OK that was just one bad performance by one band. To me the whole Chillwave/Witch House thing is people who make very interesting noises but so far are terribly incompetent at songwriting. But that's gotta change at some point, I hope.
― the subject of many men’s thoughts (daavid), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:34 (thirteen years ago) link
But that's gotta change at some point, I hope.
well but the thing is & this is what my long post was about: it doesn't change if you get buzz/shows/money at a loads-of-people-see-it level early on; where's the impetus to improve if you're already playing for big crowds before you're writing anything worth hearing? in indie rock since forever, people who get successful while they're still rocking some really annoying affectations/bad singing don't then learn to sing/drop the affectations. they play them up, because the message they've gotten was "this is the side your bread is buttered on."
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:39 (thirteen years ago) link
(and if they do actually get better, it can be a very irksome uphill battle persuading supporters that you're not actually "selling out"/changing your style for ignoble reasons)
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:40 (thirteen years ago) link
people who get successful while they're still rocking some really annoying affectations/bad singing don't then learn to sing/drop the affectations
there's also the thing in indie rock, though, where the people get more and more successful and totally lose the thing that made them interesting in the first place
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:44 (thirteen years ago) link
which seems to have happened lately to The National, Wilco, Conor Oberst, Spoon, Broken Social Scene, etc., etc.
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:45 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah I think that effect is generally overstated by indie ppl who're just mad that they don't get to feel as exclusive as they did before
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:47 (thirteen years ago) link
not citing you necessarily, I don't listen to much of that stuff and am mainly thinking of people who hated on Wowee Zowee because it wasn't Slanted: there were plenty of 'em, but nowadays they all pretend they loved WZ from the jump
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:48 (thirteen years ago) link
sure, it totally is overstated a lot of the time, but as someone who genuinely loved and still loves super hyped records by all of those bands, it also just seems true
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:57 (thirteen years ago) link
I got five bucks says in three years you'll revisit High Violet and say "this is loads better than than I thought it was when I wanted it to be the same record as its predecessor"
obligatory disclosure, I haven't heard & probably won't ever hear High Violet though I like its name.
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:02 (thirteen years ago) link
why won't you hear it? do you avoid a lot of the big name indie bands?
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:03 (thirteen years ago) link
"this is loads better than than I thought it was when I wanted it to be the same record as its predecessor"
i don't usually have this with issue with any band, really -- i mean, I like Master of Puppets and parts of St. Anger, so. not that those two records were consecutively released, but
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:05 (thirteen years ago) link
I don't listen to much indie rock at all unless I think the lyrics are awesome or the musicianship is of ridiculously high caliber
guess how often that's the case
starting a suggest ban campaign because you said you like parts of st. anger
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:09 (thirteen years ago) link
anyway that's enough of this, nobody cares about indie rock any more than anybody cares about witch house
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:10 (thirteen years ago) link
why though? i'm genuinely curious why you don't really dig the genre much!
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:10 (thirteen years ago) link
I kind of am uninterested in making the witch house thread the "how I feel about indie rock" thread yo
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:12 (thirteen years ago) link
alright dude, fair enough
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:13 (thirteen years ago) link
anyway, I just listened to "Frost" on Pitchfork, and I really, really like it! so I'm willing to give them a second chance; it seems credible enough that at least some of the reason for the abject awfulness of the Fader Fort performance is directly due to sound problems at the venue
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:26 (thirteen years ago) link
Salem's tracks on their 7"s *ARE* really great! And some of their homemade videos are incredibly haunting and hypnotic (there are several linked in the other thread). I think Whiney's whole This is barely music. Most bands that make formless noise put more energy and care into their art than this is bullshit, actually - Salem have managed to create a genuinely interesting sound and aesthetic (that *of course* is going to be cheapened by sound-a-like bands and inclusion in a blog-christened "scene" with a ridiculous name). Those live videos are just really unfortunate, in every way.
