Say what you will about Babymetal, but...
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... they just broke into the US Top 40 charts. Something that hasn't been done by a Japanese band in over 50 years. That's impressive.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/babymetal-reach-50-year-high-on-u-s-chart
related: https://what.thedailywtf.com/topic/19550/can-we-throw-money-at-the-problem/103
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@Vaire note to self.... find that album on GPM and listen to it.
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@accalia Their new Samurai single is pretty catchy ;)
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@accalia Find both of them; they're both fine albums ;)
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@RaceProUK I am not actually much of a fan of theirs. SOME of their songs I like. I wouldn't want to sit through a whole album though. BUT, I can appreciate their accomplishment, regardless of whether I am a personal huge fan of theirs, or not :D
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@Vaire Considering the shite in the top 40, I'm not sure that should be claimed as a good thing.
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@Vaire Factory-farmed focus-grouped faux-rebellious pap appears on advertiser-approved list of factory-farmed focus-grouped faux-rebellious pap. Film at eleven.
Fuck that noise. Have some music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kfLJmqFl2U
wtf why is the onebox suddenly able to leap tall buildings with a single bound
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@loopback0 Yeah, well, listen, I have sat down with self-proclaimed indie-music nerds on two separate occassions, and told them to educate me on why I should leave the top 40 behind. I told them to give it their best shot, and show me the indie stuff that I was missing, and why my life was lacking because of that.
The results were that they showed me a lot of stuff that sounds EXACTLY like the top 40 stuff, but was just done by people I had never heard of, and they showed me stuff that was BORING AS FUCK, and/or weird, and I didn't like it.
I gave it two tries, with people who have major indie cred. They were not able to produce any piece of music that showed me in any way that indie music was "better" than top 40.
The bottom line is, music is a business. Those who are good at it, are successful, and PART of that success is going to be the visual package. It started with Elvis and the Beatles, and it has been going since then. Being pretty never hurt anyone looking to be famous. If they also produce entertaining/popular music, then well, they are going to be famous and successful, just like Elvis and the Beatles.
Call it shite if you want, but they are laughing all the way to the bank. If one LIKES the indie music scene, what I don't understand is, WHY all the hate for the main stream? Why not just live and let live? Why not just enjoy what you like, and let others enjoy what they like, and everyone can just chill? Why are so many people so hellbent to MAKE other people think and believe like they do?o_O
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
WHY all the hate for the main stream?
I have no hate at all for people who enjoy listening to focus-grouped commercial pap. Mostly I just feel vaguely sorry for them, in much the same way that one feels bad for anybody else missing a major faculty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZRePZ1OqQE
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@flabdablet See, this is what I am talking about. That smug, superior, condescending attitude is hate. And I gave you and your people 2 opportunities to prove me wrong about indie music, and they couldn't do it. The failure of the indie music scene to convince the masses to listen to them and pay them for the privilege does NOT mean they are missing a major faculty. It means the indie scene has failed to produce content that people WANT to listen to, let alone pay for.
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OK, I gave some of it a listen.
It is total shit and I have no idea why anyone would willingly listen to it. It is spectacularly horrible. I would rather puncture my ear drums with a rusty gutter spike than to listen to that shit.
Why the fuck is this a thing? Why do people listen to it? It's shit.
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@Polygeekery Like I said, I am not much of a fan of theirs. I am not much of a fan of metal at all, actually.
But, I think the reason people like it, is because it is so weird/unexpected. It combines two very unlikely elements of crunchy metal music and poppy female lyrics that are happy and upbeat, sung by teens in cute/weird costumes.
I think a lot of people like it simply for the spectacle, not for the music itself. Although I, personally, find their Samurai and Gimme Chocolate singles to be fairly catchy. [shrug] YMMV
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
That smug, superior, condescending attitude is hate.
No it's not. It's smug superior condescension.
If I hated people with that deficiency, I'd wish they would all go away. But I don't. If they did, who could I condescend smugly to?
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
I think a lot of people like it simply for the spectacle, not for the music itself.
For me, the music is the main appeal. But then I do listen to a lot of hard rock and heavy metal, so that part of it is right up my alley ;)
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To paraphrase some other guy: when @Polygeekery and I come down on the same side of an issue, that's some peer-reviewed battle-tested solid science right there.
