Gaming World Forums
General Category => Entertainment and Media => Topic started by: The Riddler on June 24, 2008, 01:30:24 am
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Ok, so each week or so I'm gonna do a topic like this introducing people to a new genre. I'll pick some obscure genres to try and get people to listen to some new music, or if I choose a widely known genre I'll try and pick music you might not heard of, or thought you could've liked. Anyway, this week's is Shoegaze.
Shoegaze
An Introduction to the Genre
Ok, shoegaze is basically a sub-genre of alt. rock, which was most popular in the late '80s and early '90s, most notably in the UK. It's style consisted of heavily distorted guitar and indistinguishable vocals and a lot of feedback. Using a lot of effects, as well as treating the vocals like an instrument, generally allowed all of the instruments to combine to create very unique sounds, that would sometimes dissolve into a wall where no instrument was distinguishable from the other.
It can be a very relaxing genre to listen to, but can also be very intense and emotion-provoking. It's certainly not a genre to sing along to, and there tends to be no real structure to the songs, so no heavy-hitting choruses or anything like that. Think of it as very intense ambient music.
The Defining Albums of Shoegaze
If you like the sound of the genre, or are just curious, then I'll recommend some good bands to start with, the first of which is by My Bloody Valentine.
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y211/murrayinnes/Isnt-Anything.gif) (https://legacy.gamingw.net/etc/i6.photobucket.com/albums/y211/murrayinnes/Loveless.gif)
My Bloody Valentine started out as an indie-pop band, and their first mini-LP of this style really is awful and generally forgotten when talking about the MBV of 1988-1991. But with the release of their first full-length LP in 1988, "Isn't Anything", they arguably started the genre of Shoegaze. The extensive use of effects, mixed with both a male and female vocalist, creates some amazing sounds, ranging from dreamlike to menacing to sensual. Although this album is pretty much heralded with the creation of the genre, the band's highest point has to be their second, and last, full-length album, "Loveless".
Although it took two years to make and almost bankrupted the studio, costing $250,000, I can't tell you how much it was worth it. It is a masterpiece of sound and an example in experimental guitar effects, as well as vocal effects - the vocal melodies in this album are fantastic. The amazing sounds they manage to create from just simple guitar riffs is astounding, and works so damn well. This album has to be my favourite of the band, the genre, and possibly my favourite album outright. It is just awesome.
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y211/murrayinnes/Psychocandy.gif)
Another band around at that time were Jesus & Mary Chain. Their debut album is definitely, in my opinion, their best. To describe I've decided to just steal a sentence from a review, but it's perfect - "Beach Boys melodies meet Velvet Underground feedback and beats, all cranked up to ten and beyond, along with plenty of echo." This album, and band, are much more melodic than My Bloody Valentine, and are therefore probably a better starting out point. But, I think they are pretty hard to get into and definitely need more than just one try. I would start with their first album, "Pyschocandy" though, as it's probably the most accessible. The first song on it is my favourite by them, "Just Like Honey", and if you saw Lost in Translation then you'll definitely recognise it.
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y211/murrayinnes/On-Fire.gif)
If you'd like a more relaxing experience from the genre, then I would have to recommend Galaxie 500. All three of their studio albums are superb, and if I had to pick a favourite then I would say "On Fire". This album is so subtle, the vocals are very relaxing and work really well with the music. I would probably recommend this album if you aren't looking to go straight to the noisy soundscapes of MBV or even Jesus & Mary Chain. I think you can get a lot from this band, and I would try any of their three albums.
Like What You Heard? Some More Albums...
If you like any of the bands above, then some other bands for you to check out from that era are:
Slowdive - Very relaxing, I would recommend the album "Souvlaki", although all three of their albums are superb.
Ride - Have one excellent album, "Nowhere". Similar style to My Bloody Valentine. Their second album is OK, but I wouldn't go any further than that.
Dinosaur Jr. - Pick of the albums would be "You're Living All Over Me" and "Bug". Although "Green Mind" and "Beyond" are also good. Dinosaur Jr. and much more alt-rock (think Pixies) than the other bands mentioned, but they do contain elements of shoegaze, such as a helluva lot of noise.
What's New in the Genre?
