tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388608882830641221.post4426633239407008146..comments2023-10-10T08:20:09.885-07:00Comments on How Much Longer Must We Tolerate Mass Culture?: Spoke a bit too soonMatt "Max" Vanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15126126569405496001noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388608882830641221.post-51352295935024813092010-07-01T20:38:27.371-07:002010-07-01T20:38:27.371-07:00Hey, fair enough- one of my points about this blog...Hey, fair enough- one of my points about this blog is that the new model for entertainment- call it the long tail, or the infinite tent is that there is enough variety that no one needs to agree. As for the Studebaker's Blacksmith shop, I've found another ep by them on Jamendo that corrects some of the vocal stiltedness, but is in dire need of musical editing- we're talking riffs that spiral off for a good 12 bars without purpose. Say what you want about punk rock, it teaches some decent economics for songwriters. Still, for the stoner rock crowd who are clearly the band's audience, it's not the worst they could be listening to. I have some sympathies with the Stoner-rock crowd; I listened to a lot of Hawkwind, Can, Neu and Faust for awhile there back in the late 1980's, but like any genre, it's prone to some excesses that I'm not so fond of. A song like QOTSA's "Go with the Flow" makes for an excellent pop-rock song- while you couldn't pay me to listen to a Fu Manchu record (way too flacid, and unkempt). Still, I think that if Studebaker could get the vocalist to loosen up, and belt a few lines, while getting the rhythm section to tighten up, they could be a good stoner rock band. Deterior, meanwhile, I don't think will ever make a good sludge band, but, if the dude gets a good collaborator, I think I hear a decent trad-metal band in the making. I agree that as is, the guy needs an editor, and how. I'm unafraid of bad production. I like early misfits records, despite the production being so bad that you can't even hear the instruments. But, I want folks to maximize what they have. Yeah, the Battle Flags stuff is decent electro exotica pop, but watch the mix- play 'em on the wrong set of speakers, and you could punch out some of your hearing around the 18000 HZ mark...Matt "Max" Vanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15126126569405496001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388608882830641221.post-47072503522326188112010-06-29T07:01:13.792-07:002010-06-29T07:01:13.792-07:00Oh yeah, Tom Tom Club -- definitely.Oh yeah, Tom Tom Club -- definitely.Russell Emerson Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08355796436433802646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388608882830641221.post-89488665584897455142010-06-29T06:58:09.908-07:002010-06-29T06:58:09.908-07:00Unfortunately, I agree more with your drawbacks th...Unfortunately, I agree more with your drawbacks than your goods. Especially for the first two. The vocals on Studebaker are absolutely horrendous, making the entire thing unlistenable. The production on Deterior is not very good and undermines the whole thing. And like you said, the vocals are not good. I'm kinda diggin' on the Battle Flags, especially when the dubby basslines kick in. Keep 'em coming Max.Russell Emerson Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08355796436433802646noreply@blogger.com