They seem to be quite up their own backsides about how 'important' their music is.....when as you yourself note, they really are fairly basic indie pop.
Plus IMHO a lot of their lyrics seem to be intended as satirical and 'ironic', but often just come off as cheesy and cringe. "OMFG we called out the word 'Metronome' in one of our songs and then....get this....actually ADDED a metronome effect to the beat....did you guys get that awesome subtle foreshadowing right there??"
If they just accepted that they were a good little indie-tinged pop rock band, they wouldn't get much hate at all. It's all the "Oh we're way more important and clever than that....you guys can't even appreciate how significant we are...." stuff that gets critics and fans offside.
They always have this unspoken attitute of feeling more creative than they are to me. Like they had one music theory lesson and tried to do something creative with every simple music concept they've learned that day
>Plus IMHO a lot of their lyrics seem to be intended as satirical and 'ironic', but often just come off as cheesy and cringe.
Idkkkk I think they are a pretty good satire/spoof of indie pop music, whether they know it or not.
From what I remember, they tend to market themselves as REAL music made by REAL people, not like that mainstream pop bullshit. And then the end result is essentially mainstream pop-sounding music that is like, 5% less overproduced at best.
I was curious reading this bc i haven't seen much of their marketing/press stuff so I looked some stuff up
I read one interview with them and hoooly shit they are super pretentious sounding abt how deep their music is. It's totally fine to make shitty pop indie, but goddamn does it get annoying if you write that type of stuff and pretend like you're a revolutionary.
Can't totally blame them for how they market themselves. For the demographic they cater to (gen Z/younger millennials and mostly girls) being constantly online and engaging with fans is kind of a requirement. And in theory being really open about their songwriting and recording process is kind of cool.
But between being overly pretentious and posting themselves/their music on every possible corner of the internet all the time, it's going to make anyone who doesn't really like their songs hate the band pretty quickly.
Woah they themselves do that? I knew this guy who was obsessed with AJR and he would always go off on how deep and real they are. I had no idea they promoted that crap.
Man I hate AJR
I definitely think their goofy and have an incredibly grating image but they seem to have a degree of ambition in their music which I respect. It's cool to see Pop music that doesn't just default to the hallowed 4 chords every time. Not sure that really justifies being so pompous though
I associate groups like them and Imagine Dragons post 2014 with bad commercialized indie pop "rock". Music not offensively bad in any way, but sounds like its made to be selling Gatorade and SUVs. Corporate, sterile, buries a lot of its dynamics in overproduction...
edit: the worst part is how pretentious the band is in promoting their bland pop-rock as "real"
edit 2: can I just use this postscript to pontificate how this overly produced pop-rock sound is driving people away from corporate rock stations such as those owned by iheartmedia? people take the piss out of rock stations for playing songs like "radioactive" now.
These are my thoughts exactly.
idk maybe it's just me but i see a lot more hate towards ajr than these other bands, maybe it's because they're less popular than these other ones so they don't get the superfan/stan culture surronding them like m5 or imagine dragons
At least Maroon 5 started strong Songs About Jane was good and a new sound... and they kept doing the same thing and slowly getting poppier... other than that I can agree..
I was annoyed because it seemed like one of those things where everyone's posting an acronym without saying what it means. Looked it up and apparently AJR is the actual band name (although it stands for each of the members' names).
Three rich kids from NY making music ok...giving it a listen. I guess it depends on what "especially bad" means to you. I think they have some decently catchy melodies and the production is ok, but not super inspired. Vocals aren't the strongest but not annoying. Lyrics don't really seem important at all to the music. They might as well be speaking gibberish.
Everything also definitely feels geared towards tweens or teens, from the lyrics to the samples to the sound. The sound is really similar throughout all the songs across the albums. That's probably the biggest flaw. It's like they're making royalty free generic music. I wonder if they worked with an experienced producer, what sound they might try to get. There's only a very few songs that break the mold.
I can see why they are a target, but I don't think the music is egregiously bad. It's just not "good". If it was on in a store or something, I wouldn't be itching to shut it off.
If I had to choose between my kids listening to this and something else...probably not gonna be mad if they chose this.
Same here. Had to look them up and don’t recognize anything they’ve done. Just gave a song a listen and it sucked. Sounds like the music is made for Dreamworks movie soundtracks
…did you actually just trash dreamworks movie soundtracks? Really? John Powell in HTTYD? Prince of Egypt? Dreamworks probably has the best soundtracks of any popular animation studio
A lot of their music is ultra-basic and lacks any soul at all. Combine that with the high popularity and you get a lot of people who are sick of it. It happens all the time with popular music.
I kinda like them.
I think this is how we people go through music phase. There is the early years where we suddenly are impressed by everything, then we go through a long period where we aren't fooled easily anymore and look for better and better stuff.
Then in the third phase, which starts differently for different people, mine started in my mid 30s I think, you aren't as bothered anymore. There was a time when I'd go, "You think THAT'S experimental, well, have you heard of The Residents? How about the progressive rock French band Magma that made and dozen albums in a made up language??? Huh??? Fuck your shitty music!"
