MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television - Idolator Comments

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Hertz32 — Mon, 21 May 2007 23:21:20 EDT

I dont care what anybody says Maiden is still the shit and they kill live.

Hertz32

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

the rich girls are weeping — Mon, 21 May 2007 18:21:34 EDT

Um, hey. I'm just stopping in to say that it was really bloody weird to see The National in the TRL studio, or wherever they were. Really, really weird.

the rich girls are weeping

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

noamjamski — Mon, 21 May 2007 15:03:21 EDT

@Vince Neilstein: "Mastodon has a "cerebral" element to their music that indie rock fans enjoy."

'Tis true. There is definitely a certain elitism amongst the indie set that a "smarter Metal" has been created. Although it is amusing that Priest is considered DUMB and STUPID, although none of those kids can play it. The metronome-phobic wouldn't know what to do if Glenn Tipton walked into their lives and demanded they learn the Painkiller solo.

Maiden is often an exception. I think the "big four" Metal bands that non-Metal fans will readily admit to liking are Sabbath, Metallica, Maiden and Slayer. If you can't summon a great feeling of either like or dislike for "Angel of Death," you don't have a pulse.

noamjamski

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Ned Raggett — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:52:38 EDT

@Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee: In fact, many of them will damn-near laugh in your face if you even bring up Priest, Maiden, etc.

That's a mean thing to say about Chuck Eddy.

Ned Raggett

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Vince Neilstein — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:46:10 EDT

It's also worth noting how many comments this post has gathered. Clearly there IS something about Mastodon that appeals to the indie-rock set, as a lot of this blog's focus is on indie rock. Furthermore, some of the comments above talk about Idolator being a blog for people who don't read music blogs -- also very true -- it's the only music blog I read regularly (and I RUN a music blog!). I don't think it's coincidence that a lot of metal heads read Idolator, because they definitely do give some creedence to metal in a non-ironic light.

Vince Neilstein

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

janine — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:33:12 EDT

Well, it doesn't help that this: http://www.rockandrollconfidential.com/cartoons/cartoons_0... is appropriate live music behavior to them.

janine

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:29:22 EDT

@noamjamski: "The thing that I find pretty interesting is the lack of cross-over between the "indie-Metal" and more "True Metal" genres."

Bingo. It's exactly what you referenced when you mentioned "Aces High" being played between sets at that Mastodon show and nobody really giving a damn. It's the same problem I have with most of these "indie-friendly metal" fans - they'll talk Isis until they're blue in the face, but they don't know the first thing about "British Steel." In fact, many of them will damn-near laugh in your face if you even bring up Priest, Maiden, etc.

It's bizarre how arbitrary the distinction between "cool" metal and "cheesy" metal is to these people.

"Mercyful Fate? Do they tune down to B and sing about whales? No? Well fuck 'em, then!"

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

janine — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:27:21 EDT

I have nothing to add. I only have one Mastodon album and I like it. I think that we can all agree that we're not total pussies and that's all that matters.

janine

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Vince Neilstein — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:23:48 EDT

Here's the thing about Mastodon: i do think they appeal to mealheads as well as some indie rock snobs. The reason is this: Mastodon has a "cerebral" element to their music that indie rock fans enjoy. There is something smart about their music (conceptually and musically) that indie rock fans, most of whom come from the northeastern liberal arts college tradition, can identify with. Indie rock fans do not want to appear "boneheaded" by listening to metal -- and Mastodon offers a version of metal that is not just about headbanging and chugging riffs.

Vince Neilstein

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

noamjamski — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:18:04 EDT

This has been a wonderfully interesting conversation. I think there is definitely an indie-Metal sub-genre at this point separate from the 10,000 mainstream Metal sub-genres.

When non-Metal friends of mine start getting turned onto stuff and want to "talk Metal" it is generally a pretty specific vibe, ie: Neurosis, Isis, Earth, Sunn, Boris, Mastodon, High on Fire, Sleep, etc.

I dig everything, but I'm also the guy who went to see Jarvis Cocker and Dimmu Borgir in the same week so I don't exactly count.

Most of my friends and bandmates who are into METAL aren't even aware of most of those bands. They generally don't hit the radar in the same way bands like Children of Bodom, Gojira, Symphony X, or Arch Enemy have been bubbling to the surface of mainstream Metal.

Further splintering in Metal is nothing new. Christ it makes indie look positively unified! The thing that I find pretty interesting is the lack of cross-over between the "indie-Metal" and more "True Metal" genres.

noamjamski

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

KurticusMaximus — Mon, 21 May 2007 13:48:30 EDT

@Aquemini: Whew. I was a little afraid that my Airheads reference would fall flat.

KurticusMaximus

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee — Mon, 21 May 2007 13:46:01 EDT

@Aquemini: That's a big issue, for sure. There really isn't much coverage for metal out there other than some pretty stupid sites. I'm not going to sift through forty stories on Blabbermouth to find the ONE that I might actually care about.

Pitchfork has started covering some metal, but I'm sure I'm not alone in finding their coverage somewhat disingenuous. The idea of some Pitchfork writer taking notes during a Watain show confuses me on so many levels. It seems like they only decided to start writing about black metal after Sunn0))) released "Black One." I suppose that was the album that truly "legitimized" the genre in their eyes.

I'm sure they would claim that they've been into "the scene" since the "Deathcrush" EP was released, though. Weak.

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

cerulgalactus — Mon, 21 May 2007 13:44:41 EDT

I haven't even heard of them. Does that mean I have to turn in my music snob credentials?

