Two months. It's been two months since the last update here on HHDC. How can that be? Is there not a wealth of material to cover?
It is theoretically possible to cover a new act every day for the duration of a lifetime without ever repeating - so why has it been two months?
In that time, dozens of new releases have hit the streets and a horde of new acts have uploaded their demos to the world at large. The bloggers have waxed poetic about new offerings from Owen Pallett's forthcoming EPs (he typically records under the moniker Final Fantasy), the latest news on new records from The Walkmen and The Broken West, and pretty much anything Bon Iver does.
There is certainly plenty of material to write about - as long as the parameters concerning quality have the bar set quite low. For instance, Mr. Pallett displays impressive technical talent with the violin, but the compositions themselves are clinical and mundane. His debut is more of a chore to work through, despite the scattered splotches of brilliance amidst the debris.
Both The Walkmen and The Broken West are wholly derivative acts, completely soulless entities that remain pleasant yet utterly passable. Now that I think about it - there was one track from The Walkmen I listened to a few times and found rather interesting. Though it should be noted I later discovered the song, "Another One Goes By", is actually a note-by-note cover of a song by the band formerly known as Mazarin.
As for Bon Iver, there's no mistaking his showmanship - one listen to "Skinny Love" is an instant hook...yet to delve deeper into his works is to reveal that nearly every song is built from the same mold. His debut record is like the Terra Cotta army of China - all different in some way or another, yet if you've seen one you've seen them all.
I cannot advocate covering a band simply because they exist.
If a group of people come together with some proficiency musically: an apt vocalist, inventive melody structures, and a smattering of bizarrely staged publicity photos - they're primed for the indie spotlight.
Theoretically, this would cover all the bases for a successful career in the music industry. Yet simply because these people are capable of miming the prerequisites it doesn't automatically follow that they will be compelling artists.
Still, if the act is capable of giving off the illusion of prowess, critics and bloggers will run wild with praise. A prime example of this phenomenon, unheard of until the internet age, is prominent indie act Black Kids.
Stupid headwear? Check. Empty, too-cool-for-school expressions? Check. Then they have to be awesome!
Black Kids are talented, as their single "Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)" stands to boast. The track is hopelessly upbeat and accessible. And yet it sounds exactly like something The Go! Team would produce, and worse - it sounds like a song we have all heard before a thousand times over.
Their first single, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend to Dance with You", has helped to propel their debut record to the top ten spot in the UK. Evidently the public adores the "clever" song title, as you can find countless bloggers who've devoted part of their gushing reviews to that alone. Taken on its own merits, however, the song is solidly mediocre at best.
This recalls the hype surrounding the act Ok Go, who can only credit the inventive video for the song "Here It Goes Again" for selling thousands of copies of their debut Oh No. The song is a by-the-numbers pop-rock ice cream cake, a simplistic song derivative of nearly any other band in their genre.
Oh boy, this makes me wanna buy their record!
And yet, again thanks to the massively popular video, the song is featured in numerous commercials, has inspired countless parodies, and is a playable song in Rock Band. (I can personally attest that the track is a dull, tepid chore to cover in the game.)
In some ways I'm torn. If someone truly thinks an act like Black Kids are the highlight of Summer 2008, part of me wants to exclaim "God bless, enjoy"....while another part feels as if they're simply buying into the hype or subscribing to the sellout conundrum. That is summarily just as bad as listening to whatever the radio or television forcefeeds you.
I cannot advocate covering a band simply because they exist.
HHDC could cover material from the past during the intervals in which there is little in the way of fascinating new music. In fact, the majority of the entries here are devoted to such - from reviews of the legendary discography of The Smiths to the outstanding (and nearly forgotten) debut record of Martin Page. Many other bloggers use this technique in some form or another.
And what is that but an exercise in favoritism? A highly subjective jaunt into the favorites of someone half a world away. To a certain extent any blog by definition conforms to that description, yet I believe the primary purpose should be to extoll the virtures of emergent artists who can use all the exposure they can muster.
HHDC was created for the singular purpose of presenting innovative artists who are crafting the most sublime music of our generation. It was never intended to be a hype machine or a bandwagon - it was to be instead a beacon on the darkened corridors of the independent music world.
Those hidden crevices where Seabear resided, the craggly oak tree underneath which Josh Ritter strummed his guitar, and the cramped studio apartment where Brooke Waggoner rehearses were the only sort of places HHDC wanted to be.
This missive could continue until the end of this decade, but in the interest of saving time, I would like to return to the namesake of this entry - Brooke Waggoner.
I've been replaying Miss Waggoner's debut Fresh Pair of Eyes for the past month now (the entire six-track EP is available for free download on her website) and marveling at how inventive and beautiful the damn thing is.
Yes, it could be asserted that the work is derivative of other piano-based chanteuses such as Vanessa Carlton, but when an artist is as supremely talented as Miss Waggoner and performs with such divine conviction - it is an arduous task to simply dismiss the work out of hand.
So it was with great joy that I received the following Brooke Waggoner newsletter earlier this week, which read as follows:
Hi my friends,
So, next week is jam-packed with deals, steals, and freebies:
Tuesday (sept. 2), my new album Heal for the Honey will be available on iTunes for an exclusive offer of $7.99 - for the album in it's entirety! This will only take place for one week... AND, in the spirit of celebration, I am giving each of you a song from the album for FREE, entitled "Live for the Sounds." This is one of my favorite songs on the record. Full of string stabs, plural words, key changes, and romping drums - all tightly wound into a 2:30 package.
Tours promoting the new album are currently in the works, and I can't wait to get to your city and share with you all.
Much love!
Brooke
Beneath that was the link for the exclusive download "Live for the Sounds". After the inaugural listen I was once again overwhelmed with enthusiasm for this emerging artist, as there is a certain clarity to her work that is practically unparalleled by her peers.
If you doubt this, why don't you find out for yourself. . .
"Hush If You Must" from Fresh Pair of Eyes EP (2007)
"Live for the Sounds" from Heal for the Honey (2008)
