March 12th

[noonchild]

and create an album that was dubbed "the real green album."

[savewhatyouare]

I know many would say that musicians "copy" our predecessor's sound, which leads to lack of quality and creativity, but I see it differently. I love that Ozma can reinvent the pop/power punk sound...and create an album that was dubbed "the real green album." I love how Ryan Adam, Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens and other singer/songwriters can be our Dylan's, Cash's, or Young's. I love how bands like Gorillaz are taking different kinds of music and coalescing them into one.

The same thing could be said of the Mae Shi. You could say they're drawing influences from many sources, from the NY No Wave scene way back in the late 70s (which could get way more unlistenable) to mainstream pop acts.

That's what I forgot..my refutation for the no wave comparison.

From the little that I know, No Wave was a short lived movement in NY during the 70s and early 80s, and was a response to new wave; hence, no wave.

I took a class that concentrated on the post punk movement, and no wave was a heavy part of my midterm..(which by the way, I was screwed over with a B because I oculdn't name the lead singer of Mars...how could that be 5 points?) So yes, no standard structure like rock or jazz and strong emphasis on motfis or rhythm. So yeah...I can see a very strong comparison to the Mei Shi.

But if history repeats itself, The Mei Shi will probably dissapear within the next couple of years. In fact, the only band that left any significance during this period was Sonic Youth, and even they converted to, what would become, a more standard, conventional form of song writing (i.e. sonic nurse). Bands like Lev Six and Mars slowly faded away in their own obscurity, while other bands liek Swans, eventually added more to their music and shows (i.e. The Burning World) to adhere to a more acoustic/folk kind of sound.

No Wave is generally considered to be a footnote in music's history, where a society of misfits and nihilists were trying to figure out what they wanted to say or be. The Mae Shi can certainly be representative of that to our society today.

[savewhatyouare]

and create an album that was dubbed "the real green album."

from what I remember...since the green album was such a huge dissapointment in 99...and rnrp3 was so embraced by the community...a lot of the =W= fans dubbed it the "real green album," implying it to be the album they wished and hoped for out of =W=.

i never found the =W= and ozma comparisons to hold any truth by the way.

[noonchild]

Ah ok, I guess that would make sense, I just was confused at to which album it might be.

[FireAarro]

I know many would say that musicians "copy" our predecessor's sound, which leads to lack of quality and creativity, but I see it differently. I love that Ozma can reinvent the pop/power punk sound...and create an album that was dubbed "the real green album." I love how Ryan Adam, Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens and other singer/songwriters can be our Dylan's, Cash's, or Young's. I love how bands like Gorillaz are taking different kinds of music and coalescing them into one.

The same thing could be said of the Mae Shi. You could say they're drawing influences from many sources, from the NY No Wave scene way back in the late 70s (which could get way more unlistenable) to mainstream pop acts.

That's what I forgot..my refutation for the no wave comparison.

From the little that I know, No Wave was a short lived movement in NY during the 70s and early 80s, and was a response to new wave; hence, no wave.

I took a class that concentrated on the post punk movement, and no wave was a heavy part of my midterm..(which by the way, I was screwed over with a B because I oculdn't name the lead singer of Mars...how could that be 5 points?) So yes, no standard structure like rock or jazz and strong emphasis on motfis or rhythm. So yeah...I can see a very strong comparison to the Mei Shi.

But if history repeats itself, The Mei Shi will probably dissapear within the next couple of years. In fact, the only band that left any significance during this period was Sonic Youth, and even they converted to, what would become, a more standard, conventional form of song writing (i.e. sonic nurse). Bands like Lev Six and Mars slowly faded away in their own obscurity, while other bands liek Swans, eventually added more to their music and shows (i.e. The Burning World) to adhere to a more acoustic/folk kind of sound.

No Wave is generally considered to be a footnote in music's history, where a society of misfits and nihilists were trying to figure out what they wanted to say or be. The Mae Shi can certainly be representative of that to our society today.

Thing is though, Mae Shi aren't ALL No Wave. If you listen to their records, only Terrorbird has much No Wave style noise on it. Their latest release, the first half of Do Not Ignore The Potential (on the US version at least) is full of very structured songs, some almost poppy (see The Bear and Remarkably Dirty Animals).

