Members New Trail Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Maybe not so much indie bands, but modern bands, in particular The Black Keys. I played the band a Black Keys song as a possible song for us to cover, and one of my bandmates and I had a bit of an argument about them, the song in particular, and newer bands in general. He thought the song sounded bad, amateurish, and in general he thinks they are purposely "trying to sound bad" (his term). I tried to tell him about the low-fi idea but he doesn't get it. Does anyone else think new bands try to sound bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members joshmac Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 THE best concert I have ever been to, hands down, was a black keys show. There are a lot of examples of {censored}ty sounding "indie" bands but imo, I think black keys are not one of them. If by sounding "bad", you mean a "vintage" sound, then yes that is what the black keys do. They have a very raw sound, but I definitely would not call it bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members troyguitar Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 More accurately: what they think sounds great happens to sound bad to us. In other words, yes they are trying to sound like that. Just like rap, black metal, any other genre you don't like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted March 4, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 4, 2011 I still don't undertand using "indie" to try to identify a genre. It's just weird. Anyhow, the Black Keys don't sound to me like they're "trying to sound bad" at all. Some of their stuff sounds kinda raw I guess. I really don't think people actually try to sound bad, at least not in any significant numer to matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members troyguitar Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I still don't undertand using "indie" to try to identify a genre. It's just weird. Yeah I feel the same way about Alternative - alternative to what? Isn't every genre an alternative to all of the others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mel Cooley Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 More accurately: what they think sounds great happens to sound bad to us. In other words, yes they are trying to sound like that. Just like rap, black metal, any other genre you don't like +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted March 4, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 4, 2011 Yeah I feel the same way about Alternative - alternative to what? Isn't every genre an alternative to all of the others? At least "alternative" refers to the music and not a business model. At for a while, at least in the 90's, it did sort mean something- rock music that deviated in a significant way from the 70s/80s rock and roll model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted March 4, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 4, 2011 Just like rap, black metal, any other genre you don't like People not liking entire genres of music seems rather sad to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dan88z Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Yeah I feel the same way about Alternative - alternative to what? Isn't every genre an alternative to all of the others? Why, alternative to good music of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members troyguitar Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I don't have a problem with people not liking entire genres, it's more the lack of respect that bugs me. For example, I don't like any black metal I've ever heard and probably wouldn't like any even if I'd heard all of it but I don't go around saying that it sucks or that the people who play it suck. There are guys playing that stuff who are way better than I will ever be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted March 4, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 4, 2011 I don't have a problem with people not liking entire genres, it's more the lack of respect that bugs me. For example, I don't like any black metal I've ever heard and probably wouldn't like any even if I'd heard all of it but I don't go around saying that it sucks or that the people who play it suck. There are guys playing that stuff who are way better than I will ever be. When I said "entire genres", I was speaking broadly and not about something like a metal sub-genre. I do think it's silly and awfully self-limiting to make sweeping statements about what kind of music you can enjoy. I'm looking at you, "everything but country and rap" guy. :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members troyguitar Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Eh, I would say the same thing about rap. The stuff just doesn't do anything for me at all. There are some talented people creating it, but I wouldn't go to a free show of the best rapper in the world. Unless of course you count Falco as rap. Rock Me Amadeus is the {censored} I don't find it sad or consider myself closed-minded for listening to stuff and deciding that it's not for me. Perhaps if I refused to even listen to any of it, you might have a point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pickinatit Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I don't have a problem with people not liking entire genres, it's more the lack of respect that bugs me. For example, I don't like any black metal I've ever heard and probably wouldn't like any even if I'd heard all of it but I don't go around saying that it sucks or that the people who play it suck. There are guys playing that stuff who are way better than I will ever be. THIS. I don't care for 99.9% of the rap that I've heard but I can and do appreciate the talent for lyrics some of the artists have. It's also something that I could never pull off (rapping that is; even someone else's lyrics). