Your heroes, are they PAST IT?

[Brundle-Fly]

That's a lovely song, yes, but as I say - slim pickings post-82.

You said you liked Quiet Life too. I thought Working Man's Cafe was pretty good. Christ, that album was released fourteen fucking years ago.

[the science eel]

Pixies. Yes, so past it they're basically mummified, and cannot become more past it.

It's especially sad with that lot, because they had a bit of mystery about them back in the day, the little fat bloke screaming about flying saucers and the super cool bassist going 'hey hey' and the shy guitarist. Now they've completely lost all of that magic, putting out unimaginative shit like 'Indie Cindy'.

It's not inevitable that bands lose their magic over time but I think for that to happen they need to be fuck-ups (Mark E). Or not release albums very often (VdGG).

[amateur]

Please, someone, get Weezer to stop.

Tough to imagine a band with further diminishing returns after Blue and Pinkerton, two of the best albums any band has ever released. Patchy from there, but moments of joy, particularly The White Album which was genuinely delightful.

After that, fucking hell. They just won't fucking stop. The Black Album isn't just the worst album Weezer have made, it's the worst album anyone has ever made. I've refused to listen to anything else they've made after that abomination, despite them probably being my favourite band on paper.

I'll see them when they do the inevitable Blue/Pinkerton tour but fuck everything else. Awful.

[phantom_power]

That song with Asian Dub Foundation was quite a low point I thought. Embarrassing dad rock shite which ten years ago could have easily been served up as some sort of parody of itself.

Dad rock? I am not sure ADF could be described as that, and they just sampled his routine for the song. It wasn't a collaboration or anything

Guided By Voices are still plugging away at the same quality they have for the last 20 years or so. They never reach the heady heights of Alien Lanes/Bee Thousand but by no means past it

[The Mollusk]

"Coming over here, being the wrong side of fifty, taking the piss out of bigots and raising money for a refugee camp."

Doesn't change the fact that the song was total shite though.

Dad rock? I am not sure ADF could be described as that, and they just sampled his routine for the song. It wasn't a collaboration or anything

The song became a collaboration when Lee starred in the video mining along to his own routine. And I'm not saying ADF are dad rock, I'm saying the cringe factor of a middle aged bloke authorising what was once an entertaining and sharply written bit of satire to be reconstituted as a relatively context-free bit of "oi oi, bet this winds you up doesn't it, bigots?" sentiment slapped on top of a tawdry and uninspired alt-dub groove was absolutely the modern equivalent of dad rock.

[buttgammon]

Burial As per the recent thread, it's been a case of diminishing returns from him for a while now. I wouldn't write him off yet, but I'm a bit apprehensive about hearing his new EP, and it's not a good sign when that happens; I stood in the pouring rain waiting for HMV to open to get a CD copy of Untrue before going to college on the day it came out, whereas I can't be arsed streaming something now.

New Order have had a few stops and starts since the early nineties, and have had the odd good track, but I sometimes pretend they quit after Republic.

[Lungpuddle]

Doesn't change the fact that the song was total shite though.

I hated the thing too, but if it raised money for a good cause I'm not going to slag it off too much. In fact, if I'd have known it was raising money for refugees I'd have bought it and just not listened to it. I've looked up the charity (KRAN) just now but can't find a way to donate. I don't live in Kent, either.

Song was cack, yeah.

[sevendaughters]

I try not to have heroes but let's play along, alive ones only:

Labradford. Long split but post-band Mark Nelson has declined very gracefully through Pan-American. They've embraced digital so they're not old bores, but part of their magic was in the analogue/ensemble playing. No idea where Carter Brown is. Bobby and Mark formed a new band called Anjou which is reasonably good and goes to some new places, but nothing others on Bandcamp aren't doing with clever modern guitar pedals and a synth.

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. As far as I know none of them are doing anything since the band split. A true triumph.

Ariel Pink. Talent-wise, if we consider his most new material 'House of Yesterday' and some of the cuts from the bootleg Archevil, then he appears to be blessed with a lifetime talent. Personality-wise he's never been in a bigger hole, with various personal and political problems dogging him.

Slint. The bassist runs a gym. The singer doesn't do music after dropping an immaculate record 21 years ago. The drummer/songwriter can't muster up a project of the same quality. The guitarist jobs around in increasingly lesser bands.

Nation of Ulysses. Ian still an interesting character and currently in Escape-ism and Chain and the Gang. His self-cancelling and then going back on it was weird. Was very surprised he took reunion money for The Make Up. James was a great sideman for Ted Leo. Tim had the Fucking Champs but that name seems so very early 00s to me. No idea what the rest are doing.

ABBA. Being rich and not being able to conjure up anything worth a damn since the last record they managed. A true curse.

