December 16, 2007

For the umpteenth time, rock is dead. Or at least, this is so according to many critics. There are no music channels showing rock videos. The charts are mostly dominated by R&B. Our very own rock gods, Call, go and belt out a cheese-fest for an Indian movie. What has the world come to?

Well let’s make one thing clear: Rock is never dead. It just rides waves of popularity based on some brilliant output from rock bands and then gets eaten by sheer blandness and ineptitude of those same bands either becoming pale copies of themselves or veering off into unadvisable directions.

Cases in point? For every U2 you have bands like Killers. For Metallica you now have Fall Out Boy. For Eagles you can now hear Rascal Flatts. For Bon Jovi you still have Bon Jovi — but they have become country stars. And remember, the Foo Fighters can trace their ancestry to Nirvana. Let me confess: I don’t get today’s rock scene. Maybe age has something to do with it. While critics laud The Killers and Maroon 5 and The White Stripes, I don’t find them interesting enough. Some of their songs are good but I won’t go out and buy any albums from them anytime soon.

I don’t have the faintest idea why bands like Fall Out Boy and Sum 41 ever rose to fame, since not only do they loose out miserably in terms of music and singing talent to proper rock bands, they also loose out miserably to boy bands in terms of looks and teenage-girl hysterics.

Don’t forget the legends. R.E.M. came out with Around the Sun in 2005 which was something of a dud, but then, it had followed one of the most sonically beautiful albums ever, Reveal. And remember, a dud by R.E.M. is a gem by any other standards. For evidence, just give a listen to Electron Blue from Around the Sun. They do their own thing and keep their fans guessing. Depressingly, the number of those fans is shrinking by the day. At least they don’t care and that means we can still look forward to their future.

U2 — the elephant in the room. A rare band who has lasted for about three decades, and remains as popular and critically as relevant as ever. Therefore, it is a pity that I am finally tiring of Bono. True, his vocal skills are still formidable, and their songs remain as passionate as ever, but come on — they handed their biggest hit (One) to Mary J. Blige, who felt obliged to over-sing and over-do every note, over-pronounce every damn word, and punctuate every bar with assorted warbling in such a manner that not a trace of the exquisitely simple, understated song was left. Also, their last album with the cheesy title, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, had a gem or two — but now it is akin to lukewarm chicken soup which is not bad, but not pleasant either. The synth-based riff on City of Blinding Lights is lame, and Origin of the Species is a clash between five bridges and seven choruses. U2 have at last fallen victim to self-aggrandisation.
The late-90s Britpop movement is in a shambles. Oasis have all but fizzled out, even though their last album was decent. Damon Albarn has let Blur slip by, dabbling in Gorrillaz and other experiments. Manic Street Preachers are as melodious as ever, but too much of their output sounds like self-parody. Stereophonics, Placebo, Cardigans — they keep soldiering on, but not to great effect.

On the metal front, Iron Maiden are enjoying a resurgence both critically and commercially, but their latest album (A Matter of Life and Death) falls victim to clichéd cord sequences and is nowhere near as brilliant as Brave New World. And the less said about Metallica the better. They came out with a disjointed, melody-free scream-fest called St Anger in 2003, and have been mercifully quiet ever since. Their last brilliant moment came and went with 1991’s Black Album.

Things are not looking good, right? Not so fast. There is Radiohead. Their recent album was launched exclusively on the Internet, and singlehandedly caused a paradigm shift by being offered for download at any price named by the buyer (yes, 0 pounds was an option and no, I didn’t exercise it). The album itself is a deft mix of light-footed beats, infectious synths and trademark vocals from Thom Yorke that gives you the full-fledged Radiohead experience without the heaviness or the bitter aftertaste. Not to mention, around half of the tracks are breathtakingly beautiful.

The Foo Fighters have also come out with a serviceable album, titled Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. Detect a whiff of faint praise there? Trouble is, the Foos were never very edgy or outstanding, and their albums have been peppered with flashes of brilliance and forgettable structures. This one is no better and no worse.
Nickelback — ah, the whipping boy. Nickelback have been almost universally hated by the critics, yet their albums have been some of the best selling ones from the 2000s. As much as I hate to admit it, their every album manages to contain a gem or two. There is no fighting Nickelback — hate them all you want and still the listeners will lap up an album of assorted coughing from Chad Kroeger.

On the female front we have Alanis Morissette who has all but faded into the background, to hand the mantle of angry white chick to one Avril Lavigne. Guess what — the less said the better. Kate Bush came out with an amazing double album titled Aerials. Every track on this album is a gem, particularly Pi where Ms Bush magnificently belts out a faithful counting of the number Pi to a hundred places. Way to go girl!
The best rock moment of 2007, to me, was the single from Kaiser Chiefs, Ruby. Listen to it and you will remember why rock still rules, why rock was the original dance music, and what melody can do to otherwise meaningless lyrics. Bravo!

There you have it. These are pretty grim times for rock fans, to whom I can only say: Wait a while and the good times will roll again.