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knives490 Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 THE best concert I have ever been to, hands down, was a black keys show. There are a lot of examples of {censored}ty sounding "indie" bands but imo, I think black keys are not one of them. If by sounding "bad", you mean a "vintage" sound, then yes that is what the black keys do. They have a very raw sound, but I definitely would not call it bad. This. They're very raw, and newer stuff is way more polished than their older material. I guess some people don't like it, but for those who dig a real raw and fuzzy sound then they probably dig The Black Keys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rangefinder Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Well, of course death metal screamers, for example, are trying to sound "bad" by any reasonable traditional musical standard. As were various punk rockers back in the day. But it's not that interesting a topic, really. "Indie" means "not mainstream" which could mean "good", "bad", or "suck". The last is the worst imo. Hate me all you want, but if I suck in the sense that I'm not getting my intended sound across, I'm not trying hard enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members New Trail Posted March 4, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I still don't undertand using "indie" to try to identify a genre. It's just weird.... I just used the term "indie" as a catch-all for this thread. Indie doesn't really mean anything, except we all know what we mean when we say indie. However, the indie part isn't the important part of the thread as I meant it. A term for a genre is just a term so that we all know what we're talking about. For example, some people call The Black Keys 'blues' and I don't see that at all. The Fabulous Thunderbirds are a blues band, The Black Keys not so much, at least to me, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted March 4, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 4, 2011 Is Picasso trying to paint like {censored}? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SunRaFan Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Maybe not so much indie bands, but modern bands, in particular The Black Keys. I played the band a Black Keys song as a possible song for us to cover, and one of my bandmates and I had a bit of an argument about them, the song in particular, and newer bands in general. He thought the song sounded bad, amateurish, and in general he thinks they are purposely "trying to sound bad" (his term). I tried to tell him about the low-fi idea but he doesn't get it. Does anyone else think new bands try to sound bad? What types of bands does he think sound good? I personally dislike almost all music with "slick" production. Hair metal for me is the worst because it combined slick production with the advent of digital effects that people didn't completely understand how to use well. Some of the snare drums sounds in particular on those songs are really cringe worthy. "Indie" bands at least tend to avoid fancy production, so I can judge it based on whether or not I enjoy the song/performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members New Trail Posted March 4, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 What types of bands does he think sound good?.... Probably more polished acts like Steely Dan, The Eagles, modern country, stuff where every note, tone, accent is perfect in every way. I mean I guess I can kinda see why someone who likes that kind of perfect sound might think The Black Keys sound sloppy or bad. "I" don't think that way, but I guess I can see how some would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tribute2Johnny Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 The Black Keys for years recorded with old analogue recording equipment and techniques. Very DIY up to a point. I personally love the rawness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MusicalSchizo Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 I think the answer is yes in some cases. I think they live in bizarro music world, where {censored}ty is good. I remember being in college and doing radio during the indie rock explosion of the 90s and we had tons of these bands that all sounded like the retarded children of Nirvana, Pavement, and Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins. It was more about the clothing than the skill, which is something it had in common with both punk and hair metal at their worst. My brother-in-law always had crappy bands like this and he ADORED that music. He's also always cooler than school. I mean, I get dissonance, bad tone, and howling, discordant singing. I just like it as a seasoning, not an entree... Brian V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MusicalSchizo Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 Forgot to mention - I love the Black Keys...they're like the White Stripes with soul - much better singing, drumming, and sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 The Black Keys for years recorded with old analogue recording equipment and techniques. Very DIY up to a point. I personally love the rawness. Me too. They remind me of early 70s southern country rock. Love 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members New Trail Posted March 5, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 The Black Keys for years recorded with old analogue recording equipment and techniques. Very DIY up to a point. I personally love the rawness. Yeah, me too. The rawness kinda reminds me of old Howling Wolf or Muddy Waters records. Maybe that's where the thinking that The Black Keys were a blues band came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Audiophoric Posted March 8, 2011 Members Share Posted March 8, 2011 I think a lot of bands (like the Black Keys 10 years ago) are just trying to get their music recorded in whatever way they can. If that means doing lo-fi recordings in your basement then that's what you do to get your record out and get buzz going. I think a lot of that comes with the DIY work ethic and attitude that's coming out of the punk scenes. There are bands out there that can afford to make good quality recordings but instead choose to record lo-fi and that's either them wanting to sound like their roots or because they don't want to spend much money to get into a studio with a good engineer. But let's be honest, I'm sure a lot of bands make {censored}ty recordings because they're worried their fan base will think they're selling out by getting their stuff produced too good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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