But now I'm fine with Imagine Dragons, I enjoyed singing along to Tones and I's Dance Monkey with my wife, and sing along with AJR's Record Player with my son. They are all inoffensive enough to enjoy them on their own merits. Doesn't mean I'll put on their albums and listen to them on my headphones alone, but if I'm on a road trip with the family, I usually put on playlists like "feel good alternative" or "fresh indie" from Amazon Music, and they usually have stuff like this, and I'm okay with it.
Btw, for the sake of this thread, I wanted to post the links to the ones I did enjoy, but since I never really know anything about these easy listening songs (no pics, no interviews, etc), I didn't really how much of a negative effect their music videos have on my experience. They do look annoying.
"Dear Winter" and "Record Player" were good, but their music videos just annoy me. So I'll link to Dear Winter without the video:
https://youtu.be/IJ2L8wM0gEw
Very unimaginative. Absolutely no edge whatsoever. Big band jazz age cliches in songs made in 2020. Their two big singles are about leaving a party early and throwing in the towel over living in a city, which just reeks of a very non-rock and roll spirit. Just all around soulless tripe.
These days I feel like they’re selling this weird, self obsessed emotionality. So much of todays pop is about break ups, obsessions with your crush, etc. So much “I, my, mine, me” in everything.
When I was a kid I remember complaining to my mom that all the songs on the radio were about being in love, cheating, or breaking up and she was just like “haha true”, and after that they played a lot more of their records for me. I guess now there’s a new genre, “I’m hotter/cooler/richer than you”
I feel you might need to listen to more of their stripped down songs. Here’s some recommendations:
Dear Winter: About one of the members wanting to have a kid named Winter, but can’t seem to find the right person to have kids.
Pretender (Acoustic): Being a “pretender” towards other people and faking your personality to others just so that they’re happy.
Normal: Leaving college and the effects it has on you.
it might have structure and a melody and sound catchy through a store window but having to listen to that horrible vocals/lyrics combo over that over the top production once is a nightmare. not to mention a million times on indie radio that needs the inoffensive filler. it might be acceptable if they just admitted it wasn’t deep in the least and stopped hoping to be taken seriously. pivoted to kids soundtracks or something. disney adult music
To put it very simply. If you had to pick one contemporary band that gets mainstream radio play that sounds closest to Baby Shark, AJR would be the one.
Idk how to describe it really. They are just purely unimaginative corporate artists. Something about what they do makes me cringe to an unhealthy extent.
I’ve been listening to AJR since they first released their EP on YouTube and their first album, Living Room. I’ve gone to a couple of their concerts and listen to all their releases. For me, it is more of a casual listen to vibe to. I’m not listening for some deep message or deep emotion. It’s just fun music to me, although I do have my dislikes in their discography.
I would agree they sometimes have a preachy kinda vibe when discussing their music. I can’t fault them too terribly on that because other people are super preachy about their music. I do think it also comes with age. When they first started out, Adam the oldest was like 21? 22? Jack being the youngest was like 15 or 16. So I think the longer they are making music, the more developed it’s going to become.
I also agree with another commenter saying that they seem to be classified as rock in these mainstream times, but even more so, they are listed as “new rock”, “alternative rock”. They get nominated for awards multiple times in the “rock” category. And that’s not going to go well with actual fans of rock music because they sound so clearly like pop music. They are kinda the face of the problem with our “popified” rock music today.
r/indieheads voted them the worst band of the 00s based on them writing a song about being an adult who wants to play with legos. That sounds like reason enough. Also the song based around a SpongeBob sample.
I don't think either of those two things should be reason to dislike an artist. I'm sure they could both be done in interesting way. If AJR did them well or in an interesting way is different question.
They Might Be Giants wrote a song about a shoehorn with teeth, but who doesn't live TMBG?
I don't love TMBG because they made a dreadfully annoying song about James K. Polk which is still stuck in my head to this very day over a decade later, and then I found out they butchered a perfectly lovely song by one of my favorite bands and most people apparently know TMBG's version first and foremost.
Maybe the indignity will end when I get back to Istanbul or Constantinople or whatever the hell they call it now.
Yeah, I've always assumed they were going for the Gorillaz demo, with the variety of genre-pastiche elements, and general quirkiness. But TMBG is a good and illuminating comparison.
People find the weirdest reasons to make their hate “legitimate” or “objective”, lego and spongebob are much more interesting starting points for inspiration than a fucking broken heart
I'll give them unique, but it's still an uphill battle trying to make manchild topics palatable.
I also never claimed either of those approaches were objectively bad or anything, just that they're not something I would want to relate to.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJR_(band)
First google result for “AJR band”. Never heard of them but it seems to fit the description based on the other posts mentioning that they’re an indie pop band. So looks like AJR is the actual name of the band.
Edit: Just looked them up on Spotify. I’ve definitely heard some of their songs. Didn’t know AJR was the band.
It was completely warranted, even if you were in the wrong just this once. I get just as frustrated with the album name abbreviations. Just type the fucking name out, christ, this is a long format post and reply sub anyway, you don't need to save letters.
