Monday, February 23, 2009
TV On The Radio(head)
Radiohead is overrated
There. I said it. Get over it. Radiohead is basically a one hit wonder. "Creep" is good, that's it. Sorry music nerds, it's the truth. You probably think I'm insane, but I will try to explain to you why I feel this way....and what it has to do with TV On The Radio.
Some bands are only liked by fans because they're mainstream with out being "mainstream". Radiohead's music is on the radio and Radiohead is in the news, but you never really see them do interviews so they're "mysterious". A Radiohead fan can mold the band into whatever they want them to be because they don't know much about them.
There is also a very slim chance members of Radiohead are going to get caught doing something awful in the tabloids. So fans will never have to worry about having to explain to friends why their favorite band is doing blow with Tila Tequilla on the cover of US Weekly. Fans never have to worry about Radiohead losing credibility. This point is especially big for hipsters. They love feeling/being pretentious. It would be hard to justify liking Radiohead if they just performed a duet with Miley Cyrus on the MTV Music Awards.
Liking Radiohead will also gain you instant music credibility. If you are asked "what are some bands you listen to" and you answer "Radiohead" you are perceived to know "good music". The reason for this is because no one will admit that Radiohead's music isn't that great. Because everyone is afraid to admit that they don't really "get" Radiohead it has just become accepted over time that they are good, and no one can be convinced other wise.
Why am i writing a post to tell you all this? The newest member in the overrated band Hall Of Fame is TV On The Radio. Their latest album Dear Science, was hailed as one of the best albums of last year by numerous publications. I've listened to the album. I've even listened to their first album.
I don't get it!
I realized this upon seeing TV On The Radio on SNL a couple weeks ago. They were awful. You can watch the performances HERE. I know they have claimed that they had sound problems but I don't believe it. You know who else had sound problems on SNL....Ashlee Simpson, and everyone wanted her to give up music for the rest of her life. Not even making music, people wanted her to even stop listening to music. People tried to ban her from experiencing music, they only wanted her to feel for vibrations like a deaf person. Brutal.
So, congrats TV On The Radio, you are now weird enough that people automatically just claim your amazing because they don't want to be the only one to say "I don't get it".
Plus people(READ: white people) won't say black people who play instruments aren't good. How many of your friends like The Roots? How many of your friends actually have any of their albums or could name more than two Roots songs? Exactly.
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4 comments:
first of all, if you like creep you dont really get radiohead and what they do, creep could have been made or played by any other regularly talented singer. The only good thing about radiohead is that it gave them the chance to continue growing and exploring new sounds, completely different than creep ( thank good ! ), creep is for everyone, radiohead is not. Im not saying you dont know about music, but a music group can be great, at a genius level but that doesnt mean you have to like them. I'd like to know what everyone thinks about it. Thanks
You, my friend, are a fool. TV On the Radio are one of the best bands out there right now and this has nothing to do with race. In addition, the bulk of Radiohead's output is entirely dissimilar to "Creep". To use that particular song as a part of your argument reflects poorly on you AND the level of attention you have obviously not paid to this band. There is a reason why Radiohead are so popular (oh, and by the way, they DON'T get played on the radio good sir). And in addition, I get the impression that you think there are only two TV On the Radio albums. When you say "I listened to their new album and i also listened to their first album" I can't tell if you listened to Return to Cookie Mountain, Desperate Youth and Bloodthirsty Babes, or Young Liars. Clarify?
besides radiohead and TV on the radio what bands do you listen to?
At the moment? Grizzly Bear, Of Montreal, Morrissey, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Arab Strap, The Smiths, Joy Division, Sufjan Stevens, Broken Bells, Vampire Weekend, Telekinesis, Jeffrey Lewis, Those are the artists that have been getting a lot of play recently.
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