Yes, that was part of her review, but she also commented on band members handing out instruments to each other, using drum sticks on random objects, lots of percussive beats, power chords, etc. Doesn't sound so murky to me. With that, you could say that she comes close to contradicting herself.
Catherine P. Lewis
She said the VOCALS were murky.
With all that other crap going on sound wise, how could they have been anything other than murky?
With all that other crap going on sound wise, how could they have been anything other than murky?
Originally posted by econo:
Yes, that was part of her review, but she also commented on band members handing out instruments to each other, using drum sticks on random objects, lots of percussive beats, power chords, etc. Doesn't sound so murky to me. With that, you could say that she comes close to contradicting herself.
i'm not saying that the arcade fire show was the best i'd ever seen either…i was really impressed by funeral and honestly expected more intensity at the show. conversely, although i wasn't at the bright eyes show, her review told me hardly anything about the headliner and focused almost entirely on the openers (which may or may not be deserved), yet there's no mention of final fantasy in the arcade fire review?
in the arcade fire review specifically, i was thrown by her comment regarding the lack of "melody"…i think AF songs are quite melodic. maybe the sound wasn't mixed right and the percussion was perhaps too overpowering at times, but to say that the violinists were "filling the gaps in otherwise percussive songs" is really off the mark.
regine's vocals were gorgeous on "in the backseat" and i thought the whole band's vocals (win included) were generally very controlled, especially during some of the quieter songs…it's like writing a pogues review and saying that shane mcgowan and kate o'riordan are "yelping" through the album.
i just got the impression from both of those reviews that she hadn't really listened to the albums.
and i appreciate that she probably has only a limited amount of space but isn't being able to clearly and concisely report the news (in 300 words or whatever) the mark of a good journalist?
in the arcade fire review specifically, i was thrown by her comment regarding the lack of "melody"…i think AF songs are quite melodic. maybe the sound wasn't mixed right and the percussion was perhaps too overpowering at times, but to say that the violinists were "filling the gaps in otherwise percussive songs" is really off the mark.
regine's vocals were gorgeous on "in the backseat" and i thought the whole band's vocals (win included) were generally very controlled, especially during some of the quieter songs…it's like writing a pogues review and saying that shane mcgowan and kate o'riordan are "yelping" through the album.
i just got the impression from both of those reviews that she hadn't really listened to the albums.
and i appreciate that she probably has only a limited amount of space but isn't being able to clearly and concisely report the news (in 300 words or whatever) the mark of a good journalist?
A review is just one person's opinion. You take it with a grain of salt. This ain't physics - there aren't objective laws that we can judge these things against.
Having said that, I *WAS* at the show and have seen Arcade Fire several times. A few things could be easily stated:
- yes, they are incredibly active on stage.
- yes, the group's music is centered on beats. The melody is primarily delivered through keyboards and strings.
- yes, they do exchange instruments frequently through the show. The violinists were the only people not to play at least three different instruments throughout the night.
- yes, Win's vocals were murky and unintelligible. Same thing with Regine's vox. I've had the same complaint everytime I've seen them.
Her main subjective statement is saying that she thought the songs weren't memorable. Hey - to each their own. I can tell you that the after the first time I saw the band, songs like Laika and Wake Up were indelibly stamped on my mind. Then again, I think stuff like The White Stripes are crap and I couldn't remember one of their songs to save my life.
So I think her review was for the most part accurate. But when a reviewer says something like "the music was lame", just forget that unless you know from previous history that you agree/disagree consistently with him/her.
I'm babbling, aren't I? :)
Off to Keane tonite! Five shows in five nights. Woo hoo!!
Having said that, I *WAS* at the show and have seen Arcade Fire several times. A few things could be easily stated:
- yes, they are incredibly active on stage.
- yes, the group's music is centered on beats. The melody is primarily delivered through keyboards and strings.
- yes, they do exchange instruments frequently through the show. The violinists were the only people not to play at least three different instruments throughout the night.
- yes, Win's vocals were murky and unintelligible. Same thing with Regine's vox. I've had the same complaint everytime I've seen them.
Her main subjective statement is saying that she thought the songs weren't memorable. Hey - to each their own. I can tell you that the after the first time I saw the band, songs like Laika and Wake Up were indelibly stamped on my mind. Then again, I think stuff like The White Stripes are crap and I couldn't remember one of their songs to save my life.
So I think her review was for the most part accurate. But when a reviewer says something like "the music was lame", just forget that unless you know from previous history that you agree/disagree consistently with him/her.
I'm babbling, aren't I? :)
Off to Keane tonite! Five shows in five nights. Woo hoo!!
Originally posted by joz:Haha! Right after I post that I agree that the vox were murky, someone else who was at the show posts that they disagree. So maybe it's not so empirical! I'm just a pacifist Canadian who wants us all to get along (and to have a nice beer while doing it).
regine's vocals were gorgeous on "in the backseat" and i thought the whole band's vocals (win included) were generally very controlled, especially during some of the quieter songs…
Regine and Wil were audible during the quiet moments but otherwise I thought they were really hard to hear. I was up on the balcony and was getting the house speakers. Maybe you were closer to the stage and got more of the monitors? I was up against the stage last night in Philly and got all of Regine's monitors. Much better!!
Originally posted by Rhett Miller:with a comment like that, maybe YOU should right for bigYawn, rhett
I dunno. She describes the music as simplistic and lacking in melody, the lyrics as murky and unintelligible…oh wait, that's 98% of all indie rock bands, isn't it?
Originally posted by snailhook:Do us a favor and suggest that she lose the FUCKING Thesaurus next time…she attempts to sound smart and failed miserably.
i am actually a friend of catherine's. she knows more music than i think you're giving her credit for.
i don't think she's the best writer around, but i don't think she's a terrible journalist. i also find no faults with her review of the arcade fire show (maybe because her thoughts echoed my own sentiments). i don't think you have to worship a band in order to write a review of their record or live show.
Originally posted by bbbsmith:What "big words" did you not understand in the review? :roll:
Do us a favor and suggest that she lose the FUCKING Thesaurus next time…she attempts to sound smart and failed miserably.
Originally posted by Rhett Miller:This is a friend of mine's site.
http://www.tabletmag.com/85/music/85_music_reviews.shtml
Originally posted by Random Citizen:Don't be an ass…you know what I mean.
Originally posted by bbbsmith:What "big words" did you not understand in the review? :roll:
Do us a favor and suggest that she lose the FUCKING Thesaurus next time…she attempts to sound smart and failed miserably.
Come on now. I think the indie kids can handle polysyllabic words.
Originally posted by bbbsmith:
Originally posted by Random Citizen:Don't be an ass…you know what I mean.
Originally posted by bbbsmith:What "big words" did you not understand in the review? :roll:
Do us a favor and suggest that she lose the FUCKING Thesaurus next time…she attempts to sound smart and failed miserably.