Polyphia - potentially the most interesting thing happening in the guitar world at the moment?

ToneControl

Sound like tasteless gear demos to me

ThePrettyDamned

I really like them, I listen to them a lot if I'm crunching data at work.

It's quite poppy but with some interesting ideas. Some misses, but mostly hits for me. 

Goose has some really nice ideas - the opening riff is fantastic. 

Loobs

PolarityMan said:

Loobs said:

Don't think they're trying to be Simon & Garfunkel, to be fair. 

Why cant you have both? I like a fair bit of technicality in my music but it needs to be good on an aesthetic level as well as a technical level. 

You can. I think their riffs can be pretty catchy. Again, it's not something I'd listen to but I've watched a few of their videos out of curiosity. I would also argue that aesthetics are extremely important to them - perhaps the most important thing...anyway, different strokes...

Blueingreen

Very impressive, but it depends on how you evaluate music.  Do you rank it by evidence of the rarity of the talent needed to produce it, or do you rank it by its effect in the world?

Surely the latter is more important.  Art that appeals only to a tiny minority of aficionados is minor art. 

The way we educate kids in music sometimes worries me.  I see highly talented, dedicated kids who've come through the system thinking they are selling out if they play anything other than jazz, at a time when jazz represents a minuscule fraction of the music economy.  Their education has encouraged them to consider the music people actually like beneath them.  Most of them have little or no chance of earning a living as performers, and will likely scrape a living by supplementing their playing income teaching kids in the same way as they were taught, so the system becomes self-perpetuating.

I'm not saying Polyphia is exactly the same thing, but the impulse for it seems pretty closely related.  The danger is that we evaluate this music by analysing it for evidence for the talent it took to produce it, rather than whether it will ever mean much other than to its practitioners.

randella

Some incredible talent there, the drummer has to be worth a special mention for the sick playing in that second vid.

I wouldn't choose to listen to it again, but each to their own.

hollywoodrox

Technically excellent  but musically I’d sooner listen to Buck’s Fizz 

tomajoha

hollywoodrox said:

Technically excellent  but musically I’d sooner listen to Buck’s Fizz 

Don't be too quick Making Your Mind Up


Sorry...

Branshen

I love their stuff. Another great tune is 40oz, but I'm sure a majority of the folks here will find it overly technical and unmusical..

rossi

Ah sweet precocious youth  before the reality of life sets in .

Kalimna

Hmmmm. Technical ability? Yes. Enjoyable to listen to? Not so much. Could quite easily be used as sonic torture in American prisons.

Id much rather listen to rehashed blues that has emotion.

steer

Amazingly skilled and quite clever. But very tiring to listen to. I cannot listen to it for more than a minute or so. 

See also - Jazz and Joe Satriani (controversial I know). 

carlos

No, the most interesting thing happening in the guitar world at the moment are Ben Eunson's fresh phrasing and licks. 

I think Polyphia and similar acts (Covet, CHON) are great in how they are popular doing the instrumental music they want to make, with no compromises. I appreciate the technicality and how busy the time signatures must be in their scores but I don't get a feel for melody or harmonic movement in their tracks. I'm a jazz guy. I like improvised music that follows a (usually well known) melody and/or strong harmonic movements. I don't really care if something is hard or easy to play in that regard.

TheMarlin

Just awful!

Seziertisch

grungebob said:

Not for me. 

Music should be about emotion not technical ability. 

That left me feeling nothing but boredom. 

I can clearly  see they are all great musicians and could play circles around me but I’d rather listen to something else. 

It is played so precisely it sounds like a midi guitar track, like Songsterr’s versions of songs were the originals as opposed to a computer reading the tab.

Flanging_Fred

This reminds me of things like conceptual art or high fashion. 

Technically and intellectually it pushes the envelope of the creative field but the final outcome is only really appreciated or understood by those with deep and current insight into the creative discipline.  Most people find it incomprehensible and unpalatable.

However, elements and ideas end up filtering down into more mainstream areas and end up enriching our lives. I find it very impressive and admirable.

 I can’t say that I’ll be going out of my way to listen to more of it in it’s current state or whistling it as I pop down the shops but I’m glad it exists.

DefaultM

I think it's the kind of thing where if you had a small section of it in a song you'd go "woah what was that?!". 
When its all the time though it's hard to process, and now I think I understand how my dad felt when he took me to see all the shred guitarists in my teens.

monquixote

I think it's cool that they are doing something new and interesting, but I find it quite tiring to listen to. 

If I was going to listen to killer musicians doing something interesting I'd be looking at Snarky Puppy 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuhHU_BZXSk

monquixote

Or Jacob Collier 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nspqYGz-Z1s

rico

God awful. I'm out.

carlos

Blueingreen said:

Surely the latter is more important.  Art that appeals only to a tiny minority of aficionados is minor art.  

The way we educate kids in music sometimes worries me.  I see highly talented, dedicated kids who've come through the system thinking they are selling out if they play anything other than jazz, at a time when jazz represents a minuscule fraction of the music economy.  Their education has encouraged them to consider the music people actually like beneath them.  Most of them have little or no chance of earning a living as performers, and will likely scrape a living by supplementing their playing income teaching kids in the same way as they were taught, so the system becomes self-perpetuating.

I'm not saying Polyphia is exactly the same thing, but the impulse for it seems pretty closely related.  The danger is that we evaluate this music by analysing it for evidence for the talent it took to produce it, rather than whether it will ever mean much other than to its practitioners.

Two things:
1. This has nothing to do with jazz, it's not even in the same postcode of music genres.
2. As far as earning a living goes, Polyphia are quite popular at the moment - the video above for GOAT has nearly 9 million views. They are making a much better living than your average rock and roll band with vocals.