I can’t believe what just happened.

I mean, I wrote another blog post, kind of a rant, about lyrics and pop music and stuff, and I was talking about the single release schedule for the latest Coldplay album for a short while. (I was a bit angry at that point, it was a rant. You’re not reading it from the beginning so the tone might be a bit radical, but just try to get the point.) There I was stating this:

But I was really pumped for this album, because Coldplay just put up a new track on their YouTube channel, called Midnight. […] But I see what you did there, Coldplay management. Many Coldplay fans of the first hour didn’t like the new track, so let’s release a more old-style single a week afterwards. Everyone forgot Midnight and went on to this new one. And guess what? Magic is the most boring track of the whole record, based off nothing more than a bass riff and constantly going on the same way like that. Don’t get me wrong; I liked Magic when it was released, but after playing the whole album a few times I skipped it. Seriously.

Okay, now everyone’s hooked again, radio receives the new track well, now what should we do to get more fans that weren’t fans before? And here comes the obvious move; release the EDM track. With Avicii. Of course all the sheep are excited now.

Now, have a listen to the new track from alt-J on the left.

What you think of this is completely your own choice. I don’t really like it. It’s not really bad, I’ve heard way worse, but I still don’t like it. Too much Black Keys. Doesn’t sound like alt-J anymore. But yeah, okay, that’s my personal opinion. Some people like it too. That’s your own choice.

Now read this excerpt from a Guardian interview.

Not everyone was so thrilled about Hunger Of The Pine [note: the first single, which I thought was awesome]. Another hazard of success is that the suits start sticking their oars in, and Alt-J’s American label didn’t view the song as a “big single”, apparently ignoring the fact that An Awesome Wave did pretty well without one. Hackles (mildly) raised, Alt-J resolved to write “the least Alt-J song ever”, taking a “joke riff” Joe had been playing in rehearsals and fleshing it out with the most perfunctory chords and rhythm imaginable. Whereas the band typically spend weeks agonising over every note, Left Hand Free was written “in about 20 minutes”.

Needless to say, the US label loved it.

Thom [note: drums]: “I tried to make the drums as cliched as possible, there’s none of my personality in it.”
Gus [note: guitar and other instruments]: “I’m doing some kind of organ solo. I don’t know where ‘baby’ came from.”
Joe [note: vocals and guitar]: “And I say, ‘Gee whizz,’ which I’m not sure is a phrase I’ve ever uttered before. I can imagine it appealing to American truckers with Good Riddance To Bin Laden stickers!”

If you’re a fan of this band, I’ll let you recover for some time.

The pressure of this record label is just stupid. Remember the Beatles getting ruined by their producers wanting to change songs?

I’m very concerned about this and I hope this is the only song on the album like that.