The Digital Divide---music, CDs, and concert reviews. Nolan's Pop Culture Review #129

Now in our third calendar year
PCR #128 (Vol. 3, No. 36). This edition is for the week of September 2--8, 2002.

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La Floridiana
Deadguy's Dementia
Matt's Rail
Mike's Rant
PCR Archives 2002
2001   2000
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PCR 2002 home

A Special Essay by Terence Nuzum

The Modern Age
or
The Garage Rock Revival
by Terence Nuzum

The Modern Age. Me and my generation. We're tired of Hip-Hop. We are tired of Limp Bizkit, Staind, and Papa Roach crap metal. We are sick of Creed and all other muscleheaded metal bands. We want rock n' roll. Unabashed fun kick ass rock n' roll. The kind belted out in a garage at midnight or the kind blasting out of CBGB's. We didn't know it, but we wanted and needed garage rock. We got it. The Modern Age, the Strokes single that started the revival. Sure, Guided By Voices, Make-Up, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion had been doing it for years, but let's face it, it never really caught on. Why? Simple. For the record buyers, it was largely unknown. The press didn't care because they could ignore it. Regardless what some jaded rock fans think, a magazine like Rolling Stone doesn't make scenes, they simply cover them. The White Stripes had been doing it for two years before they caught on with anyone. Rolling Stone doesn't make scenes. The cover of the upcoming Rolling Stone magazine has The Vines on the cover and the proclamation "Rock is back!". Some people think that it's just Rolling Stone trying to make a scene famous. Sorry people, you are wrong. The scene became so big that it simply cannot be ignored. It's music news. No, I'm not here to talk about Rolling Stone (believe me, I despise them), I'm just using it as a disclaimer for any idiots who think that because a music mag or column covers a scene that the publication is simply making those bands who they are. With Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, yes. Real rock bands like The Strokes, no. I've covered many of these bands myself early on. Trust me, the scene has existed for a while. And yes, like it or not, it is the new rock. Now be thankful it's good.
The scene first got recognition in 2000 in New York with the emergence of The Strokes, and in Detriot with The White Stripes. New York is also home to other luminaries such as Interpol, The Yeah Yeah Yeah's, The Walkmen, and The Liars. England, also around the same time, gave birth to bands like The Vines, The Music, and Clinic.
In 2000, with the release of the Strokes single "The Modern Age", the scene went unnoticed. The bands played clubs and status began to slowly grow for the bands in the form of great live reviews. The White Stripes and The Strokes dropped the already classic status albums White Blood Cells and Is This It? Those albums opened the flood gates for the sound that had been building for several years in the underground. The sound is a little bit blues (The White Stripes), a little bit Kinks (The Hives), part Stooges and The Seeds (Yeah Yeah Yeah's, The Vines) and all garage. So now, in 2002, the explosion has begun. Below is a rough guide to most of the bands that make up this new rock movement. Get used to them because The Digital Divide will from now on be covering them and their releases. This is the new underground-going-mainstream much like when a thriving grunge scene went public in 1991. So wake up, the Garage Rock Revival is here. Hate 'em or love 'em, either way you'll need a guide.
The Super Stars
The Strokes The Strokes are basically the ones who broke first. There were many before but their record Is This It? is the one that pushed the scene forward. Their wholly original sound is what puts them far above their contemporaries.
Sound: Clean, crisp (and I mean Ramones crisp!) garage rock in the style of...well actually, unlike the others, they are downright original. They have the sound of a 70's New York Garage band but the difference is that they sound not like any band of the period but instead as if they belong to that period. Scary.
Vocals: Julian Casablancas the singer certainly has his influences but he still is pretty unique. Lou Reed and Idiot-era Iggy Pop slugglishly droned into a fuzzy mic.
Current album: Is This It?
