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But they always had a lot of musical diversity under the broader banner of "rock." No one would accuse Alabama Shakes, Alt-J, or Avett Brothers of sounding anything like one another.
By definition, EDM has a narrower stylistic range -- it's electronic dance music -- than a broader genre which includes everything from Billy Joel to Slayer.
To my ears, EDM is so different from the rest of popular music that I think of it the same way I think of opera or polka: something which may be musically valid, but is so different in vibe and substance from the rest of popular music that I consider it no more appropriate for a popular music festival than opera or polka would be.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
The thing is, Sia sounds nothing like Disclosure and neither of them sound anything like Robyn.
OK, unfair of me to lump EDM and pop in together.
It's Disclosure and Odesza that sound like each other, because they're both in a stylistically limited genre.
You've got to admit that the distance between, say, Beck and the Pixies is greater than the distance between Robyn and Sia.
Post by The Foot Fuckin' Master on May 5, 2016 4:49:41 GMT -5
Any OG electronic music lover will attest that EDM is a bullshit umbrella term that doesn't properly reflect the variety that's out there.
I'll also argue that the May 2015 edition was more stylistically limited on top than this year's. Look at the following main six acts:
Tame Impala Beck Ben Harper MMJ Tenacious D Pixies
Now compare that to Sufjan, Sia, ODESZA, Robyn, Haim and Disclosure... somewhat more variety this year.
The crowd for Alabama Shakes also dropped off last year since people had work the next day. This year people can recover on MMD after raging to Disclosure.
Meanwhile, i just got PTSD flashbacks to the awful crowd of bros and basics at ALT-J last September. Hope they don't show up again.
Any OG electronic music lover will attest that EDM is a bullshit umbrella term that doesn't properly reflect the variety that's out there.
I'll also argue that the May 2015 edition was more stylistically limited on top than this year's. Look at the following main six acts:
Tame Impala Beck Ben Harper MMJ Tenacious D Pixies
Now compare that to Sufjan, Sia, ODESZA, Robyn, Haim and Disclosure... somewhat more variety this year.
Couldn't disagree more. Yes, all six of those acts play some variant of rock and roll, but not one of those acts sounds anything like the other five. If you want to say that Tame Impala and Flaming Lips sound alike, or Tenacious D and every other comedy/folk/metal band, you'll get no argument from me, but EDM is by definition a more limited genre. It's got to be electronic and it's got to have dance-inducing beats. It's in the name of the genre.
You could make the case that there's as much musical variety in the work of MMJ or Beck alone than there is among the six top and second line 2016 performers combined (well, maybe among the five that aren't Sufjan).
Again, referring to everything as EDM does a disservice and is similar to using the term "guitar music."
Why not just resell your early bird ticket with a markup and move on? Sounds like you'd have a better time that way.
While there's no one I'm incredibly excited about, there are around a dozen acts I want to see, particularly Vince Staples, Lizzo, and Charles Bradley.
But having at least one of your favorites out of 23 acts is the cherry on top of the sundae. God knows, they've come through for me with at least one favorite during most editions, like The Replacements, MMJ, Father John Misty, and Hozier, along with acts I was really interested in seeing like Alabama Shakes, Sturgill Simpson, Lake Street Dive, and Run The Jewels.
They had established a brand, defined Boston Calling through six festivals worth of bookings, and then switched it up in a major way without giving the early bird buyers advanced notice. If you went to your favorite Mexican restaurant one night and discovered that they changed the menu and were serving only Italian food for the foreseeable future, wouldn't you be a bit disappointed?
Watch what happens next year, if a lot of attendees who love this May's lineup buy the blind early bird tickets for next year, and then get a lineup similar to the previous ones. I think that will be less of a problem moving forward, though, because I strongly suspect they're moving to a larger venue in the immediate Boston area. If they can move up to two or three concurrent "national music act" stages, these issues go away immediately.
I want them to book a ton of EDM and pop, so the people who enjoy it can have a great time, while I'm on the other side of the festival grounds digging Wilco or Dawes or whomever.
I have to agree with tw12 here. This lineup is very different from all the past lineups in that there is no mainstream or semi-mainstream rock and roll artist near the top. I'm still going to enjoy myself, but I was not expecting this sort of lineup when I bought my early bird pass. There is no band on this lineup that occupies the same space as Beck, MMJ, Pixies, Modest Mouse, Brand New, Death Cab, Alt-J, Alabama Shakes, or even Jack Johnson. This lineup is decidedly more electronic and pop heavy than it ever has been.
