Ugly Pop World Drives Beauty Underground
by Mike BaronThe disconnect between beauty and popularity in music has never been greater. Where once America sang the Beatles or Motown (”The Sound of Young America”), today the music industry is severely fragmented. Gangsta rap. Speed metal. Trip-hop. The major recording companies whine about declining profits even as they pay Mariah Carey $18 million not to record.
Unanimity of public opinion over popular song has passed. Music, which used to unite, now divides. Eminem and Ludacris would have been unthinkable thirty years ago. We live in an antinomian age where it’s hip to defy conventional wisdom long after every vestige of conventional wisdom lies in tatters. Where Keats’ Grecian Urn once proclaimed, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” today’s antinomian consumer proclaims, “Whatever,” in a voice oozing ennui.
Cultural arbiters such as The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and People regularly cover hip-hop as serious art, generally in the music section. But if music is a combination of rhythm, harmony, and melody, where does hip-hop, with its chanting and choruses “sampled” from better songs fit in? Is it music? Not by definition. It’s a perpetuation of “the dozens,” the tradition of black cultural put-downs and sports-style cheerleading set to a beat.
The Billboard Top 100 is depressing. The artists are either rappers or American Idol survivors. It’s great that Stevie Wonder sings a song with the Jonas Brothers, but where is the new Stevie Wonder?
Thank God for the divas. Thirty years ago, the divas were Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Martha Reeves, Patti LaBelle and their ilk–real women with real songs. Today’s divas are Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and Ashlee Simpson. Can anybody hum anything by Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera? How about the Back Street Boys, ‘N’ Sync, or Justin Timberlake? Today’s divas, exemplified by the vocal acrobats on American Idol, prove their divaness by avoiding the melody.
There are Top Forty artists who still value craft. Occasionally, a real song makes it on the play list. Maroon 5 and Leona Lewis suggest song craft is not entirely dead. It has merely been driven underground.
What an underground.
If you’ve never hummed a Beatles song, have no love for The Who, Cheap Trick, the Raspberries, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Stone Roses, Tom Petty, Linda Rondstadt, the Bangles, the Beach Boys, the Beckies, Badfinger or the Byrds, stop here. Go back to your X-Box.
Like Australian convicts, eucalyptus trees and the nutria, pop music has flourished in exile. Thousands of bands have taken advantage of new technology to record themselves, and offer their product over the Internet. Thanks to downloadable programs like GarageBand.com, you don’t even need to produce CDs.
Most self-released records go for twelve to thirteen dollars. Not cheap, but they offer things no major label can match: unalloyed joy and soaring pop song craft. Peter Townshend, lead singer and guitarist for The Who, coined the term “power pop” to indicate the type of complex, joyful, upbeat music pioneered by the Beatles. Power pop songs use harmonies and have at least three chords.
PowerPop keeps track of many of these bands. Most have their own websites. All pursue song craft with skill and passion: The Offbeat, The Churchills, The Davenports, The Wigs, The Wellingtons, Scott Miller, Sloan, L’Avventura, Superdrag, The Shazam, Heavy Blinkers, Bryan Scary, Hindu Rodeo, Michael Carpenter and Ness, to name a handful of the more important bands.
Independent popsters are more politically savvy than their gargantuan Top 40 Counterparts. (Did you ever imagine that Bruce Springsteen, who started so well, would end up spouting socialist crap?) Hindu Rodeo in particular gets it. On their first, self-titled album, “Evil White Man” gleams with pop smarts and a great hook. “I wish I was a woman/ So I’d think with my head/Not just the one ‘tween my legs/So I’d live twice as Long/Dance on my grave when I’m gone/But I’m an evil white man.”
Their second album, Nalladaloobr, is even better with brilliant, incisive, and danceable songs such as “McLife,” “American People” and “Somebody’s Eyes.”
Greg Pope’s Popmonster which dominated ‘08’s Top Ten Lists, proves the power of the lone artist working by himself. Unbelievably, Greg Pope recorded every sound: drums, guitar, keys, you name it, and provided all the vocals. The results are one of the most dynamic shout-it-out rock records since Born to Run.
The songs are way beyond my baby don’t love me, dealing with family responsibility in “I Got a Life” and individual responsibility in “Burden.”
Other power poppers who do it all themselves include Bryan Scary on his first record, Ed James, Josh Fix whose Free at Last came out of nowhere to land on everybody’s Top Ten, Jason Falkner, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Michael Behm, and the Well Wishers to name a few.
Bill Majoros of The Foreign Films released a two disc debut set in 2007 that compares favorably to The White Album for sheer breadth and scope. The Foreign Films play with an overwhelming emotional power that most modern bands can’t grasp.