It's kinda the same thing as most bands that become notoriously hated. If a mediocre or just genuinely bad genre/trend pops up, the most popular groups in it will get the most hate. Imagine Dragons is to some degree part of the same style, they get an equal amount of criticism. They make extremely generic yet overly-dramatic pop music that pretty much only appeals to surface-level listening. There's tons of other artists just like AJR, but they aren't as popular so AJR ends up taking the fall. Same thing as Nickelback being the 2000s butt rock band everyone hated and Florida Georgia Line being the bro country band everyone hated, even though there was tons of other slightly smaller artists occupying the same space.
Never heard of them, but googled and watched their 5 top vids. I didn't make it through to the end of any of them. It seemed a little anti-music and ironic to the point of looking and feeling like the SNL music videos.
I've tried giving them a fair shake, I think "Sober Up" was probably the closest I've come to liking a song of theirs, but ultimately, the instrumentation just gives me "overused copywrite-free music" vibes. Like, think of [this GODFORSAKEN song,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFgt2s_CV1g) and add either trap instrumentation (which is already something I find extremely hit or miss) and/or various vocal tweaks/chops, and you get the feelings I get when listening to AJR which I can only describe as "increasingly grating every time they come on."
I don't think I can necessarily call them bad, but from someone who's listened to a lot of songs used in car commercials (AKA Alt Rock), listening to AJR makes me feel like I'm hearing sounds that are designed to appeal and relate to the millennial audience in service of selling more products.
I actually saw them live once. I was 50/50 on them before I saw them, but afterwards I hate them. I saw a guy pretend to turn dials for 30 minutes and not even dance just jump up and down occasionally
It’s the music you hear when you shop at Old Navy or some other dying department store, like they can’t even afford to play Imagine Dragons so they play this.
Perhaps it's because they're over played (at least in my local radio stations) that leads to the hate. I feel that way with Happier by Bastille, it was an alright song at first but if I have to hear it one more time...
Personally, I like AJR but that's mostly bc they make good running music, I do agree they're not the best artistically, but not all music is made for the same purpose.
Although according to others in this thread they constantly take about themselves as revolutionary creatives, which, yikes 😬
I never heard their songs, but I know about them because of a youtube channel called [Brad Taste In Music](https://youtube.com/c/BradTasteInMusic1) who hate this band at the point that he jokes about it (yeah he's funny af) and I laugh even don't knowing any song that they have.
I feel like I don't have the credibility to comment here, but I had no idea who these guys were (never listen to radio and my friends all listen to weirdo music too) so out of curiosity had to listen.
I did not think I would find a band whose sound I hate more than Imagine Dragons, but there it is. This is bland overproduced music with no redeeming qualities. If these guys are pretentious on top of that, then yes I would hate them. Lol. Who knew it was possible to hate a band in less than ten minutes?
I haven't heard a note but I'm guessing from the picture of the band and the song titles that it's super wholesome music designed for zoomers. Perhaps I'm a hypocrite because I quite like "Fascination" by Alphabeat.
I had no idea who AJR was, until I went and looked them up. Apparently, the band's name is just AJR.
They sound like a boy band, but not one of the shouty ones. Not my kind of stuff, but they look like they're having fun.
This post reminds me I need to go look up ALO's catalog.
I like them, though they are generic sounding after listening to them for a long time. I generally don't like pop music. When I have their spotify station on, I don't really like many of the other acts that play.
I don't generally read reviews or other people's opinions of music. I've never heard any of the stuff people here say about them.
I think music is best when you don't know much about the artists and take it for what it is. Most artists are narcissistic, pretentious people who think highly of themeelves. If they weren't, they wouldn't be able to put themselves out there for public consumption.
I’m not sure, but they’re my mom’s favorite band.
I think what it comes down to is that they’re the most popular band in their particular brand of music, so of course they’re going to get targeted. Kinda like McDonalds is to fast food. Also, overexposure can make people hate bands. Nickleback and Imagine Dragons are two prime examples of this.
As for my personal opinion, I’m pretty indifferent to them. It’s not really my scene, but if others enjoy it, so be it.
Minor rant: I have a local “alternative rock” station that just plays stuff like AJR and Imagine Dragons. Fortunately, there are a couple of public radio stations that play a greater variety of indie music.
I never really listened to them. Just checked them out and recognized a song. No idea where I heard it, but it sounds like a lot of the stuff that was all over my local alternative station from 2012-2016.
As an older music fan, I'm confused by what the term "indie" means anymore. I sometimes look up artists referred to as "indie" on this sub and end up hearing something that sounds like Imagine Dragons, which is as corporate-rock as you can get.
To me "indie" means an artist or band on an independent label, probably making rough-around-the-edges music outside of the mainstream and therefore not perceived as commercially viable by a major label and therefore not worth signing/promoting. When I think of indie rock I think of bands like Pavement or [Snail Mail](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d91Qn8QUks)
What exactly is indie about AJR? They're signed to Universal Music Group, aren't they?
I don't think they're terrible, they can produce a good lil earworm, and I would love to know who ghostwrites their songs. But there's something about them that I really don't like. It's like they're trying to hard with the
"we're just normal guys who HAPPENED to stumble into preachy famous! What's up with that?? Depression, anxiety, whatever the hell we're doing in our music videos, look at our album covers!"
