I know shaggy-haired boys making bouncy guitar tunes (inspired by your choice of either the Sex Pistols or the Kinks) will probably never go out of fashion, but there MUST be room for something else.
Apologies for re-hashing some other old ideas, but:
1. A genuinely brilliant, unashamedly well-read band that gatecrashes the charts. Talking Heads, the Smiths, Pulp, the Manics (especially the Manics)... British Sea Power should rightfully be the next on that list, but they've released a fair few radio-friendly singles (Please Stand Up, Waving Flags, etc.) and apparently the public just don't love them. But yeah, someone LIKE that.
2. A fusion of guitars and accessible pop/dance music that isn't terrible. It must be possible, even in a world that continues to carry the burden of Pendulum. Guitar music and electronica have been making eyes at each other for years; JBHR already. Sound-wise I'm thinking along the lines of CHVRCHES, Citizens!, FOE... for 2013, you know.
3. Does it always have to be four skinny lads? Could we not have an all-girl rock group that are actually really fucking good? So, not like the Donnas or the Pipettes, but... maybe like The Joy Formidable if you ditched the hairy ones at the back? A proper brilliant rock band that doesn't look like it's made up of DiSers (*cough* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l5lJDvqWi4 *cough*)
I'd even tolerate the NME stroking itself into a lather about it for a few months. It'd be worth it.
But you'd have to say regardless that they didn't exactly set the charts on fire, which is the issue at hand. I'm sure everyone could dig up all-girl indie acts with a *relatively* cult following.
I guess around Britpop you had stuff like Elastica and Kenickie, but they were still peripheral to the boys, not the main act.
I'd be really happy if Siouxsie & The Banshees & The Slits were the template for a new guitar band revolution instead of the bloody Beatles/Kinks/Pistols axis
in reality it'll probably be some bunch of U2 copyists called Joshua & The Trees or some shite
but I remember thinking 10 years ago or so (in the Travis/Stereophonics era) how it would be great if indie bands pillaged XTC, Gang of Four, et al and made indie more exciting again.
And then we ended up with the Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party. I refuse to accept responsibility for this but, you know, careful what you wish for.
you get a horde of chancers in their wake playing whatever sells.
There are great bands out there, and they'll come through eventually. Muscial geniuses are like extraterrastrial lifeforms,: logically they must exist, I just don't care whether they play guitars or not.
their best tune from the show I saw was only as good as Yeah Yeah Yeahs' worst b-side. If they're the future of music, no wonder everyone jizzes themselves about all these decrepit bands reforming
Just think of it as having builders in. A long stretch of hellish awfulness with men you don’t know making a lot of noise as they destroy everything you once held dear. But then, when it’s all over, you’re all set up to have a massive party.
Good article. Not saying anything particularly revolutionary- it's simply a very well expressed regurgitation of the cyclical nature of alternative (cash-strapped, creative, defiant) to mainstream (established, complacent, conformist) to alternative to mainstream and so on that all genres perpetually go through.
It's always something that people need reminding of.
But that last line is the best sign-off I've read in a music article for absolutely years. Wished I'd have thought of it.
And I think it's totally true. There was a thread on here a few years back about acts who have released incredibly great material but at a time when their genre was really struggling. People always innovate and rebel against the norm when it gets dull.
I remember having a chat with someone on here about this matter a few years back but the other way around. It was at a time when Scouting for girls, Athlete, etc were all dominating the charts and every single song sounded the same. And yeah, sadly it's happened to pop now thanks to much of it all being produced by the same 3 people right now.
I just assumed the whole article was poking fun at people who think that pop music is somehow about NOT having guitars because it's such a weird (and massively retro) idea to be lugging around in an age where singles are doing so well.
Maybe it's all down to record labels trying to create partisanship again to sell more records. Weird.
Like how Crystal Castles were a reaction to the OC-friendly mom & pop indie-rock of Postal Service, etc. Or how Icarus Line were the Strokes for the really cool kids, and Trail of Dead were the important band that White Stripes got the credit for, etc... or how Razorlight had the Libertines' success in terms of global sales.
A&R is just pattern recognition really (is kinda what I hear repeated by old timers, a lot). I was so sick of style-over-substance American bands and scuzzy leather-clad Aussies that I put out a Kaiser Chiefs single. You gotta hate to create...
