I just had one of those epiphanic realizations everyone has when they think they've thought of something no one else ever has in the history of mankind but they're sorely wrong about. It came to me when I was listening to Primal Scream's XTRMNTR over the past few days. The sound of the guitar on that record (Kevin Sheilds from MBV plays a lot) is incredible - all the conventions of guitar playing are nowhere to be seen. The guitar hardly even sounds like one. Which is what a lot of people on this forum say about Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and Pop.
Then it occured to me that bands like Sonic Youth, U2, My Bloody Valentine, The Verve, Ok Computer - Radiohead and Primal Scream were at the forefront of a movement that was trying to push this new sound into the mainstream throughout the 90s. It was a sound that had its roots in post-punk (Joy Division, Echo and The Bunnymen) but expanded on the textures and styles of that movement over the years, and it was far more original, innovative, and unique than the prevailing grunge-rock scene that dominated the early 90s. These guys - Kevin Shields, Johnny Greenwood, Nick McCabe, Thurston Moore, The Edge - they were really changing the idea of what a guitar could sound like and the role it played in the context of a four piece rock band. It was incredible. It was the sound of bullet trains and neon cities and information overload. It was the future of rock. Atleast it seemed that way.
But somehow, that movement died. Fast forward to 2006 and whats going on in rock? Almost every band that is on the radar of the mainstream is either crap (Nickelback, etc) or a thorwback, either to 60s garage rock (White Stripes), or part of the post-punk revival (Interpol, Franz, Arctice Monkeys). Mind you, I'm not saying the bands in the latter category are bad - I like and listen to all of them a lot. But they're derivative. Not one of them is trying to innovate or push boundaries. The experimentation that we saw on albums like Sergeant Pepper, Revolver, and DSOTM, and on a smaller scale Achtung Baby and Loveless is notably absent from today's rock. Sure, some people are changing sounds from album to album, but they're just switching from one established genre to another, not attempting to break new ground, and this saddens me.
What do you guys feel? I'm sure a lot of people over here have had similar 'realizations'.
Then it occured to me that bands like Sonic Youth, U2, My Bloody Valentine, The Verve, Ok Computer - Radiohead and Primal Scream were at the forefront of a movement that was trying to push this new sound into the mainstream throughout the 90s. It was a sound that had its roots in post-punk (Joy Division, Echo and The Bunnymen) but expanded on the textures and styles of that movement over the years, and it was far more original, innovative, and unique than the prevailing grunge-rock scene that dominated the early 90s. These guys - Kevin Shields, Johnny Greenwood, Nick McCabe, Thurston Moore, The Edge - they were really changing the idea of what a guitar could sound like and the role it played in the context of a four piece rock band. It was incredible. It was the sound of bullet trains and neon cities and information overload. It was the future of rock. Atleast it seemed that way.
But somehow, that movement died. Fast forward to 2006 and whats going on in rock? Almost every band that is on the radar of the mainstream is either crap (Nickelback, etc) or a thorwback, either to 60s garage rock (White Stripes), or part of the post-punk revival (Interpol, Franz, Arctice Monkeys). Mind you, I'm not saying the bands in the latter category are bad - I like and listen to all of them a lot. But they're derivative. Not one of them is trying to innovate or push boundaries. The experimentation that we saw on albums like Sergeant Pepper, Revolver, and DSOTM, and on a smaller scale Achtung Baby and Loveless is notably absent from today's rock. Sure, some people are changing sounds from album to album, but they're just switching from one established genre to another, not attempting to break new ground, and this saddens me.
What do you guys feel? I'm sure a lot of people over here have had similar 'realizations'.