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@Vaire The answer is hipsters. Just hipsters.
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@flabdablet said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
To paraphrase some other guy: when @Polygeekery and I come down on the same side of an issue, that's some peer-reviewed battle-tested solid science right there.
OK, that was funny. Also, yoink, I am stealing that phrase :P
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
I am not much of a fan of metal at all, actually.
I am. This shit isn't metal. It is shit.
@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
But, I think the reason people like it, is because it is so weird/unexpected. It combines two very unlikely elements of crunchy metal music and poppy female lyrics that are happy and upbeat, sung by teens in cute/weird costumes.
To each their own, but the only plausible explanation I can give for people listening to this shit is that they like to inflict harm on themselves. They are self-harming. This is not music. It is a train wreck.
@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
I think a lot of people like it simply for the spectacle, not for the music itself. Although I, personally, find their Samurai and Gimme Chocolate singles to be fairly catchy. [shrug] YMMV
I listened to them. I am not trying to be argumentative. To each their own. But I thought they were horrible cacophonies and not music.
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@flabdablet said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
To paraphrase some other guy: when @Polygeekery and I come down on the same side of an issue, that's some peer-reviewed battle-tested solid science right there.
QFT.
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@Polygeekery said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
I listened to them. I am not trying to be argumentative. To each their own. But I thought they were horrible cacophonies and not music.
Sometimes one must put aside one's fears and expectations, and just sit back and enjoy the ride. It may be a weird ride, but one will be a better person at the end of it.
Of course, the trick is knowing when that time is, lest one end up waking up in a bathtub full of ice, missing a kidney o_O
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@Vaire Well, many people listen to, you know, the stuff all music hipsters listen to and not the more exciting stuff (lol irony).
I guess the people you talked to belonged to that group.
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
@loopback0 Yeah, well, listen, I have sat down with self-proclaimed indie-music nerds on two separate occassions, and told them to educate me on why I should leave the top 40 behind. I told them to give it their best shot, and show me the indie stuff that I was missing, and why my life was lacking because of that.
Have you checked out the song of the day thread? People post lots of good shit in there.
The results were that they showed me a lot of stuff that sounds EXACTLY like the top 40 stuff, but was just done by people I had never heard of, and they showed me stuff that was BORING AS FUCK, and/or weird, and I didn't like it.
That's weird. Most of the stuff to which I like to listen doesn't sound at all like Top 40 stuff. I guess that could be because power metal and epic orchestral don't make for easy listening or for club music.
The bottom line is, music is a business. Those who are good at it, are successful, and PART of that success is going to be the visual package. It started with Elvis and the Beatles, and it has been going since then. Being pretty never hurt anyone looking to be famous. If they also produce entertaining/popular music, then well, they are going to be famous and successful, just like Elvis and the Beatles.
Argumentum ad crumenam mixed with argumentum ad populum, eh? Many of the musical geniuses humanity has known weren't exactly prosperous.
Call it shite if you want, but they are laughing all the way to the bank. If one LIKES the indie music scene, what I don't understand is, WHY all the hate for the main stream? Why not just live and let live? Why not just enjoy what you like, and let others enjoy what they like, and everyone can just chill? Why are so many people so hellbent to MAKE other people think and believe like they do?o_O
To find music that I like, I have to go out of my way. To find Top 40 music, I don't have to go at all out of my way because it's constantly shoved down my throat.
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@Groaner said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
Have you checked out the song of the day thread? People post lots of good shit in there.
That's weird. Most of the stuff to which I like to listen doesn't sound at all like Top 40 stuff. I guess that could be because power metal and epic orchestral don't make for easy listening or for club music.
[...]
To find music that I like, I have to go out of my way. To find Top 40 music, I don't have to go at all out of my way because it's constantly shoved down my throat.No, I haven't checked out the song of the day, I will do so. If I find anything I like, I will post about it and admit it. I just like music, don't really care if it is indie or pop. It has just been my experience that indie hasn't been able to bring to the table anything I am not already getting in pop, that I liked. [shrug]
Yeah, no, see, that is what I am talking about. I don't want to listen to power metal or epic orchestral. If you do, though, mazel tov. Just ... leave me out of it, k?