― Becky Facelift, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:35 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah, they really are -- even given sound problems, the disparity between that they're doing in those videos and the quality of "Frost" is kinda insane
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:58 (thirteen years ago) link
actually those videos make 'frost' sound terrible to me. same shitty musicians and presets, it's just on the grid and mixed better.
― emotional radiohead whatever (Jordan), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 16:02 (thirteen years ago) link
(i only just heard it for the first time now btw)
― emotional radiohead whatever (Jordan), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 16:03 (thirteen years ago) link
"this misstep exposes them" vs. "this poor showing does not indicate their true qualities" is kind of an intractable ideological battleground imo
― get your bucket of free wings (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 16:04 (thirteen years ago) link
whatever the deal is, that track is solid and those videos certainly are not. in a different venue, at a different time, with a different atmosphere and sound, and with more practice, i could see their live show being far more compelling
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 16:06 (thirteen years ago) link
"that track is solid" vs "that track is not solid, but boring and canned"
― emotional radiohead whatever (Jordan), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 16:20 (thirteen years ago) link
yes, we disagree regarding "Frost"
― ksh, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 16:24 (thirteen years ago) link
The Levis Fader Fort thread
― how do i spud webb (am0n), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 16:39 (thirteen years ago) link
i called this shit Screw Wave. such a better name
― surfboard dudes get wiped out, totally, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 17:13 (thirteen years ago) link
it seems credible enough that at least some of the reason for the abject awfulness of the Fader Fort performance is directly due to sound problems at the venue
i don't think sound problems are to blame for out of tune singing, incredibly bad electronic percussion playing and random synth noodling. very keen to hear what their studio side is like now.
― stirmonster, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 17:33 (thirteen years ago) link
They have a good eye for graphic design as their album covers all look great.
There's a part of me that is disappointed that when you take away the fog machine and reverb and slowed down vocals the entire affair is less than stellar but then really I don't give a fuck, because the studio version of Redlights has an awesome melody, a great cool sound and is honestly a lot more interesting to listen to than most Wierd records bands -- who are mining similar goth territory and can be just as embarrassing live.
― filthy dylan, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 20:22 (thirteen years ago) link
im fucking with GR†LLGR†LL right now
― surfboard dudes get wiped out, totally, Thursday, 17 June 2010 14:58 (thirteen years ago) link
Some famous Neptunes productions use (nearly?) all presets - that's not much of a criticism to lay on witch house.
I think a lot of music in the pop idiom is unimaginative and most pop is a hair's width away from feelings of oh god why do I like this, so I have place in my heart for half-baked ideas in pop music if I have a place in my heart for pop at all.
NB: I haven't heard any witch house.
― bamcquern, Thursday, 17 June 2010 16:41 (thirteen years ago) link
a good use of presets feels definitive imo, like "oh shit, they own that one now." or at least uses it in a context that makes it feel fresh, and not lazy.
(of course, putting presets through an awesome audio chain and great mastering, like the neptunes have access to, sure doesn't hurt)
― emotional radiohead whatever (Jordan), Thursday, 17 June 2010 16:57 (thirteen years ago) link
Balam Acab EP announced....
http://pitchfork.com/news/39193-new-release-balam-acab-isee-birdsi-ep/
― sobones_robin, Thursday, 17 June 2010 21:21 (thirteen years ago) link
wow hadn't seen those fader fort salem things.
dude kinda has a jay from jay and silent bob vibe
― it's detlef season, you schrempfs (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 30 June 2010 20:19 (thirteen years ago) link
What do we think about Mater Suspiria Vision? Some kind of Detroit Techno leanings and some really cool vimeos.
― the food has a top snake of 1 (ulillillia), Wednesday, 30 June 2010 21:16 (thirteen years ago) link
wow hadn't seen those fader fort salem things
not sure how you avoided em since the same videos have been spammed across about four threads now
― dmr, Wednesday, 30 June 2010 21:33 (thirteen years ago) link
i figured "fader fort salem" was some meme that i didn't get. good to know! the vids are laughable for a second, but more "i fear for the future of my nation" tbh.