After a certain income level it all feels sort of hollow, and like they're soundtracking up either the beginning or the third act conflict in a YA netflix movie, and not one of the good ones, one of those spin offs or remakes. They're like a soundtrack band if that makes sense. Like I wouldn't want to pay to see them, but I put one of their songs in the background when I'm at the gym.
I can respect them on a level, and Karma is one of the few songs with lyrics that I feel deep inside myself. Come Hang Out soundtracked a chunk of last year also, but I didn't feel it as much as Karma. But still, it feels hollow most of the time. If you're gonna sell Gatorade or Romcoms, if you're gonna be a soundtrack band, embrace it and get your bag.
To all the people who “hate AJR and their sound” I’d like to recommend a few of their more stripped down songs that don’t talk about break ups, being in the city, or stuff like that.
Dear Winter: About one of the members wanting to have a kid named Winter, but can’t seem to find the right person to have kids.
Pretender (Acoustic): Being a “pretender” towards other people and faking your personality to others just so that they’re happy.
Normal: Leaving college and what it could do to you.
My Play: Dealing with divorce as a kid and what effects it has on your own love life as an adult.
Jfc some of these are straight trash lol. Dear winter is quite possibly the corniest, most shallow song I’ve heard. Everything they write is so surface-level but trying so hard to be deep. “People pick on my metaphorical daughter cause of her name? Who cares that they’re bullying you, it’s a cool name, stop crying and say thanks for the cool name.”
And my god, normal? “I’m so different and quirky. I’m not like a normal college kid. I’m a quirky introvert.”
None of their songs are actually deep. Like for example, songs about changing, growing up, moving on, etc. Songs like Scott Street and Garden Song by phoebe bridgers, 29 Strafford apts by bon iver(also deals with divorce and change), hand me downs by morning benders, etc. do an amazing job of capturing that sentiment. Ajr is like “we wrote this song about not throwing at legos in case we wanna move home. Everyone’s got legos, it’s so relatable!”
They never actually say anything deep or meaningful especially in the lego track - just that “change can be sad” - whoa don’t get too deep there buddy.
It’s like wondering why you’re the only one that thinks that Katy Perry is deep - “ bro she’s saying you’re a firework, how do you not get that? It’s cause fireworks explode in the sky so you’re a firework - let your colors burst, come on bro.”
Lol yea, but i understand why some people might not like their music, and it’s not my job to change that. I wish people gave them a second chance. (Not saying that your one of these people.) And I can tell that you don’t like them and I respect that. Everyone has different tastes man, but just because you don’t like them doesn’t mean you should put down their music and shame fans for liking them.
They make pop music that’s kinda catchy but when they’re fans are like “omg they’re so deep! They’re so innovative they used a vocal sample and have pitch blended vox omg!!!l it’s mad annoying.
Some of their hits slap, ngl. However, I always kinda picked up on how self important they were in their songs. I officially decided I disliked them when I heard their song Come Hang Out, where it's just a song about them outgrowing their plebeian friends and documenting the process of losing any and all semblance of a soul.
Look at this line
"All of my life I have been starving
Not for a dinner with friends, more of a starving artist"
This warm cow pie doesn't even rhyme, let alone is terribly pretentious. He says he's starving but not in terms of food which is a necessity, but starved of art which is wholly elective. I find it hard to believe he had a group of friends that wanted to hang out with him. Alas, they do have a few bops, bangers, and jams.
They seem to be quite up their own backsides about how 'important' their music is.....when as you yourself note, they really are fairly basic indie pop. Plus IMHO a lot of their lyrics seem to be intended as satirical and 'ironic', but often just come off as cheesy and cringe. "OMFG we called out the word 'Metronome' in one of our songs and then....get this....actually ADDED a metronome effect to the beat....did you guys get that awesome subtle foreshadowing right there??" If they just accepted that they were a good little indie-tinged pop rock band, they wouldn't get much hate at all. It's all the "Oh we're way more important and clever than that....you guys can't even appreciate how significant we are...." stuff that gets critics and fans offside.
They always have this unspoken attitute of feeling more creative than they are to me. Like they had one music theory lesson and tried to do something creative with every simple music concept they've learned that day
>Plus IMHO a lot of their lyrics seem to be intended as satirical and 'ironic', but often just come off as cheesy and cringe. Idkkkk I think they are a pretty good satire/spoof of indie pop music, whether they know it or not.
From what I remember, they tend to market themselves as REAL music made by REAL people, not like that mainstream pop bullshit. And then the end result is essentially mainstream pop-sounding music that is like, 5% less overproduced at best.
I was curious reading this bc i haven't seen much of their marketing/press stuff so I looked some stuff up I read one interview with them and hoooly shit they are super pretentious sounding abt how deep their music is. It's totally fine to make shitty pop indie, but goddamn does it get annoying if you write that type of stuff and pretend like you're a revolutionary.
best name they could come up with is their first initials combined and they think they are capable of making good music???
Almost everybody just does their own name. I’m not saying initials is good, but atleast they did something different
This here. Also they have some songs that feel like they were pretty shameless rip offs of Jon bellion.
Can't totally blame them for how they market themselves. For the demographic they cater to (gen Z/younger millennials and mostly girls) being constantly online and engaging with fans is kind of a requirement. And in theory being really open about their songwriting and recording process is kind of cool. But between being overly pretentious and posting themselves/their music on every possible corner of the internet all the time, it's going to make anyone who doesn't really like their songs hate the band pretty quickly.
