Well, dear Wrecking Crew, if we listen to the latest Zingales, we're in for a treat: the "intelligent" music critics simply cannot afford to appreciate valid products. In fact, the album is nice, enjoyable to listen to, even though it would have benefited from a trimming and greater focus on the best tracks. A solid 3.5 takes it home. For the "usual" revolution, look elsewhere. After all, every week the intelligent music critics discover one.
A friend of mine, a drum'n'bass DJ, says he's a genius and has been recommending him to me for a while. But I worship the dear quadrilateral of guitar-bass-drums-voice, and although I am a pantheist at heart, I struggle to reconcile the two professions of faith. However, I also like the bans of O that the Scandinavians use.
I didn't find it so "insignificant," on the contrary.... Not to be missed is his super acidic rmx of "Rudebox" by Robbie Williams, stuff that would make even paraplegics dance...
As far as the quote taken from Blow Up is concerned, it seems perfectly in line with the magazine: presumptuous, snobbish, intellectualized, and absolutely inadequate to discuss this type of music.
I agree Zion, I've never been able to stand those from Blow Up, they seem like a bunch of 25-year-olds acting like they're grandparents, and in fact, you can see it from the albums of the month they feature. The more obscure, the cooler it is; that seems to be the criterion. Kind of like pitchforkmedia. Well, not that the rest of the magazines are doing any better, eh...
Unfortunately, you know what’s the problem? Many believe that "creating a serious magazine" rhymes with "using big words and dismissing anything that even remotely resembles easy-listening".... More than a sign of maturity, it seems to me a very sad proof of the most base mental limitation... ;-))
Vabb+ Zingales has his criteria for judgment, like giving an 8 to Iggy Pop's album with Green Day and Sum 41... pretty mainstream stuff. Clearly, Trentemøller didn't impress him, and he’s not entirely wrong in my opinion.
Hi Sfascia! An interesting read, as usual, but let me tell you that your Italian(?) sounds like it’s come straight out of a novel by an angry Umberto Eco, putting us to the test in the connections between the eyeball and the brain. Also, forgive me for being picky, but the crossed-out "o" seems more Scandinavian than Central European. And now: a question. What does it feel like to listen to a double CD only to realize it's a mediocre work and that we've wasted 80/90 minutes that could have been spent in a different and (almost) definitely better way? I'm really interested in your opinion; it happens to everyone sooner or later. Bye Sfascia, until next time! :-)
The problem isn't Trentemoeller; the problem is that Blow Up doesn't have a single person on its staff who can talk about electronic dance music in a competent and appropriate way without falling into intellectual prejudices... It's a matter of principle; how can you have the same person review Iggy Pop and Trentemoeller? The desire to be an expert in everything can lead to banal and obvious judgments; coincidentally, 90% of club culture enthusiasts and the like do not read Blow Up but look elsewhere...
De-qaspita: I confess that my "involvement" with the (in my modest way of reading) appreciable Italian musicological monthly and the related, furthermore, pulled in qausa Mr. Zingales, caused me (in a preparatory phase, I mean) some de-reflection on the real opportunity to operate in this direction... but my reflection was directed more towards the supposition that (in some way) a certain visibility (minimal, obviously) "propagandistic" would be given to the publication in question. Now, the discussions just de-liced by the kind de-commentators (that I clearly respect, of course, but I wouldn't fully share) are oriented vice/versa in a completely different direction. I also wish to emphasize that the discussion Trentemolleristiqa arises (?) from a personal reflection: having eavesdropped on certain snippets of it (and then read the related journalistic analysis) I found a certain discordance between my personal "feeling" and that of the gentleman in question; having (finally) obtained the double-CD (and with this I respond transversally to the kind Mr. No+Fake) I realized (only after repeated and careful listening for about two months: the work dates back to late 2006) what I am talking about (albeit deliriously) in this discursive-treatment: a work particularly "broad" which houses within it quite appreciable moments and others less interesting, this evidently (at least from my point of view) does not represent a "throwing away" of anything but rather an enrichment and search for the acceptable part that resides in it (a classic case of half-full glass perspective). Forgive the lengthiness. Thank you very much to todos (commentators & non). Osseuquità para-scandinave.
