When was the last time you were genuinely shocked by a song/album/etc?

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I've just heard Confession Nervous Gender from the Soft Pink Truth's Do You Want New Wave..., and found myself double-taking at the content. It was on just as background noise at work, which is what may have made it more surprising when I cottoned on to what the lyrics were.

I'm not quite sure how I feel with myself for being shocked, as I don't shock easily. Perhaps 'shocked' is the wrong way to describe what I felt--surprise may be a better term--but the thread question remains.

tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

1991, upon hearing "X-Communication" by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult for the first time.

The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Last night because I didn't appreciate this one noisy (as opposed to noize) album on Mego would be so damn loud and irritating (in a good way) from the first second in. Cue sudden rush to the volume control.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Xiu Xiu's "Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angel Death Song)". it's the first song in years that i've literally felt myself cringe at. surely its not the most shocking thing out there, but i felt dirty the first time i heard it.

jonviachicago, Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, the short-distance volume control dash should be an Olympic sport.

x-post

tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:14 (twenty-one years ago)

ditto w/ jonviachicago, along with "fabulous muscles", the song.

Simon H. (Simon H.), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Ditto Xui Xui whatever is was I heard by then last time (some free download somewhere).

Not shocked in a good way mind, more of a "wow, people will accept any old shit as music given the right context these days"

peep, Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe the first time I heard The Monks' "Complication" a few years back. Given the day and age it was recorded in, of course.

Clay (cws), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

"Bumper of my SUV"

Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Pretty much every time I listen to a stream from RinseFM or 1Xtra there's a point at which I have to stop whatever I'm working on and just listen in amazement.

Brian Miller (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Basically any song by J-Zone shocks me.

mrjosh (mrjosh), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

"Not shocked in a good way mind, more of a "wow, people will accept any old shit as music given the right context these days"
- I completely agree on this about Xui Xui.

Similarly, "Fit But You Know It" by the Streets makes something iside me curl up and die. It's just soooooo awful in so many ways. Like Jilted John without any jokes. The only shocking thing is that people like it.

ourwulliewallpaper, Tuesday, 25 January 2005 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

"Drop it like it's hot" By Snoop. The "bitch get an attitude..." line. Well I suppose it's not shocking but I was fairly disgusted.

Kv_n, Tuesday, 25 January 2005 16:29 (twenty-one years ago)

discovered america's "harbour" and can't stop playing it.did this sell ?
also discovered prince "emancipation",xanadu soundtrack and 5 x bay city rollers

harbour townie, Tuesday, 25 January 2005 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

"I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning"

Because I loathe Oberst, but this is quite good and I've been listening to it on repeat since last night.

alex-w, Tuesday, 25 January 2005 17:02 (twenty-one years ago)

OTM with Xiu Xiu.

I cringed hearing it for the first time. I didn't really pay attention to the rest of the album I just downloaded, barely listening. Then it perked my attention. I felt sort of disgusted and thought, "My God, people I like and respect enjoy this band?" I promptly deleted the entire CD without giving it another chance.

Mickey (modestmickey), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

i fully agree on the xiu xiu tip. i'll never get it. but I think i was more shocked like 20 seconds into joanna newsom's album which i bought off of all the reviews, when I heard her voice I was like NOOOO, i kept flipping to the next song to see if she was always going to sing that way. i too then promptly deleted her from my itunes. i went back 3 months later, and was equally annoyed. it's official, she sucks

owen reading, Tuesday, 25 January 2005 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

The first time I heard "Next" by Scott Walker.

polyphonic (polyphonic), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 17:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Curiously, I am now incredibly eager to download Xiu Xiu

tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

It was a while ago, but Zappa's "Briefcase Boogie" from Thingfish.

Also, somewhat more recently, Metheny's Zero Tolerance for Silence.

And even more recently, my first listening of Squarepusher.

Of course they were "shocking" in different ways.

Kevin Kenan (kevin k), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Squarepusher is surprisingly impenetrable and well, not really worth the effort involved in listening for me. I've only heard Go Plastic though.

peep, Tuesday, 25 January 2005 18:50 (twenty-one years ago)

One of Eminem's anti-Benzino raps was pretty over-the-top - he brings up Benzino's wife's suicide attempt... Of course Benzino then "threatened" Em's kid with rape and murder...

schwantz, Tuesday, 25 January 2005 23:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Scott Walker - Tilt
XTC - Apple Venus vol. 1

One made me hide under my blankets and the other made me laugh, but both made me say "what the fuck?" more times than anything else I can remember music-wise.

Having heard Kid A tons of times, then hearing it on decent headphones for the first time while stoned the other evening was also pretty astounding.

sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 01:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha omg how could I forget this one...

A couple years ago when I was still downloading music I came across the most bizarre album I've ever heard in my entire life. To this day, it still holds that title. It was tagged "metal," but I wouldn't call it that. The album starts off with this really gloomy, dark instrumentation. It sounds like the intro to a black metal song before they really go crazy or something. Then a guy starts talking. He's not speaking his lines poetically or anything, just talking. What makes it really bizarre is that he's reading some Bible-esque prophecy shit about the coming apocalypse. As he reads it, it's like how an older brother might have read you horror stories when you were a kid. Really fucking dramatic, but not to the point that it becomes silly. He's taking it dead serious.

So, I listened for about a minute and started to think, "This is one fucking long intro..." Skipped. Same stuff. Skipped some more. Same stuff. The whole fucking album was that! Gloomy instrumentation with the "lead singer" prophesizing the apocalypse. The entire album! I went to the bands webpage, and oh my God, not only are they dead serious, but they dressed in black metal type costumes too.

After discovering this, Christ, I can't even explain the mix of emotions I felt. It was a jumble of confusion, disgust, embarrassment, and a loss of faith in humanity. I deleted that shit off my harddrive faster than Xiu Xiu.

Mickey (modestmickey), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 03:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Just a little more information. This was their fourth or so album, and I think it had the IV Roman numerals in the title. Maybe something generic even like "Prophecy IV." The information I read about the album pre-downloading it hyped it as their finest moment, a masterpiece in their series! Holy. Fucking. Shit.

Mickey (modestmickey), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 03:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Ray Charles "Understanding", for this spoken word part in the middle:

Now listen I dont want you to think that this is a
one sided affair , no no
because my old lady also understands that a man must
have respect
what I mean is , if she must play around dont let me
catch her , because what I dont see cant hurt me , you
understand? but on the other hand , If I should ever
catch her Im not gonna talk about-a
and call her a bunch of bad names like you all might
no no mh
what Im gonna do , Im gonna go down-town to the
hardware store and buy myself a double blade axe ,
come back , square off, and believe her soul“s gonna
belong to the good lord
because her head's gonna belong to me , and I
guarantie she'll know what I mean when Ill say..

Matos was there to witness my jaw falling to the floor. He may have been shocked by a song since, but this is still the last memorable one for me, anyway.

donut christ (donut), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

The first time I heard Cannibal Corpse (my first experience with death metal, in early high school), I literally took a step back from the stereo.

Still has a similar effect today.

cdwill, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 04:37 (twenty-one years ago)

because what I dont see cant hurt me

Aheheh*cough*sorry.

OleM (OleM), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:05 (twenty-one years ago)


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