Post by thisishappening on May 6, 2016 8:45:30 GMT -5
I don't think most people are necessarily saying any artists on this lineup aren't talented; it's just a dramatic departure from past Boston Calling lineups, that primarily had heavy alt-rock leanings.
I just can't get over the implications that someone who likes bands like Dawes or Beck wouldn't appreciate Disclosure, Sia, or Robyn.
Maybe the problem lies with you having far too narrow an appreciation of different genres, and not with Boston Calling.
Too narrow? I enjoy avant-garde jazz, literate post-Dylan songwriters, bands which reside at the corner of Americana & Radiohead, great hip hop from Grandmaster Flash to Kendrick, old school country and newer Americana artists who sound more country than what passes for country these days, punk rock, post punk, 60's-70's soul, string quartets, pub rock, goatee rock, prog rock, classic rock, English folk, a few metal bands, 70's funk, a whole lot of 70's-10's new wave -> alternative -> indie rock, anything with a jangling Rickenbacker 12-string, and the motherfunkin' Beatles.
I just can't get over the implications that someone who likes bands like Dawes or Beck wouldn't appreciate Disclosure, Sia, or Robyn.
Maybe the problem lies with you having far too narrow an appreciation of different genres, and not with Boston Calling.
Too narrow? I enjoy avant-garde jazz, literate post-Dylan songwriters, bands which reside at the corner of Americana & Radiohead, great hip hop from Grandmaster Flash to Kendrick, old school country and newer Americana artists who sound more country than what passes for country these days, punk rock, post punk, 60's-70's soul, string quartets, pub rock, goatee rock, prog rock, classic rock, English folk, a few metal bands, 70's funk, a whole lot of 70's-10's new wave -> alternative -> indie rock, anything with a jangling Rickenbacker 12-string, and the motherfunkin' Beatles.
I just can't get over the implications that someone who likes bands like Dawes or Beck wouldn't appreciate Disclosure, Sia, or Robyn.
Maybe the problem lies with you having far too narrow an appreciation of different genres, and not with Boston Calling.
To me, a lot of popular music falls into two camps:
1) Celebratory, "good times" music like disco, EDM, pop, some mainstream hard rock bands like Kiss and the 80's hair metal crowd, today's teen pop divas, and the bling and champagne wing of hip hop where everybody gets laid, gets paid, and has no complaints.
2) Music of lack and loss where the yearning for something that isn't there and the quest for something better is the dominant theme or subtext, whether the focus is a broken heart, a repressive government, or spiritual longing. Music which provides catharsis through the expression of lack, loss, or dissatisfaction.
Pop can fall into this category. At least half of the Motown, Beach Boys, and Spector songs do.
I don't listen to music to be reminded of my failures by hearing songs from the perspective of people who've got it all and are having a great time. I listen to music to be reminded of my failures by hearing songs which remind me of those failures.
Too narrow? I enjoy avant-garde jazz, literate post-Dylan songwriters, bands which reside at the corner of Americana & Radiohead, great hip hop from Grandmaster Flash to Kendrick, old school country and newer Americana artists who sound more country than what passes for country these days, punk rock, post punk, 60's-70's soul, string quartets, pub rock, goatee rock, prog rock, classic rock, English folk, a few metal bands, 70's funk, a whole lot of 70's-10's new wave -> alternative -> indie rock, anything with a jangling Rickenbacker 12-string, and the motherfunkin' Beatles.
Oh yeah, that's a very narrow range.
You mad?
Nope, just making the point that not liking particular genres doesn't mean you have narrow tastes in music.
I just can't get over the implications that someone who likes bands like Dawes or Beck wouldn't appreciate Disclosure, Sia, or Robyn.
Maybe the problem lies with you having far too narrow an appreciation of different genres, and not with Boston Calling.
To me, a lot of popular music falls into two camps:
1) Celebratory, "good times" music like disco, EDM, pop, some mainstream hard rock bands like Kiss and the 80's hair metal crowd, today's teen pop divas, and the bling and champagne wing of hip hop where everybody gets laid, gets paid, and has no complaints.
2) Music of lack and loss where the yearning for something that isn't there and the quest for something better is the dominant theme or subtext, whether the focus is a broken heart, a repressive government, or spiritual longing. Music which provides catharsis through the expression of lack, loss, or dissatisfaction.
