Thursday, April 24, 2008

Disclaimer: This is a Rant and Shouldn't be taken to Seriously

This isn't a normal post, I just had a moment of inspiration.

Weezer

We have all heard the name. In one way or another we have all been touched by one of their songs. Whether it is lovingly touched by their early ballad, "Say it Ain't So" or whether you have been touched inappropriately by their song, "Beverly Hills" we have all been touched. I say inappropriately touched because if that song really touched your heart then your a better man than I am, cause I just don't get it. BUT I AM GETTING SIDETRACKED!

There are have been thousands and thousands of bands polluting our airwaves ever since the first radio broadcast in 1906. Bands such Daughtry and Ashlee Simpson have given people the false idea that they know what good music is. In the old days, there wasn't the internet and small labels producing any band that had a catchy hook. It was a longer process and that is why bands like the Beatles and Led Zepplin succeeded and continues to succeed 50 years later. They were a conscious choice from the record industry that this was a solid band and their record deserved to be put out.

Now a days, that Daughtry fella yelled "ITS NOT OVER!" in a catchy fashion and 300 record labels started yelling, "Let's release it, someone will buy it."

I get it, I am highly romanticizing the record industry and the stupidity of the American people. I know it is not that clean cut, I am just trying to make a point. Good bands in this current generation are few and far between.

That is why we have so many flavors of the week. Also, now that Itunes allows consumers to buy a single track from an artist, people are encouraged to be one hit wonders. Isn't that horrible? A record is supposed to be a cohesive element that needs to be heard from start to finish. Now that bands are ditching this idea and focus on being the number one song on Itunes, the music industry is in slow decline. It's not the consumers fault, its the big wigs, they screwed us all when they made this behavior ok.

However, when I put in a Weezer record, I still get hope for the future.

Think what you want about them, All their albums, even their duds, are superior to what most bands are putting out now a days. They make albums! The only exception to this is Beverly Hills, which I have nothing to say to that.

The Blue Album starts off with "My Name is Jonas" and ends with "Only In Dreams" These are probably the strongest tracks they have ever written and are bookmarks to overall one of the best albums ever made.

Then came Pinkerton. Originally meant to be a Space Rock Opera, this album critically and financially bombed when it first came out. There was a huge backlash because it was seriously kind of a creepy record. River's lyrics are about his fascination with young Japanese girls and how Sex rules his life. While this may turn you off initially, this is by far their best record and as time went on everyone started to feel the same way. Rolling Stone actually changed their review a couple of years later and put it in their Musical Hall of Fame.

I really don't feel like I should get into the rest of the albums because I am sure most of you hadn't gotten this far. This is an insane rant. So I am just going to let the cover of their new album speak for me.

I actually don't care if you listen, they are a golden gem of a band.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i love weezer.

the blue album reminds me of being young.

the sad truth is that popular music is now being determined by what is marketed best not by what inspires us to dance, laugh, cry, love, break-up, rob a bank, etc.

i completely understand why musical snobbery is on the rise. it takes a little more effort to find something truly worth treating our ears to.

in a time when so much that is being produced is crap, i find solace in the musical past.

i am currently listening to pet sounds by the beach boys and i love it.

reid, have you listened to that Dr. Dog album i gave you? what did you think? also, what do you think of Delta Spirit?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, what do you think of Delta Spirit?