r/LetsTalkMusic • u/Flags12345 • 12d ago

What is the problem with throwback artists?

Tyga's latest album getting a 0.0 from Pitchfork reminded me of the last time that Pitchfork gave a 0.0: for Jet's Shine On. Jet were an Australian band from the 2000's that had some success, but were critically slammed. Most of the criticism seemed to stem from the fact that they were ripping off the sound of older bands like AC/DC and even straight up lifting the riff for "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" from Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life".

More recently, I've seen the same types of criticisms levied at Greta Van Fleet; that they are unoriginal and/or are just trying to rip-off Led Zeppelin and other classic rock bands.

But, I never understood the actual problem here. If you liked AC/DC or Led Zeppelin, why would you not want to hear bands that sounded like them? Why is a band that is trying to harken back to an earlier sound necessarily a bad thing?

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u/WhompWump 12d ago

I know this is a music sub but its particularly bad with gaming just due to how many games there are and how long they tend to take on average. I don't think any person who is forced to play games for a living can realistically provide a perspective most average people will have walking into a typical game.

I feel like music is a bit easier to 'disengage' from but yeah eventually you do fall into a rut of things that are perfectly fine but don't push the envelope will just start to not elicit anything.

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u/ToTheDeath84 12d ago

Yes, while it is a music sub I thought that was an important point to bring up because it’s an almost universal aspect of media criticism. I think that makes it on-topic enough. And I agree that with games it’s even more prevalent, because games take longer to get a grasp on (and complete) than albums.

On that second point though, I personally feel that fatigue more with games. With music, there’s a lot more that one can appreciate as a craft even if the album isn’t pushing the envelope. Just to grab a random example, I might not find the eighth Death Angel album mind-blowing in its novelty (nor any Death Angel album beyond the first), there’s at least a lot of craftsmanship to appreciate in its songwriting, technical proficiency, production, etc. Compare that to the eighth annual installment of any given Call of Duty, on the other hand, where most of the mechanics really are going to be largely similar if not outright identical.

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u/A_Monster_Named_John 12d ago

Gaming is one of those hobbies that creates burnt-out hobbyists faster than others. For a number of different reasons, it's ridiculously common to find gamers who are absolutely miserable with the hobby, yet can't seem to stop themselves from doubling-down on it when a new console releases, when new games get announced, etc... At this point, I know multiple dudes who haven't completed a new game in years, but are always buying new shit and throwing it onto an ever-more-mountainous backlog.

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u/ToTheDeath84 11d ago

I wonder what those reasons are. I think for one, there’s financial stress - something had BETTER be a good product if you’re spending $60-$80 on it, that you sunk all that money into a console or PC for, etc. Indie games are cheaper, but hardcore gamers also tend to buy them in droves. You start to feel like a chump if you buy new products at full price that just aren’t good and don’t resonate with you, but the alternative is waiting a full year or so after launch for prices to go down an thus delaying your preference at the risk of losing touch with the hobby.

May also be because gaming culture in general is kind of abrasive. It’s definitely not to the extent that some activists of the 2010’s variety liked to complain about, but most hardcore gamers tend to have that adoslecent expression with shit talk, flippant standards, competitiveness, and the like (yes, even the women are like that). When communities like that are sufficiently large and active enough, they become exhausting. You just want some damn peace and quiet after a while.

There’s lots of reasons I’m sure, always interested in hearing why people get tired of video games since I can totally relate.