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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | DanAbnrml9@aol.com |
| Subject | Re: The Next Big Thing IS..... |
| Date | Fri, 25 Apr 2003 10:57:41 EDT |
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In a message dated 4/25/03 10:18:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
jwtolle@hotmail.com writes:
> So, it looks like it is official. Punk-Pop / Emo (ala Good Charlotte,
> SUM41, Jimmy Eats World, etc) is now the next big thing. Not SO bad in my
> opinion, 'cause I like the music and its energy. (Still I could do without
>
> the 'I'm better 'cause I'm different vibe.' It makes me think of Majosha's
>
> line from 'Where's Bohemia?' - I want to be different just like everyone
> else.' Sill, We are not down to the Emo equivalent of Creed yet. (But
> prepare yourself, 'cause its coming.)
Well, uh, it WAS the "next big thing" about four years ago. Not to rain on
your parade, but this train has already lost most of its steam. The latest
album from Sum 41 ("Does This Look Infected?") completely tanked, Jimmy Eat
World found success (two years ago now) by stepping away from emo and towards
arena rock, and many have directly cited Good Charlotte as an example of how
punk (or more specifically, the genre of punk/pop that has been growing since
Green Day bust out in 1994) has completely merged with mainstream top 40
sensibilities, meaning that their fans are generally more likely to listen to
Christina Aguilera than, say, some old Buzzcocks record.
None of this (save Jimmy Eat World) will hold any water with anyone who is
any sort of tastemaker--it's mostly processed "mallpunk" and has been par for
the course as radio-ready guitar-driven music is concerned for several years
now. It's nothing new, and it really was at its peak during the rap-metal era
because, frankly, that stuff alienated a lot of people. Punk/pop appealed to
both the top 40 set (the same audience who was at the time buying up NSync
and the Backstreet Boys, who are also quite "done" by now) and the alt.rock
set, so it did well for itself.
But realistically, the now-18-month-old "the" band/garage rock thing was the
reaction against THAT, and that scene has already wore out its welcome (I
mean no knocks against the Strokes or the White Stripes or many of the other
better bands to come along, but there's just too many--the Datsuns, D4, etc
etc--that make no real impact. And whatever happened to the Hives? They were
forgotten FAST).
Also, as a point of clarification (and you may have not meant this), emo
doesn't really include bands like Sum 41 or Good Charlotte, although it does
include pre-"Bleed American" Jimmy Eat World. Emo isn't personally my thing
since I find a lot of the lyrics to be too sappy (though Morrissey fans will
certainly find something to like in many of them) and emo bands favor a type
of production that's not my style. But some of the better acts, such as Death
Cab for Cutie or Cursive, certainly deserve inspection because they're
amongst the better alt-rock acts making music today. But the sound is quite
different from the radio-ready sheen and good-time vibe of acts like Good
Charlotte or Sum 41, who are all really part of the massive Warped Tour
family of bands.
I share your disdain for the "I'm better because I'm different" thing,
too--that's actually a big part of why emo didn't break through in its purer
incarnations. The attitudes of the scenesters caused the whole enterprise to
cannibalize itself before it had a chance. --Jason
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