[savewhatyouare]

I know many would say that musicians "copy" our predecessor's sound, which leads to lack of quality and creativity, but I see it differently. I love that Ozma can reinvent the pop/power punk sound...and create an album that was dubbed "the real green album." I love how Ryan Adam, Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens and other singer/songwriters can be our Dylan's, Cash's, or Young's. I love how bands like Gorillaz are taking different kinds of music and coalescing them into one.

The same thing could be said of the Mae Shi. You could say they're drawing influences from many sources, from the NY No Wave scene way back in the late 70s (which could get way more unlistenable) to mainstream pop acts.

That's what I forgot..my refutation for the no wave comparison.

From the little that I know, No Wave was a short lived movement in NY during the 70s and early 80s, and was a response to new wave; hence, no wave.

I took a class that concentrated on the post punk movement, and no wave was a heavy part of my midterm..(which by the way, I was screwed over with a B because I oculdn't name the lead singer of Mars...how could that be 5 points?) So yes, no standard structure like rock or jazz and strong emphasis on motfis or rhythm. So yeah...I can see a very strong comparison to the Mei Shi.

But if history repeats itself, The Mei Shi will probably dissapear within the next couple of years. In fact, the only band that left any significance during this period was Sonic Youth, and even they converted to, what would become, a more standard, conventional form of song writing (i.e. sonic nurse). Bands like Lev Six and Mars slowly faded away in their own obscurity, while other bands liek Swans, eventually added more to their music and shows (i.e. The Burning World) to adhere to a more acoustic/folk kind of sound.

No Wave is generally considered to be a footnote in music's history, where a society of misfits and nihilists were trying to figure out what they wanted to say or be. The Mae Shi can certainly be representative of that to our society today.

Thing is though, Mae Shi aren't ALL No Wave. If you listen to their records, only Terrorbird has much No Wave style noise on it. Their latest release, the first half of Do Not Ignore The Potential (on the US version at least) is full of very structured songs, some almost poppy (see The Bear and Remarkably Dirty Animals).

oh yeah, i know what you mean. If you look at my post before that...I go onto say that some of their stuff I enjoyed, and I posted that review I found on Terrorbird because it pretty much sums up everythgin I feel about it. The good stuff wasnt done enough and the bad stuff was done way too much.

[The Other Mike]

"This seems to be The Mae Shi's modus operandi on Terrorbird: Brief exercises from Noise Rock 101 surround the band's more carefully composed numbers, providing a harsh contrast for the album's otherwise immediately accessible moments. That said, when these straightforward songs aren't up to "Power to the Power" snuff, all the guitar gymnastics comes off as talentless bullshit, drenched in noise to mask an inability to play. It happens on "Jubilee", whose forced recombination of plucked guitar, Casio beats, and vocal harmonies are so unintentionally out-of-tune that it makes Liars' Angus Andrews sound like a barbershop quartet.  . It happens again on "Takoma the Dolphin Is Awol", which sports a solid narrative lyrically, but musically falls back on some seriously obnoxious Rage Against the Machine white-boy funk trills. Perhaps the biggest offender is the one-two guffaw of "Surf's Up" and "Testify": After the band prove they're "down" with Garage Band's hip-hop loops on the first one, The Mae Shi try their best to emote and come out sounding like The Starting Line unplugged."

that pitchfork review is bullshit.  Pretty much any time pitchfork tries to assess talent, they are dead wrong.  For instance, their assumption that a bunch of experienced musicians and, especially, someone who has spent years going to school for music are "unintentionally out of tune" is laughable.  Most of their band comparisons (starting line, rage) are pretty wtf-able as well.

anyways, if you want to keep arguing about how the mae shi sucks, go for it.  Just know that you are wrong.

