Cranky Addendum

There’s an obvious preponderance of 90s albums on this little list I’ve got going, and that owes mainly to it being the era in which I came of age, but I also think, without sounding too artificially “it was better in the old days” about it, that there was more exciting, ambitious music being made then, especially within the rubric of “independent/alternative rock.” Modern indie diversity is great, but I think it masks with numbers what is in reality a rather limited vocabulary. There are more artists practicing in more styles, but within those styles things are pretty limited. From ’93 to ’99 you could watch the Afghan Whigs morph from a slash and burn guitar band to a practical soul combo. I really like Interpol and all, but I don’t see much room for a similar development of their style. If anything, a lot of bands, especially bands like Interpol who rose to status on an iconic first album, seem to retreat in their subsequent releases and scale back their ambitions. From what I’ve listened to so far, I’m concerned the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will follow the same route.

I attribute it to the influence of the market. Success is more readily attained with an identifiable, easily categorized style, even if that style is already saturating the market – witness the continued proliferation of “dance-punk” bands. And within the indie market, where bands can spin off a moderately successful (if probably brief) career by catering to a ghettoized fanbase, there is ironically less musical ambition than there was when all the “alternative” bands were on major labels. This is, I think, for two reasons. One, indie careers are limited and not hugely profitable, so people take the sure road to success. And second, I think people are very concerned about maintaining their “indie cred” and are therefore afraid to go out on a limb. God forbid Pitchfork might give them a bad review!

I hope that this mini-era of gimmickry and rote stylizing doesn’t last too much longer, but I’m not holding my breath. After all, even people I respect are agog over Editors...