The Shape of Music to Come, Part III: Rock (cont.)

Post Rock
This class of rock music is defined and dominated by one band and that band is Radiohead. It is difficult to escape their influence in the double-aughts, much like musical discussion in the 90s could almost always be related back to Nirvana. Everything alternative became passè in the wake of OK Computer in 1997, a visionary, flawless album still regarded by many as the greatest of the decade. The boys from Oxfordshire then made several startling moves that should have crippled their ascent as rock legends but turned out to have the opposite effect. After hiatus and depression wracked the band they decided upon a decidedly different direction that incorporated electronic and minimalist elements. The two subsequent albums (Kid A and Amnesiac) were no less polarizing than they were groundbreaking and ahead of their time. They also named an unknown Icelandic group called Sigur Rós as their supporting act, a move that has helped make the nordic quartet into another of the most critically acclaimed groups in recent memory.

Currently, the post-rock phenomenon is slowing its march into uncharted realms of weirdness and is coalescing the strides made in ambient soundscapes around melody and structure, In Rainbows being a fine example. The American post-alt bands that have been largely considered par excellence on this side of the pond are, as you probably well know, Wilco and The Flaming Lips, but possibly the most apt up-and-comers (in popular consciousness, that is...they have been touring for years) at staging original noise experiments with more traditional constructs for the purpose of rocking people's faces off is My Morning Jacket. They are fast becoming the most revered band in industry circles following Z and their double live release Okonokos.

What's coming next? I think a good case can be made for Band of Horses. Their sound is very similar to early MMJ from 8-10 years ago with melodies that are even more infectious. It is not a stretch to imagine them going either way: certainly they could keep doing what is working for them right now and, after a couple more albums, be considered solely as rock revivalists, but when I listen to their albums I get the feeling that they are only beginning to stretch their wings. Look for them to start delving into some heavy experimentation on album three or four.

As for a seriously unknown group, I think that DC locals These United States have more potential than any band I've ever heard. I happened to hear them by complete chance at the 2008 Washington Auto Show on a corporate stage that had been showcasing some of the worst music the Beltway has to offer. Passing by I noticed that there wasn't a cheap Stevie Nicks knockoff crooning like a she-goat, a realization quickly followed by the thoughts "These guys sound good" which was itself succeeded by "That one guy has on an Okkervil River shirt just like the one in my drawer at home." I stopped to listen and was enjoying the set until they played John Prine's "Pretty Good," during and after which I was absolutely enthralled by the set. Not only was the selection perfectly obscure enough to fill me with know-it-all shekinah, the vocal and stylistic execution perfectly matched the song's temperament. I talked briefly with Jesse Elliot (rhythm guitar and vocals) and Tom Hnatow (lead guitar, pedal steel, banjo) who were there representing the band and left with their promo release in my pocket. It sounds like Band of Horses stripped down and put in a blender with a glockenspiel and electric blue mushrooms and is, well, awesome. I look forward to hearing a studio release from these guys some time this year and you should too. Mark it down, take note, it will be worth it for you to discover this band when the time comes.

Pop Rock
Pop music is generally thought of to be solely a dance happy cotton candy version of a fourteen year old girl's dream world, and I think that's a pretty fair assessment. With the exception of a couple of standouts like Prince (and I'm actually having trouble thinking of any more, but you get the idea) it all basically sucks. Pop rock, in its mainstream permutations like Matchbox 20 and Train, is really not much better. Fortunately, there is a class of songwriters and musicians who recognize the artistic value inherent in many pop sensibilities (the hook, an emotional locus, a less abrasive approach, an "innocent" façade) and utilize them to a more poignant means.

The greatest burgeoning genius of this genre is Sufjan Stevens, whose musical experimentation and lyrical examination of faith, love and location are deeply moving and singularly unrivaled. He is perhaps most well known for his plan to write albums for all 50 states, a project that is yet unclear whether he intends to complete after news that he was abandoning the idea appeared on Asthmatic Kitty and was later mysteriously retracted. Whether any more state albums appear or not, the first two on Michigan and Illinois are widely considered two of the greatest albums of the new millenium, particularly the latter which was Paste's 2005 album of the year.

Certainly, like the shortcomings of any generic description, cheeriness (whether real or deliberately fabricated) is not a requisite hallmark of pop rock. Just ask Elliott Smith, who traded his good times for heroin, despair and a pierced heart. Before his tragic demise, though, he was responsible for shaking the foundations on which pop and folk melodies were built, and then erecting the detritus into a crumbly tower of man's innate loneliness and desperation. 1997's Either/Or seemed to take the wind out the Kierkegaardian premise the title was based upon and left most critics eagerly anticipating more, and XO and Figure 8 went on to become, in my opinion, the finest two albums of his career, released in 1998 and 2000, respectively. His descent into drugs dramatically accelerated over the next three years before his suicide, but his body of work stands as a testament to his immensely original creative (and destructive) spirit.

