New Music DNA Pt. 4 - Justin McElroy of My Brother, My Brother and Me on having "uncool" music taste, chasing that fizzy feeling of recognition in new music, and the irrelevance of middle age.
This was really interesting because I feel like so many people liked “literary” or funny, whimsical bands in their teens (TMBG, Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five) but I wonder if there are modern-day equivalents of those bands
I feel like there's less of the funny, almost cringy bands (the first two I think of is the Aquabats and Less Than Jake) and more acts that layer the breezy whimsical stuff with either darker, slower songs or darker themes.
I think Beach Bunny is a perfect example of a band with songs that tackle pretty dark and universal themes while sounding like something Archie and the gang would jam out to at Pop's.
I think the part about not having a musical “vocabulary” that is strong enough to make talking about new music as interesting as talking about TV or movies hit me.
It seems that many adults (in my life) are more willing to dip into a 30 min TV show than try a new album/artist so I find sometimes I have to hold people captive in some way to get them to listen in real time. Sometimes it works and sometimes I feel like I’ve killed the vibe if we’re hanging out and I switch into, “OMG you have to hear this song” mode. On the other hand I do have a small crew of friends who will accompany me to shows for artists they have never listened to. I find that blind trust heartwarming.
I think I also appreciated the piece because my tastes are not the same as Justin’s and it was fun to preview the mix tape tracks and find the ven-diagram where our tastes do overlap. Thanks again!
It's like he was saying about time investment. I think it's easier to watch an episode of TV and feel like you have something to say about it. But with a record, how many times do you have to listen to it before you're allowed an opinion? Do you have to listen to it all the way through before you decide it's not your thing? I generally bristle at people who brush off a record without giving it at least one full listen but like... there's literally thousands upon thousands of albums, how much time can we truly expect people to take out of their day? It's just more personal and less universal than other media, arguably more emotional. We can't exactly discuss character arcs or plot lines, so it's harder to explain what works for you and what doesn't and why somebody else might want to try it out.
My read on this is that Justin is still really into show tunes and doesn't want to talk about it because they're not cool. I hope he learns to embrace them because show tunes may not be cool, but they are so fun and awesome.
Very cool to see Haute and Freddy on the list. They popped up on my Tiktok feed a year ago (before I 86ed the clock app), and I've been really digging their stuff. Their song 'Sophie' dropped a few days ago and it's a "bop" (are the kids still saying that?)!
I think the vocabulary thing is really interesting because I always feel that I’m not specific enough or will describe something in the wrong way or just come off sounding pretentious. I think music has such a huge emotional draw that it is often very hard to articulate what makes it special to you but that doesn’t mean that your opinion isn’t valid or worth sharing. I love discussing music and sharing the things I love but I’m actually pretty bad at following up on other people’s recommendations which is rubbish, I know. I guess I like to discover things in my own time.
it's not easy, but sometimes, especially if you're not writing about it, it's just fun to share a song or album you like with somebody even if all you can say is "I loved this." I get why it's feels so much more revealing and personal than other media, though.
I don't think it's necessary to be well versed on a music related topic for your opinion on it to be worth sharing. Plenty of people get their opinions shut down by those who fancy themselves experts. I'm thinking specifically of the times I've witnessed record store clerks dish out their un-sought expertise and talk down to customers, especially women.
Love this! I relate to the bit about a music vocabulary. When I first started writing about music, it felt like such a struggle to come up with language to capture an album’s essence. (I still feel that way sometimes.) It’s that whole “dancing about architecture” thing, which I think would actually be easier than writing about music. But his words about Maverick Mom got me to listen to that song and he was right about the bridge—totally enjoyable. A reminder to me (and everyone) that you don’t need to get tripped up on finding the best language to share something you’re excited about—it will come through.
It really isn't easy! It takes practice, and we all experience music very differently. It's tough to nail down any kind of universal experience when discussing music. You can discuss yours and hope it holds true for others. You can get abstract. Or you can be a bit dry and describe the factual sound. I'm still learning every day.
Really liked this one! His tastes and mine only slightly intersect, but it’s a fantastic realization that we all come to this music thing with such different ideas and tastes. My aesthetic doesn’t have to be his and vice versa.
There’s no need to shit on someone for having a different experience with music.
A long time friend of mine had Extreme CDs (multiple) in his collection when we were coming up. I used to tease him incessantly about it. Gate keeping is a great way to close oneself off from the diversity of human experience.
And with that, for my friend Mike, I present to you the earnestness of his musical experience:
I think if anyone is reading this and thinking "oh yeah this guy has super uncool music taste" then they are not really somebody who I want in this music community. I was bummed to hear that Justin had kind of retreated into himself when it comes to music discovery, because for me it's always been a really social and community based thing, no matter where my tastes took me (and I had a strong TMBG/Moxy Fruvous/Barenaked Ladies phase myself!)
Loving music doesn't require loving a certain type of music. Sharing music with other people is my favorite part of all this, and figuring out what somebody loves about a song or album or even entire genre of music I may have discounted in the past is a way to connect with people and expand my own tastes.
This was really interesting because I feel like so many people liked “literary” or funny, whimsical bands in their teens (TMBG, Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five) but I wonder if there are modern-day equivalents of those bands
well i put several on his playlist (and at least one in the highlights reel here), so stay tuned (?!!!)
