who is Bob Lefsetz?

we pick on dero a lot but he's a competent writer that is generally writing about music and albums and concerts that are occurring not insane flights of fantasy and senile "hip and with it" technoramblings of an insane rich eagles fan

"one of those MTV videos"

and at least DeRo is one of the few people out there still trying to keep R Kelly's misdeeds on people's minds.

indirectly, so is Lefsetz

lol

R Kelly's misdeeds on people's minds

he didn't pee on anybody's brain, dude

omg

A year or more ago, Lefsetz used to post responses to his blogposts from both regular folks and music biz insiders. Sometimes they even disagreed with him or criticized his point of view. Alas, he now only seems to post responses from music biz folks who agree with him.

He could do some research and see that Tinashe is on the Billboard hot 100, but nah, he'd rather rant

TOP TEN LISTS

Let's call them what they are, not the ten best records or books, but the ones that are gonna make you look good by quoting them.

Earlier today I was reading the Top Ten records from the L.A. "Times" critics. In some cases, I'd never even heard of the albums.

Check 'em out here: http://lat.ms/1JQdyF4

Have you heard of "Ought" and "Cold Specks"? They're on Chris Barton's list.

How about Tinashe, White Lung and Arca? August Brown listed them.

I could keep listing the obscurities, but it's just going to give fodder to the experts, so deep in their holes that they think this off the radar stuff deserves to go mainstream and the problem is radio doesn't play it and Spotify doesn't pay for it and you wonder why most people tune out music.

You can't list Eric Church's "Outsiders," because too many people bought it, it's too popular. You can't be a member of society, you must be an "other."

This is an old paradigm run rampant.

Used to be there were comparatively few albums released and you made yourself feel good by denigrating the taste of the masses. That's right, you put on your black and judged anything popular as junk. But the internet blew a hole wide open in that paradigm. With so many albums released, that which is not successful is just obscure. And when you tell those who are not deep into your hole they're great and these people check them out and discover they're not, you do a disservice to music in general.

That's right, what's holding back music is all the self-righteous pricks who need to believe their obscure favorites are the best, that they're being ripped off by the system. It's these people who are muddying the water, making the scene incoherent.

In some cases, I'd never even heard of the albums.

This is basically a lazy tautology, no? I have never heard of them, therefore they are obscure. If this guy wasn't such a lazy, cowardly pussy he would actually listen to those so-called obscurities and try to write a coherent assault or admit defeat.

Or, conversely, one might suggest that anything listed in a major metropolitan newspaper is almost, by definition, not really obscure. Someone should show this guy an issue of The Wire's year-end.

Anyway, I wish this choad was more obscure.

The conspiracy continues. A few critics put an obscure artist like Tinashe on their year end lists and voila! a few days later she has more Spotify plays than superstars like Eric Church. Vast and pernicious.

Bob was so deep into my hole. He's great, you guys.

Tinashe is not only on the Hot 100 but "2 On" was certified platinum!

Platinum is just a million sales. There are, what, 7 billion people in the world? I think that means it is totally obscure. Let me know when she goes platinum x 100.

I can't even decipher the argument. You should only recommend things that people already know? Because they'll be intimidated or turned off if you recommend something they haven't heard of?

It's not populist if you're not talking about stuff everyone knows.

what is Bob Lefsetz

I understand actually criticizing Lefsetz at this point is sort of like shooting Bjork's goldfish, but I'm going to do it anyway. Like Bob, I hadn't heard Ought before their name started popping up in year-end "best of 2014 lists". Unlike Bob, I think of these lists as an opportunity to expand my knowledge, rather than a chance to confirm my pre-existing opinions. So I listened to Ought, and it turns out that I really like them. But hey, you keep right on cursing the darkness, Bob.

why does there have to be music i haven't heard of? it makes me feel weird

tbf, whoever was the editor for that list didn't google Arca either, or they'd realize the wrong label was listed for his album release

btw, for anyone who genuinely doesn't understand where lefsetz is coming from, i'll break it down for you. he is the voice of the People, and the music he likes is the People's music. people who champion music other than the music he champions are either elitist self-appointed gatekeepers, if he hasn't heard of the music, or purveyors of mind-numbing pap, if he has heard of the music and disapproves. you could actually make a decent argument that he is in fact the voice of the People considering the sheer number of people who have exactly this approach to judging the aesthetic value of creative work...

