"you just don't understand"

[Pitiless Wanderer]

i hear this all the time, usually with bands that have some stupid "intellectual" fanebase like Tool or especially Meshuggah. I'll say, "I don't think Meshuggah are that good" and someone will say "you just dont understand the music."

Do you think this a valid argument to defend a band with?

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

tool and meshuggah both suck.

 

[MasterOLightning]

Sometimes. Often regarding black metal. When someone says they don't like Darkthrone, for example, I think it's valid to say that the other person doesn't understand.

I think the people that say this about Ulver are full of shit though.

 

[Teh Grimace]

eh, i dont think most people understand why meshuggah are artistically valid, but technically they're no so mindcrushing or nothin. most prolly get the gist of it.

 

[Lyle]

anyone who thinks any kind of rock-based music is an intellectual exercise is an idiot

 

[Thraxz]

anyone who thinks any kind of rock-based music is an intellectual exercise is an idiot

Well said.

 

[Mort Divine]

Sometimes. Often regarding experimental bands. When someone says they don't like Ulver, for example, I think it's valid to say that the other person doesn't understand.

I think the people that say this about Darkthrone are full of shit though.

Fixed it for you.

 

[~Neurotica]

tool and meshuggah both suck.

No the fuck they dont...

Both bands have great talented musicians and great stuff.
About intellect - I think it's about their music. Technically their music is not ordinary, I can say - difficult. And of course not everyone understands it. The way how many ppl dont understand jazz, when its one of the most difficult kinds of music to play and probably to hear.

 

[Zephyrus]

being an Opeth fan I have to dish out that phrase a lot.

 

[Shiny McShining Rodriguez]

Laughing out loud!

Really, what is there to understand about probably 90% of all music, particularly Opeth. I mean there are a few bands who use truely cryptic lyrical content, there are a few who try but aren't fooling anyone with half a brain (which does narrow it down quite a bit addmittedly), and as far as understanding the music itself, excepting perhaps the truely avant-garde bands I don't think there is a lot of purposeful ambiguity there.

 

[MasterOLightning]

There's really nothing to understand about Opeth. It just depends on whether you like a heavy dose of acoustics and prog influence with your metal. Many people don't.

 

[CF87]

People that use the term just can't except someone or people do not like their favorite band.

I can't stand when meshuggah fans especially say that thinking meshuggah is really hard to comprehend and technical. Meshuggah's music is some of the most easy in heavy music. I do not know who tells certain people that bands like this are mindblowingly complex and technical. You get tons of people on the net with overactive imaginations regarding bands skills.

 

[Ender Rises]

It's all taste. When people say "you don't understand" what they mean is "you have different tastes than me and you're a dumbass." Just say,"yeah, I do understand. I just don't like them. They're not my cup of tea." Same thing with people who don't like jazz or classical. It's sometimes not that they don't understand (although sometimes this is the case, yet I don't think you are a person who doesn't get it, you seem to be very intelligent) it's simply not their thing. A lot of jazz I can't stand because it is so difficult to find emotion underneath the virtuosity of some of the greats. That doesn't mean that I don't get it. I just don't like it. Simple.
EDIT: I'm not to much into Meshuggah because I can't stand how fucking slow they play. Tool, however, are not that ambiguous. They are pretty intelligent, and have great themes in their songs, like nihilism for example in Enema. But they aren't overly subtle, or extremely deep.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

People that use the term just can't except someone or people do not like their favorite band.

I can't stand when meshuggah fans especially say that thinking meshuggah is really hard to comprehend and technical. Meshuggah's music is some of the most easy in heavy music. I do not know who tells certain people that bands like this are mindblowingly complex and technical, you get tons of people on the internet thinking meshuggah music is the most complex music in the world,blah blah.

you obviously havent listened to Meshuggah... :Smug:

 

[CF87]

The bands music consists of basic single note patterns. The bands music is not complex or technical in the realms of heavy music.

I'm not saying music has to be technical, but saying music is when it's not annoys me.

 

[hibernal_dream]

Music doesn't consist of just notes. While I don't listen to Meshuggah or particularly enjoy them, you have to give them credit for the innovative and sometimes complex rhythms they use, whether comprehendable to you or not.

 

[AsModEe]

I think the real argument here is that most metal fans are idiots.

 

[CF87]

Off beat low end hip/trendy single note patterns are 98 nu-metal. end

 

[Ender Rises]

I think the real argument here is that most metal fans are idiots.

Yup
But this is UMGMD. When are we ever on topic?

 

[~Neurotica]

Meshuggah's music is some of the most easy in heavy music. I do not know who tells certain people that bands like this are mindblowingly complex and technical. You get tons of people on the net with overactive imaginations regarding bands skills.

I totally disagree. Yes, I dont say that Meshuggahs music is the top of greatness and nobody in this world can own them. But damn, saying that their music is the easiest in heavy music is some kind of joking probably...
We already had a conversation about it in Mathmetal thread, so no need to say it again I think...
I guess person can say that its nothing really difficult to play - when he can play right the same, play correct. If you can - I'll be your fan too.