Rate That Song

[Shalot]

I like that - especially the implication of the lyric when sung by a guy. In that vein, I've always thought it'd be really effective for a gay singer to cover this...

10/10 - love the comments, especially:
"I won $50 off a couple black guys who didn't believe Dusty was white."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK1bi4emEkk

[faithosaurus]

I will say 7/10 since my epilepsy was not happy with the flashy parts, haha. But good song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlyXNRrsk4A&feature=lhpa

[MystyrMystyry]

That was funny enough 8/10. (I liked the sax solo over the eighties rhythm bit too)


This is a bit of weirdness from long ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7l8rlnMpCI

[MarkBastable]

This is a bit of weirdness from long ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7l8rlnMpCI

I had that song on a punk compilation I bought in about 1979. I didn't think Skyhooks sounded very punk. And it turns out they don't look very punk either. 6/10, for nostalgia's sake.

Then again, the criteria for inclusion on that album were pretty generous. The Talking Heads were on it.

But so was this - which is about as punk as America ever got.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

The less punk America is the better. That song was a bit annoying. 4/10.

One of the very few indie bands I like. I think I may have posted this before, but oh well.

[MarkBastable]

The less punk America is the better. That song was a bit annoying. 4/10.

One of the very few indie bands I like. I think I may have posted this before, but oh well.

So this is an apposite illustration of my incapability when it comes to understanding your dislike of indie bands. Because I've always thought that you're operating on the basis of a category error.

If you think 'indie' is a style, then not liking it makes sense, as long as you can reference an identfiable commonality of style that characterises indie bands. But you've cited both Arctic Monkeys and Fleet Foxes as 'indie' and I can't see that they have anything at all stylistic in common, although you don't like the former and you do like, exceptionally, the latter.

If 'indie' is circumstantial - because indie bands are those that have signed to labels unaffiliated to the majors - then it's difficult to see what they might have musically in common that you'd be able not only to dislike, but to predict that you'd dislike.

And if indie is an attitude - which would mean that you dislike what they intend to do - then anyone who you liked would by definition not be indie by dint of you liking what they did. Unless, I suppose, you felt that they failed to do it, and you liked the failure.


So I don't understand, at a logical level, why you are so against indie. What characterises indie? And what is it about that you don't like? And, given that Fleet Foxes are whatever indies is, what is it that makes them so? And given that they are indie, what is it you like that differentitates them from whatever it is that they share with the indie bands that you universally dont 't like?

Me, I thought they were alrightifyoulikethatsortofthing. 5/10

Got indie, if yer want it.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I didn't create the genre of "indie," so it isn't like I am just making it up when I call both Arctic Monkeys ajd Fleet Foxes indie. Someone did before me. I don't seem to like most of what is labeled indie, and some I do. Maybe this is the case because there is such a disparity in the sounds of indie bands. And I base my opinions on how the music sounds alone, but if a band I dislike turns out to be pompous, it doesn't help. I don't dislike any band solely because of their attitude; I like plenty of extremely pompous bands.

As to why I like some indie bands and dislike others--how is this confusing? Since when does one have to like or dislike all in a genre, whether the genre label be arbitrary or not? I don't completely discount whole genres based on preconcieved notins like some people do with, oh, let's say something like heavy metal.

[OrphanPip]

I like that - especially the implication of the lyric when sung by a guy. In that vein, I've always thought it'd be really effective for a gay singer to cover this...

I'm pretty sure that has been covered by several gay singers in every drag bar in the Western hemisphere .

Ian Dury doesn't do much for me, but I don't hate it, 6/10. I actually like Richard Hell though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gYW6V4UrIo

I couldn't think of anything good.

[MarkBastable]

I didn't create the genre of "indie," so it isn't like I am just making it up when I call both Arctic Monkeys ajd Fleet Foxes indie. Someone did before me.

Fair enough. I wasn't suggesting, though, that you should like or dislike all indie. I was wondering what you felt was the categorical quality that identifies indie.

Me, I can't see what characterises the genre. I mean, what characterises the heavy metal genre is inherent to the music. What characterises country is inherent to the music. What characterises folk is inherent to the music. So it sort of makes sense to say that generally one doesn't like heavy metal or country - even if the edges of the category are a bit blurred.

