- Jul 9, 2010
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Is a topic I'm kind of intrigued by. This is a topic that I probably wanked on about too much on the JJJ thread.
Thirty-odd years ago, Australia's music scene was a lot more cohesive, I think. In the 1980s, we had The Church, The Triffids, and The Go-Betweens. They utilised the popular alternative sounds of the time. The jangly indie pop and post-punk of England was pretty popular, but these bands had an undeniable Australianism to them. The Triffids had a real love affair for the WA Coast (pride!) and the Go-Betweens most famous song was, basically, about the Brisbane council.
Then we had some pop songs.
In 2000, the Strokes were huge. I wasn't actually a part of it (I was a young kid), but I think their effect is still pretty obvious. That simplicity and straight forward accessibility kind of resonated with plenty of people.
This music bookmark is also a milestone, I think, for a change in Australian music culture.
The Vines came in. They utilised the Strokes sound. Australian people began to download songs through the advent of the internet.
Now, there's an originality and freshness in Tame Impala. Their music is a pastiche and their psychedelic influences are tangible. Kevin Parker is a very, very good songwriter, and uses his obvious influences to create something relatively... new. The songs stand up for themselves and the international attention is more than impressive. Tame Impala are definitely one of the 'it' bands, but they seem to have some artistic merit that means they won't be a forgotten trend.
My main gripe is that Australian music and youth culture is very ignorant. We have the internet, and the internet enables people from geographically separated areas to engage. Movements are no longer dictated and bound by geography. A scene can transcend the physical state, and it definitely does. In Europe and America, this is pretty well used. But I think the "mainstream alternative" group in this country is reliant on being force fed music. A song has to be on Triple J for the artist to become cool and popular for Antipodes. Self-discovery just doesn't really exist as much as it could, and should, do. I attribute this to the general laziness of Australian culture and, as my old man would say, the stamp of "Generation Me" and "Everything for Nothing Generation."
So frauds like Flume hit the charts. This bogan (Harley m8 sik name!) has capitalised on something. I guess you can call it chillwave. This whole fad has moved on, with acts like Teen Daze being forgotten, and acts like Toro y Moi and Washed Out progressing and evolving. Yet Flume has seen how popular the genre is... but it's never really been 'big' in Australia, or in the Triple J crowd.
Flume is soulless. His songs are thin and weak. He isn't a natural songwriter. I can see what he's trying to do, but it's just really poorly executed. He can barely sample and he has a complete inability to carve an interesting an atmosphere (something tantamount, perhaps the pre-requisite, to chillwave).
This isn't a "omg look I was into chillwave before you pretenders" spiel. This is just pointing out some disappointing areas of the music scene in Australia. Listen to Toro y Moi. Chaz has a real ability to sample... he uses it to his advantage, and it isn't the centrepiece to the actual song. His melodies are more memorable, and the song structures way more interesting. (Yes, I've only used songs from his first album, and that's because he's progressed since then... which probably reinforces my argument: Streten u r behind the curve.)
Then there's those annoying pricks from Bleeding Knees Club. Your name is lame, your artwork exhausted, your song writing absolutely immature, and your aesthetic is seriously outdated. This whole lo-fi thing has gone. Singing about weed and sweet nothings has lost its charm and appeal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZCcd6c8TJw
As opposed to...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF9Tu35-pBo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeHPwdQ-rXw
I just think Australian bands are jumping on bandwagons that have proven success, but not so much attention in their country of origin.
So, what's your opinion on the state of music here? Do you remember it better? Is this a good or bad time to be an Aussie music fan?
Thirty-odd years ago, Australia's music scene was a lot more cohesive, I think. In the 1980s, we had The Church, The Triffids, and The Go-Betweens. They utilised the popular alternative sounds of the time. The jangly indie pop and post-punk of England was pretty popular, but these bands had an undeniable Australianism to them. The Triffids had a real love affair for the WA Coast (pride!) and the Go-Betweens most famous song was, basically, about the Brisbane council.
Then we had some pop songs.
In 2000, the Strokes were huge. I wasn't actually a part of it (I was a young kid), but I think their effect is still pretty obvious. That simplicity and straight forward accessibility kind of resonated with plenty of people.
This music bookmark is also a milestone, I think, for a change in Australian music culture.
The Vines came in. They utilised the Strokes sound. Australian people began to download songs through the advent of the internet.
Now, there's an originality and freshness in Tame Impala. Their music is a pastiche and their psychedelic influences are tangible. Kevin Parker is a very, very good songwriter, and uses his obvious influences to create something relatively... new. The songs stand up for themselves and the international attention is more than impressive. Tame Impala are definitely one of the 'it' bands, but they seem to have some artistic merit that means they won't be a forgotten trend.
My main gripe is that Australian music and youth culture is very ignorant. We have the internet, and the internet enables people from geographically separated areas to engage. Movements are no longer dictated and bound by geography. A scene can transcend the physical state, and it definitely does. In Europe and America, this is pretty well used. But I think the "mainstream alternative" group in this country is reliant on being force fed music. A song has to be on Triple J for the artist to become cool and popular for Antipodes. Self-discovery just doesn't really exist as much as it could, and should, do. I attribute this to the general laziness of Australian culture and, as my old man would say, the stamp of "Generation Me" and "Everything for Nothing Generation."
So frauds like Flume hit the charts. This bogan (Harley m8 sik name!) has capitalised on something. I guess you can call it chillwave. This whole fad has moved on, with acts like Teen Daze being forgotten, and acts like Toro y Moi and Washed Out progressing and evolving. Yet Flume has seen how popular the genre is... but it's never really been 'big' in Australia, or in the Triple J crowd.
Flume is soulless. His songs are thin and weak. He isn't a natural songwriter. I can see what he's trying to do, but it's just really poorly executed. He can barely sample and he has a complete inability to carve an interesting an atmosphere (something tantamount, perhaps the pre-requisite, to chillwave).
This isn't a "omg look I was into chillwave before you pretenders" spiel. This is just pointing out some disappointing areas of the music scene in Australia. Listen to Toro y Moi. Chaz has a real ability to sample... he uses it to his advantage, and it isn't the centrepiece to the actual song. His melodies are more memorable, and the song structures way more interesting. (Yes, I've only used songs from his first album, and that's because he's progressed since then... which probably reinforces my argument: Streten u r behind the curve.)
Then there's those annoying pricks from Bleeding Knees Club. Your name is lame, your artwork exhausted, your song writing absolutely immature, and your aesthetic is seriously outdated. This whole lo-fi thing has gone. Singing about weed and sweet nothings has lost its charm and appeal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZCcd6c8TJw
As opposed to...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF9Tu35-pBo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeHPwdQ-rXw
I just think Australian bands are jumping on bandwagons that have proven success, but not so much attention in their country of origin.
So, what's your opinion on the state of music here? Do you remember it better? Is this a good or bad time to be an Aussie music fan?
I don't like any of that chillwave stuff though so.. yeah!
