All of the sub-genres of independent music at sometime or another jump the shark and become yet another category of music disdained by the elite. New wave, grunge, hip-hop inspired rock were initially seen by the music industry as foreign. But as the music industry became better and better at establishing youth culture in America these sub-genres became victim of a force more interested in financial potential than artistic integrity. In the last ten years, no sub-genre was more affected by these market forces than so-called "emo". Culling a bloodline that starts with Rites of Spring in 1985 and making its way in to the 1990's with bands like Texas is the Reason and Braid, emo was, in its purest form, just a subset of post-punk. The call and response, non-traditional time signatures, octave chords were just a few of the hallmarks of emo. But just as bands like The Get Up Kids and The Promise Ring looked poised to break out of the underground, the industry caught wind of something - suburban high school kids really dig this music. And what do suburban high school kids have? Money. Enter the Yellowcards and Fall Out Boys of the world. Result: emo is ruined.
So Mike, thanks for the history lesson. Why don't you get off your high horse and tell us why this all matters.
Time allows us the distance to reflect back on history with some degree of objectivity. Ten years have passed since one of the seminal albums of this sub-genre was released, Braid's Frames & Canvas. Produced by J Robbins of Jawbox/Burning Airlines/Channels and recorded at legendary Inner Ear studios in Arlington, VA, the album holds up in time. In celebration of the 10th anniversary, Polyvinyl Records is re-releasing Frames & Canvas on 180-gram vinyl for your listening pleasure on August 29th. My copy is already pre-ordered.
from Frames & Canvas
Killing A Camera (mp3)
from Movie Music Vols. 1 & 2
Please Drive Faster (mp3)
Do You Love Coffee? (mp3)
from Where is My Mind? a Pixies tribute album
Trompe Le Monde (mp3)