[Brundle-Fly]

Doesn't change the fact that the song was total shite though.

The song became a collaboration when Lee starred in the video mining along to his own routine. And I'm not saying ADF are dad rock, I'm saying the cringe factor of a middle aged bloke authorising what was once an entertaining and sharply written bit of satire to be reconstituted as a relatively context-free bit of "oi oi, bet this winds you up doesn't it, bigots?" sentiment slapped on top of a tawdry and uninspired alt-dub groove was absolutely the modern equivalent of dad rock.

Ok, you think the music is dated cak but what does him being middle aged got to do with it? Asian Dub Foundation have been going for nearly thirty years so it's not as if he's trying to be down with the kids.

[Brundle-Fly]

Slint. The bassist runs a gym. The singer doesn't do music after dropping an immaculate record 21 years ago. The drummer/songwriter can't muster up a project of the same quality. The guitarist jobs around in increasingly lesser bands.

.

Surely, we can't include bands that essentially split up years ago as being PAST IT?

[the science eel]

ABBA. Being rich and not being able to conjure up anything worth a damn since the last record they managed. A true curse.

Really? Do you think they see it that way, even to a small degree?

[sevendaughters]

Surely, we can't include bands that essentially split up years ago as being PAST IT?

I'm open-minded that certain people have talent that sees them through other projects, I guess. Plus, they're alive, and the main songwriter is sadly past it.

[sevendaughters]

Really? Do you think they see it that way, even to a small degree?

Probably not. I dunno. They're not their heroes, are they? In a lot of artists there's a desire to carry on even after the cash is stacked. Barry Gibb could have stuck coke up his arse every day from the early 80s but kept pushing.

[sevendaughters]

oh, one more

Erasure. Love them. Been past it since the turn of the century.

[The Culture Bunker]

New Order have had a few stops and starts since the early nineties, and have had the odd good track, but I sometimes pretend they quit after Republic.

I wish they'd packed in after 'World in Motion'. The odd song aside ('Regret', 'Crystal' was a good enough comeback single) they've not done much since 1990 that I wish to hear again. I had a chance to see them a couple of years back but turned it down because without Hooky, it's not really New Order to me, despite him being a twat of epic proportions that I'm sure I wouldn't want to be in a band with either.

I'm a big fan of Neil Finn's songwriting though Split Enz to the second Finn Brothers album, one of the best creators of catchy guitar pop there has even been - but he's not done much that's made me sing along to since.

[An tSaoi]

Kraftwerk. One original member left, no new album since 2003, just live albums and remasters.

Someone described them as "curators of their own back catalogue", which fits.

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

Mark E Smith - dead, so definitely past it

[holyzombiejesus]

Nation of Ulysses. Ian still an interesting character and currently in Escape-ism and Chain and the Gang. His self-cancelling and then going back on it was weird.

Ooh, got any link or info on that please?

[Lungpuddle]

If it's true we're allowed the dead, the saddest reply would be Vivian Stanshall. Poor bugger. Although I'm getting my information from that Ginger Geezer book and the ridiculously overpriced and petty book put out by his second wife, so I may be misinformed.

[sevendaughters]

Ooh, got any link or info on that please?

oh he just deleted the post, like, whoops, please don't follow up on this weird thing I wrote with zero specifics at this very timely moment! Merge cut ties with him though, so there must have been something.

This is what he wrote if you didn't see it:

BURN BABY BURN : the trash fire burning through underground music is long overdue. It is not happening in other spheres of the music industry. It is unique to the underground rock music scene because this scene is predicated on the concepts of access, participation, respect, and honesty. It rejects the capitalist models of hierarchy and exploitation. For all of the degenerate posturing of the punk progenitors, we exist in a highly moral scene where accountability is paramount. Accountability takes many forms and faces; at one time this manifested in fairness of pricing of records and concerts, or all ages shows where anyone could enter. Record labels that were accountable. This battle is over; the fans are few and most labels and money are gone.

    Now the scene must address personal behavior. The interactions between people. As a lifelong punk i am permeated in the myths of rock. While we loathe the rock prescriptions of misogyny, power imbalance, sexual objectification, et al, we have also lionized the exploits of the greatest public degenerates (outside of politics, industry &military), the top sinners, the scum and the perverts and, at times i too have manifested aspects of their tawdry behavior.

I want to use this forum to say that i support people speaking out for the eradication of abusive predatory modes and also that i am absolutely one of the guilty parties. That, through my narcissism, egotism, and thoughtlessness, i have acted the creep. That i have made people i cared about and respected feel terrible, have been completely inappropriate to women. While this may seem like virtue signaling, its not. We are interested in creating an accountable world where this kind of dialogue isn't necessary .

