Steven Wilson - "Why I'm Making Pop Music Now"
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Music Lounge
Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=111442
Printed Date: April 25 2024 at 15:46
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Steven Wilson - "Why I'm Making Pop Music Now"
Posted By: Man Overboard
Subject: Steven Wilson - "Why I'm Making Pop Music Now"
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 08:51
|
As if vocally supporting the violent occupation of Palestine and http://www.israellycool.com/2016/05/03/steven-wilson-of-porcupine-tree-nobody-really-cares-if-roger-waters-boycotts-israel/" rel="nofollow - attacking more conscientious artists he made a career cribbing weren't enough, settler colonial sympathizer Steven Wilson goes pop, releases new pop single. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/steven_wilson_why_im_making_pop_music_now.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/steven_wilson_why_im_making_pop_music_now.html" rel="nofollow - Steven Wilson - Why I'm Making Pop Music Now Listen here: ------------- https://soundcloud.com/erin-susan-jennings" rel="nofollow - Bedroom guitarist". Composer, Arranger, Producer. Perfection may not exist, but I may still choose to serve Perfection. Commissions considered. |
Replies:
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 10:37
|
Sometimes the amount of vitriol in these posts stuns me. ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 11:28
|
Wow, if this is the case he will probably lose some fans but gain new ones. I'm not sure what to make of it actually. If that's what he wants to do then that's his decision. I hope he still does some prog projects though. I actually met him many years ago right as PT were starting to become more well known. They were headlining a prog festival and I talked to him briefly. I remember him saying he liked Trent Reznor, Radiohead and the Orb. None of those are really pop musicians though. Lol. I guess Radiohead have had their moments. I'll say this though. He certainly has the talent to be able to pull it off. Yes I know many on here will say it doesn't take talent to make pop music. What I mean by that is I think he is capable of coming up with plenty of catchy melodies to be successful in this field. |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 11:45
While it's an interesting choice for him, it's not really that surprising. He is extremely prolific and restless. Seems logical for him to explore new genres. On the other hand, if he heads into Country or Hip Hop then he will have gone completely round the bend  ------------- We all live in an amber subdomain, amber subdomain, amber subdomain. My face IS a maserati |
Posted By: mathman0806
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 11:56
My initial reaction to the original poster is so what. Wilson has worked hard and long enough to make whatever music he feels like. As for the song itself, it's ok. I feel like someone else should be singing it. I picture Steven Wilson, and think the person singing should be smiling and laughing, and I can't see that with him. 
|
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 12:15
I agree that he has more than enough talent to pull it off. Good pop music IS a talent and a careful analysis will reveal that much of his canon thus far is indeed cleverly crafted pop tunes cloaked in progressive excess. His secret to success is that he knows exactly which ingredients to add in the perfect proportions. Personally i doubt he'll top his PT days but i wish him all the success in the world -------------  https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 12:35
Sounds quite good to me  ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org |
Posted By: Upbeat Tango Monday
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 12:36
|
Mamma mia, here I go again. My my, how can I resist you? I don't consider neither PT nor Steven Wilson to be prog, so if he wants to go from indie artist to full pop that's fine by me. I don't think he'll succeed going this route, though, since the target audience, young keg stand lovers and party goers, like their performers to be the same age they are...around 20. They don't want a desperate fame-seeking old man as a poster boy. ------------- Two random guys agreed to shake hands. Just Because. They felt like it, you know. It was an agreement of sorts...a random agreement. |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 12:39
Why not? It worked for Bernie Sanders ------------- We all live in an amber subdomain, amber subdomain, amber subdomain. My face IS a maserati |
Posted By: Upbeat Tango Monday
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 12:44
  ------------- Two random guys agreed to shake hands. Just Because. They felt like it, you know. It was an agreement of sorts...a random agreement. |
Posted By: Man Overboard
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 12:59
|
My primary criticism of him trying make a pop career is that he's been trying to break into it his whole career without success. He's just not good enough to succeed in what is a very challenging, unforgiving environment. ------------- https://soundcloud.com/erin-susan-jennings" rel="nofollow - Bedroom guitarist". Composer, Arranger, Producer. Perfection may not exist, but I may still choose to serve Perfection. Commissions considered. |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 13:00