The essence of pop rock hasn't changed that much since Smith and Sufjan is definitely leading the way into new territory, but there are several artists who are incorporating new elements into the genre, or trying to redefine the style into new arenas. LA's The Minor Canon's freshman release No Good Deed Goes Unpunished is very strong; though not experimental or groundbreaking, it shows that they are a band with immense talent who, I believe, will be making major waves in the years to come. Similarly, A Fine Frenzy (Alison Sudol) shows promise in a 10,000 Maniacs, easy-to-listen-to sort of way, but, besides being gorgeous, she hints at a more literate focus and broad musical interest that could develop into great work if she decides to branch out from her freshman release One Cell in the Sea. The most promising talent in this class, though, is New Zealand's Liam Finn. I recently reviewed his first solo album I'll Be Lightning for Americana Roots (which is also available on this blog by clicking the Liam Finn tag at the bottom), so I won't rehash my comments here when they are readily available elsewhere. Suffice to say that if you don't know about Liam Finn right now, you should get the album and then you can be the one to tell all your friends about this incredible new artist from another country, he is awesome, I can't believe you haven't heard of him, check it out, etc.

The most experimental direction that pop rock is heading is in a Brian Wilson revival that seems to be taking place. Many of the highest rated albums in 2007 were projects that have revised and updated harmonic vocal layerings that Wilson pioneered on albums such as Pet Sounds and the record that drove him insane, Smile. The best examples were last year's releases from The Besnard Lakes and Panda Bear. In concept these are really good albums and, personally, I enjoy them. However, I believe that artists like Liam Finn are more accurately capturing the essence of harmonic layering by incorporating a variety of techniques around specific structures rather than producing what frequently comes off as a psychedelic jumble of noise and instrumentation. But I don't use drugs anymore, so that might be it too...

Preach Rock (aka The Rock and Roll Revivalists)
I call this genre "preach rock" primarily to purport the alliterative presence of the piece, but the name is fairly appropriate. These are the bands who seek to spread the good news of rock and roll, that it is not dead, nay, it is being reborn in the hearts and minds of them who love to rock and seek its glory, amen. The validity of the movement has been confirmed on several levels, most recently by the commercial and critical success of Bruce Springsteen's 2007 release Magic, which was well received as a testament to the past glories of The Boss and E Street. Marah is also becoming a band to be reckoned with, as their recent album Angels of Destruction! takes many E Street principles and moves them out of the 70s and into the new millenium. The greatest evangelists of classic rock, though, are undoubtedly The Black Crowes, who continue to march on the freak 'n' roll crusade. The Robinson's first album for a major label, Shake Your Money Maker, served to peg them as great rockers in the minds of America's radio listeners who were not all that keen on the Seattle grunge thing in the early 90s, but it wasn't until the addition of Marc Ford on lead guitar and Eddie Harsch on piano that their true voice was realized with 1992's The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, one of the greatest albums of the decade. The addition of Luther Dickinson and word of a new Crowes album for '08 suggests that they will continue their march through the annals of rock and roll's past, present and future.

In a broad sense, the movement towards a more pure rock sound has taken as many permutations as there were brands of rock in the 60s and 70s:

-The garage rock revival of the late nineties and early aughts has all but fizzled into mediocrity with the exception of The White Stripes, who, everyone agrees, are really-really-very-super-duper awesome.

-San Francisco's Triple Cobra is adamant about restoring the decadent hard rock of Aerosmith and others with lots of swagger, burlesque dancers, an album called Live Fast & Die Beautiful (that boasts some audaciously appropriate cover art) and a website bio that opens "Remember when Rock n' Roll kicked ass? Triple Cobra does. No longer do you need to apologize for gaudy solos, karate kicks and stage splits. Audacity is the name of the game, and bravado knows no shame," and closes with "Lock your doors and hide your daughters. Triple Cobra is on the rise in the Year of the Cock." Wow.

- The most promising avenue of rock's revival, in my opinion, is in the hard-edge electric blues scene represented most prominently by The North Mississippi Allstars and The Black Keys (as much of what The White Stripes are doing can be seen as furthering this medium). I'm sure that there are hundreds of these types of bands who are bringing blues with the fierce, driven heat of rock and roll, but the most likely place to get the purest product is in the birthplace of all American music, Mississippi (anyone who disagrees that Mississippi is the birthplace of all, and I mean all, original American music should direct their ideas to me in an email and I will be happy to explain why you are wrong). The Allstars, of course, have already broken out, but the blues are still big down there and any number of the local bands around Oxford, Jackson and Hattiesburg could make an album to define the new direction of the blues rock sound. Some names to remember are The Bailey Brothers Band, Chance Fisher, Taylor Grocery Band, and Electric Mudd. If one of these guys makes it out of the swamp, you can say you heard it here first.

Disclaimer
Perhaps the most glaring deficiency in this piece is the absence of indie rock, a brand touted by most pundits as the most artful and thought provoking of all rock genres today. I have deliberately left it off this list for two primary reasons: 1) Although I certainly recognize the artistic merit of the good indie bands, I am simply not into them as much as the styles covered here, and from my lack of interest there naturally proceeds a lack of expertise; 2) Anything you need or want to know about what's happening on the indie scene worldwide is available on Pitchfork. The crew over there pretty much devotes their whole existence to indie rock music and they are always up on the hippest new groups, so just go over there and browse to your heart's content.

This concludes my extremely broad and mostly bland overview of where rock is and a little about where it's heading. Please leave nice or naughty comments so that I can hone my writing skills to better entertain you four wonderful readers.