[savewhatyouare]

"This seems to be The Mae Shi's modus operandi on Terrorbird: Brief exercises from Noise Rock 101 surround the band's more carefully composed numbers, providing a harsh contrast for the album's otherwise immediately accessible moments. That said, when these straightforward songs aren't up to "Power to the Power" snuff, all the guitar gymnastics comes off as talentless bullshit, drenched in noise to mask an inability to play. It happens on "Jubilee", whose forced recombination of plucked guitar, Casio beats, and vocal harmonies are so unintentionally out-of-tune that it makes Liars' Angus Andrews sound like a barbershop quartet.Ã,  . It happens again on "Takoma the Dolphin Is Awol", which sports a solid narrative lyrically, but musically falls back on some seriously obnoxious Rage Against the Machine white-boy funk trills. Perhaps the biggest offender is the one-two guffaw of "Surf's Up" and "Testify": After the band prove they're "down" with Garage Band's hip-hop loops on the first one, The Mae Shi try their best to emote and come out sounding like The Starting Line unplugged."

that pitchfork review is bullshit.Ã,  Pretty much any time pitchfork tries to assess talent, they are dead wrong.Ã,  For instance, their assumption that a bunch of experienced musicians and, especially, someone who has spent years going to school for music are "unintentionally out of tune" is laughable.Ã,  Most of their band comparisons (starting line, rage) are pretty wtf-able as well.

anyways, if you want to keep arguing about how the mae shi sucks, go for it.Ã,  Just know that you are wrong.

i have been refuted.

i concede.

[I like ozma]

sucking is only a matter of opinion, obviously you like them, and obviously 90% of the rest of the board doesnt.

[The Other Mike]

sucking is only a matter of opinion, obviously you like them, and obviously 90% of the rest of the board doesnt.

If I said the beatles had no good ideas and sucked and were crappy musicians that would be just completely untrue and wrong.  Not everything related to music is an opinion.  The mae-shi are not a sucky band.  That's simply not true.  Abrasive?  Challenging?  A bit too much for your average ozma fan?  Sure.  But if you're going to claim that they suck, I'm sorry, but I can't let that slide.

[NewYorkerNick]

Little note to "I like ozma"

You don't have to defend your opinion that Mae Shi sucks... we believe you.

I respect other people's opinions on any good aspects to the band... of course I would have to disagree. It's just not... well good, to me? Possibly too weird for me to handle. It did give me a great laugh though. I liked when the bassist said something like "they're here to see ozma not us" when the other guy was complaining about the guy who said they sucked.

At least they had energy, and at concerts--that's a big thing.

At first I thought they were trying to suck on purpose. I'm really not sure. I'm way too unfamiliar with that "type" of music.

Has anyone ever seen "Grandma's Boy"? Doesn't the singer remind people of the weirdo in the movie who made all the video games?

[Not Jason]

I've never been more completely furious at this board.  And I've posted in various versions of it for 5+ years.  I don't understand how some of you don't understand why a band would want to make music like this.  Do any of you play music?  Do any of you ever get horrifyingly bored with predictability?  Does anybody at all but me think it's occaisionally necessary for their to be disonance and disorder?  It's not that I'm expecting to make fans of the band here, but the complete lack of respect is unbelievable to me.

No wave was most accurately anti-aesthetic.  Some of it clearly had the foot in the door of more conventional form, it was just a matter of how it was expressed.  I only name dropped the genre because I wanted to disprove the "kids these days" theory.

[FireAarro]

Most of their band comparisons (starting line, rage) are pretty wtf-able as well.

Fo' shizzle mah nizzle. Takoma the Dolphin Is AWOL sounds nothing like RATM. Also, some other reviews praise Takoma as the best song on the album... so yea

[Bob511]

"Getting agitated by young power pop fans' aversion to the music of the Mae Shi" ranks just below "Becoming infuriated by people who wear shoes" on the list of Most Futile Personal Peeves.

Some things are just gonna be.

[NewYorkerNick]

HAHA, props to Not Jason for the new quote on the avator.

To be honest I can't get maeshi's music out of my head now... I mean they carry a good beat. I guess they just overdue it on stage... and the singer creeps me out.

[Gidgetsucks]

OK, Ozma rocked hard.  I saw them on saturday right before the reunion show at Soma and they were so good.  They messed up a lot more, but it was still sooo awsome.  I got their setlist and they all signed it!!!  All I have to say is that regardless of how many mistakes or anything else that might have gone wrong, they still rock and those two shows  (march 11th and 12th) where the best!!!!

