I'm sorry, I'm not going to take Don's slag lying down.....
"Powerpop" has to be one of the most retrogressive music forms, excuse me?
First of all, the Scott Miller quote reflects the views and tastes of a
single solitary powerpopper. Nice of you to extend his thoughts and
apply it throughout the entire genre. I also believe Miller is couching
his opinion, not in terms of creative originality, but in terms of sonic
originality (i.e. production). One would have to admit, that there is an
awfully wide variation in the production of pop & powerpop music. Thus
generating terrific arguments over say, the dramatic differences between
one Posies album to the next.
Before I get into the ethnic *purity* arguement, let me address the
same-old, tired-ass, application of the "wimp" label to powerpop bands.
That's the kind of Bullshit that makes most popgeeks feel some kind of
inferiority complex. Sorry, I don't think you need a bone shattering bass
riff or a steel guitar nor spandex or pointy-edged guitars to make
something less wimpy. What the fuck is "wimpy" or "wussieness" in music
anyway? Sweet overlayed harmonies and over produced guitars, with a
artificially sopranic vocals along with fluffy lyrics. Ok, that's a
subset of powerpop, but only a subset. And, I wouldn't call that wussie or
wimpy, or less manly, or less substantive than any country recording.
Hmm, like there isn't a multitude of light fluffy, self-pitying lyrics in
country. See, I can sterotype as well, Don.
Ha! I think it's incredibly hypocritical to accuse powerpop of being
ethnocentric or "lilly white" while coming from a country and alt-country
perspective. Now, Don....I know you have a deep appreciation of many
types of music. However, there no way on earth anyone could argue that
country & country-inlfuenced music (excluding country soul) is more lily
white than powerpop. I would harbor a strong guess thet there are more
folks of non-white ethnicities playing powerpop than are playing country
or alt-country.
The arguement that powerpop is retrogressive is laughingly ludicrous.
Yeah, it all goes back to the Beatles or the Beach Boys. Sure......
Sorry Don, I hate to tell you but this bitty genre of music is pushing a
lot more envelopes of sound engineering, lyricism, than country will ever
will. C'mon, how many discussions & posts have we seen here decrying the
homogeneity of the country genre? You aren't going to see that in the
totally non-commercial, wide-ranging area of powerpop.
Country music as adventerous because it has black roots. Man, those roots
are pretty old and pretty fixed. You my friend, are grapsing at
philosophical and argumentative straws.
Gotta run off. Skiing this weekend and I know my emotional retort can be
shot full of holes, so have at it.....
Jerry
