yksehtniycul
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don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire |
Erm....
Wow, so you really like Kate Bush, eh? The British press hasn't been particularly kind to her though and my comment was really more of an aside. To me Kate Bush is like the pre-Tori Amos, Tori Amos... Nothing I've heard seems to particularly stand out (except of course Running Up That Hill) except for the terrible tracks, which I am more apt to pay attention to and cast judgment on for some reason..
I wish I had more time to get into this, but I have to go to work. I don't really see the similarity to p1/Kate Bush though. It does have some vintage synth work in it (my guess is a Jupiter 8 or something similar) but I'd say it has more in common with Kraftwerk or Neu!. Both bands Bowie and maybe Bush have been accused to stealing from (aesthetic/sound, etc.) Mostly I'm broadly offended by your insensitive attitude.
So you are taken to reading/living by old press clippings now? I don't think KB has done anything much in almost decades now. Tori Amos has always semed pretty disposable to me... I've never had a friend insist I take her seriously.
I respect Kate cause I think she is a real artist, where as most of even the best pop/commercial musicians in history really amount to hacks/get rich quick/label stooges. I can't remember anything really synthy in Kate Bush's lineup. What I was refering to is the moody noire/witchy/eclectic/surreal-cum-modern trappings feel that underlies the whole P1 esthetic. You said you were into the moody vibe right? Well the other half of the P1 soundtrack is the upbeat New Order like synth aspect. Bush is more like the Velvet Room / opening setup / etcetera. Its a weird niche I can't think of any successful pop artist filling in broad terms. So imagine Bush/NO fusion if you can stretch your imagination taht far.
As for listening to Kate Bush, it is complicated, so it takes a while to sink in. I dunno, there is a mood I get into from time to time that no other act can quite placate. It is an aquired/sophisticated taste. But definitely not "unlistenible." I've never heard a KB song with a definite hook, so it is really alien territory for most pop oriented people. On the other hand I can't think of a single Bush piece that gets under my skin, so there must not be one.
Now that is more Megaten than Megaten :)
From the 1980s onward it has became almost standard for individualistic female singer-songwriters to be compared to Bush by the media. She has been noted as an influence on artists as diverse as Tori Amos, Alexz Johnson, [77] Antony and the Johnsons, [78] Lily Allen,[79] Björk,[80] Coldplay,[81] Goldfrapp,[82] PJ Harvey,[83] Darren Hayes,[84] Sarah McLachlan,[85] Sinéad O'Connor[85] Bloc Party,[86] OutKast,[83] KT Tunstall,[87] Katie Melua[26],Muse.[26] and Amy Studt[88] editted: Wow, her albums did a whole lot better in the UK than the singles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Bush_discography
I like the singles, but they are generally less interesting and more catchy (aka: not-terrible in Ry's eye)
Running Up That Hill is really only her first major financial success cause it broke into the massive US profit share (the usual formula: even a little recognition in the states trumps a smash success in the UK -- saying "God" a lot might've got her toe in that door)
I think maybe what people don't get about her compositions, is they are really more like mini-plays rather than traditional songs. You're supposed to pretend you're watching a play with your eyes closed more or less, which is really what aloy of classical music is about (only with the added trick of having no lyrics to fly by!)
« Last Edit: February 21, 2008, 07:10:20 AM by yksehtniycul »
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yksehtniycul
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don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire |
Just to clear a few things up I couldn't get to earlier (then again I probably shouldn't be hanging out on the office computers so I'll make it brief):
I am somewhat familiar with Kate Bush's work, though not apparently as well as you. And I also know that Running Up That Hill/Deal With God is her major single which is why I quoted it; kinda a stream-of-consciousness kind of thing. My comment was referring to the fact that she's been handed all these record deals from major distributors ever since David Gilmour (or whomever) discovered her but she ends up making these fairly whacked out records that make almost no sense musically, seemingly to goad poor criticism. I do stand by my Tori Amos comparison though. She's like Amos & Annie Lennox. That would make a killer sitcom methinks.
I do agree with you about the Lynch comment though. Persona 1 has Twin Peaks written all over it. Velvet Room pretty much = Black/White Lodge. I wonder if Peaks ever made it over to Japan? If it did I'm sure it was probably serialized around 96, the year that MIP came out over there I believe. I seem to also recall a kind of X-Filesish show centered around the first Persona as well... Maybe I saw the opening credits on youtube or something? My memory isn't what it used to be apparently. FWWM was a smash hit in Japan, especially amongst women. You should know that, as the usual financial synopsis is... it was canned/rejected everywhere, but ran forever in Japan and to capacity audiences.
I can definitely understand why critics take to slings and arrows at the mention of KB, and I respect an artist's ability to do what they want under studio/label pressure. Again, she is more like David Lynch in that respect than any other artist. Thematicly she is not at all dissimilar either, though more European perhaps.
