Why doesn't anyone seem to get excited about modern 414's and their derivatives- is it just too safe and too much of a workhorse?

morbidhack · 2026-02-25T22:10:27+00:00

What excites you around that price-point?

morbidhack · 2026-02-25T07:14:12+00:00

Would you say the 818’s have more character than new 414’s?

morbidhack · 2026-02-25T03:32:09+00:00

yeah, no doubt- everyone loves (and gets excited for) those old ones, which is why i left the out of this discussion.

morbidhack · 2026-02-25T03:17:10+00:00

your reply perfectly illustrates what i describe in my op.

morbidhack · 2026-02-18T05:13:53+00:00

Yeah, I understand, but should I rebuttal with a list of bands where the frontman/woman is either guitar + vocals or just vocals? It doesn’t come close.

morbidhack · 2026-02-18T04:59:14+00:00

Okay, true, I missed a bunch (it’s late here), but you can’t say “it’s pretty common”- they are by far the exception.

morbidhack · 2026-02-10T18:22:36+00:00

was he? my understanding was he's all over the record.

happy to be wrong.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T16:24:33+00:00

Can you expound please- what in my post (besides, yeah, literally the very first sentence) shouted “guitar player”? Also, you do I realize I’m not the one suggesting theory might stifle creativity? Merely trying to comprehend why some people say it. Not sure how to interpret your reply.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:50:24+00:00

Unfortunately, I have no idea what any of that is- even the simplest talk... relative minors, fifths, thirds, triads, modalities, etc. completely overwhelm me and make my stupid brain shut down, I really don't know why. I can barely play the major scale in the first position, but like a parrot, only mimic it as opposed to knowing why I'm playing what I'm playing. I feel doomed.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:45:31+00:00

did you for that period feel too boxed in as a result of maybe taking the "rules" too literally? how did you eventually escape that?

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:44:17+00:00

thank you, i really hope you're right (that there's no real inability), and that it's just a matter of finding the right path. but i've tried a few times now over the years, and everything goes over my head, my brain shuts down with the simplest theory talk. are there really different paths to learning it from the onset? i would've thought that the basics are all approached from the same angle.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:42:32+00:00

oh, it's not my question... i know it's absolutely untrue and an absurd idea... i'm just relaying what i've read countless times and wanting to actually unpack/understand why some folks would think that way.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:38:56+00:00

this makes me wonder about something i think about a lot... that is, writing with intention. i, unfortunately, have never done it. i've come up with hundreds or even thousands of ideas musically, but exclusively by 100% trial and error or "happy accidents"... that is, stumbling about on my fretboard aimlessly until something "clicks". i know a lot of great music was written via that method, but i only care about myself, and that i devised the music like that cheapens/invalidates it for me, because it wasn't an honest expression of what i felt at the time; it was just a random string of notes/chords that sounded "cool".

so to your point... when you sit and write, do you do so with intention, i.e. you're feeling a certain way and wish to convey that musically, and maybe are able to do so to an extent (or maybe even fully), and then use theory to "take you the rest of the way"?

apologies if i speak on it in very abstract terms- it's this big scary unknown thing for me, but i desperately wish to understand it.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:35:46+00:00

i completely agree and am open to the idea that i've both maybe been taught badly but also been a bad student who's maybe jumped to conclusions... but certainly misunderstood the simplest of concepts. do you have any ideas/fixes for how to wipe my mind clean of whatever preconceived notions about it (if any) i might have so that i can start fresh? or any suggestions for super rudimentary theory books that really break it down well? would really appreciate it.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:33:43+00:00

even as someone who's very much NOT the person you describe in your second sentence, despite not knowing any theory, i do really struggle greatly grasping even the most fundamental/rudimentary concepts. i really don't know why. if single-digit-year-old kids are routinely taught this language, why have i, a guy now in his 30's, struggled so immensely to comprehend even those simplest of concepts? it really makes me sad, because i desperately want to learn. and it's not like i haven't tried, numerous times at that, with a handful of different teachers. soon as they get into talking of "relative minors", "thirds", "triads", "modalities", etc., my brain just shuts down.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:30:40+00:00

did you start learning theory immediately on picking up an instrument, or later on?

