While it makes sense to review current, lesser-known books/music/whatever, I feel obliged to share my opinions on both the new and upcoming as well as the past and long-gone. Besides: what's old news to me could be something that sparks a new obsession for you.
Anyways, I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I just recently got into The Pixies. I'd been a longtime Modest Mouse fan (this year marks the sixth anniversary of our love affair) and I'd often heard critics and classmates bash them as being Pixies rip-offs. Though they belittled Isaac Brock, I took the insult personally, and for some immature reason directed my contempt towards The Pixies rather than the jury.
Needless to say, that mixtape found itself on repeat for quite awhile. Did Isaac Brock rip off of them? My verdict, despite my apparent bias, is always going to be "no." Like I said in my previous post: take inspiration from everything but make it into something new. I remain convinced that Isaac is just a funky dude producing the same music other quirky people like him produce: unconventional, unorthodox brilliancy.
Maybe the lyrical content is similar: life, death, heartache, self-deprecation, self-criticism; the same shit everyone else sings about more or less, no? I feel that both bands speak out in respect to their very different world views and values. Both bands' works feature musical composure that varies from slow and melancholic to upbeat and dance-y. Both bands have their fair share of different, yet similar infectious guitar hooks. Catchier bass riffs? I'd have to say The Pixies. Isaac Brock takes the trophy for literary lyricism. Both bands have cemented a special place in my heart.
Which came first: the chicken or the egg? Who gives a shit.
My current MM obsessions:
A Different City
I Came as a Rat
Styrofoam Boots
Doin' The Cockroach