I just love his idea that some eager young music fans are going to have their spirits crushed because they excitedly go to listen to a White Lung song and are so disillusioned they give up on music forever.

this guy's ideology is so genuinely bizarre

He's like the Alex Jones of music commentary.

Does Alex Jones talk about pubescent girls as much?

if getting riled up about HPV vaccines counts, then yes.

2014: The Year White Lung killed music

should be noted that the dude also thinks taylor swift is obscure:

Name two songs from “1989.”

Even better, have you heard anything other than “Shake It Off?"

i'm not clear what records released this year he thinks anyone has listened to. besides, i guess, eric church.

"Radio Lefsetz Reminds You: Listen To The Church of Your Choice (As Long As It's Eric)"

bjork's goldfish?

well the silver lining here is i didn't even know there was a new cold specks record

zach: yeah, the one flopping around on the floor in faith no more's "epic" video. "shooting fish in a barrel" seemed somehow inadequate.

"Christmas used to mean something. Back when I was in college, we couldn't wait till Christmas. You'd hear about Christmas on the radio, and when it came to your town you were all primed for it. Everyone knew everything about Christmas. Hell, it was as big as the Eagles back in the 70s. No one cares anymore. Christmas isn't on the radio. Irving Azoff told me he couldn't even get Christmas into WalMart this year. That's because Christmas stopped caring about its fans. It became about organic chestnuts and free range turkey. Hell, the average Christmas fan in Omaha, Nebraska doesn't want organic chestnuts and free range turkey. He wants the Christmas he grew up with. Can anyone even name a present they got this Christmas? No, you can't. That's because Christmas stopped mattering etc etc etc"

what authority does this little man have

Is that what's bothering you, Bunkie?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qty7IP8wlXM

I like him calling Nilsson's "Coconut" the "All About That Bass" of its time.

in which he argues that luke bryan's "crash my party" is the song of the year partly on the grounds that it had more cultural impact than anything on tom petty's 2014 album:

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2014/12/26/song-year/

his "quote a lyric, then riff on thoughts you're having about it" style is so incredible

We just want to do it over again. Everything. With you. Start with a kiss, graduate to sex, we’re completely enthralled.

Funny that the 2014 song of the year features the lines

I’ve been listenin’ to the radio all night long
Sittin’ ’round waitin’ for it to come on and here it is

This roots the song, I scan XM ALL DAY LONG!

I worked an event for about a week earlier this year, and hit it off with one of the other guys on the backstage crew for the first couple days. then once he start raving about how great Luke Bryan's "Play It Again" and it just kinda ruined it. hate that song so much.

Is Luke Bryant one of those dudes who wears a baseball cap instead of a cowboy hat? Actually, that's pretty much of all 'em these days, isn't it.

Graduate to Sex: My Life in Music by Bob Lefsetz

^^There's a Cumme Laude joke in there, and I'm ruining the chance to make it.

there's a moment in the Nashville episode of Sonic Highways where someone is making a boilerplate comment about modern commercial country music, and they cut to a quick scene of Luke Bryan looking like this performing at an awards show without even saying his name, and it's such a cheap shot but i loved it anyway

http://www.cmt.com/sitewide/assets/img/events/2012/cma_awards/show/cma_awards_jk_155123869-x600.jpg

Luke Bryant rocks, fuck the Foo Fighters

i first read that as like "the 'sonic highways' episode of nashville" and thought whoa nashville goes a lot harder than i thought

President Keyes w a hot take, sizzlin!

What is with you guys and "hot takes"?