It is always a terribly depressing internal conversation that every few years us music lovers suffer through but it is a necessary evil. Instead of the constant let down you need to just end it and walk away. It usually goes something like this:
' Listen Weezer.....your great but I dont think I can keep going on pretending things are like they use to be. I mean we had some fun memories together. All the drunk sing alongs and summer drives with the Blue Album. The eventual slow realization that Pinkerton may be even better than the Blue Album and trying to wrap my mind around that. And even learning to love the Green Album despite it being a little to 'Pop' for my taste.
But things are not like they use to be. You have changed. I mean, I guess Malidrot was ok but did did you even listen to the Red Album before you released it? And Ratitude? Wtf was that? 'I can't stop Partying feat. Lil Wayne' sounds like a track title I would find on the new Drake album.
Lets face it Weezer. You have changed and I have moved on. It's OK. We will still have My Name is Jonas, Undone, In the Garage, Tired of Sex and El Scorcho. And occasionally you will hit a home run with a new song (Heart Songs) but I can't keep pretending like things are like they use to be. I have to stop buying your albums. I'm sorry. Goodbye Weezer.'
Ok, that was a little drawn out but you get the point. It sucks when you have a band that you are all for and you just watch them slowly slide away. You keep buying their albums thinking 'they will turn it around', but each time it disappoints until you have to end it. Weezer is just and example but there are a few more that are slowly falling by the wayside for me including:
- Incubus (could have saw this coming)
- Kid Cudi (I know it was one album but still....Pursuit of Happiness....follow that up strong)
- Common (this one pisses me off the most)
- Slayer (I think this one is on me)
These are just a couple examples because I could probably think about this for a few hours. Any others you can think of that either fell off, you outgrew or that really just anger you?
well, you already mentioned my number one offender - Common. That's the screaming, angry, "here's your stuff and don't come back" break-up.
ReplyDeleteSadly I'm still in a dragged out relationship with Kid Cudi. I look forward to what he'll put out next because the beginning was so good and everyone has that one bad album right?... meanwhile all my friends are saying 'can't you see he's not good enough. end it."
the one you didn't bring up in the post that is super personal for me and I hate to talk about... agh. we had such a good relationship (the kind your whole family loves) and when it ended I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want people to ask "what happened? were are they?" -is U2. I loved them for so so long and a for a time I liked them based on the past love. But the new stuff just isn't as good. I can't pretend any more. I can only say 'you're decent people and I'll remember fondly what we had"
(sorry for the long comment, clearly I liked this metaphor)
I am definitely not out on Kid Cudi yet but he has the potential.
DeleteI think U2 has the biggest following of people that will buy every album released despite the quality of the music. I feel like U2 could just continuously decline and yet any album they release will go platinum because people just buy it because they are U2. I totally agree with you though, they have reached that point.
Personally I hope I never get into the habit of buying albums just because of the legacy of the band/artist and not music itself but I just did a post on the new Slash album so......
Don't beat yourself up over Slayer, they really haven't released an essential album in roughly 15 years (since Divine Intervention for me).
ReplyDeleteSince I got into metal as most did in the late 90s/early 2000s, through the awesomeness of nu-metal, I've gone through this with bands like Slipknot and Static-X. It's kind of a different break-up though, because with these bands I go back and am embarrassed to have ever liked them (though Slipknot had a few good songs). One band that I was saddened to leave behind was Sevendust. It just hasn't clicked for me since Animosity, which sucks because the first 3 records are great and I think still stand up (Neil, you did your best on this one, but as we discussed outside of the acoustic records I just couldn't get into it).
I straight up stopped buying Weezer and Incubus records, though I'm not too sure why. I kind of want to check out the last few Incubus ones since A Crow Left...was actually pretty strong and the last thing I bought. Not so interested with Weezer (particularly in light of your post).
But the king of this has to be Metallica, right? Do I even need to go into the explanation?
Good call on Metallica. I didn't even think of them but they are a perfect example of it.
DeleteI am good with Sevendust still but it is only because of their latest album. They were right on the boardline and, despite that album not being anything to write home about, I will give them another go.
Slipknot...ha, yeah. I still have that CD. I think we have seen them in concert multiple times which is pretty embarrassing too.