Post subject: Jack White's New Album & The State of "Rock" M
Good day BEA. I hope you are all doing well.
Welp. Jack White just put out a new record. So far, there are a lot of mixed reactions to the album including a publication asking readers if his new project is "A good trainwreck or a bad trainwreck?"
Yesterday, I was perusing Youtube when I noticed TheNeedleDrop (Anthony Fantano) put out his review of Jack White's new album Boarding House Reach. For starters, I'm not one who bases my opinions on music off of Fantano's or anyone else's, but I do find myself agreeing with him more often than not and I'm a fan of his content and insight. I don't really like reading reviews before I listen to albums, so I didn't watch Fantano's video, but in his video description he gave the album a 9/10 which is what really inspired me to listen to the album then and there. *Let's get to at least 2 pages before mentioning Robert Christgau, sound good guys?
What I heard in Boarding House Reach was a really interesting statement. It was a statement made of often times broken words/English but for some reason it all made sense. Certain points in the album made me think he was trying to emulate Talking Book-era Stevie Wonder meeting "Heroes"-era David Bowie and having a musical love baby named OK Computer. It was odd and ear-bending but in such a good way. Do I love everything on this album? Not yet. But I think every singe sound is on here for a purpose and with subsequent listens, I will keep that in mind.
I'm not going to review the album here but I want to purpose discussion. Often we hear from people young and old that "ROCK IS DEAD! ROCK IS DEAD! GOD WHY CAN'T ROCK JUST LIVE FOREVER BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY MUSICAL GENRE THAT I'M COMFORTABLE WITH. NEW MUSIC SUCKS"... okay maybe not to that extent, but many might as well come out and say that. Gene $immon$ for example has been the torch-bearing martyr for some reason over the past couple years showing up in rock tabloids everywhere stating Rock Is Dead.
And he's right. The days of his 3 chord rock with lyrics about partying and girls is long gone and with all things in life, evolution must happen. Evolution through entropy or otherwise, I'm glad "rock" music is dead. That just means we are in a new phase for music and art. Life changes, so does art. What is it about that which we can't accept when it comes to music? People shout rock is dead without hearing what's really going on musically outside of their comfort zone. It's not dead, it's entering another phase of fusion. Jack White's new album to me is a killer example of where "rock" music is right now and where it could be heading. Make no mistake, I realize this album isn't the first of its kind, but to me, having this album drop in the middle of a time where people with stereotypical old-head attitudes are upset about the artistic landscape changing is wonderful. It reminded me to keep my mind open about everything I hear because it all means something.
I'm not all that interested in a rock revitalization with certain carbon copies gaining popularity these days. I want the art to continue to evolve.
What do you guys think of this nonsensical, rambling shitpost? Are you happy with where the fusion of genres is going? What are your thoughts on the new Jack White album? And above all what do you see going with music 20 years from now? _________________ Attention all planets of the solar federation: We have assumed control.
I really don't understand the concept that an art form is dead. I suppose Latin is dead... yet everyone knows a bit of latin and somehow it's written all over my money and so much of our history is wrapped around Latin... so while the language is dead (nobody really speaks it day to day)... it's still a pivotal part of western culture. Jazz never died (it could have if people didn't keep it alive), Classical never died (same as Jazz) and I don't think rock and all it's forms will ever die. Define dead? Is it the thing that is on the radio the most? Is it was teenieboppers buy? Idk... those seem like dumb definitions of dead.
Having said that, I'd have to agree, that I'd rather never listen to a KISS song ever again.
Also - yes, anyone over 33 years old (according to some study) has a hard time getting into new music and stops listening to new music altogether. So if that person spent 33 years of their life only listening to rock music and found no appreciate for rap music (for example), they likely will continue believing the prejudices they have against it.
As for young people thinking that old 50s/60s/70s rock has no value, what I've witnessed is that they haven't even given it a chance and are equally ignorant as the 33 year old who hates rap music (random genre, could be anything). Often these types also haven't given classical or jazz a spin and would say the same thing.
And then there's those who really have tried and just don't have the taste for it (which imo is rare and usually that person has no humanity).
Last edited by RoundTheBend on 03/28/2018 17:59; edited 1 time in total
I've always hated the "rock is dead" idea. Rock isn't dead, it's never dead, it's just evolved.
Exactly what good are bands that copy bands from the past? The entire reason some of the canon bands are as famous as they are is because what they were doing was unique in some way. They obviously took inspiration from other bands and musicians, but they weren't copying them directly. Hearing the same thing over and over again gets boring. I love AC/DC, I always have, but once they hit the Brian Johnson era, they started releasing the same thing over and over again (Angus even acknowledged that). It made them money, sure, but the music was boring and uninspired.
If music doesn't evolve and change, it ceases to be interesting. I'm fine with artists taking inspiration and taking cues from other bands and musicians, it's only natural, but what makes music interesting is hearing someone take those inspirations and put their own unique spin on them.
As for Jack White's album, I appreciate what he was doing, I give him credit for it, I just wasn't super into it. I enjoyed it for sure, I thought it was a solid album, but I think it's the weakest solo album he's released yet (though my opinion of it might change as I spend more time with it). _________________ 2023 Chart
I like it a lot. He tackles a lot of different sounds/eras of rock.
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What do you guys think of this nonsensical, rambling shitpost? Are you happy with where the fusion of genres is going? What are your thoughts on the new Jack White album? And above all what do you see going with music 20 years from now?
I like your ramblings.
