Okay, it's a weird question I know.
But tonight I got to thinking, who really is the best modern day rock band out there? Coldplay? White Stripes? Kings of Leon?
I mean let's face it, we really haven't got that many really great candidates waiting in the wings to assume the throne right now. There certainly isn't any Beatles, Stones, or Who standing in waiting and ready to step up to the plate — to say nothing of a future Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd.
As far as songwriters go, I likewise can't see the next Dylan, Springsteen, Brian Wilson, or Neil Young anywhere out there on the horizon — as much as I would really like to. I mean, I like Conor Oberst as much as the next guy, but honestly speaking I just don't see him filling the shoes of Bob or Bruce.
These are different times than the sixties or the seventies were, and I understand that. Believe me, I do. But the question is where to look for that sort of greatness now? In other words, to quote the great Pete Townshend, "Who's next?"
Fleet Foxes? Great harmonies, but they still need work in the way of a writing a nice concise song that runs less then six minutes. Say it, don't spray it right?
Porcupine Tree? Great band, with one of the most underrated songwriter/musicians around in Steven Wilson. But still way, way too obscure at this point to make any kind of a dent in the international subconscious.
TV On the Radio? As much as the critics love to jizz all over these guys, I'll bet you dollars to donuts that nobody will remember them two years from now. Again, it comes down to that whole thing of having memorable songs here. Business aside, we still need actual songs that people will remember. No offense guys.
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Article comments
1 - MarkSaleski
there is no "next big thing" out there not because there are no contenders, but because the way people consume music has changed so much that there is no longer any focus. attention spans (including those of stupid major labels) have been, fractured so much that it's just tougher for any band to become 'big'.
as far as these two bands go, i'll take Wilco. much more organic. and i'll take Tweedy over Yorke. Yorke has a great instrument but man, so cold.
2 - Glen Boyd
I love em both Mark, and it was a tough call to make. In the "musicianship" category, I was tempted to call it a tie, because Cline is such an MFer of a guitar player.
As for the other part of your comment, you'll get no argument from me. The nature of the beast these days means that for the most part, bands don't have to try as hard because the majority of the audience is either seeking individual songs rather than albums, or even worse, whatever the flavor of the moment happens to be.
But yeah, this new Wilco album is pretty great, innit'?
-Glen
3 - MarkSaleski
haven't listened to the new album yet.
4 - Mat Brewster
I really, really like the new Wilco. That "Bull Black Nova" that you mentioned knocks my freaking face off. Can't wait to get the actual disk and listen to it in something other than a stream. And then, of course, to hear it live.
5 - JC Mosquito
Wilco over RH. But whether you like them or not, the last great rock band that means anything is U2, and I say that despite not being a particularly big fan of the boys from the Emerald Isle. Bands like Counting Crows or Fountains of Wayne don't have the clout in the marketplace yet - and likely never will.
Ryan Adams is one of the best songwriters in recent memory, but he's not a band, is he?
6 - Paul Roy
Not the biggest fan of either band, although I can appreciate Radiohead's music a lot more than Wilco. I never quite understood their appeal. I do think that Porcupine Tree is the best modern day rock band going. They keep improving with each album too. I think Radiohead is equally as obscure a Porcupine Tree, but for whatever reason certain bands get promoted more than others. Too bad.
7 - Mat Brewster
JC beat me to it. I was sitting here this morning listening to the Fleet Foxes which reminded me of this article which got me to thinking about U2.
I haven't really appreciated them in several albums, but they really are a phenomenon. Likely one that won't happen again due to the splintering of the way we now listen to and acquire music.
8 - Glen Boyd
I didn't include U2 in this discussion because they've been around so long -- it'll be thirty years next year since "Boy" (can ya' believe it?).
My own take on U2 is that they really represent the last great classic rock band. And I agree that we are unlikely to see their like again anytime soon.
-Glen
9 - El Bicho
I don't get this notion that the changing music industry means there will be no next big thing. Did individual songs over albums hurt the careers of Chuck Berry or Elvis? It's all about appealing to masses, not that I mean selling out, but tapping into something that appeals across boundaries. The next big thing is coming, but it's like watching a pot boil.
10 - Mat Brewster
I don't think it is so much that the album is dying, but that we now have access to so much music from so many sources.
Its like how cable/satellite and now streaming online video caused a splintering of what people watch. With more choices fewer people watch whats on the networks.
With more choices in music, fewer people listen to pop radio.
None of this has anything to do with quality, of course.
11 - Glen Boyd
The other problem with all of this is that with the download genie out of the bottle and the resulting dip in album sales, artists have had to turn to live concerts as the primary revenue stream to make up the difference.
There's your inflated ticket prices right there.
-Glen
12 - El Bicho
"Its like how cable/satellite and now streaming online video caused a splintering of what people watch."
Don't buy it. We still get the next big thing when it comes to TV.
The inflated ticket price is because suckers are willing to pay it. I don't think a lot of Barbra Streisand fans are downloading her albums.
13 - Glen Boyd
But a lot of U2 and Neil Young fans are.
14 - JC Mosquito
Why are Neil Young and U2 fans downloading Barbara Streisand albums?
15 - deadulus
I find it endlessly fascinating when I see people accusing Radiohead of not really writing songs.When in fact I think they write some of the best lyrics this side of The Hold steady.There is some repetition in there in the vein of T.S Eliot.I've never heard anyone use allusion so powerfully in a tune.The problem with Thom is when he writes he writes for himself and for others who sit and pick apart a song word by word and every intonation.You have to work to really get a Radiohead song.
16 - R.P.M.
I agree Wilco...the Killers...Cat Power (if you call her rock, but if you don't take Shabtai Zimmerman off the list too), The White Stripes, the list goes on and on - and should.
Sadly this debate won't matter much as only bands like Radiohead, NIN and Smashing Pumpkins can afford to give out free music. Even Wilco merely streams.
If you want this conversation to really last much longer, like who is the best basketball player ever...sorry MJ I love you, but did you win 9 championships or score 50 a year with 20 reboounds a game? Heh it's subjective and that is what is great.
Point being, that unless something is done so that bands don't have to tour 365, there will be a lot less of them. What was it 1998 when you still had to buy albums? Later? Torrents will kill this conversation faster than OJ with a ginsu. Spend the $2.71 (Greg Holden's EP is certainly worth that right?) to maybe 10 or 11$ and buy it legally or bitch when all music is the stuff the LABEL make for us.
Remember all the bitching about Bush being "made" b/c they were purdy and sounded nice? Well imagine that times everything. Rock and Roll might be here to stay, but indie rock not so much if people steal. Stealing an album is the same as stealing groceries....how did that work out for the guy in Les Miserables? Bread...CDs...your wife...whatever, the effects wind up hurting more than one.
Good post!