and Pat Smear played in the Germs, albeit a version that is extremely sanitized to appeal to a broad audience. They put out multiple albums with top-10 singles and have nearly unparalleled longevity in being in the conversation as the biggest band in the world. But the only thing they have in common is that they both play "rock" music and are popular bands. 

So my opinion is comparing the two makes no sense. It's like comparing Wings to the Police. 

 

I appreciate the discourse. I genuinely do. 

I am well aware of their differences as bands. That's not really the point. 

The Foo and The Killers share this interesting mid-section of a few different diagrams. It's why I think that it's a fun comp. The Foo - at heart - is very much a younger Gen X band. The Killers are a millennial band. 

I think The Killers are a better band and are more accomplished musically. 

That's my opinion. I think that the majority here disagrees.

That's okay. That's what we're here to discuss. 

Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Vegas64 said:

 

@sidis can we get a musical breakdown (similar to your exegesis on the mo bamba thread) on how Mr. bright side became a stadium staple at sports events?

the reasons for its effectiveness are virtually the opposite of mo bamba. mo bamba is all tension and bass...brightside is melodic and harmonic drive...as well as being naturally emotional in its melodic climax. unlike mo bamba which is a super exotic key/mode of e phrygian, brightside is a classic pop chord progression in d major going I-V-vi-IV. a significant percentage of pop songs use this structure (or a small variation of it). there's a funny video on youtube that goes through all the pop songs that use that structure. the chord progression repeats through the entire song with no changes...even in the chorus or bridge. that is really unique.

the vocal melody, like a lot of killers songs (and garage rock music), is right smack in the middle of the vocal register with virtually no straying into low or high registers. it's not nearly as simple as mo bamba obviously but its vocal ease is ideal for crowd singing where everyone can participate. critically, the melody from the beginning of the verse through the chorus is almost always ascending in its contour (for example, in the chorus where it starts with "jealousy," contrast that first half of the chorus with the second half starting with "but it's just") which subconsciously adds intensity. adding to the ease of singing it for the crowd is the fact that the kick drum is extremely consistent. not quite four on the floor but it is a consistent, driving metronome for the song. the snare on the 2 and 4 every bar everywhere but the bridge and pre-chorus drives the song consistently and keeps the intensity super high...as well as keeping everyone in time.

one of the most unique things about brightside is it never resolves back to the d chord which leaves it with a constantly unfinished feeling for the listener. one doesn't need to be familiar with music theory to identify that unique element of the song. anyone can listen to it and identify that as a difference at the end. it doesn't end with "i'm mr. brightside." it ends with "i never" and a super unfinished chord. that is a theme through the entire track. it just keeps chugging along and keeping you engaged. 

there are other reasons like the cleanliness of the guitar performance, etc... but those are the real underlying reasons for its success as a stadium song...along with timing and just outright popularity.

eta: one other thing about the contrast between mo bamba and mr brightside is the context for their "stadium song" use which is not a coincidence. the tension/bass/frenzy combination of mo bamba is no accident as it is used as a part of the football game strategically...most commonly on defensive third downs for the home team create frenzy/intimidation/tension in the environment. brightside is almost always at a break in the action...usually between the 3rd and 4th quarter at places like michigan and missouri in my experience. that moment has nothing to do with the game...it's an engaging environmental and shared moment to keep everyone engaged. just like jump around at wisconsin or don't stop believing at a bunch of places. so an upbeat, major scale song is more appropriate in creating a shared communal moment where you want everyone to be smiling and happy and having fun together.

also edited to add: seems apropos for me to include my video from our trip up there last year...back at a time when we were good at football. 

 

Edited by sidis
  • Like 2
Posted
1 hour ago, sidis said:

the reasons for its effectiveness are virtually the opposite of mo bamba. mo bamba is all tension and bass...brightside is melodic and harmonic drive...as well as being naturally emotional in its melodic climax. unlike mo bamba which is a super exotic key/mode of e phrygian, brightside is a classic pop chord progression in d major going I-V-vi-IV. a significant percentage of pop songs use this structure (or a small variation of it). there's a funny video on youtube that goes through all the pop songs that use that structure. the chord progression repeats through the entire song with no changes...even in the chorus or bridge. that is really unique.

the vocal melody, like a lot of killers songs (and garage rock music), is right smack in the middle of the vocal register with virtually no straying into low or high registers. it's not nearly as simple as mo bamba obviously but its vocal ease is ideal for crowd singing where everyone can participate. critically, the melody from the beginning of the verse through the chorus is almost always ascending in its contour (for example, in the chorus where it starts with "jealousy," contrast that first half of the chorus with the second half starting with "but it's just") which subconsciously adds intensity. adding to the ease of singing it for the crowd is the fact that the kick drum is extremely consistent. not quite four on the floor but it is a consistent, driving metronome for the song. the snare on the 2 and 4 every bar everywhere but the bridge and pre-chorus drives the song consistently and keeps the intensity super high...as well as keeping everyone in time.

one of the most unique things about brightside is it never resolves back to the d chord which leaves it with a constantly unfinished feeling for the listener. one doesn't need to be familiar with music theory to identify that unique element of the song. anyone can listen to it and identify that as a difference at the end. it doesn't end with "i'm mr. brightside." it ends with "i never" and a super unfinished chord. that is a theme through the entire track. it just keeps chugging along and keeping you engaged. 

there are other reasons like the cleanliness of the guitar performance, etc... but those are the real underlying reasons for its success as a stadium song...along with timing and just outright popularity.

eta: one other thing about the contrast between mo bamba and mr brightside is the context for their "stadium song" use which is not a coincidence. the tension/bass/frenzy combination of mo bamba is no accident as it is used as a part of the football game strategically...most commonly on defensive third downs for the home team create frenzy/intimidation/tension in the environment. brightside is almost always at a break in the action...usually between the 3rd and 4th quarter at places like michigan and missouri in my experience. that moment has nothing to do with the game...it's an engaging environmental and shared moment to keep everyone engaged. just like jump around at wisconsin or don't stop believing at a bunch of places. so an upbeat, major scale song is more appropriate in creating a shared communal moment where you want everyone to be smiling and happy and having fun together.

also edited to add: seems apropos for me to include my video from our trip up there last year...back at a time when we were good at football. 

 

IMG_7373.mov 51.34 MB · 0 downloads

 

you are responsible for literally my two favorite posts on surly ever, the last two days. Thanks for bringing some joy to this old dog's heart.

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