Green Day
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WARNING - an elitist music post. If you dont like that, dont read it :)
Green Day won 7 of 8 awards they were nominated for at the MTV music awards. Suddenly everyone's hailing the 'return of rock' to the mainstream. The media circus never fails to amuse, yet never succeeds in impressing.
The first 'punk rock opera'. First of all, let me make this clear: I despise punk rock. I am personally offended when they label Rage Against The Machine 'punk rock' because RATM is one of the most awesome rock bands to emerge, probably one of the the original 'anti-establishment' bands (back then anti-establishment actually meant something, and wasn't just another creation of establishment itself). Punk Rock Opera. What is it? Something new? No, just a concept album, this time punk rock (a concept album is an album where theres a definite theme running through all the songs). Concept albums are pretty cool, but nowhere near new. Opeth are about to release/just released (not sure) a new album, Ghost Reveries, which is a concept album, their second concept album. Its a pretty good album, not as good as their first, Still Life.
Anyway, I listened to American Idiot. I don't much like it. In fact, I don't like it at all. Its got 2 good songs, 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' and 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' (which is ruined by the silly end - you simply can't attach a progressive element to a song that runs without progression for almost for minutes and end it at that). Everything is else average, mediocre. The nine minute songs are with minimal progression. But then again, they aren't a progressive band, they're a 'punk rock' band. So don't make nine minute songs, simple.
Not that there isn't anything good on this album. I quite like Billy Joe's vocals, and there is a little creativity here and there when it comes to the guitar work. But not much - not enough to be heralded one of the best albums of the year, especially not in 2005 (I think it was 2004 though). 2005 has been the year where so many amazing albums have been released - at least in the underground.
I'll tell you what album I'm looking forward to. A band called Novembre - none of you will have heard of them - are releasing an album in a few months, after years of silence. No website, no press releases, one of the best bands I'd heard just disappeared. And suddenly they're back out of nowhere. Of course, the media will let this one go. What interest do they have in underground Italian progressive metal, a band not signed to any of the major labels and without a major fan following?
Opeth have had great success, and I suspect this album, Ghost Reveries, will launch them further into the mainstream - and thats good. They're a great band, and they deserve all the exposure they get. They haven't compromised their musical integrity, and they dont make silly music videos and the like.
Anyway, its not like Green Day are any worse than most rock bands - probably better. But I hate, HATE, hate it when the media makes such a big deal of completely underserving things.
Posted by illogicist at 5:19 AM
1 Comments
What are MTV awards based on? If its airplay (or video play, whatever they call it) then its by popular demand. Which, with all that why not give them the award? It has been awhile for a genre other than R&B to be successful.
Besides Z, its the MTV awards.. hardly any credibility there.
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