Album of the day (#2581): How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - Music

AfterHours

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Location: originally from scaruffi.com ;-)

sethmadsen wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

So I've been thinking about this discussion a bit and it almost seems like:

1) I wouldn't want to listen to an album I felt had a better version of it elsewhere. I've made that argument for not allowing new music to be good for me. It's like, oh this sounds like this other artist, I'd rather listen to the other artist I already think is better. Ultimately I find myself tossing a coin with this though. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm terribly wrong.

2) It seems like reader response theory is a bit more interesting than I originally thought - the whole, the text doesn't exist until it is interpreted idea. In this case we have brilliant people interpreting the work completely different. I feel like I sit on the fence on it as I see both RKM's and Afterhours' arguments as both valid.

3) Lowkey said it better than I: This album really isn't that bad. As a matter of fact, the first 6 songs are pretty good (not the best ever - but I've yet to hear a better song conceptually or emotionally about modern medicine/miracle drug - and the various interpretations thereof. U2 live says music is their miracle drug before they play it). It was just REALLY disappointing for me because IMO, this is the first U2 album to have a crap song on it.

I haven't really mounted any sort of argument about it except a few general statements and semi-pointed questions -- because to do so, I'd have to revisit the album. Which I'm not all that willing to spend my time doing. I dont think it takes much evaluation to recognize that the album isnt particularly creative and isn't emotionally extraordinary in any substantial way. It is as "singular" in these ways as thousands of other mediocre/decent albums are; as the fact that every artist/album has "something" to say; as in, no two are exactly alike. One could go through every album from the same year and find the exact same "significance" of insights in practically all of them as are being gone over in this page, though rkm undoubtedly has covered these in very well-presented, thoughtful and considered ways which not many could replicate.

Oh the first point was me agreeing with you if you didn't notice. Why listen to this album again if you really see little value in it. It isn't bad, but it isn't good.

Yeah, no worries, I caught that. I was mainly just clarifying that I have hardly even tried arguing against the album in detail. I'm sure it would be easy to do so but I actually find it quite boring to revisit an album for the expressed purpose of noting what's bad about it, not to mention potentially having to make references to other mediocre works its derivative of (and thus revisiting those). Just not how I want to spend my time...
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AfterHours

Gender: Male
Location: originally from scaruffi.com ;-)

Well, I will say this: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is better than the consensus "Album of the Year (2017)"
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mickilennial
The Most Trusted Name in News

Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

sethmadsen wrote:

It isn't bad, but it isn't good.

Literally, the worst thing art could be.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

Quote:

sethmadsen wrote:
It isn't bad, but it isn't good.

Gowi wrote:

Literally, the worst thing art could be.

I suppose how you define bad, right? Like bad as in, well they tried a new thing but kind of failed, but the concept actually is interesting... that kind of bad is good for art. Or bad as in pushing the envelope on aesthetics... that could be a good kind of bad.

Or do you mean the whole art vs entertainment thing, or what?

But really terrible music... this album is way better. Art that isn't that great is ok and still probably worth my time vs people trying to push the envelope and fail and it just becomes aesthetically just as boring because they just took a shit on a piece of vinyl and called it art.

Idk... I guess I want to know more what you mean.

RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

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sethmadsen wrote:

Idk... I guess I want to know more what you mean.

I can't speak for Gowi, but I agree with him.

Bad art you can hate, but often times you can respect, because it took a chance, it took a risk. That risk failed, but at least they tried.

Mediocre art, art's that's purely lukewarm, that's just the worst. It's safe, it's boring, it's like watching another iteration of a CBS generic crime drama, it's hard to respect it when it doesn't even try to push forward.

I hate listening to a 5/10 record, I don't mind listening to a 1/10 record.
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CA Dreamin

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RockyRaccoon wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

Idk... I guess I want to know more what you mean.

I can't speak for Gowi, but I agree with him.

Bad art you can hate, but often times you can respect, because it took a chance, it took a risk. That risk failed, but at least they tried.