Some power poppers achieve major label success but they are the exception and not the rule. Barenaked Ladies and Fort Collins, Colorado’s Color Me Pink are two such bands.
Seattle-based Sub Pop has offered haven to The Shins, Fleet Foxes, and Flight of the Conchords.
Not Lame Records is foremost among the tiny independent labels carrying the power pop torch. Not Lame’s premier act is the Nashville-based Shazam, a trio with soaring, anthemic songs and enormous guitar. Not Lame’s owner, Bruce Brodeen, is a devout Christian who trained to be a Lutheran minister. One day he had an epiphany: he was to start his own label. Not Lame has rescued stunning power pop from the past such as the two Toms records, another one man band in the person of Tommy Marolda.
New York-based Rainbow Quartz Records is another outstanding power pop label, specializing in finding acts from all over the world. Especially Sweden. During this season of ABBA revival it comes as no surprise that the dark Scandinavian countries produce some of the sunniest music ever recorded. In particular, Rainbow Quartz’ Marmalade Souls is a haunting evocation of Mommas and Poppas era rock with a spark of fresh genius.
Rainbow Quarts is also home to Andy Bopp (Myracle Brah) and RockFour, the tightest rockin’ psychedelic band to ever emerge from Tel Aviv.
You can find most of these bands on fan sites such as Powerpopaholic and Absolute Powerpop. Every year going as far back as I can remember has been notable, but 2008 was one of the very best. You can find my Top Ten list and numerous others at: Not Lame Blog.
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89 Comments
There's a plethora of good stuff on the internet and elsewhere. And to find it there are sites like http://last.fm and http://cherrypeel.com
It's really amazing how much good stuff there is that we never get to hear unless we do the work ourselves to find it.
Which is one reason I am pro-file sharing. It exposes people to a lot of material they would never have heard otherwise.
The Anderson Council, local NJ outfit… very good stuff. Also got to see Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam about a year ago (sadly, Knowles and his buds have decided to record separately so I don't know if the band will record as such any more). The good stuff is out there!
The problem is a lack of a shared culture. Whatever you think of the politics of the bands of the 1980's, from the early punksters like the Germs, to shocka-billy the Cramps, to the New Wave romantics like Talk Talk or Brian Eno, to punk-traditionalist revivalists like X, melody and crafstmanship in lyrics, musicianship, beat, were all equally important and in their own way beautiful.
A song by say, the Dead Kennedys might be brutal, but still beautiful in it's raw brutality and in-your-face attitude from lyrics to musicianship. Sixties parody-noir-celebrants like Wall of Voodoo would ridicule and homage at the same time stuff Spector did, and outdo him as well, with a weird melange of the ordinary and noirish. Which was, beautiful.
Music to move people, has to be beautiful. Today's artists lack the shared craft, knowledge, ability, and passion to make music that is beautiful. The 1980's were the last decade in which beauty, coming from painstaking craftsmanship, actually mattered.
A few artists make music that is beautiful, but if they are mere isolated voices in the din of modern life, what does it matter? Shared culture, and the values implicit in it, matter. Even guys whose politics are probably 100% different from mine, like the Dead Kennedys, made music that was compelling, crafty, and in it's own way beautiful (like say Picasso's cubist portraits). Now it's all just noise.
Mike Baron is right. If you want to listen to good music you have to go to the underground and find it yourself. It's a shame, there are many bands that should be played on the radio but are not. I can't listen to the radio any more because I am tired of hearing talentless bands.
The problem isn't really the lack of good artists, the problem is the old record label system and its unholy alliance with FM radio and MTV … all of which are dying (which is why MTV is nothing but bottom of the barrel "reality" shows instead of music).
The problem will be solved the same way Hollywood's problems will be solved, by decentralization.
No single "conservative" or "libertarian" political/economic principal is more important to the quality of any given product or service (even government) than decentralization.
Centralization is Marxism. Marxism is destruction and death.
Anyway, if you find that rare gem of a band or musician you like, head on over to a site like Taste Kid (ignore the goofy emo artwork) and use the search engine to find other similar artists. Or just use Pandora or LastFM to create your own custom radio stations.
There's a LOT of good music out there regardless of what styles you like, just don't expect the mall record stores, FM radio or MTV to tell you about any of it.
The problem isn't really the lack of good artists, the problem is the old record label system and its unholy alliance with FM radio and MTV … all of which are dying (which is why MTV is nothing but bottom of the barrel "reality" shows instead of music).
The problem will be solved the same way Hollywood's problems will be solved, by decentralization.
No single "conservative" or "libertarian" political/economic principal is more important to the quality of any given product or service (even government) than decentralization.
Centralization is Marxism. Marxism is destruction and death.
