The Album Review Club - Week #147 - (page 1942) - Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan

threespires said:
It's a rock album, it's got some really interesting sonics and lyrical content.
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I think the fact that it’s “sonics” rather than playing chords, melody etc. is part of the problem.

As for the lyrical content, when you sing - and I use the word “sing” in the loosest possible context - like he does, you give up all rights to people getting your message. I freely admit that they could be the most wonderful lyrics ever penned, but I don’t hear them and I actively disengage with the dialogue because of the way they’re delivered.

My loss, perhaps, but I choose to take a stand against this kind of music like others do against other types of music.

If that comes across as harsh, I apologise. I think I’m fair-minded. I don’t like The Jam, Depeche Mode, Kate Bush or any other number of artists nominated on here. However there is a world of difference between the fact that these artists produce music that is not to my taste and artists like IDLES whose approach is calculated to be different by abandoning the basic principles of music.

I’ve read all that back and maybe I’m slightly harsh on the music - it doesn’t do anything for me but there are little parts to suggest that they know what they are doing but if there’s a worse vocalist in the history of rock, I’ve yet to hear him.
 
Coatigan said:
I expected it to not be people's cup of tea. I expected it to make a couple uncomfortable. But not necessarily genuine dislike. But it is what it is, and lots of things come into it.

Even with the vocals, the uglyness, the heaviness, the noise etc, I would still imagine people would feel a rumble in their chest as the last third of Car Crash kicks in. Or start moving to some of the songs, or be intrigued by the build of MTT420.

I genuinely can't stay still when New Sensation or Meds come on, I break into a dance. Something that looks like if Elvis and Jim Morrison had a love child that grew up watching that clip of Ace Ventura in a tutu. And when i'm mopping or sweeping the house Stockholm Syndrome and Crawl are great for a shoogle as well.
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Don’t worry , plenty more reviews to come. Some give it more than 1 day.
 
RobMCFC said:
I think the fact that it’s “sonics” rather than playing chords, melody etc. is part of the problem.

As for the lyrical content, when you sing - and I use the word “sing” in the loosest possible context - like he does, you give up all rights to people getting your message. I freely admit that they could be the most wonderful lyrics ever penned, but I don’t hear them and I actively disengage with the dialogue because of the way they’re delivered.

My loss, perhaps, but I choose to take a stand against this kind of music like others do against other types of music.

If that comes across as harsh, I apologise. I think I’m fair-minded. I don’t like The Jam, Depeche Mode, Kate Bush or any other number of artists nominated on here. However there is a world of difference between the fact that these artists produce music that is not to my taste and artists like IDLES whose approach is calculated to be different by abandoning the basic principles of music.

I’ve read all that back and maybe I’m slightly harsh on the music - it doesn’t do anything for me but there are little parts to suggest that they know what they are doing but if there’s a worse vocalist in the history of rock, I’ve yet to hear him.
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Do they not play chords, melodies?

You constrain music between way too narrow confines. You can be irritated by a style or delivery, not like the weight or sound, lyrics, tone, whatever. And I get it, I have been fairly open to that side of it on this one.

But arguing it abandaons principles of music, comes across as lacking either fundamental understanding of music, or language. And we know that's just not true. I get you are trying to be passionate about how much you dislike it, but don't cross into basic ignorance.
 
I don't get the distaste for the accent he sings in. Rock is littered with blokes from the north east or the black country or wherever singing in weird faux American accents but no one bats an eyelid.
 
First listen in the car on way in to work tonight and have to say I am really surprised.
The whole build up had me wondering what on earth this was going to be like...and then...WOW
The whole slow build of MTT420 was excellent, although I was waiting for it to explode.
But then, "Are you ready for the storm", sort of set things up for the rest of the album.
I do get the general dislike of the "mockney" "singing"/vocals but had to counter that by considering my love for Black Francis.
Actually looking forward to giving this another listen.
 
Coatigan said:
Do they not play chords, melodies?

You constrain music between way too narrow confines. You can be irritated by a style or delivery, not like the weight or sound, lyrics, tone, whatever. And I get it, I have been fairly open to that side of it on this one.

But arguing it abandaons principles of music, comes across as lacking either fundamental understanding of music, or language. And we know that's just not true. I get you are trying to be passionate about how much you dislike it, but don't cross into basic ignorance.
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That’s fine, I’ll take it on the chin and if people think that I’m being deliberately ignorant, I can also live happily with that.

I am probably hard to please but I can listen objectively and give things I don’t really like scores between 4 and 6 based on bits and pieces of the music that I like - a bit of guitar, synth, organ, acoustic, clarinet here, banjo there, whatever. But there’s nothing in the music that interests me and that’s before we get onto the voice.

It’s nothing to do with his cockney accent (even though he’s Welsh). It’s his fake “look at me, aren’t I different” delivery which serves no purpose. All the things Foggy said about Radiohead, I feel about this band. There’s something calculating about what they do and it’s very cleverly marketed.

I’ve gone to town on this, The Streets and some atonal rubbish that denislawsbackheel nominated, but those three aside, I’ve found bits and pieces of everything else that I liked. If to me it sounds like a very poor attempt at music, I’ll say so.

But I’m not going to fall out with anybody over it. Some will agree with me, some will love it, most will be somewhere in between. When next week’s album rolls around, the same kind of thing will happen but with different alignments of people.

I genuinely look forward to what other people make of it and seeing their reasons because it would certainly be boring if things sounded the same week in week out.
 
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