Dennis Martin6 said:but look—the point is obvious—I usually just tune out the lyrics unless they’re actually incredible, like Leonard Cohen (mostly on that first record), or if they’re absolute garbage, like this week's winner. With Swansea, I wouldn't even bother mentioning the lyrics because you can easily ignore them—and honestly, Dylan falls into that same bucket for me too, Nobel Prize or whatever. I mean, try translating what Marvin Gaye is singing into plain American English—it's basically just "follow your heart" level stuff. 😁
that says a lot about the whole subgenre, right? if this is considered avant-garde 😁
Overloading a vocal-heavy track with too much literary fluff can actually backfire—it pulls the listener's focus away from the music and often ends up feeling forced and pretentious.
Dylan is a special case here—he had this way of using his hypnotic delivery and authoritative vocals to smooth over lyrics that might otherwise feel too heavy-handed, especially during that trippy, subversive unofficial trilogy from '65 and '66. Sure, he overdid it sometimes—I still can't decide if something like Visions of Johann, probably my favorite song of his, is pure genius or just him posing—but the overall vibe is definitely a win.
In my book, singer-songwriter rock with a heavy intellectual edge hasn't peaked since the greats—shout out to Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Kris Kristofferson, and those other lyrical legends. Though, if we're being real, his most mature and objectively best work is likely that introverted breakup classic, Blood on the Tracks, featuring what might be the most fascinating narrative song ever written—Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts.
As for soul being avant-garde through What's Going On? I'd argue that the legendary, dark psychedelic-soul staple by Sly and the Family Stone, There's a Riot Goin' On, released that same year, takes the lead.