Runner up to the losing candidate is an extremely loose definition of "It worked..." ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 13:30
|
Sorry but that song suxass. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 13:45
|
Probably wont buy the new album then. He just wants to see if he can make a bit more money! Funny how musicians always regard "selling out" as being progressive! Why not develop my dream of ultra-prog - where even 30 minutes is considered a very short song?? Why make a CD for morons to dance round their hand-bags to? Will it make him a household name? Is that what he aspires to? ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 13:50
Sorry - but that was quite-frankly the worst track he's ever written by the full distance of the known-universe! ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: Cylon64
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 14:57
|
Could do with removing the quotation marks from the thread title. Wilson says nothing along those lines in the whole article, just an attention-grabbing clickbait headline that ultimate-guitar.com chose to run with. What he does say is exactly the same thing he's been saying for some years now, regarding his evolution as an artist and refusing to play to the expectations of his audience. The only difference now is that this attitude is being reconsidered in the run-up to the release of what may well prove to be his most divisive work to date. And the song itself? Wilson's press release states that he was aiming for an ELO-meets-Abba vibe, as produced by Daft Punk. If that's the case, then I think he's nailed it! I don't hate it, but I'm intrigued to see how it (and the other 3 released so far) sit on the album itself. Wilson has always been more album-orientated, so I'll reserve judgement until I hear it in context of the finished product. Anyway, in 1979, nobody would have expected Pink Floyd to have the Xmas number one with a cheesy disco beat and a sing-along school choir but look what happened! And I don't think The Wall suffers one bit due to it's presence.
|
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 17:31
|
Yikes....though this should be no surprise I suppose. Just a shame. Hopefully it's just a phase, but if not thanks for the good tunes. Will PA's collabs name a pop album #1 for two years in a row? It'll be interesting to see if SW can still have that pull with this new album. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 17:31
not just musicians for what I've seen in the past! ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 17:42
Ooooo! Touché twice removed ------------- https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: jude111
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 18:45
|
A few thoughts to consider, some dots to connect: 1) Recently the Washington Post had an article about the steep decline in electric guitar sales over the last 10 years. Numerous people were interviewed about it, and various theories were floated, but basically the kids don't want to play the electric guitar, they want to rap, DJ, produce or strum acoustic guitars. 2) The Who’s Roger Daltrey said this several months a go: "The sadness for me is that rock has reached a dead end... the only people saying things that matter are the rappers and most pop is meaningless and forgettable." 3) Arcade Fire's new album is being produced by Daft Punk, while Tame Impala and the 1975 have gone full dance music. 4) As I noted in a previous thread, the NME's recent top 100 (or top 50, i forget) albums of the year so far, there were hardly any rock bands at all. In this climate, Steven Wilson may well see the writing on the wall. As for me, there's that Roger Waters album, and upcoming albums by Liam and Noel, so for the time being I'm sorted. Last one out, turn off the amps. |
Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 19:51
This poppy direction shouldn't have been entirely unexpected at some point. I mean, there were pop pieces all the way back on the first proper Porcupine Tree album `On The Sunday of Life' (`Jupiter Island', anyone?  , and some of us were probably at "ground-zero" when Porcupine Tree fully started moving in the song-based direction with `Stupid Dream' and can vividly recall the cries of `sell-out' even back then, and especially when `Lightbulb Sun' went even further in that direction. Now, they're often considered very special PT/SW albums from the fanbase!Steven said even back at the time of those albums that trying to craft successful accessible tunes was a great challenge that he was fascinated by (probably not his exact words, but I'm sure others remember those kind of quotes from the time), so this seems like even more a natural evolving pattern from him as an artist. Very curious to see how it pans out. Besides, there's a massive difference between well-crafted catchy songs that still show intelligence, and blatantly commercial vacuous teenybopper fluff. Some people seem to confuse simply being catchy and commercial as being instantly a disgraceful sin! |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 21:50