The fusion of genres has been happening for decades... if not centuries... it's just what happens. And yes, I love it. It's actually why I absolutely love this album... I think it is the best fusion of musical types I've ever heard.
music 20 years from now... idk... to be honest I think it will be what it is now. What I think it is now is the availability of all music types and it will just keep getting saturated. I can listen to a 14th century flutist or Billie Holiday, a SoundCloud hero... whatever. I think we've reached critical mass musically... if anything new were to happen, it'd be music written by AI. Electronic music was the new thing and well that was almost 50 years ago... so... yeah. Of course there will be musical geniuses to spice things up.
Last edited by RoundTheBend on 03/28/2018 18:34; edited 1 time in total
there's plenty of rock music pushing things forward, people just don't know what they're talking about. horse lords, palm, guerilla toss, and a bunch more are all doing exceptional work that isn't just wallowing in tired old glories.
also
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Also - yes, anyone over 33 years old (according to some study) has a hard time getting into new music
this study made some absurd assumptions about the meaning of artist popularity ranks and also took the self reported user age values at face value. it is bullshit.
@sethmadsen I loved your analogy with latin, I think it is a very good example on what rock music could become if it finally "died". I want to disagree on this though:
sethmadsen wrote:
As for young people thinking that old 50s/60s/70s rock has no value, what I've witnessed is that they haven't even given it a chance and are equally ignorant as the 33 year old who hates rap music (random genre, could be anything). Often these types also haven't given classical or jazz a spin and would say the same thing.
Many users of this site are under 33. I am, for instance. Thanks to the internet (and to our parents those who are lucky) we are able to learn about 50-70's rock. I have a number of friends who like and know the Beatles, Pink Floyd, ACDC, Bowie etc. There are another important number who don't know them, and I think that is sad, especially because most haven't listened to them because they only listen to what the radio and spotify reccommend. Still, the fact that there are so many cover bands from these bands which fill venues, that there are still young and old people buying the albums and that many new bands influenced by them are still popular, even if not as their fathers were, shows that rock music is not dead at all.
I actually felt compelled to make a comment on that album after I saw that it received a 9/10, because I couldn't wait to see it climb the 2018 chart after Fantano declared it a 9. (I watch his reviews and generally enjoy hearing his opinions on stuff).
Yeah the album's not great, but to each his own. What Tap said though is essentially what I was going to say. (I was even going to mention Guerilla Toss).
People confuse rock music not being as "popular" as it once was as "rock being dead". There are hundreds, if not, thousands of bands out their right now that are making decent rock music. And a handful of those bands are pushing things in a good and different direction. Obviously, Jack White has a much wider base that his music will reach, so his "experimentation" on this new album is a daring move by him. (I thought he actually sounded bored on a lot of the songs).
I could list a dozen bands here for you to listen to that prove what I just mentioned, but I'd rather that you go and find them yourself. Of course, you could just look at my 2017 and 2018 charts and find something that you like.
However, I think an album like this explains what I was just saying. Not that experimental, but damn, does it ROCK!
According to Nobel Laureate (Physics) Frank Wilczek 100 years from now technology will expand human hearing and we will have to alter music to accommodate the new range of sounds humans will hear. I also think 46 (or 47 or something, forgot the number right after I used it!) tone scales will become popular, as they have purer fifths (just intonation), and 12 tone music will become outdated. My 2 cents.
According to Nobel Laureate (Physics) Frank Wilczek 100 years from now technology will expand human hearing and we will have to alter music to accommodate the new range of sounds humans will hear. I also think 46 (or 47 or something, forgot the number right after I used it!) tone scales will become popular, as they have purer fifths (just intonation), and 12 tone music will become outdated. My 2 cents.
This is interesting considering I think music has actually become more simple musically. Not in a bad way, but you don't find a lot of artists needing to use a lot of tonal trickery/flamboyance. The opposite has occurred in popular music (imo) where you can get a way with 2 notes for your rhythm and maybe 3 for your melody and your done. It'll be uncommon to find a 7 chord structured song in a pop tune these days like you'd find in The Beach Boys or Beatles more complex pop compositions.
But I just read over what you said and realized I don't understand it at all. 12 tone music will become outdated? like as in 12 tone/atonal music or the standard music modes we've been using for centuries (of which the most popular are major and minor). I don't think 12 tone music ever really became greatly popular or used...
I think what you were trying to say is more complex music will have to happen to keep up with evolution? Tell us more?
there's plenty of rock music pushing things forward, people just don't know what they're talking about. horse lords, palm, guerilla toss, and a bunch more are all doing exceptional work that isn't just wallowing in tired old glories.
also
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Also - yes, anyone over 33 years old (according to some study) has a hard time getting into new music
this study made some absurd assumptions about the meaning of artist popularity ranks and also took the self reported user age values at face value. it is bullshit.
Probably bunk... but I also think there's some merit to it. I'm the youngest of 5 kids and none of my siblings, people who are deeply in love with music, care to listen to anything released post 2012 that's new (more or less). I don't think the study was trying to say all people over 33 can't listen to new music, rather that on average people hit a certain age and stop trying to listen to new music on their own. They might have their kids introduce it... some people just listen to top 40 all their lives and are happy with it... so no, it's not the end all be all study, but if your talking in generalizations... it's a half logical generalization to be made (hahaah... meaning it has no concrete science and I agree it's bullshit).
I suppose what you are saying is the method in which the study was done wasn't really scientific, and I can totally agree with that. Most social sciences aren't a hard science and I question 90% of those types of studies because there are so many variables the researchers often aren't accounting for.
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