IDM Mailing Archive

quoted 5 lines Oval - Systemisch

>Oval - Systemisch >Systemisch is just killing me. I've listened to it so much lately, and >every time it keeps rewarding me. It was superb listening on a train ride >from Detroit to Montreal, it's great going-to-bed music, and equally good >for at-work music.

I hope you have 94diskont, because I think it's even better. (and make sure you buy the 2LP! made the mistake of buying the cd only to realize there is another whole lp of music on the 2lp set. ack) on another topic, as far as postrock goes, I hate the term, I hate Tortoise, enjoy exactly one Dylan Group song, and only like a few Ui tracks. but godspeed you black emperor! is very good as someone mentioned, just not at all like the above... orchestral, sad, very pretentious but somehow pulled off well enough to sound really nice. and of course there's labradford whom someone else mentioned... "A Stable Reference" is essential listening. Or you could just skip all those bands and go straight to the bands they (occasionally blatantly) ripped off... oops I mean "were inspired by"... Neu!, Can, This heat, Faust, Wire (and especially the Wire side band Dome), My Bloody Valentine, Pere Ubu, Cabaret Voltaire, etc etc who are all infinitely better than anything that's ever been called "post-rock." --- the humble abbott arthur purvis set his hand hereto

quoted 3 lines on another topic, as far as postrock goes, I hate the term, I hate

> on another topic, as far as postrock goes, I hate the term, I hate > Tortoise, enjoy exactly one Dylan Group song, and only like a few Ui > tracks.

Is it just me, or is post-rock just another idiotic Reynolds misnomer? Call me crazy and ill-raised, but my parents taught me just one simple rule: If you're post-anything, you have to be reacting to that particular anything. And post-rock seems to be going as far as it can to avoid even referencing rock. Lite jazz, concrete, classical,tropicalia, sure. But rock? Except for a few bands, a few instruments, and a few moments, no post rock acts seem to have the slightest interest in any of rock's concision, its energy, its sheer rockingness. And that's why I don't like much of it. In my little world, "rocking" is a musical value (as are "funky," "noisey," "swinging," and plenty of other words which encapsulate the contributions and vibes of entire genres). Any "rock" which doesn't, isn't, and shouldn't be. Now the Boredoms on the other hand. They're real post-rock. They take rock idioms and turn them on their ear. Power chords without hair metal, 70s rock without the Krautwank vibe. It rocks, but in an entirely refreshing way. Why didn't Simon Reynolds use the term to describe their music? Then the world would make a lot more sense. Any other bands who do all the crazy post-rock things which the Boredoms do? Or other things which are as interesting? Fuck singing wallpaper Sam

quoted 5 lines "Going as far as [you] can to avoid even referencing" something is a very

> "Going as far as [you] can to avoid even referencing" something is a very > strong reaction to that something. There is no anti-establishment without > an establishment, and you can only feel as positively about a post- or anti- > or un- as you feel non-positively about whatever follows the hyphen (but > precedes your thinking).

Unless you're revolting against the Devil himself, negation is almost never a satisfactory answer. It isn't constructive, and it doesn't solve any problems, just reverses them. If you deny that an artform had any merits, why bother dubbing yourself its successor? And if you think that it did have merits, why not take those and throw the rest aside? So anyway, call post-rock anti-rock and I'll be happy. Then I'll feel more comfortable with my decision to avoid most of it. I mean, I appreciate post-rock's efforts to increase the number of sounds and textures in its music, but the aimlessness of much of it throws me near every time. God bless Thrilljockey, I respect them to death, but give me Takemura and Oval and thank you, that's all for me. And the first Gaunt album. And maybe Freakwater. Perhaps Tortoise and Trans Am on a good day. But there's more to life than noodling away. Nice sounds are one thing. Fully formed ideas are something else entirely. Sam

Arthur Purvis <abpurvis@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> writes:

quoted 2 lines but godspeed you black emperor! is very good as someone mentioned,

> but godspeed you black emperor! is very good as someone mentioned, > just not at all like the above... orchestral, sad, very pretentious

Just to disagree again, I don't think there's anything pretentious about Godspeed at all. Why? Just because they have strings and write 20 minute tracks? Nah. Excellent music, both the album and the EP are a must listen. In the electronic/post-rock vein, I would recommend Matmos' The West EP; one of the best releases of the past year. Their other releases are fantastic too, two albums on Vague Terrain just rereleased by someone (?) Peter. -- Peter Hollo raven@fourplay.com.au http://www.fourplay.com.au/me.html FourPlay - Eclectic Electric String Quartet http://www.fourplay.com.au Raven: experimental electronic http://www.fourplay.com.au/sound.html "Of course, dance music can be a music where you lie on your back and your brain cells dance" -Michael Karoli of Can, quoted in Wire mag.

this is a post-post in reaction to the previous post. . . Twine http://home.earthlink.net/~twinesound

quoted 24 lines -----Original Message-----

> -----Original Message----- > From: Ernesto Ikerd [SMTP:IkerdEA@lmtas.lmco.com] > Sent: Friday, August 06, 1999 8:20 AM > To: Inca Door Mats > Subject: Re: (idm) oval and post-rock > > >but my parents taught me just one simple > >rule: If you're post-anything, you have to be reacting to that particular > >anything. > > That was the one thing your folks taught you? damn! > > All my parents ever did was whine about " Fill the car back up with gas > after you use it " and " You'd better leave that BIG piece of chicken for > your father!!!! " > > :) > ernie > > Ernesto Ikerd, (817) 763-4795 > Company Graphics, Dept 17, MZ-1156 > Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems > Fort Worth, Texas >

quoted 3 lines but my parents taught me just one simple

>but my parents taught me just one simple >rule: If you're post-anything, you have to be reacting to that particular >anything.

That was the one thing your folks taught you? damn! All my parents ever did was whine about " Fill the car back up with gas after you use it " and " You'd better leave that BIG piece of chicken for your father!!!! " :) ernie Ernesto Ikerd, (817) 763-4795 Company Graphics, Dept 17, MZ-1156 Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems Fort Worth, Texas

quoted 5 lines but my parents taught me just one simple

> >but my parents taught me just one simple > >rule: If you're post-anything, you have to be reacting to that particular > >anything. > > That was the one thing your folks taught you? damn!

Actually, my father tried to teach not to crush that dawrf, but to hand him the pliers. Unfortunately, it didn't take. Maybe if he had spent less time with Firesign Theater and more time on simple pedegogy I'd be a better person. But hell, I'm just a bozo on this wheeled conveyance. What can you do? Sam