― goole, Wednesday, 30 June 2010 21:36 (thirteen years ago) link
Got me thinkingI wish I was leavin’If not...then I’d rather be somewhere elseI’m not tryin’ to be here, by myselfIf you were here too, I’d still be near myself
― Q and Not Gucci (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 1 July 2010 15:15 (thirteen years ago) link
the one white ring song was pretty cool but overall this music seems kind of pathetic
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 1 July 2010 15:22 (thirteen years ago) link
If you were here too, I’d still be near myself
^^i might ponder this lyric the rest of my days
― Q and Not Gucci (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 1 July 2010 15:22 (thirteen years ago) link
re: fader fort salem, i am torn between feeling bad for them because of the high probability that they're sad fucked up ppl who are getting taken advantage of and being disgusted by them because they don't have the pride/dignity to put together a halfway decent live performance.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 1 July 2010 15:24 (thirteen years ago) link
the high probability that they're sad fucked up ppl
What
― Your review is so far outside the realms of reality (ksh), Thursday, 1 July 2010 16:27 (thirteen years ago) link
well, in addition to the interview where the one dude from salem talks about being a prostitute and taking tons of drugs (hey i have no reason to disbelieve him) no way in hell is that a sober performance.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 1 July 2010 17:25 (thirteen years ago) link
Hung out with them in a festival green room; dudes didn't eat any pizza just drank gin gin gin gin. They're totally sweet guys, but probably junkies.
― the food has a top snake of 1 (ulillillia), Thursday, 1 July 2010 17:32 (thirteen years ago) link
http://witchhaus.blogspot.com/
― the food has a top snake of 1 (ulillillia), Thursday, 1 July 2010 18:47 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah fwiw I don't know if dude was a prostitute or not, but he's not really said anything that I don't believe; from what I've heard, Traverse City is one of the most closeted cities in the country...
― is this the end of zombie Shakespeare? (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 1 July 2010 18:59 (thirteen years ago) link
witch house seems to exist in some alternate universe where bands name themselves after ilx display names
― /\/K/\/\, Thursday, 1 July 2010 19:24 (thirteen years ago) link
haha no doubt, you in particular should try to sell yours to one, it totally fits
― Q and Not Gucci (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 1 July 2010 19:26 (thirteen years ago) link
these guys are basically trolling right
― surfer blood for oil (Hurting 2), Thursday, 1 July 2010 19:26 (thirteen years ago) link
have we mentioned SLEEP ∞ OVER
their name says witch house, but i', not sure if they are and i need someone to tell me so I know which emerging subculture i am aligning myself with when i enjoy their streaming audio and video files
― surfboard dudes get wiped out, totally, Thursday, 1 July 2010 23:15 (thirteen years ago) link
love the hyped-up, busy d&b drum tracks too.
― lil urbane (Jordan), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:32 (nine years ago) link
sorry to get all Chris Ott here, but it's unfuckingbelievable to me that I can count at least three "tastemaking" music websites staffed with living breathing 30-somethings can actually feign excitement over underdone, underdeveloped bullshit like witch house and chillwave.
― baout it baout it (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, June 14, 2010 11:57 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
cf., "PC Music"
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:35 (nine years ago) link
oh hi whiney
― lil urbane (Jordan), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:41 (nine years ago) link
some of the PC Music shit is super prog, i thought you would be into it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJHsaGU09No
and what about this sounds underdeveloped?https://soundcloud.com/pcmus/in-my-dreams
― lil urbane (Jordan), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:43 (nine years ago) link
(i don't know why i try)
― lil urbane (Jordan), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 21:08 (nine years ago) link
Also some of it sounds like Cocteau Twins Garlands - the guiltiest of goth pleasures.
I'd like to know what sounds like Garlands because that is the opposite of a guilty pleasure, delicious as it gets. I really wish they had more albums like that (as well as the early EPs). I've meant to investigate this stuff for years but the only stuff I heard sounded quite boring. I was hoping for something like Aghast or Divine Punishment era Diamanda Galas.
Sleep Over sounded cool but that's pretty much gothic dreampop, doesn't sound like a new genre.
