Booberry Bloat

[Davey]

Nevermind that The Mars Volta made a equally ambitious and far, far better concept album last year and that got dismissed as "pretentious," while Blueberry Boat is equally "pretentious" (or more so) and everybody's creaming their pants over it.

Well, not to prolong what has turned into kind of a silly discussion, but if you check I think you'll find that the Comatorium album got much more favorable reviews overall than Blueberry Boat. Not from Pitchfork as you know, but most of the other mags and sites loved it, while BB has gotten very mixed reviews, with some even panning it worse than what our good buddy tentoze said above (see NME for instance which gave it close to a zero rating ).

But Pitchfork does tend to "pull" some of the smaller zines along with them when they power up the bandwagon and both the Fiery Furnaces and Arcade Fire benefitted greatly this year from Pitchfork raves. But it's no secret that I think both albums deserve the good press they've been getting as a result and I'm glad that more people are being exposed to such creative music that otherwise wouldn't have been. A lot of them will go back and take maybe their first serious listen to Zappa or Bowie or the Who or the Beach Boys or whoever, and that keeps the music alive

[tentoze]

"Well, not to prolong what has turned into kind of a silly discussion..."

Yeh, but it did stir up some chatter in this normally dead zone.

[Davey]

"Well, not to prolong what has turned into kind of a silly discussion..."

Yeh, but it did stir up some chatter in this normally dead zone.

Yeah, it has been pretty quiet around these parts lately and it's always fun to have a discussion about something that a lot of people have heard, but I still find it silly for a music lover to dismiss such wonderfully adventurous songs such as "Chris Michaels" or "Mason City" or "Chief Inspector Blancheflower" as "fruity dribble". Just doesn't make sense to me. I mean, I'm old enough to have lived through the times when some of their influences were actually played on the radio and I still think this is rather unique and special music.

but

NP: The United States of America (more fruity 60's psych pop dribble )

[Stone]

Annoyingly precious vocals; songs and lyrics that seem to ramble on forever without any real point; hamfisted transitions; obnoxious, blaring synths; and a very twee, over-the-top, Andrew Lloyd-Webber thing going on. It seriously sounds like a bad Broadway musical at times. Just awful.

I could see how you (or anyone) wouldn't like the vocals and transitions and synths, and the Andrew Lloyd-Webber thing. However, I don't get the part about the lyrics. The songs tell a story, and if you're not into it, fine, but the songs certainly have a "point," which is to tell a story. It's one of the most creative, not to mention downright enjoyable, albums I've heard in years.

(Warning: Rant) And Pitchfork, along with so many others, seem to think The Fiery Furnaces are some sort of Second Coming. Nevermind that The Mars Volta made a equally ambitious and far, far better concept album last year and that got dismissed as "pretentious," while Blueberry Boat is equally "pretentious" (or more so) and everybody's creaming their pants over it. Guess what's pretentious one year is the Next Big Thing the next, given that everybody's coming out with concept albums now.

I don't care what any wanker music critic says--comparing this fruity dribble to anything The Who ever recorded is complete sacrilege. If anything, American Idiot is a far more accurate fit, and I don't understand the big hullabaloo over that album either (sorry ForeverAutumn and Jay, but when I think "Green Day" I think the first three albums, not a modern-day Kinks clone).

(1) I agree with Davey, there is a lot of panning of this album out there, much of which is similar to yours. I never heard the Mars Volta record because all of the references to prog in the reviews really turned me off, so I won't comment on that.

(2) Sacrilege about the Who? Maybe in your house, but not in mine. I'd rather listen to Blueberry Boat than the Who. There is some Who stuff I really like, but there's a bunch of it I just don't see the appeal in.

(3) Modern-day Kinks clone? Sorry, I don't get that reference either. I don't hear much Kinks influence on American Idiot. I hear much more Buzzcocks, Ramones, and their ilk (and early Green Day). Sure they copped the guitar part from "Picture Book" on one of their songs, but that one isn't on American Idiot. I'm not a big fan of the record, but I don't see the Kinks comparison at all.

[mad rhetorik]

I could see how you (or anyone) wouldn't like the vocals and transitions and synths, and the Andrew Lloyd-Webber thing. However, I don't get the part about the lyrics. The songs tell a story, and if you're not into it, fine, but the songs certainly have a "point," which is to tell a story. It's one of the most creative, not to mention downright enjoyable, albums I've heard in years.

Hey, cool, I'm glad you enjoy it. It is a pretty different album, I suppose. Some definite influences (Zappa, The Who, XTC, Lloyd-Webber, maybe even Capt. Beefheart), but drawn on in an original way. Still, "original" doesn't necessarily equal "good."

As far as the lyrics are concerned, I know that Blueberry Boat is conceptual. I didn't have a chance to sit down with the lyrics and try to follow the music while reading them. My initial impression was that there are a LOT of lyrics, and they didn't feel like they went anywhere, just very rambling and disjointed. If I listen again while reading the lyrics, a different picture may emerge but since I still strongly disliked it after listening to it (without skipping anything) nearly 3 times through I'm not in any real hurry to repeat the experience.