The White Stripes The Stripes, Jack & Meg White who are know for their ambiguous relationship (they are in fact married and are not brother and sister), are the blues based rockers of the revival. Copping Led Zeppelin metal and covering Son House all the while morphing it all into their own quirky original sound. Its this ability that makes them perhaps the first great band of the 21st century. As rockin' as The Hives but as quirky as The Pixies. Along with the Strokes they are the orginators of the current scene.
Sound: Led Zeppelin heavy with a dash of Ray Davies harmony.
Vocals: Whiny falsettos. Think a nasally Robert Plant.
Current album: White Blood Cells
The Hives Five zany Swedes who rock it like the Kinks and a frontman who could teach a class on Mick Jagger stage moves. The most energetic of all bands. Famous for legendary live shows.
Sound: A little bit of everything. Some Kinks, Seeds, 50;s love songs, and all energy.
Vocals: Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs mated with the old Mickster.
Current album: Veni Vidi Vicious
The Vines Two Australians and one crazed pot-smoking lead vocalist. Their single "Get Free" is climbing the charts. Lead singer/songwriter Craig Nichols is imfamous for holing up in rest rooms and walking away during interviews (did I mention that hes crazed and pot smoking).
Sound: A band who knows they can outdo their influences: Nirvana, Oasis, The Kinks.
Vocals: On some tracks a vinegar rasp on others a ballady Liam Gallagher croon.
Current album: Highly Evolved
Yeah Yeah Yeah's Not quite technically stars but singer Karen O is the only female to take up the torch as the 1st woman of garage rock. Karen O, a female Iggy is backed by a 2-chord steam roller of a band.
Sound: A boy's worst nightmare
Vocals: A boy's crush on top of a worst nightmare.
Current album: Self-titled E.P.
The Semi-Stars
The Liars Knob tweeking guitar freak out kings. All garage all weird. They like The White Stripes and The Strokes are orginal in approach.
Current album: They Threw Us All In A Trench & Threw A Monument On Top
The Shins Cheery and melancoly folk rock. They did the great song "New Slang".
Current album: Oh Inverted World
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Shoegazer rock mixed with greaser attitude. They wrote the great anthem of the scene "Whatever Happened To My Rock n' Roll?"
Current album: Self-titled
The Mooney Suzuki Garage-rock, soul-loving punks who can belt out a rocker like "Electric Sweat" and yet can still croon out an Otis Redding-ish "Everytime".
Current album: Electric Sweat
The Pattern More hardcore than the rest with a heavy Kinks influence. They are of lesser importance.
Current album: Real Feelness
The Elder Statesmen
Here are the ones who were doing it before all of 'em.
Guided By Voices Bob Pollard's great indie legacy. Garage rock and Beatlesque pop mixed into a perfect unision.
Current album: Universal Truth and Cycles
The Make-Up K Records now legendary 90's garage soul band politcal band. Screaming soul and 60's hardcore Wilson Pickett wannabes. Gotta love 'em.
Current album: Save Yourself
The Anomalies
Here are the bands who came up with the scene yet don't really fit the sound of the scene.
Interpol New York's finest goth-garage rockers. Reminiscent of early Joy Division with Idiot-era Iggy vocals.
Current album: Turn On The Bright Lights
The Walkmen New York's finest? Well, they are acquired taste actually. Vocals sound like a drunken Bono possessed by a 1940's lounge singer backed by avant-garde guitar and eerie Raymond Scott-like piano compositions.
Current album: Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone
The above guide should give you a good idea of the scene and what albums are currently out. The Digital Divide will, in parts 2 & 3 of this special feature, review three new releases and three previous releases you may have missed out on. What---you're not sure if you like this new rock? Well, get used to it. It will probably, ten years from now, be more laughable than grunge. But let's face it, The Hives dressed like The Kinks (in suit and tie), and doing Mick Jagger impressions is exactly the kind of bizarre image we need in a Hip-Hop world. In its own way, it is shocking and bizarre and that is what Rock n' Roll is all about. The songs are short, uncomplicated and quirky and the bands dress like 60's garage-rock wannabes (and that means Super-8 film is back). Will it last? Who knows, but who gives a f@#ck. Enjoy it in the here and now while it lasts. The new rock, Is This It? Damn straight it is. Welcome to the modern age.

This issue's Digital Divide was composed in its entirety by Terence B. Nuzum ©2002. Webpage design and all graphics herein, except where otherwise noted, are creations of Nolan B. Canova.    All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2002 by Nolan B. Canova.