Shoegaze is going through a bit of a revival at the moment, with quite a few new bands coming out with a similar style. My pick of the bunch is Asobi Seksu. They are a brilliant new band with two albums out and I would thoroughly recommend them. They are extremely melodic in every instrument, as pop as you can get without leaving Shoegaze and not afraid to through some noise at you. They are truly excellent. If you want to listen to them, go for "Citrus", their second album, but their debut is just as good.
Another band I'll throw in here, although the furthest from Shoegaze in this topic are M83 and the album "Before the Dawn Heals Us". Excellent album, although more ambient epicness than Shoegaze but they do delve into noise soundscapes every now and then. They have a few other albums out and I haven't heard a bad one yet, so I would definitely recommend this band even if you don't like MBV, Jesus & Mary Chain, etc. Two other bands, Silversun Pickups and Maps, both have one album each with are probably worth a listen to.
Conclusion
So, that's my introduction to Shoegaze. Please leave some feedback if you listened to any of the bands mentioned, are already a fan, or disagree/agree with what I'm saying. Thanks.
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cool recommends, I'll check up the jesus and mary chains.
Anyway this topic is sort of what I was talking about in my Just Chillin topic.
Apparently what you call shoegaze I call it Noise Pop, Dream Pop and Space Rock.
so I'm gonna repeat what I said in the other topic:
if you want sensual noises that melt inside, check up TIM HECKER, and his album RADIO AMOR.
if you want the pioneers of space rock, get SPACEMEN 3 and check up their record TAKING DRUGS TO MAKE MUSIC TO TAKE DRUGS TO
As for cosmic rock and electric freak outs and sonic meltdowns, ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE. My favourite record is New Geocentric World of Acid Mothers Temple.
Then there is YO LA TENGO, the gurus of dream pop. Check the record PAINFUL.
And my favourite, SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE. Combination of dream pop, raga, acoustic drones, landscape feels, intense and vacant. Check SHELTER FROM THE ASH, although all his records are ace.
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Yeah, Shoegaze is a bit more specific term for music that was around during that time/location. I chose it because it's coming back now with awesome bands like Asobi Seksu. But, yeah - those are all styles of music very similar in sound to Shoegaze. Spacemen 3 are superb, some very trippy records. I also love Yo La Tengo, the album "And Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out" is one of my favourites of theirs. Haven't really listened to Painful, but I will now, thanks.
Gonna check out the others now.
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If both you and thecatamites continue your weekly topics and I still make topics and the TOTWS happen then we will have a very happy music forum :)
btw this is a bit random I never see you post here!
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how did Shep not know about Jesus and Mary Chain! no really, this is a huge shock to me.
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know the band, havent heard em
same goes for bands like black sabbath, the germs, the melvins, dead kennedys..
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I've never really heard much shoegaze, really... I always imagined it as being just like generic indie with an effects pedal and some ambient tendancies, and none of that really does it for me. Still, MBV, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Dinosaur Jr are all pretty great so I might check out the other bands you mentioned...
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And my favourite, SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE. Combination of dream pop, raga, acoustic drones, landscape feels, intense and vacant. Check SHELTER FROM THE ASH, although all his records are ace.
I have School of the Flower and it's pretty neat, though I dunno about it being shoegaze. I actually like Espers more although they are even less shoegaze (i think they are called psychedelic folk) but they are really nice in any case, especially their album Espers II.
I'm not really too big on shoegaze though. I have some good stuff and it's nice to listen to shoegaze every now and then but it gets old pretty fast and I can't stand listening to too much shoegaze. I don't think there's a single shoegaze artist I listen regularly. But some good ones are:
The Radio Dept.: I don't listen to them very often but I haven't gotten bored of them either. The music is pretty catchy and probably more poppier than majority of shoegaze.
Jesu: Not just shoegaze but it's obvious shoegaze is part of the sound. Conqueror is a great album and the earlier stuff is ace too if you're into metal.
Blonde Redhead: Mostly talking about 23 here, which is their best album in my opinion. Okay, again, it's not just shoegaze and they are a rock/pop band but they are way better than majority of shoegaze bands.
Alcest: Shoegaze, metal, post-rock, whatever. The newest album is really good.
Gregor Samsa: Their first album is decent and the second album which they released this year isn't even as good as the first one, but seriously, listen to their EPs. Easily better than the stuff you find on their albums. Young and Old on the first album is a pretty good example of what kind of quality you can expect on the EPs. Gregor Samsa are one of the post-rock bands who do not suck.