So you can look at this musical 'changing of the seasons' in two ways. Either
1. Loads of shit indie bands writing fucking rubbish cliched music, which hurts your ears much more than rubbish pop, cos at least rubbish pop doesn't have this direct lineage to the music you enjoy
or
2. That some genuinely great 'band' artists (cos we're talking about indie bands here, the phrase 'guitar music' is a bit misleading) will slip through the cracks and get signed, get exposure, get on TV etc, which will offset all the crap we'll have to put up with.
Personally, I'm fucking excited about guitar music coming back, and I, for the most part, hate guitars. The music I enjoy listening to will exist regardless, but an indie music mainstream is SO much more interesting than a pop mainstream- bands are FUNNY, you can laugh at them, slag them off, cringe- it just doesn't feel the same doing that with pop acts. I look back on stuff like Menswear (sorry, Menswe@r) or Simon Amstell interviewing the Kooks on Popworld and find that stuff genuinely great, because it's fun (at the bands expense, but they deserve it).
The thing I'm not looking forward to is zeitgeist and hype about shite bands, and people who's opinions I respect will be going on about how ace this new slacker rock band in baseball caps and tie dye t shirts are. All the hip kids who were listening to How To Dress Well and Clams Casino will soon be listening to grunge throwback stuff (okay that's a massive exaggeration but you get the idea). Though I'm prepared to rise above it if it means there is a bit more FUN in mainstream music.
Also- I reckon that mainstream indie is much more likely to build up dedicated fanbases than a lot of pop (obviously stuff like JB and One Direction is an exception)- but crucially, this, coupled with indie/guitar musics perceived authenticity, means that young teenagers are more likely to become interested in music as a whole (rather than pop fans who obsess over one artist for 2 years then get on with their lives), and become proper music fans, or perhaps even start to create music themselves, which will then, hopefully, evolve into something really worthwhile as they get older. That's probably a bit idealistic, but there's something in it, I think. It could be argued that there is a direct link between indie music fans and indie music creators, whereas that link doesn't really exist as much in the pop sphere.
It’s not the Middle East. I’m sure different styles of music can happily co-exist on radio. This so-called credible ‘guitar music’ that’s being discussed is effectively pop music itself, anyway, constructed from the same kind of arrangements and strong melodies. And some pop music is indisputably awful, despite being annoyingly catchy. That’s why we get indie wanks saying phrases like “just good pop” to justify why they can’t get the latest Calvin Harris song out of their heads.
Anyway, is radio still an essential or viable medium for music these days anyway? It’s noted that most radio stations have a very select list of contemporary songs that are on constant rotation, with the odd addition of old hits from the past ten or twenty years. By the time a song is being played on the radio, most people (ie. The Youth and people with an active interest in all music) have probably heard it and made a judgement on it, and have probably overplayed it. To me, it seems that radio is constantly catching up. I don’t think anyone has much to worry about.
It's either a 'The Onion' style parody of rockist attitudes, or a paranoid jumble of conjecture and fantasy. If it's serious, it's a pretty silly article.
Oh man
there's gonna be SUCH a controversy when Bugg goes electric
Does the new rock revolution always have to be such a throwback?
I know shaggy-haired boys making bouncy guitar tunes (inspired by your choice of either the Sex Pistols or the Kinks) will probably never go out of fashion, but there MUST be room for something else.
Apologies for re-hashing some other old ideas, but:
1. A genuinely brilliant, unashamedly well-read band that gatecrashes the charts. Talking Heads, the Smiths, Pulp, the Manics (especially the Manics)... British Sea Power should rightfully be the next on that list, but they've released a fair few radio-friendly singles (Please Stand Up, Waving Flags, etc.) and apparently the public just don't love them. But yeah, someone LIKE that.
2. A fusion of guitars and accessible pop/dance music that isn't terrible. It must be possible, even in a world that continues to carry the burden of Pendulum. Guitar music and electronica have been making eyes at each other for years; JBHR already. Sound-wise I'm thinking along the lines of CHVRCHES, Citizens!, FOE... for 2013, you know.
