[Riordan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanz I'm just making sure that the things I don't like were done intentionally by the band, and not a technical glitch.

well, those ARE technical glitches - but the band's intention is that you shouldn't care too much because they don't either.

there's a difference between low-key production and incompetent recording that many indie bands don't seem to grasp. i can accept "lo-fi" as valid artistic statement and i generally like good doses of noise, fuzz and feedback in rock music, but i wish some indie albums were recorded a little more competently...

 

[Masonjar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanz bln, how about 0:04 into Holland, 1945? I rather like the lyrics, and melody of the song... but find it nearly impossible to listen to... sounds like the diaphrams in my headphones have ripped <s>

Well either you get it or you don't. There's a whole genre of music that's called "lo-fi" - bands that make music on their own, and aren't shooting for audiophile quality. A lot of people like to listen to this music regardless of the recording technique. A lot of people can't stand it.

Your Milage May Vary.

-jar

 

[Masonjar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bln If you say "lo-fi" to an indie music fan, the first words out of their mouth will probably be "Neutral Milk Hotel." So yes, you can tell, it is intentional.

Well without the "lo-fi" of the early Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh and Pavement albums, there would be no NMH

(At least as their records exist now.)

What happened is that these bands inspired thousands of kids to buy 4-track recorders and start banging out their own songs. Among them were the NMH/Elephant 6 people.

-jar

 

[Ebonyks]

^^^

Actually, neutral milk hotel dates back to 91 There are another three albums aside from on avery island and in the aeroplane over the sea (invent yourself a shortcake, beauty and the hype city sound track. The only one worth listening to is the hype city soundtrack, and it's still greatly inferior to on avery island in the aeroplane over the sea.) Elephant 6 existed in some form before albums from pavement and sebadoh graced cd players everywhere.

And on the elf power reccomendation, there are a whole group of musicans with simliar ethics. None of them have the syd barret-esque insane charm that neutralk milk hotel does, but they're very intresting in their own rite.

My personal favorates are the olivia tremor control album "black foilage animation music: volume one". It's exausting at 70-some minutes, but contains some brilliant pop songs hidden in all of the noise-rock ambience. I also really like the circulatory system's self titled album.

 

[eyeteeth]

Dang I'd like to hear this distortion. I sold my In The Aeroplane Over The Sea quite awhile ago. I don't remember distortion. I remember bright and clear as a bell. Not too bad or good just weird.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riordan the band's intention is that you shouldn't care too much because they don't either.

Is not buying their crap, not caring enough?

Quote:

there's a difference between low-key production and incompetent recording that many indie bands don't seem to grasp. i can accept "lo-fi" as valid artistic statement and i generally like good doses of noise, fuzz and feedback in rock music, but i wish some indie albums were recorded a little more competently...

Yes...or I'm going to sell 10K worth of gear and get a boombox.

 

[silentperfection]

I would think the Guided By Voices is much more connected with the term lo-fi than Neutral Milk Hotel. I never really thought of NMH as Lo-Fi. They're Elephant 6 so the term associated with them is more like psychedelic. But Lo-Fi is just a DIY sound not really a genre or anything anyways. Regardless, Aeroplane stands as one of the finest albums of the nineties.

 

[eight08]

early work from The Mountain Goats (all hail west texas).. thats all I think about when "lo-fi" is mentioned... i think i read somewhere the entire album was recorded from a boombox.

so gorgeously raw...