On Mar 28, 2008, at 8:07 PM, David W. Fenton wrote:
On 28 Mar 2008 at 19:25, Darcy James Argue wrote:
I've been trying to hold my peace, here, but there seems to be a
knee-
jerk assumption amongst many here on the list that certain genres
(including huge swaths of popular music) are inherently inferior,
simply by virtue of being dissimilar to the genre of music one is
most
comfortable with.
Er, if you're attributing that belief to me, for instance (you did
reply to my post), then you'd be completely wrong.
Hi David,
I was not attributing that belief to you. Heck, you were the one
willing to recognize that there's quite a bit of craft that goes into
the records of even an ultra-campy pop group like the Village People
(which is of course true). I replied to your post because it was the
most recent one in the thread.
For one, it's quite clear to me that there's been a sea change in
"popular music" in the last 20 years or so, with much more depth and
complexity than there was in the period when I was a kid.
I would argue that certain kinds of complexity, inventiveness,
sophistication, etc. go in and out of favor, and are at times more or
less broadly popular. But I think those elements have always been a
part of popular music.
Chuck is understandably fond of a particular type of harmonic and
rhythmic sensibility, closely related to jazz, that was broadly
popular in America from the early 1930's through the mid-1950's. That
kind of complexity eventually fell out of favor, but other forms of
complexity took its place.
Producers like Phil Spector and George Martin, and musicians like
Brian Wilson and Frank Zappa, began to exploit the expanded
possibilities afforded by treating the recording studio an instrument
unto itself. This led to a new depth of sonic complexity and layering
previously unheard of in popular music. James Brown ushered in a more
urgent, insistent type of rhythmic complexity that was very different
from swing, but perhaps more in tune with the social upheavals of the
times. Jimi Hendrix wrenched previously undreamt-of sounds from the
electric guitar, using feedback and wah-wah pedals and backwards tape
effects and much else besides. Bob Dylan fused old-fashioned protest
songs with beat poetry and electric rock, and his best lyrics spoke in
a direct, incisive voice about a much broader range of human
experience than the songwriters of previous generations ever
addressed. And each subsequent generation of pop musicians brought a
variety of different sensibilities and expressed complexity in
different ways. Sure, they abandoned or rejected certain conventions
beloved by previous generations, but it's not like they didn't bring
new stuff to the table. David Bowie's "Life On Mars," David Byrne's
"Memories Can't Wait," Elvis Costello's "The Long Honeymoon" -- these
are great, great songs, as good as any in the history of popular music.
Even in relatively fallow periods (like much of the 1980's), you've
still got people like Prince who are simultaneously extremely popular
and in tune with the times, but also stunningly innovative. "When
Doves Cry," one of Prince's biggest hits, is probably the only
successful dance-pop song to leave out the bass entirely. And it's
brilliant.
Having lived in Brooklyn for much of the 2000's, I can tell you that
the indie rock bands round these parts are, on average, more musically
adventurous than most jazz or classical musicians in town. Many of
them are extremely committed and serious, having moved to NYC for the
same reasons I did. A lot of these bands rehearse pretty much every
available moment. The do a self-organized regional tour in a beat-up
deathtrap of a van, playing tiny clubs and crashing on the floor of
friends-of-friends, just so they can get their music out there. Some
of them are hoping to break big, but what with the record industry
gasping its last breath, most have a more realistic outlook, and are
just happy if they can more or less break even playing music while
working a day job with flexible hours. They are often incredibly
smart, sophisticated, open-minded people who think about music in
sophisticated ways and love challenging art of all stripes. Some of
them have extensive formal training and some of them don't. But no one
who works that hard purely out of love of the music is deserving of
instant scorn and dismissal simply because they specialize in a style
of music that doesn't appeal to you.
I don't love all of the music that comes out of the local indie rock
scene. In fact, I think, oh, say, about 90% of it is pretty bad. But
10% of it is brilliant.
Cheers,
- Darcy
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[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Brooklyn, NY
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