2018
The year of fantastic music and the awful use of the word "supergroup". What's wrong with collaboration? It is a far more humble word. In the is age where we supersize everything. Can't we take it down a notch. I start my end of '18 musing with my thoughts on best ofs. Can't we just talk about music/artists we like, admire? I stand on a faultline I know I can only change how I think. It is what it is, a saying I really don't like. But the more I attempt to understand the mechanisms of the "industry" I think the better I keep to what I think and keep it small over here. Still this is my blog and I can say my thoughts.
I wasn't going to write this but it is gnawing at me. First off I have never seen so many best of lists in my life seriously. Everyone has a best fucking list. Hell I had a "best of" which I don't think I will do anymore. I am just mentioning songs that move me, songs I like, songs that il ontinue on in the future. My favorites of last year "On the level" and "Radio kids" don't even get play anymore. Personally I think there are too many bands out there. Mediocre bands among the really talented. That said. That said I am not a fan of Kacey Musgraves. She is lovely but the song "High Horse" feels like a children's song . Then a lyric like "the bar doesn't close for an hour/lets take a walk and look at all the flowers". come on. And Mitzki please "I am soooo lonely I look out the window" whatever I can't even bother looking up the lyrics. A friend of mine went to non ocom and they touted Mitzi. That's record people telling you what to listen to what stations SHOULD play. Also Amanda Shires. Ok. They are not my cup of tea so that's all to say. Industry plants. I will get to that later.
Back to supergroups. A "group" of sad lonely girl barely into their 20s plucking at a guitar getting super close to the mike and never smiling is not a god damn fucking super group. My definition of super fucking group is a bit well mine Musicians who have put in the time who have made a name solo for themselves. Lyrical geniuses. Guitar shredders. Allow me to give a few examples. Traveling Wilburys Harrison, Lynne, Petty Orbison CHECK Monsters of Folk James, Oberst, Ward..... CHECK Case, Lange, Viers CHECK The ever evolving Gorillaz CHECK, even Fistful of Mercy
Jo Athur, Dhani Harrison, and Ben Harper, and Glorietta MLV, Gunderson CHECK. Here is another "trio or band or collaboration" Bermuda Triangle consisting of Brittany Howard, Becca Mancari and Jessi Lafser. The only one I ever heard of was Brittany who is a powerhouse. Here is a bit of a write up.
"Howard has gained fame as the front woman for the Alabama Shakes, one of the most successful rock bands this decade has produced. Mancari and Lafser are both beloved musicians working in East Nashville's endlessly fruitful community of young, roots-cognizant musicians."
There's also the reconnect ion of Mountain Man. It's a side project of Amanda Meath (of Silvan Esso) and her Bennigton college pals, Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig and. Amanda is a delight to watch perform. Her feminine energy and cherubic cheeks make you want to pinch them. In Mountain Man, she and her friends provide the listener with unadorned, seemingly simplistic tunes that feature all three on lead vocal on different tunes.
"Howard has gained fame as the front woman for the Alabama Shakes, one of the most successful rock bands this decade has produced. Mancari and Lafser are both beloved musicians working in East Nashville's endlessly fruitful community of young, roots-cognizant musicians."
There's also the reconnect ion of Mountain Man. It's a side project of Amanda Meath (of Silvan Esso) and her Bennigton college pals, Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig and. Amanda is a delight to watch perform. Her feminine energy and cherubic cheeks make you want to pinch them. In Mountain Man, she and her friends provide the listener with unadorned, seemingly simplistic tunes that feature all three on lead vocal on different tunes.
The young girls in this collaboration (isn't that a better word) never ever smile. I saw one picture of the one with the platinum blonde hair in lacy barely there leggings and holding a canister of coffee. Mmm. Sexy sells right. She is the same one gabs glibly all the fucking time about how she fucked the wrong person and basically he was her stepping stone, This tousled hair dude likened her to Bob Dylan. The same Bob Dylan who was named a Pulitzer Prize winner. I damn near puked. Another is a proclaimed lesbian (which I have seen this year as a prerequisite for getting Spotify hits) that's nice. The one who doesn't have string hair and a no makeup look said she is getting some gray hairs (at 23) and "that's cool" I am over here rolling my eyes.
I researched these girls between then they have about 8 if that professional years of experience and I never heard of 2 of them until this year. The other one I turn off all the time bease her songs are just so damn depressing. My friend and I are convinced they come from money. I mean they are barely into their 20s and they haven't really done much of anything that deserves life experience kudos. The other girl's music got accolades and I cant even get through one of her songs. It's trite and conventional. Even one of the guys on Sound Opinions said her efforts were mediocre. I concur. I think I heard one of the better guitar players in the "group" and I turned it off because it was so damn sad.
Yea I am talking about Boy Genius. In this era of trying to boost up women these girls name their band Boy Genius. And their "break out" song is about a dog. Hell I love dogs but really. They go on about wanting to feel 'that feminine energy" Ok girls.
I read somewhere a music "critic" (I hate that term by the way ) said PB was an "industry plant". Oddly in the back of my head I thought Dacus was the plant. Reading a few interviews about PB, she clearly thinks she is "the shit". Tossing out statements like e "I really like when someone says they need to go take a shit" Oh ok. That's classy. (insert eye roll) I will acknowledge that they are fine writers it's just that it is so sad. I think of the ladies of the 80s and how the songs were more fun. I hate to go cliche but Cyndy Lauper. And Sade was singing heartbreaking songs with flourish and affirmations. "Hang onto your love" And there was Pat Benetar "We belong to the sun....weeeeee we belong together". Hell what do I know. I like the angry songs of the 90s. Like Liz Phair pretty much calling every guy she ever dated out with stinging guitar riffs and lyrics that were designed to slice through even the toughest of male facades.
All I am thinking is these girls need to fuck a few more people, go to an inner city, mess up get dirty crash a car, go to rehab, lose a job then tell us about it in a song. What the hell have you done to deserve such loneliness.
Industry plants yep. Please not now anyway don't bandy around the term supergroup for young people who still live their parents. Petty and Orbison are up there shaking their heads I am sure.
Dear God Monsters of Folk
Fistful of Mercy
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