With hype comes disappointment

[Aryaroman]

I've always thought Jarre was mediocre.

Isn't that what they say about Bob Dylan?

To add, I don't have any opinion on Dylan.

[ATS]

I've always thought Jarre was mediocre.

Isn't that what they say about Bob Dylan?

To add, I don't have any opinion on Dylan.

Dylan is another artist that did no wrong imo

[fmr]

I've always thought Jarre was mediocre.

Me too

Really? All of his work? By which standards? I loved his first albums (Oxygene, Equinoxe, Magnetic Fields) and also Rendez-Vous. Not interested in his later work. But I can't understand how someone can say Oxygene or Equinoxe are "pop".

[ccDuckett]

TBH I didn't even know who Jarre was until I started spending more time over here (typical Yank, I know)...
maybe if I'd grown up hearing his material, I'd feel more warm and fuzzy about it (and henceforth disappointed in this new album), but as it stands, other than having respect for his embracing and mastering electronic music tools at a time when they were very unwieldy, I can't muster up any sort of emotional response to his material, old or new... just kind of a "golf clap" reaction.

[chk071]

With Jarre, i never really understood the hype, also not with his older albums. Just not my kind of music i guess.

Btw, with the track he made with Armin van Buuren, you wouldn't even know that Jarre was involved, if you wouldn't happen to see the track title, and credits.

Makes you wonder how he collaborated with some of the artists. The exhange probably went something like this:

Jarre sends Armin a rough sketch of a track.
"Hi Armin, here's this track I've been working on! What do you think of it? Would you like to collaborate with me on this?"
Armin sends back a completely different finished track made from scratch in 30 minutes.
"Done."
Jarre, shrugging.
"Okay..."

Yeah, at least wouldn't totally surprise me if that was the kind of exchange which happened on that Armin track. It's not totally bad though IMO. But surely rather a Trance track, than a Jarre track.

[aMUSEd]

I've always thought Jarre was mediocre.

Me too

Really? All of his work? By which standards? I loved his first albums (Oxygene, Equinoxe, Magnetic Fields) and also Rendez-Vous. Not interested in his later work. But I can't understand how someone can say Oxygene or Equinoxe are "pop".

I was already into electronic music for many years so Jarre didn't seem to be doing anything new, despite this I bought Oxygene thinking it deserved a chance but sold it soon after - it was just too simplistic and boring musically for me. If that is pop I don't know but it didn't impress me and nothing I have heard since has either.

[Aryaroman]

I've always thought Jarre was mediocre.

Me too

Mediocre or not, there's a kind of classical tone that hasn't been done to this day, at least in the Oxygene-and-around-era. The sound is pretty french and I could swear, there's a bit of Satie-influence here and there.

[Robmobius]

Tis' all very subjective...

[Jace-BeOS]

Jarre's name autocorrects to "hate". Uh...

Anyway, it IS all very subjective.

I've never been into Jarre's stuff. The only thing from him I like is the bit used in very lowfi loops as the theme song to Captain Blood. That part is weirdly cool and very memorable. I finally tracked down the source song that those looped bits came from and I felt it was melodically well made but sonically polite and too long. Just not to my tastes. More on that below...

I love Bowie. I've not gotten to his last two albums yet and I'm risking an emotional pain thinking that phrase "LAST two". But I'll get to them in due time. I've liked his many styles. If it wasn't Bowie singing it, though, I wouldn't care for his lounge singer and adult contemporary-sounding songs . It's not hype to me, though. I just came to seriously respect him after getting to know his work.

Nine Inch Nails collaboration is how I came to Bowie. It took me time to adjust to his vocal style (that slow vibrato!), but I decided I like it and his history of work has such variety and such musicianship that I'll probably even try his "lesser appreciated" albums as I finish () my collection of his work.

I've no opinion on Prince. I used to think he was cheesy, but I am trying to recognize when my tastes obstruct appreciation for well-made work. There are a lot of people holding him in high regard and there's probably good reason for that.

Bob Dylan is too mumbly for me. Never was a fan. I have a hard time distinguishing him from Tom Petty, actually. Neither make stuff I like but I respect the respect they're given. It seems to me they both created quality music even if it's not to my taste.

Now my contribution to "artist disappointment" would be the anticlimactic final REM album. It's way more energetic than the previous album (which is really not a repeat listen experience), but it's also not remotely diverse enough within its own body to make me feel "this was a good last album to end the band on".

It's like they tried to go back to their roots and to rock out. Those roots aren't the Scott Litt-produced albums, though. I was let down. I own every album and I like some of all of them, but the Scott Litt-produced albums have way more diversity and structure and are my "golden age" for the band's output (from "Document" to "Monster").

