Say what you want about AJR but you can’t deny that they’re an American indie pop trio composed of multi-instrumentalist brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met

oh god...it’s not an april fools joke

Jokes aside, this is an interesting idea, to take a hated band and analyze what makes them so despised and if they actually deserve it.

He's done deep discog dives on Kendrick, Tribe, Bowie, Kanye, Radiohead... and AJR😭

I WILL FOREVER BE VOTING FOR CAR SEAT HEADREST

What I love about AJR is that the reasons people love them are also the reasons people hate them.

Woody Allen's misdeeds were known of before these guys were even born. That was a dated reference when they wrote it.

Yeah, these guys are exactly the sort of band who’d start out doing covers of Hey, Soul Sister and Ho Hey.

Say what you want about AJR but their stans are some of the nicest people.

Jokes aside, but we all can say that AJR is one of the artists of all time.

The “I’m a little kid” line just reminds me of the “I’m a little boy” John Mullaney bit which makes it even funnier.

Me: "Mom, can we have Jack Antonoff?" Mom: "We have Jack Antonoff at home" Jack Antonoff at home: 13:07

Me: I'm getting bored of hearing about artists with near-perfect discographies. [Sees video title] This is going to be epic

I skipped the Radiohead concert premiere to see this. Thanks Mic for your service

the reason I've never hated ajr is that I've seen them perform live as an opener for foster the people... and to be completely honest, it made their whole discog unlock for me. they perform with the energy and enthusiasm of toddlers, so it doesn't surprise me anymore that their subject matter and lyricism is so nailed to childhood. I have a lot of respect for how much they clearly have fun writing music and at this point just stick around for the *interesting* musicality

Somehow, as an AJR fan since late 2014, I GENUINELY didn't know that The Click was such a hated album. Damn, whoops. Ah well, this video is super interesting, and I don't disagree, but I'll still be bopping these hits ;)

I can still hear that "IM READY IM READY" sample in my nightmares

You know, when I heard that AJR has a lot of haters, I expected to learn that they've done something horrendous that I simply just wasn't aware of. So it's comforting to know it's just a matter of taste and perception. I like the band. But I can respect that they're not for everyone. Thanks for the great video!

Amazing video as always, had to watch straight through without pausing, forgot my coffee which is now cold. Worth it. Oh and the line ay 17:48 is probably about learning on youtube (watching Khan academy, online harvard lessons etc) not about doing it as a job. Keep up the amazing work my dude. I really can't stop watching your stuff.

Back in 2013 I was in high school and worked at a Regal movie theater. I worked in concessions - we had TVs all around the concession stand and in the lobby that played those in-house company channels with commercials and ads you see nowhere else except Regal properties. They were always promoting I’m Ready by “hot, new band” AJR. It came on 2-4 times an hour, every hour of my shift. I decided right then and there I hated AJR.

"A version of 21 Pilots or Jon Bellion with a hearty affliction of arrested development" is absolutely scathing and extremely accurate wow

I was genuinely so surprised to see this here today! I'm a big AJR fan myself, however I fully understand that their music is VERY much a 'love it or hate it' deal for the most part. Even though the damning reviews by the likes of ARTV and Spectrum Pulse are so entertaining to watch, I appreciate you taking an unbiased view of their music and reading both sides of the story: both from the lovers and the haters. This is an admittedly flawed band with a lot of potential, I think that's the one thing we can all mutually agree on. Fave songs? 'AfterHours' from the I'm Ready EP 'Pitchfork Kids' from the Infinity EP/Living Room 'Turning Out' from The Click (yes I know that lyric is awful) 'Karma' from Neotheater 'Christmas in June' from OK Orchestra Keep up the great work dude! I ADORE your content :D

I like AJR's style, their mish-mash of genres really tingles every part of my body, I think that it's fun. I understand that it's not for everybody, though, and I don't hate people who hate on them, because everybody has different tastes, so your opinions are as valid as mine

as an AJR fan, I'm very impressed by the nuance here and I really can't disagree with most of the things you said