I see on Myspace Trentemøller, a nice face wrecked by some elvish drug, four tracks, the instrumentals aren't bad, while the ones with vocals don't convince me... not my style (I'm currently into the new Tobin, and Stott who recommended Ghemison).
Dear Sfascia, I really like "Rykketid" and the aforementioned "Moan" by Trentemøller. The rest of the tracks could have been condensed into a single CD, as you mentioned in your review of the album. Your baroque writing contrasts nicely with the analysis of minimal-techno CDs (as you previously did with Alex Smoke). I too found Zingales' review in Blow Up puzzling. It’s true that many pieces are so sparse (minimalistic?) that they seem insignificant; it’s true that they often self-cite, but one cannot deny that there are some happy moments within "The Last Resort." The journalist in question probably has a personal dislike for "our" artist, but that does not diminish his skill in addressing genres completely snubbed by the entire Italian music press (electronic, techno, house, and club culture in general). Dear Zion, Blow Up is the only Italian music magazine that discusses these genres through comprehensive reviews/articles from all points of view. Do you know any others that span from Devendra Banhart to Aphex Twin, passing through the Italian rap scene, dubstep, and dance? Zingales is indeed an authoritative and well-informed voice on dance electronic music, even the more commercial side, which, in my opinion, he often emphasizes more than necessary. (For example, read the review of Justin Timberlake's album in the same infamous issue 101 of BU). In short, one can disagree with Zingales’ tastes—like when he declared "Human After All" by Daft Punk as album of the year—but not with his skill and expertise. Cheers.
@Qosmomoeller: elvish drugs? OmmonDieu!!! What on earth would that ever be (forgive my habitual ignorantia as well as ignominia)? @Messer George: regarding the Bloù Appe I would (more or less) fully agree with your personal opinion (if you don’t mind, of course). Respect to both.
How wonderful to get lost in your resinous semantic woods.... True "Holzwege" that make you lose syntactic and lexical orientation.... Ultimately, one risks lipotimies from deconstructed and reassembled words that bewilder the senses...and the purpose or the Telos.... Beautiful stylistic artifices that often distract from substance and structure...But who cares!!! In times of excessive standardization, your original charades, colorful and onomatopoeic neologisms, sought-after "Lapsus Linguae," the alphabetical mix, and the wordy concoction are most welcome.. Well done!! Congratulations!!
Incredibly, I completely disagree with Zion and Psycho. I find Blow Up to be the only truly respectable Italian music magazine, standing head and shoulders above the rest. I don't see them as a bunch of 25-year-olds pretending to be old, but rather as a group of 35-year-olds being smart 35-year-olds, with independent ideas. As for Rumore... those guys are a different story. In fact, they are 45-year-olds acting like they’re 18, which is much worse. The so-called infamous neo British bands (all brilliant in their own eyes) that do nothing but reproduce in the studio their perfectly valid influences. As for Pitchfork... well, those guys are all about trends. In fact, I think that when they rate an album, they probably just roll a die (with 100 sides -> fools) and write accordingly. Blow Up features names I respect and has often introduced me to great bands overlooked by others (for example, The Eternals, Guapo, El Guapo, and Electrelane).
I used to read Blow Up in the past, but nowadays I don't buy music magazines anymore because thanks to the internet, at least you can save money on that. It doesn't seem to me that Zingales was particularly snobbish; I remember he gave a 10 to Daft Punk's "Discovery" and promoted Justin Timberlake's first album. In short, he didn’t strike me as the type to act all high and mighty. Of course, like everyone else, he shouldn't be taken too literally... Specifically, I personally don't like Trentemøller; maybe Zingales's judgment is too ruthless, but fundamentally, he doesn’t seem like that essential of an artist to me.