3. Does it always have to be four skinny lads? Could we not have an all-girl rock group that are actually really fucking good? So, not like the Donnas or the Pipettes, but... maybe like The Joy Formidable if you ditched the hairy ones at the back? A proper brilliant rock band that doesn't look like it's made up of DiSers (*cough* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l5lJDvqWi4 *cough*)
I'd even tolerate the NME stroking itself into a lather about it for a few months. It'd be worth it.
2+3
...and people wonder why I love Paramore.
If only they had a little more from point 1, and I think people wouldn't think my love of that band was a running joke.
Point 3 - Warpaint
All girl rock group who are actually really good. Bit of a dance vibe for your point 2, not so sure about point 1 for them though.
I never understood the appeal of Warpaint so I can't comment quality-wise
But you'd have to say regardless that they didn't exactly set the charts on fire, which is the issue at hand. I'm sure everyone could dig up all-girl indie acts with a *relatively* cult following.
I guess around Britpop you had stuff like Elastica and Kenickie, but they were still peripheral to the boys, not the main act.
proper brilliant
genuinely brilliant
proper genuinely brilliant haircuts
i'm bringing back grunge rock in January if that's enough?
also i don't really have any hair on the top of my head
and my band mate reads loads
SAVAGES
Yes!
Can't believe I forgot about them. Great example. Not exactly laden with smash hits but I can see the NME picking them up and making them pretty big.
basically,
I'd be really happy if Siouxsie & The Banshees & The Slits were the template for a new guitar band revolution instead of the bloody Beatles/Kinks/Pistols axis
in reality it'll probably be some bunch of U2 copyists called Joshua & The Trees or some shite
You say that...
but I remember thinking 10 years ago or so (in the Travis/Stereophonics era) how it would be great if indie bands pillaged XTC, Gang of Four, et al and made indie more exciting again.
And then we ended up with the Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party. I refuse to accept responsibility for this but, you know, careful what you wish for.
I was thinking more of bands developing the inspiration and influences
rather than half-arsed carbon copies
if only her out of Factory Floor was as mesmerising/awesome as Siouxsie Sioux and had Robert Smith on guitar
Well, every brilliant band playing with their influences and creating something new
you get a horde of chancers in their wake playing whatever sells.
There are great bands out there, and they'll come through eventually. Muscial geniuses are like extraterrastrial lifeforms,: logically they must exist, I just don't care whether they play guitars or not.
not really
their best tune from the show I saw was only as good as Yeah Yeah Yeahs' worst b-side. If they're the future of music, no wonder everyone jizzes themselves about all these decrepit bands reforming
yeah but
you've got cloth ears
I saw Savages on Later
and assumed it was some kind of Chris Morris-esque prank, they were so embarrassingly, cringemakingly awful.
Savages are fucking wank
That last paragraph is ace
Just think of it as having builders in. A long stretch of hellish awfulness with men you don’t know making a lot of noise as they destroy everything you once held dear. But then, when it’s all over, you’re all set up to have a massive party.
came here ready to paste that and make exactly the same point
Good article. Not saying anything particularly revolutionary- it's simply a very well expressed regurgitation of the cyclical nature of alternative (cash-strapped, creative, defiant) to mainstream (established, complacent, conformist) to alternative to mainstream and so on that all genres perpetually go through.
It's always something that people need reminding of.
But that last line is the best sign-off I've read in a music article for absolutely years. Wished I'd have thought of it.
Enjoyed it though.
'enjoyed it though' makes no sense. Bad Editing.
Superb article.
Yeah I liked that
And I think it's totally true. There was a thread on here a few years back about acts who have released incredibly great material but at a time when their genre was really struggling. People always innovate and rebel against the norm when it gets dull.
I remember having a chat with someone on here about this matter a few years back but the other way around. It was at a time when Scouting for girls, Athlete, etc were all dominating the charts and every single song sounded the same. And yeah, sadly it's happened to pop now thanks to much of it all being produced by the same 3 people right now.
These things are cyclical eh?
Surely Athlete are just pop music with guitars?
I just assumed the whole article was poking fun at people who think that pop music is somehow about NOT having guitars because it's such a weird (and massively retro) idea to be lugging around in an age where singles are doing so well.
Maybe it's all down to record labels trying to create partisanship again to sell more records. Weird.
Athlete are/were a band whose sole reason for existing was the gaps between Coldplay albums.