Pop can fall into this category. At least half of the Motown, Beach Boys, and Spector songs do.
I don't listen to music to be reminded of my failures by hearing songs from the perspective of people who've got it all and are having a great time. I listen to music to be reminded of my failures by hearing songs which remind me of those failures.
Catharsis. Release. Connection.
Go and listen to "Chandelier" by Sia and tell me it's just about partying. Then go and listen to "Debra" by Beck and tell me it's not just a goofy song
Your knowledge (or lack thereof) on pop and electronic music severely limits the effectiveness of your argument. They are genre's you're clearly not that familiar with, so while you could speak at length about what makes your favorite genres great, you're forced to over-generalize these ones to a severe degree
To me, a lot of popular music falls into two camps:
1) Celebratory, "good times" music like disco, EDM, pop, some mainstream hard rock bands like Kiss and the 80's hair metal crowd, today's teen pop divas, and the bling and champagne wing of hip hop where everybody gets laid, gets paid, and has no complaints.
2) Music of lack and loss where the yearning for something that isn't there and the quest for something better is the dominant theme or subtext, whether the focus is a broken heart, a repressive government, or spiritual longing. Music which provides catharsis through the expression of lack, loss, or dissatisfaction.
Pop can fall into this category. At least half of the Motown, Beach Boys, and Spector songs do.
I don't listen to music to be reminded of my failures by hearing songs from the perspective of people who've got it all and are having a great time. I listen to music to be reminded of my failures by hearing songs which remind me of those failures.
Catharsis. Release. Connection.
Go and listen to "Chandelier" by Sia and tell me it's just about partying. Then go and listen to "Debra" by Beck and tell me it's not just a goofy song
Your knowledge (or lack thereof) on pop and electronic music severely limits the effectiveness of your argument. They are genre's you're clearly not that familiar with, so while you could speak at length about what makes your favorite genres great, you're forced to over-generalize these ones to a severe degree
Obviously, few artists or genres fall entirely on one side of the fence or the other. Pretty much everyone has a few songs which break from type, within their own body of work and within their own genre.
Still, most current pop and dance music is all about "the good times."
Go and listen to "Chandelier" by Sia and tell me it's just about partying. Then go and listen to "Debra" by Beck and tell me it's not just a goofy song
Your knowledge (or lack thereof) on pop and electronic music severely limits the effectiveness of your argument. They are genre's you're clearly not that familiar with, so while you could speak at length about what makes your favorite genres great, you're forced to over-generalize these ones to a severe degree
Obviously, few artists or genres fall entirely on one side of the fence or the other. Pretty much everyone has a few songs which break from type, within their own body of work and within their own genre.
Still, most current pop and dance music is all about "the good times."
You want that, fine. I want something different.
Why don't you create some change in a way that will be effective, rather than arguing on a message board. Email Boston Calling, call them out on social media, who cares. This is a pointless argument to have here. People have different music tastes. Someone doesn't like the lineup. This isn't "Boston Calling Guitar Festival." They are taking risks.
Obviously, few artists or genres fall entirely on one side of the fence or the other. Pretty much everyone has a few songs which break from type, within their own body of work and within their own genre.
Still, most current pop and dance music is all about "the good times."
You want that, fine. I want something different.
Why don't you create some change in a way that will be effective, rather than arguing on a message board. Email Boston Calling, call them out on social media, who cares. This is a pointless argument to have here. People have different music tastes. Someone doesn't like the lineup. This isn't "Boston Calling Guitar Festival." They are taking risks.
As others have also said here, they established an identity after three years and six festivals, and then deviated from that identity after setting themselves up as a junior version of the diverse lineups you get at the big fests. In a city where they're the only game in town, that sort of lineup diversity was perfect.
Specialty fests make more sense when there are a few festivals. You can do an all-EDM fest in Chicago, because you've also got Riot Fest, Pitchfork, Lolla.
What rankles me about this lineup is that I'm an egalitarian who wants everybody to get what they want, and I can't stand an "all for me, none for you" attitude, whether its coming from an investment banker or a music fan. As the only decent-sized music festival in Boston, they could have gotten a bit more diverse with the May lineup and made everybody happy.
Maybe that's a bit difficult for people who travel around and go to multiple festivals to understand, but for a lot of us, Boston Calling is what we get and it's all that we get. Of course, we're going to be disappointed if the lineup for the one festival we can attend isn't nearly as appealing as it was in past years.
Yea, none of our top 3 really writes music about "good times".