Anyway, if you find that rare gem of a band or musician you like, head on over to a site like Taste Kid (ignore the goofy emo artwork) and use the search engine to find other similar artists. Or just use Pandora or LastFM to create your own custom radio stations.
There's a LOT of good music out there regardless of what styles you like, just don't expect the mall record stores, FM radio or MTV to tell you about any of it.
Radio is for political commentary, not music :p
I was just thinking today that almost all the music I play on a regular basis is at least 30 years old. I don't have the time to search hard for quality new music so I really appreciate these tips on where to find some lesser or unknown songsters.
We make our music in my garage. Luckily my friend Walter Clevenger, a powerpop guy, decided our kinda country sound was pop enough for his label, Brewery Records.
I'm very lucky to even have my music out there. Not gonna make much $$, but @ 51, with a family, my dreams of world conquest are behind me.
EVERY artist I've discovered in the last decade I found on the internet. I haven't listened to music on the radio in probably 15 years, haven't watched music on TV in over 20.
Run a few of your favorite old time artists through Taste Kid, Pandora or LastFM and see if anything new comes up. I bet you'll be surprised what you find (it may not be brand new either, but it'll still be new to you).
Oh and when you find music you like DO NOT seek to find anything out about the artists … the less you know about them the easier it will be to enjoy their work.
For all intents and purposes, I’ve been of the mindset pop music died around 1985, 1987 probably at the latest. As mentioned above, too many narrowly defined genres to make the focus group suits’ jobs easier, at least to them. AOR, CCR, CHR, MOR, ACR … to borrow the words of the mighty Paul Westerberg, power pop aficionado extraordinaire, ADD, PCP, F-U-C-K-E-D – that’s me!
Not saying good pop didn’t surface from time to time since. It has, although far too sparingly for this guy whose earliest introductions to music came courtesy jukeboxes filled with Elton John, Paul McCartney & Wings, Van Halen and everything that’d make K-Billy’s Super Sounds of the 70s (and early 80s) proud. Just died as the driving force it once was. Damn shame, too, ‘cause the .mp3 generation has no idea what they missed. Great, how long till I start shouting “Get off my lawn!!!”?
Not sure how your tastes run, mrpither, but The Drams' Brent Best is the 21st century Paul Westerberg, lyrics cannot be beat. Former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell channels the Band in his own unique way, too. New West Records, knows how to find 'em.
I think your post almost contradicts itself–you seem to dislike current music yet you present a formidable list of current music you support. Top 40 has been scrubbed of all character by Clear Channel, which makes the airwaves like McDonalds–perfectly safe, certainly profitable, but bland and unoriginal. But there's room for both. You may not like the Hot 100, but a lot of people do, and that's always been the case. Independent artists have figured out how to do an end run around corporate management/censorship and as far as creativity goes that's a good thing. The business model has changed forever, but who said it wouldn't? Don't slam the X-box kids too hard. They probably know all the bands you listed because they've either 'played' them on Guitar hero or have downloaded them from iTunes after hearing them on American Idol. We'll get a new Stevie Wonder eventually…he's right behind the next Mozart!
Led Zeppelin didn't give a damn what your politics were and they didn't tell you what theirs were either. That is music how it should be, not preachy and political but well thought out and well preformed. Any band, old or new, pop or not, musically inclined or sample freaks could learn from the musicianship and ability to write a song from them. Imo no other band has been able to craft a song like them, intricately woven around the music itself with the lyrics being secondary, or an afterthought. The culture of today couldn't stand a band like that, Britney, Justin and the rest of the wannabee's would be out of business. You have to have more than a three second attention span to appreciate Led Zeppelin which of course is unacceptable today.
I love the way the music scene is today. Who the hell needs or wants a label anymore? I can literally record in ANY ROOM OF MY HOUSE with my network of Macs and ProTools. Granted, I'm a solo guitarist, but just about any pimply-faced group of teens with a garage band can afford to record themselves with the technology available today. Hell, Garage Band '08 has a silly name, but it's not a toy anymore, AS I USE IT TO RECORD MY LIVE SHOWS NOW!
It really and truly is amazing to see the traditional recording studios and labels dying long, slow, lingering, miserable deaths as artists go independent and forget all about the old paradigms. Since artists get a much larger share of the profits this way, what's not to like?
Oh, and the live scene has never been better. It seems like just about every little diner owner is up for some live background music as long as it isn't too loud and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
The missing piece of the puzzle is promotion and exposure, but as the internet continues to grow and get faster and more ubiquitous, that will take care of itself. It's already happening.
Don't forget the Rutles. I used to be in AOR radio, back when there used to be…good lord, I'm old – Music! Rap is not music- it's eubonics run amok. The problem with the fuzzy left today is that they have no one to give them anthem, a purpose. What do they write today? My Nano is a no go and the chicks treat me bad. Pishposh. Give me the days of rock, rythm and roll.