But there seems to be no common musical characteristic of the stuff that's called indie. Wikipedia suggests that the term covers "punk, psychedelia, rock and country" and reckons that it has to do with "an ethos more than a musical approach". So it's not a musical genre really. It's an attitudinal position. Though I'm buggered if I can see what attitudinal position is shared by Fleet Foxes, Arctic Monkeys, Jesus and Mary Chain, the Fratellis and the Cranberries.

[Babyguile]

I'm pretty sure that has been covered by several gay singers in every drag bar in the Western hemisphere .

Ian Dury doesn't do much for me, but I don't hate it, 6/10. I actually like Richard Hell though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gYW6V4UrIo

I couldn't think of anything good.

Electronic dance music. I have never like it I'm so sorry but never in my life have I gone through a period of thinking it was anything less than horrific. Though did I listen to the end of the song because I liked the lyrics.



Okay so I came up with this after searching my extensive list of Youtube favourited videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgfcSfEz1wQ

[MarkBastable]

Electronic dance music. I have never like it I'm so sorry but never in my life have I gone through a period of thinking it was anything less than horrific. Though did I listen to the end of the song because I liked the lyrics.



Okay so I came up with this after searching my extensive list of Youtube favourited videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgfcSfEz1wQ

That's got to be worth 7/10 just for the frock.

As it was on that page, here's this. Sometime in the 90's, the staff of the NME - the UK's indie bible - voted this the best pop song ever made.

[Babyguile]

That's got to be worth 7/10 just for the frock.

As it was on that page, here's this. Sometime in the 90's, the staff of the NME - the UK's indie bible - voted this the best pop song ever made.

Of course a great song. But I knew I'd like it if it was in the related videos part

Yes I know NME, but let's not mention Kerrang.

More frocks and this performance is one of my absolute favourites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENO7xyOcs0w

[MystyrMystyry]

That was sort of something 5/10 armadillo's nuts

So's this (sort of something)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HtXplzzVWI

[Babyguile]

Excuse me?! What do you mean armadillo's nuts?

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Fair enough. I wasn't suggesting, though, that you should like or dislike all indie. I was wondering what you felt was the categorical quality that identifies indie.

Me, I can't see what characterises the genre. I mean, what characterises the heavy metal genre is inherent to the music. What characterises country is inherent to the music. What characterises folk is inherent to the music. So it sort of makes sense to say that generally one doesn't like heavy metal or country - even if the edges of the category are a bit blurred.

But there seems to be no common musical characteristic of the stuff that's called indie. Wikipedia suggests that the term covers "punk, psychedelia, rock and country" and reckons that it has to do with "an ethos more than a musical approach". So it's not a musical genre really. It's an attitudinal position. Though I'm buggered if I can see what attitudinal position is shared by Fleet Foxes, Arctic Monkeys, Jesus and Mary Chain, the Fratellis and the Cranberries.

I agree. It is way too broad of a genre definition. I guess when it comes down to it, bands that are indie are just bands that aren't supposed to be commercial, that it's all about the art, which to me is dumb since this should be the case with all music--you shouldn't need a label to denote artistic integrity, but that's the way it is. Plus, if we're going by this, I'd say heavy metal bands are way more "indie" than indie bands, as your chances of getting at all big are much lower. And you never hear death metal songs in commercials, unlike indie music that infests the, which is just so ironic one would think I'm making that up.

Still, most indie does seem to share some characteristics. Almost all indie takes a pretty minimalist approach to structure and musicianship (this is probably the most commonly shared characteristic); there's usually, um, let's call it unique vocals; there's usually "deep" lyrics; and, it seems a lot of indie goes for a old kind of sound. These characteristics are what I don't like about it. Fleet Foxes has all of these characteristics, but I still like their sound, and concede that they're a band I shouldn't like. Musical subjectivity just doesn't make sense.

As to MM's song: It sounded neat, but was boring, and I would go nuts listening to a whole album of it. 3/10.

Another band I probably shouldn't like.