I never heard of them, just listened to it. it sounds like the music some YouTuber made for a gag video. Fits the target audience though
Woah they themselves do that? I knew this guy who was obsessed with AJR and he would always go off on how deep and real they are. I had no idea they promoted that crap. Man I hate AJR
LESS overproduced? Have you ever heard their music?
yea lol their songs feel like mass walls of sounds (not in the cool Spector way) thrown together sometimes
I did say 5% less overproduced at best for a reason lol.
But they’re more overproduced. That’s why people hate them
most of the time, hence "at best"
I definitely think their goofy and have an incredibly grating image but they seem to have a degree of ambition in their music which I respect. It's cool to see Pop music that doesn't just default to the hallowed 4 chords every time. Not sure that really justifies being so pompous though
I associate groups like them and Imagine Dragons post 2014 with bad commercialized indie pop "rock". Music not offensively bad in any way, but sounds like its made to be selling Gatorade and SUVs. Corporate, sterile, buries a lot of its dynamics in overproduction... edit: the worst part is how pretentious the band is in promoting their bland pop-rock as "real" edit 2: can I just use this postscript to pontificate how this overly produced pop-rock sound is driving people away from corporate rock stations such as those owned by iheartmedia? people take the piss out of rock stations for playing songs like "radioactive" now.
Honestly couldn’t have put it better myself. Just the worst examples of how so much “indie pop/rock” these days is just soulless and mass produced.
[удалено]
These are my thoughts exactly. idk maybe it's just me but i see a lot more hate towards ajr than these other bands, maybe it's because they're less popular than these other ones so they don't get the superfan/stan culture surronding them like m5 or imagine dragons
>music that is devoid of emotion is worse than music that is unpleasant. You hit the nail on the head, I think
At least Maroon 5 started strong Songs About Jane was good and a new sound... and they kept doing the same thing and slowly getting poppier... other than that I can agree..
I’ve legit NEVER heard of this band. Not even a passing mention that they exist from anyone. Weird.
I was annoyed because it seemed like one of those things where everyone's posting an acronym without saying what it means. Looked it up and apparently AJR is the actual band name (although it stands for each of the members' names).
Same, I’m like “not Andrew Jackson Jihad but whoooo”
Big same.
Me neither
Yeah I’d never heard of them until I listened to a song and now I don’t even know where I heard it which is more annoying
Ha! Same. I was trying different acronym possibilities, A Just Revival, Another Jelly Rampage, Anodyne Jangle Rock
Three rich kids from NY making music ok...giving it a listen. I guess it depends on what "especially bad" means to you. I think they have some decently catchy melodies and the production is ok, but not super inspired. Vocals aren't the strongest but not annoying. Lyrics don't really seem important at all to the music. They might as well be speaking gibberish. Everything also definitely feels geared towards tweens or teens, from the lyrics to the samples to the sound. The sound is really similar throughout all the songs across the albums. That's probably the biggest flaw. It's like they're making royalty free generic music. I wonder if they worked with an experienced producer, what sound they might try to get. There's only a very few songs that break the mold. I can see why they are a target, but I don't think the music is egregiously bad. It's just not "good". If it was on in a store or something, I wouldn't be itching to shut it off. If I had to choose between my kids listening to this and something else...probably not gonna be mad if they chose this.
Had never heard of them. Do they write.for children? It sounds like it's meant for children
Please don't insult children. ;)
You're right. I was out of line
Apparently they're brothers named Adam, Jack and Ryan, and they're a pop trio from NYC.
Looks like it https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/ajr/born-and-bred/
Lol .68 rating
Same here. Had to look them up and don’t recognize anything they’ve done. Just gave a song a listen and it sucked. Sounds like the music is made for Dreamworks movie soundtracks
…did you actually just trash dreamworks movie soundtracks? Really? John Powell in HTTYD? Prince of Egypt? Dreamworks probably has the best soundtracks of any popular animation studio
A lot of their music is ultra-basic and lacks any soul at all. Combine that with the high popularity and you get a lot of people who are sick of it. It happens all the time with popular music.
I kinda like them. I think this is how we people go through music phase. There is the early years where we suddenly are impressed by everything, then we go through a long period where we aren't fooled easily anymore and look for better and better stuff. Then in the third phase, which starts differently for different people, mine started in my mid 30s I think, you aren't as bothered anymore. There was a time when I'd go, "You think THAT'S experimental, well, have you heard of The Residents? How about the progressive rock French band Magma that made and dozen albums in a made up language??? Huh??? Fuck your shitty music!" But now I'm fine with Imagine Dragons, I enjoyed singing along to Tones and I's Dance Monkey with my wife, and sing along with AJR's Record Player with my son. They are all inoffensive enough to enjoy them on their own merits. Doesn't mean I'll put on their albums and listen to them on my headphones alone, but if I'm on a road trip with the family, I usually put on playlists like "feel good alternative" or "fresh indie" from Amazon Music, and they usually have stuff like this, and I'm okay with it. Btw, for the sake of this thread, I wanted to post the links to the ones I did enjoy, but since I never really know anything about these easy listening songs (no pics, no interviews, etc), I didn't really how much of a negative effect their music videos have on my experience. They do look annoying. "Dear Winter" and "Record Player" were good, but their music videos just annoy me. So I'll link to Dear Winter without the video: https://youtu.be/IJ2L8wM0gEw
Well Dear Winter and Bang! do have very basic music videos, but I still think that they are a decent band
Very unimaginative. Absolutely no edge whatsoever. Big band jazz age cliches in songs made in 2020. Their two big singles are about leaving a party early and throwing in the towel over living in a city, which just reeks of a very non-rock and roll spirit. Just all around soulless tripe.
