Of course, these are rough demos and fragments. Sure, some of them tend a bit toward the derivative. But is it me, or does this cat know his way around a lyric and a melody?
I guess the reason I'm asking is because certain posters on this board have spent years and years ridiculing me for having said that songs by this particular artist were quite good and that in fact they were catchier and more articulate than most of the songs on D'******'s last album. The fact that I said that is brought up again and again and again to illustrate the fact that I have poor taste/I hate "real" music/I hate Black Americans(???)/I'm trolling etc.
But yo... am I crazy or are some of these songs pretty good???
3. "after the first few I was ready to say 'not my thing'" In response to Reply # 0
but I let it play, and it's still not my thing... but I can see why you like it. They're ideas and snippets, but they're generally well-formed and with an emphasis on melody; he seems to have an awareness of the pop-music continuum without aping anything, as is particularly clear with regard to the production, an interesting mix of retro-80s rnb and modern (I was going to say contemporary but I'm not really versed enough in 'contemporary' to call it that) pop with a hit of an appealing bedroom-musician aesthetic.
4. "They're not my thing either per se" In response to Reply # 3
They're quite reminiscent of, say, Van Hunt... and while I can admire his style of artistry, I don't have any strong desire to buy or even acquire his albums for free.
But yeah.... my thing is that these are "well-written" "songs" and regardless of what we think of the artist based on his behavior on this board, it's not crazy to acknowledge that he's done some "good" work here.
5. "To be fair they're mostly :57 snippets" In response to Reply # 4
so it's hard for me at least to describe them as well-written songs based on what I've heard. But it's at least well within the realm of probability, so, yeah.
11. "Reminds me of some Van Hunt" In response to Reply # 0
I think someone else in this post mentioned that as well. It's raw of course but it was decent. If there was a finished product I'd check it out to see what dude can do.
12. "A few issues to address in this post. there is talent in this work" In response to Reply # 0
First of. AKAP is right. There is major talent in these songs and yes I made up an alias as, as I am a regular poster, I do not want to get caught up in the nonsense and being anonymous is easier'
AKAP. you dont need cosigns on what you like. If you like dude's music, you like it. I feel hes talented, others do not, but the naysayers do not determine his talent.
I dont know if you listened to all of his songs, but the breadth of styles he covers is immense. How can anyone blanket say he sounds like van hunt? did you listen to "Dont Let Me Down?" Thats straight Depeche Mode. Did you listen to "Under Control?" Thats straight lenny. Did you listen to "you are my everything?" Thats a prince extended jam. Did you listen to "Im Yours and You Are Mine?" Thats a straight george-michael "faith" riff. How about "Finger on the Trigger?" Is that not wolfmother?
People dont go back far enough. The sound isnt necessarily van hunt. I feel thats the issue with this generation. Their references dont go back far enough, and ppl are in a rush to seem impressive with their assessment. As I said, many of these songs sound nothing like Van Hunt, esp "End Of A Love Affair" which I think is the best song. Also, while at first glance "You make my day" may sound like van hunt, its the deeper reference at play: Curtis Mayfield. Think of his song "Diamond in the Back."
think.....
And my personal opinion, without hyperbole, this guy is immensely talented, but take that for what its worth to you.
There's probably a decent "100 Deaths" in the bunch but I'm not in a hurry to find it. For me it sounds like someone who's having fun and I can't knock anyone for that, but it'd take a little more polish for me to admit any kind of talent.
█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃ Big PEMFin H & z's "I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." � Miles
"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."
20. "I think this is the root of the issue. " In response to Reply # 19
When proffering opinions ppl are inclined to believe theirs is a determining factor. Artists march to the tune of their own drums. Ray Charles (and by no means am I comparing _____'s talent with his) said
"The most important thing my momma told me is "Not everyone is gonna like you."
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