Continuing the theme of "let down"... I'm still not really feeling NIN's "Hesitation Marks" the way I ultimately feel every other NIN album, but there are a few fantastic songs on there that keep me returning to the album. NIN is my core music inspiration and my greatest fandom focus, so it's been a difficult experience to not love the whole of the album right off the bat.

Actually, I had trouble with "with teeth" too, at first listen, but now I love it and I recognize I simply had my heart set on more "the fragile" (my absolute favorite album). I don't know what I was expecting of the newest one, but returning to Russell Mills' artwork for the visuals set me up for something intense, since that was the style of NIN first associated with Mills' caustic collage artwork. Maybe it will just take me more listens to appreciate the album with its own thing going on.

Frankly, the non-angry and non-ironic use of "god" references in Hesitation Marks is a bit of a roadblock for me (I felt let down when Trent admitted to believing in some kind of god), as is the soul-music feel to some of it. I don't know why long-term successful musicians eventually all add gospel singers to their live performances and even albums (Gary Numan lost his path while adding all kinds of various other styles and session players, and I'm glad he stripped all that away because I like what he's been doing since "Pure").

I appreciate that artists sometimes simply want to change what they're doing. I've respected that in Trent Reznor and David Bowie, because those two artists have made it a point to not get stuck in a rut. It's just that what they choose is not always to my personal tastes and I try to moderate my disappointment by recognizing that tastes are simply complex and varying. What the artist likes is not always going to be what I like. Pushing my comfort zone is a good thing.

As for hype... I make my own NIN hype, so that's on me . REM's final album was given much higher ratings than its predecessor and I don't really agree (only comparison against that predecessor makes the last one seem all that good). I saw the hype around Jarre on boards like KVR (a lot, here, actually). Finally hearing him was indeed not up to my expectations. I'll not likely try again. It's not the hype that did it, though. Just my tastes.

But I do still feel let down at times.

[DJ Warmonger]

arre collaborating with some of the greatest synths artist, to produce a sort-of look at the history of synth music? Whoa!

The synth itself doesn't make a good music Even most vintage synth can't help.

That being said, I find his collab with Armin "Stardust" alright. Sounds vintage, very much like Jarre but also like (old) Armin. Certainly far from anything you'd associate with today's EDM.



Also, this "whip" preset taken straight from Serum library

I've always thought Jarre was mediocre.

This also. He could be pioneer, but his music doesn't quite stand up to today's standards.

[AnX]

I've always thought Jarre was mediocre.

Indeed. His music, even back in the day, was a watered down version of what was really interesting.... ie it was bland pop music.

I tend to avoid anything that gets hyped these days (its just record companies doing what they do best) and tend to find new stuff by recommendations from like minded people, or even by pure chance (sometimes the best stuff)

[Aryaroman]

I've always thought Jarre was mediocre.

Indeed. His music, even back in the day, was a watered down version of what was really interesting.... ie it was bland pop music.

I don't really get the bland pop-stamp, especially when you think of his albums next to today's pop releases.

I've come to the conclusion that Jarre was just a very early Coldplay-type of artist who tried too hard to please. I don't know where the hatred to please and make simple pop-sounding songs comes from. To be honest, I still don't quite understand why people hate Coldplay and Jarre so much? Or is that a taboo? Sorreh.

If anything, they made/make much better and depthful pop music than most pop artists make. I'm pretty sure listening to Coldplay and Jarre is much more beneficial to your mental health than all that supersaw-racket and autotune-pop.
When I think of bland pop, I think of the last 15-20 years of these Audrey Grangers and Britneys. Now that's bland, without zero-to-none redeeming qualitiesor factors. But I guess the standards just got low.

And yet, there's this bottomless pit of hate towards them, in both the music professional's and broad audience. But I admit it, I like Coldplay. I think they're wonderful and genuine.

[fmr]

I was already into electronic music for many years so Jarre didn't seem to be doing anything new, despite this I bought Oxygene thinking it deserved a chance but sold it soon after - it was just too simplistic and boring musically for me.

So, you were in the avant-garde classical electronic music? If that's the case, I can understand what you feel. Compared to the classical masters, I may agree that he sounded simplistic.

[aMUSEd]

I was already into electronic music for many years so Jarre didn't seem to be doing anything new, despite this I bought Oxygene thinking it deserved a chance but sold it soon after - it was just too simplistic and boring musically for me.

So, you were in the avant-garde classical electronic music? If that's the case, I can understand what you feel. Compared to the classical masters, I may agree that he sounded simplistic.

Not just, also interested in Jazz musicians like Paul Bley and Annette Peacock who were experimenting with electronics, plus various 'prog', 'art' and experimental rock bands who had been using synths and samples for yonks.

[murnau]

JMJ i thought may refer to the Holy Family, consisting of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Ahh..and Jarre is dead btw but sure he'll have a place in the Hall of Fame of electronic music (if one day we have one).