Episode 90 — Doom-Wop

[Alec 31]

I think people are taking Nick a little too seriously, he's being pretty silly if you ask me. And you don't have to be a HIPSTER/ELITIST to think that Linkin Park and Green Day should stop making music.

[Isaac Kozell 91]

As a fan of both Unicorns and Islands, I was surprised and delighted to hear Nick on Who Charted. I agree with Kulap when she said that it's nice to have a professional musician weigh in on the music chart. For those whose feathers were ruffled by some of his opinions please know that Nick has always had a dry, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. I'm not saying that he actually likes Linkin Park and Green Day. But I think he was stretching his comments to comedic proportions to fit his role as guest on a comedy podcast.

 

Also, my respect for Kulap's musical taste grows deeper. Purity Ring last week. Grimes this week. Keep it up, Ku!

[JuanaBlanca 15]

I'm just excited that my rap name is Blue Cheese.

[zack 9]

"

[Combustible Lemon 0]

I agree with most of his opinions but holy shit does this guy sound pretentious. I couldn't even finish listening to the podcast.

[Kodo 19]

Not sure where all the hate's coming from. I thought he was a good guest and Howie and Ku Ku played off him really well.

 

Besides he's got great music. The first 3 tracks on this album are keepers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy243wYSZ2o

[Brendan 96]

Sorry in advance, but I'm going to take this person to task a bit.

 

I have been on the Linkin Park train since the day it left the station in 2000. To listen to Howard and some dude I never heard of take a dump on them, comparing them to when a dad buys his kid a guitar or whatever it was... That was really irritating. I understand their music isn't for everyone, and I'm totally fine with that. I'm not a fan of the dance music that is discussed on this podcast, but I like Howard and Kulap, so I stick around.

 

I'll just remind you that Linkin Park just released their 5th consecutive album to debut at #1, and the only album they've released that didn't reach #1 was their debut album Hybrid Theory. Which while never reaching #1, is in the top 10 for total album sales for the decade of the 2000's.

 

I understand that album sales aren't everything. But since this a chart podcast, I thought I'd drop some chart knowledge in here. I'd also point out that they are one of the best live bands around. By live band, I mean, they don't hit play on the CD player and dance around for an hour and change costumes a few times. They sing their balls off, play their own instruments, and put on a great show. Lastly, the progression from the first album through the last one is amazing.

 

That's it, I just hate that they were thrown under the bus for no reason, and that like of musicianship seemed to be one of the reasons.

 

We all understand when you're a fan of something that hearing someone make disparaging comments towards it can be upsetting. But just like you have your opinions, so does everyone else. The whole hook of this show is hosts and guests judging pop culture, so keep that in mind, and also when you offer your own opinions.

 

That said, you cited the band's album sales as some proof of how "good" they are. It's true that it's an indicator of popularity, but it doesn't do anything to judge the merits of their music. Are they making music that is original? Are they elevating the art form? What exactly is their intention with their music? Is it an expression of themselves or is it just trying to make something "catchy?" Are they making songs with the intention of being popular so that they make more money? Are they virtuoso musicians that continue to advance their musicianship? These are a few questions I'd ask to truly judge any musician in today's landscape. I don't think every song has to try to achieve everything I've mentioned, but, in my opinion, too much of popular music is just a business designed to sell the most copies by imitating and/or looking for that "hook" that makes it have mass appeal.

 

The average music buyer isn't usually a musician or trained in music in any way, and usually has a limited "palate" in terms of what they like in music. Because they don't ever expand what they listen to beyond the mainstream, they generally can't appreciate other genres of music if those styles doesn't have the same elements, or hit the same "beats" as what they're used to listening to. Popular music is marketed toward the largest audience, which is the most limited in their knowledge of music and the most narrow in their taste. You may think Linkin Park's music is much different than that of Katy Perry or Tim McGraw, but the truth is, they are all heavily marketed music, designed to appeal to the largest amount of people as possible by using the same motifs, chords, lyrical styling and song structure. Adding to that, the music industry can also manipulate the market by pushing songs on the radio, in movies and on TV to get a lot pf people listening, and listening repeatedly, which helps reinforce the familiar nature of the songs.

 

Another point you made was that Linkin Park is "one of the best live bands around" based on the fact that they "sing their balls off, play their own instruments, and put on a great show." Setting aside that this is just your opinion (which you've admitted is biased), I find it sad that you consider a band "great" just because they don't use recorded music or do multiple costume changes. Granted, I haven't seen the band live, so I'm not going to say they don't put on a good show. But to say they're "one of the best" based on that criteria is limited. Symphonies perform music and don't rely on recordings, "dancing around" or costume changes. Opera singers "sing their balls off," and they don't even have the benefit of microphones to amplify their voices. Jazz musicians improvise new original melodies every time they play. Linkin Park is an extremely limited sounding band if you take the time to study music. I just listened to a few of their songs, and they utilized the same structure, voicings and style in each song, which have also been used in countless other pop songs. True, that's a small sample, but I'm not here to analyze their collective works.

 

My point is that you can like Linkin Park, but don't proclaim them to be any better than any other popular music act. The minute they all stop making money is when they all disappear.

[Brendan 96]

To anyone that managed to get through my previous comment, I hope it didn't seem too douchey or pretentious. I do actually like some popular stuff, so I don't think it's all bad.

[Bucho 188]

I'm just excited that my rap name is Blue Cheese.

 

Black Shepherds Pie in the hizzy.

[the_guy_was_rig 0]

Not impressed at all. Who is this guy?