| This song sounded surprisingly pop to me indeed too... and I thought there were songs with pop sesibilities from him or Porcupine Tree before, but this one shows how mistaken I was. Actually, I don't think the song was particularly bad, I could listen to it without the urge to put it off... but neither is it a great song, not even for pop standards. There are many pop songs that I do love and want to hear from time to time, but I don't think this one will be one of them. On the other hand, having one pop song (so far) doesn't mean the new album will be a pop one, nor that Wilson is changing the direction of his career, so I wouldn't rush up to conclusions. I guess we'll just have to see how the album turns out, and what he does next. One more thing, I believe it's better for an artist to follow his inspiration, whatever he really feels like doing, even if it's not what fans are expecting, than to repeat himself and go by the motions with an uninspired release. |
Posted By: Blaqua
Date Posted: July 03 2017 at 23:11
| The song is rather catchy, would make a competitive Eurovision entry. In any case I think when a musician makes such a radical U-turn in his style, it usually means he currently can't come up with notable material belonging to the genre he's associated with or that he's bored of it. |
Posted By: cemego
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 02:10
|
So let me get this right... If the stuff is a bit simpler and not in some ridiculous time signature, its not prog?! I'm sorry, I've been with Steve Wilson's music since the beginning. I think he's come so far. I think one of the most endearing things about "prog" music is that when you follow a "prog" artist, it's an adventure. If Wilson was going to put out another Porcupine Tree sounding album like Up The Down Stair would you really be impressed? You'd probably say it was boring and he hasn't "prog"ressed. I can appreciate what he is doing here and to be honest, I LIKE IT. The lyrics are NOT trite and stupid and the song sounds good. It sounds like he's working hard to make something challenging and yet appealing to the ear (i.e. something that sticks in the head). I'm sure there will be arguments out there about my comment, but "prog" is short for "progressive" and I dont think it's fair to say this isn't "prog". I think he is "prog"ressing and isn't that what we are all here for? If the guy makes a catchy tune that makes money are we all supposed to run screaming from him? Remember some of our most revered "prog" bands nearly killed their existence by making overly complex music. I have been tuned in and will stay tuned with Mr. Wilson. I think he has the right idea for music and I like "prog"ressing with him. I think he suffers for his art and I feel like I'm witnessing his musical growth. Let's not be over dramatic about this. You know the man will toss in something really grand, dark, complex and over the top. I mean C'MON... IT'S STEVEN WILSON FOR CHRIST SAKE! Remember in order for something to be "pop" it should be "popular". I think Steve Wilson's music has to really dumb it down a TON more than this song to be a "pop" song. I don't think he'd ever sink that low. I think he likes a challenge too much. Musical categories/genres are for sissies. Categorizing music ruins the art form. I say RUN WILD Mr. Wilson. I'm with you 100%
------------- listen to streaming stuff! no commercials! http://wmom.servemp3.com:8000/listen.pls |
Posted By: Blaqua
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 02:44
|
It's obviously NOT prog, not his first non-prog material and there's nothing wrong or strange with that and no need to say sorry. "Musical categories/genres are for sissies." You are acting like an immature and contradictory fanboy (or fangirl) of class II (of class I are those who blindly diss their beloved artist simply because he changed direction and style): On the one hand you reject genres and on the other hand you use adjectives to describe and hence categorize music…. |
Posted By: aliano
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 03:52
|
He just rips off, whether it's prog or pop. |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 04:58
Agreed. It's not prog and there's nothing wrong with that. If he wants to branch out into pop or chamber music or electronic hip hop bluegrass, great, more power to him but don't call it prog because it isn't. ------------- We all live in an amber subdomain, amber subdomain, amber subdomain. My face IS a maserati |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 05:20
|
Like Genesis in 1978 - he has decided to turn his back on his old fan-base. I'm sure some fan boy's will rave about this new output like the emperor's new clothes, but I wish him well for the time-being , and will not buy any more of his material until he returns back into the fold. Interestingly - if his new stuff is popular and he tours - what will his 'new' fans make of his old material? Or will he just play pop covers as well as the new material?? ELO meets Abba?? I think he has reached the end of his productive career. Simple as that. ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 05:30
|
If Wilson achieves a burst of raised status and/or greater commercial/financial success with this single and album, which would mean new audiences coming to his shows, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd model a set-list around his more accessible solo tunes and PT tracks. So we'd get things like `The Rest Will Flow', `Piano Lessons', `Where We Would Be', `Trains', `Feel So Low' etc etc....which wouldn't be so bad considering he wouldn't have played some of them for quite a while/ever...and they would be the best options to avoid freaking out the `muggles'/non-proggies!
