one especially relevant five-paragraph chunk (because, obviously, anything that can't be said in five paragraphs shouldn't be argued... goodness, I'm reifying the prevailing educational structures)
My sadness, then, comes from the realization that you've given up on finding good new music. And obviously, that's where someone -- the program director at a radio station, the head of your favorite label, the manager at Best Buy -- has erred grievously. That person, or group of people, has decided that it's better to go after the dollar of the person who responds to the music of The Rolling Stones and The Kinks by attempting to reproduce their sounds. (Or by continuing to tour those acts.)
That's why the music on rock radio is made by Shinedown and Nickelback. But that's a losing battle, because people eventually get tired of Shinedown and Nickelback, throw up their hands and say, like you, that they'll be happier listening to Tom Petty.
It's nearly the same on the alternative or indie stations. The music continues to get sissified, because that's what sells, and the result is a huge gap. No one's hearing Manchester Orchestra because it doesn't sound like The Rolling Stones, and it's just a little too heavy for 14-year-old girls, so we're left with a gaping chasm that should be filled by, say, Crystal Castles.
But it won't be, because people like you -- and I'm not saying that in a condescending way; as we've discussed, you're normal -- have given up on anything new. If you hear the name Crystal Castles, you think, "Eh, never heard of it."
Don't you see, Todd?! (I'm winding down, losing steam, pleading with you.) Of course you've never heard of it. That's what makes it interesting. But you have to be ready for it to sound different, just like our forebears were, for whatever reason, ready for Chuck Berry to sound different from Glenn Miller.
I find that very interesting.
In response to one of the bands that Paul Shirley mentions here: I've heard of Crystal Castles, but I think they kind of suck; a lot of their sound feels sort of stuck in the 1980s, and I don't feel like they're really pushing anything forward or doing anything (a) innovative or (b) better than has been done before.
No music in this post, you say? Never fear! YouTube is always here!
Crystal Castles - Vanished
If you're looking for something that is pushing at the edges of rock conventionality, here's a couple of posts you might take a look at:
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
The pAper chAse
God is an Astronaut
If you're looking for music that flat-out rocks (in, perhaps, a more traditional sense), try one of these posts:
Jarvis Cocker
White Rabbits
Have a great day, everyone!
(note... I've been looking for a witty sign-off, lately. Something along the lines of "you stay classy, San Diego." Any suggestions? I don't think "life is beautiful, and so are you" has quite enough snark to it, and the "have a great day" I've been going with is a little bit conventional.)
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