What do you think will define this decade's music?

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by Sarah

So are you saying, by excluding The White Stripes and then taking into account what you and I have said, that the people who don't listen get to decide what was definitive for that era? That makes no sense. There are people who have heard maybe 3 Jimi Hendrix songs and insist that he's the God of Guitar. There are people who have heard Stairway to Heaven only and know the hugeness of LZ. That's just because of the clarity of retrospect... I don't see why time wouldn't do the same for The White Stripes, considering today's dismal scene. They're one of the most visible (well, now) of all the groups trying to do their own thing, and it's actually GOOD.

Okay... I'll just come right out with it. The White Stripes suck and they are terribly overrated. And I would throw Radiohead into that category as well. Their albums are hyped and the hipsters rush out to buy it without even hearing it. Then their albums fall of the charts very, very quickly because the word of mouth isn't so good. In the process, they sell tons of albums, but they have no real hit singles or radio hits. They have not really succeeded at incorporating current events and sounds while connecting with a wide audience. I can't think of anybody who was directly influenced by the White Stripes, oh, um, except Joss Stone . I think they just lucked out with exceptionally talented managers and PR folks.

I happen to believe that the sound of an era is defined by the songs that were either hit singles or played a lot on the radio. You can't just take a band that was a critic's darling, but ignored on the radio, and call them the sound of an era. Music can't define an era if nobody has ever heard it! So yes, back in the day the Joni Mitchells, Cat Stevens, James Taylors and Carly Simons of the world had a high level of public awareness due to FM radio, their prolific output and 45 RPM singles. Unfortunately, in today's world, singles are practically non-existent, radio is for sh*t, so the best we can hope for is music that crosses over commercially but doesn't suck too much. I think we can all agree that it's slim pickin's these days.