|
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 05:45
|
I recall SW in an interview citing Lazarus, from the Porcupine Tree album Deadwing, as purposefully being more "radio friendly", so no surprise. It's happened to the best proggers at one time or another. I just tune all the pop stuff out. Especially Asia. (Sorry John W.) ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Thatfabulousalien
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 06:18
|
He's done a lot of other things in the past, that wasn't Porcupine Tree. I don't see the issue ------------- Classical music isn't dead, it's more alive than it's ever been. It's just not on MTV. https://www.soundcloud.com/user-322914325 |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 06:32
It worked insomuch that so many younger people flocked to the message of an old geezer. ------------- We all live in an amber subdomain, amber subdomain, amber subdomain. My face IS a maserati |
Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 06:56
| I guess he's doing what he thinks is better for his career, and that's ok. I hope he finds enough people who get interested in his music and buy his record/song, since I won't, and I'm guessing many of the prog lovers who used to buy his music, won't buy it either. |
Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 07:55
Yes - I like it. ------------- A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life. |
Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 07:56
|
[QUOTE=aliano]He just rips off, whether it's prog or pop. [/QUOTE What utter crap. ------------- A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life. |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 08:23
Agreed. ------------- 
|
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 09:06
|
This isn't much pop from what I am hearing so far - Permanating and Song of I. Might have been pop a long time ago, but sounds way too complicated to be pop in today's market, even accounting for such dreary songs like Take Me to Church being pop hits now. He has always had these sort of songs, like Postcard on Grace for Drowning. Pariah sounds more 'commercial' but lot less so than Bent Knee's Hands Up. I have never found his work to be particularly progressive. Came across as putting together proggy sections of music together (esp Sectarian) than an actually organic, exploratory piece of music. So in a way, I don't mind if he has finally ditched the prog and kept the pop part which was always there in his music (and which made PT a fantastic gateway prog band in the noughties). But it may be a bit too late in the day, which is why I think it's probably NOT driven by purely commercial motives. I take back what I said about Pariah, the dynamics are way too good on this recording to pass off as contemporary pop.
|
Posted By: RoeDent
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 10:53
|
This is pop in the way that Kate Bush, Tears for Fears, Talk Talk and Peter Gabriel are pop. If you think that "pop" is in any way a regression from "prog", and if you criticize artists for making something we can all enjoy and hum along to, then you're just as shallow as those who do it the other way round. I suppose it's to be expected that the haters will come marching in with their ridiculous elitist remarks when a prog artist has anything that approaches success. It's just jealousy. This music is amazing and you know it. You're missing out on the best music being made right now.
|
Posted By: cemego
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 12:23
|
This is in response to Blaqua's reply to my original post: "It's obviously NOT prog, not his first non-prog material and there's nothing wrong or strange with that and no need to say sorry. "Musical categories/genres are for sissies." You are acting like an immature and contradictory fanboy (or fangirl) of class II (of class I are those who blindly diss their beloved artist simply because he changed direction and style): On the one hand you reject genres and on the other hand you use adjectives to describe and hence categorize music…. " Thanks for the personal insult. I had no idea that kinda sh*t was allowed on here. I guess I'll just stop posting. Before I go, I would just like to say, that categorizing music in general, limits the artists the ability to express themselves in the way they would like. If Steve Wilson tomorrow decides to start doing swing jazz, would you hate him for it? I appreciate artists who try different things. and I don't like personal insults on comment boards... Thanks for ruining this for me. Congratulations. You "Blaqua" make the internet suck!
