*The Little Black Box Thread (plus other random twaddle)*

[Pretty in Pink]

Shame no update, didn't really expect any to be honest.

[Magrathea]

Makes you wonder if they even appreciate us

Since when do fans "own" bands? Bands will do as they damn well please, do you think Salvador Dali painted to please others? No he just did his thing his way. Artistic expression is something VERY self centered and by definition solitary.

That being said, I understand the anguish for more, but it would have been MUCH worse if official word would have said... it's coming in 2009... in 2010... in 2011... THAT would have been disheartening.

[Echo the Sun]

BoC must be the worst at letting their fans know that they are still out there.
Makes you wonder if they even appreciate us Rolling Eyes

I swear to god if I see one more person whine about BOC not appreciating fans I will do something drastic. What is, is. What the hell do they owe anyone, especially fans by creating music. Chill out and appreciate what we already have.You sound like whinny brats. Sorry to be harsh but I really have had my fill with people saying things like this.

No one really owes anyone anything. But you sound like a prick defending them. It is to be expected that we are agitated, and it would only be common courtesy to let us know their plans. They don't have to let us know, but I think they should.

[Echo the Sun]

I think the anouncement of a new boc on april fools day would be a terrible pr move, given all the boc fakery that goes on. So has anyone checked back to see how long it was between black box and the other album(s)/ep previously? Lets get some cold hard numbers people!

Yes, let's.

[The909Virus]

Makes you wonder if they even appreciate us

Since when do fans "own" bands? Bands will do as they damn well please, do you think Salvador Dali painted to please others? No he just did his thing his way. Artistic expression is something VERY self centered and by definition solitary.

That being said, I understand the anguish for more, but it would have been MUCH worse if official word would have said... it's coming in 2009... in 2010... in 2011... THAT would have been disheartening.

This has been going on for years over at watmm, every other album thread turns into this

[Echo the Sun]

Makes you wonder if they even appreciate us

Since when do fans "own" bands? Bands will do as they damn well please, do you think Salvador Dali painted to please others? No he just did his thing his way. Artistic expression is something VERY self centered and by definition solitary.

That being said, I understand the anguish for more, but it would have been MUCH worse if official word would have said... it's coming in 2009... in 2010... in 2011... THAT would have been disheartening.

Music is art. Music is a business. Both aspects factor equally. BoC do not make music simply for themselves. Dali didn't paint only for himself. For them, there is an audience involved (not for all artists, but for them), and they would be kidding themselves if they thought they could ignore the commercial side of it. BoC stopped distributing their music just among their friends for a reason. They took on the responsibility of business and a larger audience. It was their choice. They are not solitary artists. They have an obligation to their audience. I have no idea why they have not given us a solid update in so long. They could have a crap reason; they could have a very good reason. But, the fact remains, we do deserve an update.

[polar sky]

So who's gonna make the video of themselves crying while saying, "Leave BoC Alone, they don't owe you anything! They're human!"

God forbid anyone say a negative word about them

I would say they appreciate their fans, of course. I also think that it's tough for them to put together an album they see fit to release, which of course we all know it would, but to them it's theirs and only theirs till they decide to release. So I'll continue to be patient and understanding, at least until the next Warp News Letter

[Seeya_Later]

Since when do fans "own" bands?

Well... we do account for a good portion of their livelihood.

[Pantheon]

So who's gonna make the video of themselves crying while saying, "Leave BoC Alone, they don't owe you anything! They're human!"

haha!

[ArbitersGround]

Part of me is sort of like "You don't have to give us an album or anything, but would it kill you to put just some text on your site like 'hey, thanks for the patience, we're working on something' or even a simple 'we have nothing going on musically at the moment, we're focused on other things, family, etc. perhaps in the future'. Anything would be better than speculating on little evidence 5 years later"

But who knows. Maybe Warp doesn't want them giving any updates or anything. Maybe they don't even realize how desperately their fans want a new album (they said in interview they never read reviews or anything so they know very little about what people say about their music). Maybe they're dealing with things in their personal lives far more important than their music.

I can speculate all I want, but my point is I don't think I'm in a justifiable position to criticize them since I don't know everything.

[polar sky]

Part of me is sort of like "You don't have to give us an album or anything, but would it kill you to put just some text on your site like 'hey, thanks for the patience, we're working on something' or even a simple 'we have nothing going on musically at the moment, we're focused on other things, family, etc. perhaps in the future'. Anything would be better than speculating on little evidence 5 years later"

But who knows. Maybe Warp doesn't want them giving any updates or anything. Maybe they don't even realize how desperately their fans want a new album (they said in interview they never read reviews or anything so they know very little about what people say about their music). Maybe they're dealing with things in their personal lives far more important than their music.

