Underrated / Overhated Jacob Waller

Here’s the second part of two about rock music - asking ‘what IS it?’, and ‘isn’t it dead, anyway?’. I can’t promise you that I answer either question completely, but I think I answer them entertainingly at least!

So, if you like rock music - new or old - and you’ve asked yourselves these questions, check out this video. I talk about everything from the Beatles (of course), to Polyphia, to - well, loads!

Here’s episode one of two, looking at rock music generally, asking ‘what is it?’ (harder to answer than you might think), and ‘is rock music dead’?

I’ve made a couple videos looking at genre before, and I thought I should look at rock music as a whole - we can all recognise a rock band when we hear (or see) one, but I wanted to go a little deeper and see what really makes the style tick. Whether I’ve done it successively, only you can say!

Lots of people - from Rick Beato, to the founder of Rolling Stone Magazine, to rock stars like Roger Daltrey and Gene Simmons - have lamented the death of rock music. But is it actually accurate or fair to say that it *is* dead? What would it even *mean* to say that it is dead?

I’m not sure if I do manage to answer all these questions in my videos, but I have tried! Part two out soon

YouTube’s algorithms are mysterious and indecipherable - but are they any good? Well, in this video I do a little review of/reaction to Chypho’s album Entomongakum - a sort of electronic ambient album… about insects? It’s cute, it’s wholesome - it’s also weird, and imaginative: so, has YouTube done a good job in recommending it to me?

Is it better to be a generalist or a specialist as a musician? WHO KNOWS - but let's explore the subject a bit. In this video I look at Paul McCartney and another MYSTERY musician while asking what a generalist is, and what it means to be a specialist.

Is one better than the other? Is the distinction a real one? Am I getting more and more unhinged with each passing video I make?

All these questions and more go unanswered by me in this latest video essay. Enjoy!

Brian Wilson is one of my favourite songwriters, and he LOVES ii V Is (who doesn't). This video is a look at how 2 5 1s are used in the super underrated, and frankly BRILLIANT 1968 Beach Boys single, Break Away, which was written by Brian, and his father Murry.

This is a mini follow up to a longer video I just put out about ii V Is generally in popular music, so check that one out too to learn about the chord progression generally!

My reaction video to the Rolling Stone list of 200 greatest singers.

The Rolling Stone magazine love their ‘greatest’ lists, and their most recent one is their ‘200 greatest singers of all time’, published in January 2023’s edition. It has *rather unsurprisingly* generated a fair bit of controversy (and clicks!), and like a lot of people (and probably you), I’m not a massive fan. But maybe not for the reasons that you might expect! Check out my video reacting to the list!

#rollingstone #200greatestsingers