------------- listen to streaming stuff! no commercials! http://wmom.servemp3.com:8000/listen.pls |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 12:28
------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 12:55
You are right of course. I know this music is amazing, the best in the world, but I am forced to despise it anyway due to my searing jealousy of Steven Wilson, which has kept me awake almost every night for the last ten years. His boyish good looks, fabulous hair and cute little glasses fill my soul with unquenchable bitterness and rage. If he cracks the pop charts with 'Permanating' I will literally have to kill myself. ------------- Soldato of the Pan Head Mafia. We'll make you an offer you can't listen to. http://bandcamp.com/jpillbox" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp Profile |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 12:58
|
It never fails to amaze me just how many otherwise sensible and mature music lovers decide to unload a pile of vitriol on an artist just because he/she/they make a "commercial" record. Let us be clear. Artists make music out of both love and, hopefully, to make a few pounds/dollars/pesatos etc. out of their endeavours. Once artists cease to make money, they generally cease to exist. Lest we forget, our favourite "pure prog" bands were, in their heyday, the commercial successes of their day. Genesis, in their prog days, had a, gasp, hit single with I Know What I Like. It made Top of the Pops. Bloody sellout, eh? Led Zep, The Who, and Pink Floyd were the best selling artists of their day. The latter had a massive worldwide hit single with Money, from the album most regard as being one of the epitomes of progressive rock music. Yes had a massive hit single in Amerca with Roundabout, a pure pop rock track, and absolutely broke them into superstardom in that country. Even Crimson, whilst not as commercially successful, shifted more than a few truckloads of music in the day. It's just music. You either like it, or you don't. I do not care two hoots how it is classified. If I think Wilson produces a decent album, I will enjoy and review it as such. If I think it is crap, it will not be because it is "pop", but because it is crap. This neverending debate is so tiresome, it really is. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 13:13
|
I am not piling vitriol at all, I stated that I would not be buying his new album, short tracks , quick fix, no thanks. I will buy when his music interests me again. That will probably be never. I heard a minute of that track and it was garbage....he has more talent than that! Plenty of obscure stuff for me to discover tho - onwards and upwards!!! ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 14:15
|
It's never about the artist wanting to make money, it's always (or should always be) about the product that is produced. The problem with these songs (or later Genesis or any other prog band that gets the sell out label thrown at them) is the songs themselves are bland/insipid/boring/safe/etc. Perhaps I'm being generous, but I doubt the vast majority is upset at artists that want to eat. (Not that Steve Wilson would ever have that problem if he never produced another note of music again) ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Prog-jester
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 17:38
| wow M27Barney is INTENSE |
Posted By: Friday13th
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 18:47
Wow, what a dishonest mischaracterization of that interview. You should apply for CNN. As if Man Overboard's being outraged over people having different political opinions weren't enough, this terrorist, suicide-bomber-sympathizer thinks Steven Wilson owes him the kind of music he wants to hear. I don't like Steven Wilson's new music either, but the man has given the world enough prog and I don't blame him for doing whatever excites him. |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 19:03
People are deeply concerned about labels. Another Day had a more commercial sound (complete with sappy sax in the intro) and nobody had a problem with it because it was called prog. You can't make this up!
