(DISCLAIMER: if you are a fan of Nickelback, Simple Plan, Hedley, Billy Talent or any other Canadiana crapola, do not read this post or even return to this blog, because there is scientific proof that these bands suck and I will not apologize for the subsequent rant).
It seemed that only a few sweet years ago the Canadian indie scene possessed enough gusto to at least give the stale mainstream a run for its money. The proud warriors of Broken Social Scene and The Arcade Fire rode a fiery sonic juggernaut with the rest of Montreal calling, sowing the seeds of a soundscape once fallow from the turn-of-the-millennium murk. It appeared that the nuclear winter was over and the survivors could emerge from their bunkers and prosper in a fertile land. It was a time when The Weakerthans could erect a second tower, with people listening this time; when Sarah Harmer was hip; and when The New Pornographers, having defended the indie western front (the harshest of places) for so long with virtually no allies, became the supergroup they already were. Was this the beginning of the end for the Theory of a Nickel Default and Simple Talent Empire? Would the roots redux movement be the Shiva to eradicate the Americopycats? Would the ghosts of Creed finally be silenced? Would there be a complete reclamation in the wake of the Silver Side Up event? Well… no…
So what happened? Is it because of saturation? I mean, did the Montreal Scene really need Mobile, wasn’t that taking it a bit too far? Are not The Midway State and Low Level Flight Billy Talent by-way-of The Dears with a very healthy dose of imported Keane? Is it because of follow up mediocrity? I mean, Neon Bible was no Funeral, Challengers was no Twin Cinema, and Reunion Tour was no Reconstruction Site. But was that really the answer? Well… no…
When you really think about it, the Nickelbacks and Simple Plans have always achieved a level of craft comparable to a urinal cake, sewage with a sweet gloss. And we certainly don’t need any more urinal cakes in the Canadian music scene. In the end, we have to assume that the reasons for shit prevailing are that the majority of young Canadian consumers are musically stupid and/or conservative. They’re constantly being fed the same musical meal, which they don’t realize and/or don’t care about; they just want to have something to fill their iphone. Because of this, the indies have to vs. one another at the JUNOs, and Dark Horse wins Canadian album of the year. But that’s a no brainer when it’s up against two albums of 70s & 80s rehashes (like two answers of a multiple choice that you automatically know are wrong). So it seems that these bands are like cockroaches: as repulsive as they are, they just won’t die. And that is the state of Canadian music as of the 2009 JUNOs.
- Smokey McSmoke-Smoke
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You tell it like it is, brother. It's funny though...I completely forgot about the Junos this year.
ReplyDeleteJunos? What a lame idea for an award show. What’s the point. We all know that most of the Canadian music that gets played on the airwaves in Canada are only played to fill a government issued mandate that says a minimum of 33% (I think) of all music played must be of Canadian content. So they play the same groups' songs over and over. Nothing new, heck they don't even play one of the remaining 9 songs on an album, just the one "so-called" hit. So the Junos get to award those groups for having their music forced on the airwaves and into our minds. So if you want a song to be over played, just get it played on a Canadian radio station. There is a good chance if its liked it will be played until its despised. Now just don’t get me started on the levy tax on blank CD’s.
ReplyDeleteIt puts the con in Cancon...
ReplyDelete