I don't understand how you feel that top 40 is being shoved down your throat, unless you mean terrestrial radio? But, I mean, that has ALWAYS been the domain of "popular" music, and indies abandoned it a LONG time ago in favor of clubs, mixed tapes, and internet downloads as time went on, so .... I mean ... ya know ... =_=
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
Sometimes one must put aside one's fears and expectations, and just sit back and enjoy the ride. It may be a weird ride, but one will be a better person at the end of it.
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@Vaire The trick to enjoying stuff that isn't mainstream is going from stuff close to it to stuff further away from it.
Try listening to songs from less popular albums of bands that had a successful song or two.
Try listening to music that's popular elsewhere.
Eventually you'll find something - and then you can look around for things associated with it.
Look for the side-projects some members of bands you like did, for example!
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@flabdablet Yeah, no, that is EXACTLY what I am talking about when I say, "The results were that they showed me a lot of stuff that sounds EXACTLY like the top 40 stuff, but was just done by people I had never heard of, and they showed me stuff that was BORING AS FUCK, and/or weird, and I didn't like it."
I gave it a listen for a whole minute before I realized that NOTHING had happened for a minute. Skipped around to about the 3, 5, and 8 minute marks, STILL NOTHING. Skipped to 30 seconds before the end, and at least it was going then, but yeah, no, not my cup of tea. If you like it though, enjoy
As for myself
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@Groaner said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
Have you checked out the song of the day thread? People post lots of good shit in there.
Speaking of which, I can't find the song of the day comment thread, so does anyone know if that spotify link worked? It was really weird and actually made the desktop application on my machine play the song rather than playing in the browser. I don't even know what was with that.
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@Magus said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
@Groaner said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
Have you checked out the song of the day thread? People post lots of good shit in there.
Speaking of which, I can't find the song of the day comment thread, so does anyone know if that spotify link worked? It was really weird and actually made the desktop application on my machine play the song rather than playing in the browser. I don't even know what was with that.
I'm gonna go with, the Spotify devs can't webservice correctly? :D
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
I'm gonna go with, the Spotify devs can't webservice correctly?
I think that's just what they're into, honestly. If you have spotify open on two machines, you can start either playing from either for no apparent reason.
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@Magus said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
I'm gonna go with, the Spotify devs can't webservice correctly?
I think that's just what they're into, honestly. If you have spotify open on two machines, you can start either playing from either for no apparent reason.
Hey, listen, in their defense, web services are HARD, okay? And Dancing with the Stars is on :D
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
I gave it a listen for a whole minute... skipped around to about the 3, 5, and 8 minute marks...
Sometimes one must put aside one's fears and expectations, and just sit back and enjoy the ride. It may be a weird ride, but one will be a better person at the end of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cFL7Nb4wiw
/me makes off with @Vaire's kidney
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Speaking of which, I just really don't get how spotify works I guess. Starting an artist radio from Bunny the Party got me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlbKtafS29k
which is alright, but not what I would have expected? Seems like a hipster name too.
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
The results were that they showed me a lot of stuff that sounds EXACTLY like the top 40 stuff, but was just done by people I had never heard of, and they showed me stuff that was BORING AS FUCK, and/or weird, and I didn't like it.
De gustibus non est disputandum. Don't apologize for your tastes or expect others to do the same. That said, all y'all's taste sucks. Except for @loopback0.
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@aliceif said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
@Vaire Well, many people listen to, you know, the stuff all music hipsters listen to and not the more exciting stuff (lol irony).
I guess the people you talked to belonged to that group.
Since I cannot, and will not, be arsed to learn enough about the indie scene to find the more "exciting stuff," I relied upon the self-proclaimed indie cred of the people I asked to educate me. I did my little experiments about 2 years apart from each other, and asked people from different walks of life. Neither of them could produce music that would sway my opinion of the indie scene. If you want to give it a shot, feel free. I'm up for a third round. See my J-Pop thread for the kind of sound I like. If you can produce songs that sound like that, or even better, I will bow to your wisdom, and start paying attention to the indie scene. Deal? :D
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@aliceif said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
@Vaire The trick to enjoying stuff that isn't mainstream is going from stuff close to it to stuff further away from it.
Try listening to songs from less popular albums of bands that had a successful song or two.
