The Most Underrated / Overrated Music

[awepittance]

i didn't mean to say that i think he's overrated, but that he has become, as far as ambient music geek culture ione of the most revered musicians in his class, noteworthy and talked about a lot is not the same as being overrated.

 

and regards to him being potentially a hoaxer, i think that his whole disintegration loop concept is made up, especially the part about him doing it on the day of 9/11. It's a theory someone else in this forum suggested, and i have absolutely nothing to base it on.

 

edit: example #2

His first release was Shortwave Music. Although created in 1983, it was first released on vinyl in a small edition in 1998 by Carsten Nicolai's Raster-Noton label.

 

i am always skeptical when musicians who havent released anything before come out with a 'oh wait i made this 15 years ago, its excellent and extremely ahead of its time but never cared to put it out until now' kind of like SAW 85-92, i never believed any of those songs were made before 1988 (at best, that's even a stretch)

[Alcofribas]

I see.

 

for what it's worth I've seen the loops myself and they appear to be totally legit. the reason he didn't release anything before this is because no one would release it. he used to play concerts not only at his loft space in Brooklyn but in various places in nyc in the 80s. But the media and record labels just didnt catch on and i think he got a bit discouraged and put it aside until he eventually decided he had the means to put CDs of his stuff out on his own (which was not until the 2000s).

 

I can see how it might sound too good to be true re: the 9/11 parallel but after standing with him on the roof where the pictures for the covers were taken not only do I have no reason not to believe him but even if it's an aesthetic manipulation of the facts to me it has a deeper and more beautiful reality.

 

jus sayin

[joseph]

aesthetic manipulation of the facts

[Capsaicin]

I find Jim O'Rourke's albums Bad Timing, Eureka, Insignificance, and Halfway to a Threeway to be criminally under appreciated. I think they're fucking phenomenal, yet it seems no-one's cared to listen or appreciate them.

[khov]

Regarding Raster Noton (a label i really respect), i dont agree at all : its not a matter of "progress" but of quality. The recent Noto/Sakamoto ones are really killer drone/romantic records. Also, during the latest 6 years, RN gathered many artists under its wing (ATOM heatm, Ryoji Ikeda, SND, Gas, Mika Vainio). I guess that why's its such a respected label.

[Alcofribas]

aesthetic manipulation of the facts

 

yep, you've heard of "art" yes?

[Silent Member]

Overrated: explosions in the sky (I find them intensely boring, average melodies at best, repeated ad infinitum)

Underrated: clifford gilberto (maybe not so underrated in here? most people don't know what I'm talking about)

[Silent Member]

+ rythm combination to the name of my underrated. I need more coffee.

[Guest couch]

Overrated rock/metal/band-oriented musicians:

 

Dimebag

Slash

 

Underrated:

 

James Hetfield (prob one of the best hard rock/metal rhythm guitarists ever, regardless of metallicas loltastic history.)

Michael Anthony (of Van Halen)

Jeff Beck (more like overshadowed)

Gene Simmons (his bass playing is very underrated, he's good but he plays exactly what the songs need rather than show off needlessly)

[joshuatxuk]

Overrated: explosions in the sky (I find them intensely boring, average melodies at best, repeated ad infinitum)

 

Seriously, I thought it was just local hype at first, but I never knew why they become the post-rock band. I would always recommend my friends better artists but most were like "oh cool whatevs OMG EXPLOSIONS IS SO GOOD"

 

Most Explosions fans seem to be Top40 listeners who happen to enjoy the soundtrack for Friday Night Lights, so there you go. To them it probably sounds like an epic orchestral take on frat-boy acoustic rock

[dr lopez]

I find Jim O'Rourke's albums Bad Timing, Eureka, Insignificance, and Halfway to a Threeway to be criminally under appreciated. I think they're fucking phenomenal, yet it seems no-one's cared to listen or appreciate them.

Ahh you must have missed the part where I said Jim O'Rourke was underrated. Here it is again

 

edit: also disengage is great.

 

underrated: Cibo Matto, This Heat, Dhafer Youssef, George Clinton's solo albums post P-funk, Kraftwerk, Jim O'Rourke, anything Dave Holland has touched in the last 15 or so years, and I'll somewhat agree with jim saying that most composition post-Schoeberg is hideously misunderstood. HOWEVER, contemporary academic composition ala John Harbison is smelly diarrhea and worth absolutely nothing.

 

[joseph]

aesthetic manipulation of the facts

 

yep, you've heard of "art" yes?

 

for what it's worth I like basinski's music, or at least what i've heard of it (mainly 92982), and I don't really care what backstory he wants to attach to it. the art is clearly the music anyway.

 

I didn't know gas had a release on raster?

[Alcofribas]

actually I totally agree. while the 9/11 aspect certainly adds a certain tragic tone I don't think I would care less if it had never been there at all. I just think people make too big a deal over whether the story basinski told is "real;" just dig the music and if you buy the story too well then good for you!

 

gas released a photo book with cd of unreleased gas tracks on r-n. I think it's pretty great.

[Npoess]

Underrated:

 

Edan

[murve33]

I also don't think that The Beatles themselves are overrated. I certainly think many of their songs are though. The Long and Winding Road? Why the hell is that one so popular?

 

^Phil Spector was the core of that debacle. It's one of their most iffy tracks on their arguably most debated album (Let It Be)...