I got bored of writing but some other good artists I'd recommend are The Angelic Process (ambient/metal/shoegaze), Yo La Tengo (I don't think they are shoegaze but NOISE POP and they rock so listen to them) and Asobi Seksu (already mentioned but yeah nice stuff, their albums sound pretty different too which is nice) and Air Formation are probably among the best shoegaze (or similar) artists I have heard. Might also want to check Windy & Carl, Hammock, Swervedriver, Amusement Parks on Fire and... okay enough, some of those artists aren't even too great.
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I really enjoy shoegaze. I never really thought of My Bloody Valentine as shoegaze though, but I guess Noise Pop/Dream Pop is interchangeable with shoegaze.
Some other good groups I would recommend that fall within this genre - Souvlaki, Hammock, This Will Destroy You, and Auburn Lull. Good stuff.
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I never really thought of My Bloody Valentine as shoegaze though
are you fucking kidding.
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so is my bloody valentine good?
they're playin at roskilde but i never heard
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Yeah, they're amazing.
I'm going to see them in 8 days. They are the loudest band ever, and I'm not just saying that (I've never seen them live), but it's fact. You have to wear earplugs, and even if you do, you'll still have hearing loss for a day or so, and ringing for days. It's meant to be insane.
And JOJOFACE, Souvlaki isn't a band, it's an album by the band Slowdive I mentioned up there.
Also, DS, I can't believe I forgot Amusement Parks on Fire - they're awesome.
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And JOJOFACE, Souvlaki isn't a band, it's an album by the band Slowdive I mentioned up there.
It's also a band.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=30907101
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There's nothing shoegaze about This Will Destroy You, absolutely nothing. Unless there are two bands sharing the same name.
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They are the loudest band ever, and I'm not just saying that (I've never seen them live), but it's fact. You have to wear earplugs, and even if you do, you'll still have hearing loss for a day or so, and ringing for days. It's meant to be insane.
that sounds absolutely gay
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I'm going to see them in 8 days. They are the loudest band ever, and I'm not just saying that (I've never seen them live), but it's fact. You have to wear earplugs, and even if you do, you'll still have hearing loss for a day or so, and ringing for days. It's meant to be insane.
that sounds lame as hell.
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yeah shoegaze is pretty good but damaged hearing isn't
I mean I like loud, but when it's painfully loud (as in OUCH MY EARS), that's lame.
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that sounds lame as hell.
I think the way he is describing it it might sound pretty terrible but I'm pretty sure their entire shows are not like that. They are/were very well known for their live performances, and it isn't ABSURDLY loud (as can be observed in a lot of the recent vids like this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P940StdcddA).. they started handing out earbuds on their recent reunion tour) though I cannot say as much about their infamous show closers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_po0RTKjsC8) that've pretty much become shoegaze-legend.
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i have no idea how you can say the concert isn't absurdly loud based on a video recording with bad audio quality.
ive been to concerts that have been way too loud but when i see video sumary etc it sounds like normal level
but yeah PLAYING AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE is pretty much manowar's approach to music so 'nuff said
it's also pretty obvious the concert is way too loud for whatever was used to record the audio in this video
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i have no idea how you can say the concert isn't absurdly loud based on a video recording with bad audio quality.
Most of the sound is actually decipherable in some of the videos in the recent tour and a lot of people have said the band is not nearly as loud as they were back in the '90s. I am just saying what el capitano said might kinda be a stretch, since no no else shares that sentiment which may have been more accurate earlier in the band's history.
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Holy shit dude. I've loved My Bloody Valentine for a while now, and I've been meaning to get more into the genre for ages now. I just checked out Asobi Seksu and I fucking love them, Citrus is an amazing album. I've downloaded the rest and I'm going to listen to them one by one!
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heh my next album will have plenty of noise pop stuff, in fact a couple of my songs sound like total My Bloody Valentine rip offs. Only Shallow and Blown A Wish, particularly.
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Holy shit dude. I've loved My Bloody Valentine for a while now, and I've been meaning to get more into the genre for ages now. I just checked out Asobi Seksu and I fucking love them, Citrus is an amazing album. I've downloaded the rest and I'm going to listen to them one by one!
