OT: The Thread About Nothing CCXI: The Thread About Everything Besides Hockey and COVID-19

[None Shall Pass]

Her Bond theme is good, and to be honest that’s how I judge a lot of musicians I don’t really listen to.

 

[Ripshot 43]

I just have fun whispering in my Adam Sandler music when her songs come on... because that’s what she sounds like to me (and it makes my wife laugh and that’s all that counts).

 

[BenedictGomez]

Her image feeds into the current feminist zeitgeist of feigned indifference as self-empowerment.

That's really smart, never considered anything of non-music appeal. I was aware she's a product of nepotism.

My comments just applied to her "singing", if you can call it that. It's more breathy talking, which is not impressive in the least. I have no doubt she, and her brother, and their insider team, etc.. are very talented in writing, in production, in music-making, etc.

At the end of the day, I see her as a flash-in-the-pan due to her inability to sing. You see this from time to time I suppose, but if you cant sing you're generally not going to have career longevity unless your name is Bob Dylan.

 

[None Shall Pass]

I think she has a great voice.

 

[Satans Hockey]

I think she has a great voice.

I love the Bond movies and I think this song is a perfect fit.

 

[None Shall Pass]

I love the Bond movies and I think this song is a perfect fit.

Same. I was skeptical when I heard her announced for the theme, but she did an awesome job with it.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I'm solely speaking musically (i.e. no intangibles), that I feel like if you take the 20 girls in any American high school's choir, there are 3 or 4 of them in each school that can sing at least that well.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I don't have much by way of tech. I play an ovation acoustic, given to me by an uncle who has since passed, and if I go electric I play an epiphone jr on a small fender amp.

Always liked the ovation acoustics and the epiphone Les Paul/SG knockoffs. I think their neck is more comfortable than the real thing. Tough to beat a small Fender for utilitarian use. When I jam, I borrow my friend's all of the time instead of lugging my stack.

I've got the electric I bought in high school, an acoustic that was given to me by my highschool girlfriend, two Fender Strats (one a jr, for my son) a Breedlove acoustic bass and I finally treated myself to a Martin DC Aura.

I've always tried to do recording, but StudioOne plus the Presonus is really an awesome deal. It is about as legit as you can get (effects, samples, easy editting multitracking timestretching) to a recording studio and the bundle goes for ~$200. I'm *super* impressed.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Billie Eilish is an interesting hybrid story. The truth is somewhere in between. She and her brother are the real deal as far as writing and producing her songs in their bedroom. Self-starters. But they are also a family of creatives - both parents are veterans in the entertainment industry - so they had many in-roads into the marketing / PR apparatus of the LA label scene. Professionals mixed and mastered the record, professionals promoted her. She's white, easy on the eyes but has a distinct personality - a layup for a marketing team.

Most of you aren't the target audience but if you even have the capacity to put yourself into the headspace of her target audience, you may understand what her appeal is. She's fun and goofy but also dark and moody, a bit unkempt. Her image feeds into the current feminist zeitgeist of feigned indifference as self-empowerment. Her music, relative to the bombast of most pop productions, has a lot of space and an almost skeletal quality to it - it's its own thing. I'm not a fan, but as someone in the industry, I appreciate the contrast she represents - to her audience.

If you're over the age of 30, there is no point in complaining about music culture. As it has been since before music was created. Music always moves past you, no matter what your age is.

If you're under the age of 30, there's no point in complaining either

I like Billie Eilish alot - my daughter LOVES her, so I hear her all the time.
Btw - Amazon Music Unlimited is really ridiculous.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I'm solely speaking musically (i.e. no intangibles), that I feel like if you take the 20 girls in any American high school's choir, there are 3 or 4 of them in each school that can sing at least that well.

How many high school choir folks could sing better than Bob Dylan, then?

 

[billingtons ghost]

I think I've mentioned this before, but my girlfriend is a photographer and has done a lot of work with sex workers of various stripes. She became good friends with a few of them. One of them, a pornstar, just asked her to be a bridesmaid in her wedding.

So I'm going to be going to a pornstar's wedding eventually.

Aren't we all?

 

[Satans Hockey]

I'm solely speaking musically (i.e. no intangibles), that I feel like if you take the 20 girls in any American high school's choir, there are 3 or 4 of them in each school that can sing at least that well.

