Vacant Horizon

thanks for the input. i am checking out their latest disc and am really digging it. i love that interplay of clean guitars a la television and of course, wilco. so we'll see how it goes. also want to check out their instrumental eps.

cheers

recommendations? although i am not a huge fan of noise etc., i do like their guitar sounds and workings from what i have heard. don't know where to begin though. i remember seeing that 100% video on mtv a long time ago. that's it.

saw him in atlanta in 2006. well worth it. probably one of the best shows i have ever seen. he is a true american treasure. i could listen to him rap all night and just sing tunes on his piano. he did a bit of that, but it was mostly blood money, real gone, and mule tunes, which i was not complaining about.

You are right on the money.. The top 40 needs more bands like Wilco to take the place of the shit bands (or singers, dancers, or other garbage in the top 40).. Good bands, like the various bands discussed here at VC.. Bands that don't suck and are liked by people with good taste in music.

 

One of the members in my band is currently writing his college thesis on this subject. It talks about how Art/Music is sadly, dieing out.. And it's because of record companies that just want to sell an image and music that has no artistic meaning, just a catchy tune that gets old fast.. But thank God their are still good bands around that are finding success..

well said my friend. although, i am a bit more optimistic than your friend's thesis. i think the death of the RIAA will mean the death of the middle man. as a result, all the money i pay for wilco stuff, will go straight to wilco, not some capitalist.

wow, that was an interesting article. imagine going to the bathroom at a Wilco show and finding a MP3 player full of never-heard-before demos and home recordings from the band . that signed vinyl thing sounds neat too. I know hardcore fans would def. throw down on stuff like that, possibly helping to off-set the amount of money lost from illegal file sharing.

 

back in '02, Joseph Arthur released 4 vinyl EPs called 'Junkyard Hearts' and each copy was hand painted by him. now, they fetch like $500 each. stuff like this interests me and gives me hope in regards to the future of music distribution.

yeah, like if it is a band i really like, then i am the one that is gonna go for the 35 song download at 256kbs. i also want to support the artist. those who download illegally wouldn't have bought the album anyway. file sharing is not ruining the record business, bad music is. i really think people support the artists they like. BUT, the shit that is on top 40 is just that, shit. and the kids know it. so they download it for free knowing they'll be sick of it in 3 weeks. there's no incentive for them to buy any of that stuff. where as back in the 70s, bands were around for awhile and built a following and this is how the record companies did it. they are the culprits of their own demise.

http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/03/03/in...=googlenews_wsj

NIN and new music business models. this is short and really interesting. i am fascinated by what's happening with music distribution and i love what rez is doing here. i am reminded of something i heard steve albini say in an interview where he saw the future of music being like church. every band builds a following and caters to them. in turn, the 'followers' support the band. i see magnolia electric as this type of band. although on a label, jason has such a devoted following that sees him every time he comes to town etc. Albini also said that being in a band has to be about loving it and not getting rich. so, do we really need the middle man, the record company. like most folks, we're gonna buy the stuff we really like, maybe even a few times. the shit we download is usually just that, shit. we don't have to buy cds and be totally dissapointed that it sucks. will be interesting to see what the record co.s do.

thoughts

i am so hot and cold with these dudes, as i am band of horses. one day i am in love with everything they do and then today, i just can't stand 'em. did see them live in 04. pretty good. glad jim cut his hair.

craig

When I brought my wife to a Wilco show in, I think, 2000 at Toad's Place in CT, we were waiting on line to get into the venue when all the members of Wilco walked past the line and got into a van. My wife, who was just vaguely familiar with the band said, "Hey, there's Jeff Healey!" His name will always be tied to that memory for me.

 

 

awesome!!! sounds like my wife always referring to robert plant as the guitarist for the who.

 

Rest in peace.

sincere apologies, obviously my bad

no, just opinions. maybe my bad because i just don't like them.

totally remember angel eyes as it was all over the radio in the late 80s. he was pretty cool, just suffered from that 80s production. wasn't he also in that movie roadhouse with patrick swazy and his huge hair?

sad news. didn't know he was that young. really thought he was one of the few mainstream 'rockers' in the 80s besides stevie etc. in the midst of all the terrible top 40 stuff.

Not everybody has to like all the music everybody else likes. I have a hard time with AF too, and I can understand the anti-hipsterness happening these days. It's kind of an undertandable reaction, though I say give everyone the benefit of the doubt... I think that's kind of the point in that interview, anybody cool enough to want to associate with my group is OK even if we don't all have the same taste in clothing, lifestyle, music. And if you have a problem with that openness and stuff, then you don't have to come around.

 

I have been listening to nothing but Steve Earle, Smithsonian Folkways old timey music, Old Crow Medicine Show and Whiskeytown, for about four months...

 

I suspect there are folks around here who would rather die than walk a day in my headphones. To each his own.

well said. it's really hard to talk about music and scenes etc. without being exactly what we are reacting to, elitism. i just like the idea of BoH being an everyman's band. just making good music because that is what they do. no shtick, no selling out, etc.

are you taking the piss? are you saying arcade fire are pretentious and that they don't deliver 90 minutes of outstanding rock?!? have you seen them live?

yes, totally overrated.

this has been a great tour, and looks to be getting better.