You're really too quick to die by the critics sword this time.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2008, 06:49:25 AM by yksehtniycul »
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DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
First of all I keep forgetting to thank 13thChyld for posting the MIP (Is it just me or does it feel kind of weird making acronyms from Japanese :stoic:) soundtrack for me, so thanks!
...
And to Michael Gorbachov (I kid I kid ;) ):
Frankly, the lengths you're going to defend her are kind of astounding to me. I tend not to take people who take music too seriously seriously. I'm just parroting critics not advocating for them. Personally I think her music is just kind of um... I dunno. Adjectives fail me and that is kind of a marker in and of itself. I mean nothing I've heard really says sort of anything that really catches my ear I guess. Music is so nebulous its ridiculous though. Slicing and dicing it just makes everyone involved seem totally pretentious.
Incidentally, most anything I read about old music/bands/press is actually newish journalism since this is standard practice when record companies release reissues. The rags (NME, Q, and to a lesser extent VICE) tend to be fairly harsh nowadays. I figure its all part of the climate though, since pop music right now has pretty much imploded upon itself under the weight of its own horrible fashion sense. :)
« Last Edit: February 20, 2008, 12:00:35 PM by DevilRy »
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Logged DevilRy has 435 Posts (+23/-0 Karma) |
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yksehtniycul
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don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire |
Am I defending? Nah, I'm just talking to myself...
I was chastising narrow banded criticism of music though.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2008, 11:06:08 AM by yksehtniycul »
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DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
BTW the video for Running Up That Hill is hilarious! I distinctly remember flipping through channels and stumbling upon it on VH1 one fateful day...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BZsXVf6INc
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Logged DevilRy has 435 Posts (+23/-0 Karma) |
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DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
When, oh when, did I EVER say Country sucked? The ridiculous mockery thats been calling itself "Country" since the 90s, most definitely yes. Classic Country music NEVER. My parents watched the Grand Old Opry and Lawrence Welk religiously when I was a kid. Wanda Jackson and Lee Hazlewood are some of my favorite musicians. You take that back, you! :(
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Logged DevilRy has 435 Posts (+23/-0 Karma) |
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yksehtniycul
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don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire |
When, oh when, did I EVER say Country sucked? The ridiculous mockery thats been calling itself "Country" since the 90s, most definitely yes. Classic Country music NEVER. My parents watched the Grand Old Opry and Lawrence Welk religiously when I was a kid. Wanda Jackson and Lee Hazlewood are some of my favorite musicians. You take that back, you! :(
Sorry, you are QFT on that one! You only came around to that stance after I gave you a rough tongue bath.
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DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
I'm reading and rereading your response and I'm not entirely sure if it makes any kind of sense...:stoic:
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Logged DevilRy has 435 Posts (+23/-0 Karma) |
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yksehtniycul
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don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire |
I'm reading and rereading your response and I'm not entirely sure if it makes any kind of sense...:stoic:
In complete denial huh. Don't worry, I'm not calling you out guns:
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Logged yksehtniycul has 2094 Posts (+0/-0 Karma) |
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DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
You're speaking in riddles.
I challenge you to prove that I ever said in so many words "country music sucks." You would lose that bet, sir, and I would be about 10$ richer had we decided on a bet to make beforehand. Your "Country sucks"-allegation is baseless I tell you!
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Logged DevilRy has 435 Posts (+23/-0 Karma) |
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yksehtniycul
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don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire |
You're speaking in riddles. I challenge you to prove that I ever said in so many words "country music sucks." You would lose that bet, sir, and I would be about 10$ richer had we decided on a bet to make beforehand. Your "Country sucks"-allegation is baseless I tell you! Geez... you know I can't recall you using so few words if that is what you're getting at. I'd rather not get into it, and definitely not in public, as we both know your 'never give up' em-mo.
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DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
Secrets and lies! I would never blaspheme against most traditional American music stylings. To me though there is a very distinct difference between Kenny Chesney/Billy Ray Cyrus and Hank Williams/Dolly Parton/Loretta Lynn, so maybe something I said in passing to you had been misconstrued.
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Logged DevilRy has 435 Posts (+23/-0 Karma) |
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DevilRy
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Being the most important can't be seen in the eyes |
OT
This soundtrack rules BTW. I can sort of see where you're coming from on the Kate Bush front but only because they're using some of the same soundbanks on their synthesizers. There's a fair amount of Japanese cheese in there as well, the arranged version of the Satomi Tadashii song in particular. Honestly it does remind me a lot of NEU! 4, Kraftwerk and a lot of early to mid nineties techno.
« Last Edit: February 29, 2008, 03:46:34 AM by DevilRy »
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Logged DevilRy has 435 Posts (+23/-0 Karma) |
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yksehtniycul
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don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire |
Secrets and lies! I would never blaspheme against most traditional American music stylings. To me though there is a very distinct difference between Kenny Chesney/Billy Ray Cyrus and Hank Williams/Dolly Parton/Loretta Lynn, so maybe something I said in passing to you had been misconstrued.
Sure OK, you win.
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