Stream of Unconsciousness: Shedding Prejudices
When it comes to band names, it is essential that one keeps an open mind and sloughs off any preconceived notions of the band's material--i.e., listen to the music before deciding whether or not you'll enjoy it. It may seem obvious, but judging bands by their names is a conceit that I am regrettably guilty of from time to time.
While it may be a widely held belief that a band called Take A Razor To My Heart Tomorrow Year Tuesday Forever !!!!! will put out indelibly shoddy music, one cannot assume! They may be the next Dinosaur Jr. or something. So, look out. (As far as I know, no such band by that name exists--yet--and if it does, well, pick a new name for your band, for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE!)
If I had let my pretenses guide me, I may not have ever given wordy analog-acolytes The Online Romance much of a listen. It's the tongue-in-cheek irony of mixing modern age moniker and "old-school" recording methods that make The Online Romance's name so deliciously amusing. Read doting on The Online Romance in a previous entry.
If prejudice against scary thrasher-metal had won out in all my shrewdness, I'd have never dug the rich sounds of Destroyer--certainly a far cry from the "scary" music I had expected to hear. Destroyer's Rubies has become one of my recent favorites, in fact--something I could easily have missed out on if it hadn't been for all the buzz surrounding Dan Bejar's wonderful project.
So before you let a band's name guide your decision on whether or not to give them a listen, I urge you to battle stereotypes and rash judgement. This may be more of a kind reminder to myself than anything, but it's helpful to make note of the next time you're rooting around the local scene/internet/record store for new music to obsess over.
Now, excuse me while I chase away this mosquito that's been pestering me for the past twenty minutes.
While it may be a widely held belief that a band called Take A Razor To My Heart Tomorrow Year Tuesday Forever !!!!! will put out indelibly shoddy music, one cannot assume! They may be the next Dinosaur Jr. or something. So, look out. (As far as I know, no such band by that name exists--yet--and if it does, well, pick a new name for your band, for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE!)
If I had let my pretenses guide me, I may not have ever given wordy analog-acolytes The Online Romance much of a listen. It's the tongue-in-cheek irony of mixing modern age moniker and "old-school" recording methods that make The Online Romance's name so deliciously amusing. Read doting on The Online Romance in a previous entry.
If prejudice against scary thrasher-metal had won out in all my shrewdness, I'd have never dug the rich sounds of Destroyer--certainly a far cry from the "scary" music I had expected to hear. Destroyer's Rubies has become one of my recent favorites, in fact--something I could easily have missed out on if it hadn't been for all the buzz surrounding Dan Bejar's wonderful project.
So before you let a band's name guide your decision on whether or not to give them a listen, I urge you to battle stereotypes and rash judgement. This may be more of a kind reminder to myself than anything, but it's helpful to make note of the next time you're rooting around the local scene/internet/record store for new music to obsess over.
Now, excuse me while I chase away this mosquito that's been pestering me for the past twenty minutes.