random thoughts in the warm afternoon
the problem i have with getting into ariel pink's latest album is that while being well done musically and he is genuine in the songwriting, ultimately the music sounds like its from an era of largely so so music. it sounds like the moment when the wake of disco and 70s rock was leading into 80s pop. maybe it's just sounds dated to me, but it feels like a time in music that was awkward, unsure, and sometimes pretty crappy. whatever discomfort that era's songs give me, the problem gets further agitated when an album such as this one gets lauded to the high heavens, through no fault of mr pink's--who as i mentioned is a talented musician.
the problem is that in an era that we are in right now, where the young ones are in a race to love and align themselves with ironic tastes, liking things that are cheesy and bad because the "irony" of such is so delicious, how for folks to accurately weigh an album like this, where the sound of the songs themselves come from a patch of music that is pretty blegh (to me) yet that "blegh" type of thing is what many folks gravitate themselves towards. and the problem is not so much why other people like it, but then it gets reflected back on to the musician--is ariel pink the competent musician that he is making this sound because he loves this music? or because he "loves" this music? should that even matter to me as the listener? unfortunately it does. it's like tenacious d. jack black fucking LOVES the metal that he apes. but because he sincerely loves the shit out of it, the music he makes is sincere and it wouldnt be successful if it wasnt, it would be a schtick.
it also makes me wonder whether this album would have been as well received two years ago. five years ago. ten years ago. ten years from now. again does that matter, is that relevant to simply enjoying and listening music? largely no but sometimes it is.
the video of young man's cover of ariel pink's cover bright lit blue skies, which sparked all this.
the problem is that in an era that we are in right now, where the young ones are in a race to love and align themselves with ironic tastes, liking things that are cheesy and bad because the "irony" of such is so delicious, how for folks to accurately weigh an album like this, where the sound of the songs themselves come from a patch of music that is pretty blegh (to me) yet that "blegh" type of thing is what many folks gravitate themselves towards. and the problem is not so much why other people like it, but then it gets reflected back on to the musician--is ariel pink the competent musician that he is making this sound because he loves this music? or because he "loves" this music? should that even matter to me as the listener? unfortunately it does. it's like tenacious d. jack black fucking LOVES the metal that he apes. but because he sincerely loves the shit out of it, the music he makes is sincere and it wouldnt be successful if it wasnt, it would be a schtick.
it also makes me wonder whether this album would have been as well received two years ago. five years ago. ten years ago. ten years from now. again does that matter, is that relevant to simply enjoying and listening music? largely no but sometimes it is.
the video of young man's cover of ariel pink's cover bright lit blue skies, which sparked all this.
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