[virometal]

For teenagers of the 90's this was tough year music wise. Some of those decades best acts slammed the door shut on what remained of their relevance.

Let’s list once forward thinking acts that slip into reactionary poses.

Bleed Like Me by Garbage has to top the list. Vig and crew abandoned the techno rock for a grittier feel aimed at recapturing the airwaves. Instead it recaptured apathy. None of the tracks sound remotely fresh; not to mention the recording was one of the worst compressed contraptions to grace my ears this year. I hope Beautiful Garbage might have been a transition piece. Instead it was a last hooray. That album did pre-new new wave better than Bleed's post new new wave cacophony.

The demise of Garbage was tolerable. Their sound always was kind of disposable in a high school girlfriend kind of way, but the next one hit me a little too hard. Nine Inch Nails was a touchstone for me during the formulative years. I grew as they grew. PHM blared in clubs I snuck into late night when the danger of life was new. My angry at the world twitches found relaxation in Broken. And then when anger, fear, and peer pressure formed a collective know in my stomach along comes The Downward Spiral to tie together in a neat teenage wet dream bow. Even in the waning days of college, The Fragile offered a bloated self important opus that coexisted nicely with my confident about to tackle the world aspirations.

So what does With Teeth mean? Well apparently I have nothing to offer the world except trite verse-chorus-bridge song structure sandwiched by cliche' instrumentals. I wanted to like it, but all the danger was gone. Hell, there wasn't even self importance anymore - just a last gasp careerist sludge that my ears couldn't get around.

For the sake of brevity, I won't go into Playing the Angel or Don't Believe the Truth.

For interesting tricks, The Arcade Fire or Cloud Cult will have to do for now. As for the above acts, I look forward to the future tours where my peers and I may bask in the warm glow of nostalgia from a time where our touchstones were more than that.

 

[markl]

There might be another phenomenon going on which is that you are just outgrowing some of the stuff you used to listened to. It isn't so much that the artists changed, but that *you've* changed. You still have a sentimental place in your memory for the earlier works of those artists, so they get a pass, but have you considered it's possible that if you had never heard their music before, you might today react to those older albums the same way you do their new ones now?

I say that because I have the Garbage, NIN, and Depeche albums, and to me, they are all just more of the same. I like all 3 just fine, they seem like a continuation of what they've always done.

The same thing happened to me in my mid-twenties, I went through a musical identity crisis. I suddenly was embarrassed by or hated a decent portion of music collection. So I sold quite a bit of what I was disenchanted with.

Now, in my mid-30's, I've been re-discovering and revisiting a lot of those bands I rejected. And I see I always had good taste in music, the bands hadn't changed-- I did! Now I have to go back and re-buy a lot of that stuff!

Just a thought.

 

[Masonjar]

The only music that I've truly "grown out of" is the lame metal from my teenage years (80's).. though I still listen to the good stuff like Maiden, Priest, Scorpions, Metallica and all the thrash/underground stuff. But the spandex hair metal and lame 3rd rate Priest and Maiden knock-offs (Helix anyone? Rough Cutt? Grim Reaper? ok I have soft spot for Krokus and Accept, but still I hafta laugh), I can't believe I spent all that money on those albums...

Pretty much everything I've discovered since 1988 is still in regular rotation, including the 80's alternative/punk/underground stuff..

Ok maybe I don't spin every Amphetamine Reptile band like I used to, and maybe I don't spin every single ambient dub or drum n' bass album I bought in the 90's, but I won't get rid of them, there's a lot of good stuff there.

I think the difference is is that even if I *was* a fan of a certain band, I don't feel any obligation to purchase a new album just because it's by that band, hell, I never even bought YOSHIMI and the Lips are one of my favorite bands...


-jar

 

[Masonjar]

doop

 

[Masonjar]

dupe

 

[Beach123456]

As another poster above said, I think it is just you that is changing. My musical tastes have changed a total of twice, luckily that was before, when I was using Kazaa, so I didnt have to feel that I wasted money on CD's. I think this time, though, I have found the type of music I really like, but I will probably change again eventually.

 

[HiWire]

Welcome to your music adulthood, then. Sophistication, maturity, patience, and tolerance should be kicking in about now

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiWire Welcome to your music adulthood, then. Sophistication, maturity, patience, and tolerance should be kicking in about now

Next step - you start getting the hots for Diana Krall. It's going to happen. Don't fight it.

 

[gort]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Next step - you start getting the hots for Diana Krall. It's going to happen. Don't fight it.

Isn't she like 50 by now? As a 90s teen myself who dig her music (mostly her early works), physical attraction just isn't there.

 

[discord]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gort Isn't she like 50 by now? As a 90s teen myself who dig her music (mostly her early works), physical attraction just isn't there.

More like 41 I think. She's not too bad....and im 19. I guess Jahn is right

 

[ATAT]

I wouldn't hit it with a 10 foot pole (I'm 17..) indeed. Her physical attraction leaves MUCH to be desired but eh, MAN can she sing

 

[Patu]

Well my music taste has completely changed during the past few years.

I mainly listened to rap and hip-hop a couple of years ago but now it's mainly rock/hard-rock/metal... and I love it! Of course I still listen to a lot of other genres also (including rap and hip-hop) but not even near as much as rock.

 

[PSmith08]

My taste migrates within set boundaries. It depends. I also try not to play myself out on certain styles of music, too. However, I try to maintain a healthy eclecticism.

Nevertheless, when you're done with a band or style, you know it.

 

[virometal]

Hmmmmm....so this is a phase shift eh? It couldn't be that NIN, Oasis, and Garbage released crap this year?

I do see the point though, and apparently maturity equals Diana Krall and not Phil Collins, whose American Psycho era stuff with Genesis was pretty damn good IMO.

 

[SRM]

Well this year many artist showned that they have no idea what people realy want to hear from them. Madonna is a great example, how the hell did a great artist with out ANY flops came out with an album like Confessions on the dance floor? It just ain't madonna... But somehow it's good mix from the road she has traveled and from the past where she came from.

Next, With teeth... nothing more to be said here, I like the album, well sort of.. it has great songs on it, but nothing more.

And if any finns are around, CMX.. Pedot album just didn't do it for me, even if it reminds me of their last album..

There are many more, I just have to check my collection first to be sure