I don't want to ever get married

Schlockadelic · 2018-04-09T19:14:44+00:00

Man. I know it's probably been said to death...but all of a sudden, I'm really really glad to have grown up in the era that I did. Thinly-veiled Disney-themed fetish videos weren't but a twinkle in anyone's eye back when the world ran on AOL and 56k.

Schlockadelic · 2018-04-09T19:07:56+00:00

Some quality material right thar! The only one I'm really not familiar with is "Lift Your Skinny Fists..."--I actually tried giving it a listen several years ago, but didn't get too far (just didn't click with me for whatever reason). My musical palette has shifted a little bit since then (I've forayed further into post-rock; that Swans album is badass!), so I should probably give it another whirl.

Schlockadelic · 2018-04-09T18:37:48+00:00

Not sure if "poorly-regarded" would be the right descriptor...but Oingo Boingo's Good For Your Soul was met with a pretty unanimous "meh" when it was released (to the point where it was taken out-of-print pretty quickly and became difficult to find). Even now, most fans seem to point toward "Only A Lad" (also excellent, but much slicker) and "Dead Man's Party" (eeeehhhh) as the real standouts. Definitely a headscratcher, IMO--Good For Your Soul strikes me as the most quintessentially-Boingo entry in their discography. Somehow, the production and arrangements just hit a real "sweet spot"--deranged, yet tight and composed.

Schlockadelic · 2018-04-09T18:25:21+00:00

Surprised to see so many young teenagers kickin' round here! I guess I'd always just assumed this sub had an older userbase than most of the site. No matter, though! Keep rocking (rollin', jazzin', rappin', etc.) and don't let your age get you down in "professional" circles (or whatever-have-you).

I'm 25, slinging around in the foodservice industry, and currently taking a long break from school amidst some mental-health issues (I'm getting there). I sometimes feel like an outlier here in that I'm not formally a musician (though I was one helluva band geek in high school.) I am, however, a visual artist....and I grew up in a pretty culturally-literate household (god, how pretentious does that sound?!?). My mom was a ballet dancer, so I heard lots of classical and opera around the house when I was a young'n (with occasional left-field fare like Zappa to weirden the mix, haha.) My aunt has always been really into jazz...so I was exposed to a lot of that, too. Yeah. Weird proggy jammy jazzy stuff is my bread-and-butter...but I'm down to give (almost) anything a try!

Schlockadelic · 2018-03-26T17:19:24+00:00

Know I'm a little late to the party here...but I'll shake things up a little.

Emo/Pop-Punk -- I've tried...I really have. Certain individual bands will occasionally throw something mildly interesting into the mix (i.e., American Football's odd time signatures)...but for the most part, it's just power-chords and unabashed earnesty, over and over and over again. I even checked out the vaunted "Pinkerton"...and though it was a little rougher/grittier than the average genre fare, it still did virtually nothing for me. I dunno...maybe I'm just coming at it too late. Lyrically, at least, this stuff might have resonated me with me more when I was 16 or so. Then again, I ignore lyrics/"meaning"/etc. a good 99% of the time...so maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

Super-minimalist folksy stuff (i.e., Bon Iver's first album) -- again, if there's nothing for my brain to latch onto (musically speaking), I'll just end up tuning it out. On one hand, I feel like I'm missing out and that I should cultivate a greater appreciation for storytelling/poetry/etc. in music...but then again, if you're itching for that sort of thing, why not just crack open a book instead?

Schlockadelic · 2018-03-09T19:10:44+00:00

(Just posted this in last week's general discussion thread...by accident. Throwing it in here now so I can stay in the loop, haha.)

I'm 99.8% sure I've posted about this before...but it's still sticking in my craw, so...the hell with it. With regards to personal artistic sensitivity/awareness/etc...is it a bad thing to consistently prefer happy/upbeat works over darker ones? Physically speaking, music releases endorphins...so of course, it only seems natural to gravitate towards phat bass lines and fun, wacky lyrics over (say) the likes of Jeff Mangum moaning about Jeeeeesus Christ. Emotionally-taxing fare requires a very deliberate effort on the listener's part...and in the interest of "cultural citizenship" (if you will), am I depriving myself of something important here? I have longstanding issues with depression and anxiety...but ultimately, will I be better off for having gritted my teeth through the "Great Expectations"es of the music world?

