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Faceplams: I never understood why an artist being "relevant" was important. You like something or you don't, who gives a shit if it's deemed "relevant."Originally Posted by katara
Active Member
I never understood why an artist being "relevant" was important. You like something or you don't, who gives a shit if it's deemed "relevant."
Throbbing Member
I disagree, to an extent. Here in Australia, the band aren’t really considered one hit wonders. They had moderate success with “Hey Man, Nice Shot”, but attained further pop cultural capital upon the release of “Take a Picture”, which was supported both on radio and video. Likewise “...Trip Like I Do”, “Welcome to the Fold” and to a lesser degree, “The Best Things”. All of this is to say that the Joe’s Crab Shack example wouldn’t translate to audiences over here.
Certainly in Australia the band wouldn’t sit On the same level as Mark McGrath/Sugar Ray.
And while I wouldn’t quite feel the same as many of my country-folk, if Silverchair reformed they would pull a bigger crowd here than any NIN tour past or present. It would be reported on mainstream news outlets, I’ve no question.
tempus est umbra in mente
well the video is really bad yeah... I don't know, I am not listening on a good system, but it seems like generic dated industrial rock.
Only By Night
Filter is still around? My Dad listened to them in the yesteryears and they were always just background music to me. This sounds messy and hard on the ears.
Active Member
I think the answer to that question is no. Didn't they have some Title of Record tour planned last year that they dropped all the dates for and said because of his "busy schedule and other work" that it was a no go? Horse shit. The tour didn't sell because the current state of the brand of Filter is best suited for playing the "Wayback Wednesday" festivals of your local hard rock / alternative station.
A little bit of a tangent, but in regards to the idea of relevancy ... I think it's a matter of either mainstream relevancy and artistic relevancy. Nine Inch Nails is pretty generational with the name still carrying a lot of weight to it in terms of fans who grew up from all the way from the Pretty Hate Machine era, discovered them during the post-Fragile hiatus (me) and also got into the group from Trent's scoring work. There's so many different points in time of Trent's career. Like @Helpmeiaminhell said, the band still goes out and headlines major festivals and sells out tours while ALSO releasing some of his most creative and experimental music to date. When you're just in autopilot and putting out a dated sound, it becomes stale and lacking (what I perceive as) artistic relevancy. Look at Swans' 2012-2014 material. Was that playing on any local radio station? Hell no, but they had such momentum upon their return upon the last decade.
You can tell when listening to Bad Witch that he's challenging himself as opposed to settling for the comfort zone at times which is all you envision when you hear shit like this new Filter. Maybe it's just personal preference, but I'd rather go into a new album not knowing what to expect that the same old formula. Much like Radiohead, Trent always had his eyes on what was next. Sure, maybe it didn't work for you in some cases (Year Zero for me), but at least I went in with high anticipation for getting a new experience.
Last edited by thefragile_jake; 06-21-2020 at 11:44 AM.
Stubby Member
I have a bit of a soft spot for Filter. Short Bus has pretty weak songwriting on the whole, but the record *sounds* fantastic. It's so visceral and gritty, a total gut punch despite the songs not being so great. You get the feeling that Richard doesn't quite know what he's doing, but that he's doing it with a great amount of intention. There's something scrappy about his approach- he doesn't have a great mind, the talent and tools aren't really there, but he forced his way up into the music world in the 90s and managed to make a career of his passion. Title of Record is a big change of pace from Short Bus; it puts songwriting first and it feels like they're taking their opportunity to be in the limelight very seriously. Title of Record comes across as kind of shallow and thin compared to other big alt rock releases from around that same time, but it's an enjoyable record nonetheless, just short of being a classic, imo. Filter could have stopped there and we'd probably look back on them really fondly as some kind of NIN-spinoff sort of thing...