Will check samples of Creep soon hopefully.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 00:44 (nine years ago) link
Is any of the newer stuff on Phantasma worth checking out?
http://phantasmadisques.bigcartel.com/products
― Ethnically Ambiguous / 28 - 45 (ShariVari), Monday, 13 April 2015 19:38 (nine years ago) link
The Canadian duo DKMD do a nice line in giallo-influenced disco that overlaps with a lot of witch house stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udcujCjOebk
The VV17CHØU7 club events in Moscow look really fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6vL0r_VGB0
Cult and Crossparty are probably the pick of the artists.
― I wear my Redditor loathing with pride (ShariVari), Sunday, 2 August 2015 20:46 (eight years ago) link
she say im down wih huh, i say bitch you aloneyou lyin wit the flesh, lyin with the boneshe say i'm lyin wih huh, my mind in the SKREETi say i'm not with me, i'm with she, i'm with shenow plane lights blinkin, off in da eveningot me thinkin, wish i was leavinit's not that i'm tryna be somewhere elsei'm not tryna be here... by myselfif you were here too i'd still be with myselfi talk real loud, i don't wanna hear myselfi'm faraway lost and i don't want helpif you could bring me back, i kill myself... haaanot myself, that's just myselfi don't know if you could tell, but i'm in helli don't know if you noticed, but i haven't spokenmy arm might be broken, i'm so sick of jokin
― underrated SCAREosmith albums I have loved (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, October 9, 2010 2:15 AM (4 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― dick wet with chickenshit (Whiney G. Weingarten), Sunday, 2 August 2015 20:52 (eight years ago) link
I love listening to Witch House playlists on Spotify at work because A. I like the way it sounds and B. the people who want to come into my office and give me more work to do cannot take even 15 seconds of it and flee
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Monday, 29 January 2018 20:51 (six years ago) link
"Come back there's some Brokencyde you need to hear too."
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 29 January 2018 20:55 (six years ago) link
it's like the perfect combination of boy band techno and creepy industrial noises, EVERYBODY hates it
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Monday, 29 January 2018 20:56 (six years ago) link
except me!
was listening to the Creep album on the way to work which was more witch house-adjacent, but it made me remember "witch house"
kept mumbling "wiiiiitch hoooouse" to myself in the car
― mh, Monday, 29 January 2018 20:57 (six years ago) link
my neighbor witch house would be an excellent kid's animated film
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Monday, 29 January 2018 20:59 (six years ago) link
I haven't caught up with it recently, but I used to listen to this Spotify playlist all the time.
https://open.spotify.com/user/12145454449/playlist/0ZYCdcbhJ3Uy1zcB9JHVeW?si=E0b7MIHgR3atP219YudxfQ
add your favorite witch house playlists here (I guess).
― fffv, Monday, 29 January 2018 22:29 (six years ago) link
the one I really loved on Youtube seems to have disappeared, sadly
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Monday, 29 January 2018 23:41 (six years ago) link
also we looked up the translated lyrics to ic3peak's "Грустная Сука" and they're pretty great:
I’m ruining your day with my dead pale faceI don’t care about you being triggeredWild dogs are afraid both of me and of fireThat’s not a coincidence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf99kdFw9b8
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Monday, 29 January 2018 23:49 (six years ago) link
if you were here too I'd still be by myself
― bhad and bhabie (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 30 January 2018 00:32 (six years ago) link
Talking of Russian Witch House, I was just thinking about Vagina Vangi. They did a few EPs and things about five years ago, I liked this one -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvcQ4P2CcDo
(warning that it doesn't really get going until the second half)
And they did quite a few remixes of note, like this version of Ghetto Ass Witch by †‡†
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNEksbngz9E
They were definitely a bit cheesy but still exactly what I wanted from witch house.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 30 January 2018 22:09 (six years ago) link
https://www.nts.live/shows/physical-therapy/episodes/physical-therapy-22nd-march-2024
Witch House special!
― boxedjoy, Saturday, 30 March 2024 11:28 (one month ago) link