Mediocre art, art's that's purely lukewarm, that's just the worst. It's safe, it's boring, it's like watching another iteration of a CBS generic crime drama, it's hard to respect it when it doesn't even try to push forward.

I hate listening to a 5/10 record, I don't mind listening to a 1/10 record.

If you hate listening to a 5, but don't mind listening to a 1, perhaps their ratings should be reversed?

RockyRaccoon
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Gender: Male
Age: 33
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StreetSpirit wrote:

If you hate listening to a 5, but don't mind listening to a 1, perhaps their ratings should be reversed?

I don't mind listening to a 1 because I can (typically) at least respect that it took a chance, even though it failed miserably.

A 5 is just boring. It's not bad, not by any stretch, but it's also not good, and that's just kind of sad. I'd rather have a work of art elicit some sort of emotional response, positive or negative, than nothing at all.

It's like, would you rather eat vanilla ice cream, or try the popcorn-flavor? The latter sucked, but hey, they tried something different and it was an experience at the very least. Vanilla is just.....boring.
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RockyRaccoon wrote:

StreetSpirit wrote:

If you hate listening to a 5, but don't mind listening to a 1, perhaps their ratings should be reversed?

I don't mind listening to a 1 because I can (typically) at least respect that it took a chance, even though it failed miserably.

A 5 is just boring. It's not bad, not by any stretch, but it's also not good, and that's just kind of sad. I'd rather have a work of art elicit some sort of emotional response, positive or negative, than nothing at all.

It's like, would you rather eat vanilla ice cream, or try the popcorn-flavor? The latter sucked, but hey, they tried something different and it was an experience at the very least. Vanilla is just.....boring.

In that case, we differ in how we rate things. For me, if something is boring and doesn't trigger any response, that's worse than something that tried and failed.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

Somehow I think we actually are all agreeing but saying it differently. Either that or I'm a complete idiot, which is entirely possible.

Yeah- I think I get both perspectives.

I think I agree with both and it just depends.

Sometimes a 1/10 really just makes me immediately vomit and I can't even listen to it/read it/watch it, etc. And there's a reason why bread and butter actually is pretty good sometimes. Sometimes it is the 5/10 or 7/10 or whatever your average/slightly above average system is (average to me equals that re-run of Friends or something, or that easy entertainment, whatever it may be) which most listen to. For me, listening to only the utmost amazing works that emotionally and mentally exhaust you are exactly that, exhausting. I want to listen to an album like this from time to time - the album that isn't bad and isn't amazing, it's pretty straightforward. The bland side of it, well isn't that what 70s soft rock is about (and I swear 5 or so top 100 2017 albums try and sound like that boring as hell 70s soft rock, yet people are all over that...)

Sometimes the 1/10 is indeed intriguing. It just depends on the work. But no, I don't enjoy people pooping on the side walk, spray painting it, and then calling it art and saying the commentary is something like a reflection of our society (especially American) who makes shit and then thinks it's good or pretty. I'd take this album over that anytime. That's the stupidest execution of an artistic idea ever. 1/10.

To be frank though I don't see this album being on the same level as your typical average album either though, but that's my opinion. There's likely plenty of "trendy" albums which could be construed as 10/10 or 1/10 albums which nobody listens to anymore, yet some are still listening to this one.

Anyway, I might as well be drunk babbling.

mickilennial
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Gender: Female
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Location: Detroit

sethmadsen wrote:

I suppose how you define bad, right? Like bad as in, well they tried a new thing but kind of failed, but the concept actually is interesting... that kind of bad is good for art. Or bad as in pushing the envelope on aesthetics... that could be a good kind of bad.

Or do you mean the whole art vs entertainment thing, or what?

But really terrible music... this album is way better. Art that isn't that great is ok and still probably worth my time vs people trying to push the envelope and fail and it just becomes aesthetically just as boring because they just took a shit on a piece of vinyl and called it art.

Idk... I guess I want to know more what you mean.

As Rocky said later on:

Quote:

I'd rather have a work of art elicit some sort of emotional response, positive or negative, than nothing at all.