A_Primetime_Fool wrote:Hey everyone,
I haven't posted before, mostly because I'm not really dedicated enough to be an avid message board member, but this particular thread has gotten me really interested and I just have to share my thoughts so I can be yelled at (or maybe even agreed with). But yeah, I'm a long time fan - a good 7-8 years now, OLP is my favorite band of all time, I used to post on the CC a lot a few years back, etc etc etc... Just a few items so you guys know I'm not a naïve newbie to the world of OLP.
Anyway, even though OLP's music speaks to me in a way that no other music comes close to, for the past year I've been siding more and more with fabio_kun's opinions in his original post.
But to me, it's not the ho-hum album cover, the dissapearance of Sol, uninspiring videos, or any of the things that come with the music... my main gripe is the music itself. Now don't get me wrong here, Gravity is a great album, but the problem is that for the first time I'm not <i> feeling </i> the music like i used to.
Now don't call me a traitor or anything for having these opinions, just hear me out for a second, and tell me you can't identify with this:
There is a reason we are such hardcore fans of OLP. It's not just because we like the chorus of a few songs, it's not because we like the bands' attitude, if you are anything like me, you love OLP because the music makes you <i>feel</i> something that can't be reproduced by any other music. When I pop Naveed into my CD player, I'm taken away with the gritty and intense emotions that fill the record. When I listen to Clumsy the clashing chords, drums, and Raine's vocal "whine" penetrate my soul. When Happiness... is playing, I can close my eyes and be completely enveloped in the peaceful-yet-fierce atmospheric sound unique to that collection. When I listen to Spiritual Machines (ignoring the RK narrations that got a bit tiresome over time) I feel this intangible aura linking all of the songs together into what I think is OLP's best work. This is most definiately goosebump-worthy music.
Now the problem is this: When I pop Gravity into my CD player, I totally love the music, but the goosebumps and the ethereal sensations are largely absent. The music sounds great - it doesn't matter to me how complicated it is, just as long as I like it - but when I close my eyes and concentrate on the emotions that Gravity gives me, I get distracted very easily - almost like I'm trying to relive some lost glory only found in the earlier cds. There just seems to be this unexplainable hollowness that accompanies the tracks on Gravity. Don't get me wrong, the CD absolutely rocks - but that's the problem, all it does is rock.
If you became an OLP fan years ago, you know what I was talking about above. You know about the intangible effect the first four albums had on you. And maybe it's just me, but since then the feeling hasn't been there. And I know I can't do anything about it, and I know it's not my band, and blah blah blah... but I'm just stating the simple fact... it's kinda sad that I haven't gotten any new goosebumps in the past year.
Nice to see constructive posts
Cheers.
