Quote of the Day & Some Thoughts on Music Related Websites

I’m quoting the entire post because it is just that funny. 

A few years ago, The Fleet Foxes burst onto the scene with their angelic harmonies, and it was like nothing anyone had heard since the days of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It was totally disruptive to everything else we had been hearing at the time, and that disruption (just like it frequently does) led to a massive trend.

Well, I’m here to say I’m sick and tired of that trend. It makes me want to barf on my lap. Guys with beards looking up at the sky and trying to hit the high note is ridiculous. If we don’t turn this around, we’re all going to be really ashamed of ourselves when we look back in a few years. Just because two guys in a band have a beard doesn’t make them any different from Evan and Jaron.

Over the past 4 years, all you needed was any one of the following things to get noticed by music bloggers 1) beards, 2) an animal in your band name, 3) a standing drummer, or 4) 3-part harmonies. It was a sure fire way to try and get attention, like girls who wear skirts in the winter or people who run marathons.

I want to rock. I want someone that looks like Rex Chapman with absolutely zero sideburns and a hint of a mullet screaming into a microphone. Can someone please send us something that rocks?

-- That Guy from the post I’m Really Tired of Dudes Harmonizing with Each Other

This actually reminds me of a discussion I had with Scott over at his blog One Hundred to One recently.  The post itself was about Scott’s disappointment with the sites PunkNews.org and AbsolutePunk.net and their lack of coverage of actual punk bands.  In the comments I stated that I actually liked what PunkNews.org was doing and how they didn’t adhere to the closed minded punk mentality of zines like Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll.  Then I stated the following –

One site that I do follow, but don’t really like all that much though is Pitchfork. Sometimes there is a good post here and there but mostly it is the same junk that is on nearly every other music related site (in other words, lots of posts about Bon Iver and Lana Del Rey).

Which brings me to something that I’ve noticed with a lot of music sites… They all (or at least many of them) seem to all write about the same flash-in-the-pan “indie” artist. Have you noticed that? I don’t mind Stereogum because they actually do a really good job (and can write well) but it seems like so many other sites are just trying to be like them (them = Stereogum).

NPR Music is also guilty of this as well, but in their defense, they do actually cover a lot of different styles of music, not just whatever is the new, hip “indie” thing. 

In answer to That Guy’s request through for bands that rock, there are tons of them out there, you’re just not hearing them.  A lot of those bands get coverage on sites like PunkNews.org and ninebullets.net.  Maybe they get to see these bands that rock because they are niche sites that typically cover bands that rock instead of whatever is the new thing.  For example, if you were an artist like John Moreland for example and you were in the process of sending out press releases to promote your latest record.  Which sites would you contact?  Ones that you know will 1) give you coverage and 2) will be seen by your target audience (like PunkNews.org and ninebullets.net) or one that might cover your stuff (like Pitchfork and Stereogum).  Obviously I have no idea what Mr. Moreland does to help promote his new releases, but it would make the most sense to target those sites that would actually garner you more listeners.  That having been said, I think if a site like Stereogum actually heard Moreland’s amazing music they’d give him coverage, but sadly his press release would probably get lost in the piles that they get on a daily basis. 

With music sites, they seem to fall into three categories:  1) ones that cover mainstream music, 2) ones that cover the latest “indie” trends, and 3) sites that cover specific niche genres or subgenres.  Personally I follow a bit of all three types in my Google Reader.  My favorites tend to be PunkNews.org, ninebullets.net, and Dying Scene, but there are also a slew of sites dedicated to power pop that I also enjoy quite a bit.  Hearya.com (the site I quoted above) also does a good job and is worth checking out.  Plus I also enjoy Stereogum and think that off all of the sites out there covering the latest in indie music it is by far the best.