Dear Giorgio, I don't believe that covering all genres is a way to consider a magazine comprehensive from every perspective... Let’s be clear: the intention to provide a global view of the musical landscape is certainly commendable, but its execution, in my opinion, is lacking.... Blow Up is a magazine where the desire to produce something forcibly adult and refined seems to lead to a tide of prejudices towards many of the genres discussed (especially Electronic and black music, when they appear), resulting in almost always sterile criticism of any product that deviates even minimally from convoluted and self-serving experimentalism.... That’s why I prefer targeted magazines that address the various "fields of action" (Superfly and Basement for Electronic and Black music, for example, but I believe this applies to more Rock-oriented magazines as well), rather than turning to certain "specialized" press, which instead of being specialized risks having little to nothing, overflowing with snobbish preconceptions and big words in pure Ghezzi-style used just to seem a bit cool....
Yes, but Zion, in specialized magazines there isn't even a hint of stimulating criticism often. Because albums of a certain genre are more or less all promoted.
Dear Zion, I have the doubt that you have never read Blow Up. Inside the magazine, you can find a review section called "Ritmi e Black," and guess what it talks about? :-). Zingales (just to mention one of the journalists) has praised the CDs of the Roots, Tiga, Andre3000, Royksopp, and many others that are even catchier than these. If you think it’s snobbish... Anyway, if you don’t like Blow Up, I certainly won’t change your mind, nor will you convince me that Rumore is a magazine worth buying. The good old "de gustibus" is a must here. Bye.
Yes, yes, I’m not saying they don’t talk about it, but I don’t like the way they talk about it, precisely... Yes, in the end, "de gustibus"... Beautiful.
@Giubbo: I buy Rumore because during a period of social blackout, the only way to stay somewhat informed was to buy a magazine, so I chose Rumore...a) because I used to read the issues from the '90s through a university friend b) because at the time Il Mucchio had become bi-monthly and out of 100 pages, 20 were about music and the rest were not, I didn't trust Blow Up (back then it was young and hard to find in my area) and Rockerilla seemed too simplistic. Today I realize that Rumore is terrible (I've often emailed good old Sorge about the fact that they could get their act together and stop making covers for almost two years now, only featuring fake and hyper-promoted bands - see lately Horrors, Verdena, Bloc Party, and similar nonsense), and in fact, I use it a bit like a postal catalog for my mother: a catalog for download/purchase. I know who to trust, I don't give a damn about the others. Sorge sometimes spouts nonsense straight out of a geriatric ward, but now and then he gets it right (he's introduced me to many old and new bands in the Psych scene); Vittore Baroni is definitely the best when it comes to musical culture and choices. Pomini is not bad, but in general, I never go by trust. Alberto Campo is definitely irritating, both in terms of musical tastes and recent ratings (he gave 10/10 to the latest LCD, which I also like, but to call it a masterpiece as soon as it was released seems like a huge load of nonsense to me). The few issues of Blow Up struck me as very snobbish, a paper version of wannabe followers, especially in glorifying only difficult-to-listen-to records. Unfortunately, there must and can be a middle ground between calling Bloc Party the record of the month and glorifying every crap produced by Animal Collective. My lawyer advises me to try Rockerilla, maybe I will.
First of all, what "thing" are you? If you're Italian, it makes me want to cry. Do you really think you write well? I assure you that's not the case. Lower your crest, Umberto Eco of my boots! And spare us your multilingualism, especially if you don't even know what you're writing... "espressivi semi-contigui, Tiefschwartz": TiefschwarTZ? That word doesn't exist, du,hosenscheißer. And as NoFake has already pointed out, let me remind you that the ø is only used in Northern Europe, not in the "mittleurøpa" of your fantasies.
MetallaroBionico
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24 sep 10