[returnofdisco]

I am sad I missed this show. Oh well, as far as the Mae Shi they sound pretty cool. Has anyone heard of Hella? I saw them live its like noise based around a drum solo, some of it was actually pretty cool. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/hellaband or www.hellaband.com

yeah dude zach hill is an explosion of flailing arms and sticks.  Spencer, one of the guitarists, has another band that I think everybody on this forum could appreciate.  www.theadvantageband.com

[oatmeal]

Ok I from what I hear of the people and a live video. Mae Shi is pretty differnt from ozma so less people would like it. And mostly what I get is the Mae Shi is better on cd becuase live they act sickly,disterbeinly, preverted so that it scares people away. So they might have some type of genius but act like freaks on stage and dont make upbeat music in the way ozma does. And I think from this piont we should stop bagging on Jasons and the Other Mikes band. Done.

Plus know I am kinda getting into some of the songs. They actually do make part of me feel good. I think they do kinda have something here.

[cesarsalad]

TERRIBLE. I am not talkin about talent. There is no doubt in my mind that the musicians were talented. But even though being intentionally out of tune, dissonant, or screaming random shit like monkeys might be worthy of respect for not conforming to a norm, and can even be called interesting, it is still terrible.

[Not Jason]

I'm listening to the bootleg right now of this exact show that all you guys hated, and it's great.  They were on top of their game.  I feel really really bad for them for having to put up with you guys' shit.  Shame on you guys.

Bob's right though, this is a compltely futile argument.

[The Other Mike]

TERRIBLE. I am not talkin about talent. There is no doubt in my mind that the musicians were talented. But even though being intentionally out of tune, dissonant, or screaming random shit like monkeys might be worthy of respect for not conforming to a norm, and can even be called interesting, it is still terrible.

I don't think there's anyone in the history of the board who has made as many idiotic claims about the quality of various musical works as you have.  I would pretty much consider this an endorsement of this band.

[I like ozma]

my favorite thing about music is a great melody, and that is why the beatles and ozma are my two favorite bands. mae shi however, i couldnt even make out a melody in any but maybe two songs for about 3 seconds, and that is why in my opinion i think they arent good

[tom]

Like i've said, I can't speak for Mae-Shi's live show...but dudes, they are good. Arguing with someone who loves a band is going to get you nowhere, so just STFUUUUU please!!

ps - I think the singing style has more to do with these people hating on mae - shi than anything else, take away the scream-y vocals and they are technically-speaking one of the best bands around right now, none of you can deny that. Me, on the other hand, loves the vocals. Gosh, I'm so with Jason on this one, and don't try and say i'm kissing ass or whatever, because I got raped for saying that The Beatles filler was better than anything else anyone has ever done.

I like ozma - melody doesnt have to be melodic.

[cesarsalad]

TERRIBLE. I am not talkin about talent. There is no doubt in my mind that the musicians were talented. But even though being intentionally out of tune, dissonant, or screaming random shit like monkeys might be worthy of respect for not conforming to a norm, and can even be called interesting, it is still terrible.

I don't think there's anyone in the history of the board who has made as many idiotic claims about the quality of various musical works as you have.Ã,  I would pretty much consider this an endorsement of this band.

It's fucking terrible.

[The Other Mike]

TERRIBLE. I am not talkin about talent. There is no doubt in my mind that the musicians were talented. But even though being intentionally out of tune, dissonant, or screaming random shit like monkeys might be worthy of respect for not conforming to a norm, and can even be called interesting, it is still terrible.

I don't think there's anyone in the history of the board who has made as many idiotic claims about the quality of various musical works as you have.  I would pretty much consider this an endorsement of this band.

It's fucking terrible.

I'll buy two.

[Helpless Rock]

'Cause really, who cares about opinions anyway.

[cesarsalad]

Dude, it's ok, just because it's "experimental" and obscure doesn't mean you have to love it.

[savewhatyouare]

we're still on this?

[Jeff42]

I'll just echo the sentiments of everyone who thought the show was Samuel. Ã, It was my first Ozma show and I was blown away. Ã, The setlist was fantastic and the enthusiasm from both the crowd and the band was great. Ã, In fact, this was one of the most fun experiences of my life. Ã, I really liked Satisfaction too; I bought their CD in addition to one of the new Ozma shirts.

It's too bad this thread turned into an argument about the Mae Shi. Ã, 

[NewYorkerNick]

Mods know what a lock button does right?