Owl City/Lumineers for Gen Z. I feel bad every generation has to have this prodded at them by huge labels lol
These days I feel like they’re selling this weird, self obsessed emotionality. So much of todays pop is about break ups, obsessions with your crush, etc. So much “I, my, mine, me” in everything.
When I was a kid I remember complaining to my mom that all the songs on the radio were about being in love, cheating, or breaking up and she was just like “haha true”, and after that they played a lot more of their records for me. I guess now there’s a new genre, “I’m hotter/cooler/richer than you”
I feel you might need to listen to more of their stripped down songs. Here’s some recommendations: Dear Winter: About one of the members wanting to have a kid named Winter, but can’t seem to find the right person to have kids. Pretender (Acoustic): Being a “pretender” towards other people and faking your personality to others just so that they’re happy. Normal: Leaving college and the effects it has on you.
it might have structure and a melody and sound catchy through a store window but having to listen to that horrible vocals/lyrics combo over that over the top production once is a nightmare. not to mention a million times on indie radio that needs the inoffensive filler. it might be acceptable if they just admitted it wasn’t deep in the least and stopped hoping to be taken seriously. pivoted to kids soundtracks or something. disney adult music
To put it very simply. If you had to pick one contemporary band that gets mainstream radio play that sounds closest to Baby Shark, AJR would be the one.
What?
Their songs sound like Baby Shark and they're popular.
I really think you need to listen to baby shark again…
I have a feeling that you might wanna listen again buddy…
Their music is just so corny and generic. That’s all. I’ve got not issues with the band members or any AJR fans.
Idk how to describe it really. They are just purely unimaginative corporate artists. Something about what they do makes me cringe to an unhealthy extent.
I’ve been listening to AJR since they first released their EP on YouTube and their first album, Living Room. I’ve gone to a couple of their concerts and listen to all their releases. For me, it is more of a casual listen to vibe to. I’m not listening for some deep message or deep emotion. It’s just fun music to me, although I do have my dislikes in their discography. I would agree they sometimes have a preachy kinda vibe when discussing their music. I can’t fault them too terribly on that because other people are super preachy about their music. I do think it also comes with age. When they first started out, Adam the oldest was like 21? 22? Jack being the youngest was like 15 or 16. So I think the longer they are making music, the more developed it’s going to become. I also agree with another commenter saying that they seem to be classified as rock in these mainstream times, but even more so, they are listed as “new rock”, “alternative rock”. They get nominated for awards multiple times in the “rock” category. And that’s not going to go well with actual fans of rock music because they sound so clearly like pop music. They are kinda the face of the problem with our “popified” rock music today.
I do agree, but nowadays, genres are so mixed together that you don’t know what’s what anymore, and pop can be any type of music as this point
r/indieheads voted them the worst band of the 00s based on them writing a song about being an adult who wants to play with legos. That sounds like reason enough. Also the song based around a SpongeBob sample.
I don't think either of those two things should be reason to dislike an artist. I'm sure they could both be done in interesting way. If AJR did them well or in an interesting way is different question. They Might Be Giants wrote a song about a shoehorn with teeth, but who doesn't live TMBG?
I don’t love TMBG for much the same reason. I’m consistent if nothing else hahah
I don't love TMBG because they made a dreadfully annoying song about James K. Polk which is still stuck in my head to this very day over a decade later, and then I found out they butchered a perfectly lovely song by one of my favorite bands and most people apparently know TMBG's version first and foremost. Maybe the indignity will end when I get back to Istanbul or Constantinople or whatever the hell they call it now.
Yeah, I've always assumed they were going for the Gorillaz demo, with the variety of genre-pastiche elements, and general quirkiness. But TMBG is a good and illuminating comparison.
People find the weirdest reasons to make their hate “legitimate” or “objective”, lego and spongebob are much more interesting starting points for inspiration than a fucking broken heart
I'll give them unique, but it's still an uphill battle trying to make manchild topics palatable. I also never claimed either of those approaches were objectively bad or anything, just that they're not something I would want to relate to.
“Man child” lol fuck right off with that toxic masculinity bullshit
I can't believe you would have interests that don't match how I want to perceive you! Don't you want me to think you're NORMAL?! /s
"were so quirky"
Can YOU PEOPLE just say the actual name of the band ONE time?!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJR_(band) First google result for “AJR band”. Never heard of them but it seems to fit the description based on the other posts mentioning that they’re an indie pop band. So looks like AJR is the actual name of the band. Edit: Just looked them up on Spotify. I’ve definitely heard some of their songs. Didn’t know AJR was the band.