|
Posted By: Man Overboard
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 19:37
Did I touch a nerve? There's nothing wrong with pop music, I just don't trust ol' Swilson to be up to the task, given how poorly his many prior attempts at pop songwriting have gone. His prog wasn't so hot, either. If recognizing the humanity of the oppressed Palestinian people makes me a terrorist sympathizer, so be it! I'd be standing in good company. ------------- https://soundcloud.com/erin-susan-jennings" rel="nofollow - Bedroom guitarist". Composer, Arranger, Producer. Perfection may not exist, but I may still choose to serve Perfection. Commissions considered. |
Posted By: Friday13th
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 20:37
|
Sure, Wilson's prog is highly overrated in general, though I own a few albums I enjoy. See, but Wilson and I have been to Israel. After you finish paying your tenth Palestinian taxi driver, visit the their prominently placed shops in every Jerusalem corner, yet see no Palestinian wives in public, you would also see the humanity of Israelis. Don't think you'd be dwelling on how virtuous you are for "seeing the humanity" of Palestinians if they were allowed to take over Tel Aviv. In Qatar, owner of the oh-so progressive news outlet Al-jazeera, the punishment for homosexuality is stoning. Hamas would be no different, and is clearly not "good company." |
Posted By: Man Overboard
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 20:56
"They're not really human like you or I, so it's okay to take their land, push them out of their homes, kill their children, and sneer at anyone who disagrees with the construction of a racist ethno-state in historic Palestine." Pinkwashing jackass. ------------- https://soundcloud.com/erin-susan-jennings" rel="nofollow - Bedroom guitarist". Composer, Arranger, Producer. Perfection may not exist, but I may still choose to serve Perfection. Commissions considered. |
Posted By: Upbeat Tango Monday
Date Posted: July 04 2017 at 21:29
|
Whoever said this song is "the good kind of pop" knows nothing about music in general. Wilson's take on pop is way below standard. Grab "First Love" by Hikaru Utada or "Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama" by Cass Elliot...hell, even Madonna's "Ray of Light" obliterates this song. As a matter of fact, I consider "RoL" a great conceptual album and proggier than Wilson's entire career. Edit: I kinda like Piano Lessons.  ------------- Two random guys agreed to shake hands. Just Because. They felt like it, you know. It was an agreement of sorts...a random agreement. |
Posted By: Junges
Date Posted: July 05 2017 at 03:23
 ------------- 
|
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: July 05 2017 at 04:13
|
Thank you, Mr Partridge, Steve.
|
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: July 05 2017 at 04:30
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: mlkpad14
Date Posted: July 05 2017 at 06:18
Yes, I agree! Honestly... ------------- https://gamecrazyprofessional.weebly.com/ |
Posted By: mlkpad14
Date Posted: July 05 2017 at 06:24
------------- https://gamecrazyprofessional.weebly.com/ |
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: July 06 2017 at 01:42
|
I really like the song for what it is i.e. a joyful slice of Pop music that ELO, Madness, XTC, Abba or the Beach Boys would have been proud. Not sure I could enjoy a whole 3 hour concert of same though... ------------- 
|
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: July 06 2017 at 12:45
|
I suffer from enough "collateral damage" - as I get exposed to pop-crap every time I go out to the pub, or have a family barbecue (my eldest son is completely pop-oriented - and hates all the music I like) so why would I want to inflict more on myself intentionally !!! ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: July 06 2017 at 13:08
|
As many have said....good music is good music.....if his 'pop' is good then so be it. It's not my cup of tea for the most part and what I have heard of his new album doesn't really grab me...but that is not an indictment of what he is doing now. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: altaeria
Date Posted: July 07 2017 at 09:54
|
I'm not sure which is more played out : hearing people get angry because a musician tried to write a catchy tune ; or hearing about civil unrest somewhere in the Middle East. |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: July 07 2017 at 09:59
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: July 08 2017 at 01:24
