Yo! I'm a new fan. I first listened to the Beach boys something like ten years ago and I liked a handful of songs like Fun Fun Fun, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Heroes and Villains, I Get Around... basically some singles. I never got to look into their stuff further because I didn't have the albums. Cut to half a year ago, I decide to check them out on Spotify for whatever reason and I am just shocked that Brian Wilson basically did all the things I wished somebody would do in music. Cool harmonic progressions. Intricate vocal arrangements. Also, on Smile, crazy metaphorical lyrics (I know he didn't write them but he
asked for them so it counts). Like everyone and their mother, I was fascinated by the specter of the Smile project, and I firmly believe that had it been released, it would have gone down as an influential and boldly experimental pop work - can't speak about the record sales, though. I haven't really looked into the band's post-Pet Sounds work except for a couple of songs (heard "Sail on Sailor" live at the BW concert and thought it totally rocked??? and on the other side of the spectrum is Kokomo, which is the textbook definition of a guilty pleasure), so there's still new things to find out. I also admit that I love reading about the band drama and am waiting for the day some intrepid Beach Boys fan writes some Tolstoyian fanfiction version of "The Making of SMiLE."
I am what some folks call a Whippersnapper, and I don't think enjoying classic rock-era material means you can't also enjoy modern pop music like Ke$ha or Lady Gaga (though they stopped being relevant five years ago for rather unfortunate external reasons... but I digress). I like transparently commercial club bangers and I think they're brilliant in the function they serve, much like Pet Sounds is brilliant in its own context. Grand album, but if they started playing it at a club, I think I'd leave. I really do enjoy music in its many permutations, and I'm always looking for new artists and songs to check out.
I've been doing some lurking, but only recently decided to step out into the light. Look forward to meeting y'all! One question: what is your policy on reaction GIFs?
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