The New New Romantics?
I recently started rewatching the terrific BBC show "Ashes to Ashes". The show is set in 1981, and the soundtrack is as much a star as any of the superb actors. It's full of the hit British music of the time... punk, new wave, two-tone ska, and lots of synth-pop. The music and looks of the so-called New Romanticism period are on full display, a period when British youth culture rebelled against punk by turning back to David Bowie-inspired androgyny and very artistic electronic music that broke wide across the Atlantic when MTV launched. The early MTV had very few videos to play, and most of them were British artists. So as MTV gained national acceptance on cable systems from coast to coast, more Americans were exposed to Duran Duran, The Human League, Spandau Ballet, and so on. A "Second British Invasion" resulted, and the era I have referred to here as the "sweet spot" began: the period from 1982-85 when pop music was truly mass appeal for the last time.
After watching an episode the other night, I immediately felt like I should put on "Trying to Be Cool" from Phoenix's latest album, "Bankrupt!" The song sounds like it would fit in nicely in 1981 England; in fact, most of the album does. On the road to Syracuse the next day, I was listening to Radio 104.5 in Philly and The Fuzz, Scranton's Alternative station. Most of the currents seemed to fit the same template... a lot of retro synth-pop evoking the 1980s and 1990s, but mostly the 80s.
I have often claimed that pop culture (especially music) seems to recycle itself every 20 years. So when the 2010s arrived, some people in my age group cringed at the mass rehashing of the 90s that was taking place because it reminded them that they were getting old. I enjoyed it, and I was looking forward to not only the offerings of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains that would have added retro-grunge cache, but also to hear new bands go to the grunge template and see what they could come up with. Although the Seattle mainstays have done well with their newer stuff (and who didn't love to see the members of Soundgarden riding around on Segways in their video for "Crooked Steps"?) at some point it was determined in the world of indie and alternative rock that the clock should not be turned back to 1992, but to 1982.
As with any trend in music, there are some very disposable acts (Capital Cities, anyone?) A lot of these songs are crossing over to Pop radio, where they just become another "dance song" to play in between Justin Bieber and One Direction. When a song comes along that I like, and then it crosses over, or worse I hear it and KNOW it's going to cross over, I don't want to like it because in my mind I can already hear it being played between Beebs and 1D. That's how I feel about "Sweater Weather" by The Neighbourhood (which is crossing over) and "My Number" by Foals (which no doubt will). But there's also Phoenix and Portugal The Man, and others who give this "New" New Romanticism some artistic merit.
Speaking of which, I've got a big problem with the fact that the Alternative format has become an incubator for future Pop hits. The Capital Cities song is a perfect example. That song was going to become a Pop hit, but rather than introducing it to a Pop audience, the song gets put on Alternative stations because the PDs know it will cater to the young/female part of their audience. This strategy works especially well if the same company owns an Alternative station and a Pop station. Play the song at Alternative until the song inevitably crosses over to Pop, then the young/female listeners will migrate over to the Pop station, and your company keeps the ratings.
THIS IS NOT WHAT THE ALTERNATIVE FORMAT IS FOR!!! "Alternative" is actually short for "Alternative Rock." Therefore, it's gotta be new rock, and if it's not something that fits within the parameters of rock, it's gotta be something new and different. "Alternative", by its very definition, means something you won't hear anything else, not something that you will inevitably hear EVERYWHERE. Another great example: Lorde. I know everyone's raving about her, and she is quite talented. "Royals" is a good song... but there is NOTHING "Rock" about it. Play her on a Pop station and let the buzz carry the song to being a major Pop hit, which it will be.
Another issue comes up when an artist known for being Alternative releases something that is completely Pop. The current example is Daft Punk. Known as an off-the-radar electronic act for over a decade, their latest single has Pop hit-maker Pharrell Williams on it, and sounds pretty conventional CHR. Naturally, this means that Alternative jumped all over it when it first came out. Here's my take: If you played "One More Time" back in the day, then you can give the song the occasional spin, but if your station didn't exist that long ago... let it go.
The major problem here is that most Pop stations no longer have a LIVE, local night guy anymore, and many don't do anything live on the weekends, so the old methods of introducing music to Pop station audiences are gone. No more "Pump It or Dump It," "Smash or Trash," or whatever you would call the "we play a new song, you tell us if you like it" approach, and Sunday-night new music shows are rare on Pop stations. So apparently the Alternative format has become the new "test market." And I find myself listening to WXPN more often... although as they continue to play the Daft Punk song and a couple of other current Top-40 hits, I wonder if the "Pop incubator" virus has spread even to them. If you're a Triple-A and want to play something off the new Daft Punk album, play other stuff! You can do that, it's what your format does!
Over the past few years, people have become concerned that every station seems to be playing the same songs, regardless of format. It's most upsetting when a format that has long prided itself on being, well, the "alternative" threatens to join the parade. This is not me getting old, it's the format needing a makeover. Perhaps this new trend toward "New New Romanticism" is it. Meanwhile, I'm going to see if Roxy Music goes well into Foals.
Speaking of which, I've got a big problem with the fact that the Alternative format has become an incubator for future Pop hits. The Capital Cities song is a perfect example. That song was going to become a Pop hit, but rather than introducing it to a Pop audience, the song gets put on Alternative stations because the PDs know it will cater to the young/female part of their audience. This strategy works especially well if the same company owns an Alternative station and a Pop station. Play the song at Alternative until the song inevitably crosses over to Pop, then the young/female listeners will migrate over to the Pop station, and your company keeps the ratings.
THIS IS NOT WHAT THE ALTERNATIVE FORMAT IS FOR!!! "Alternative" is actually short for "Alternative Rock." Therefore, it's gotta be new rock, and if it's not something that fits within the parameters of rock, it's gotta be something new and different. "Alternative", by its very definition, means something you won't hear anything else, not something that you will inevitably hear EVERYWHERE. Another great example: Lorde. I know everyone's raving about her, and she is quite talented. "Royals" is a good song... but there is NOTHING "Rock" about it. Play her on a Pop station and let the buzz carry the song to being a major Pop hit, which it will be.
Another issue comes up when an artist known for being Alternative releases something that is completely Pop. The current example is Daft Punk. Known as an off-the-radar electronic act for over a decade, their latest single has Pop hit-maker Pharrell Williams on it, and sounds pretty conventional CHR. Naturally, this means that Alternative jumped all over it when it first came out. Here's my take: If you played "One More Time" back in the day, then you can give the song the occasional spin, but if your station didn't exist that long ago... let it go.
The major problem here is that most Pop stations no longer have a LIVE, local night guy anymore, and many don't do anything live on the weekends, so the old methods of introducing music to Pop station audiences are gone. No more "Pump It or Dump It," "Smash or Trash," or whatever you would call the "we play a new song, you tell us if you like it" approach, and Sunday-night new music shows are rare on Pop stations. So apparently the Alternative format has become the new "test market." And I find myself listening to WXPN more often... although as they continue to play the Daft Punk song and a couple of other current Top-40 hits, I wonder if the "Pop incubator" virus has spread even to them. If you're a Triple-A and want to play something off the new Daft Punk album, play other stuff! You can do that, it's what your format does!
Over the past few years, people have become concerned that every station seems to be playing the same songs, regardless of format. It's most upsetting when a format that has long prided itself on being, well, the "alternative" threatens to join the parade. This is not me getting old, it's the format needing a makeover. Perhaps this new trend toward "New New Romanticism" is it. Meanwhile, I'm going to see if Roxy Music goes well into Foals.
posted by Dave | 10:56 AM
|
0 comments
