just wondering...

[lauralh]

Neither Modest Mouse nor Built to Spill have released an album since 2001. Which I suppose is ok but I mean, come on. How do we expect the Pacific Northwest* to remain musically relevant? Especially with the demise of Elliott Smith. Well, I guess Death Cab for Cutie released a new album. I just don't really like it.

When I was living in North Carolina, I didn't actually believe the hype about the Triangle area being musically relevant, but on the other hand KEXP played an Archers of Loaf song the other day, and I was like "Wow!". Of course that song had to be at the least 4 years old but still. The only other artist I know of to make it big from there has been quiet the past two years too.

Comments

[xamichee.livejournal.com]

What about Minus the Bear, Kinski, Vendetta Red (I aint a fan, but they're from here and do well), Sleater-Kinney (playing the showbox in 2 weeks), United States of Electronica, or The Divorce? I need some help here as I know I am missing some big ones.

calling for reinforcements...

[mxtx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, speaking of sucky bands that are really popular, what about Pretty Girls Make Graves? And on the flipside, what about Dead Low Tide (on the days they decide to still be together)? And then of course there's The Blood Brothers and The Long Winters and The Thermals and The Decemberists and The New Mexicans The New Pornographers and lots of other definite article bands. And if you look to the mid-level bands that maybe aren't on MTV but still represent the Northwest style and that could make it if people like you paid attention, you've got The Pale and The Drop and the Helio Sequence and Akimbo and Asahi and Aveo and Automaton (who might not be around anymore) and all ten of Graig Markel's Bands and XXXAudio and Gravity and Henry and Jesse Sykes and Jen Wood and Rosie Thomas and Heather Duby to name a few and that's just in rock & roll -- we've also got blossoming hip-hop and electronic scenes with promising acts like Onry Ozzborn and the Electric Birds.

What is it you expect from a town of 500,000 anyway? We still have Pearl Jam, you know. Plus I think that bands like Interpol and The Rapture actually decrease the value of New York's music scene, and at least we don't have anything like that sucking away at our soul.

[velvet.livejournal.com]

Agrt on the Seattle bands issue, agrt w/ The Rapture reference, but Interpol? What've you been smoking, man?!

[mxtx.livejournal.com]

Now that we are more than a year past their prime, I can admit that Interpol is not an outright bad band, but as they made no contribution to the musical canon and they were more concerned with making their schtick stick than making their music matter, I disagree with them in principle. Although recent experiences with Mono (http://www.mono-44.com) have led me to forgive a whole slew of strikingly unoriginal bands, so if you catch me in a couple of months Interpol will probably be off my shitlist.

I will say this, however: have you listened to their lyrics? "Subway she is a porno" "Her stories are boring and stuff/she's always calling my bluff" "She says brief things/her love's a pony" Poets they are not.

Have you tried maybe the Psychedelic Furs instead? I think you will be much happier.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

I'm an old woman, I still think Interpol is better than Psychedelic Furs, if solely because the lead singer's voice is intelligible.

[mxtx.livejournal.com]

If he weren't so intelligible, he could get away with his horrible lyrics. Sorry, I'm still gonna have to give the point to the Furs.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what you're talking about, lyrics like "you are the only person who's completely certain there's nothing here to be into" are not only intelligible but good.

but i didn't mean intelligible, I just mean the furs' lead singer's voice sucks ass.

[mxtx.livejournal.com]

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. Fortunately Interpol is not from Seattle so we won't have to be a scene divided.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

see, i've heard of more of the mid-level names than the "popular" ones. so what does that say. I dunno. My point was not that there was no good music here, just that the rest of the country didn't care.

and what about leftover salmon?

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

see, I think no one's heard of any of those bands in North Carolina, except sleater-kinney.

Re: and what about leftover salmon?

[xamichee.livejournal.com]

Dude, Vendetta Red has sold a fuckton of records. They have a video on mtv, do big world tours, and all the other typical rock star shit. I betcha they've heard of em over there in NC.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

yeah? wow.

[xamichee.livejournal.com]

hehe