Don't get me wrong, I love Nirvana and I love Grunge. I just think Cobain could have had an amazing career as a folk singer. His sense of melody combined with the honesty and vulnerability that comes through in his haunting voice is a recipe for great Folk/Americana music.

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Posted by3 days ago

Bands living their mythology.

This is more speculative than anything but I watched the video again for Ghost's Secular Haze and thought...wouldn't it be fun if they actually did take themselves too seriously and were Satan worshippers in a forest? Ditto for Cannibal Corpse, imagine they were complete gun nut psychos in a cabin somewhere in the woods making all this extreme death metal, instead of nice, normal dudes (excepting the unfortunate Pat O'Brien incident). A long time ago I read that Killing Joke began to take all their apocalypse style lyrics seriously and ended up waiting out the apocalypse in Iceland. I'm thinking it would bring a bit of the mystery back into rock if bands weren't under the spotlight of social media, for example Black Sabbath actually practicing black magic and being on the verge of losing their sanity or Jimmy Page renting out the house Aleister Crowley lived in to perform an occult ritual. These are the kind of stories that circulated in hushed whispers and added a sense of danger and excitement to rock.

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Posted by5 days ago

Let's Talk About How The Weeknd Went From Vulgar/Edgy, Expletive-Laced RnB To Pop Music Safe For Grandmas And Shopping Malls

what a transformation. I hate to use the word "sellout", but it's hard to deny he sanded off the edges of his sound in order to reach a wider audience. I mean it was a trip when I first heard the Weeknd playing in a grocery store; it didn't seem right considering his earlier material because The Weeknd's early stuff was dark, man...and not the usual subject matter you'd find in RnB (and stuff that would definitely be considered problematic nowadays). From singing about getting girls so high they can't consent; to multiple songs about sexually humiliating groupies; to anti-friendzone anthems; to snorting cocaine at afterparties; to general "fuck the world" type of songs, you'd have to go back to Lucille Bogan to find a more heavenly voice singing about such vulgar things. Early Weeknd wasn't all edginess though, he had an artsy side too with songs like echoes of silence and the zone. I also loved his visual art design from this era. His photography from around this time is amazing, like the aftermath of a party gone wrong and the emptiness of decadence.

so how did the Weeknd go from this stuff to Starboy and Blinding Lights? is it simple case of selling out to reach a bigger audience? I mean I don't imagine he was getting much airplay with songs & videos like this (NSFW).

and more generally speaking, how do you feel about artists that drastically change their sound and/or content halfway through their careers?

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Posted by5 days ago

Are there music communities that are ideologically outside the music industry?

If anyone knows of such a community, I'm looking to listen to music by artists who are less, or even not at all, aligned with the ideology of the music industry.

Meaning, artists who do not value - or are not involved in the valuing of - profit as more important than the music itself, i.e. the artistic meaning, message, impact of the music etc... I'm looking for a community with artists like this for listening purposes and to find a space to share my own music. (I am interested in sharing my own music online, but not to partake in the music industry. I also want to be able to communicate with the other artists I listen to, not to have the usual 'fame gulf' that exists with most artists who are part of the industry).

Platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok and even Soundcloud feel very geared towards promoting music as the music industry itself does via online channels. I've come close to finding artists who make music I love and who break the mould a little - with Susanne Sundfor and AURORA and Heilung - but they are still very much entwined into the system of the music industry; perhaps just by being signed with labels...I understand artists in the system don't have much choice in this, so I empathise with them.

But I don't want to be a part of it. At least not for sharing my own stuff. I want my music to have a chance to be heard even if it (and I myself) do not tick all the boxes that people in the industry have to tick to even be considered. I also want to discover music that's not wasting energy heeding to these boxes either, within a community that offers the space to be experimental and expressive.

I know this question might be kind of hard to answer. But I would appreciate any suggestions. So if anyone knows of music communities that exist (preferably online as well as non-virtually) outside of the music industry, I'd love to know! Could be a community consisting of singers, songwriters, composers and/or listeners alike. Thanks! :)

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Posted by6 days ago

Let's talk Khruangbin influences...

They're a band that perfectly wear their influences while also injecting themselves into the mix. Lets dive into the world of music that comes together to shape their sound (each link leads to a playlist showcasing the genre):

Southeast Asian Psych:

Let's start with the region that also lends itself to the band's name. The sound here is '60s & '70s western pop and psych electrifying the Thai country music, Luk Thung and Molam, the native folk music of Laos. Funk rhythms are cornerstone to the sound.

-Khruangbin track that demonstrating the sound: People Everywhere (Still Alive)

Peruvian Cumbia (Chicha):

Developed in Peru in the '60s it sees traditional cumbia blended with surf and psychedelic rock, making for a rock and roll update to the folk melodies of the Andes. Enrique Delgado Montes is regarded as the genre’s godfather, his band Los Destellos is an essential listen.

-Khruangbin track that demonstrating the sound: Pelota

Anatolian Rock (Turkish Psych): Once again '60s western surf rock infiltrated the local airways and was incorporated into the local folk music this time in and around Istanbul. The sound is hallmarked by the incorporation of microtonal traditional eastern instruments (bağlama, dümbelek, davul).

Khruangbin track that demonstrating the sound: Maria También

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