I think she was just trying to make a point. The one reviewer who asked her if she wanted him to take his review down did make chuckle though.
i think its pretty straightforward. the band didnt sit down and say "this record is gonna be for cis white men". thats just not who its written for. so for a cis white man to give a review on it ... i wont say that its necessarily not of any value ... but that review is going to be shaped by their experiences as that person, and that kind of person is just not who the band is looking to get feedback from and then speaking generally whatever you may be looking for in this record, whether its solidarity or understanding, if you find it, then keep it! but if youre a cis white man, then know that for once, you are not being made the priority. thats the bare minimum cost you pay to listen to this
Ehh... I'm a cis white man (and a big fan of the band). And that tweets makes me feel a bit uncomfortable listening to this album and buying a ticket to their show. Like they don't want my support.
If you find solace and comfort in this record, then that's all should matter to you, the album is for you, according to you. The band's intentions of who this record is "for" would be irrelevant to me. Authorial intent and all that.
To Pimp A Butterfly is an album very much not made “for” me (as a white cis dude), but I’m still able to derive enjoyment from it. I think we can both acknowledge that an album (or any work of art) is intended to speak to/for particular identities while accepting that anyone can bring their own experiences into their interaction with the work to make their own meaning with it.
You can definitely enjoy art that is not made for you, you can find connections to your own experiences through other's, you can learn about something you've never experienced through art, and gain a greater sense of empathy and understanding But who it was written for and about doesn't change, especially if it was made to describe very unique, personal experiences
I honestly don't really like that the tweet seems to be shielding criticism. I like the record well enough, I'm far from enamored with it but that has nothing to do with the content/stance of her lyrics. Not being able to say that without being met with "well you weren't supposed to hear it anyways it's not for you" seems a bit alienating, but I also get that as a female musician she feels alienated literally everyday. It's not my place to judge one way or the other, just leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
I believe it was in response to reviews that didn't even address the lyrics, and just graded the band on "technical ability", missing the main emphasis of their sound and this record. They didn't link to specific reviews, but white men not really engaging with their lyrical content to critique their musicianship is a believable occurrence.
I think a lot of people are taking her words at face value and failing to realize that implications exist beyond that.
Yea I mean if you read through her tweets. She clarified to some people it’s more about the attitude in some of these reviews.
There’s a write up from spin that literally say something like this album is about a troubled relationship. Like.. haha did you even listen to it?
Maybe I shouldn't have made my original post. Maybe I'm being selfish. Maybe it's not even directed at me because how I do or don't identify. I don't know what's going on with me lately. I'm pretty messed up. I was finding comfort in the album and now I feel alienated from it. Sorry to anyone my post might have bothered.
I'm starting to take sophos 's stance that reviews are stupid. So many times they post information that just isn't correct or are horrible researched
Your comment was definitely worth talking about. I’m sorry you feel alienated.. I think a lot of us just wanted to point out that the tweet definitely wasn’t aimed at someone like you!
How good is the title track though? I love the melody at the end: I can't see myself living without you
My wife and I just saw them play at The Old Bar on Saturday day as we’re in Melbourne to see family. And Georgia kind of addressed the reviews in how they weren’t recognizing a lot of the themes and concerns the album was raising, in terms of working within a male-dominated industry, sexual assault, and even living in a patriarchal world. The show was great, but the crowd was extremely disrespectful to the opening band (Thomy Sloane and Lucy Waldron). They played some very somber, sad, but beautiful songs. I’ve never seen a worse crowd in my life. The crowd talked during the entire performance, even when Thomy was speaking about his friend who was addicted to heroin towards the end of the set. Beyond that, the crowd was much better when Camp Cope came out. Got to meet the ladies, Georgia was even kind enough to put my wife and I on the list in advance! They were great. The band really made me realize how important and confident they are with making the bass a key component in developing melodies in their songs. I’ve always thought of the bass guitar as something that fills in space between the guitar and drums and never considered it to be an act itself.
I think every musician would love to hear that a listener, regardless of their identity, gets comfort from their work. I wouldn't let Georgia's tweet bother you. You didn't do anything wrong. All music is meant for anyone willing to listen. I think that's the message, and that's what you did - you listened. But I also wouldn't take it too personally. I posted my initial thoughts on here about the album, which I really like. Her tweet is probably directed at someone like me as well, and I'm OK with that. I'll keep listening. Cis white men should listen to this album, but we should talk about it too.