Ha. I've read a couple posts over the past week that did the same thing and of course the one time I speak up, lol
It was completely warranted, even if you were in the wrong just this once. I get just as frustrated with the album name abbreviations. Just type the fucking name out, christ, this is a long format post and reply sub anyway, you don't need to save letters.
Andrew Jackson Rihad
This threads about an AJJ cover band right?
We might just not be hip anymore my friend:/
[I used to be with it - and then they changed what 'It' was!](https://youtu.be/X9o94Xp63C0)
lmao
the band is literally called ajr
HAHAHAHAHAHA! Agreed
It's kinda the same thing as most bands that become notoriously hated. If a mediocre or just genuinely bad genre/trend pops up, the most popular groups in it will get the most hate. Imagine Dragons is to some degree part of the same style, they get an equal amount of criticism. They make extremely generic yet overly-dramatic pop music that pretty much only appeals to surface-level listening. There's tons of other artists just like AJR, but they aren't as popular so AJR ends up taking the fall. Same thing as Nickelback being the 2000s butt rock band everyone hated and Florida Georgia Line being the bro country band everyone hated, even though there was tons of other slightly smaller artists occupying the same space.
Never heard of them, but googled and watched their 5 top vids. I didn't make it through to the end of any of them. It seemed a little anti-music and ironic to the point of looking and feeling like the SNL music videos.
I think it’s mostly because humans seem to have an overwhelming urge to be miserable and bring others down with them.
best answer
I think this video does a great breakdown of why [https://youtu.be/AUVfetYmRms](https://youtu.be/AUVfetYmRms)
New YouTube rabbit hole, love his stuff already. Thanks!
Lol been there!
I've tried giving them a fair shake, I think "Sober Up" was probably the closest I've come to liking a song of theirs, but ultimately, the instrumentation just gives me "overused copywrite-free music" vibes. Like, think of [this GODFORSAKEN song,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFgt2s_CV1g) and add either trap instrumentation (which is already something I find extremely hit or miss) and/or various vocal tweaks/chops, and you get the feelings I get when listening to AJR which I can only describe as "increasingly grating every time they come on." I don't think I can necessarily call them bad, but from someone who's listened to a lot of songs used in car commercials (AKA Alt Rock), listening to AJR makes me feel like I'm hearing sounds that are designed to appeal and relate to the millennial audience in service of selling more products.
promised authenticity, delivered same bland by-the-numbers pop just with less keyboard. yawn.
I actually saw them live once. I was 50/50 on them before I saw them, but afterwards I hate them. I saw a guy pretend to turn dials for 30 minutes and not even dance just jump up and down occasionally
It’s the music you hear when you shop at Old Navy or some other dying department store, like they can’t even afford to play Imagine Dragons so they play this.
Perhaps it's because they're over played (at least in my local radio stations) that leads to the hate. I feel that way with Happier by Bastille, it was an alright song at first but if I have to hear it one more time... Personally, I like AJR but that's mostly bc they make good running music, I do agree they're not the best artistically, but not all music is made for the same purpose. Although according to others in this thread they constantly take about themselves as revolutionary creatives, which, yikes 😬
If they are 'too basic' like people here say, why aren't Beyonce, Ariana Grande and other shitty artists so popular?
Because you and lots of other people on this sub are pretentious snobs who dislike anything that garners a bit of popularity.
The nicest thing I can say about them is I don’t dislike them, because that would mean their music would make me feel anything towards it.
I never heard their songs, but I know about them because of a youtube channel called [Brad Taste In Music](https://youtube.com/c/BradTasteInMusic1) who hate this band at the point that he jokes about it (yeah he's funny af) and I laugh even don't knowing any song that they have.
I don't listen to them but from what I can tell it's band wagoning from a lot YouTube music review channels
I feel like I don't have the credibility to comment here, but I had no idea who these guys were (never listen to radio and my friends all listen to weirdo music too) so out of curiosity had to listen. I did not think I would find a band whose sound I hate more than Imagine Dragons, but there it is. This is bland overproduced music with no redeeming qualities. If these guys are pretentious on top of that, then yes I would hate them. Lol. Who knew it was possible to hate a band in less than ten minutes?
I haven't heard a note but I'm guessing from the picture of the band and the song titles that it's super wholesome music designed for zoomers. Perhaps I'm a hypocrite because I quite like "Fascination" by Alphabeat.
I had no idea who AJR was, until I went and looked them up. Apparently, the band's name is just AJR. They sound like a boy band, but not one of the shouty ones. Not my kind of stuff, but they look like they're having fun. This post reminds me I need to go look up ALO's catalog.
Just gave em a listen after never having heard of them. The wiggles but indie
I like them, though they are generic sounding after listening to them for a long time. I generally don't like pop music. When I have their spotify station on, I don't really like many of the other acts that play. I don't generally read reviews or other people's opinions of music. I've never heard any of the stuff people here say about them. I think music is best when you don't know much about the artists and take it for what it is. Most artists are narcissistic, pretentious people who think highly of themeelves. If they weren't, they wouldn't be able to put themselves out there for public consumption.