I know you’ve joked on his name before but “Dominant 7 beside pedestrian crosswalk” has made me fully forget who that is

A moment of silence for what Mic had to put up with for this DDD

I’ve recently gotten into them and I had no clue they were hated. I mean, while their music has a repetitive style theme wise and production wise at least in their last two records, I really do like their sound. Jack has a really clean appealing voice

a king gizzard ddd would be like an hour long yes please

AJR stands for A - Dear J - God R - Why

I'm just gonna be brave and say...I've always been a huge fan of AJR and impressed with the fact that they produce all their stuff and do pop in a really out-of-the-box way. It was until YEARS later I discovered that they're so hated by music critics. Like I was fully shocked lmao. Now I don't know how to feel.

“AJR, I don’t hate em” me an ajr fan used to relentless hate smiling aggressively- also thank you for giving it a fair chance, even tho you didn’t love them it was still nice to see a critic not just hating on them lol :) favorite song would probably beeee finale or humpty dumpty? idk it changes a lot lmao andddd subscribed!

Now there’s a precedent for covering bands that people hate that means that we can get a Nickelback DDD one day.

I’m forever wishing for Queens of the Stone Age and Fu Shnikums

As an ajr fan, I feel like you did a really good job at making this easy for an ajr fan to watch. You did a great just explaining why you didn’t with ACTUAL REASONS!!! Every other person just trashed it. You give actual reasons for why you don’t like it. And I appreciate it. Thanks for giving it a chance!

im glad u gave ajr a chance lol. as a fan of the band i agree with a fair bit of stuff in this vid but to me theyre just so like, earnestly over-the-top and bizarre? that i cant help but love them. its like that "how long will this song take to lose me?" thing you mentioned in the video but in reverse, every time theres some weird lyric or piece of protools abuse i am simply transfixed. agreed that ok orchestra is their best album so far, i feel like it does the best at combining their weird overblown style with like actual great songwriting as opposed to like at least a third of the click that was interesting but just sorta didnt work. great vid

We got AJR before Tom Waits, I- I need time to process

I've been an AJR fan since 2015 when I was in 6th grade and this album was the first time that I feel their music hasn't matured with me. their music was never super mature but neither was I. it was the music that was perfect for those different times in my life, but I've grown past them. I won't forget the good memories their music has given and I will always hold those near to my heart, but it's time for me to keep moving forward. I don't see a time where I stop listening to their old music, but I probably won't be listening to any of their new music. they need to do a complete 180 lyrically for me to enjoy their music, and I don't see that happening. the production has always been the strongest part of their music, and the lyrics on OKO have reached a new low for them.

add Jack Stauber to the DDDD please he has such an interesting discography

I’ve actually been really obsessed with AJR lately and Way Less Sad lives in my head rent free 😂 as someone who’s currently in therapy and has struggled with anxiety and depression for years, their music makes me feel a lot better about what I’m going through and I love the upbeat spin they take to these serious topics I’m not super knowledgeable about music production or anything like that so videos like this are really fascinating

I was mad about the AJR. I'm now happy because of the David Lynch.

Mic’s Probably the 4th AJR brother and he’s probably just mad that he didn’t get let into the band.

As someone who really likes AJR, I honestly can't refute any of your points. I'm not really a lyrics guy, so I don't really cringe at them, and I love their weird EDM like production. But I get how someone could hate them :)

I haven't seen anyone talking about it so... Bang was supposed to be their last song. Presumably, they wrote it before COVID hit and they had been planning to just tour and then rest for a bit. So, they were planning to go out with this massive song, as in going out with a bang. But, when they were locked in during the pandemic, they decided to be productive and write OK Orchestra. So that (hopefully) explains that song.

AJR is for the most part not something that I would choose to listen to on my own, but I have fond memories of going on road trips with friends that are soundtracked by Neotheater. Plus Karma is far and away the best song on that album.