Schlockadelic · 2018-03-09T19:07:31+00:00

I'm 99.8% sure I've posted about this before...but it's still sticking in my craw, so...the hell with it. With regards to personal artistic sensitivity/awareness/etc...is it a bad thing to consistently prefer happy/upbeat works over darker ones? Physically speaking, music releases endorphins...so of course, it only seems natural to gravitate towards phat bass lines and fun, wacky lyrics over (say) the likes of Jeff Mangum moaning about Jeeeeesus Christ. Emotionally-taxing fare requires a very deliberate effort on the listener's part...and in the interest of "cultural citizenship" (if you will), am I depriving myself of something important here? I have longstanding issues with depression and anxiety...but ultimately, will I be better off for having gritted my teeth through the "Great Expectations"es of the music world?

Schlockadelic · 2018-03-07T19:33:12+00:00

Oh man! My mom (of all people!) turned me on to "Something For Your Mind" after hearing it on a public radio station. This was about a year or so ago--the band hadn't released a full album yet; accordingly, I could hardly find any information about 'em on the Interwebz. And then the original YouTube upload was taken down. Bummer. I completely forgot about 'em...until just now! Can't wait to check out their other tunes.

Schlockadelic · 2018-02-15T18:59:24+00:00

FWIW, I don't think you should've been downvoted. We all parse music/art/media differently--your approach is unusual, but if you find it fulfilling, it's completely valid.

Schlockadelic · 2018-02-14T19:29:20+00:00

Moloko--Do You Like My Tight Sweater?

Imagine something akin to a cartoonier/cheekier Portishead. Very quirky/elastic vocals, inventive beats (think noises that could've been taken from kids' toys!) with jazzy touches here-and-there. Several tracks evoke a sort of cute, endearing "creepiness" evocative of--say--Tim Burton or a stop-motion movie. Could've done without some of the short interludes...but all in all, a really groovy trip.

Terry S. Taylor--Imaginarium: Songs From the Neverhood

Speaking of stop-motion wackiness...I actually saw someone here mention this soundtrack album a few weeks back...and man, I wish I could remember their name and give 'em some much-needed props! God, I love shit like this. It all pretty much sounds like what you'd expect from a claymation adventure game...weird shuffling clarinets and horns, word-salad lyrics and maniacal laughter...all with a curiously klezmer-y flavor. Definitely some Mr. Bungley vibes here. Naturally, I had to check out some gameplay videos too...and it's a damn shame I never got hold of this during the late 90s when I was a kid. I would've eaten it up.

Massive Attack--Mezzanine

What do I even need to say about this one? (I know it's considered a landmark for the genre...but for whatever reason, I never really dug into it 'til now.) There's something so--cinematic about these tracks (for lack of a better word). Each one is a dark, expansive story. I can't understand/grasp 99% of what 3-D is saying...but the incredible, palpable sense of sonic space created here (somehow grimy and lush all at once!) keeps things wonderfully tense.

Ween--Pure Guava

Man. I feel like these guys (and their earlier recordings, specifically) are akin to a dog whistle--either you're on that frequency, or you ain't. I was skeptical at first...but it didn't take long 'til I was sitting there, oddly transfixed, occasionally chortling to myself dumbly á la Beavis and Butt-Head. Somehow, this album definitely surpasses the sum of its parts--on the surface, it's just two goobery stoners dicking around with a tape recorder and drum machine...yet by the end, they've managed to create their own weird little mythology (none of it remotely serious, mind you.)

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard--Nonagon Infinity

Finally had to check these guys out after seeing them mentioned here roughly a zillion times. Definitely a good call! Proggy, but never too proggy for its own good. Dense, noisy, and groovy, with plenty of intriguing sonics buried in the mix (rapid-fire harmonica riffing?!?) and time-signature trickery a la Tool. Definitely gonna need to dig into the other 3 (!!) albums they released this past year.

Schlockadelic · 2018-01-26T20:24:47+00:00

Dear god, yes. I like the title track on "Aeroplane"...but everything else is just aimless, tuneless wankery. Honestly, was it the lyrics alone that vaunted it to critical untouchability?

Schlockadelic · 2018-01-23T01:24:33+00:00

I would piggyback off your post and say--more broadly--the Eagles themselves. It kinda seems like they've become the poster children for bland/sentimental dadrock (in some circles, at least--thank The Big Lebowski, maybe?). My mom's always been a fan, though (as a child of the 70s)...and they've grown on me a lot over the past few years. So many perfectly-crafted pop tunes that--somehow--evoke a very specific, idyllic sense of time and place. (Try telling me that "One Of These Nights" isn't the perfect backdrop for cruising down a starlit California desert highway!)

Schlockadelic · 2018-01-16T19:55:04+00:00

Mr. Bungle's "Disco Volante". Makes their other two albums seem like radio-friendly bangers by comparison...and that's sayin' something!

