Broken Social Scene come with a new record this week. I got a hold of it earlier and it is really fantastic. It's not as good as You Forgot it in People, but it's just as good as their self-titled. Considering You Forgot it in People is a masterpiece and I really wasn't expecting FRR to be as good, let alone better. But it's incredible and definitely worth a listen. Broken Social Scene is one of those bands who you can count on to put out a quality record everytime.
Over the weekend Lia and I were discussing how it seems new artists today (specifically pop artists) aren't really trying. Case in point: Owl City. Good God that stuff is awful. Let's just remove the obvious: it's basically the Postal Service with really, really bad writing. I mean I dont care if this guy likes lightning bugs. Will someone please explain to me why I should care whether or not this guy wants to stay awake or go to sleep?
It normally wouldnt bother me, but I overheard someone arguing on the radio that the reason Owl City exists is because "The Postal Service never put out another record." No, the reason music like this exists is because some studio exec heard it and said "yea, that'll sell." There is an absense of heart, of earnestness. But really this is nothing new. It's just that it is much more difficult to find good music. In today's society, where everything has to happen now, with the snap of a finger, it seems like people dont want to dig to find music that will challenge them and make them think.
Thank God bands like Broken Social Scene, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and Modest Mouse came just before the "Now Phenomenon." Would they have been able to put out multiple records in today's society? Would they have even been discovered? I want to say yes, just based on the quality of the art they are creating. But you have to wonder.
Now, don't get me wrong. Good music will always exist. It will always be loved and cherished by those who choose to find it. But the issue is this: who chooses to find it anymore? I guess it is our responsibility to keep the art alive. To bring our kids up on our music, crossing our fingers that they will "get it." Hoping that our music will touch them in the same ways that it has touched us. Explain to them that nothing worth having comes easy. Sure you can buy their record on iTunes with the click of a button. But you have to look for that music before you press a button. When you listen to a song you are choosing not to listen to millions of others. We need to teach them to make a good choice.
Over the weekend Lia and I were discussing how it seems new artists today (specifically pop artists) aren't really trying. Case in point: Owl City. Good God that stuff is awful. Let's just remove the obvious: it's basically the Postal Service with really, really bad writing. I mean I dont care if this guy likes lightning bugs. Will someone please explain to me why I should care whether or not this guy wants to stay awake or go to sleep?
It normally wouldnt bother me, but I overheard someone arguing on the radio that the reason Owl City exists is because "The Postal Service never put out another record." No, the reason music like this exists is because some studio exec heard it and said "yea, that'll sell." There is an absense of heart, of earnestness. But really this is nothing new. It's just that it is much more difficult to find good music. In today's society, where everything has to happen now, with the snap of a finger, it seems like people dont want to dig to find music that will challenge them and make them think.
Thank God bands like Broken Social Scene, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and Modest Mouse came just before the "Now Phenomenon." Would they have been able to put out multiple records in today's society? Would they have even been discovered? I want to say yes, just based on the quality of the art they are creating. But you have to wonder.
Now, don't get me wrong. Good music will always exist. It will always be loved and cherished by those who choose to find it. But the issue is this: who chooses to find it anymore? I guess it is our responsibility to keep the art alive. To bring our kids up on our music, crossing our fingers that they will "get it." Hoping that our music will touch them in the same ways that it has touched us. Explain to them that nothing worth having comes easy. Sure you can buy their record on iTunes with the click of a button. But you have to look for that music before you press a button. When you listen to a song you are choosing not to listen to millions of others. We need to teach them to make a good choice.
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