Yeah
Like how Crystal Castles were a reaction to the OC-friendly mom & pop indie-rock of Postal Service, etc. Or how Icarus Line were the Strokes for the really cool kids, and Trail of Dead were the important band that White Stripes got the credit for, etc... or how Razorlight had the Libertines' success in terms of global sales.
A&R is just pattern recognition really (is kinda what I hear repeated by old timers, a lot). I was so sick of style-over-substance American bands and scuzzy leather-clad Aussies that I put out a Kaiser Chiefs single. You gotta hate to create...
I assume this is a tongue in cheek article because I found it pretty funny.
Taking the piss out of 'popists' is a fun notion. :D
if you want pop's nadir....
head straight for the new girls aloud single..
stunningly cynical and derivative in its box ticking.
fuck me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHSFTrcJYmM&feature=relmfu
That was a first: the 30 second ad before a YouTube video being for the song in the YouTube video.
Kind of like when the A-Team used to start with a quick set of clips from the upcoming show.
For lots of people on here, I reckon that 'guitar music' (vomit) is closer to the stuff we listen to than Example etc (just)
So you can look at this musical 'changing of the seasons' in two ways. Either
1. Loads of shit indie bands writing fucking rubbish cliched music, which hurts your ears much more than rubbish pop, cos at least rubbish pop doesn't have this direct lineage to the music you enjoy
or
2. That some genuinely great 'band' artists (cos we're talking about indie bands here, the phrase 'guitar music' is a bit misleading) will slip through the cracks and get signed, get exposure, get on TV etc, which will offset all the crap we'll have to put up with.
Personally, I'm fucking excited about guitar music coming back, and I, for the most part, hate guitars. The music I enjoy listening to will exist regardless, but an indie music mainstream is SO much more interesting than a pop mainstream- bands are FUNNY, you can laugh at them, slag them off, cringe- it just doesn't feel the same doing that with pop acts. I look back on stuff like Menswear (sorry, Menswe@r) or Simon Amstell interviewing the Kooks on Popworld and find that stuff genuinely great, because it's fun (at the bands expense, but they deserve it).
The thing I'm not looking forward to is zeitgeist and hype about shite bands, and people who's opinions I respect will be going on about how ace this new slacker rock band in baseball caps and tie dye t shirts are. All the hip kids who were listening to How To Dress Well and Clams Casino will soon be listening to grunge throwback stuff (okay that's a massive exaggeration but you get the idea). Though I'm prepared to rise above it if it means there is a bit more FUN in mainstream music.
Also- I reckon that mainstream indie is much more likely to build up dedicated fanbases than a lot of pop (obviously stuff like JB and One Direction is an exception)- but crucially, this, coupled with indie/guitar musics perceived authenticity, means that young teenagers are more likely to become interested in music as a whole (rather than pop fans who obsess over one artist for 2 years then get on with their lives), and become proper music fans, or perhaps even start to create music themselves, which will then, hopefully, evolve into something really worthwhile as they get older. That's probably a bit idealistic, but there's something in it, I think. It could be argued that there is a direct link between indie music fans and indie music creators, whereas that link doesn't really exist as much in the pop sphere.
Anyway, sorry, TL;DR etc
music's generally pretty shit
you guys are wasting your time on it
really poorly-written article.
^^^ You just don't know what he's going to say next!!!
Does it have to be one or the other, though?
It’s not the Middle East. I’m sure different styles of music can happily co-exist on radio. This so-called credible ‘guitar music’ that’s being discussed is effectively pop music itself, anyway, constructed from the same kind of arrangements and strong melodies. And some pop music is indisputably awful, despite being annoyingly catchy. That’s why we get indie wanks saying phrases like “just good pop” to justify why they can’t get the latest Calvin Harris song out of their heads.
Anyway, is radio still an essential or viable medium for music these days anyway? It’s noted that most radio stations have a very select list of contemporary songs that are on constant rotation, with the odd addition of old hits from the past ten or twenty years. By the time a song is being played on the radio, most people (ie. The Youth and people with an active interest in all music) have probably heard it and made a judgement on it, and have probably overplayed it. To me, it seems that radio is constantly catching up. I don’t think anyone has much to worry about.
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4420250#r7166534
I'm not sure I really get this one
It's either a 'The Onion' style parody of rockist attitudes, or a paranoid jumble of conjecture and fantasy. If it's serious, it's a pretty silly article.