I'm sure ill be exactaly the same thirty years from now as you are MB. Another old timer longing for their heyday. Theres plenty of amazing music out there today. Anything Mike Patton touches (Tomahawk,Mr. Bungle(R.I.P.), Fantomas, more), TOOL, DIlinger Escape Plan, and well i gues i should say im a metal fan. Speed, Prog, Math,Power, tons more. But i'll admit these days TOP 40 are pretty horrible. I dont even know what will be part of the 00's station years from now. Labels seem to be interested in "Ring Tone" music. No effert is taken to build up fan bases so bands release one album then fall into obscurity. Everything is always compared and overshadowed by past years material.
I have no idea why BH is celebrating power-pop, but since you mention Jason Falkner and Roger Joseph Manning Jr., it's worth noting that they were both in the great Jellyfish. 1993's SPILT MILK is an awesome album if you like that kind of thing.
But no love for XTC? Why, just cuz of "Dear God"? It's just one song out of a formidable catalogue.
Whiskey,
Don't know if anyone else appreciated your post, but you really touched on how I have felt about the music biz for quite a while. I have found the odd thing here and there that I have liked on the net, I see some things here I like, others I need to check out. But, like you, I miss the days gone by of music. The Kennedys? Wow, wasn't expecting that! Keep them doggies rollin'.
Finally, someone else who remembers Wall of Voodoo. Call of the West was arguably the best album ever to come out of the New Wave scene, and it's criminal that all anybody remembers of that band is that one line from "Mexican Radio."
I wish I was in Tijuana
Eating barbecued iguana…
you are so right that the music that is good today is found in the underground just about every artist that I have in my mp3 player right now is no where to be found on FM radio now some of it you can hear on Satellite radio but everything else was found through the Internet. I've discovered a wealth of artists through the Internet I've discovered genres of music that had it not been for the Internet I would have never listened to any of those artists in those genres.Tthank god that the record labels and MTV and FM radio are dead.
There always has been good music out there. There has always been crap out there. Both have always been there for the taking. The forced/mixed marriage of gospel, blues, soul/r&b and hillbilly music in the late 40's early 50's is what we have listened to since. A lot of us had older brothers and sisters who were doo wop fans, Chuck Berry fans merging into Perry Como fans. As a youngster, you heard all this and then came the British with their theft/interpretation of our blues and r&b. Remember, ALL of this was on free radio!! You could, on most any AM station, hear anything and everything all day long. Then FM came in strong around '68 and started the fragmentation of music with long cuts and personality driven music.
My son started played bass with some bands in the late 90's . Naturally, the music was loud, screaming, ranting, hardcore noise popular at the time. Think Furnace Fest type stuff. His music was underground and there were some creative bands. I found most of them to be conservative, independent and radically libertarian.
Point? Music will never be compromised unless you let it.
As a former singer I have no time for rap or the hop hop music. I remember a time when music, including RnB was something you could listen to and find the differences between the artists. You always knew who the band or singer was.
Great post, Mike, I intend to check out all the groups you mentioned. Thanks!
I love that song Dear God, and I believe in God (sometimes – ok I do pray a lot). I think that’s the best song XTC ever did. BUT Baron is missing the great Britpop stuff. Is there anyone better than Oasis was? The answer is NO, and they do lean towards the right BTW!
Yeah. Most of the recent bands I really, REALLY like of late I got hooked on through friends reccomendations. Four that come to mind I actually got hooked on because John Ringo, a SciFi author, tends to integrate his musical tastes heavily into his books (you can grab a sample at the free library via baen.com). Within Temptation (orchestral, epic metal..) DragonForce (upbeat speed metal on steroids with epic/fantasy lyrics), Heather Alexander (Original and traditional celtic) and last but not least: The Cruxshadows, a band that tours worldwide, has a large euro following, and plays every year at Dragoncon.
Think a more powerful, higher-energy depeche mode, with a dab of goth thrown in (they are usually labeled as darkwave). Crunchy, dancable, melodic, and ethereal (usually have one or two violinists on tour and violins play prominently in the melody). The thing that separates them from the industrial/alternative/whatnot I left long ago is their attitude. NOT whiny or emo. NOT nihilistic. Instead (with a heavy dose of greek mythology and one album based on the Trojan War) we have praise of heroism, bravery, and yes, the military, welded to a refutation of post-modern sensibilities.
I strongly recommend their songs Dragonfly, Winterborn (my sacrifice) – the song that got me hooked, Citadel, Immortal, Birthday, or Eye of the Storm.
Yeah, Sloan totally make all their records with Garageband.
