For years I have held my tongue while every Generation Y musician who can fit in tight pants has recycled the 1980s into hipster musical fodder. Everything from miami bass to death metal to track act pop has been repackaged and forced down the throats of a generation too lazy to come up with their own soundtrack.
I'm drawing the line at La Roux's "In For The Kill" single. It's one thing to recycle 80s dance pop. The Black Kids, for example, do a great job at it. But to make an intentionally crappy sounding record and get praised by the few remaining music rags that are left for being "shrill" and "tinny" is inexcusable.
Let's get it straight musical brit hipsters. What you are historically good at is selling semi-obscure American culture back to us. The Rolling Stones sold us John Lee Hooker. Led Zeppelin sold us Howling Wolf. The Sex Pistols sold us the NY Dolls and The Stooges. Soft Cell sold us Gloria Jones. But selling us re-recycled Soft Cell is lame. That's why you're playing clubs in the states despite your star status back home. You clearly have enough moxy/management to get polydor to throw some spacebucks behind you. So how about coming up with your own sound next time?
To paraphrase PJ O'Rourke,you need to LED: Let The Eighties Die.
Why so bitter? When the London Philharmonic plays Mozart, are they "Recycling"?
Posted by: rick | 11/01/2010 at 09:13 PM
Dear Rick, you are comparing apples and oranges.
Philharmonic Orchestras are fancy cover bands. They are not stealing Mozart's music and passing it off as their own.
Posted by: Bowker | 11/02/2010 at 12:01 PM