(1) I agree with Davey, there is a lot of panning of this album out there, much of which is similar to yours. I never heard the Mars Volta record because all of the references to prog in the reviews really turned me off, so I won't comment on that.

(2) Sacrilege about the Who? Maybe in your house, but not in mine. I'd rather listen to Blueberry Boat than the Who. There is some Who stuff I really like, but there's a bunch of it I just don't see the appeal in.

(3) Modern-day Kinks clone? Sorry, I don't get that reference either. I don't hear much Kinks influence on American Idiot. I hear much more Buzzcocks, Ramones, and their ilk (and early Green Day). Sure they copped the guitar part from "Picture Book" on one of their songs, but that one isn't on American Idiot. I'm not a big fan of the record, but I don't see the Kinks comparison at all.

I have read one dissenting "professional" opinion (in NME), but aside from some disgruntled Amazon reviews and some other negative buyer feedback everything else from the critics has been glowing. Then again, you probably read more 'zines then I do, so I accept your point. As far as # 2 is concerned, that's a personal taste thing. I've listened to my dad's Who LPs for years, have nearly worn out my CD copy of Quadrophenia, consider Keith Moon as probably my all-time fave drummer, and my ears still prick up in anticipation when "Won't Get Fooled Again" comes on the radio. So yeah, I'm a pretty big Who fan. And all the Tommy/A Quick One.. comparisons gall me a little bit.

As far as Green Day is concerned..perhaps "clone" was a tad harsh, but I'm kinda surprised that more people aren't reminded of The Kinks when it comes to Green Day's most recent albums. When I read the lyrics to American Idiot my first thought was that some of the social/political commentary sounds very similar to Arthur except from an American and not English perspective. The Jam/Buzzcocks/Ramones/Who references make perfect sense too, but I definitely get a Kinks vibe from some of this. Especially most of Warning (and I don't just mean the part where they lifted elements from "Picture Book").

I dunno. Maybe it's just in my head.

...but I still find it silly for a music lover to dismiss such wonderfully adventurous songs such as "Chris Michaels" or "Mason City" or "Chief Inspector Blancheflower" as "fruity dribble". Just doesn't make sense to me. I mean, I'm old enough to have lived through the times when some of their influences were actually played on the radio and I still think this is rather unique and special music.

I have plenty of respect for any band who isn't afraid of taking musical risks, and The Fiery Furnaces definitely have ambition. In fact the unique quality of their music is what attracted me in the first place. However, if I don't like it, I simply don't like it. And trust me, I have tried to like them and I'm still not diggin' it. If you like 'em, all the power to ya. But to my ears at least, they remain "fruity dribble."

[tentoze]

In best Homer Simpson voice:

"Mmmmmmmm.....fruity dribble..........."

[Stone]

Still, "original" doesn't necessarily equal "good."

Agreed. I like it and you don't, and that's fine.

As far as the lyrics are concerned, I know that Blueberry Boat is conceptual. I didn't have a chance to sit down with the lyrics and try to follow the music while reading them. My initial impression was that there are a LOT of lyrics, and they didn't feel like they went anywhere, just very rambling and disjointed. If I listen again while reading the lyrics, a different picture may emerge but since I still strongly disliked it after listening to it (without skipping anything) nearly 3 times through I'm not in any real hurry to repeat the experience.

There are a lot of lyrics. Keep in mind that many of the songs are over 7 minutes too. Blueberry Boat is not conceptual in that the whole album is about one topic or the songs all fit together lyrically. There is at least one recurring character, but as far as I can tell, each song stand on its own lyrically. The topics range from a blueberry boat attacked by pirates to searching for a lost dog to working for a cellular phone company.

I have read one dissenting "professional" opinion (in NME), but aside from some disgruntled Amazon reviews and some other negative buyer feedback everything else from the critics has been glowing. Then again, you probably read more 'zines then I do, so I accept your point. As far as # 2 is concerned, that's a personal taste thing. I've listened to my dad's Who LPs for years, have nearly worn out my CD copy of Quadrophenia, consider Keith Moon as probably my all-time fave drummer, and my ears still prick up in anticipation when "Won't Get Fooled Again" comes on the radio. So yeah, I'm a pretty big Who fan. And all the Tommy/A Quick One.. comparisons gall me a little bit.

This should give you some idea of the kind of reviews it's received. Plus, the informal reviews and comments I've seen on web boards are just as divided.

As far as Green Day is concerned..perhaps "clone" was a tad harsh, but I'm kinda surprised that more people aren't reminded of The Kinks when it comes to Green Day's most recent albums. When I read the lyrics to American Idiot my first thought was that some of the social/political commentary sounds very similar to Arthur except from an American and not English perspective. The Jam/Buzzcocks/Ramones/Who references make perfect sense too, but I definitely get a Kinks vibe from some of this. Especially most of Warning (and I don't just mean the part where they lifted elements from "Picture Book").

Okay, but I was only talking about American Idiot. I haven't heard the last couple of albums (outside of the "hits" they had off them). I don't get a Kinks vibe, but next time I listen to it, I'll think about it.