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Music obscurity rating11/2/2022 ![]() While the band’s laid back vocals and behind-the-beat rhythms call to mind Wavves and Wallows, guitarist Chris Vanderkooy’s jangly riffs and technically complex licks provide the band with significantly more verve.Ģ. Self-described as “chewed bubblegum pop” the group has built a significant following through their energetic live shows and internet output. Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Peach Pit is the latest entry in the thriving West Coast indie scene. Peach Pit Neil Smith and Chris Vanderkooy perform live as Peach Pit in Portland (Photo via Twitter) And with pretenders like Maroon 5 and Imagine Dragons ruling the rock charts, now they have something to prove.ġ. While rock music may be dead, it’s rebellious offspring are once again starting to sell out stadiums. Combining the classic rock instrumentation (bass, drums, lead and rhythm guitar) with an ever-growing electronic arsenal, this third wave is breathing new life into the genre. In recent years, indie outfits Tame Impala and the Arctic Monkeys shot to fame after posting tracks on My Space, Oh Wonder on Soundcloud, and Glass Animals on Spotify. Tame Impala, credited with the revival of shoegaze indie, performs live (Photo via Wikimedia Commons). However, thanks to the popularization of streaming apps, and music sharing platforms, there may still be hope for the genre. With the labels gone, most indie groups have once again been relegated to tiny gigs in cheap bars and old state theaters, occasionally lucking into a hit single, before just as quickly being dismissed as a one-hit wonder by the mainstream. While the New York scene survived this blow, thanks in large part to the output of the Strokes and the National, so-called “landfill indie” was no match for the rise of EDM, R&B, and rap in the 2000s. The remnants of the genre generally fell into two categories: cheap imitators and generic guitar bands. Along with Nirvana, across the Atlantic, Oasis catapulted the genre into the limelight (Photo via Wikimedia Commons).Įventually, indie-rock even developed its own trademark sound: distorted guitars, chiming riffs, and an emphasis on emotionally charged lyrics over vocal technique.īut with Brit-pop’s collapse and Kurt Cobain’s death, rock lost it’s core identity and once again faded into obscurity. Noel and Liam Gallagher perform live as Oasis, one of the most successful indie bands of the 90s. ![]() Indie rock even became interchangeable with “rock,” as glam-metal bands like Poison and Bon Jovi fell out of fashion. Their brief reign on the charts marked a golden age for indie-rock, paving the way for experimental and alternative bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, and the Smashing Pumpkins to acquire major label contracts and massive fan bases. This remained the case until the 90s when Oasis and Nirvana exploded into the spotlight in Britain and America respectively. Many outfits were showered with critical praise, but commercial success remained elusive without the promotional clout of the major labels. Similarly, cult bands like Sonic Youth and the Pixies in the United States sought to reclaim the genre as an experimental, groundbreaking art form, as opposed to a made-for-TV cash cow.Įventually, the term “indie-rock” was coined as a nebulous catch-all for artists working outside the corporate money-making machine. In the early 80s, the first “indie pop” and “alternative rock” bands emerged in the UK, rejecting mainstream rock’s embrace of synthesizers and visual glamour. This goes back to the genre’s 20th-century roots. ![]() While often dismissed as pretentious and inconsequential, indie-rock is the true inheritor of the innovative spirit that musical pioneers like the Beatles and Pink Floyd once epitomized. ![]() And I am certainly not advocating for replacing Migos with my dentist’s “classic” rock collection.īut more importantly, the death of mainstream rock carved out a niche for an indie-rock resurgence, a sprawling scene unencumbered by the trappings of its parent genre. Decades before Halsey and Katy Perry first autotuned over synthesizers on 99.5, glam-rockers like Poison and Cream reached the same heights of vapidity and appropriation. I think the death of rock music is a good thing. Katy Perry live at the O2, Dublin (Photo by Sean MacEntee via Flickr) And the lead singer of the band breaking records on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs died 28 years ago.īut before I start to sound like someone’s dad, let me backtrack a bit. Cheap commercial pop masquerading as rock rules the airwaves, performing songs that you’re more likely to recognize from Toyota commercials than your Spotify playlists. The groups that sell out the biggest stadiums are decades past their prime. ![]() Sure, it might be trite to say, but rock is dead. ![]()
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