And religion. Where would we be without this.. oh that and the joy and unity of sports along with parochialism. FWIW I thought he had a brilliant pop tune with Strange As It Seems. Very memorable. This new number is a nice Beatle-esque ELO derivative number that has a tune in a fast rhythm but kind of lacks the all important hook which Jeff Lynne never forgot. In a way it's a kind of psych pop number but needs a clear chorus to bring it together. The pop tune is it's own art form and needs to be done right. Pop fans will ignore it in favour of what music that can be seen (image is paramount). In this the promotion of the teen pop idol will be dependent upon the record company. In a world where music is rented from poor to non paying streaming services and hardly ever purchased this may be a mistake. This may be much worse than the last P Tree album. He took his eye off both the ball and it's trajectory and made a lesser prog album. However, it was not a deal breaker. His core audience would turn up and did for later albums. But a tour of this sort of nearly good pop might be asking a bit much. I wonder what the B side is like? So where does he sit now? Does he have the lyrical intensity of Waters? Melodic sense of Lynne? Guitar extraordinaire of Jeff Beck? The band complete stance of Rush? The ability to challenge the pre-eminince of Justin Bieber, Kanye West et al and win the esteem of the true authority on all matters musically important, the valued opinion of Simon Cowell? I wonder what pal Fripp thinks of all this as he tries action to radically unseat the hold of the monkey mind which seems to be where SW heads his new direction. Meantime I really recommend Beethoven Sonatas if you want some nifty keyboard skills... or Chopin for those who like new music. |
Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: July 08 2017 at 01:25
|
Close call with that blasted captcha thing. So what if I'm a robot. Who cares? |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: July 08 2017 at 08:42
|
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: July 08 2017 at 08:47
Opps, now the CAPTCHAs are on me. Damn buggers.  As for Robert Fripp, as long as SW owns the copyright to his songs, Fripp will like whatever he does. And Fripp is no prog purist by any stretch of the imagination. He remastered hippie pop diva Melanie's albums 1970's albums and played "Soundscape" guitar on Midge Ure's 1996 album Breathe. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: July 08 2017 at 08:56
|
^From time to time, (not often) ABBA would turn up something non pop such as a track called Intermezzo. As a kid I once over heard my nearest and dearest female relatives bemoaning it. Instrumental, weird stuff. Hullo, I thought. C'est moi! They wanted catchy pop. My sympathies. Meanwhile I interrupted my consumption of Uriah Heep to check it out. Think a kind of ELP lite (where is anyone going to find another Carl Palmer even at long notice)... My sister had all the records so I got to hear everything. Some god awful things like Fernanduh. But also Eagle a fabulous piece of chilly prog lyricism. Eve a mini conceptual suite. There's some gold in them hills. Mike Oldfield covered Arrival (it was kind of made for his style). But they had top writers and a superb band. Most good pop and pop rock songs have choruses that really bring the song together and SW missed this mark. You'd think a Beatles fan would have picked up on this idea,; Jeff Lynne did. Not sure I want to hear more. Funny really, it's all about good writing. He missed the mark all over th place with The non Incident (the prg failure) and at a pop tune also missed the mark. The two styles need different elements but they both need focus and this they both lacked. Still his P Tree career is stuffed with gems so much that if he were a '70s act people would revere him. |
Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: July 08 2017 at 09:06
Er, what...? Edit: Ah, OK, your point is that RF supports artists who own their own copyrights? I initially read this as suggesting that SW owned the King Crimson copyrights
------------- Soldato of the Pan Head Mafia. We'll make you an offer you can't listen to. http://bandcamp.com/jpillbox" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp Profile |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: July 08 2017 at 09:16
|
Yup, that's a big deal to Mr. Fripp. That all artists own their own music and not the record companies. That's why, I believe, he remastered Melanie's albums, as she sued her former record label in order to claim ownership of her album masters and won. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: WeepingElf
Date Posted: July 08 2017 at 11:18
|
To get this back on topic: I have never been much into Steven Wilson (though the idea of inventing the history of a '70s rock band up to actually recording their music was a cool one); most of his stuff is too negative and depressing for my taste, it reminds me of a cold, rainy autumn day. But "Permanating" is IMHO worse than anything else I have heard from him. It's something between Muse and Scissor Sisters - definitely not prog. Well, I have been of the opinion that Steven Wilson is vastly overrated; he may be a good musician and sound engineer, but the media like to style him as the Supreme Messiah of Prog, which he clearly isn't. ------------- ... brought to you by the Weeping Elf "What does Elvish rock music sound like?" - "Yes." |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: July 09 2017 at 11:47
Wilson has written plenty of 'catchy' tunes before now....he has plenty of pop rock songs with PT. Personally I'm not angry about what he's up to....just don't think it interests me as much as his other work. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: July 10 2017 at 01:41