Underground Garage on XM has some great music. I enjoy it in spite the constant spectre of Bruce Springsteen (Little Steven runs the channel) and the DJs’ occasional asinine political comments. Just about everything they play could be considered power pop. Plus, they play quite a bit of The Ramones.
wow you know a lot aobut music. i wish i had more tiem to listen to music but i got to work too much. i like more classic rock than the new wave. do you know ted nugent and bad company and stuff lieek that? i also like golden earring and other stuff (not lead zeppli). i don't know if you know his work his best stuff was with the dam yankees (i wont spell it in case any kids are reading) you rpoblably know the song high enough. acn you take me high enough? and then the guitar. he had the funniest hat on. he was with the singer of nightranger and also styx two other big fav of myn. your music osunds interesting though and maybe my duaghter would be a fan. i have never heard of not lame records but they sound interesting.
Agreed. Mike Patton is one of my favorite singers of all time. I would also recommend bands like Opeth, Meshuggah, Cynic and Porcupine Tree.
I agree with you maat, CC & Citadel have sucked the life out of the creativity. Pizza Hut in Stereo.
Best is the new Westerberg? Very high praise, indeed- thanks for the tip, will have to check him out. Have liked the Drive-bys for a while, didn't know Isbell was solo.
newdude, absolutely agree. +1.
Not a big fan of pop (never have been). However, you do make an excellent point. 20-25 years ago my friends and I observed a strange relationship between appearance and musicianship. This led to the Inverse Rock Rule, which states the musical skills and talent of a group or individual are inversely proportional to how good they look. This explains the musical mastery of such bands as the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Rush, Frank Zappa, etc. and the smoke and mirrors illusion of a glut of boy bands. MTV sowed the seeds of their own destruction when they stopped airing real bands and went with overproduced crap performed by good looking "artists" who neither write music nor play any instruments. Unfortunately to the bulk of music fans like me "Pop" music is defined by these very same overdubbed skanks.
This summer my daughter will be begging for tickets to whatever teen pop icon Disney is currently pimping, while I have cash set aside for Dream Theater and Zappa plays Zappa. Yeah, they get no airtime and have no videos, but they write & play like no one else, and they still have legions of fans (God only knows how).
Yeah, mucus totally makes all her comments with Tardpost.
Why don't you take your dumb ugly ass someplace else? We all know you're stupid, you don't have to keep proving it.
Don't forget Superdrag, Ozma, and The Rentals
"Can anybody hum anything by Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera? How about the Back Street Boys, ‘N’ Sync, or Justin Timberlake? Today’s divas…"
Hahaha!
Did you really just do what I think you did?
Gotta say that while I've never really taken to their albums as a whole, "Mayor of Simpleton" was great.
I think it’s real funny that you included Back Street Boys, ‘N’ Sync, & Justin Timberlake in the paragraph about the Divas.
I lost touch with music in the 90’s. I guess that was about the time MTV stopped the music videos. Just a couple weeks ago some friends on Facebook wanted us to list the artists that we had on our portable music players and I sadly had to fess up that I had no contact with music of any kind.
I heard about Last.fm a while ago and the software to tell you what’s good now based on your input of favorite bands. That sounds like a good thing. Is that what Last is? or is that something else? But I am now going to have to start some research. I foresee some expenses coming up for me as I invest in some home audio equipment soon.
Was really big into XTC. Colin Moulding is one of the best rock bassists ever.
I actually played bass for him once. It was a session we recorded direct to two track. I've never heard it though. It was released in Spain….I think. And I think we did a version of Hit The Road Jack…….maybe.
It was at least ten years ago….
Shut up, you idiot. No one cares what you think about anything.
Pandora is great. I listen at work and keep a notepad beside me to jot down the bands I like but have never heard of….there's a lot of "wow, they're good…I'm gonna have to get that..!" By the end two hours I could easily spend $100 at Amazon.
amen
Tom Petty fits the appearance rule…and yep, his musical skills are unsurpassed. He's also an excellent human being and, happily, I know nothing about his political leanings, so he hasn't wrecked that for me yet! Unlike Steve Earl, et al…(another one low on the good looks scale!).
WTH is your problem? And who gave you the decision-making power over all of our thoughts? Didn't happen? No? Then try not to be so d@mned rude.
Paul Westerberg is god, Brent is the right hand man. Check out "Placemat Blues" by his old band Slobberbone (Patterson Hood guests on "Lazy Guy," another song from that album, too, Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today). If you like the Truckers and Westerberg/'Mats, methinks you'll dig.
