Positively Houston St. | |
| New York City is rock
city again. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Strokes, not to mention the whole 'electroclash movement,' have brought the world's attention back to the Lower East Side. The last time anyone was paying close attention was in the late 70s and early 80s. Sid and Nancy were killing each other up in Chelsea. Television were slumming down on the Bowery. Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo were learning to detune their guitars with Glenn Branca. Blondie and the Talking Heads were heading towards chart success. And that's
just the short list. Other bands were making music that was no less important
while often ending up as a footnote. Producer Brian Eno recorded bands James
Chance And The Contortions, Teenage Jesus And The Jerks, DNA, and Mars for
a compilation album called No New York. Punk rock has always been smarter
than it pretends to be and had a wide range of influences: the music on No
New York veers from avant noise to free jazz to simply something gone wild.
Amazing, fantastic! This is the stuff of a proper rock history legend. And now a new legend is trying to be laid down. Yes New York features sixteen current NYC bands of the (excuse the music journo term) rock revival. The Strokes, probably the most popular band here, take the lead track with 'New York City Cops' live in Iceland. (Which is hilarious, right?) One could argue that this all the Strokes fault to begin with... The band's initial success was spread via word of mouth and, even though the eventual album didn't hold up to the hype, when the press came to poke around they found a growing local music scene. (Mainstream music press likes movements and likes to try to strike gold, or better yet a platinum record, in the same place twice). Fortunately, NYC has always and will always have a steady local band scene. Why else does someone move to the city, but to be a rock star? Right now the world is paying attention again. The homage to No New York is flattering but the comparison and lineage is never really fulfilled. Most of the bands' songs are interesting and kind of catchy, but afterwards there is a lingering suspicion that you have heard it before (like any Strokes song for that matter). Which isn't to say that it's bad„the music is just kind of uninteresting (exceptions noted below). Perhaps this is what happens when everyone listens to all the 'right' records. 'Right' music is made, but it's somehow not right at all. While punk rock is all energy and excitement, nothing is more tiring than a paint by numbers three chord bash. One of the things that made the NYC scene back in the day so exciting is that the bands could sound so different. (Not drugs, contrary to popular belief). [As an aside and in all fairness, all proceeds from Yew New York are being donated to a musicians' charity. Good causes are always worthwhile but the point at issue here is the music. And one should also remember that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.] Some of the bands on Yes New York might soon be the stuff of legend. The Rapture's 'Olio' fits piano line over a dark moving bass line like a great dance tune but of the variety to which no one dances. (Hopefully they explore this more on the upcoming album). 'NYC' by Interpol helps make being miserable epic and enjoyable again. Misery spent much of the 90s on hissy lo-fi tapes so it's good to see it get out some. LCD Soundsystem's screamed 'Tired' is loud, noisy, and perfect. The DFA remix of Le Tigre's 'Deceptacon' is a great dance tune but of the variety to which people do dance. Also worthwhile are Ted Leo & the Pharmacists and the Walkmen. Perhaps the best homage to NYC music isn't even being released in the USA. Singer Vitamin C used to slug it out in guitar bands in NYC clubs until she decided to reinvent herself as a pop star. Her recent single is a rerecorded mash-up of the Strokes' 'Last Nite' against Blondie's 'Heart Of Glass'. So that's thirty years of one city's rock history in one song. It makes sense if you don't think about it too hard. © 2003 Matthew Hintz |