Oh, painful. Nearly as much as the track. The worst prog / pop abomination ever executed is by the Scissor Sisters. Their version of Comfortably Numb is... The worship of SW is nearly disturbing. I can think of one fair weather fan (a long time friend) who worships SW. Sort of came out of the wardrobe when prog became a fashion. or a t least a word that can be mentioned in the sort of company that think it's talking about music when it's eally talking about pop culture. So why is SW doing pop anyway? Is prog dead? Again? Still? And the eternal music du jour is top 40? This could be very bad news. I don't mind a decent tune but there are not that many and they're not as easy as we pop hating prog snob elitist type persons like to think. |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: July 10 2017 at 05:18
|
Yeah - I'm with the pop-hating and snob elitists - P.H.A.S.E - what an acronym - IM IN! ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: July 10 2017 at 05:23
|
Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: July 10 2017 at 05:28
|
Well to stay on topic - we have heard an SW pop song. Doesn't seem to be electrifying the community. Now, how about a 60 minute album of this? |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: July 10 2017 at 08:40
|
Hi, I'm not sure it is fair to think that whatever SW does is not right or wrong, because we're sick and tired of his opinions, or what he does, because it NEVER is what we want. We have to allow the artist to be the artist, and then evaluate if we wish to at the end of his life and work, and then make a call whether he/she was an artist of importance, instead of just another popster, amidst the populace and the myriad of top ten imaginary hits, that we consistently strive to discuss, much of which is simply another fart in the wind of our lives, and not specially important as a discussion of "progressive music", other than its popular effect, which we already know it there, and the fact that it often compares things that are similar to apples and then oranges, makes it strange, weird, and a verifiable fact that some of those people are not even listening to the music enough to make an honest discussion about the artist or the band. You do not judge a Beethoven, on 3 or 4 minutes of music. Or a Bach. Or a Stravinsky. And yet, here we are upset with one person because he is painting a blue period, or a pink period, and not what we want. The fact/idea that 'RAP' is more opinionated these days, is not necessarily true. There is just as much opinion in a lot of other music, but we, instead, criticize it for not telling the imginarium bullmerde that we wish to hear, that supposedly identifies things as "progressive music" or "prog rock". And it doesn't matter if it is Dream Theater, or Theater Dream, or PT, or SW ... we will always feel like we have to criticize and SW should not be getting angry like Roger or the large numbers of rap out there that "kids" are supposedly listening to. In some ways, a lot of that rap, is not so much about the lyrics, as it is about the mindless beat and sonambolic way that the piece of music has created, and those associated with our "style" (yeah, right!), are simply saying that we are not supposed to do anything but copy 5 bands, just so we can come right back, and immediately state that ... their new record is just pure pulp and compost material. Left overs that amount to trash. The one thing, that I attempt to adhere to, is that if it isn't worth listening, why are you giving it the time of the day? Are you so empty inside, that you have to spend your time complaining about SW, instead of discussing something else, that might be better, and deserve some more attention ... but since you only listen to 5 or 10 bands listed in this site (LOLOLOVL!), and now one of those bands is not doing what you want ... your dissatisfaction comes alive. Sadly, we are hurting the very development, of the art form that we wish to elevate. And that is something we have to define better inside and then WAKE UP. But telling an artist, he/she does not have the right to say something, is the same thing as telling you to shut up, and you can not have an opinion. And THAT, is simply and totally, plain wrong! Please be more helpful and responsible in your comments. SW did not get there because he did not have an opinion, and neither did anyone else, on any other music, or piece of art, or literature. And if all you can constipate is the socialistic notion of popularity, that is your right, however, remember what it is that you are fighting for. The ultimate freedom of the arts is one of the greatest gifts ever given our human life. Remember that! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: July 10 2017 at 13:57
|
His new CD is sh*te, that is the party line of P.H.A.S.E. you are either with us or against us! ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: MaxnEmmy
Date Posted: July 12 2017 at 11:16
| SW has always been pop. No-man, his band is pop. He is just moving tangentially through the music mainstream and always will. I really like the "pop" of No-man. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: July 20 2017 at 13:52
If Steven is making pop it has to be good. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
|