No Sayer Or Ain't No Love In The Heart

I can't sleep when I think about the times we're living in, I can't sleep when I think about the future I was born into... There was a time when the truly hip were worshipped and you'd better have something to say to be relevant. What happened? Where's the love? Miles. Dylan. Coltrane. The Stones. Jimi. The Beatles... The Impossible Cool.

When a band or artist not only sounds amazing but looks amazing it perplexes me why they're not on the cover of every publication and in the consciousness of America or at least my beloved New York. And I'm not talking about the handful of indie blogs out there that are on the tip. I mean in a city as leading edge as New York why does it take *two decades for a band to shine.

*Joy Division is dope and timeless. But Ian Curtis and the rest of New Order are from the late 70's early 80's. To walk into every "cool" restaurant, boutique, and club and continually hear Substance is kind of... not that "cool" anymore. Is it possible to kill an artist twice? I'm not saying don't throw Transmission into the mix every couple hours but for the past five years they've been the dominant sound of the hip. Ian is tired... Let him sleep for a little bit... There are artists living in the now that are in a coma.

Yeasayer are truly hip and are the perfect example of what's wrong with the collective conscience right now. They have every element... The style, the sound, the look. So why is it that they're not the dominant sound?...

I'm not looking for answers here. I know the answers. I'm just hoping that things can change. What's mainstream, popular, and mass appeal can also be hip, avant-garde and eclectic. Those two worlds used to live together. In fact, they used to love each other. I'm sure they used to fuck every once in a while too.

 

I'm not saying don't have reverence for the past or don't sample history. But Madonna used to kick it with Basquiat. That was downtown. That was the time. Artists living in the now. Making it in the now. Breathing in the now. Being respected in the now. Shining in the now... The moment...

Comments

[steven]

exactly. I feel like I have been preaching this same message for over ten years. feels good to know I am not alone.

[JP]

loving the original content! When is the "personal accountability" editorial coming out?

[Andy]

i agree as well, but i also kinda of like the fact that we have to search a little to find the good stuff. i feel as though the poeple that end up likeing these things are more genuine and are not just following what everone else seems to like.

[Peter Stolz]

Fucking AMEN!!

[Gregory]

Hmmm... I agree with what your saying, but as far as your example of Yeasayer, to be honest, they look to me like they have the same case of most modern bands: too much posing, not enough playing. Too much acting, not enough rocking. Musicians and actors don't mix. You can smell the fakeyness. Look at footage of any of your old references (Miles, Jimi, Coltrane, the Stones, and even the Beatles). When you see these musicians performing (barring it's performing in a movie), they are pouring their hearts out. They are opening up their chests and showing us their soul. They aren't trying to look dope, they just are dope. Not so with most modern bands. No matter how cool they look, no matter what moves they cop, if they don't have the soul for it, it doesn't work.

[Jake Davis]

I hate commenting on my own posts... It's so self-indulgent but sometimes it's so necessary. I don't personally know Yeasayer, I haven't interviewed them, and I haven't directed a video for them. Although I'd like to do all three.

Yeasayer are simply a metaphor for the times. There are several bands (The National, Grizzly Bear, Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah, etc.) similar to them that used to grace the covers of major publications back in the day. That was when major publications influenced the masses instead of catered to them.

Are Yeasayer the be all end all? No... But I recognize the truth... Sure there are the similarities to the sound and moves of David Byrne, the textural layers of Brian Eno, and the world samples of Peter Gabriel. But that's kind of the point. They're still doing their own thing. And if you don't think these motherfuckers completely ripped the awkwardness of Later with Jools Holland then you're watching the wrong clip. I've directed enough of these live performances to know it's not easy to completely kill a live studio show like they did. Just my thoughts people...

[Voyno]

Yeasayer are definitely onto something. But this feels like the start. I'm sure you've see the http://www.blogotheque.net/Yeasayer,3966

That's the future.