You cared enough to post…
Gary of Contenental Drifters? Lol, I knew the comments would be as weird as the fact this story showed up on Big Hollywood. Next time you see Walter tell him its overtime for another Dairy Kings record. …(reading up on Kingsizemaybe)… You got Grumprist in your band? Jeez louise, if Robbie ever got arthritis the LA music industry would come to an abrupt halt! I'll have to check it out now since you're on Brewery. Btw, I read Susan Cowsill has a new record due soon. I really enjoyed Just Believe It, but she could sing the phone book & I'd plunk down $$.
I dare anyone to listen to Jett's "Made a fool of everyone" right before listening to "Sexy Sadie", the problem with much of this new "power pop" music isn't that its derivative, its beyond derivative
Since when is Pete Townsend the lead singer of The Who?
Maat has it right. CC should probably just stick to making syndicated talk shows and stay away from running the actual stations themselves. I dig Glenn Beck and Jim Rome… but the music!? GAG. WAAAYYY to over-programmed. Cities 97 in Minneapolis is a prime example. It looks (and sounds) like a by-the-books, predictable AAA formatted station. Nothing interesting, surprising or even memorable. Since I lean Libertarian-conservative, I don't care for marketing of it to the bourgeois bohemians and d.i.n.k.s. and their "causes". I'm so thankful for last.fm cuz it keeps my faith in music alive. The standard FM radio sure isn't!!!
XTC can get kind of preachy in their humanism sometimes. It's why I am glad that "Dear God" is tacked on the end of my version of the "Skylarking", that way I can hit STOP at the end of "Sacrificial Bonfire".
Skylarking was the last XTC record I bought. I have the pre-Dear God release.
It's such a lush, beautiful sounding record. Todd pissed them off , but he got a great record out of them.
Finally! Someone who blames those actually responsible! I'm convinced that the unholy trifecta of record labels, pop stations, and MTV are the only real things standing in the way of mainstream musical progress. They have a formula for what has made money before, and repeatedly sign people who fit it. Mostly interchangable.
The last good band was led by a guy named Glenn Miller.
Dood! I've been saying this for years. Possibly because I've actually heard "the dozens" from some of the originators. I'm not big on calling things "Art", that don't deserve it, but "the dozens" should have its own category.
As for the whole 'Pop' thing, it's also an abbreviation of "popular", but I hear your noise. In fact, you pretty much had me till you just had to mention ABBA, didn't you? Wifey insisted on renting Momma Mia recently, and I still haven't gotten that damn song out of my head. Wifey has been tied up in the trunk of my car ever since. I should probably go check on her.
After that, I'm going to find out where you live, and I'm going to come to your house with my Nuclear Boombox™, my CD collection, and a pair of pliers and a blowtorch. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging for The Barney Song!
Cheers!
I actually thought that Mozart was pretty good with just about anybody he played with. Pretty good soloist, too. I heard once that he wrote some stuff. *grin*
Wall of Voodoo — great nod! What the hell has Stan Ridgway been up to lately anyway? Guy writes the best 4-5 minute movies to listen to…
Wha-wha-wha, I'm old and stupid. I consciously refuse to accept or understand new cultural movements. Things were better in my dad. Damn uppity [black people].
Um…people were pissed at The Beatles at the time and their music actually DID promote drug use, FYI. Also, if hip-hop (not a synonym for rap, by the by) is not art, then why don't you go make a Girltalk record? If it's so easy and stupid why are there a million wannabes who never sell a record? I bet you think Howl was obscenity too.
Also, for those of you decrying rap as pointless and soulless, let me reprint for you the lyrics to Notorious BIG's seminal "Suicidal Thoughts". Look beyond the curse words and notice the content.
SPOKEN:
(hello? aw s—, n—-. what the f— time is it, man?
Oh G-d d—. n—- do you know what time it is?
Aw s—, what the f— goin on? you alright?
Aw, n—- what the f— is wrong wit you? )
SUNG:
When I die, f— it I wanna go to hell
Cause Im a piece of s—, it aint hard to f—– tell
It dont make sense, goin to heaven wit the goodie-goodies
Dressed in white, I like black tims and black hoodies
God will probably have me on some real strict s—
No sleepin all day, no gettin my d— licked
Hangin with the goodie-goodies loungin in paradise
F— that s—, I wanna tote guns and shoot dice
All my life I been considered as the worst
Lyin to my mother, even stealin out her purse
Crime after crime, from drugs to extortion
I know my mother wished she got a f—– abortion
She dont even love me like she did when I was younger
Suckin on her chest just to stop my f—– hunger
I wonder if I died, would tears come to her eyes?
