New David Interview - Exit/Delete

[missouriman]

Has he ever namechecked Radiohead before? I'm convinced they're fans of his based on Kid A more than anything else (particularly How To Disappear Completely and Treefingers). But for a band that namecheck left and right I've never heard them mention him.

I don't like the singer's voice (Radiohead) but I went to Youtube and listened to "Treefingers" and it was nice. But I don't hear David's influence. I hear Kraut rock. Like Faust in particular. "How to Disappear" was ok, but I can't say I am eager to go check out what I have not heard. Arcade Fire suck. Saw them for the first time on Saturday Night Live here in the USA and it sounded like crap. And when the lead singer smashed his guitar I was convinced they are just another bad rock band.

Cue the wolves...

[baht habit]

Wow, what to say? Sylvian shares such profoundly honest thoughts with regards to commerciality and accessibility for his fans to ponder....

[opiate]

Hey missouriman, give them both a go they are actually quite good. Surprised you're not familiar with Radiohead, I thought they were like a household name by now

Sylv's mentioned Vampire Weekend before as well, but I think he dimissed them (rightly so). Surprising to say the least he would happen upon younger gens stuff, I wonder if this is his teenage daughters influence with their iPod choices? I can see him now, shaking his head and saying that it's all rubbish, while they roll their eyes ...

[missouriman]

[quote="opiate"]Hey missouriman, give them both a go they are actually quite good. Surprised you're not familiar with Radiohead, I thought they were like a household name by now

Yeah. I ignore what is popular in favor of what I know. That singer... Thom? Not my cup of tea.

Sylv's mentioned Vampire Weekend before as well, but I think he dimissed them (rightly so). Surprising to say the least he would happen upon younger gens stuff, I wonder if this is his teenage daughters influence with their iPod choices? I can see him now, shaking his head and saying that it's all rubbish, while they roll their eyes ...

I hear that his daughter likes bands nobody over 20 years old has ever heard of. I don't think Radiohead and Arcade Fire are her lot. But DS loves his gadgets and his i-pod and "itth a mithtery" as Toyah sang what he listens to. That playlist was interesting that appeared a while ago. He once said he never listened to popular music, so it was very likely driving around with Ingrid and the girls that forced him to hear stuff. You will know he has gone loopy when he starts doing his hair like Justin Bieber and gets autotuned.

[opiate]

Didn't everyone listen to bands no-one has ever heard of as a teenager, no? My friends and I used to outdo ourselves sometimes, trailing music shops looking for white labels and obscure new releases.

And who doesn't LOVE their iPod & tech ..

DS seems to always play down and usually avoids answering what he listens to. Interesting little bone he threw us there. He did hint heavily about possible return to more melodic content in the future. It's more than likely that there is certain environments, such as being with the girls, that will expose him to other genres that he would normally avoid. Amused to hear he's still getting down with the kids Bet he's like 'yeah, been there, done that, made a tshirt' and they're crying 'Oh Daaaaad'!!

[baht habit]

....

"It’s the responsibility of the artist to be true to the work whilst at the same time attempting to make it as accessible, as comprehensible, as one can. Depending on the nature of the work there’s sometimes only so much you can do regarding its accessibility. With both Blemish and Manafon I was moving into uncharted waters therefore it wasn’t going to be easy for the general audience to accompany me all the way and I was obviously aware of that fact while the work was being created. To have attempted to have made the material anymore accessible would’ve been to dilute the material’s purpose and potency but, I don’t believe this marks a disrespect for the listening audience, on the contrary, it’s an attempt to offer something of significance. It’s relatively easy to repeat the past, it’s a far harder, more heartfelt effort, to imagine the future."

"I simply do whatever it is I’m driven to at the time of creating a work. My desire is to communicate not alienate but I can’t pander to the taste of one particular audience or a particular faction of that audience. This would only end in the failure of both the artistic and commercial merits of the material. 
If an audience thinks I’ve gone too far and refuse to believe in what I’m producing as relevant or worth the effort, I’ll not attempt to persuade them otherwise"

....

[sakurafleur]

if david ever used an auto tuner... i think i just broke out in a sweat just thinking about it!

[Fire Rose 45]

Don't think much of the "Sleepwalkers" cover art - too risque/"National Geographic" for me and disappointing.

[baht habit]

if david ever used an auto tuner... i think i just broke out in a sweat just thinking about it!

I don't believe we would need to fear such a thing happening. Sylvian doesn't seem to exactly be the type to have silly concerns about perfect pitch control, does he?
But if Sylvian ever did toss out such a curve and utilize autotune to create some sort of odd vocal effect, I have no doubt that he would use it in the least trendiest manner possible. We probably would not even recognize the produced sound as any byproduct of that device known as autotune.
...
I still can't quite figure out why musical genius Stevie Wonder used that gimmick for his wonderfully quaint track, All About The Love Again ???

[karnsculpture]

I've very rarely heard Sylvian sing out of tune, and then it's on early bootlegs with Japan and it is just the odd line, and possibly because he couldn't hear the band too well (screaming girls etc). He nearly always sounds "perfect" singing live - in fact my only criticism would be that he is so controlled in most performances that they lack spontaneity - something that becomes more apparent if you see subsequent shows on the same tour. I'm being really nitpicky though - I appreciate he spends time honing the presentation so that the concertgoer gets the best sound possible.

He would only ever use autotune to create an interesting effect I'd imagine.

[missouriman]

Paul has a point. The Autotune device in itself is not a problem. It is the substandard oafs receiving the benefits of it. In skilled and adventurous hands I imagine it could be used to very interesting effect. Justin, Owl City and Cher... Not exactly the creme de la creme of left field pop.

As for Sylvian being out of tune, it was long ago when I last heard him sing a bum note anywhere.