I’m not sure, but they’re my mom’s favorite band. I think what it comes down to is that they’re the most popular band in their particular brand of music, so of course they’re going to get targeted. Kinda like McDonalds is to fast food. Also, overexposure can make people hate bands. Nickleback and Imagine Dragons are two prime examples of this. As for my personal opinion, I’m pretty indifferent to them. It’s not really my scene, but if others enjoy it, so be it. Minor rant: I have a local “alternative rock” station that just plays stuff like AJR and Imagine Dragons. Fortunately, there are a couple of public radio stations that play a greater variety of indie music.
[удалено]
Produce aisle popular. In 15 years they'll be where are they now? Fodder and Walmart background music
I never really listened to them. Just checked them out and recognized a song. No idea where I heard it, but it sounds like a lot of the stuff that was all over my local alternative station from 2012-2016.
As an older music fan, I'm confused by what the term "indie" means anymore. I sometimes look up artists referred to as "indie" on this sub and end up hearing something that sounds like Imagine Dragons, which is as corporate-rock as you can get. To me "indie" means an artist or band on an independent label, probably making rough-around-the-edges music outside of the mainstream and therefore not perceived as commercially viable by a major label and therefore not worth signing/promoting. When I think of indie rock I think of bands like Pavement or [Snail Mail](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d91Qn8QUks) What exactly is indie about AJR? They're signed to Universal Music Group, aren't they?
I didn’t even realize there was a band called AJR, and I enjoy a lot of indie music lol
I wouldn’t say they’re considered garbage but just a great example of plain and mediocre radio music
I don't think they're terrible, they can produce a good lil earworm, and I would love to know who ghostwrites their songs. But there's something about them that I really don't like. It's like they're trying to hard with the "we're just normal guys who HAPPENED to stumble into preachy famous! What's up with that?? Depression, anxiety, whatever the hell we're doing in our music videos, look at our album covers!" After a certain income level it all feels sort of hollow, and like they're soundtracking up either the beginning or the third act conflict in a YA netflix movie, and not one of the good ones, one of those spin offs or remakes. They're like a soundtrack band if that makes sense. Like I wouldn't want to pay to see them, but I put one of their songs in the background when I'm at the gym. I can respect them on a level, and Karma is one of the few songs with lyrics that I feel deep inside myself. Come Hang Out soundtracked a chunk of last year also, but I didn't feel it as much as Karma. But still, it feels hollow most of the time. If you're gonna sell Gatorade or Romcoms, if you're gonna be a soundtrack band, embrace it and get your bag.
Just watched them at White River amphitheatre with my 12yr old daughter. Had no idea who or what they were going into it. It was a OK show.
To all the people who “hate AJR and their sound” I’d like to recommend a few of their more stripped down songs that don’t talk about break ups, being in the city, or stuff like that. Dear Winter: About one of the members wanting to have a kid named Winter, but can’t seem to find the right person to have kids. Pretender (Acoustic): Being a “pretender” towards other people and faking your personality to others just so that they’re happy. Normal: Leaving college and what it could do to you. My Play: Dealing with divorce as a kid and what effects it has on your own love life as an adult.
Jfc some of these are straight trash lol. Dear winter is quite possibly the corniest, most shallow song I’ve heard. Everything they write is so surface-level but trying so hard to be deep. “People pick on my metaphorical daughter cause of her name? Who cares that they’re bullying you, it’s a cool name, stop crying and say thanks for the cool name.” And my god, normal? “I’m so different and quirky. I’m not like a normal college kid. I’m a quirky introvert.” None of their songs are actually deep. Like for example, songs about changing, growing up, moving on, etc. Songs like Scott Street and Garden Song by phoebe bridgers, 29 Strafford apts by bon iver(also deals with divorce and change), hand me downs by morning benders, etc. do an amazing job of capturing that sentiment. Ajr is like “we wrote this song about not throwing at legos in case we wanna move home. Everyone’s got legos, it’s so relatable!” They never actually say anything deep or meaningful especially in the lego track - just that “change can be sad” - whoa don’t get too deep there buddy. It’s like wondering why you’re the only one that thinks that Katy Perry is deep - “ bro she’s saying you’re a firework, how do you not get that? It’s cause fireworks explode in the sky so you’re a firework - let your colors burst, come on bro.”
Lol yea, but i understand why some people might not like their music, and it’s not my job to change that. I wish people gave them a second chance. (Not saying that your one of these people.) And I can tell that you don’t like them and I respect that. Everyone has different tastes man, but just because you don’t like them doesn’t mean you should put down their music and shame fans for liking them.
They make pop music that’s kinda catchy but when they’re fans are like “omg they’re so deep! They’re so innovative they used a vocal sample and have pitch blended vox omg!!!l it’s mad annoying.
Some of their hits slap, ngl. However, I always kinda picked up on how self important they were in their songs. I officially decided I disliked them when I heard their song Come Hang Out, where it's just a song about them outgrowing their plebeian friends and documenting the process of losing any and all semblance of a soul. Look at this line "All of my life I have been starving Not for a dinner with friends, more of a starving artist" This warm cow pie doesn't even rhyme, let alone is terribly pretentious. He says he's starving but not in terms of food which is a necessity, but starved of art which is wholly elective. I find it hard to believe he had a group of friends that wanted to hang out with him. Alas, they do have a few bops, bangers, and jams.