Try listening to music that's popular elsewhere.
Eventually you'll find something - and then you can look around for things associated with it.
Look for the side-projects some members of bands you like did, for example!
If you mean like Gwen Stefani's solo stuff ... no thanks :throwup-in-my-mouth-a-little:
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
I cannot, and will not, be arsed to learn enough about the indie scene to find the more "exciting stuff"
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@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
start paying attention to the indie scene
Fuck that.
I sure as hell don't.
I used to learn about new bands from some webradio from California.
Now I partially find stuff on SBWR and partially just see them in suggestions on Youtube.
There is no need to "follow the indie scene". Not to mention that it's very unhomogenous - there's so many genres that fit in there ...
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@flabdablet 20 minute flute solo and strange orchestra combos?
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@Vaire I hear the ice baths here are very good
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@Vaire Want me to shoot you some Pandora stations? Indietits can't muzack to save their lives and are mostly interested in how indie the music is, not any actual musical quality.
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@aliceif said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
start paying attention to the indie scene
Fuck that.
I sure as hell don't.
I used to learn about new bands from some webradio from California.
Now I partially find stuff on SBWR and partially just see them in suggestions on Youtube.
There is no need to "follow the indie scene". Not to mention that it's very unhomogenous - there's so many genres that fit in there ...
Kinda ... kinda making my point for me there ... o_O
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@aliceif said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
SBWR
South Bay Water Recycling (SBWR) has been serving Silicon Valley communities for more than 10 years.
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@Weng said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
@Vaire Indietits can't muzack to save their lives and are mostly interested in how indie the music is, not any actual musical quality.
QFFT.
And, uh, sure, but I don't know when I can get around to the pandora station, but I will put it in my "to do" list ;)
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If you like Linkin Park, why not try Dead by Sunrise?
If you like Avril Lavigne's second album, why not listen to Evanescence? Their guitarist worked on that album IIRC. Plus, overall "emo"-ness.
If you like Coldplay, you could try other British pop bands - there's Oasis, Radiohead and many more.
Metric is a pretty good almost-mainstream band - and they've been compared with Garbage in some ways, except younger, more synth using, and Canadian. You might even have heard some songs from their "Fantasies" album.
I sure as hell won't just link you stuff by, say, DIIV or Ringo Deathstarr.
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@boomzilla said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
@Vaire said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
The results were that they showed me a lot of stuff that sounds EXACTLY like the top 40 stuff, but was just done by people I had never heard of, and they showed me stuff that was BORING AS FUCK, and/or weird, and I didn't like it.
De gustibus non est disputandum. Don't apologize for your tastes or expect others to do the same. That said, all y'all's taste sucks. Except for @loopback0.
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@aliceif fuck, avril lavigne->evanescense->Nightwish is practically speaking, a gateway to an entire world of badassery.
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@Weng said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
Want me to shoot you some Pandora stations
Yeah, that's largely how I learn about new bands. Which sometimes aren't even new, but just new to me.
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To be honest I completely approve of the indie scene. It appears to be all about getting laid and trying to produce a one hit wonder to live off the roalties for. If only there was an industry similar to that that I loved... Off grid spoon wittling! That's what I'm moving into. Fuck IT.
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@Polygeekery said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
I thought they were horrible cacophonies and not music.
Here, have a horrible cacophony that undoubtedly is music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_lGrJGFsm4
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@aliceif said in Say what you will about Babymetal, but...:
If you like Linkin Park, why not try Dead by Sunrise?
If you like Avril Lavigne's second album, why not listen to Evanescence? Their guitarist worked on that album IIRC. Plus, overall "emo"-ness.
If you like Coldplay, you could try other British pop bands - there's Oasis, Radiohead and many more.
Metric is a pretty good almost-mainstream band - and they've been compared with Garbage in some ways, except younger, more synth using, and Canadian. You might even have heard some songs from their "Fantasies" album.
I sure as hell won't just link you stuff by, say, DIIV or Ringo Deathstarr.Do not like Linkin Park. Do like Avril, also like Evanescense. Don't like Coldplay. Liked Oasis back in the 90's, well that one song anyway, do not like Radiohead. Haven't heard of Metric, but if they are like Garbage, I will check them out. Love me some Shirley Manson.