Not a film related post obviously, but it’s the weekend and time for a little fun. Plus we’ve always maintained (or at least I sure have), that the Decemeberists are the world’s worst living band. Thankfully Triumph agrees with us. I also have about as much desire to go to Bonnaroo as I do shooting a nail through my skull, so I felt this was pretty extra, fucking funny. [via The Daily Swarm]
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What's with the Bonnaroo hate? The line-up is amazing.
Decemberists are the worst living band? That's goofysauce.
Decemberists are in the running for the worst band of all time. They're like the musical version of a high school glee club covering Wes Anderson films.
Everytime they sing a song, a note on the musical scale dies.
And the line-up is great, if you have shit for taste. It's like Paste magazine incarnate. MOR indie bs. A few handful of bands, but overall the same stereogum-lite milquetoast rock that every indie festival has.
Next you're gonna tell me All Point's West is worth going to or try and tell me the virtues of Pearl Jam and Ben Harper.
Well I won't defend Ben Harper, but I will defend Bruce Springsteen, Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Wilco, Erykah Badu, Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, Lucinda Williams, Animal Collective, Neko Case, Femi Kuti, Grizzly Bear, Okkervil River, Raphael Saadiq, The Dirty Projectors, Yeasayer and Phoenix. If you are not excited by at least 3 of those bands, I would suggest you hate music. Surely labelling all these bands as 'sterogum-lite' is just as reductive as people labelling films as 'Wes Anderson-like indie films'; a practice which I note you guys get annoyed with.
I won't deny there are average bands at Bonnaroo but it's the same deal for almost any festival.
And yeah, All Points West: Vampire Weekend, The National, Flying Lotus, My Bloody Valentine, Echo and the Bunnymen, Akron/Family… Are you unable to appreciate music without labelling it? Have you become the thing you hate? 😉
What I will say is that I generally avoid festivals because you have to deal with such an unwieldy, gross crowd.
The decemeberists worst living band? that's a farce if i've ever heard one. their new material is nothing amaznig and i can understand people not liking it but stuff from Picaresque was great.
If we get to the nuts and bolts of the matter, if you want to put Decemberists on a list of the worst bands in history, sure. But there are probably fifty slots that any rational human being would find easy to fill first. I won't name names, but you could throw a rock and hit a band worse than the Decemberists.
Bonnaroo: I like 3 or more of those bands you listed, but would i travel to see a festival of even those you listed? Hell, no. Is that a killer line-up to you even if every band you mentioned is decent to good (for arguments sake sure, but the Beastie Boys? Maybe when i was in college).
Also, are those people in that video worth hanging out with to see those bands?
I also hate music festivals and this one is still aggressively average. I suppose i should be less a snob and figure it's good for people in the middle of the country who can't see those bands on a regular basis.
All points west: goddamn, give me something special. That's MBV and i suppose Echo in the bunnymen, the rest, eh… fine i suppose, but not enough to move me.
Coachella-rock, predictable, dull, boring. When was the last time any of these bands did something exciting?
I've all but disavowed guitar music made by white people. it's a snooze.
the stereogum/bkvegan/pitchfork conversation is the same chase-each-others tail one over and over again and puts me to sleep.
Sorry, Radiohead release two pretty boring records in a row.
In the immortal words of Zack Galifianakis from the hilarious Purple Onion DVD (must-see): I've moved on.
I've managed to stay out of the conversation, despite also not thinking the Decemberists suck (although they are overated)…that is until Radiohead is dissed.
Yes, Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows were average by Radiohead standards and didn't yield any classics (save for There There and All I Need), but compared to most music, or should I say guitar music made by white people, they're still in a league of their own. I don't dig the festival circuit either, but would've/should've gone to both Coachella and Bonnaroo when Radiohead were headlining. You need to watch their Grammy Awards performance again if you don't think they are the most vital thing in music today. Or maybe they've just brainwashed me.
But saying guitar music made by white people sucks is like something Damon Albarn would say.
I understand now why The Playlist doesn't like going to music festivals. He has no friends that would go with him because he's one of those people that doesn't like any music that anyone else likes for the sake of being original.
Heh, no i just get sick of musical ham after awhile and want to try a new flavor. I would assume most people with discerning tastes who devour culture would expect the same thing.