new reviews up - Tinted Windows controversy
Powerpopaholic
response to the drubbing The Tinted Windows is getting with the elite
music media. While I agree it's not a great album -- it is still
pretty good (about 4 good songs). If it was anyone else playing it
would get a 7 rating. Because it's a group of power pop all stars many
expected better.
David Bash
The melodies and chord changes are too "safe" for me to really get
into it. Having said that, I do agree that if the album had been
recorded by an unknown band, the expectation level would have been
lower and the perception would have been greater.
David Bash
Holmes Online
> response to the drubbing The Tinted Windows is getting with the elite
> music media.
GMTA - I posted my review today and noticed that although several sources
gave it strong reviews (see pull quotes at band site) a ton of places went
above and beyond to give it an extra kick after it was down. I feel
completely the opposite - I think it's the powerpop record of 2009 to date.
Review here: http://drbristol.wordpress.com/
cheers
bill
Robert Stupay
My $.02
Holmes Online
>Agreed that it is the power pop record of the year thus far. The real
>controversy should be why anyone cares about CD reviews and their reviewers
>in today's world. With the plethora of places to hear samples, listen to
>full clips and/or videos, and let's face it, downright steal the album
>before you buy - I'm pretty sure we can all decide if it's worth buying on
>our own. I can't help wondering why anyone cares about these reviews good
>or bad.
As a fan, I still read reviews to find out what's out there, what people I
am familiar with think about it, whose names are getting dropped in "sounds
like" comparisons...especially if it's a new band. It's more a matter of
not-enough-time-in-the-day to go preview/hear everything and the desire to
prioritize. (Same thing with discovering a band on MySpace - there are
thousands and thousands of bands out there, I need a filter!)
As a writer...well, I hope someone is interested enough after reading to go
check out a band I'm recommending. (Print space and time both being at a
premium, I'm not making great efforts to talk about things I *don't* like).
And yes, the ability to go hear it after reading is the best "step 2"
possible.
cheers
bill
ps - is it me, or have 5 posts in 24 hours been more activity than the rest
of 2009 combined?
Stewart Mason
>Agreed that it is the power pop record of the year thus far. The
>real controversy should be why anyone cares about CD reviews and
>their reviewers in today's world. With the plethora of places to
>hear samples, listen to full clips and/or videos, and let's face it,
>downright steal the album before you buy - I'm pretty sure we can all
>decide if it's worth buying on our own. I can't help wondering why
>anyone cares about these reviews good or bad.
On the other hand, there's a few thousand albums coming out every
year, and nobody has the time to hear everything on their own. I
still depend on reviews for leads on things I might (or might not) be
interested in, and can't imagine how many great albums I'd have missed
out on if I hadn't read about them somewhere.
S
Powerpopaholic
with this album. Most either hated it or loved it. I totally disagree
with Dr.Bristol that power pop "doesn't have a market" or doesn’t have
a fan fest (I think IPO qualifies). It's true, power pop doesn’t go
well with skateboards and hoodies or have it's own MTV show. That's
because this is an underground fan base -- and being such means it's
only noticed by mainstream music media, when a group like Tinted
Windows gets together. It's a lot like porn actors -- they tend to be
ignored until someone makes "Boogie Nights" and it opens up the
awareness about how ingrained it is in pop culture.
As pop music falls lower on the American cultural totem pole, less
space is being given to it by both print and TV (remember when MTV
actual was about music?) the indie blogs are one of the best places to
get any kind of recommendations on new music. And it's nice to see the
conversation starting here... finally.
- Aaron
Holmes Online
>>. I totally disagree with Dr.Bristol that power pop "doesn't have a
>>market" or doesn’t have a fan fest (I think IPO qualifies). It's true,
>>power pop doesn’t go well with skateboards and hoodies or have it's own
>>MTV show. That's because this is an underground fan base -- and being such
>>means it's only noticed by mainstream music media, when a group like
>>Tinted Windows gets together. It's a lot like porn actors -- they tend to
>>be ignored until someone makes "Boogie Nights" and it opens up the
>>awareness about how ingrained it is in pop culture.
With all due respect to IPO, it can't hold a candle to Jamfest and the VANS
tour and the Country music Fan Fest - those are all huge events and the
centerpiece of a larger series of events that are also very popular. I've
been to enough gigs over the years to know that the powerpop crowds are
paltry in comparison to most other music...if the gigs can get booked at all
(maybe folk is a comparable example). That's not a reflection about the
quality of the bands or the music, but if that many people were truly into
the powerpop movement, these clubs would be packed to the rafters on a
consistent basis, and they're not. The records would sell more, and they're
not. The bands would be more famous, and they're not. Hell, even garage
bands with the push of Little Steven behind them are having a hard time
breaking big. I think your very response proves my point - it takes a
special effort to get anyone to pay attention...and then they go back to
what sells.
Powerpop isn't a new thing, so it's not an "awareness" issue - it had its
moment and hopefully will again (all thing being cyclical). But there's no
market for it from a mass perspective - the radio shows that feature it are
niche programs maybe running once a week, or internet radio shows buried in
the thousands of offerings. Ironically..."pop" isn't popular. So if your
porn example were true and we woke the sleeping giant - where did all those
"Stacy's Mom" lovers go? Why didn't "That Thing You Do" become a massive
hit?
What it *will* take is a lot more bands who like the format writing and
recording and touring it and not getting discouraged. People were laughing
at geezers staying with their Zeppelin and Cream records until the
groundswell of new bands influenced by them started breaking through and
kids started playing their Dad's record collection. Will the music of
Badfinger, The Raspberries and The Beat get the same explosive revival?
My point was that powerpop had its time, and might again, but it's not going
to have the rush of something new and exciting to help it explode. Hell, in
this fragmented society, will anything ever "explode" again that's not
calculated to do just that (i.e. American Idol - would we have heard of any
of these people without the huge focus of the show?). But I love the work
that David Bash and Bruce Brodeen and John Borack and a lot of other people
do trying to support the music, not to mention the bands that are out there
banging away with little or no reward.
I think there's a difference between an underground movement and a cult
audience - and I think powerpop is in the latter camp. Movement to me
suggests growth, and I'm not seeing much. I hope I'm wrong.
b
jaye n
has all the elements of what made powerpop great back in 1979. Still
waiting for a Powerpopaholic review.
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