One of the biggest musical debates over the past thirty years or so has to be the old "they sold out" declarations. The hardcore hippies don't like it when their band plays a venue larger than 1,000 or produces an album that makes enough money to pay for anything other than weed and alfalfa sprouts. There is definitely a fine line between becoming a relevant band and being quoted by fourteen year old girls. My opinion is that if you truly appreciate your band's music, you would want others to share in your enjoyment. I like when I see a teenager playing some old Pearl Jam or singing along to Blue Oyster Cult even.
People all too often want to tell you that you "should" be listening to a certain band. It's almost like a hip thing to do. Not necessarily because they like the music, but more like it is the trend. Tell me why it is good music. Do they have a nice tempo? Are the lyrics well written? How is this music worth listening to over what I already have? Fans are one thing, but the bands themselves are another. I like U2, hell I'm going to see them in four days, but Bono needs to go pound sand about how important he is. You're not the male version of Oprah! What happened to the meaningful lyrics of the Joshua Tree or the Unforgettable Fire? Some friends and I had a similar debate this weekend over Radiohead. Personally, I wonder if Radiohead isn't just a production of their own hype at this point. They had such epic tunes in the late nineties, but then Thom Yorke decided that turning into Liam Gallagher was more of a priority. You're not bigger than the music my friend. Ask Richard Ashcroft how that sort of crap works when he decided to blow up The Verve when they were just becoming relevant. I'm kind of off on a tangent at this point, but I think that good music is good music no matter how many records you sell. I think that you can make a more radio friendly record that still has important lyrics and good sound, and I don't think that growing beards and failing to bathe makes you an important band even if you think you're great.
Digital Ditty
With this week's topic in mind, I'll throw a newer band at all of you that I think will be important in the coming years. The Airbourne Toxic Event has a very new sound that is almost like melodic spoken word. The tunes grow throughout each song almost like a small story. I also guarantee that they'll be stuck in your head after a mere few listens. So be sure to jump on the bandwagon now because if you don't like them until their next album, you'll be a poser and they'll be sellouts and this whole thing will collapse like the White House in Independence Day. Jump on iTunes or your favorite downloading agent to snag Wishing Well and Sometime Around Midnight. It's a nice pair to get your introduced to a new sound.
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I think you're off base on Radiohead. In chronological order their albums have peaked in the US at 32, 88, 21, 1, 2, 3, 1. They're becoming MORE popluar as their music gets more obtuse.
ReplyDeleteIn fact In Rainbows, their lastest disc, was released on the internet about 2 months before they started selling in stores. Meaning most hardcore fans had already bought the album and it still debuted number 1.
Thom Yorke is a weird little dude, but he's no rock star. Liam Gallagher is full of himself, Thom Yorke is completely the opposite, he's crippled by self doubt.
I love Radiohead because they've put as much thought into their music as I do. That's different than almost every other popular musician out there (Country musicians especially).