Heavier Things

isaac · Unread post by **isaac** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 11:20 am

hah. i didn't really like Only Heart. too 80's for me.

Appfro · Unread post by **Appfro** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 11:20 am

isaac wrote:it was bound to happen, and will probably happen with Dave's solo album too.

but uh...i'm looking forward to that even moreso now.

ditto. i can't wait for the i hate you and this album forums.

isaac · Unread post by **isaac** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 11:26 am

haha. yeah. that'll be fun. wheeeEEEEeeee. can't wait till Elliot starts showing up for those.

CWMCALL · Unread post by **CWMCALL** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 1:09 pm

Have you all checked out the "bonus" acoustic performances of Clarity and Come Back to Bed? Pretty damn good, the guy can definitely play....

CWMCALL | enjoying the album

isaac · Unread post by **isaac** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 2:21 pm

acoustic clarity's pretty good.

i prefer the electric on CBTB, especially the solo in the middle when he plays it live.

DreaminBassMunky · Unread post by **DreaminBassMunky** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 7:26 pm

This may be a dumb question, but why is the album entitled Heavier Things, is it a lyric from a song, kinda like what DMB did for UTTAD, taking the line from Ants, just wondering?

oh yeah, and that post above is not accusing JM of copying DMB, in case anyone was wondering :-D

.

isaac · Unread post by **isaac** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 7:30 pm

it's on the song "New Deep"

it's supposed to signify a change in direction, which might be given in the music, but it also might mean that it's deeper and more thought-provoking. mayer tried writing this album with more simplicity and emotional space, noting Ryan Adams as a key influence on that part, but also returning to music he listened to such as Sting, etc, which would explain the chorus to Home Life, and the 80's vibe on Only Heart.

it's not very significantly deep...mayer's lyrics still leave much to desire, but they do what they do.

skilly · Unread post by **skilly** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 8:23 pm

gcom, your full of crap if you think that mayer wants to play all of this electric, synthy crap. he has said in numerous interviews that prefers the acoustic. but we all have to face it, he kinda sold out in his last two albums. my favorite mayer album is still inside wants out. on that album he got to play how he wanted to play without a record exec. tellin him to play what people want to hear.

isaac · Unread post by **isaac** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 8:29 pm

iwo and room for squares are closely related.

room for squares is really IWO with a more fully developed sound.

IWO was his indie release, Room for Squares is when he really is able to produce the album to it's fullest potential, though with the sacrifice of memorable tracks, specifically Comfortable.

i wouldn't say that there's a record executive telling him how to play and what to play. mayer's been writing all his own stuff, so it's his own choice.

there's a difference between electric, synthy crap, and electric playing.

numerous interviews have said that mayer enjoys the acoustic, but he's also said that he's always wanted to play with a band, and an electric guitar works so much better for that. he wanted to change his focus of his guitar work and write for a fuller band setting. the acoustic was there and the songs were written for the acoustic itself, and just for him doing solo stuff because that's how he found that it worked better, but now with a full band backing him he's leaving more room for experimentation.

it's different, to say the least, and in that aspect this might be paralleled to DMB's Everyday. new approach to things, but same people/guy that there was before. there's always growth, and you can't expect growth without change.

personally, i do like RFS more than HT, but that's all right. everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

i don't think he's ever sold out, it's just that this stigma was created with all the publicity and fans that he garnered in such a quick period of time, and yeah, it did get to his head, but i don't think there's ever been a time when mayer hasn't been cocky.

skilly · Unread post by **skilly** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 8:35 pm

i still think he sold out, i've never heard him say he wanted to be with a full band, and i think that if the style of music on HT was the style he wanted, we would have seen more of that on his indie release.

isaac · Unread post by **isaac** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 8:39 pm

why would you have seen more of HT-ish material on IWO? his songs were written at different stages in his life, with different experiences under his belt, and different influences.

as for the full band comment, if he didn't want to play with a full band, why would he?

mayer's blues influence, specifically SRV makes him lean more towards the electric side in the end, and that's better complimented with a full band.

skilly · Unread post by **skilly** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 8:46 pm

i guess my only problem with that is that before he landed a record contract, almost all of his stuff was acoustic, and then right after he got a deal, he got this kinda "pop" sound, and i know thats not where his heart is.

I know that SRV was a big influence, but the stuff on his albums is clearly pop influenced.

If you can't tell if its a guitar, or a keyboard, then i dont like it

isaac · Unread post by **isaac** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 8:55 pm

heh. i think it is where his heart is, though, and i don't think he minds one bit. like i said, RFS was a fleshed out IWO, so the pop sound was always sorta there, albeit certain exceptions i.e. Neon.

i think the pop thing was especially fueled by the whole "12 year old girl" craze. the market was slacking due to older pop acts like Nsync, Backstreet Boys and Britney going to the backburner, and i think the market was waiting for something viable to come around, because there's always this sort of revolution that happens or certain periods where one sort of music genre is overtaking others, and i think that John Mayer was what the older teenyboppers were looking for, and hooked on to. then led to popularity, hence, "pop." i'm sure boy bands will have their reign again, but then people will tire of them as they grow out of them. as you can see, there's this huge singer/songwriter thing going on around right now, with howie day, john mayer, tanner walle, pete schmidt, jason mraz, jack johnson, etc. etc. but it's those that last after the craze is over who will make the best music, and it's debatable whether any of those artists i just mentioned will.

the problem is that a lot of the public is misinformed about these things. i was talking to someone and i laughed really hard when they said that John Mayer was manufactured.

there's a shitload of buzzphrases around that people latch on to, and i think it'd help a great deal in appreciating the music if misconceptions were cleared up. i argued with her about it, though, because she was a fan of Hanson but didn't believe they were manufactured.

same deal.

but that's a side-note. mayer loves pop. especially 80's pop, and even Justin Timberlake, whom he collaborated with for a few songs, but none of them appeared on the album i don't think, but Mayer's a huge fan of JT, and i think Mayer's always thinking in terms of pop, because i saw an interview where he said something about wanting to write the perfect pop song that's familiar yet new, and he used Drops of Jupiter as an example.

so uh, in conclusion to this pissass long post, Mayer is pop, and i don't think he's afraid to admit it. we, as the misinformed public think that since he's playing guitar and writing his own stuff that he'd be more accessible to the DM-ish crowd, but it's apples and oranges, as people have said.

skilly · Unread post by **skilly** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 9:00 pm

dude you write alot

and your kinda right, on some points, i guess

but its still very sad, because he is way better acousticly, i think

dustin · Unread post by **dustin** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 9:18 pm

i would just like to point out that mayer didn't even play with an acoustic guitar until he got to college. so the electic has always been his first love and i read this in a interview he did sometime or another i can look for it i you want to

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