TheresNoSolution.com

I know this is old but I found it on my Facebook when I was looking for something and thought I'd share it for those of you who haven't seen it yet

http://intensities.wordpress.com/2009/1 ... -abortion/

I really like it, but I'm not sure how We're All To Blame is commercial suicide

The Jester wrote:I really like it, but I'm not sure how We're All To Blame is commercial suicide

Well the rhythm and the tempo changes constantly, the guitars are way too heavy and there is quite a bit of screaming in there aswell. Mix it all together with some lyrics that are about serious issues and there you have it. A song no radio wants to play.

Ardi41 wrote:

The Jester wrote:I really like it, but I'm not sure how We're All To Blame is commercial suicide

Well the rhythm and the tempo changes constantly, the guitars are way too heavy and there is quite a bit of screaming in there aswell. Mix it all together with some lyrics that are about serious issues and there you have it. A song no radio wants to play.

Yep, I agree with you. We're all to blame is not the kind of song they use to play in the radio. Fat lip I guess it is, and that's why they put it. But We're all to blame is too "heavy" for the radio.

We're All to Blame is also the complete opposite of what Fat Lip is musically. Fat Lip is energetic and catchy while We're All to Blame is melancholy. It just wasn't the kind of music that people loved about Sum 41 in the first place. One of my friends once told me that people just want another "Fat Lip" from them. Maybe that's true. Their music changed so much so quickly and their fan base did the same. Blink-182 kind of secured their mainstream popularity by doing two similar pop-punk albums and then doing the "mature" album.

That was a nice article though. It gave me a better appreciation for Fat Lip.

Nice read -- one I haven't come across yet, surprisingly! Thanks for sharing.

Ardi41 wrote:A song no radio wants to play.

Actually, 102.1 The Edge here in Toronto plays WATB. One of the frequent Sum songs that plays on the air as equally as Fat Lip, In Too Deep, The Hell Song, and Still Waiting do.

Yeah, I agree as well that We're all to Blame is not necessarily too "heavy" for radio, but not what people expected just like Jeremy nicely put it.
Pieces on the other hand got quite a decent amount of radio play if I'm not mistaken - which, I guess, was also a song people didn't expect from Sum 41.

X^2 wrote:Yeah, I agree as well that We're all to Blame is not necessarily too "heavy" for radio, but not what people expected just like Jeremy nicely put it.
Pieces on the other hand got quite a decent amount of radio play if I'm not mistaken - which, I guess, was also a song people didn't expect from Sum 41.

Yeah, I feel weird after hearing Deryck saying it felt like it was his first real song he wrote and that it is one of his absolute favorites, yet that song was unexpected by the fans.

Jeremy Kill wrote:Blink-182 kind of secured their mainstream popularity by doing two similar pop-punk albums and then doing the "mature" album.

Blink never made a mature album, or even a "mature" album.

Gregorovich wrote:

Jeremy Kill wrote:Blink-182 kind of secured their mainstream popularity by doing two similar pop-punk albums and then doing the "mature" album.

Blink never made a mature album, or even a "mature" album.

They made the transition from "catchy pop punk feat. immaturity" to "catchy pop punk feat. creative expansion and slightly more mature song ideas"

Which as far as I'm concerned, the self titled record is VERY mature compared to that of Enema of the State. Think about it - their big albums were named Dude Ranch, Enema of the State, and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (obviously a play on the words take off your pants and jack-it). To go from immature/sexual album titles yet alone SONG CONTENT (ie. "I hate you all/your moms a whore") there was DEFINITELY a new sense of maturity for the band when they did their self-titled. That being said, they slowly integrated more mature ideas when they wrote Story of a Lonely Guy - but whatever it was, they eased into their new style.It may not be a MATURE album because it was still relatively simple, but for them it was a huge transition.

While on the other hand, the Sums had a pop-punk, radio friendly album which quickly shifted to a mature album. There was no slow transition. It was an immediate jump from AKNF to DTLI? I mean, you can't compare any two songs on either of the albums - they sound like two totally different genres. The media probably didn't know how to handle that Fat Lip and say, Over My Head were by the same band. Fat Lip is more poppy and catchy, radio friendly. And Over My Head, to most people, is heavy and probably considered a darker song with taboo topics because, well, it's the media. It wasn't until Chuck when 'Pieces' got a lot of airplay that the Sums were back in the media again.

The radio stations don't like to play anything that isn't catchy, or a melodic song that usually is a break up song for teenagers to cry into their Ben and Jerrys over.

ALL OF THIS BEING SAID, I obviously like the Sums and blink-182. I'm not shitting on either of them. But I'm not surprised that the Sums time in the spotlight quickly faded when they started turning out new music - it wasn't what the radios were looking for.

Gregorovich wrote:

Jeremy Kill wrote:Blink-182 kind of secured their mainstream popularity by doing two similar pop-punk albums and then doing the "mature" album.

Blink never made a mature album, or even a "mature" album.

Have you listened to the Untitled album? Compared to the albums prior to it it stands as a definite sign of maturity in the band. By "mature" I meant that they ventured into new territory (new for the band, of course) by utilizing different sounds, instruments, atmospheres, and chord progressions (as opposed to the four chords that were in pretty much every song on Enema and Take Off Your Pants...). I don't think maturity means having to be radically different than what you used to be. I also believe that just because a band has matured, doesn't mean their music is better or that you will like them more. I realize that some people just don't like Blink-182, haha.