Bad opinions • Page 811

MGK and Knuckle Puck also aren’t in the same universe. I’d be willing to bet that the majority of people that are into this MGK album have no idea who Knuckle Puck is. As it was pointed out, MGK is big.

 

Damn. Cuts to the core

 

I liked that MGK had Lil Jon on his first album, which came out in the in-between period in which the mainstream thought Lil Jon was a meme and a joke. I thought that showed true appreciation.

 

doesn’t surprise me, he simplified the chords/progression greatly (one of the most compelling things about the original imo), removing basically all dissonance and tension in the song. it’s relatively banal by comparison if I’m gonna deliver the most scorching take I can manage rn haha. I feel like a lot of the impact of Cash’s version is really due to context and circumstance. to be perfectly blunt, Trent is a much more sophisticated songwriter and more talented instrumentalist and I believe he has an almost unbelievable grasp on the “full picture” of the art he puts out, from the production down to the art direction of each release. it’s certainly never gonna be for everyone, no art is no matter how great or visionary it may be. I wouldn’t say anyone’s preference is superior or inferior one way or the other but it definitely bums me out and wrinkles my brain that some people (you’re far from the only one I have had this convo with) find NIN’s Hurt is just flat out bad.

 

I don't have strong opinions on the matter, but at least 50% of why the Cash version is so powerful is for reasons aide from the actual song itself.

 

And somehow I’m the crazy one

 

right that’s kinda what I was trying to get across in so many words. I think it’s a great cover, despite all I said above, it does indeed emotionally effect me, but so does the original and on a far more foundational level than the cover does.

and me saying Trent is a more sophisticated songwriter than Cash isn’t meant to be an insult, it’s just kinda the reality. sophisticated doesn’t inherently mean better, there are a lot of factors at play there. but Trent is a classically trained musician and Cash knew like 5 chords, it’s not even really a fair fight.

 

this video? good. spends more time on the original (because there’s just more to dissect there) but gives both versions their due credit

 

The industrial noise or whatever you want to call it just sounds bad to me and it makes whatever else is there not worth the hassle to me, that’s all my distaste is based on

 

I don’t think this is a path you want to take

 

Hurt (Quiet) eliminates most of the crazy production flourishes, that I suppose I can understand not being much of a fan of even if I am. there are also piano based live performances Trent has done that kinda reduce the song to its bare essentials.

I feel like this is pretty undeniable tbh

 

Three chords and the truth >>>

 

before my position gets further misconstrued, let me reiterate:

easy to nitpick the last sentence of a whole two paragraph post but then that’s incredibly reductive. the fact of the matter is I said Trent is a more sophisticated songwriter because he is, I did not say he is a better songwriter bc that’s not worth arguing. there’s value to simplicity and there’s value to complexity. and three chords and the truth is a great approach but so is developing those three chords and adding color to them and messing with inversions and voicings and shit.

 

I did not mean to misconstrue what you said. I really took it differently from what you are saying now. I still think the way you put it in the part I quoted appears to say something different from what you are saying here.

 

By the way, although I called it corny, I'm not saying that there isn't an, uh, intellectual argument to be made why their sub genre is good precisely because of those noises (I am aware I lack eloquence when talking about any kind of rock music). I have also heard compelling arguments for extreme metal genres or hardcore (not the rock one). Still can't listen to it. It literally makes my head and ears hurt. Hence unlistenable.

 

all is well, my general personal preference towards more complex arrangements and chord voicings/progressions is just that: a preference. every painting doesn’t need to be the mona lisa tho, and some of my favorite music of all time has definitely got a “three chords and the truth” spirit to it. but I can’t help but feel like, to a large extent, as I get older I usually gravitate towards things with a little more going on under the hood. and also I am a more music and production than lyric-oriented listener.

 

For me it depends entirely on the genre or even song

 

there was definitely a point in my life where I felt similarly but it was also no more than two or so more months later until they were my favorite “band” for a couple years strong. hah. that said, at some point the chaos and noise began to strike an extreme, visceral emotional chord with me and that paired with the fact that it is also a very cerebral thing as well is a golden ticket. if the noise never becomes musical for you like it did for me, then of course it probably is pretty confounding as to what the appeal might be haha. it’s def kind of a love it or hate it thing.

 

Is Knuckle Puck actually good or are they more like the boring ass State Champs-esque pop punk

 

They’re fine. Not exactly the same kind of pop punk as State Champs I’d say. That being said I don’t really like it enough to actually listen either, but that’s just me lol

 

I've always looped Knuckle Puck in with State Champs/Story So Far/Real Friends. Basically a wave of pop punk obviously inspired by The Starting Line/NFG type pop punk, but somehow watered the style down to absolutely nothing memorable, and extremely derivative.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but do any of those bands have even one song that can stack up with the golden age of pop punk?

 

No. They also don’t have the budgets, to be fair. I think that plays a part.

 

I'd argue most of the late 00's / early 10's pop punk that I loved and has aged fairly well didn't have the budget either but it didn't deter them from writing some great songs with memorable melodies and hooks. The aforementioned bands just don't have the range.

And I'm not saying just to be all oldhead "it was better in my time". One of my best friends eat that shit up frequently and everytime he makes me listen to a newer band... I just get whelmed. This is such a stagnant genre.


edit: Budget could play a part too, I don't entirely disagree to be clear!

 

This is a really good way to sum up why I dislike most modern pop-punk so much

Like there's only so many faux-gruff voices and hook-less songs you can write before you sound like every other band at Warped Tour

 

Yeah I mean I’m talking about the mid/late 90s to the mid 00s. To me that is the peak in terms of “anthems” or whatever (which is not to say that all good songs are that, so I’m not discrediting what you said here) and I think the budgets played their part in that.