I think you're missing the "it" factor. Plenty of people can sing well but the vast majority of them don't have what "it" takes to stand out from the crowd that makes them different than just a good voice.

 

[Darkauron]

Shame Billie Eilish is an asshole outside of their music. But I guess that is most celebrities

 

[BenedictGomez]

How many high school choir folks could sing better than Bob Dylan, then?

19/20?

But none of them would be able to out-write him.

Shame Billie Eilish is an asshole outside of their music. But I guess that is most celebrities

Is that right? I had no idea as I dont follow pop-culture stuff.

 

[billingtons ghost]

19/20?

But none of them would be able to out-write him.



Is that right? I had no idea as I dont follow pop-culture stuff.

Absolutely - and I think he struck a chord with the Zeitgeist with his lyrics- and probably the same can be said for Billie Eilish with both her lyrics and style. Style AND substance is a potent combo.

 

[tr83]

I think I've mentioned this before, but my girlfriend is a photographer and has done a lot of work with sex workers of various stripes. She became good friends with a few of them. One of them, a pornstar, just asked her to be a bridesmaid in her wedding.

So I'm going to be going to a pornstar's wedding eventually.

If the economy continues on like this, I'm sure we'll all know at least one camgirl at some point...lol

 

[devilsblood]

Always liked the ovation acoustics and the epiphone Les Paul/SG knockoffs. I think their neck is more comfortable than the real thing. Tough to beat a small Fender for utilitarian use. When I jam, I borrow my friend's all of the time instead of lugging my stack.

I've got the electric I bought in high school, an acoustic that was given to me by my highschool girlfriend, two Fender Strats (one a jr, for my son) a Breedlove acoustic bass and I finally treated myself to a Martin DC Aura.

I've always tried to do recording, but StudioOne plus the Presonus is really an awesome deal. It is about as legit as you can get (effects, samples, easy editting multitracking timestretching) to a recording studio and the bundle goes for ~$200. I'm *super* impressed.

Typically I would be anti plastic when a natural material can be used in it's place, but a)the contours do make it more confortable, and b)it does have a very nice sound. And as I said my uncle gave it to me, so it has sentimental value.

My girl friend also bought a mandolin which she never plays. I'll fiddle with it every once in a while, but whether it by my inability to play it, or it just being a super basic model(though reviews of it were pretty good) it has too tinny of a sound for me to enjoy it.

I also had a tenant recently leave a piano in my basement apartment which we have since took over. I've been playing that a bit, not enough to be good, but I do have moments where I put something together which sounds OK.

 

[devilsblood]

As far as the pop music topic above, are people really surprised when a good looking person who can sing a little bit get's famous?

 

[My3Sons]

Typically I would be anti plastic when a natural material can be used in it's place, but a)the contours do make it more confortable, and b)it does have a very nice sound. And as I said my uncle gave it to me, so it has sentimental value.

My girl friend also bought a mandolin which she never plays. I'll fiddle with it every once in a while, but whether it by my inability to play it, or it just being a super basic model(though reviews of it were pretty good) it has too tinny of a sound for me to enjoy it.

I also had a tenant recently leave a piano in my basement apartment which we have since took over. I've been playing that a bit, not enough to be good, but I do have moments where I put something together which sounds OK.

My middle son has taught himself to play guitar and recently picked up a mandolin. He has yet to learn Battle of Evermore and I remind him of this everyday we are on lockdown.

 

[Oneiro]

I think you're missing the "it" factor. Plenty of people can sing well but the vast majority of them don't have what "it" takes to stand out from the crowd that makes them different than just a good voice.

This is pretty much it.

If I could give one lecture to music schools everywhere, it's that no one in a recording studio gives a shit about how technically good or great you are. They give a shit about whether you can deliver the material in a compelling way, if you understand the emotion behind the notes on the page. I can't tell you how many "excellent" musicians play something perfectly but they have zero understanding of the emotional context of the song - they have facility but no artistry, if that makes sense. We write and play music to express things, not enter into a pissing contest.