Citrus is incredible. It's so damn melodic and sexy, I love it. Glad you liked it.
And Shep, I'll definitely check it out then!
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It's also a band.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=30907101
This is pretty different stuff, some parts I really like. Plus Souvlaki is such a yummy food
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I was kind of surprised no one mentioned Swervedriver, but from what I've heard, its mostly been mixed as to whether or not they're actually considered Shoegazer.
It also really surprised me to hear about this genre here. Most of my friends made fun of me for listening to it (mostly cause they'd never heard it and they thought the name Dinosaur Jr. was stupid) Dinosaur Jr. used to be my number one favorite band of all time. I picked up a lot of my guitar technique from listening to them.
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I was kind of surprised no one mentioned Swervedriver, but from what I've heard, its mostly been mixed as to whether or not they're actually considered Shoegazer.
Maybe you should read all the posts again........ pal. And they are shoegaze.
I actually never even considered Dinosaur Jr. to be shoegaze but maybe they are then. To me they are just pretty much rock.
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Dinosaur Jr. and much more alt-rock (think Pixies) than the other bands mentioned, but they do contain elements of shoegaze, such as a helluva lot of noise.
i am not pointing this out in a i-already-said-this way, but just as a i-put-them-in-because-they-have-some-shoegaze-elements-and-i-wanted-to-provide-a-range-of-shoegaze-from-relaxing-to-rock kind of way.
:)
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Maybe you should read all the posts again........ pal. And they are shoegaze.
oh. my bad. I actually did a semi-quick scan of the page and didn't see that.
I've always considered them shoeqaze, but I've read up on stuff and a lot of people don't considered traditional shoegaze for some reason.
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Can someone tell me how the term "shoegaze" got coined? I mean I can understand neo-classical trip-acid beats, but jesus...
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I think it was something like the bands kept staring at their effects pedals all through a concert, making it look like they were literally 'shoe gazing', or something like that...
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Yeah, they're not the most charismatic of bands live, they generally need to concentrate on the guitars and pedals, so they just stare down a lot.
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More shoegaze/dreampop bands that are awesome, links to sample vids
Starflyer 59 (http://youtube.com/watch?v=5jHkMU6bFaM&feature=related)
Airiel (http://youtube.com/watch?v=7qG_s1dhcPU)
Cyann & Ben (http://youtube.com/watch?v=7BR19jWl2dg)
The Depreciation Guild (http://youtube.com/watch?v=5tQm3-iEGIc)
Mahogany (http://youtube.com/watch?v=iart6d-KNIQ) (not their best song by far and the vid is kinda gay)
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This is pretty different stuff, some parts I really like. Plus Souvlaki is such a yummy food
Yeah, I really like it. It's a different take on a lot of different music. Reminds me of Dntel at times.
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Working on new topic, should be up tomorrow.
So I gues this is a Bi-Weekly topic. Or not, I dunno.
Next one is Post-Punk.
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You should include Reggie And The Full effect in your Post-Punk topic.
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why would you include a band that isnt postpunk in a postpunk topic?
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I never really thought of My Bloody Valentine as shoegaze
something tells me JOJOFACE knows nothing about genres.
(for the record, MBV is the seminal band when you mention shoegaze, to the degree that it could be the ONLY band you mention since it's generally credited with the genre's creation)
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Yeah, exactly Pidgeotto. They basically created it.
But eh, JOJOFACE, use Wiki or something before you mention a band, just to make sure it is what you think it is, otherwise you will get called out! I just looked up Reggie and the Full Effect, and when My Chemical Romance and New Found Glory are your associated acts, and pop punk is stated as the genre (I've never heard of the band btw), then it's pretty safe to say this is nothing like Post-Punk.
Anyway, we can save this for the topic, It'll be up in a couple of hours.
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You should include Reggie And The Full effect in your Post-Punk topic.
ahahahahaha are you serious
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4wBx_2dluD4
REALLY, dude? i hope you understand there is a difference between post-punk and pop-punk!
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although with that said trujiro it sounds like you looked them up on allmusic, and you really shouldn't go by who they list as similar artists, as a lot of the time it is way way offf.
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nah, that's actually on wiki.
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oh wikipedia does that now? or maybe they always did and i never saw it! that's pretty cool though, especially since in this case they were right and it sounds horrifyingly similar to new found glory. i'd forgotten about that band!
