Here is the link. Over the last week I went back and listened to their major works again; I’m not that impressed. Try Christopher O’Riley’s album of piano arrangements, and you will see just how thin and unmemorable their compositions are. Admittedly not all great music would transfer well to the piano, but the Radiohead "sound" isn’t that original either, at least not compared to the frontiers of electronica or for that matter punk. This morning I put on Boris’s Pink; it is hardly my favorite album but it was a welcome relief.
I assume you’re just trying to provoke people with that post. I will also assume that you’ve seen neither of the aforementioned bands live.
Agreed with Mark that you are just trying to provoke people. Personally, I would posit that very little of the progress in modern music–popular or otherwise–is visible in the paper arrangement.
You have just lost a reader.
What? You don’t share my musical preferences? I am outraged sir!
Oh, and you’re wrong about the complexity/composition thing. Sure, when you strip the music down to one element and play it on the piano, it doesn’t sound that complex. Big deal, it’s still good. It’s the arrangement that is key, not just the composition of part of a song.
Pink is a good album. I am psyched to have Boris tickets for this Sunday. But, “De gustibus non est disputandum”. Boris isn’t particularly original and doesn’t have particularly memorable compositions.
Oh, and Cowen, you’re right about the internet not being a substitute for labels. For now.
Perhaps Radiohead is equally as unimpressed with Tyler, seeing that they’re avid promoters of Naomi Klein.
Another reason why people might pay a higher amount for the new album is the reason I plan on paying more than $5-10: over the years I’ve downloaded a couple of their albums for free, and this is a nice way to give back to the band for those without having most of the money lost in the slush of middle management.
And yeah, Radiohead rocks, Tyler’s totally wrong about them, yada yada.
I second O’Riley’s version of Let Down. Perfect wedding song.
Okay, making your credibility as a cultural critic disappear is enough, but what else can you show me?
Would love a post on the best electronica CDs.
The classical music translation is meaningless – it’s expensive muzac, whatever the source. Try listening to a classical-style rendition of Robert Johnson 12-bar blues and it will be thin and unmemorable. The same would be true of ‘Born to Run’ or ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, both of which are stunning songs.
This is an incredibly stupid post. Are you going to tell us The Wall isn’t any good because it didn’t translate make a good bluegrass cover?
Thankfully, I don’t go to MR for music commentary.
I’m personally not a fan of the Wall or any Pink Floyd.
in fact, I could imagine most Pink Floyd songs sounding much better as blue grass covers.
“Thankfully, I don’t go to MR for music commentary.”
I whole-heartedly agree (though I’d never take Cowen for a Boris fan, talk about a surprise!). What Tyler ignores–and what makes Radiohead’s music so striking in the context of modern rock–is how TEXTURED their music is….O’Riley’s arrangements simply cannot capture all of the sounds and sonic layering that are particular to their sound. These details, to me, are what make their music complex (though Paranoid Android is fascinatingly complex for a pop single).
Music is a subject where Tyler’s taste is totally off, let’s just ignore it.
He’s still a much better critic than I am.
Never understood the fascination with Radiohead. Whiny singer with a thin voice and limited talent. Musicianship that is less than stellar. That said, Brad Mehldau’s interpretation of Exit Music (For a Film) is nice, proving that the music can translate to piano.
All of this radiohead nerdyness nauseates me.
Tyler is 100% right. there’s a lot better stuff out there..
You may think they don’t translate to Classical well. Fine. But we all know that the true measure of a band is not how their music sounds, how influential it is, its lasting power, or how it translates to Piano.
It’s all about how well it translates to Country-Bluegrass.
Greatest. Band. Ever.
By the way, Intrade has posted Econ Nobel contracts.
I think it’s pretty lame that the digital copy of In Rainbows is only going to be in 160kbps, especially after soliciting money for it.
Nick, I’ve had the (mis)fortune to be around a few band and music industry people over the years. What I was alluding to above is that even if the “artists” themselves who are packaged as the band want to do all this creative freedom stuff and be wonderful people giving back, they have a whole bunch of people whose jobs it is to make it all work. Think roadies, managers, producers, you name it. If the money isn’t coming in, these people quickly bail for other opportunities, and then you can’t tour and you can’t make money on shows and t-shirts while you give the music away for free.
Imagine needing just 20 of these people full time to make your tour work. And imagine not wanting to tour 2 years straight. You’ve got to move, feed, house the people. You’ve got to move your stage setup. Suddenly, you have got to pull in $3 million a year just to make the gig break even with minimal operations. If you want to hit regional bars like the band Madside in NorCal, that’s one thing. Maybe you get lucky and get dragged on tour by a big act like Van Halen or fanatical tour group like Tesla. If you want to play bigger clubs and tour as a business, it’s not just you and your bandmates. Seriously, read the thank yous and credits in the CD liner of your favorite act and try to figure out what that organization costs.
And yeah, I get that not everything is driven by the want of money. But some things require it. Big time rock band music is one of those things.
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