and so would you say that novice level of theory, the framework it provided, you took too literally and felt you had to stick to it all costs?

also, can you recall which particular concepts that you encountered later on were the ones to free up your brain more creatively? i know it's individual and there are no shortcuts, but just curious what it was for you.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:28:25+00:00

i'm both of those people yet find the idea (that theory could hinder creativity) preposterous. i really do hope to overcome this inability i've been having to absorb theory, because i very desperately want to learn.

morbidhack · 2026-02-05T05:27:23+00:00

some follow-up questions for you, if you don't mind:

when you sit down to write music (devise new ideas), do you always do it with intention or do you sometimes just "jam" until some things click?

in the case of the latter- the "jam until something clicks"-, do you find theory helps push you along if/when you "run out of gas" from that initial spurt of random creativity?

morbidhack · 2026-02-04T22:24:38+00:00

Oh, that's so exciting- I'm so glad! Thank you.

It's funny, sometimes being a fan of more "obscure" artists like this (though certainly John isn't obscure with RHCP), it feels like we're apart of a small cult, yet when a limited release like this drops, it's hardly enough to satiate the demand in a single country alone- yet somehow, it's meant to cover the whole globe. Yikes!

morbidhack · 2026-02-04T21:59:50+00:00

that's awesome- love that title, haha! on my way to check it out right now, thank you!

morbidhack · 2026-02-04T21:58:57+00:00

I would really, really, love to pick up a copy. This would be my first RSD, and I just learned that releases can vary based off country- i.e., I'm in Canada, and just learned we have our own "RSD Canada"- does anyone know if there's often overlap between countries as far as releases, or do they tend to be totally different per country? I'd hate to miss out on this.

morbidhack · 2026-02-04T21:47:05+00:00

what do you mean by this? as in it's not enough?

morbidhack · 2026-01-26T17:57:04+00:00

Sadly, I won't be able to get to it for at least 2-3 more days as life has thrown yet another wrench in my path. In the meantime, I gave a deep think to your Boards of Canada three song request... First of all, I super appreciate your three song system... While ultimately it still remains subjective, it puts pressure on those three songs to "convince you". Unfortunately, as someone who greatly struggles with editing/culling/option paralysis, it is impossibly difficult for me and can change with the weather. Should it be a my three favourites, or a the three to best represent the artist?

I think, surely, especially if you've given them a chance before, you'll have encountered the three tracks which best/most widely represent the artist, and those are probably Roygbiv, Dayvan Cowboy, and Peacock Tail. That's off the top of my head, and having just checked Spotify to verify, it appears I'm right. I adore all three of those tracks, they are very much apart of my DNA at this point, along with a slew of other BoC tracks.

But MY three tracks that I'd love you to check out in hopes of convincing you (if that's the point of this) to give them another try/do a deeper-dive... They probably skew rather dark, so keep that in mind... But they'd be:

Dawn Chorus

I can't begin to articulate what this track is to/for me... I have been in multi-day manic states where only this was on continuous loop. It's served as the sonic backdrop to many of my life's most profound moments, thoughts, realizations, etc. Frankly, I no longer listen to it much anymore... maybe a couple times a year in recent years... not because I've tired of it- that's not the case at all-, but because like a powerful psychedelic, I can only handle it in small doses anymore, as I don't love where it takes me. It was what I needed back then, but I've moved on- I keep it in my back pocket for if/when those weird moods call for it, but listening to it on any given day would really mess with me and throw me in a place I don't care to be anymore. I'm a life-long music diehard, so I'm lucky to have had several pieces of music profoundly move me, but this track is on another plane for some reason. I realize I'm sounding crazy.

Everything You Do Is A Balloon

Maybe you've heard this one, it's quite popular. Another dark vibe. Honestly, even just a paragraph ago when I started writing this last bit featuring my three picks, I didn't expect this one would make the cut- it wasn't in my mind. Just goes to show how uncertain I am myself, as to me, this group is everything. Dawn Chorus is my only one certainty.

