Bad opinions • Page 249

Bob Weir - Blue Mountain
Hiss Golden Messenger - Heart Like a Levee
John Prine - For Better or Worse
Robert Francis - Fire Engine Red
Shovels and Rope - Little Seeds
Steve Gunn - Eyes on the Lines
Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide to Earth


just off the top of my head

 

<<stay reppin pat

 

been meaning to check out almost all of these haha especially the first two


didnt drive by truckers put out a new album? or have one coming out?

 

Yeah, came out in September I think. I still haven't heard it. Oops

I thought you weren't a fan of his?

 

i don't like the newest one as much as his previous work and i don't think of him as like the "hero of modern country" as it seems to get written and stuff but he's pretty objectively good

 

Sturgill is great, fellow Kentucky boy there. Hes not the savior of modern country music because it doesn't need saving if you're paying the fuck attention to the right people.

Its fantastic, change of direction for them but a very good one. But what do I know I'm a stan for DBT. Excited to see them for the fourth time Wednesday!

 

I know this is a completely unfair generalization to make, but I often can't handle country at all for a myriad of reasons - beyond the vocal styles, the guitar tone, and the common subject matter, by and large the biggest reason is the culture it is deeply rooted in; which is to say, highly right-wing America with less than savory opinions on women and minorities. And again, I know that's absolutely unfair to single out country for seeing as, one, these issues are everywhere and country isn't the only genre which have big problems with this, and two, there are plenty of country artists which do not meet this criteria and what I'm making is a blanket statement. It's a personal flaw I'll completely admit to about whenever I hear country music being unable to not envision a highly right-wing, nationalist person behind it.

And once again, I say - I know this generalization is unfair. It's just something that's been eating at me for some time now.

 

I think if you find the right stuff you avoid these people. I'm a big fan of Jason Isbell, Bob Weir, Petty's country'ish stuff, John Prine, Gillian Welch, and so on and so on.

I know plenty of people that listen to "country" music that fit the definition you described and none of them have any idea what I'm talking about when I bring those artists up. At least in my experience, what I consider actual country music and what those types of people consider actual country music, are two different things.

So that might be a few artists that gives you a good place to start.

 

I'd recommend Drive By Truckers. Very anti-right. But it's understandable to have that feeling when you hear it. Whether it's fair or not is different but it's very understandable.

 

Just comes across to me as the same as saying something like "rap is nothing but drugs guns money sex etc." highly ignorant of the genres history and the culture surrounding it.

 

That's fair. Unfortunately I can't really agree that that's anything more than a false equivalency, because simply put, "rap is nothing but money drugs and guns" is racist as fuck, while "country has a lot of right-wing bigoted beliefs going on in it" doesn't have any racist connotations - unless of course country has a history of important PoC musicians I'm unaware of, in which case please please do fill me in. Otherwise, yeah. Like I said, I know it's an unfair judgment to make, but it's still just a knee-jerk association I have a boatload of trouble getting rid of.

That all being said, there is one country band whose work I enjoy - probably helps that they're Swedish and they write songs about vampires and the undead, haha.

 

There is absolutely a black and Creole country tradition. Leadbelly, Lemon Jefferson, etc. Most genres created in the early 20th century weren't racialized until the record companies got involved.

 

fun literature:

Instrumentational Complexity of Music Genres and Why Simplicity Sells

 

Thank you for the info!

 

to be fair, those two examples are about as blues as it gets, as opposed to country. that being said i entirely agree with the point ben, dustin and jake are making. and the genres started off similarly enough so nevermind ignore my post

 

basically: genres aren't simple, music that sells best is made formulaic and simple. so yeah fuck record companies

 

yeah poc have been instrumental in some of the history of country music but removing the racial aspect of it its still having this preconceived notion of a genre based on the stuff that gets the most exposure, giving you an incorrect picture of the genre as a whole and when that happens you become ignorant to what the genre really has to offer and where its really coming from. thats all i was trying to equate with that. its not all dirt roads and beer and 'merica and that stuff.

 

you don't even have to look outside of the mainstream, with darius rucker having four straight #1 album debuts on the billboard country charts

 

Tangentially related: Beyoncé's "Daddy Lessons" is a reminder of country music's black and West African roots

 

Good book about the racialization of music


Segregating Sound | Duke University Press

 

Sex on Fire is a great song

 

If you want to be emotionally wrecked, check out Lori McKenna's The Bird and the Rifle. She's pretty rapidly become one of my favorite songwriters this year.

 

Don't really get the hate for that album in general. Only By The Night is the only Kings of Leon album I listen to somewhat regularly

 

Lori McKenna is fantastic.
Maren Morris is more on the pop end, but done excellently with considerable wit and sharp production.
Drive-By Truckers are a bit more "alt" I guess but they put out their strongest in awhile and it grapples with some social justice themes.
Dawes I really don't know if you can call country but their new one is excellent as always.
The Honeycutters record isn't innovative or anything, but really strong

 

Feel like @sophos34 would dig that Dawes album if only for the production.