Great post! God, I am so guilty of using decades old references when talking about now music. I try to use recent ones too but my age and brain decline are working against it ...
Good post! Thank you for sharing. I think it is fair to make comparisons when looking at art or listening to music. It's impossible not to hear '70s German rock bands like Can, Faust, Amon Duul II, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, or Ambient and Jazz influences when you hear a band such as Radiohead (decidedly NOT guitar pop, but you get my gist). Or, Brian Jonestown Massacre and their influence from Spacemen 3 and 60s psych rock & Byrds'ian jingle-jangle acid folk.
It's the same when looking at a painter such as Stephen Campbell who clearly owes much inspiration to Max Beckmann and one must reference it when discussing Campbell's work. The difference, of course, is when the inspiration moves forward and the artist creates something new and fresh.
Agreed! But repeatedly writing about a specific universe of music, you start to see certain crutches in your descriptions/references (or, at least, I do!). That's kind of what I was trying to address...and also have a little fun along the way.
Thanks for checking it out. And for the thoughtful (and spot on!) comment.
A very thoughtful piece. I certainly get the impulse to try and find new ways of describing lyrics to readers, but as a person of a certain age, those references from the towering 60s bands make perfect sense. The idea of the relay is a fun one and when you go from Teenage Fanclub to Matthew Sweet to Sloan, you're talking about 3 of my favorite artists with so many others I love in that relay.
Ultimately, you want to turn on your readers to new music. You've done that for me with Radio Days and Wesley Fuller, whose new album was already on my radar, but it now going to be listened to very soon. So, thank you!
Thanks, man! This is an equally thoughtful comment.
That was a fun piece to write simply because it was a little reflective on my part, but (I think? I hope!) also relatable to other music writers and fans who can occasionally feel like they get caught in a rut. And, of course, also good to let people know up front where you're coming from with your various opinions and perspectives as they read along.
Great post! God, I am so guilty of using decades old references when talking about now music. I try to use recent ones too but my age and brain decline are working against it ...
Thanks, man! It's a challenge. Glad you could relate.
Good post! Thank you for sharing. I think it is fair to make comparisons when looking at art or listening to music. It's impossible not to hear '70s German rock bands like Can, Faust, Amon Duul II, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, or Ambient and Jazz influences when you hear a band such as Radiohead (decidedly NOT guitar pop, but you get my gist). Or, Brian Jonestown Massacre and their influence from Spacemen 3 and 60s psych rock & Byrds'ian jingle-jangle acid folk.
It's the same when looking at a painter such as Stephen Campbell who clearly owes much inspiration to Max Beckmann and one must reference it when discussing Campbell's work. The difference, of course, is when the inspiration moves forward and the artist creates something new and fresh.
Agreed! But repeatedly writing about a specific universe of music, you start to see certain crutches in your descriptions/references (or, at least, I do!). That's kind of what I was trying to address...and also have a little fun along the way.
Thanks for checking it out. And for the thoughtful (and spot on!) comment.
A very thoughtful piece. I certainly get the impulse to try and find new ways of describing lyrics to readers, but as a person of a certain age, those references from the towering 60s bands make perfect sense. The idea of the relay is a fun one and when you go from Teenage Fanclub to Matthew Sweet to Sloan, you're talking about 3 of my favorite artists with so many others I love in that relay.
Ultimately, you want to turn on your readers to new music. You've done that for me with Radio Days and Wesley Fuller, whose new album was already on my radar, but it now going to be listened to very soon. So, thank you!
Thanks, man! This is an equally thoughtful comment.
That was a fun piece to write simply because it was a little reflective on my part, but (I think? I hope!) also relatable to other music writers and fans who can occasionally feel like they get caught in a rut. And, of course, also good to let people know up front where you're coming from with your various opinions and perspectives as they read along.