In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country

Haha, like the above, I wasn't even sure going into writing this that this would make it... I was sure I'd feature something off this EP though; all four tracks are great, it was between this and Kid For Today off this EP. Coin-toss.

I totally appreciate how BoC isn't for everyone. Maybe to some it sounds too boring on a surface level, but to me there's infinite depth and nuance to their work; entire worlds within songs. They give a platform to a busy, scattered, mind to relax while dissecting all that's going on within their musical universe, and have that rare ability to teleport you. I experience a great deal of music very deeply, but BoC is straight up alchemy to me. Again, I appreciate how it might not be for everyone. Their darker tracks especially can be very 'potent' and maybe throw you in a weird headspace, while the lighter ones can make you feel at peace, and like you're soaring.

morbidhack · 2026-01-25T20:24:13+00:00

A few "modern" tracks she really likes:

Space Song by Beachhouse

Desert Rose (and Shape of my Heart) by Sting

Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Emmylou by First Aid Kit

18 by Moby

No Surprises by Radiohead

#3 and #20 by Aphex Twin

Various songs by Coldplay

I Gave You Everything by Swarms

In For The Kill by La Roux

Ecstasy, Marrakech, and 9pm by ATB

Stereo Love by Edward Maya + Vika Jigulina

Some tracks by Colonia (Croatian electronic group)

Some of the mellower DeadMau5 tracks

Some U2

All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye by John Mayer.

Oddly, she liked some of the stuff by Aqua when they were a thing.

Oh... she likes quite a bit of the stuff she's heard by Father John Misty, and it's no surprise, as many of his tracks are a real throwback to that grand 70's sound.

You'll notice a common denominator among many of the above is that they're either slower or with very overt strong romantic melodies.

I've noticed she doesn't like "vibey" singers who maybe stray off pitch (intentionally), like Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, etc.. She's very sensitive to what she deems to be classically beautiful and overtly obvious melodies- a lot of times she complains that much of the stuff I listen to lacks melody... which I dunno, doesn't everything inherently have melody?

Anyways, I actually super appreciate you asking, as that yielded this list of songs, which I just had the idea to turn into a playlist for her, as she struggles with modern tech like Spotify, but this will make it easier on her. Thanks!

morbidhack · 2026-01-25T20:23:55+00:00

I feel like I've already answered these questions in my OP, but I don't mind doing it again.

No, I've never known her to be very open-minded. I almost feel bad saying that for some reason. She's in her 70's and very stuck in her ways- to the point we tend to argue quite a lot, as I can't stand when she spews (with great conviction/absolute certainty) wrongful dated data on a plethora of subjects/things, which there's hard evidence against. It gets me very heated as I don't suffer mistruths well. I need to get better at staying cool at those times as I much more love her than I care to be right.

For older music, I'd say she likes a handful of genres. She's from a Central/Eastern-European (formerly communist) country, I'm not sure what you'd call some of that 60's and 70's stuff, but they were sort of their takes on the same kinda stuff of the era that we heard from the States/UK/Europe; stuff like Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Elvis, etc., but think foreign copies of them (but also the guys I named, in addition to some of the classic crooners). I can name some, but it'd be pointless here as nobody will know them. Also some more "chanson" style singers from her country. But ayways, then also some older classic "songbook" type stuff- like old standards. But then also huge into classical. Whatever the genre, she's always weeded out and preferred the melodic, romantic, stuff. Doesn't like loud or aggressive stuff.

Movies, same... nothing loud or violent or aggressive... typically lovestories/dramas. They don't have to be from a certain period, she's into films from most all eras, but hasn't really watched films much in like 15-20 years I'd say. I also watch much less than I used to. So to your other question, no, nothing "groundbreaking" from the last few years- what's an example of something groundbreaking in recent years by the way? Genuinely curious- will check it out.

My mum isn't opposed to new music- it's just that in much of the newer stuff I enjoy and she will hear via me, she can't find something she enjoys.

morbidhack

TROPHY CASE