2025 Mix 35: Exorcising poptimism discourse, celebrating the real beating heart of "manufactured CRAP," plus various soundworlds, soundbaubles, and soundinstallations
You'd be surprised how many people are in favor of bland music though. Much of the recent Spotify panic related to the app taking advantage of listeners' reliance on easy listening jazz playlists. Of course, I can't possibly relate.
I think this is usually a misunderstanding (or willful lack of differentiation) of different use cases for Spotify. I admit mine is a pretty rare one, but I could basically never encounter any of the music that people have written the most about as scammy and spammy and whatever else (which I've sampled before out of morbid curiosity), because it's taking the place of automated background music, which is something that I am simply never looking for, am in fact allergic to (music being "in the background" I mean).
And if we're going to open up criticisms of "blandness," I would point to many of the critical picks that I would bet many current anti-poptimists think we should be returning to! Basic point being, no one thinks *their* favorite music is bland. (Except me, sometimes -- I would definitely use an annoying phrase like "intriguing blandness" or something when appropriate.)
Dave this is great. One the better discussions of the whole "poptimism" thing I've seen (along with Tom's). Just one note: Carl Wilson is Canadian, not American!
Yeah, Cardi B and Bruno on "Finesse" occurred to me, though I think it would become something a little different in their hands. Would also like to hear what Sexyy Red did with it maybe. But yeah, "make Big Thief play this" is the kind of energy that is a very sickos dot jpeg proposition
"...Taylor Swift stomping around as…the Marshmallow Woman?" Dance moves really aren't her strength, are they? Joking aside, great essay - the "villain" is never who everyone thinks it is, if there is even one to begin with.
There are so many very big bad villains to point to! Making critics out to be the villains, even indirectly, makes those commentators just seem like, if not villains, ignorant bullies
You'd be surprised how many people are in favor of bland music though. Much of the recent Spotify panic related to the app taking advantage of listeners' reliance on easy listening jazz playlists. Of course, I can't possibly relate.
I think this is usually a misunderstanding (or willful lack of differentiation) of different use cases for Spotify. I admit mine is a pretty rare one, but I could basically never encounter any of the music that people have written the most about as scammy and spammy and whatever else (which I've sampled before out of morbid curiosity), because it's taking the place of automated background music, which is something that I am simply never looking for, am in fact allergic to (music being "in the background" I mean).
And if we're going to open up criticisms of "blandness," I would point to many of the critical picks that I would bet many current anti-poptimists think we should be returning to! Basic point being, no one thinks *their* favorite music is bland. (Except me, sometimes -- I would definitely use an annoying phrase like "intriguing blandness" or something when appropriate.)
More than one like function needed here
Dave this is great. One the better discussions of the whole "poptimism" thing I've seen (along with Tom's). Just one note: Carl Wilson is Canadian, not American!
Haha I promise I knew this and it was a footnote oversight!!! Will change thx
"FREESTYLE" (ditto for "FREEZE") sounds like fun to me! Maybe Cardi B could pull it off? I'd love to hear Big Thief give it a shot (why not?).
Yeah, Cardi B and Bruno on "Finesse" occurred to me, though I think it would become something a little different in their hands. Would also like to hear what Sexyy Red did with it maybe. But yeah, "make Big Thief play this" is the kind of energy that is a very sickos dot jpeg proposition
I love when artists take weird left turns!
"...Taylor Swift stomping around as…the Marshmallow Woman?" Dance moves really aren't her strength, are they? Joking aside, great essay - the "villain" is never who everyone thinks it is, if there is even one to begin with.
There are so many very big bad villains to point to! Making critics out to be the villains, even indirectly, makes those commentators just seem like, if not villains, ignorant bullies
Dummies!