Bad opinions • Page 962

Jam band is the highest form of rock music

 

No thank you!

 

There’s a song called “Not Strong Enough” that I love. Could take or leave the rest. Their EP is good, though!

 

I liked the boygenius EP a lot and had I think most of the songs on a lot of playlists for a long time. Really bummed that the album left zero impression on me, especially with how much I love Julien Baker.

 

It’s a good album, but the Julien songs are far and away the best songs (plus Not Strong Enough)

 

It’s a really good album that people are pushing back against because it got overpraised, which happened because we are in a DIRE moment in music mainstream enough to form consensus on year-end lists.

 

i thought that was lana?

 

Backlash at overpraise is definitely part of it, but I mostly just don’t think the songs are there either. I don’t find their interplay as musicians, writers, or vocalists particularly interesting, or that it brings out anything special that’s not there on their solo albums. Versus something like The Highwomen (also weaker than its members’ individual solo efforts) that at least casts someone like Maren Morris in different light than we usually hear her. These three were already in such comparable lanes that them making music together kind of just feels like a watered down version of Punisher or Home Video.

 

Discourse can definitely affect one’s relationship to an album.

But, in my case, I genuinely wanted and expected to love it, and genuinely tried, but mostly could NOT get into it. There would be moments I’d go, “huh, this is cool,” but it mostly went by with no impact. Enough for me to reluctantly give up and accept that album just wasn’t for me. Alas!

 

The EP remains their best work together. “Me and My Dog” and “Ketchum, ID” - So good. The album is good when they’re getting out of their comfort zone, like “Satanist.” Less so when it’s like “Well this is a Lucy Dacus B-side.”

 

I just can't get into all the sad music everyone seems to love these days. Like, I know it's good, and I'm happy for people who dig it. The National, stuff like PB/Boygenius, Sufjan, Adrianne Lenker, like I know these are incredibly talented people and well-crafted songs, but I can't imagine ever being like "yes, turn on the funeral music, this is my jam"

 

Sad music is better than happy music

 

I can definitely get into the sad

I just prefer my sad real loud or (prepares to dodge fruit thrown by fans of the bands I just mentioned) more dynamic/interesting

 

funeral doom is as sad as it gets

exhibit A:

 

not really into bell witch but thats one of my favorite album covers ever

 

you can't make me listen to that

 

too scary

 

I’m also selfish and would have vastly preferred new solo stuff from Julien, Phoebe, and Lucy (primarily Julien) over more Boygenius

 

Me too because then I could listen to the Phoebe album and ignore the other two.

 

Unfortunately solo Julien fell off a cliff for me post-"Funeral Pyre". Debut is an unfuckwithable classic tho

 

To be clear, I'm not saying people can't find it a bit blah or bland. I don't agree that is is, but that's valid. To me it's the constant complaining about it that drives me bananas. And I don't think people would feel the need to constantly re-state their disdain for it if it wasn't getting praised to high heaven for a lack of other quality options.

 

This is BANANAS to me. Little Oblivions is tremendous.

 

I maintain the most harmful band in the history of music is the Dead, giving all these jam rock dopes the green light to form a cottage industry around the most unlistenable music ever. I'd rather listen to emo rap's bottom rung than jam bands.

 

come on Josh it's only one long 80 minute song with just bass drums and vocals, super accessible

 

that’s okay stick to blink 182