keyriest1
keyriest1
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What's With All The Dead Air?

Posted over 5 years ago
Not to be a cynic crybaby, but I'm really growing tired of musicians who use gratituous amounts of dead air in their songs. Beck's done it, Beastie's have done it, and now Damian Rice. In the latest example, Damian adds nearly 17 minutes of nothing at the end of his song Sleep Don't Weep. WHY? WTF? What is that point? 17 MINUTES?! Does he think I need this much time to truly absorb and digest his truly over-my-head lyrics? Does he sit in a room with his producer and say, "This song simply must go on for 17 minutes after the sound ends". Producer: "10?" Damian: "More."Producer: "12?" Damian: "More."Producer: "14?" Damian: "More."....I'm seriously considering opening up these files and editing out the long empty.Artists, get over yourselves. Playing nothing does not a lofty artist make you. Playing nothing just annoys your listeners.There, I said it.
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Comments (8)

  1. celtichris
    celtichris says I think they usually actually do it to set off a 'hidden track' from the rest of the album on the CD. But when you just have the digital files and not the CD, you kinda divorce it from context. I don't think they're being pretentious in quite the way you think they are, though hidden tracks are getting a little ... old.
    Permalink posted 11/15/2006
  2. keyriest1
    keyriest1 says Well, two things really. I agree, the hidden track is getting old too. Why hide a track? What's the point of that? If you don't want me to hear it, don't put it on there. If you do want me to hear it, don't hide it. Strike 2 - I hate hidden tracks. In the case of this Damian Rice track - there isn't even a hidden track! It just plays on for 17 minutes - causing me to wonder if my iPod or iTunes has shut off (or CD player if I had one). I'm just saying - I think artists should quit with the gimmicks and lay down some tracks. Worked for Sinatra, worked for Cash, worked for Zepplin, worked for U2, and continues to work... Don't mess with me, just give me what I came for - the music, not the silence.
    Permalink posted 11/15/2006
  3. SatisfiedMind614
    SatisfiedMind614 says Well put! I waited for 17 minutes just to see if there was a hidden track..."HA HA i got your $15 for the cd AND i wasted your time!!" Its pretentious and dumb....and I like Damien Rice
    Permalink posted 11/15/2006
  4. celtichris
    celtichris says Hey, now THERE's an idea for something pretentious and arty ... an album that consists of nothing but 42 minutes of silence! Enh, it's probably been done already. Or maybe an album of nothing but hidden tracks. Sometimes, they'll put the hidden track before track one, in the count-in time. Maybe put only one real track, with 17 minutes of silence, and then 4 or 5 songs as track 0. It's annoying and pretentious and I worry that I may actually be giving someone an idea.
    Permalink posted 11/15/2006
  5. Puffmagic
    Puffmagic says I'm with you there. Nothing more annoying on an album than minutes of nothing before a "hidden track", or worse: random sounds and useless crap. Past offenders: Jars of Clay's self titles debut: after the last song there's about 9 minutes or more of silence, then about 15 minutes of ambient sound of the orchestra rehearsing, then more silence, then a hidden song. Why? Pearl Jam: Binaural, 3:30 of silence then a minute of rhythmic typewriter? U2: Zooropa, not a long silence, but at the end of the last track after 30 seconds of silence, 30 seconds of a squelching fire alarm. Fantomas: Delirium Cordia, 18 minutes of near silence (record pops/scratches) then 2 seconds from the end the drummer counts off "1,2,3,4!" and it's over.
    Permalink posted 11/15/2006
  6. missjunk
    missjunk says Well at least it was not 31 minutes. That would have really sucked.
    Permalink posted 11/15/2006
  7. jouissance
    jouissance says hidden tracks = relics of the past. they used to titilate. now they irritate. i think im going to make a list of things that used to titilate but now irritate. it might be long. then ill get sick of writing the list. then ill have to add "this list" to things that now irritate. along with hidden tracks. damien rice is OK. i just really liked "closer".
    Permalink posted 12/02/2006
  8. kaleef
    kaleef says 17 minutes? how bout it took seven months to read this post! fo-shame!
    Permalink posted 06/01/2007

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