Future Music

[padraig (u.s.)]

I think Battles might be a precursor to the trend were discussing here

it's the obvious immediate predecessor

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

Yeah, just adding more and more notes. Steve Vai, Malmsteen, Satriani etc leading into stuff like Dragonforce and now this.

it's all prog one way or another - the mindset, techniques, execution - the prog continuum

I'm not a prog dude - I'm not (wholly) against "add more notes" but what are you doing with the notes

look at how someone like Nile Rodgers - who went to music school - applies theory

not that his way is right and the other way is "wrong", but yeah virtuosity != interesting art

 

[version]

This is the only Battles tune I know.

 

[version]

Wait, are we talking about the band called Black Midi or the genre?

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

virtuosity != interesting art

which is the fruitless part of fruitless intensification here

 

[version]

I was on about the genre where they have literally millions of notes playing at once being a zone of fruitless intensification, not the band.

 

[linebaugh]

Im not sure 'adding more notes' is really applicable to what were talking about in here though. The zeitgeist is against shredding, and you only really see it with the mutant offspring of midwest math rock acts who are rightfully decried

 

[linebaugh]

though the poetix article mentions polyphia so fuck if I know what were talking about

 

[version]

That's literally all it is though? You use a computer to add in millions more notes than a human can play.

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

I was on about the genre where they have literally millions of notes playing at once being a zone of fruitless intensification, not the band.

I was talking about the band but tbh it works either way

 

[version]

I didn't think the band were like that?

 

[linebaugh]

I was on about the genre where they have literally millions of notes playing at once being a zone of fruitless intensification, not the band.

paradaig and I were talking about the band. They dont really 'add more notes' but they are conspicuous with how traditionally talented they are at music

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

The zeitgeist is against shredding

conspicuous virtuosity != shredding tho

there are many ways besides adding more notes to be prog

 

[linebaugh]

hence the radiohead element I mentioned earlier. They dont shred but there is a sense where everything is calculated to immediately register as cool and semi advanced.

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

there is a sense where everything is calculated to immediately register as cool and semi advanced

the sense I get listening to them is that they're deeply uncool muso dorks

but they do have that element we're talking about here of having imbibed and being able to perfectly reproduce various influences

which probably seems like calculation

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

admittedly I haven't like done a deep dive. like I said, it's not my thing.

but I have a pretty long familiarity with that kind of thing from my own youth (it was always that boring nonsense screamo etc kids liked)

they do have that element luke is talking about of the competence time scale shrinking, a world of endless feedback

(unfortunately not guitar feedback, which they could almost certainly use more of)

whereas you think of Quicksand or etc canonical post-hardcore band arriving at their sound more "organically", literally from hardcore itself

or etc for other math rock areas

 

[linebaugh]

we agree. I was using 'cool' in the sense that they know exactly how to reproduce the traditional dynamics ascribed to 'cool' music

 

[version]

I never really got into this sort of stuff. Some of my mates in school liked stuff like Dillinger, Sikth etc and I just found it irritating.

 

[linebaugh]

I wouldn't really put dillinger or sikth into the same scene I and I beleive paradaig are talking about- slint, jesus lizard, hella, drive like jehu, scratch acid, don cab and etc.

or maybe it is apt and I just dont want them sullying the pool of artists I do like, but Im not sure theres an overlap of fans between my listed bands and dillinger, or at least not in my experience

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

they know exactly how to reproduce the traditional dynamics ascribed to 'cool' music

yeah that sounds right, what they think of as cool