Since then, the band went further and further down that serious songwriter path. I feel like the music kept getting a little too serious, to the point that they were trying to be some kind of nu-metal U2 on Anthems for the Damned, which came across just as dumb and knuckle-dragging as it sounds. I really thought the band was done at this time, but the next record, The Trouble With Angels, was honestly pretty tremendous. I think Rich got sober between these records? Not sure, but that album did a pretty good job of recapturing and combining what made their first two releases stand out. I pretend The Sun Comes Out Tonight doesn't exist, most of the time (cheesy butt rock to the extreme) but I love Crazy Eyes. That album is riddled with flaws, his voice kinda sounds like shit, but it's such an aggressive, who gives a fuck kind of record. Does it sound embarrassing? Yeah, in some contexts. But Filter adds a pretty unique edge to mainstream rock when Richard steps into the underdog role. And when you consider that Filter's style of music is most in line with mainstream radio rock, and how overwhelmingly conservative that fanbase is... it's kind of hard not to appreciate how in-your-face Richard can be about the progressive themes in his music. Yeah, the dude sucks at writing lyrics, but he's committed to his ideals. He's lost fans over the last few years by willfully being this underdog within that scene. It's scrappy, and it makes for interesting music. He's barking and spitting in the face of a fairly right-wing fanbase and I appreciate that kind of confrontational disposition. For a lot of people, it's really fucking obvious that rock and punk are about breaking convention, about challenging the system and traditions, but for some, it's just cool guitars and shit. Richard is forcing those sorts of people in his fanbase to confront that, and I think that's good. I think it's something that's needed; it's something that keeps him from being lumped in with seether or nickelback or whoever else is still doing that mainstream rock schtick.
I'm not crazy about the new song, but I appreciate the intent I feel is behind it. Some people need to hear this type of shit, and they need it to be dumbed down and in their face. Look at the recent NIN trilogy: was a great examination of what it means and what it feels like to exist in and question our current reality; that sort of questioning of reality has been a central theme of Trent's music since With Teeth, and he's slowly gotten headier and headier and more abstract with this questioning with every release. But so many people dismiss the trilogy for being too experimental, too strange, too challenging. I honestly think it went over a lot of people's heads. As somebody who broke out of really sheltered, conservative thought at a somewhat late age, I have to say that music like what Richard is making right now is pretty goddamn useful. Now, do I get much from listening to it these days? Nah, not really. But I'm glad it's out there.
Also, Filter is not even close to NIN in terms of relevance or popularity, are you kidding me? I can't believe someone is even asking that question...
Last edited by ZeroSum; 06-22-2020 at 01:58 AM.
Active Member
I think that Filter have a really solid body-of-work, and they're pretty versatile--they can write something really aggressive like HMNS and "Thoughts and Prayers," and also real melodic, Beatle-esque stuff like "Take a Picture" and "Surprise." If anything, I think that Filter are underrated and Patrick is an underappreciated singer/songwriter/frontman. I've seen Filter a few times and they were always friggin' awesome. I saw them when they opened up for Bush/Chevelle in 2011 and Stone Temple Pilots in 2013, and both times Filter were at least as good as the main act (better than Chevelle).
One of my favorite concert memories is when Richard Patrick joined the Chester Bennington-fronted Stone Temple Pilots on stage in 2013 for "Piece of Pie."
That's from another show, but was just like that in Boston. Saw them headline a club in Cambridge MA in 2016 and it was a killer show. I'd love to see them again.
Last edited by GulDukat; 06-22-2020 at 09:23 AM.
Active Member
Filter peaked with Title Of Record
24.24.2.2866
I actually liked Thoughts and Prayers and I'm digging this trajectory with Murica.
Active Member
Subtlety isn't exactly Patrick's thing.
I like both songs. Seems like he's going in the same direction that he went with with Crazy Eyes. Looking forward to hearing the new album.
Je suis Batman
I backed the reBus PledgeMusic campaign back in 2018 for some modest amount (probably $30 for a signed copy), so I wasn’t terribly put out at having to write that off when PM went under last year.
Needless to say, I was not expecting a random call that I sent to voicemail this evening to result in...a minute and a half voicemail from Richard himself apologizing for the debacle, two years after the fact. Seems he’s calling everyone who pledged, so credit to him for dedicating what I presume is not an insignificant amount of time for some in-the-weeds PR work.
I may call him back tomorrow (at his invitation!) just to say a quick hello/no hard feelings if I can convince myself I won’t end up mumbling incoherently...
Stubby Member
They did. Am I the only one who also enjoyed The Amalgamut? That was a great record to listen to during my angry depressed High School years.
Active Member
Wasn't super into The Amalgamut and Anthems for the Damned, but I really liked their more recent albums.
Active Member
I like Amalgamut. I think I saw them on tour for that album. Irving Plaza in NYC.
Throbbing Member
WOW! That is really cool of him to do! I'm glad there are still artists out there that care.
