Scarlett O'Hara

As much as I generally like Lady Gaga's album by individual song perspective, it was WAY over hyped. She said it would be the pop record of the decade. What a complete let down.

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djchameleon

Everything about Lady Gaga is way over hyped that's just how she rolls.
I personally like her new album even if it's a bit more of the same with a little world dance twist to it. I notice in some of the songs she added elements from different dance scenes around the world. I would have liked one or two more piano heavy/oriented tracks though.




This OP reminds me that I need to check out the new TV on the Radio

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Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

Rainard Jalen

Relevant as in it defines a genre or a movement or the like. Relevant to the progression, evolution and development of a scene or tide within the musical arena.

Important as in it's generally remembered and not forgotten.

I do appreciate the points you are making and at times might have put forth the same sorts of arguments myself. Since value is such a subjective notion of course it is easy to say that no one thing is inherently any better than another. It's just what people decide to attribute to it. Quite right, quite true. Still, I think it misses the wider point and isn't really what I'm trying to get at when I speak of relevance, importance and whatnot.

I make my points in full consideration that there's no real inherent value to albums, bands etc. For the meanings I'm using for the adjectives I'm using, however - and I do believe they are widely accepted meanings - I think my usage is correct.

On the same token, I do respect your right to see importance, relevance and whatnot in a different light.

starrynight

And who decides what the tide of music is (what perspective they take on that)? Or what defines a particular genre? Some critics somewhere who probably have their own biases.

And I never said "no one thing is inherently any better than another" or that there is "no real inherent value to albums, bands etc". Of course something can be better than something else in that it may be more inventive, but you have to compare things in the same style to do that.

Rainard Jalen

Again, I agree with everything you say in principle. But don't feel it really takes account of what I'm trying to getting at.

Out of interest, and to make this overall discussion a bit more interesting, what are your personal favourite indie releases of the year? I am curious to see where you're coming from in terms of personal taste.

starrynight

As I said earlier I intend to look through things at the end of the year, so I haven't really heard much from this year yet. I heard the Yuck album but I think it is a bit overrated.

Alfred

Snowman's "Absence" has been one of my favorites album of this year, and I feel that it has been criminally overlooked. I'm probably not getting the genres all right on it, but it's a really sweet psychedelic, tribal-influenced, ambient, electronic kind of alt-rock album. Definitely worth checking out if any of those words interest you.

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Rainard Jalen

And how is it that you propose to look through things?

starrynight

I start off looking through as many best of the year lists on the internet as I can. Then when I find an album I like I look to see which individual lists have included that and I see what other albums they list. That's how it spirals outwards. I try and avoid too many consensus lists as they quickly become boring and predictable.

Rainard Jalen

Explain though what you mean by individual lists.