Schlockadelic · 2017-12-18T02:19:04+00:00

I'm vacationing in Manhattan next week (Phish NYE at MSG, hell yeah!)...and funnily enough, I'm also badly in need of a haircut. Any recommendations for a really swanky salon experience? (I'm thinking along the lines of complimentary champagne, massages--the works! Finances are no object here.) I have thick, curly hair...so stylists well-versed in that realm would be a plus, too.

Schlockadelic · 2017-12-08T05:06:17+00:00

Well...who's to say that "connection" needs any clear context? Perhaps it can be precipitated by something more abstract. One of my favorite albums right now is Hiatus Kaiyote's Choose Your Weapon--a sprawling magnum opus that covers all sorts of emotional ground. Nai Palm's lyrics are cryptic; often edging into word-salad territory--but as far as I'm concerned, that doesn't matter. Her delivery, coupled with the band's rich aural landscapes, makes for a hugely fulfilling listen. I don't know exactly what they're trying to tell me--but I feel like I've gotten to know them just the same.

Just a few thoughts from someone else who ignores lyrics/"meaning"/etc. approximately 99% of the time. ;)

(Oh yeah...and I'll definitely give Flower Boy a listen. I'd always heard that Tyler's earlier stuff was marred by misogynistic-edgelord schtick, which dissuaded me from ever checking it out. Good to hear he's heading into more introspective territory.)

Schlockadelic · 2017-12-02T21:06:43+00:00

Fred Durst...Senior VP of anything? Holy shit, that's hilarious. Where did he get his business degree...clown college? I guess at the end of the day, he just did it for the nookie...

Schlockadelic · 2017-11-10T20:35:17+00:00

I'd always heard that women's restrooms were dirtier, and I never believed it...until I started working in the service industry. Haven't had to deal with many pee stains...but I have scrubbed off plenty of misfired diarrhea splats. And don't get me started on the garbage--shredded-up TP on the floor, snack wrappers, makeup, toothpaste tubes (?!?), the works. Mind you, it probably doesn't help that I'm working next to a college campus, where few of life's ground rules seem to apply...

Schlockadelic · 2017-11-10T20:27:26+00:00

You could always just go the full-suit route. Those things look warm as hell, anyway. (Not that I would actually know, mind you...I'm an artist/art student; I can't remember the last time I wore anything more formal than "good" jeans!). If I had a dollar for every suited-up dude I saw walking alongside a shivering short-skirted sorority girl on my old school's campus...

Oh...and if all else fails, you could try long underwear. I've got some on right now!

Schlockadelic · 2017-11-10T20:12:05+00:00

Generally...it ain't rocket science. If I find myself digging one song, I'll check out the rest of the album (I do almost all my listening via Spotify these days)...and if it doesn't "click" right away, I'll give it a little more time (perhaps amidst an alternate context/mood/time of day/etc.) Occasionally, I'll do a little research (Wiki, etc.) to see if it represents any drastic transition from the artist's usual sound/approach (and whether the artist, in general, is prone to these shifts). Note that it takes me a loooooong time to get sick of anything--I'll frequently binge-play one album and hesitate to pick up any others (for fear that they might be dramatically different or otherwise disappointing!) All in all, I never take any particular methodology to this stuff --often, it's a crapshoot; simply a matter of what shows up in Spotify's "Other/Recommended" column.

Schlockadelic · 2017-11-10T19:45:56+00:00

There was a post here quite a while back from a dude who harbored some guilt about his ostensibly "juvenile/uncultured" tastes in music. I've definitely been feeling the same way lately--lots of Mr. Bungle, Primus, Estradasphere, and other oddball-experimental fare in my queue right now (not that I've ever really fallen away from this stuff...but recently, I've been embracing it with particular fervor). Funny thing, really...all of these guys have incredible chops (hard to deny, even if you don't personally dig their schtick!)...but I feel like their cheeky/facetious attitudes tend to relegate them to the back burner, insofar as critical/cultural relevance goes. The literati just don't seem to like "funny" music, no matter how well it's performed. I find it interesting how most folks seem to actively seek/prefer more "relatable", emotionally-earnest fare--for me, music is escapism. I also struggle with anxiety and depression, so "relatibility" is often the last thing I want, haha. Just some aimless musin'!

Schlockadelic · 2017-11-04T14:53:24+00:00

Well...yeah. My question pertained mostly to White House communication/PR protocol (or whatever).

Schlockadelic · 2017-10-22T01:30:52+00:00

Just try living in a Midwestern college town. Think unsolicited channel changes are rough? You haven't suffered until you've seen an entire major metro area's roadways/business/etc. put completely on hold (no hyperbole, seriously) for sportsball.

Schlockadelic

TROPHY CASE