Banned
Watching some shitty Lifetime movie called "kidnapped from the beach" and I see Richard Patrick did the score....Thats a hell of a gig for ol Richard...Trent is scoring Oscar nominated films and Richard is scoring Lifetime movies starring the girl from The OC......
24.24.2.2866
Work is work but damn, when those are the type of film projects reaching out for your talents.... Eeeesh.
Also given how vocal Richard has been politically, especially against Trump... i wonder how he feels being involved with anything that had some MAGA fanatics onboard.
Unless he doesn't know or just doesn't really care. After all i guess if you need the cash, being picky doesn't make much sense especially when you're tapped for a Lifetime movie lol
Matador de Froot Loops
"The Amalgamut" is a good album, but it falls short between "Title..." and "Short Bus", that's why it's not as appreciated, but i still listen to it...
Stubby Member
I'm kind of surprised at all the bashing. Of course Filter aren't on par with Nine Inch Nails in terms of influence and popularity. NIN is in the 99.99999% percentile of bands when it comes to that.
Filter is still getting talked about here even though their best record came out 20 years ago. That record had some jams though. They've released some decent stuff since, and it's damn hard to last 20 years in the music industry no matter who you are.
Active Member
Title Of Record is my favorite. Short Bus is not bad. The rest are hit or miss. Crazy Eyes was the best thing he has done since ToR.
Active Member
Didn't realize they were playing county fairs lately.
Active Member
talk about a fall from... grace? no thats not the right word...
Throbbing Member
lol, looks like their official website is down too, wtf.
however this lead me to the discovery of another band named filter, from japan, might be more interesting... https://www.filterofficial.com/
Active Member
Machine Gun Kelly is playing arenas, so what?
They sound good.
Active Member
Honestly, they're talked about here because of Richard Patrick's involvement with NIN, more than anything. Close second comes the fact that indeed they keep making records.
Concerning the "bashing", hell, read around and take a peek at some other music threads, they get off easy ; Worst case Richard gets made fun of for mentioning Reznor again, or something akin to "huh, they're still doing stuff ? Amazing.".
Filter is one of those bands in my Kuiper belt of music ; still part of the system, but whatever happens there doesn't really affect me even though I'll check it out from time to time. It's like KMFDM. It's been there a long time ago so it still somewhat exists, and if they release something interesting I'll give it a go. And I'm not mad when, predictably, it's not really that interesting. Comparing them to NIN is like comparing Muse to Radiohead, or Korn to Deftones ; nobody's doing that, not since 1999.
Edit : reading this post again, it sounds quite condescending, I'm sorry for that. What I meant to say is : in my opinion, Filter has had more lukewarm releases than actual bangers. Due to various reasons here, this is a band that elicits reactions ranging between cautious enthusiasm and amused disinterest. I've seen music threads where things were a lot more tense, which makes me nitpick the term "bashing". As far as I'm concerned, even their best records aren't quite vital. Title of Record used to be in heavy rotation back then, but whenever I decide to revisit 20+ years old albums, this isn't it.
With that said, I'm not looking down on anyone who enjoys their discography, just trying to put things in perspective, in all subjectivity obviously.
Last edited by Khrz; 08-19-2022 at 10:40 AM.
Active Member
Last few Filter albums were really good, IMHO, with Crazy Eyes being one of their best.
Hairy Member
I've been collecting Filter stuff for a long time now. There are ups and downs in their discography. For example I love The Trouble With Angels, but The Sun Comes Out Tonight is really boring... Crazy Eyes belongs to the better ones IMHO.
Active Member
Filter's new album, The Algorithm, is out 8/25.
New single:
Active Member
Well, at least the clip is just as inspired and original as the track ? It's refreshing, like waking up in my bedroom in 1991 feeling very cross at the world and mom and dad.
Edit : I just realized I already have been a bit of a prick about them like 5 posts above, in a more articulate manner. This edit as a testament that indulging in a bit of gratuitous dickishness is still sinning.
Last edited by Khrz; 07-11-2023 at 03:55 PM.
Stubby Member
Thoughts on The Algorithm, now that we have it in full??
I think it's a pretty strong record. I'm not a fan of the last two songs (wtf was Richard thinking with that cringey ass chorus on Command Z?!) but everything else is at least good, and there are a handful of songs that are among their best work. Their longevity is really surprising -- Short Bus is almost 30!
Title of Record > Crazy Eyes > Short Bus > The Trouble with Angels > The Algorithm > The Amalgamut > The Sun Comes Out Tonight > Anthems for the Damned
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