Going to agree with Kahn on this one. It is uninspired garbage in comparison to what the band was capable of at one point in their career. I can't really blame them for it, they are all in such a comfort zone with their music that they are just going through the motions. They bring in producer(s) who as their resume clearly illustrates, basically shine up shit for a living. How many accredited/inspired/creative producers would want their name in anyway affiliated with the albums that DMB has put out in the last 10 years (surprised it has been that long).Kahn wrote:You will see. DMB will continue to put out lackluster albums until Carter gets too old and retires. Then, the band realizing the most talented member of the group is gone will disband leaving Dave to put out another masterpiece solo album on the lines of Some Devil, the last great thing he has done since writing the LWS songs.GSR wrote:I give that a solidKahn wrote:the new album will SUCK. there is a zero percent chance of anything Dave Matthews does being good untill he leaves DMB and starts writing music again as opposed to what he is doing right now (just working a job)
I think people forget how amazing DMB used to be. Don't sell yourself short, DMB is turning into a nostalgia act. Given the guys are getting older, its expected to settle into a routine. I can't blame them. But come on, look at the lyrics and music from BTCS and compare them with anything recent. That was 10 years ago! It has been a steady decline ever since. I would love for DMB to come out with a masterpiece, but frankly I think they are tapped. The fact that a producer has SO MUCH pull over the direction of the last few albums is a testament to the FACT that the band is just working, not playing anymore.
This one of the biggest reasons that I am in favor whenever someone talks about them possibly doing a jazz album or at least something along those lines, hell anything different. The only thing they are doing now is going through the motions to fulfill their contracts and put out albums because they still have a fan base. I don't want to get on the whole "the scene/fans have changed rant, but the people so into their albums presently for the most part are much easier pleased musically then the people who were supporting them earlier on in their respective careers (Waiting to get flamed on this one). I seriously doubt (I hope it's not true, but looking at it realistically) DMB will put anything out on par with what their capabilities once were. There is no denying the quality of the material that they have put out previously, and I will still enjoy those tunes from time to time and rank them up there with my favorite albums/songs but I think the better days are past us at this point.
These guys have been playing together for over 15 years, that is a long time for any band. They hit their musical peak as a group and it happens. It's happened to many great groups. That's not to say as Kahn pointed out if they went in different directions that they might be able to spark their creative abilities again with another set of musicians.
The only point I disagree with, is the nostalgia act you claimed them to be. I don't necessarily buy into that just due to the mere fact that they are still a band creating new albums on a regular basis with a fan base that is interested in what they are presently creating for better or for worse. It's really a moot point in general due to the fact that when labeling a band a nostalgia act, it is completely the perception of the individual doing the labeling. There are still people out there who get something from the new music they are creating and in some cases the band itself is even fresh to them. The only reason anyone would feel different would be the people who have been listening to the band long enough to see the evolution of the band.
Up for debate:
Think about the legacy that the band would have left behind if they would have broke up during The Lillywhite Sessions. The only true gem IMO (and I am typing this hastily) that we as fans and mainly I feel I would have missed out on, would have been You Never Know (just looking at songs they actually put down in the studio) provided the Lillywhite Sessions would have leaked the same way they did. Granted, it would have been awful at the time and it is much easier to view it this way, now that we have seen and heard what has happened.
Any thoughts?
*Oh yeah, I will still always pull for great albums from this band even into the future. Because when they are on there is no doubt (as we have heard and seen) they are phenomenal.
There is my long post for 2008. Enjoy.