For reference, if you were a fan of music growing up in the '50s and someone tried to convince you that Jimmy Page was a great musician, you would laugh because, relative to Charlie Parker, Coltrane, etc., he's a joke (make no mistake, I love jazz and Led Zeppelin). You just have to ask yourself what someone's intentions are and if they're living up to them.

 

[devilsblood]

This is pretty much it.

If I could give one lecture to music schools everywhere, it's that no one in a recording studio gives a shit about how technically good or great you are. They give a shit about whether you can deliver the material in a compelling way, if you understand the emotion behind the notes on the page. I can't tell you how many "excellent" musicians play something perfectly but they have zero understanding of the emotional context of the song - they have facility but no artistry, if that makes sense. We write and play music to express things, not enter into a pissing contest.

For reference, if you were a fan of music growing up in the '50s and someone tried to convince you that Jimmy Page was a great musician, you would laugh because, relative to Charlie Parker, Coltrane, etc., he's a joke (make no mistake, I love jazz and Led Zeppelin). You just have to ask yourself what someone's intentions are and if they're living up to them.

I agree with your overall point but I don't think I agree with your comparison for a couple reasons.

1)Page is a pretty fantastic musician, both for his artistry, but also his technical ability.

2)Coltrane was very much an emotional artistic player, not necessarily a technical wizard. And some of that artistry, some would say, went a bit wayward.

Not as familiar with Parker, was he expanding the genre the way Coltrane was? I really don't know.

Edit: Ya know I'm now seeing the "50's" portion and I may adjust my point on Coltrane, he wasn't really changing jazz at that point. But still Jazz in the 50's as far as where it stood in society was pretty similar to rock in the late 60s early 70's. So I still see these guys as more similar then not.

 

[Oneiro]

Yeah, I'm just talking technically - none of the classic rock titans were trying to be in the building of a Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, etc. Most of the jazz guys were trying to outdo what they viewed as the apex of Western music ability, the classical world, and so they - especially Coltrane - spent years internalizing harmony and melody to a level that is just not interesting or necessary to anyone writing a blues-based rock song. Musically, like I said before, it's all irrelevant. Only vision matters and Page/Hendrix/etc. all had incredible vision which is what we all connect with. And they were great guitarists for sure.

Without Charlie Parker there is no Coltrane and Jimmy Page. He is the pioneer of bebop jazz (when you hear a flurry of notes being played quickly over fast chord changes, this is mostly his innovation). It's one of those Velvet Underground things - everyone who heard his sound picked up an instrument and started their band.

 

[BenedictGomez]

As far as the pop music topic above, are people really surprised when a good looking person who can sing a little bit get's famous?

You think Billie Eilish is good looking?

 

[Davegarri]

You think Billie Eilish is good looking?

Different strokes for different folks BG, why you judgin'?

 

[billingtons ghost]

Yeah, I'm just talking technically - none of the classic rock titans were trying to be in the building of a Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, etc. Most of the jazz guys were trying to outdo what they viewed as the apex of Western music ability, the classical world, and so they - especially Coltrane - spent years internalizing harmony and melody to a level that is just not interesting or necessary to anyone writing a blues-based rock song. Musically, like I said before, it's all irrelevant. Only vision matters and Page/Hendrix/etc. all had incredible vision which is what we all connect with. And they were great guitarists for sure.

Without Charlie Parker there is no Coltrane and Jimmy Page. He is the pioneer of bebop jazz (when you hear a flurry of notes being played quickly over fast chord changes, this is mostly his innovation). It's one of those Velvet Underground things - everyone who heard his sound picked up an instrument and started their band.

Ya know - I love and revere Giant Steps as much as the next guy - but your 'none of the classic rock titans' phrase just isn't true. I think John Lennon writing 'I am the walrus' to stump a university professor at music theory or Pink Floyd's musical choices on Dark Side, or Tom Scholz's understanding of scooping frequency bins when overlaying guitar parts on More Than A Feeling moved the needle as much as Coltrane modulating thru the circle of fifths, Mozart pulling 12-tone musik out of his arse 120 years ahead of Schonberg or anything John Cage ever did. Don't sell those guys short.

The 'What makes this song great' series on YouTube is fantastic if you guys are interested in the internal theory/arrangements of songs - Every time I start I'm up until 2am watching them all.