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Thanks people, now I'm not the only one that thinks that JOJOFACE is stupid.
I WAS going to shut him up, but then I was like "nah Shep you're being too much of an asshole lately" so I didn't.
Also popoface FIRST LET HIM DO THE DAMN TOPIC, then we can discuss whatever ridiculous thing you want to say.
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Ahaha, man! You guys take music genre's way too seriously!
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more like you don't know the basics of genres.
seriously this would be like saying OH I NEVER KNEW TUPAC WAS HIPHOP???
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Ahaha, man! You guys take music genre's way too seriously!
i don't really take them all the seriously at all but at least have a BASIC KNOWLEDGE of what you're posting about dawg. you don't come into a topic about hip hop and be like YOU FORGOT AEROSMITH XD, dig?
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Yeah, sorry JOJOFACE. I try not to pick up on people's mistakes, etc. but honestly, just do a search or something before you say anything. It takes very little effort to at least make people think you have a basic knowledge.
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i don't really take them all the seriously at all but at least have a BASIC KNOWLEDGE of what you're posting about dawg. you don't come into a topic about hip hop and be like YOU FORGOT AEROSMITH XD, dig?
Look, I was just told that Reggie was Post-Punk (he tags himself in that genre), and when listening to tracks like V (http://www.box.net/shared/jxeapj688g) and E (http://www.box.net/shared/mxgvdn38kk), it doesn't sound too far off. What genre would these two songs fit in? Dance Punk, maybe? New Wave? Either way, it's closer than Aerosmith and Hip Hop.
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Green Day and Blink 182 also tag themselves as punk, son.
That doesn't mean they are that AT ALL.
Stupid people make stupid statements.
But since you're still prolly convinced they are punk, let me enlighten you:
Lesson 1 for TOTOFACE: They aren't punk. THEY AREN'T MOTHERFUCKING PUNK AT ALL. AND REGGIE IS NOT POST-PUNK. GO TO THE MOTHERFUCKING POST-PUNK TOPIC AND GET SOME LIFE LESSONS FROM CAPITANO AND MYSELF.
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Green Day and Blink 182 also tag themselves as punk, son.
That doesn't mean they are that AT ALL.
Stupid people make stupid statements.
But since you're still prolly convinced they are punk, let me enlighten you:
Lesson 1 for TOTOFACE: They aren't punk. THEY AREN'T MOTHERFUCKING PUNK AT ALL. AND REGGIE IS NOT POST-PUNK. GO TO THE MOTHERFUCKING POST-PUNK TOPIC AND GET SOME LIFE LESSONS FROM CAPITANO AND MYSELF.
Holy crap, man! I can literally feel your pretentiousness.
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Pretentiousness is when you pretend to be something you're not.
Frankly, don't know what the fuck you're talking about and how it is supposed to address me.
In fact, that post was just your ridiculous defense mechanism crying out loud.
You know little about genres and should not post without previous knowledge about what you're talking about, so shut up and get a book.
So don't derail the topic with posts that are just meagre intents to delegitimize us, and rather write with substance.
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Look, I was just told that Reggie was Post-Punk (he tags himself in that genre), and when listening to tracks like V (http://www.box.net/shared/jxeapj688g) and E (http://www.box.net/shared/mxgvdn38kk), it doesn't sound too far off. What genre would these two songs fit in? Dance Punk, maybe? New Wave? Either way, it's closer than Aerosmith and Hip Hop.
it's not dance punk and i don't really see many similarities between the aesthetic of this and new wave, either. both of these songs are still just alt rock/pop punk i would say. i'd agree with rave's nearly-incomprehensible post that you really shouldn't pay attention to what artists refer to themselves at all when it comes to the large majority of pop punk bands, because 99% of the time they won't call themselves that. groups like blink 182 will religiously refer to themselves as punk bands, which is about as accurate as calling them fucking rockabilly. i feel like if you've listened to any post-punk at all though (it's a rather large genre!), you'd know that whatever you want to call these guys, they're definitely not that.
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Headphonics, explain to me your discapacity to comprehend my post.
Because I cannot comprehend and consider you as someone who can read. Maybe I was wrong.
Unless I have some sort of super reading powers and my perception of reality is quite a twisted one. THIS MAY BE QUITE TRUE!!