Aaron Turner of Sumac/Old Man Gloom, Isis, and too many other bands to name, has announced that he commits a cardinal sin to many metal fans: liking pop music. In an interview with Revolver, he detailed the atrocities, “You know, when we’re at my house and hanging out with my baby, we listen to Carly Rae Jepsen and we listen to the Ex Machina soundtrack and really broad swaths of things that mostly relate to what we’re doing in the context of Sumac.”
Though, he also had to throw his bandmates under the bus, “The last Carly Rae record has gotten a lot of play, not just when the baby was around, but in the van when Sumac was on tour. I know Brian really likes Perfume Genius and he’s played some of that stuff for us and I’ve gotten into some of that as a result, too. I’m not above liking pop music at all.”
I bet this would make a great mashup with “Call Me Maybe.”
Turner went on to describe the value of pop music as an alternative to the kind of demanding experimental music he’s known for. “Sometimes I like a break from really demanding music and I like stuff that’s fun and maybe even frivolous. I think music serves a lot of different purposes and I enjoy a catchy tune from time to time. That said, I’m probably just as picky about my pop music as I am about the kind of metal that I listen to. I feel like 95 percent of it is uninteresting to me and there’s just a few artists for whatever reason that appeal to my particular sensibilities. So yeah, I can still be an artsy asshole even about my choices in pop music I guess. [Laughs] You know it’s fun. It’s enjoyable and I definitely like it.”
You may also know Aaron Turner as the founder of Hydra Head Records, which specializes in extreme metal music. Turner formed it all the way back in 1993, while he was still in high school. Some of the bands signed to the label include Cave In, Xasthur, Kayo Dot, Boris, and Jesu.
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