To anyone i have made feel bad or uncomfortable, i sincerely apologize and throw myself at your mercy. I always believed that i was a revolutionary and now my revolutionary act is self immolation. If rock 'n' roll behaves like its mortal enemy — the imperial war machine and the capitalist consumer cannibal factory, then it must be eradicated, burned, destroyed. So it can be borne again, free of the pollution that has infected it since its inception.

[holyzombiejesus]

Don't really have any 'heroes' as such and I'm not sure that I particularly like most of the people whose music I love, Svenonious and Euros Childs aside.

Most of the Scottish indie stuff I used to love (B&S, TFC, that lot) are generally past it now and I wish they'd stop making records. I think The Pastels continue to improve and, Sittin' Pretty aside, each album has been better than it's preecessor.

Robert Forster is ok I guess although haven't really listened to the last album that much. The highlights of his solo gigs are nearly always Go-Betweens songs. So, yes, past it.

Lawrence hasn't lost it, has he?

[Jerzy Bondov]

Nine Inch Nails - Just did this with HEALTH. Still great.

David Bowie - just keeps releasing old live sets and rare shit 60s recordings, what's going on with him?

[holyzombiejesus]

oh he just deleted the post, like, whoops, please don't follow up on this weird thing I wrote with zero specifics at this very timely moment! Merge cut ties with him though, so there must have been something.

This is what he wrote if you didn't see it:

Ah, cheers. Saw the initial post but hadn't seen anything about his subsequent u-turn. He hasn't released anything for almost a year which seems a bit ominous.

[Ferris]

That song with Asian Dub Foundation was quite a low point I thought. Embarrassing dad rock shite which ten years ago could have easily been served up as some sort of parody of itself.

Yeah that was what pushed me over the line from blind adoration to "ooh not sure about this".

[The Crumb]

Nine Inch Nails - Just did this with HEALTH. Still great.

David Bowie - just keeps releasing old live sets and rare shit 60s recordings, what's going on with him?

Trent is a good one, not at his absolute peak anymore, but has actually managed to develop and refine other parts of his sound so he's not trying to retread past glories too much. It's nice to see his progression from angsty lad to mellow elder statesman (even if his lyrics are still the former).

[purlieu]

Guided By Voices are still plugging away at the same quality they have for the last 20 years or so. They never reach the heady heights of Alien Lanes/Bee Thousand but by no means past it

Not sure I completely agree, there are some albums I really enjoy - Universal Truths and Cycles, Let's Go Eat the Factory - and some I find a real slog - Isolation Drills, Half Smiles of the Decomposed - but even the worst records have a couple of classics on. Being a GBV fan, post-Mag Earwhig!, has definitely been an exercise in actively seeking out the best material, though. It would be completely un-GBV to do it, but if they did just stick to their best tracks and release an album of them every couple of years, they'd probably be one of the most consistently brilliant bands of all time.

Most of the Scottish indie stuff I used to love (B&S, TFC, that lot) are generally past it now and I wish they'd stop making records.

Write About Love felt like one of those slightly limp but pleasant farewell albums some bands seem to knock out knowing it's going to be their last, and that's how it is in my head. I've tried to listen to the last few things they've done and it all goes in one ear and out of the other. They seem to have lost any remaining aspects of their '90s charm as well.

[The Mollusk]

Ok, you think the music is dated cak but what does him being middle aged got to do with it? Asian Dub Foundation have been going for nearly thirty years so it's not as if he's trying to be down with the kids.

Middle aged. Midlife crisis. DAD ROCK

[Brundle-Fly]

Middle aged. Midlife crisis. DAD ROCK

Hang on, but aren't you middle aged?

[Kankurette]

I'm still not sure about Space. Attack of the Mutant 50ft Kebab was great. Give Me Your Future less so, but still a decent album, if managed horribly (and being rude to your fans when they ask when the album's coming out is not a good look, especially when you're crowdfunding it). I'm not sold on the new stuff. It's like they're trying to do Spiders again, but it's not going to be the same without Andy or Jamie, or Yorkie helping out behind the scenes.

Tori Amos had a bit of a wibble with that shitty Christmas album and Abnormally Attracted to Sin, and I'm still not sure how I feel about Night of Hunters (I wish she'd kept it instrumental, though Star Whisperer is good), but got her mojo back with Unrepentant Geraldines and Native Invader. Giant's Rolling Pin is an abortion though. It's worse than Ireland, and that's an achievement.

The Manics, though? Damn straight. I only go for the old stuff and Futurology and maybe Lifeblood and a couple of songs off This Is My Truth.

ETA: ADF have been going for THIRTY YEARS?! Fucking hell, I AM old. I remember them when they first came out and did the Satpal Ram campaign.

[Ferris]

Bob Dylan

Yes, he is past it.