 

"McCartney was deeply dissatisfied with Spector's treatment of some songs, particularly "The Long and Winding Road". McCartney had conceived of the song as a simple piano ballad, but Spector dubbed in orchestral and choral accompaniment. McCartney unsuccessfully attempted to halt release of Spector's version of the song. He was fine with the orchestra, but he wanted the choir and harp to be removed. Despite the criticisms levelled at Spector over the years for his handling of the material, Lennon defended him in his famous Playboy interview 10 years later, saying, "He was given the shittiest load of badly-recorded shit with a lousy feeling to it ever, and he made something of it."

Yea, I'm not dissing the Beatles for that song though, I'm more dissing fans of the song.

 

Have you heard "The Long and Winding Road" on "Let it be... Naked"? It's a different edit more to Paul/George/Ringo's liking. There's no strings or harp or lame shit like that.

 

Edit:

[Redruth]

Underrated: Kid606

i would love 606 to make decent musics like he made 11 years ago

[Guest Enter a new display name]

underrated: Caberat Voltaire, Zoviet France, Two Lone Swordsman, Tetsu Inoue, Hyu, Wobbly, OST, Nommo Ogo

 

overrated: just about everything in the new releases forum right now (or the top 20 best sellers at boomkat, depending on how you want to view the new releases forum aka if people are working for boomkat just reposting press releases astro turf style) , for starters: Africa Hitech, the Field, Burial, Radiohead, Vex'd (and his other bland aliases), Mortis Von Oswald (i like his label but his own output especially as of late is super over hyped)

 

most overrated label of the moment: Triangle, with the exception of the actually interesting band Waterboarders, this entire label runs on an emperor with no clothes wave of feedback loop hype that will surely collapse on itself within 6 months

 

underrated labels: Katabatik, Icasea

I never know whether you're trolling or not when you post statements like that. Let me explain: you seem to try really hard to hate whatever is remotely acclaimed while you prefer cheesy IDM. I know you always provide a good and intelligent explanations to your arguments but your opinion is unfortunately biased.

[beerwolf]

Kid 606 - Kill Music Before Music Kills You is worth a listen, but I presume some of you knew that anyway.

 

Better than Sgt Pepper by a few thousand light years.

[awepittance]

you seem to try really hard to hate whatever is remotely acclaimed while you prefer cheesy IDM.

 

whatever is remotely acclaimed? you mean like the times i heap praise on Mr Oizo, VHS Head, Oneohtrixpoint never, Hudson Mohawke? and as we all know, Caberat Voltaire, Zoviet France, Two Lone Swordsman, Tetsu Inoue, Hyu, Wobbly, OST, Nommo Ogo is some of the cheesiest IDM ever put to tape

 

and no when someone bursts your Pitchfork bubble, its not necessarily trolling. For a member who's most commonly associated post/phrase is 'LEAKED' I'm not surprised you are confused.

[danshoebridge]

well, there's definitely a few underrated/forgotten albums I can think of

 

Found Sound by Spooky was really good - I think it just got ignored as all their previous fans were expecting another cheesy 'prog-house' record.

 

 

Arovane did some good albums, Tides & Atol Scrap in particular

I still really like T-Power's Self Evident Truth of an Intuitive Mind - the production sounded like nothing else when it came out and it's held up fairly well, apart from a few fairly naff synth sounds. It's one of the very few good jungle/drum & bass albums.

 

 

Kettel's done some amazing tracks, though you have to hunt them down a bit, I don't think he's ever released a classic stand-alone album (I suppose Volleyed Iron the closest).

The first 2 Pilote albums had some great tracks on too

 

 

 

As for overrated, quick story: I was looking at houses to rent recently, one we saw had gold discs all over the walls. They were for tracks like this.

 

 

I know there's no critical acclaim for this sort of thing, but seriously, 115,000,000 views? What the hell?

[murve33]

Underrated: Kid606

i would love 606 to make decent musics like he made 11 years ago

Oh yea, come to think of it, I haven't listened to any new 606 for about 5 years. I'll have to give a listen.

 

And I have the same opinion about Oval. His old stuff was beautiful and atmospheric, while the new stuff makes me feel no emotion other than disappointment.

[joseph]

I prefer oval's pre-hiatus stuff as well, and I agree that his 2010 stuff was a bit of a mixed bag. That said, there is a lot of subtlety and emotion latent in some of those ~1 minute pieces on disc 2 of "O". From a purely rhythmic and melodic perspective there are moments of sheer genius. But the sound palate is so narrow and harsh that it does get grating quickly.

 

I am very anxiously awaiting OvalDNA, which was supposed to have been released before "O" and company, and which is sort of a concluding statement from the old oval.

[Npoess]

I think Shed is criminally underrated. I rarely ever hear him mentioned here on watmm.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXpAjl1wX40

[coax]

'Underrated'/"missunderstood"/less known artists I like: Hafler Trio, Radiohead (going from this thread), Senking (specifically the List album), Datach'i, Simon Fisher Turner, Klaus Schulze (dune), Mira Calix, Vincent Gallo, aTelecine, Karl Kinski, Phoenecia (brownout), Digital Mantra (seriously hes awesome)

 

Artists I don't like that other people seem to: Most of the ambient stuff like tim hecker and fennesz (even though i like particular tracks, as a whole, meh), some raster noton (xerrox vol 1 is my fave and great though), a lot of the movie and tv score composers of today (same shit over and over)

[david]

overrated : clark

underrated: clark