I feel like there's less of the funny, almost cringy bands (the first two I think of is the Aquabats and Less Than Jake) and more acts that layer the breezy whimsical stuff with either darker, slower songs or darker themes.
I think Beach Bunny is a perfect example of a band with songs that tackle pretty dark and universal themes while sounding like something Archie and the gang would jam out to at Pop's.
I don’t know, I unironically love Less Than Jake.
There have to be, right?!
I mean if front row tickets to see Weird Al cost $11k per…
Totally enjoyed this, thanks Gabbie.
I think the part about not having a musical “vocabulary” that is strong enough to make talking about new music as interesting as talking about TV or movies hit me.
It seems that many adults (in my life) are more willing to dip into a 30 min TV show than try a new album/artist so I find sometimes I have to hold people captive in some way to get them to listen in real time. Sometimes it works and sometimes I feel like I’ve killed the vibe if we’re hanging out and I switch into, “OMG you have to hear this song” mode. On the other hand I do have a small crew of friends who will accompany me to shows for artists they have never listened to. I find that blind trust heartwarming.
I think I also appreciated the piece because my tastes are not the same as Justin’s and it was fun to preview the mix tape tracks and find the ven-diagram where our tastes do overlap. Thanks again!
It's like he was saying about time investment. I think it's easier to watch an episode of TV and feel like you have something to say about it. But with a record, how many times do you have to listen to it before you're allowed an opinion? Do you have to listen to it all the way through before you decide it's not your thing? I generally bristle at people who brush off a record without giving it at least one full listen but like... there's literally thousands upon thousands of albums, how much time can we truly expect people to take out of their day? It's just more personal and less universal than other media, arguably more emotional. We can't exactly discuss character arcs or plot lines, so it's harder to explain what works for you and what doesn't and why somebody else might want to try it out.
My read on this is that Justin is still really into show tunes and doesn't want to talk about it because they're not cool. I hope he learns to embrace them because show tunes may not be cool, but they are so fun and awesome.
as a hater of show tunes i fully agree with this take
Very cool to see Haute and Freddy on the list. They popped up on my Tiktok feed a year ago (before I 86ed the clock app), and I've been really digging their stuff. Their song 'Sophie' dropped a few days ago and it's a "bop" (are the kids still saying that?)!
i've loved all their singles so far!
I think the vocabulary thing is really interesting because I always feel that I’m not specific enough or will describe something in the wrong way or just come off sounding pretentious. I think music has such a huge emotional draw that it is often very hard to articulate what makes it special to you but that doesn’t mean that your opinion isn’t valid or worth sharing. I love discussing music and sharing the things I love but I’m actually pretty bad at following up on other people’s recommendations which is rubbish, I know. I guess I like to discover things in my own time.
it's not easy, but sometimes, especially if you're not writing about it, it's just fun to share a song or album you like with somebody even if all you can say is "I loved this." I get why it's feels so much more revealing and personal than other media, though.
I don't think it's necessary to be well versed on a music related topic for your opinion on it to be worth sharing. Plenty of people get their opinions shut down by those who fancy themselves experts. I'm thinking specifically of the times I've witnessed record store clerks dish out their un-sought expertise and talk down to customers, especially women.
i know my shit and i still hate talking to record store clerks
Love this! I relate to the bit about a music vocabulary. When I first started writing about music, it felt like such a struggle to come up with language to capture an album’s essence. (I still feel that way sometimes.) It’s that whole “dancing about architecture” thing, which I think would actually be easier than writing about music. But his words about Maverick Mom got me to listen to that song and he was right about the bridge—totally enjoyable. A reminder to me (and everyone) that you don’t need to get tripped up on finding the best language to share something you’re excited about—it will come through.
It really isn't easy! It takes practice, and we all experience music very differently. It's tough to nail down any kind of universal experience when discussing music. You can discuss yours and hope it holds true for others. You can get abstract. Or you can be a bit dry and describe the factual sound. I'm still learning every day.
Really liked this one! His tastes and mine only slightly intersect, but it’s a fantastic realization that we all come to this music thing with such different ideas and tastes. My aesthetic doesn’t have to be his and vice versa.
There’s no need to shit on someone for having a different experience with music.
A long time friend of mine had Extreme CDs (multiple) in his collection when we were coming up. I used to tease him incessantly about it. Gate keeping is a great way to close oneself off from the diversity of human experience.
And with that, for my friend Mike, I present to you the earnestness of his musical experience:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1gVgkQFOKa8Wc1HYsJtPdH?si=lCDbeAVqRruSzFmI3qRk4g
I think if anyone is reading this and thinking "oh yeah this guy has super uncool music taste" then they are not really somebody who I want in this music community. I was bummed to hear that Justin had kind of retreated into himself when it comes to music discovery, because for me it's always been a really social and community based thing, no matter where my tastes took me (and I had a strong TMBG/Moxy Fruvous/Barenaked Ladies phase myself!)
Loving music doesn't require loving a certain type of music. Sharing music with other people is my favorite part of all this, and figuring out what somebody loves about a song or album or even entire genre of music I may have discounted in the past is a way to connect with people and expand my own tastes.