I agree that Weak's key change is... tacky and feels unnecessary. But I like the lyrics and how they contrast the two parts of addiction with their music. The verses are about the poison you prefer and you know that it's bad for you, you keep repeating that to others and to yourself. And then comes the relapse and bam! The chorus! With this wall of wobbling bassline where you give in to your addiction again and during the high you think "but I'm weak and what's wrong with that?". I like that one. Everyone who struggles with some kind of addiction can probably relate to this feeling.

Well if you can do this you definitely need to do Twenty One Pilots later in May when they release their next album.

At first I was scratching my head in confusion, and now I'm scratching my beard in intrigue.

They said they would rather have a fan base that really loves them and the rest of people don’t than being a band that everyone kinda likes a few songs. So you either love em or you hate em

i just wanna let you know, I opened youtube, saw the thumbnail, and literally laughed out loud at the sight of this monstrosity

Oh dear lord You’re a trooper mic god bless you

That David Lynch bit made my day

This is absolutely the best AJR critique video I've ever seen, so much respect in the way you criticize each thing, at no point did I ever feel bad for liking AJR. Well done 👏👏👏

I enjoy the perspective you provide here, especially as someone who enjoys AJR Learning that you, an informed musician, don't like (or respect?) what I do about their music really drives home the idea of different strokes for different folks Without going too deep into it, the differences in our POVs seems to come down to our expectations for music and how we interact with it which enriches my appreciation that much more Thanks for posting!

Didn't expect loving so much watching you analyze the discography of a not so acclaimed band. Would like to see a DDD on other bands or artists like nickelback or brokencyde

I think the problem is that their production is just...obnoxious. Like you said, like they're trying to throw as many ideas in at once, and it ends up sounding incredibly forced and overwhelming.

My biggest problem with AJR is they have something to say, but they don’t quite say it right

i really hope xiu xiu or swans get voted for next month, theyre amazing

I listen to AJR because I'm listening to Jon Bellion radio while driving and don't want to take my eyes off the road to hit skip

Big AJR fan, thanks for giving it a shot! And also thanks for not just trashing it but saying exactly why you didn’t like it, good video

As a massive AJR fan, thank you for giving them a try I started listening to them a lot before Neotheater came out, in my sophomore year of high school, which maybe a reason why I love their music so much. Its targeted toward my age group, especially Neotheater when it released. The songs all feel relatable and have a clear message to it, even if the message doesn't hit with me on every song (Beats, Wow I'm Not Crazy, The Entertainment's Here). Neotheater is probably my second favorite album ever, and I thank you for giving it a listen, even if it wasn't for you My top 5 AJR songs 5. Adventure Is Out There 4. Weak 3. Next Up Forever 2. Way Less Sad 1. Dear Winter

AJR is to music what Comic Sans is to fonts.

I think something that frustrates me as an AJR fan is how people who don't like the band are too invested in slamming the band and still listening to to every new song expecting them to completely change. I think AJR know people despise them but they won't change because they know the fans they've got love their style so they don't change to appease people who have never liked them. The most interesting thing I found with this video is that a lot of your complaints about individual songs I don't actually see myself and I assume that this is common for the fans.

We, the audience, have brought this wrath upon ourselves. Sidenote: can you put prince as a DDD option please

Finally a critic who’s opinion and delivery I can respect in regards to one of my fav bands ever! Great critique and breakdown of the band. I can actually agree on some points and I appreciate the honesty. They really have a love-em or hate-em sound, and its not for everyone. And thats chill. My favorite albums from AJR are actually The Click, Ok Orchestra, and NeoTheater, in that order (I honestly cant stand most of The Living Room and only like maybe three of the songs on that Album so I dont count it). I honestly enjoy that they improve with every album they come out with, how they are always getting better than they were before. And one of my favorite aspects of the band is actually all the weird and crazy production tricks and samples they incorporate into the music. But I can understand the tonal dissonance or not enjoying the lyrics for some of the songs or not liking the Overtures. Those are all pretty fair reasons to not enjoy the music. Great review!

