>I'm curious about this -- are you saying GT was peak Roots as
>in top-tier and nowhere else to go, or are you saying you
>didn't like it and felt they'd burned out? Elsewhere in the
>thread I'm getting the impression you weren't a fan, which is
>interesting bc it's generally held in super high regard among
>Lessonheads (I think), as in near the top of their post-TFA
>output. It will be interesting to see how you assess post-GT
>not just album by album but overall.


What is there to be curious about? I kinda thought that it was clear what I meant. Game Theory sounded like they had gotten burned out. I kinda read something to the fact that Rising Down was supposed to be their last record. From TFA to Rising Down it sounded as if they may have started to run out of fresh ideas. Those theee albums in that span they made great songs, but the albums didn’t mesh well as in times past. I assess things differently than other “Lessonheads” obviously. This also doesn’t mean that I’m not a fan of the group. I done the same thing with other artists from that era. Lastly there has been a lot of “Lessonheads” in times past that haven’t liked their music since Phrenology, some didn’t like that album all too well either.


.
>
>This is very close to my personal listening philosophy as
>well, and my approach to art in general. It's often misjudged
>as suggesting that artists can do no wrong, or as suggesting
>that listeners can't have their own thoughts -- that you have
>to take whatever an artist gives you and trust that it's good
>(or buy their bullshit artistic rationales).
>
>For me, it's more about approaching a record in good faith --
>with as few assumptions or immediate expectations about what
>does or doesn't make something good -- and instead assuming
>that the artist has a genuine vision for their work, and
>trying to take on that vision and explore what it has to
>offer. Let the likes and dislikes come later in the process;
>at first, try and explore it and appreciate it for what it is.
>This is especially true for artists who have earned trust via
>exceptional work.
>

The listener has to grow just like the artist. Your approach should change how you understand music in general. If you want to take this board in general too often people act as if they actually have a right to tear down artists. Even in our dislikes we often times cross the line in terms of how we may view a project. Even if the artist has made something that you may not like. we have to realize that our thoughts and views are just that... our thoughts. They don’t define what the artist has created. Music being the universal language that it is, if it don’t agree with you then someone else will be able to understand it. G.U.R.U. was the perfect example of this. Everyone wanted to criticize him when he left Primo, but I understood perfectly why he broke away from him. Or why other artists go and try new things. Move on from who they worked witch in the past in search of something different. The listener has to have an open mind to these processes.