recently I've had a total change of heart on Devendra Banhart.
and I suspect, possibly, on this whole song oriented new folk thing. without really listening, I outright dismissed the whole lot: Devendra, Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine, etc., on account of being fake and phony, self concious and contrived, having a preposterously pretentious posture of sincerity, etc.
but someone gave me a copy of the new Banhart album and I have to give credit where it's due. it's a pretty incredible achievement. impressive are the breadth and variety of the tunes: the folky ones sound authentic; a valiant effort at Bossa Nova; the upbeat couple of songs are fun and funny (Chinese Children made me laugh); the sad songs, some of which recall Fado (and I think they are even sung in Portuguese), are genuinely moving; and the instrumentation (strings) are well arranged. his delivery is charming and in no way leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Sufjan also has won me over some what. but I still don't like Iron and Wine.
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I was enamored by Radiohead for about 4 days and then threw out all of their CD's.
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when I first heard Boards of Cannada I thought it was boring washed out generic trip-hop shit; later realised that it's a lot stranger than that; enjoyed their music for some years; and now I'm kind of back on the original take: that it's pretty boring.
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3 years ago I disliked all jazz. maybe because the sound is so commercialized that I couldn't see the beauty, or maybe just the pallette is an acquired taste. the record that converted me was the first free-jazz outing of Spring Heel Jack. Evan Parker's sultry alto made an instant believer out of me. now I'm as enthusisastic about jazz as I am about techno or kraut-rock.
I went backwards chronologically with the genre: started with Evan Parker, Anthony Braxton, Mats Gustafsson, Peter Kowald, and the free stuff; to Eric Dolphy, Ornette, Trane, and Miles, the artists on the cusp; to Mingus, Monk; to Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker; all the way back to Johny Dodds and 1920s Swing, Dixieland etc. discovered so much amazing stuff on the way: Masada, Roland Kirk... and Steve Lacy. my god. I will love his music all the way to the grave.
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your turn.
and I suspect, possibly, on this whole song oriented new folk thing. without really listening, I outright dismissed the whole lot: Devendra, Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine, etc., on account of being fake and phony, self concious and contrived, having a preposterously pretentious posture of sincerity, etc.
but someone gave me a copy of the new Banhart album and I have to give credit where it's due. it's a pretty incredible achievement. impressive are the breadth and variety of the tunes: the folky ones sound authentic; a valiant effort at Bossa Nova; the upbeat couple of songs are fun and funny (Chinese Children made me laugh); the sad songs, some of which recall Fado (and I think they are even sung in Portuguese), are genuinely moving; and the instrumentation (strings) are well arranged. his delivery is charming and in no way leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Sufjan also has won me over some what. but I still don't like Iron and Wine.
_______
I was enamored by Radiohead for about 4 days and then threw out all of their CD's.
_______
when I first heard Boards of Cannada I thought it was boring washed out generic trip-hop shit; later realised that it's a lot stranger than that; enjoyed their music for some years; and now I'm kind of back on the original take: that it's pretty boring.
_______
3 years ago I disliked all jazz. maybe because the sound is so commercialized that I couldn't see the beauty, or maybe just the pallette is an acquired taste. the record that converted me was the first free-jazz outing of Spring Heel Jack. Evan Parker's sultry alto made an instant believer out of me. now I'm as enthusisastic about jazz as I am about techno or kraut-rock.
I went backwards chronologically with the genre: started with Evan Parker, Anthony Braxton, Mats Gustafsson, Peter Kowald, and the free stuff; to Eric Dolphy, Ornette, Trane, and Miles, the artists on the cusp; to Mingus, Monk; to Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker; all the way back to Johny Dodds and 1920s Swing, Dixieland etc. discovered so much amazing stuff on the way: Masada, Roland Kirk... and Steve Lacy. my god. I will love his music all the way to the grave.
_______
your turn.
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