On nuclear test sites

[gropo]

I stopped being afraid of the bomb by 1989. Now the artists I most admire are drumming up that anxious malevolent clusterfuck of an era.

I've never been more excited to be immolated by my own dormant psychoses.

[vanlorne]

I stopped being afraid of the bomb by 1989. Now the artists I most admire are drumming up that anxious malevolent clusterfuck of an era.

I've never been more excited to be immolated by my own dormant psychoses.

If it is a theme with the new BOC i am not sure, but I hope not, it seems a little unsophisticated for two early 40 yr olds to me. As I had mentioned in another thread here, the whole nuclear etc idea seems a little 80's metal to me and not really on par with the suggested intellectualism of BOC. Before the title of the new record was revealed a lot of people were "hoping" is was something like "new clear dawn". Seriously? That is quite lame.

[rainier]

I'll admit "new clear dawn" was a little bit too clever sounding, but I don't really see why it doesn't make sense to evoke a time of global paranoia at this particular moment in history. Things are incredibly tense in the world right now to put it mildly. I'm not trying to be a chicken little, I'm not a doomsday prepper or anything, but I think there is a whole lot we have to be worried about right now.

[Negamuse]

I'm not really seeing the "nuclear" angle from what we've seen so far. Apocalypse, yeah, but not necssarily nuclear.

[rainier]

I wasn't really seeing specifically nuclear either until the latest video, all those flashes in the desert were evocative of that, but it might have been the power of suggestion too. Definitely a real "world without people" feeling though.

[zeoevil]

An argument could be made that if you were alive during that era then you have a very real and very vivid memory of the reality behind 99 Red Balloons and the Day After as being utterly terrifying in a way that even twenty-somethings can't possible imagine. There is merit to the idea if your fan base isn't all twenty-somethings.

[nordheim]

i see the hauntological / environmental / anti nuclear thing as a consistant theme in every release they have made. i look at broadcast and focus group as some of boc's only real peers when it comes to content.

[Keeoaddi]

i look at broadcast and focus group as some of boc's only real peers when it comes to content.

Yeah totally. Witch Cults of the Radio Age is brilliant

[TaoTapeTao]

If it is a theme with the new BOC i am not sure, but I hope not, it seems a little unsophisticated for two early 40 yr olds to me. As I had mentioned in another thread here, the whole nuclear etc idea seems a little 80's metal to me and not really on par with the suggested intellectualism of BOC. Before the title of the new record was revealed a lot of people were "hoping" is was something like "new clear dawn". Seriously? That is quite lame.

Wait how is that unsophisticated in any way? And since when is anything apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic/nuclear "a little 80s metal"? I'm sorry sir but that's just plain dumb lol. I think it's a very relevant idea and it seems to perfectly correlate with the brothers' ideas/notions on nature, man, etc that seem consistent on each album.

Bottom line is who are you to define what is sophisticated for the brothers and what is not? I hate that 'better than-thou' attitude.

[Magrathea]

An argument could be made that if you were alive during that era then you have a very real and very vivid memory of the reality behind 99 Red Balloons and the Day After as being utterly terrifying in a way that even twenty-somethings can't possible imagine. There is merit to the idea if your fan base isn't all twenty-somethings.

You don't want to suffer from paranoia, even mildly and turn on TV at 2 am in a fragile state of mind... it was indeed terrifying... as a children of '69 we lived through that paranoid era, I explain that today to my kids and they have absolutely no idea of how ingrained that fear could be in people.

[Blink of an eye]

I'm not really understanding this whole nuclear angle. It would be perhaps a little one dimensional for Boards. I can see it being there in part though, I mean surely nuclear testing has a contributory factor in the coming ecological apocalypse. There seems to be more going on here than just simple nuclear threat nostalgia.

[nordheim]

i guess a more important question to answer how you quantify the responses above: how old are you?
do you remember said things? i am almost 29. dont remember much of the 80's but vividly remember the wall and the end of the cold war along with the beginning of the modern environmentalist movement. that former shit was scary to a kid! if i would have been even a bit older it would have been even more so im sure.

im going out on a limb here, but if you are 26 or younger, that may be why you dont get it. im on the borderline threshold and may be why im fascinated with it a bit more than just reading about it in an old university class. lots of those vibes permeate a lot of what i do artistically. i can only assume thats the case for artists a bit older than i, also a bit into older things.

[Blink of an eye]

i guess a more important question to answer how you quantify the responses above: how old are you?
do you remember said things? i am almost 29. dont remember much of the 80's but vividly remember the wall and the end of the cold war along with the beginning of the modern environmentalist movement. that former shit was scary to a kid! if i would have been even a bit older it would have been even more so im sure.

im going out on a limb here, but if you are 26 or younger, that may be why you dont get it. im on the borderline threshold and may be why im fascinated with it a bit more than just reading about it in an old university class. lots of those vibes permeate a lot of what i do artistically. i can only assume thats the case for artists a bit older than i, also a bit into older things.

Hi, first of all. I didn't say I didn't get it. I said that's not all I'm getting from it. I wonder if you read what I said properly, I'll be honest though I'm not brilliant with words. It's why a lot of the time I choose to not post, here, or anywhere else much.

I'm the same age as you. I am interested in the cold war also, I've steeped myself in the history. Watched films and documentaries. In fact, I've watched programs about the invention of nuclear power and the atomic bomb. Even read up on some of the physicists involved. When I was at school, we did a whole section about Cold War literature. So, I am interested, I do get it. It's not all I'm getting. Maybe, just maybe you need pull your focus back a little. We've not even heard the album yet. It seems ridiculous to think you have it all figured out from the artwork and what little we've heard. I've not got the answer but based on what they done on their past records I'm sure it's going to be an interesting multi faceted experience.

[energywarning]

I'm not really understanding this whole nuclear angle. It would be perhaps a little one dimensional for Boards. I can see it being there in part though, I mean surely nuclear testing has a contributory factor in the coming ecological apocalypse. There seems to be more going on here than just simple nuclear threat nostalgia.

This reminds me a lot of Geogaggi/IABPOITC. The themes in their music, or those that seem to slowly reveal themselves, are quite multifaceted. When I consider their approach, I am reminded of one very well-written thought that even warranted an MDG response (http://forum.watmm.com/topic/8500-devil ... ntry171965). Always worth a read.

I think the nuclear angle is simple, but useful for some to start coming to terms with what may be in the album. But given the complexities of our world's problems and how they may relate to, or even be the realizations of past worries, I think the music may spur that thought in people.

When I watch the "Reach for the Dead" video, I keep thinking of the importance of abandoned buildings in a "desolate" area. As a person working in the environmental field, it obviously brings on that connotation. But then you may get into the idea of what progress, survival, and cooperation truly are and how we may view such gargantuan topics and interpret them. Especially when a lot of their music tends to address ideas ranging from childhood, to political/social influence, to some form of self-actualization or constant change.