Recent Comments
Re: “The Top 25 Albums of 2011”
here's some less narcissistic bands
Vulture Shit - http://vultureshit.bandcamp.com/
Robot Death Kites - http://robotdeathkites.bandcamp.com/
nursing home - http://nursinghome.bandcamp.com/
Re: “8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear”
here's some other brooklyn and nyc bands that rock:
Vulture Shit - http://vultureshit.bandcamp.com/
Robot Death Kites - http://robotdeathkites.bandcamp.com/
nursing home - http://nursinghome.bandcamp.com/
Re: “Male Bonding: Stuck Between the 90s and Forever”
I think Lauren and many other critics have been swept up in the whole brooklyn indie-sound (aka light-sounding vocals with lots of reverb/delay, guitars with little fuzz/overdrive and lots of reverb, upper-mid eq'd bass, and drums with out any drive or depth), and have neglected to write about actual rock and punk bands because they don't fit into this narrow scope.
That's not to say that a band like Male Bonding is bad, but that what is considered buzz-worthy in the underground rock world is leading to an orthodoxy of musical stylings and an oversaturation of "musicians" (aka people with little talent and training but can play G power chord to C power chord over 1/8 notes while spending $100 on a haircut) which ends up homogenizing the club billings because bookers think that's what's in style and what the kids want to hear.
I think the point is that while there will always be more pop-oriented rock music (aka current indie-sound), I hope that the author and other critics can search out rock bands that have big sounding drums, singers who scream and howl and wear their emotions on their sleeve, and big, dirty sounding guitars that create all sorts of phasing, dissonance, and ass-kicking drive (and maybe some that even have political or societal messages larger than their pursuit of Girl X).
My thoughts are that the whole indie/80's nostalgia/60's surfer/synth rock, which popularized during the Bush years, was akin to a societal opiate binge in which we masked the true nature of our country's (and world's) turn towards an ever more un-egalitarian corporatocracy, and enabled the apathetic political culture we see evident today.
My hope is that a new generation of musicians will begin creating music that is a painful and honest reflection and reaction of the current state of our economy, society, and the world. And instead of sedating ourselves, the music will confront the situation head on and encourage others to drop their trivial pursuits and narcissistic behavior in order to get real and come together.
Re: “Still Fighting, After All These Years”
I agree with REALMusiclover, I don't think Jenn Pelly has any real understanding of music theory and composition.
Besides that, Wild Flag just sounds like every other indie Brooklyn band, and the reason they are getting buzz is cos they are an all female group (aka sex sells).
I can't wait for the whole indie/80's retro scene to die.
Re: “Top 25 Albums of 2010”
the title of this list be top 25 albums for hipsters. All of their "rock" stuff listed is such a carbon copy of that "indie" soft rock that's so narcisistic (excuse my spelling) which I think might be the fruition of the facebook generation which is completely self-absorbed in their trivial personal drama and completely removed from reality.
For example, you have a song like Suburbs from Arcade Fire and you have a great opportunity to talk about real issues regarding suburban sprawl, sustainability, and the advent of the car-economy and super-consumerism. Instead, it's personal nostalgia for simple days growing up as a white teen in the suburbs.
