Sinister: Essay: Why I'm Glad B&S are Successful

[FourJacksandaJill]

Generally, I like that they're successful because for once (in a while it
seems) they genuinely deserve it.  I don't mean because they're nice
people (who knows really, I don't) but because the songs are great, the
lyrics are great, the music itself is praiseworthy.  For once this "pop"
music lives up to its etymological roots, 'cause B&S are pretty popular,
even straining at the restraints of the "cult hero" label.  And that is
kind of strange.  For me, listening to indiepop for a while makes you
think "This stuff could be go over really well with a lot of people"
because they're catchy, great melodies, lyrics, whatever.  But for some
reason or another they fade into obscurity known only to you.  

Now all of a sudden a band that should be popular is, and that's great.
Couldn't have happened to a better band, as they already have proven
they've got legs.  Still vaunted and have lived up to the hype (while also
trying to avoid it, but there's only so much they can do), they've proven
that you don't have to be all-out electronic, look back to the early '90s
(!) for that good ol' grungy angst (Eve 6 anyone?? Creed???), you don't
have to be louder than fuck, you don't have to appeal to the lowest common
denominator, you don't have to have a slickly-produced record (B&S stuff
is some of the least-compressed sounding stuff I've heard, but it's not
muddy or lo-fi neither), you don't have to be mediocre Lilith Fair fare
and you don't have to rap to make an impact these days.  Whew.

Who knows though, there may be some acts out there who could sound like
B&S if they didn't have annoying over-the-top voices, if they didn't have
awful pretentious lyrics, if they didn't have huge drums, if they didn't
the delivery period.  And maybe B&S would suck if they had one of these
elements.  But they don't.  I'd hate to think it was contrived or anything
but I'm just glad they have a handle on things and haven't gone all sucky.
Pardon my eloquence!

So basically what I'm saying is, B&S have bucked a lot of trends and
started one themselves, which is pretty neat.  Now watch for a crop of
ten- to twelve piece bands who used to be into swing doing delicate
fragile folk-pop and watch the record companies drool (or am I being too
cynical here?).:)

Oh, great cover art too.  Stuff you can put on your wall without looking
like a teenybopper (who needs the artists themselves on the cover anyway,
eh Morrissey?).

Anyway, I'm bored!  Can you tell.  

Xavier
-- 
BXK	 	                                  "It's recess everywhere
bkim0 at dept.english.upenn.edu                       but in his heart."
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~bkim0                        --Ralph Wiggum
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