Canadian Tuxedo Optional (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} michaelpop) wrote,@ 2008-03-18 11:18:00 |
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Already losing touch with the kids.
Reading about SXSW is what I imagine being forced to watch a slideshow of someone elses vacation must be like. Or being the only sober person at a kegger. I'm sure it's fun and all, but it's hard to really muster up much enthusiasm to read about it. So I'm glad it's over now and that the onslaught of SXSW updates are going to start trickling to a close. I have read exactly one recap of the festival and it was in yesterday's LA Times. One point stood out to me above all the others: there was no Next Big Thing. I hadn't thought of that in a while and it got me thinking because unless I'm missing something, there really isn't a predominant trend in music right now, is there? You know, the one sound or geographical location that's in vogue where the record companies rush to capitalize on and the media shines their spotlights in order to generate hype to hopefully sell records and magazines. Without thinking about it too hard, this decade we've had garage-rock, electroclash, post-post-punk, freak-folk, Swedes, Seattle (again) and Toronto... but where in the cycle are we at now? For better or for worse, who's the next Strokes? For better or for worse, with the state of the record industry in freefall, will there ever even be another Strokes?
And it got me thinking about Vampire Weekend because I listened to their album three times yesterday. I tried and tried and I really can't understand all the hate directed towards them. I missed all the pre-release hype, so all I've read is the post-release vitriol. Until they came along I don't think I ever read a review of what's essentially a four-piece indie rock band's music as being described as "afro-pop". Maybe so, but that term just sounds pretentious. To me they sound like Paul Simon's Graceland and recently remind me of a less alt. country Actual Tigers. But whatever their influences, what's so bad about a band who makes jaunty, highly melodic pop music? It seems like they made exactly the sort of record they wanted and while it owes debts all over town, they're not exactly piggybacking onto anyones coattails. You can't even say that the singer's got a whiny, annoyingly affected voice a la Messrs. Gibbard and Meloy. So I just don't get it.
Whatever. I just bought the reunited Kula Shaker's new album last night so I don't even know what that makes me. Perpetually 17-years-old and hoping for a Mansun reunion? Probably.
Reading about SXSW is what I imagine being forced to watch a slideshow of someone elses vacation must be like. Or being the only sober person at a kegger. I'm sure it's fun and all, but it's hard to really muster up much enthusiasm to read about it. So I'm glad it's over now and that the onslaught of SXSW updates are going to start trickling to a close. I have read exactly one recap of the festival and it was in yesterday's LA Times. One point stood out to me above all the others: there was no Next Big Thing. I hadn't thought of that in a while and it got me thinking because unless I'm missing something, there really isn't a predominant trend in music right now, is there? You know, the one sound or geographical location that's in vogue where the record companies rush to capitalize on and the media shines their spotlights in order to generate hype to hopefully sell records and magazines. Without thinking about it too hard, this decade we've had garage-rock, electroclash, post-post-punk, freak-folk, Swedes, Seattle (again) and Toronto... but where in the cycle are we at now? For better or for worse, who's the next Strokes? For better or for worse, with the state of the record industry in freefall, will there ever even be another Strokes?And it got me thinking about Vampire Weekend because I listened to their album three times yesterday. I tried and tried and I really can't understand all the hate directed towards them. I missed all the pre-release hype, so all I've read is the post-release vitriol. Until they came along I don't think I ever read a review of what's essentially a four-piece indie rock band's music as being described as "afro-pop". Maybe so, but that term just sounds pretentious. To me they sound like Paul Simon's Graceland and recently remind me of a less alt. country Actual Tigers. But whatever their influences, what's so bad about a band who makes jaunty, highly melodic pop music? It seems like they made exactly the sort of record they wanted and while it owes debts all over town, they're not exactly piggybacking onto anyones coattails. You can't even say that the singer's got a whiny, annoyingly affected voice a la Messrs. Gibbard and Meloy. So I just don't get it.
Whatever. I just bought the reunited Kula Shaker's new album last night so I don't even know what that makes me. Perpetually 17-years-old and hoping for a Mansun reunion? Probably.