Congratulations on having your video being featured on AJR's latest music video. That was how I found this video. As an AJR fan, I appreciated the critiques even though I enjoy their music.

SIXTH VIDEO IN A ROW ASKING IF MIC THE SNARE HAS LISTENED TO THE THOM YORKE REMIX OF GAZZILION EAR

As someone who enjoys AJR from time to time I’m surprised I hadn’t come across this criticism before but a lot of it is valid.

I like the absolute honesty. While I don’t think deep about music ( I’m more of a film enthusiast for deep thoughts ) this was really insightful into the ones who don’t think like it.

i've totally repressed my memories of that first song, and hearing it again after years of being left alone by it, plus the realization that AJR made it gave me whiplash

...I'm truthfully even MORE interested now in what you think of Jon Bellion -- a DDD on him would be utterly fascinating hahaha

Ajr are a perfectly good band, and the hate that they get confuses me like nothing else. Their music just sounds like a combo of all the middle of the road indie pop i listened to in high school, and I can’t hate them for it no matter how hard I try.

I’m so happy with this ddd. My brothers and I all listen to these albums to critique them and so much of what we say was mentioned I. Your video. Loved it!

Huh. Years ago I listened to The Click a few times and thought it was alright and never really thought about these guys again and had no idea they were so hated. Weird.

I myself am an AJR fan, and I just want to say, I'm really happy with how you did this video. Most people do nothing but clown and hate on the band, but I'm really glad that you not only gave fair criticism (gave valid critiques, and also was fair to the whole band in general), but made it clear that just because you didn't like most of their stuff, doesn't mean other people can't like them either. Everyone usually treats AJR like they're the worst thing in the world, and get really aggressive with their music, like that Spectrum Pulse review of "The Click" you showed before. It hurts more for me considering they're like, one of my favorite bands, and "Neotheater" is my favorite album, not just from them, but just in terms of music in general. So to finally see someone who, while might not have liked their music all too much, didn't treat them like they're such a nuisance. Honestly wish more people like Brad Taste In Music and ARTV were like you in that kind of way. Not only that, but this video was really funny too, which helped a lot too. I really liked this video for all those reasons. I'll have to see more of your other videos for sure, especially from this series.

Thank you so much for putting all my thoughts on this group into an amazing video.

I KNEW you were a theater kid. All my friends were theater kids. I can spot 'em a mile away.

I am so happy you are diving into this legendary and revolotiunary band and legends.

This is the most in depth review of ajr I’ve heard yet. It is also the best critique I’ve heard for them. That’s all, thanks :)

I love this video so much. I keep coming back to it

Add Godspeed you! Black emperor to the list please. Great content as always

Yeah I'm firmly in the "hate em" camp. My best musician friend loves them though, and surprisingly we've never fought about it. I get why he likes them, he gets why I don't. But anyone who uses the whole "it's good music to turn your brain off to" excuse gets no respect from me. Couldn't that just be any music? If I have to turn off all qualifiers to think it's good, isn't that just admitting it's bad? Just don't be embarrassed if you like them. Own it. That's what I'll respect.

As someone who is a big AJR fan I loved this video. Subscribed :)

idk how to explain this but I love the structure of your videos

I’m a drummer. I love songs that go all out on percussion. There is no such thing as too much percussion. AJR uses too much percussion.

I had only heard 4 AJR songs before this video: "Burn The House Down", which I adore, and "100 Days", "Sober Up", and "I'm Not Famous", which are... fine. Sounds like that's about typical for this band.

AJR is like blending LMFAO and Animal Collective together and sprinkling in everything people hate about millennials

I am still in college now and I relate to a lot of their songs about growing up, moving out, anxiety and insecurities. It makes sense for a grown up to see the lyrics as cringe because they already passed that stage of life, but for me it is endearing and relatable. Not a lot of bands sing about this in a very unique and specific way as AJR does and I love them because of it.

