Really? Was I here around that time? I seem to remember it being harsher when I first joined in 08. I hated it, and I didn't post for a while. I came back and I think I either just grew up and dealt with other people's opinions better or people just stopped being so harsh.

I'll stick to shouting my love of obscure, one release before vanishing ska bands. That way if anyone critiques me on them they'll either show up their ignorance of the genre or they'll have to do some serious digging to have a listen....

Think of me as a one man obscure ska publicity machine. No one else seems to give a damn about it ;)

What's you favorite ska band? I could use some ska actually, I'm severely lacking.

I don't really use Musicbanter for discussing music anymore because whenever I check on the latest discussions, there's almost never anything about the stuff I personally care about. Although I still consider myself young (not even 30!), my tastes are perhaps a bit old compared to most and I don't think many here are passionate about the same music I am passionate about. Or maybe people are, but those topics just don't come up as often?

Anyways, I feel like I've been getting less and less from MusicBanter as a place to discuss music. Most of my posts lately seem to be about diets, scientific topics, politics and the like.

I hope you guys won't interpret this as a mere "whine"! Musicbanter as a place to discuss philosophy and so on is still interesting enough for me to hang around. I'm just wondering if someone else feels the same? Aside from review threads, there's little of what I think of as real discussions on music. F.ex posting about the size of your media library is not, I think. Neither are threads where people just post youtube videos or post about their latest album aquisition.

So, is it just me?

No. I'm with you, but you're fighting against human nature (of allo the people who would...tore?).

Its not easy to post comprehensive writeups in the face of simple youtube postings.

Its not always easy to put words to emotions, its why we pay for books. If we could all do it, we would.

And the biggest deterent I feel is that when someone goes and puts in the effort to have a slightly elevated discussion about some of the concepts and portions of the music we enjoy, its often times looked over, dismissed, or ignored.

The only thing worse is when it is ignored, and then some slapped up opinion we've read before follows it and is quoted and commented on to no end. Laziness is the bottom rung, and people love to drag down into the doldrums anyone around them. There are strength in numbers, and there is ease in sloth.

Thats my 2 cents. Also, Bob Dylan feels the same:

While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society’s pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he’s in

I've felt this way about MB for quite a long time.
As I've said before, the old place needs a new dimension.

I've noticed that a few discography reviews have risen out of nowhere lately (mine included), and I think that's quite positive.
Initially, there seems to be quite a bit of support for this kind of thing. Later on, though, people seem to fall back into "reader mode", without taking advantage of their comment and discussion creating priviledges.
Now, I'm not complaining at all, I myself have little posts and am absolutely guilty of what I just stated (I've also received a fair amount of comments review thread-wise, so whining about this really wouldn't suit me), it's just an observation.
I'm not sure what can be done, but I'll strive to post more in each subforum.

Hmm, Tore, I find niches within MusicBanter where I feel there is a nice mix of write-ups and Youtube videos (which I actually find very helpful, since then I can listen to the songs without leaving the thread).

For example, one of my favorite threads is the Ex-Yugoslavian music thread: http://www.musicbanter.com/country-f...tml#post814896
This thread has given me a chance to learn about the overlap between music and history/politics, plus learn about some bands new to me that I enjoy, and about the Ex-Yugoslavian music scene.

And hey...your yodeling thread is still active! ;)

What would you *like* to be discussing here that you find yourself not discussing?

People are so dramatic on message boards. It's not that dramatic. It's just a place to discuss interests... it's beyond me why the forum lots always become so cultish!

it's because those type of discussions require legitimate effort for no tangible reward and we live in a culture of laziness.

your 'new american songbook' thread is a great idea, took me a good 20 minutes of contemplation to pull out a short list from my youth (i'd cut half of it after reconsidering). it took you almost a week to post a 2nd time in it and haven't really said much. it's kind of hard to want to keep adding to it if the innovator can't be bothered to actually participate in their own thread.