 

if anyone hasn't seen Bruce it's a must ! we all hope Danny gets well, and rejoins the tour soon.

 

When I was at the shows in Jersey, there were tix availble for face value, so I'd go and take the chance.

 

I'm old school Bruce too, but the new cd is very good.

 

Reason to Believe

Loose Ends

She's the One

 

that's a fine 3, and an even better encore

well, my hope is to pay $20, no more, after about the 3rd song.

c

I like all of Bruce's veins, except for the one he had in 1992.

if i am gonna listen to bruce it's gonna be nebraska or lucky town. actually like that album. local hero is a great song.

c

Altough Bruce has an amazing recorded catalogue (most fans think BITUSA is his weakest album), he is one artist that has to be seen in concert to fully appreciate.

Do not miss him in Hotlanta - it will change your life.

well, i hope i can get a cheap ticket after the show starts b/c i do not have the ridiculous amount of cash for a real ticket. just ricidulous. him, neil and the stones etc.

Music to my ears Ben Lets get back to rock. I am one of those dads with babies. Now I probably wont be bringing my sons to your shows or getting drunk, but I sure do like 90 minutes of good rock and no schtick, which is what BOH is all about. These dudes got a long career ahead of them. Here's hoping that they and wilco and some others can curb this indie pretensious nonsense that is rampant right now. arcade fire? Rock on!

great article. i guess i love bruce more than his music. have tried for years, but just can't seem to get into it. of course i was unintentionally burned out with born in the usa era bruce b/c of top 40 radio in the 80s. i think that scarred me.

anyway, i think i am gonna head downtown when he plays atlanta and try to get a cheap ticket after the show starts. anyone have any luck doing this before?

craig

agreed.

i guess i am with you all on this. i mean, i have music in a bunch of different places. burned discs in case logic, my favorite discs on a shelf, and digital music. i guess i wish it was all more streamlined ie all new, all used, all digital etc. anyhow, i went to amazon and downloaded a few black keys songs. way better than itunes with bitrate 256 and no drm. now i hope my computer doesnt crash.

so the black keys thread has inspired me to pick up one of their cds. i think buying it new will best support the artist and the local indie shop, no. thoughts?

c

yes, i've had the album for a few weeks now, i think it's fantastic and might be their best yet (easily their most diverse record).

 

honestly, before Magic Potion, Thickfreakness was my least favorite. it's got some great rockers, but i don't find it's songwriting as strong as Rubber Factory. The Big Come Up will always have a special place, since it was what got me hooked on them, but it's prolly my 3rd fave now after Attack & Release and Rubber Factory.

 

this album, while it's more "hi-fi" than their first 2 records, is hardly "produced" or glossy. as for running out of ideas, that's why i think this one is so great, because they branched out a ton musically. it's not the same riff rock from the first 3 records.

 

i think this record might be their most succesful to date... just a hunch, if i'm wrong i'll admit it.

good points. so, all this talk of the keys got me to check out magic potion. downloaded a few tracks at amazon and am really digging it. so, maybe the new album will be good. i wont hear it until it comes out because, after several attempts, i finally quite 'downloading' early last month. i have been sober for over 6 weeks! now, if i could just stay away from the donuts.

 

there is bass guitar on much of this album...

 

and Steve Albini is SO SO overrated as a producer, sorry

 

if the track on their myspace you're referring to is Strange Times... it's the only song that sounds even remotely like that.

have you heard the entire album?

as far as albini goes, i am not saying he is the best producer etc. i just like that he tries to capture a band rather than take them apart and put them back together again in some pristine, unnatural way. the keys had a good thing going with just the striped down ensemble, but their albums just keep getting more and more 'produced'. probably because they are running out of ideas for the duo and the riffs are just getting old. it's really gonna be hard for them to ever top thickfreakness.

i like the idea of these dudes, but every time i listen i get bored and just want to listen to green era fleetwood mac or zeppelin. a track is up on their myspace...just over produced. the real next step for these guys should have been getting a bass player and making a nice phat blues rock record and none of this studio shit. get steve albini for god's sake.

c

Well, you are BUYING from emusic, so its not like snatching it completely free. Its yours. Although, I can see if there are things you really like and would prefer to own a physical/lossless copy of.

right.

It works very well. Got to see him live with them and it was super awesome. One of my favorites of his also is the last Band of Blacky Ranchette on Thrill Jockey a few years ago.

awesome. i hope to see him live at some point. i think there are a few albums under the Band of Blacky Ranchette. also want to check out arizona amp and alternator. maybe even get a t-shirt!

Buy Vinyl and, if unavailable, buy CDs. I try to buy a physical copy of every record I REALLY like. Then I shelf it until it needs to be played or I have the urge to listen to the real deal. I have an ipod and hard drives full of music. But I still love needle on vinyl and the occasional CD spin.

yeah, i am leaning in that direction. like, i really love wilco and neil young, so i have CDs of theirs.