For what it's worth, I was more excited about the Ted Leo performance.

cerulgalactus

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

alex! — Mon, 21 May 2007 13:10:49 EDT

@lucasg: I didn't hate Blood Mountain, but Celtic Frost, in my opinion, definitely trumped Mastodon last year as far as top metal albums of 2006 went.

alex!

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

lucasg — Mon, 21 May 2007 13:08:21 EDT

seriously, i hated the new mastodon album. and i am all about metal. it's metal for the indie rock set, and i don't know (or care) what label they are on or were on- further proving my point. also, lemmy would win. hands down.

lucasg

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Bazooka Tooth — Mon, 21 May 2007 13:04:15 EDT

Trick question: Lemmy is God.

I will say this about Mastodon: after reading how great Leviathan was in magazines and Pitchfork (places normally not covering metal) I checked the CD out and loved it. And I am by no means a metal fan (pretty much only listen to Ministry, NIN up to Downward Spiral, and Metallica before the black album), but I like Mastodon because it's the only metal I'v seen reviewed. I don't seek out metal, so I only hear what is reccomended to me by non-metal, indie-ish sites. I think that might be true of most of their non-metal fans. I am sure I would dig the bands being mentioned here, but I just am not exposed to them very often and don't see them reviewed/discussed very often.

Bazooka Tooth

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

KurticusMaximus — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:56:42 EDT

@Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee:Hmmmmmm... I'll have to withdraw my previous comment. I had momentarilly forgotten about Motörhead. And Megadeth. What's the matter with me today?

Who would win in a wrestling match- Lemmy or God?

KurticusMaximus

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

alex! — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:50:16 EDT

Straight talk: the only reason people are referring to Mastodon as metal for non-metalheads is because after they signed to Warner, they started getting a lot of coverage in Pitchfork and similar blogs.

I doubt people would have been saying the same thing when Remission and, to a lesser extent, Leviathan were released.

And, also, it was good to see them playing a song that wasn't "Colony of Birchmen"

alex!

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

noamjamski — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:30:56 EDT

Heh, I am about as Metal as it gets and I felt like an outsider at the Mastodon show at Roseland last week.

They were awesome and I love that band, but it definitely was NOT a Metal audience, nor a Metal vibe.

The litmus test? They played Aces High between sets and no one screamed, sang along, or did soccer chants.

noamjamski

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee — Mon, 21 May 2007 11:50:17 EDT

@KurticusMaximus: "Anything that keeps all the whiny metalcore bands at bay."

Agreed. Oh so agreed.

Meshuggah is alright, but where's the love for Motörhead? Moss? Morbid Angel? Marduk?

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

KurticusMaximus — Mon, 21 May 2007 11:37:02 EDT

To be honest, I don't really listen to Mastodon.

Meshuggah definitely wins the metal-bands-with-names-that-begin-with-M-and-
aren't-pre-1991-Metallica contest, hands down.

But metal songs about giant whales are still pretty cool, no matter how many other bands have already written about Cthulu. Anything that keeps all the whiny metalcore bands at bay.

KurticusMaximus

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Lucas Jensen — Mon, 21 May 2007 10:50:42 EDT

Yeah. Most of my metalhead friends listen to Mastodon because they are really really really good. Sometimes the cream does rise to the top.

Lucas Jensen

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee — Mon, 21 May 2007 10:49:37 EDT

@Paul D: It's just been the case with myself my friends who have been long-time metal fans. None of us get the appeal of Mastodon. I don't think it's awful, but it's never really blown my skirt up, either.

I'm kinda sick of the "OMG! MOBY DICK!" stuff, too. Lots of metal bands have been referencing heavy duty literature for a while. Granted, Lovecraft and Poe might not be in the same league as Melville, but c'mon...

Most Mastodon fans I've come across are pretty much your average run-of-the-mill indie rock snobs looking to "rock out." For example...

Mastodon : Arcade Fire fan :: Nickleback : Kenny Chesney fan

Hopefully I'm not the only one who sees things this way.

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Paul D — Mon, 21 May 2007 10:28:58 EDT

@Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee:

Explain yourself.
I listen to a LOT of metal, and I LOVE Mastodon.

Paul D

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee — Mon, 21 May 2007 10:12:52 EDT

@thenewblack: Fair enough. This is the only music blog I read.

Why? Because most of them are unbelievably annoying. I don't want to read about how "AMAZING" Man Man's show in Brooklyn was. Truth be told, I can't stand at least 75% of the artists championed by most music blogs that I've read at one time or another.

At least Idolator keeps things amusing.

Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, though. Who knows?

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Ned Raggett — Mon, 21 May 2007 10:08:12 EDT

@thenewblack: Truer than you might think.

Ned Raggett

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

thenewblack — Mon, 21 May 2007 09:56:48 EDT

Ah, Idolator.

The music blog for people who don't read music blogs.

thenewblack

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

KurticusMaximus — Mon, 21 May 2007 09:33:36 EDT

Metal songs about Moby Dick = WIN

KurticusMaximus

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

abrahamjoseph — Mon, 21 May 2007 09:23:20 EDT

can someone tell me where to find the odenkirk clip?

abrahamjoseph

MTV Makes Brief Return To Music, Television

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee — Mon, 21 May 2007 09:19:07 EDT

Ah, Mastodon.

The metal band for people who don't listen to metal.

Charlie Kerfelds Jetsons Tee