I've been a really big fan of this band for about a year, and I still absolutely adore their music. With that said, you have some very good points and you managed to sound respectful enough where you don't sound like you're pushing opinion as fact.

AJR is one of my favorite bands. I really liked this video. I’d seen a lot of people give empty criticisms of the band, so it’s nice to see someone go over the flaws the band has. Great video man.

The click: becoming an adult Neotheater: wanting to be a kid again Ok Orchestra: dealing with your career and adulthood

i really appreciate this video. I always see a lot of people (especially fantano) just dismiss their music for no good reason. As a semi ajr fan (growing up has been making me realize a lot of the iffy parts of their music), it's really cool to someone just sit down and think it thru. ty

I'm 22 and i absolutely enjoy AJR's last 3 albums. Since they span the last 4 years (my 4 years of college) they have been rediculously relatable to me. That said, this video gets a mega fat thumbs up and a sub. The gripes people have for the band are 100% justified, but so is the opinion of the people that love their music. Thanks for making that idea clear with your deep dive!

because of this video, you deserve the Purple Heart more than any american soldier that has ever existed.

I love AJR personally. I don’t really like any of the songs from before The Click besides I’m Ready, Pitchfork Kids, and More than Friends, and that stems from I’m Ready being so incredibly fun-sounding to me and I *love* the bassline in that song. I’m genuinely impressed almost every time I hear it. My favorite AJR album is definitely Neotheater. Next Up Forever is awesome in my opinion (except the virgin line, but eh, I can ignore it) and also Don’t Throw Out My Legos is often refreshing to me when I haven’t heard it in a few days because I love the chopped up orchestral start. I also like the concept of going away to college, especially because I’m going into high school really soon and am having some similar thoughts. Also, Birthday Party is neat. I like how it’s just basically giving a “screw you” to all the stereotypes and negative qualities of society from a sarcastic lens that is supposed to be innocent. It’s just a cool concept to me, and when you pair that with the chorus (which I love and find the beat to be awesome) it makes for a song I enjoy each time I hear it. The Good Part from The Click is a nice one too. I really like the lyrics in that song and as you mentioned the chord progression in the background is just great. I also like the vocals in that one a lot... idk why I just really like hearing those melodies with Jack’s voice. And to close it off, OK Orchestra is pretty interesting. Some of that album I dislike and some of it I like/love, just like the others. I would have to say Adventure is Out There is an absolute bop and is my favorite of that album. World’s Smallest Violin, Three O’Clock Things, and Christmas in June are also really good imo. However, there’s songs like Joe that I just straight up dislike. Tbh even the first line is “I believed in God back in 8th grade” and I’m just like bruhhh I’m an 8th grader who believes in God and I’m not about to bash on my own faithful tendency. Also the beatboxing in that song sucks imo, and then the melodies aren’t even that good. Idk I just don’t like that one at all. The Trick is a song I think I could get behind if I came to like the vocal effect thing. Other than that I like it a lot but as of right now the vocal effect is turning me away from it. Christmas in June, however, is great. I love the concept of that song and I think the melody sounds great with Jack’s voice. I also like the instruments and beat in that song a lot. So yeah, I’m a huge fan of AJR, even though I do agree their music is unorthodox and a lot of it isn’t for me. That’s my take! :P

this is the first critique video of AJR i've seen that expresses negatives without it coming it off as hate, nice job man

I don't think it's music to turn off your brain to, but I will say it's music to just emote to. You just feel it. These songs are like exploring your emotions at therapy set to music.

I always thought sober up(also my favorite song by them) sounded almost like a FUN song. Not like fun as in entertaining but as in by the band FUN that won the Grammy over frank ocean

I love their songs a lot. AJR has helped me through a lot of shit in my life. I do agree that their songs can be very weird- but AJR is really a “love it it hate it” kind of band.

I love your analysis and I wish you would make them about more mainstream bands and artists.

I went to the description to vote in the poll and I was very caught off guard by the Other Initial Bandnames... I think I was caught off guard in a good way tho, so thank you Mr. Snare