Forgive me for my disrespect, forgive me for my lies
My babies mothers 8 months, her little sisters 2
Whos to blame for both of them (naw n—-, not you)
I swear to God I just want to slit my wrists and end this bulls—
Throw the magnum to my head, threaten to pull s—
And squeeze, until the beds, completely red
Im glad Im dead, a worthless f—– buddah head
The stress is buildin up, I cant,
I cant believe suicides on my f—- mind
I want to leave, I swear to God I feel like death is f—– callin me
Naw you wouldnt understand (n—-, talk to me please)
You see its kinda like the crack did to pookie, in new jack
Except when I cross over, there aint no comin back
Should I die on the train track, like remo in beatstreet
People at the funeral frontin like they miss me
My baby momma kissed me but she glad Im gone
She knew me and her sista had somethin goin on
I reach my peak, I cant speak,
Call my n—- chic, tell him that my will is weak.
Im sick of n—- lyin, Im sick of b—- hawkin,
Matter of fact, Im sick of talkin.
(bang)
(hey yo big…hey yo big)
(If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and dial again)
Saw Oasis play once…very boring set.
That said, this is not a bad list of bands. I would add The Cuffs, Jesus H. Christ and the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Dollyrots, and especially LOS CAMPESINOS! (yes the title has an exclamation mark, but they earn it) are all pretty excellent.
Oh and GASLIGHT ANTHEM if you like Springsteen, but hate his politics, this is a band for you.
Good post, Mike!
Yes, MTV, big record labels, "hit" radio stations, and even many in Hollywood want to tell us what kind of music and specifically who is the coolest and best. Thanks for all the links. It's good to know that the CMT and GAC aren't the only places to find decent rock music (or decent music period) with apolitical lyrics.
There's not much else that tops the cliche of "activist" musicians that don't know any history and prove it, or sing about how bad free markets are or how we have to save the planet again, all without a melody, creativity or any beauty whatsoever.
Personally, I'm not overly concerned about a musician's politics, but when they go out of their way to piss me off and their music is crappy on top of that they shouldn't be surprised to see their sales plummeting. Gangsta rap moguls (among others) can't accept the fact their product has lost it's shock "value", and that even gangsta rapper fans are getting tired of the same old garbage. Besides, they can only "sing" about "hittin' their ho's" or "shootin' five-o" so many ways.
Love XTC. I can't mention them all! The article would never end.
Visit the Conservative Music Underground at: http://www.myspace.com/rogerweber
Check out cool songs like "Nobama", "Global Warming" and "Hippie Freaks". It's old school–and political fun.
"Two minutes in heaven is better than one minute in heaven."
Genius.
Dancing shows promote hip hop as REAL dancing! LOL! It's not real anything!
As a guitar teacher, I get the chance to hear a lot of new bands through the kids. There is a lot of interesting, if slightly uninspired, stuff out there, and much of it warrants further investigation. There is also the occasional gem (I heard one this week that just blew me away….although at the moment I can't recall the name). However, when they write down their lists of bands they like, none of them are on any FM playlist, jukebox, or covered by local bands. This generation's music is truly their own. Thank goodness for YouTube, or I'd never be able to find anything they like.
There is also a movement inspired by the Guitar Hero games, of kids seeking out higher levels of musicianship. I actually have 12 year-old kids (many who've never heard of Plant, Blackmore, or even Van Halen) bringing in amazing examples of new virtuosos. I've always been less concerned with the lyrical content than the beauty of great musicians and what they can create using nothing but their hands. This seems as much an anathema to the people controlling the music industry as Conservative or religious messages.
Bands nowadays just don't have alot of musical training. They MIGHT learn acouple of chords on a guitar…but thats about it. When MTV hit the scene in the early 80's it was new and exciting…because it featured bands that had been around for a while and were musically talented. But, by the late 80's you could see what was happening…the video became much more important than the song itself….so here we are all these years later and the music scene is very bland! I have to give credit to Queens drummer…Roger Taylor…who predicted, after the first year of MTV, that this would eventually happen. He said: "Music is for the ears…not the eyes". How right he was!
I am old enough to remember watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, and I certainly recall the rise of Mr. Springsteen. I immediately compared him to John Fogerty/CCR, and found him terribly wanting. I realize it's a matter of opinion, of course, when it comes to music, but the second poignant squaring-off of the "Boss" and his music against real classic rock was the contrast between his Super Bowl performance and that of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Petty defines the genre, and is a classy Southern gentlemen into the bargain. Springsteen came across as just a little pompous: part revival preacher, part "B" movie actor. Fogerty, unfortunately, has become equally shrill, but at least he can legitimately claim to own a serious piece of classic rock and roll real estate. It is ironic, though, that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are credited with contributing so much to the initial success of MTV.
It is cool that he keeps his trap shut when it comes to politics. Makes me like him all the more.