I can speculate all I want, but my point is I don't think I'm in a justifiable position to criticize them since I don't know everything.

Nice post.

[Retrodreaming]

Part of me is sort of like "You don't have to give us an album or anything, but would it kill you to put just some text on your site like 'hey, thanks for the patience, we're working on something' or even a simple 'we have nothing going on musically at the moment, we're focused on other things, family, etc. perhaps in the future'. Anything would be better than speculating on little evidence 5 years later"

But who knows. Maybe Warp doesn't want them giving any updates or anything. Maybe they don't even realize how desperately their fans want a new album (they said in interview they never read reviews or anything so they know very little about what people say about their music). Maybe they're dealing with things in their personal lives far more important than their music.

I can speculate all I want, but my point is I don't think I'm in a justifiable position to criticize them since I don't know everything.

I second that.

[h3xis]

Music is art. Music is a business. Both aspects factor equally. BoC do not make music simply for themselves. Dali didn't paint only for himself. For them, there is an audience involved (not for all artists, but for them), and they would be kidding themselves if they thought they could ignore the commercial side of it. BoC stopped distributing their music just among their friends for a reason. They took on the responsibility of business and a larger audience. It was their choice. They are not solitary artists. They have an obligation to their audience. I have no idea why they have not given us a solid update in so long. They could have a crap reason; they could have a very good reason. But, the fact remains, we do deserve an update.

You should apply to be a member of the RIAA. They'd love you.

[SonicDimension]

do you think Salvador Dali painted to please others? No he just did his thing his way. Artistic expression is something VERY self centered and by definition solitary.

What? I think there are very few artists that would agree with that statement. There is no such thing as a self-contained human who exists outside of their social & cultural environment, so I would argue that all art has a significant social component. But even with more 'solitary' artists like BoC, I don't think artistic expression is self-centered. If they felt that way, why would the brothers make music together and why would they bother to share their work with the world?

I don't think Mike and Marcus owe us anything, but as fans we obviously have the right to be annoyed by their lack of regard for us and our community. I think it comes across as a bit arrogant, actually. It's like they think they are so special that they can be silent for five+ years and then expect us fans to still care when they suddenly release new material. Even if that's the case, it seems arrogant that they just assume that they are great enough to get away with it when this would be a career-killing move for many artists.

[Electronic Dave]

Patience...these things take time

I'm certain the mysterious black box will be revealed at some point...

Obviously I have said to myself 'oh I wish they would release new material'

[GRIM.657]

It's like they think they are so special that they can be silent for five+ years and then expect us fans to still care when they suddenly release new material.

What makes you think they expect you to 'care' when they suddenly release material? I dont think they give two fucks. they do this because they want to. I really don't think the lack of news could possible be because they think they're too cool for that shit. They've been hella scarce on news and shit since they were formed, why would you expect differently now, because people like them? They have said themselves they dont really keep up with reviews of their work, I don't see why they'd start getting concerned over some butthurt fans now. (to be honest, I dont think boc could make the enchanting soundscapes they do if they were thinking about the fans or the reviews or anything like that. they've talked about how personal their music is to them.)

this thread, while amusing, sucks.

[Kinski]

so what you say is, you would rather have an update every other month saying 'new album will be delayed again, sorry!" than just simply not teasing us for no reason? and i don't think they owe us any of that. we have our albums and eps (not to mention 3 tapes and an album worth of other material) and it's not like they have to do anything else for us. they can as well call it a day and enjoy the weather.

on a sidenote, i don't think it's the case of not caring for their fanbase, but more of not acknowledging it for whatever reason.

but then again, i don't really expect new boc to be all that great. their style is very limited in it's uniqueness and i'm just here for the ride.

also, i love rambling in this thread. it feels like the inside of my head.

[adelinyenmah]

Music is art. Music is a business. Both aspects factor equally. BoC do not make music simply for themselves. Dali didn't paint only for himself. For them, there is an audience involved (not for all artists, but for them), and they would be kidding themselves if they thought they could ignore the commercial side of it. BoC stopped distributing their music just among their friends for a reason. They took on the responsibility of business and a larger audience. It was their choice. They are not solitary artists. They have an obligation to their audience. I have no idea why they have not given us a solid update in so long. They could have a crap reason; they could have a very good reason. But, the fact remains, we do deserve an update.

You should apply to be a member of the RIAA. They'd love you.

BURN.

[ninetyoneplus]

On the other hand, Birds of Canada are quite wonderful.

[The Telepathic Kid]

Patience...these things take time

I'm certain the mysterious black box will be revealed at some point...

Obviously I have said to myself 'oh I wish they would release new material'

"I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you."

... LESLIE D: