I'm a stickler about having things organized so, about three or four times a year, I completely re-do my music folder. Right now, it's all in one folder - a folder for each letter of the alphabet, plus folders for soundtracks/compilation albums and my incredibly large collection of mash-ups (which, I have a feeling I'll be deleting - I don't need 3,000 mash-ups but I'll probably save a few that I really like.
I have over 11,000 songs and there's still so much that I need to add to my collection. Patsy Cline, for example, and all the other CDs that I have tucked away somewhere in my room. I have my Britney Spears and my 2Pac and, of course, The Beatles but every day I remember another album, artist or song that I need to include in my collection or something else comes along, like the Alexandra Burke and JLS performance from the 2009 X-Factor Finale, a mash-up of Bad Boys by Alexandra and Everybody in Love from JLS. I think I need a computer solely for music, there's just too much out there that I'm missing.
First, make a list of your top-20 artists overall. Then, for each of these artists, add the 8 most similar artists to your list. Delete any duplicates, count up the number of entries on your list and this will give you some idea of how eclectic your listening habits are. A score of 9 represents an extremely unvaried musical taste while a 160 represents an extremely varied one.
Okay, first off, dramatic title, but I know myself that on this website I skim down artist pages, and only bold titles grab my attention. Hell, there's a good reason for it; journals here have went mostly to piss since every user and their mate decided it would be a good idea to post 'My top albums' lists ad infinitum.
It's been a while since I vented my thoughts, and looking through past journals and comments, it invigorated me, to an extent where I wish to share something that's been driving me crazy for quite a while.
The X-Factor, never off our red-banner tabloids (What's Afghanistan matter when Tiger is about, eh Sun?) or TV screens was angry to discover this week that the funk/rap metal band Rage Against the Machine's classic song Killing In The Name had been chosen to spoil the fun.
On Facebook, the group is hundreds of thousands strong, a casual look at the shoutbox here on Last Fm tells us a similar story, and every rock/music blog and magazine has been shouting about it. Now, I'm all for a shake up of the mainstream charts and system. It's refreshing to see the 'alternative' music scene get their share of the publicity pie.
What annoyed me was that arrogant, smug bastard Simon Cowell's reaction. For all his millions, that man has no class - he argued that such an online movement was 'stealing' his TV show competitor's chance at a big hit. The way he said it made him sound as though he feels that every Christmas, the X-Factor winner has a divine right to a Number 1 hit. His shown has been denying EVERYONE for YEARS.
If you look at what I listen to, you'll realise I've never cared for what's top of the charts, I couldn't name you a Mika song and I detest Nickleback. That's all and good, everyone has non-subjective tastes. But what I hate is programs like the X-Factor, that manufacture talent, that water down original versions, pollute any sense of artistic meaning in music, and ram their own views down the throats of millions. This show is an abomination; a macabre mixture of the freak-show auditions, ratings squeezing rounds and then what is usually a vastly overrated, unprepared winner. How many have swam, not sank? JLS? I personally wouldn't call that talent, but each to their own.
In short, The X-Factor, and to a certain extent shows like 'I'm a Celebrity...' and 'Big Brother' are mindless, inane shows, devoid of meaning or a context in reality. Every year, I watch masses of people turn into cogs in a greater industry machine. Call me a typical black metal 'Grim' person but it disgusts me.
Buy the RATM single, hell, buy two. It's about time such trivial filth gets a slap in the face, and the X-Factor has got one, whether they get their coveted number one or not. I just hope that in result of this competition, people stop taking what they are given for granted, and look for some real, tangible meaning in what they listen to. I know some people will argue otherwise, but I can't imagine being emotionally connected to Gimme More without being a little shallow. When with others, particularly in a school, or social environment I feel such disparagement at what goes for meaningful music in popular culture.
Is there a difference between a musician and an artist?
PS: Hope that was coherent and better than another '20 Questions about your top 50' journal. Opinions are welcome. Thanks.
Most people post their top 15 artists. Since I find it harder to rank bands I like I shall go the opposite route and rank my least favorite "acts" at the moment. Without further ado let's begin.
15. Attack Attack!
The suffix core is now being attached to any "genre" or new scene that has found an interesting new way to suck. This band has managed to be the sole member of the crabcore (non)movement. They get the name from the power stances of their "musicians" who squat down low to the earth and headbang in unison. To be honest I haven't listened to a whole song through let alone an album. I figured I valued my sanity over the journalistic integrity of this journal. What puts them at the relatively low position of 15th is that they are actually funny to the viewer of one of their music videos, but only as long as the volume is on mute.
14. T-Pain
The idiot who brought blatantly autotuned vocals into pretty much every American mainstream pop, R&B, or rap act since 2007. The resulting collective American headache alone merits his rank.
13. Katy Perry
She was incredibly annoying in her heyday. Tasteless lyrics and terrible vocals matched with a self centered exterior only made this musician accessible to the vain teenagers. Hopefully her 15 minutes of fame are trickling into a silent but steady flow into the oblivion of sub par pop acts at the moment.
12. The Jonas Brothers
These guys are pretty much harmless. They play for the tweens disney's marketed them to and therefore should have never attracted any attention outside suburban bedrooms. However many teenagers seem to have never left middle school and continued to nurture a soft spot for the Jo Bros dragging out their fandom into highschool and (in some cases) even college. This brought the trio fame and ignited a futile (but incredibly amusing) internet flame war between young girls with names like Stacey (I apologize to any Staceys offended by my use of the stereotype attached to your name) and metalheads. How enough Megadeth, Anthrax, and Mayhem fans ever came across this pop boyband to form a collective hatred is beyond me. However after the initial year or so it became annoying and left both sides drained with only the n00bs left to duke it out. For what remains of that fight, they are 12. However, the war might intensify again with the creation of the the youngest Jobros new band. Only time will tell.
11. Soulja Boy
For the most part 2007 was a musical cesspool. Most notable was this 50cent wannabe who had to resort to a dance to sell his shitty music. Nothing else he ever created ever really caught on (the reason why he's so low) but for a good 6 months no one could escape his annoying drawl about being a lechersome version of superman who wanted nothing more than to squirt some of his spidey string up a young females back (or was that R Kelly?)
10. Justin Beiber
This kid is a convincing argument for a law banning youtube accounts from anyone under 17. That was where this whiney 15 year old with the voice of a 5 year old girl (my apologies to 5 year old girls of the world) His mostly tween fans even managed to hype this kid enough that he got on national television. Luckily only 3 or so songs ever became popular.
9. Slipknot
FINALLY! A band metalheads, pop addicts, indie yuppies, decrepit 60s hippies, electronica groovers etc. can all agree sucks. Take 9 men out of anger management class, give them masks instruments and a venue to "play" at and you have Slipknot. Their stage prescence has best been described by the drummer of Muse in the following video.
8. MetroStation
Somewhere Billy Ray Cyrus is probably wondering where he went wrong with parenting. Seeing as 2 kids of his are on the list (one in this band and the other soon to come) his pondering would be with reason. An annoying mix of hot topic dressed 20 somethings mix bad rap with dance music and overly sexual lyrics. I sense the leader singer is trying to deny his southern country roots. However, I wish his efforts didn't subject themselves on everyone else with a radio.
7. Basshunter
Annoying simplistic lyrics sung in broken English is never fun to listen to.
6. Britney Spears
The fact that her career never seems to die seems to be proof of the existence of Satan. Only a soul could pay to keep reviving that ragged and tattered thing. I have the feeling it was paid for in full by Chris Crocker (artist tag because he does in fact sing, unfortunatly) How someone could survive solely on a stream of 24 hour marriages, child support from K-Fed, and songs not written by her is a dilemma unless one takes her army of fans who since they saw her selling Pepsi (and a little more) in the 90s decided to become her fans.
5. Jeffree Star
It seems all the terrible "musicians" of the aughties have come from myspace. Jeffree is no exception. He creates a creepy mishmash of sugarfloss and murder weapons in his "music" that pedobear would probably approve of. Combine that with autotune and you have a fanbase. He also happens to be an unattractive drag queen and looks like he fell into a vat of pink and orange sharpie ink. His songs range from such enlightening topics of "Cupcakes Taste Like Violence" to "Louis Vuitton Bodybags." His music leaves a bad aftertase to any seasoned listener.
4. Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana/Destiny Hope Cyrus/ whatever her name becomes next year
I wonder what family reunions are like at the Cyrus house. Between this annoying self centered brat and her emberassing older brother. She is worse than her Disney contemporaries for the fact that she not only proliferates terrible pop music, but she also has an attitude. Whether she's attacking prominent musicians for not wanting to babysit her at the Grammys, posting racy pictures of herself online, or bitching out her fellow Disney stars, she manages to find new and even more tiresome ways of being a pain in the ass for her family and Disney, not to mention a constant annoyance as the media eats up her exploits. She's either going to grow up and go away or follow Lindsey Lohans example, before leaving us in peace.
3. Kid Rock
Unlike with Coldplay Kid Rock cheats in the music department and gets away with it. With a narcissism enough to put off Echo from pursuing him (anyone who gets that reference without looking it up gets a gold star) His continued success proves that the trailer park demographic is still buying cds.
2. Lady GaGa
Vain, annoying, posturing, airheaded are only a few of many adjectives that come up to describe this Madonnawannabe. Her fans proclaim her to be interesting and innovative with good mainstream pop music. How they can attribute those claims to her while she takes other artists ideas and pairs them with stupid monotonous music defies explanation. She actually posses some musical talent but does not employ it in her music as it would probably lose her her fans. She's a sell out plain and simple, and a lot of America is too blinded by her gaudy and unappealing metallic mirror bras to realize it.
1. Brokencyde
Do I even need to explain this? They combine shitty oversexed rap with screamo, auto-tune, and a blender and call it music. One of their members doesn't play and instrument. He just operates the smog machine and presses the on button for the strobe lights. No kidding. Posturising abounds in their music and tours. They are tacky, annoying, and unintelligent. They and all of "crunkcore" are all symbols for the lax standards the american public holds the music they listen to.
so from all these awful performers we have learned that when choosing music:
AVOID AUTO-TUNE AT ALL COSTS
avoid Disney produced living merch.
Stealing riffs, outfits etc. is the touch of a sub par "musician"
Avoid offspring of Billy Ray Cyrus (my achey breakey heart bleeds for that poor man)
Myspace is not a good source of music
*insertwordofchoice*core bands suck
hope this journal was pleasing to more than it was enraging to others
Britney Spears
Kingston, NY 12401
st track: (18 Nov 2008)