All this conversation does is reinforce the obvious fact that you've never listened to these acts and have zero clue what you're going on about. This is an incredibly diverse lineup, you're just not educated enough on the artists to understand that.
Why don't you create some change in a way that will be effective, rather than arguing on a message board. Email Boston Calling, call them out on social media, who cares. This is a pointless argument to have here. People have different music tastes. Someone doesn't like the lineup. This isn't "Boston Calling Guitar Festival." They are taking risks.
As others have also said here, they established an identity after three years and six festivals, and then deviated from that identity after setting themselves up as a junior version of the diverse lineups you get at the big fests. In a city where they're the only game in town, that sort of lineup diversity was perfect.
Specialty fests make more sense when there are a few festivals. You can do an all-EDM fest in Chicago, because you've also got Riot Fest, Pitchfork, Lolla.
What rankles me about this lineup is that I'm an egalitarian who wants everybody to get what they want, and I can't stand an "all for me, none for you" attitude, whether its coming from an investment banker or a music fan. As the only decent-sized music festival in Boston, they could have gotten a bit more diverse with the May lineup and made everybody happy.
Maybe that's a bit difficult for people who travel around and go to multiple festivals to understand, but for a lot of us, Boston Calling is what we get and it's all that we get. Of course, we're going to be disappointed if the lineup for the one festival we can attend isn't nearly as appealing as it was in past years.
They established an identity of having a diverse lineup. And they come out this May with......wait for it.....a diverse lineup!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are being diverse by booking acts that they normally wouldn't book.
So you say you're an egalitarian, who "can't stand an "all for me, none for you" attitude," yet what you're doing here is exactly the opposite. You're saying that the lineup sucks because it sucks for you personally. Doesn't matter that this will be one of the more popular Boston Callings because of Disclosure, Sia and Robyn, the latter 2 being EXTREMELY rare gets.
Also, there are a lot of venues in Boston. A LOT. That all feature a diverse array of music for not that much $. Hell, there are event tons of ways to win tickets to most shows, as you often point out on this forum. There are ways to see acts not at Boston Calling.
As others have also said here, they established an identity after three years and six festivals, and then deviated from that identity after setting themselves up as a junior version of the diverse lineups you get at the big fests. In a city where they're the only game in town, that sort of lineup diversity was perfect.
Specialty fests make more sense when there are a few festivals. You can do an all-EDM fest in Chicago, because you've also got Riot Fest, Pitchfork, Lolla.
What rankles me about this lineup is that I'm an egalitarian who wants everybody to get what they want, and I can't stand an "all for me, none for you" attitude, whether its coming from an investment banker or a music fan. As the only decent-sized music festival in Boston, they could have gotten a bit more diverse with the May lineup and made everybody happy.
Maybe that's a bit difficult for people who travel around and go to multiple festivals to understand, but for a lot of us, Boston Calling is what we get and it's all that we get. Of course, we're going to be disappointed if the lineup for the one festival we can attend isn't nearly as appealing as it was in past years.
They established an identity of having a diverse lineup. And they come out this May with......wait for it.....a diverse lineup!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are being diverse by booking acts that they normally wouldn't book.
So you say you're an egalitarian, who "can't stand an "all for me, none for you" attitude," yet what you're doing here is exactly the opposite. You're saying that the lineup sucks because it sucks for you personally. Doesn't matter that this will be one of the more popular Boston Callings because of Disclosure, Sia and Robyn, the latter 2 being EXTREMELY rare gets.
Also, there are a lot of venues in Boston. A LOT. That all feature a diverse array of music for not that much $. Hell, there are event tons of ways to win tickets to most shows, as you often point out on this forum. There are ways to see acts not at Boston Calling.
I'm talking about musical diversity within each edition, not going off in a very different direction without giving people fair warning before early bird onsale.
And most of the name acts that people are particularly excited about seeing, whatever your taste in music, do cost anywhere from $35 - $150. That's a lot of money if you want to catch a lot of acts. Festivals are the most cost effective way to see a lot of name acts, rather than 1-3 band shows.
Will this be one of the more popular editions of Boston Calling? We'll see. And if this outdraws the more rock and Americana-centric editions, then it would make perfect sense for them to stick with the dance/pop thing. Crash Line is, first and foremost, a business looking to make a profit by selling tickets and signing sponsors.
Hopefully, they move up to a larger space next year and, just like almost every other festival out there, we get a range of options on at least a few different stages with something for everyone.
