Some [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Britpop], however, have attempted to categorize them as Post-Britpop, which to me seemed initially inaccurate considering Britpop really didn't play much into their sound as far as I can tell. The more I think about it, however, it seems to make sense.
First of all, however, what is Post-Britpop? The term sounds like something rather obscure, but in reality it's perhaps one of the most popular musical genres of the past 10 years, including bands like Snow Patrol, Keane, Doves, and the titanically famous Coldplay and Radiohead. These bands all share a universal sentimentality of lyrical themes as well as often light and ambient instrumentation, both of which derive themselves from the Britpop era. The latter is pretty clear, as the music of Coldplay and the softer Post-Britpop bands is very clearly a more sanitized interpretation of Oasis and Blur's more typical rock sound, while Radiohead seems to follow more the edgier sound of Suede as well as the grunge movement that preceded Britpop in the musical consciousness. The sound is more standardized and more melodic, in general, than Britpop, which tended to be more idiosyncratic while also re-appropriating older themes and styles in a new aesthetic setting.
The lyrical themes, however, diverge greatly from those of Britpop, being, as stated previously, far more sentimental in nature than even a greater part of the prior movement. Consider for examples Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know", Coldplay's "Yellow" or "Viva la Vida", and Radiohead's "High and Dry". Now, sentimentality was indeed well represented in Britpop - Pulp's most popular songs thrive on being sympathetic in the same sense, and Blur and Oasis, who are perhaps the greatest influence on Post-Britpop, participating in it themselves after Be Here Now, also went in this direction - as an inheritance from the '80's Post-Punk of The Smiths and Joy Division as well as Britpop predecessors such as The Stone Roses and The La's. What differed in Britpop was that this sentimentality was used for an almost political message, to display the existential problems of the Thatcher and post-Thatcher Era working class. In Pulp, we see sentimentality primarily in a sexual context, with "Do You Remember the First Time?", "Pink Glove", "Disco 2000", and "Sylvia" being primary examples. Class conflict also plays a role, most notably on Different Class, with songs like "Mis-Shapes" and "Common People" pointing out the disconnect caused by economic stratification. Suede also uses sentimentality, though is decidedly edgier in general. Nonetheless, the less intense songs on Suede (easily identified when listening to the album) as well as songs like "The Chemistry Between Us", "The Wild Ones", and "The 2 of Us" similarly present the singer in a sympathetic state of inferiority. Once again, Suede tends to treat themes of sexuality and class, with an even greater honesty than Pulp and great melodrama besides. Blur also treats issues of class with sentimental tact, juxtaposing this with crass pop and rock cliches. Thus, we see in "Country House" a bouncy chorus balanced with falsetto moanings in the background, and "Parklife" juxtaposes musings on droll routines with a chorus that unites all of humanity in recognition of the inanity of life. Finally, there are Oasis, who, being very proudly of the lower class themselves, do not treat the same issues as their fellows. Noel Gallagher's song-writing goal was instead to provide an upbeat and positive counter to grunge, while songs like "She's Electric", "Digsy's Dinner", and "Cigarette's and Alcohol" also treat the routine of daily life.
How does Idlewild fit into this? Certainly, it's understandably that they should, at first glance, fall into the same category as post-Britpop artists. Taking alone The Remote Part, Idlewild's most popular album, released at the height of this movement, the similarities do exist. "American English" could easily be a Coldplay song, while "You Held the World In Your Arms" and "A Modern Way of Letting Go" could be perceived as deriving from the heavier moments of Oasis. Such a perception is only coincidentally feasible, since Idlewild's placement in Post-Britpop is really only possible for the sole moment of The Remote Part, taking all of Idlewild's oeuvre in context (with a healthy dose of hindsight), it's very easy to understand it not as a reflection of Britpop or even Post-Britpop sensibilities, but rather as a transition from Punk to Folk, as is clear in comparing the progression of Idlewild's albums from Hope is Important to Post-Electric Blues. Thus, The Remote Part has a very moderate sound because it is, even in every way, a very moderate album on the route from loud punk to withdrawn folk.
Then if the sounds is thus explained, where does the sentimentality come from? To be clear, Idlewild has always been sentimental and honest. Even on Captain and Hope is Important, tracks like "Self Healer" and "You Don't Have the Heart" have been offset by "Annihilate Now!" (a less brash song than the title would imply), "I'm Happy to be Here Tonight", and "Safe and Sound". My hypothesis is that, leaving all personal sentimentality aside, the aesthetic reflected here comes not from Britpop or the introverted post-Punk that preceded and inspired it, but rather from Punk itself, especially, as I see it, from Superchunk and, in albums like The Remote Part, R.E.M. To me, Superchunk seems like a clear forerunner to the ideas espoused in albums like Hope is Important and 100 Broken Windows. It's edgy, but with feeling - lines like "I'll be the stick in your spokes, so you better laugh at my jokes" display a youthful sarcasm that also expresses a sense of inferiority very similar to that of Idlewild's music, in general, with lines such as "listen to what you've got (I'm what you've got), until you realize that it's nothing" and "I have to stop saying, 'to be honest'. It's not a real defeat to have to stop saying, 'to be honest'". This conflict of appearances and reality, of sensitivity and a facade of inner fortitude, is not dissimilar to that of Britpop in general, and Idlewild's inclination toward folk - something that unfortunately happens to many bands that I like, including Slowdive and Teenage Fanclub as well - served to temper this Superchunk-esque sentimentality to something more akin to that of the Post-Britpop balladeers.
In conclusion, then, the similar aesthetics found in Idlewild's transitionary work and that of the Post-Britpop artists is likely a mere coincidence: a coincidence that implies first an interesting message about the confluence of musical styles and influences and their varying effects and secondly a need for caution when attempting to identify such influences.
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