Not hugely relevant, but I remember a friend of mine saying he didn't like the Beach Boys because they were too dumb, to which my response was "...says the Elvis fan."
This column is true, and it's certainly the case that our reasons are very frequently more complex, compromised and contextual than a brief statement can capture, and it is as far as most people go. I'm sure I could find examples in my own singles reviews, for instance, where I've abused some indie band for qualities I have exalted in an R&B or hip hop or pop track.
Sometimes we use different words to pretend our meanings are different. I recall a discussion about auteurism in movies, where one friend dismissed the idea that Capra was an auteur. I cited nostalgia for old values as one of his pervading themes, and he claimed that wasn't a theme at all, just weakmindedness. Soon after, he cited 'things aren't what they used to be' as one of Ford's great themes. I do the same thing, calling a mood sad or wistful when a soul singer expresses it, but whiney when I hear it in indie or emo. I can also find this within a genre - there are certain kinds of material that I dislike when it's a male R&B singer but love when it's a woman. This is like your Boney Joan thing - there is much more to say about why it works for me in one context and not another (in the last example the context is the sexism in society as a whole, mostly).
no subject
This column is true, and it's certainly the case that our reasons are very frequently more complex, compromised and contextual than a brief statement can capture, and it is as far as most people go. I'm sure I could find examples in my own singles reviews, for instance, where I've abused some indie band for qualities I have exalted in an R&B or hip hop or pop track.
Sometimes we use different words to pretend our meanings are different. I recall a discussion about auteurism in movies, where one friend dismissed the idea that Capra was an auteur. I cited nostalgia for old values as one of his pervading themes, and he claimed that wasn't a theme at all, just weakmindedness. Soon after, he cited 'things aren't what they used to be' as one of Ford's great themes. I do the same thing, calling a mood sad or wistful when a soul singer expresses it, but whiney when I hear it in indie or emo. I can also find this within a genre - there are certain kinds of material that I dislike when it's a male R&B singer but love when it's a woman. This is like your Boney Joan thing - there is much more to say about why it works for me in one context and not another (in the last example the context is the sexism in society as a whole, mostly).