Gang of 4 were shit. Discuss.
- Thread starter martin
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- lou weezer
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
Leo + version have basically covered Gang of Four. too earnest, uptight, mannered. too student.
these are again, not marks against Gang of Four - canonical post-punk without doubt - only against Gang Four as cool rock music
cool rock music does not literalize things. rather it operates in a space of ambiguity, potentiality, allowing for the mythical.
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
a sense of humor is generally counterproductive for cool rock music
if it's knowing and cryptic it might be OK but only if it's not too fey - we still have to be able to rock the fuck out
silliness and even worse, wackiness, are immediate disqualifiers
think of Faust, undeniably great but too pervasively silly to be cool rock music
if it's knowing and cryptic it might be OK but only if it's not too fey - we still have to be able to rock the fuck out
silliness and even worse, wackiness, are immediate disqualifiers
think of Faust, undeniably great but too pervasively silly to be cool rock music
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
In the Flat Field is a pretty good record but it mostly just shuffles along, hardly ever rocks out even in the VU drone-rock sense
Bauhaus is good for injecting dub weight into the goth, the literally fey otherworldliness of Peter Murphy, etc but it ain't cool rock music
"St Vitus Dance" is the possible exception, in the same goth Stooges sense as early Sisters of Mercy
Bauhaus is good for injecting dub weight into the goth, the literally fey otherworldliness of Peter Murphy, etc but it ain't cool rock music
"St Vitus Dance" is the possible exception, in the same goth Stooges sense as early Sisters of Mercy
linebaugh
Well-known member
I think a sense of humor is near a requirement. Most of the bands weve listed here have a sense of humor. But I get what youre saying, it needs to be a certain type of humor.
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
a good or great rhythm section can vastly elevate rock music, and cool rock music is littered with them
but at the same time it always ultimately comes down to the guitars, which at worst must be coequal with everything else
when you think of Bauhaus guitars are probably the least prominent element
but at the same time it always ultimately comes down to the guitars, which at worst must be coequal with everything else
when you think of Bauhaus guitars are probably the least prominent element
linebaugh
Well-known member
Nonsense!
Not even sure of the argument here. In The Flat Field has more traditional energy than anything Wire have ever done and we agree on them.
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
Abwärts doesn't have anything I would call hardcore, not even hardcore-adjacent like in a Husker Du sense
Germany for whatever reasons didn't produce a great 80s hardcore scene the way most European countries did
there were some bands, most prominently Upright Citizens, but when you compare it to Italy, Finland, Sweden, etc, slim pickings
same is basically true for France, although the French - along with Italy - by far the leaders in oi produced outside the UK
Germany for whatever reasons didn't produce a great 80s hardcore scene the way most European countries did
there were some bands, most prominently Upright Citizens, but when you compare it to Italy, Finland, Sweden, etc, slim pickings
same is basically true for France, although the French - along with Italy - by far the leaders in oi produced outside the UK
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
80s hardcore in general is a weird one in cool rock music terms
too earnest (D.C.) or too teenage idiot energy (L.A.) or both (Boston)
at the same time it was a hugely vibrant cultural force that influenced and even propagated a ton of cool rock music
there are exceptions but you'd have to take them on a case by case basis
Black Flag has I believe a solid case both for the first four years (Ginn shredding noise guitar solos) and - in a Flipper sense - the mid-era of My War etc
too earnest (D.C.) or too teenage idiot energy (L.A.) or both (Boston)
at the same time it was a hugely vibrant cultural force that influenced and even propagated a ton of cool rock music
there are exceptions but you'd have to take them on a case by case basis
Black Flag has I believe a solid case both for the first four years (Ginn shredding noise guitar solos) and - in a Flipper sense - the mid-era of My War etc
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
go listen to Pink Flag if you haven't in a while and you'll understand why that's wrong
but it's not just an energy argument
you could hardly call Spacemen 3 or Les Rallizes energetic in that sense and they're both easily in the cool rock music all-time top 10
Bauhaus aren't primarily a guitars band. and they're too precious. even when they're playing faster they just meander along.
I encourage fighting your position sharply but this isn't a hill you want to die on
linebaugh
Well-known member
Insanity! They should lock you up. ITFF is teeming with energy, verging on freak out a times. Pink Flag doesnt get there, and is a little cute too, by design- both these bands are precious.
In The Flat Field is as guitar driven as VU and the Stooges. I wouldnt call Chairs Missing more guitar centric either.
Great guitar work on ITFF, really demonstrates a full scope - they screech, they drone, its heavy, dancey. The riffs can be mindlessly physical like the chromatic descent on Dark Entries or as sensitive and mapped as A God in an Alcove.
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
well, I see it is the hill you want to die on
which is fine. if dissensus is nothing else, it is a place for quixotic and singular visions of music and self-created canons.
your videos aren't helping your case. that last one is basically Gang of Four, which as we already established is not cool rock music.
Wire gets precious - tho not on Pink Flag - but they're never fey. no cool rock music is.
"Dark Entries" is listless Joy Division. and so on.
Bauhaus are not cool rock music, never were cool rock music, never will be cool rock music in this universe or any other
I'm sorry but it's just how it is
which is fine. if dissensus is nothing else, it is a place for quixotic and singular visions of music and self-created canons.
your videos aren't helping your case. that last one is basically Gang of Four, which as we already established is not cool rock music.
Wire gets precious - tho not on Pink Flag - but they're never fey. no cool rock music is.
"Dark Entries" is listless Joy Division. and so on.
Bauhaus are not cool rock music, never were cool rock music, never will be cool rock music in this universe or any other
I'm sorry but it's just how it is
linebaugh
Well-known member
@padraig (u.s.)
Do you (did you) catch shows in Chicago? Do you have the scoop on good spots?
Do you (did you) catch shows in Chicago? Do you have the scoop on good spots?
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
what kinds of shows?
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
I know some spots but you'd have to be more specific
also I don't think much is open rn for obvious reasons
also I don't think much is open rn for obvious reasons
linebaugh
Well-known member
the type were discussing
linebaugh
Well-known member
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
btw this is the live video that gets the case across for MC5 as a legitimately good rock band, if not cool rock music
Kramer pulling Raw Power guitar moves, hammering rhythm section, Fred Sonic Smith looking like a young god, etc
and this is them as turned-on ex-greasers doing their own ca. 1967 noise freakout i.e. Interstellar Overdrive or what have you
Kramer pulling Raw Power guitar moves, hammering rhythm section, Fred Sonic Smith looking like a young god, etc
and this is them as turned-on ex-greasers doing their own ca. 1967 noise freakout i.e. Interstellar Overdrive or what have you