+1 though I have pretty much given up on most current metal I have found imo that Thrash from the 80's and early 90s to be the most original form of Metal there is. Anything from Flotsam and Jetsam, Metallica (pre-black album), Megadeth, Heathen, Slayer, all good stuff that was the launching pad for death, black and other forms of metal.
I also agree that most of the time metal and fans of it are stereotyped as satanists who like to scream, while this is only true for a small percentage of metal. Another stereotype I just cannot stand is the whole "christians cant listen to metal" deal I often hear. Makes no sense.
I have to admit, those are some really ugly people, and I went to High School when they had people like Cobain and let's face it Ozzy was never pretty.
Two examples define music of the past and of today. In the past, one of the greatest piano rock & rollers had his career destroyed because he married an underage girl. That was his personal life but people didn't tolerate it. There were morals which you had to uphold – and he paid the price.
Today's music? A rapper beats his girlfriend to a pulp. And people's reaction? This morning she crawls back to him and kisses and hugs him and everyone says it's a 'personal' thing and we should tolerate it.
I don't like today's music.
I wrote this article mainly to highlight the good.
politics and celebrities!
(If any of you are US citizens between the ages of 18-29 would you mind completing the following questionnaire?)
http://www.esurveyspro.com/Survey.aspx?id=1d29da2...
This is why I am proud to say that I listen to Heavy Metal. Always have and always will. As an aside, it is interesting that "speed metal" was mentioned, since Speed metal hasn't really been considered a "popular" form of metal for about 15-20 Years. Metal has always been the most varied and complex of music forms to ever have existed, and I say resolutely that some Metal bands display far more technical competence, sophistication, and talent then any other music. Some of those "speed metal" bands, along with Progressive metal, and thrash metal can flat out outplay ANYone. Metal has also been the closest thing to classical music in Rock for a long time and this is evidenced by the success of Trans Siberian Orchestra, whose members all hail from a long pedigree of Metal bands. Metal is also a lifestyle, and I find that most "metal heads" I know are either conservatives, libertarians, or just plain Independant. Metal has always been about doing your own thing. Most people don't know much about metal, they think it is just a bunch of screaming and guitars, and some bands are, but Metal has outlived all other forms of Rock music and it will outlast the current bunch as well. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest still fill stadiums with fans, and they are all over 50 years old. Black Sabbath was one of the highest grossing tours last time they were out. Metalbands live on forever. There is a documentary that is coming out soon, and I guarantee you that this site will be talking about it and people here are going to love it. Watch for ANVIL: The movie. I am pumped about this movie even though I never listened to anvil. Check it out at anvilmovie.com Harry (old Habits, JOHN Nolte Imean), please check this film out and tell us about it, I have a feeling that you are going to love this based on what I have heard!! PLEASE!
Depressing, but not terribly impressive. Now if that could be set to music and not some random beat, we might have something…
And you certainly have pointed out much that is good, Mike. I am especially pleased with your mention of Not Lame Records. I have been a customer for years and nobody does it better than Bruce.
Music can be such a personal thing that even your article, which I read as mostly recommendations, can be taken with a music-is-just-no-good-anymore slant. Now that I've hit my mid-40s, I truly don't care what others listen to. The hip-hoppers, rappers, and Disney-kids can have their's. If the traditional music biz, MTV and FM die, so be it.
I have been searching this "underground" you speak of for years and it has been extremely rewarding. The thrill of the search has become the equivalent of hearing something great on the radio when I was a kid. People who believe music died about twenty or thirty years ago don't know what they're missing! If someone is/was a Beatles, Big Star or Badfinger fan, it seems impossible that they would not love the music of underground "Power Pop" artists like Mike Viola, Rooney, Bleu or Orson. The Power Pop genre has actually pierced the mainstream with representatives like Ok Go, Fountains of Wayne, Weezer and Foo Fighters.
Its great to read an article about "Power Pop" music on a Conservative website, especially one with a large audience. Conservatism is something I also embraced when I started ignoring what other people told me I should care about.
Great points about tolerance, whitsbrain (too each their own and as Waylon said through the Metallikatz, no time to waste my hate). Also never thought of Foo Fighters as power pop, but makes perfect sense considering Dave Grohl's amazing pop sensibilities.
For a further walk down memory lane in the present tense, a column/review you might dig: http://www.modernconservative.com/blog.php?id=2077
Hey thanks for devout Christian notice about Not Lame! Now I boycott it entirely, and wish you, Mike Baron, the best, as your precious corporate capitalism comes crashing down around your head.
Sarcasm? Or are you just an idiot?
i love how they sing this song in the park in the movie. I love this song…its sooo cute !!!!!!
i loved this song wen i first herd iy. now i love it more
i love nick is is such a hottie and he sings like an angel!this song rocks!
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