Frontpage La Floridiana Deadguy's Dementia Matt's Rail Mike's Rant PCR Archives 2002 2001 2000 Crazed Fanboy home PCR 2002 home



		The Modern Age or The Garage Rock Revival by Terence Nuzum The Modern Age. Me and my generation. We're tired of Hip-Hop. We are tired of Limp Bizkit, Staind, and Papa Roach crap metal. We are sick of Creed and all other muscleheaded metal bands. We want rock n' roll. Unabashed fun kick ass rock n' roll. The kind belted out in a garage at midnight or the kind blasting out of CBGB's. We didn't know it, but we wanted and needed garage rock. We got it. The Modern Age, the Strokes single that started the revival. Sure, Guided By Voices, Make-Up, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion had been doing it for years, but let's face it, it never really caught on. Why? Simple. For the record buyers, it was largely unknown. The press didn't care because they could ignore it. Regardless what some jaded rock fans think, a magazine like Rolling Stone doesn't make scenes, they simply cover them. The White Stripes had been doing it for two years before they caught on with anyone. Rolling Stone doesn't make scenes. The cover of the upcoming Rolling Stone magazine has The Vines on the cover and the proclamation "Rock is back!". Some people think that it's just Rolling Stone trying to make a scene famous. Sorry people, you are wrong. The scene became so big that it simply cannot be ignored. It's music news. No, I'm not here to talk about Rolling Stone (believe me, I despise them), I'm just using it as a disclaimer for any idiots who think that because a music mag or column covers a scene that the publication is simply making those bands who they are. With Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, yes. Real rock bands like The Strokes, no. I've covered many of these bands myself early on. Trust me, the scene has existed for a while. And yes, like it or not, it is the new rock. Now be thankful it's good. The scene first got recognition in 2000 in New York with the emergence of The Strokes, and in Detriot with The White Stripes. New York is also home to other luminaries such as Interpol, The Yeah Yeah Yeah's, The Walkmen, and The Liars. England, also around the same time, gave birth to bands like The Vines, The Music, and Clinic. In 2000, with the release of the Strokes single "The Modern Age", the scene went unnoticed. The bands played clubs and status began to slowly grow for the bands in the form of great live reviews. The White Stripes and The Strokes dropped the already classic status albums White Blood Cells and Is This It? Those albums opened the flood gates for the sound that had been building for several years in the underground. The sound is a little bit blues (The White Stripes), a little bit Kinks (The Hives), part Stooges and The Seeds (Yeah Yeah Yeah's, The Vines) and all garage. So now, in 2002, the explosion has begun. Below is a rough guide to most of the bands that make up this new rock movement. Get used to them because The Digital Divide will from now on be covering them and their releases. This is the new underground-going-mainstream much like when a thriving grunge scene went public in 1991. So wake up, the Garage Rock Revival is here. Hate 'em or love 'em, either way you'll need a guide. The Super Stars The Strokes The Strokes are basically the ones who broke first. There were many before but their record Is This It? is the one that pushed the scene forward. Their wholly original sound is what puts them far above their contemporaries. Sound: Clean, crisp (and I mean Ramones crisp!) garage rock in the style of...well actually, unlike the others, they are downright original. They have the sound of a 70's New York Garage band but the difference is that they sound not like any band of the period but instead as if they belong to that period. Scary. Vocals: Julian Casablancas the singer certainly has his influences but he still is pretty unique. Lou Reed and Idiot-era Iggy Pop slugglishly droned into a fuzzy mic. Current album: Is This It? The White Stripes The Stripes, Jack & Meg White who are know for their ambiguous relationship (they are in fact married and are not brother and sister), are the blues based rockers of the revival. Copping Led Zeppelin metal and covering Son House all the while morphing it all into their own quirky original sound. Its this ability that makes them perhaps the first great band of the 21st century. As rockin' as The Hives but as quirky as The Pixies. Along with the Strokes they are the orginators of the current scene. Sound: Led Zeppelin heavy with a dash of Ray Davies harmony. Vocals: Whiny falsettos. Think a nasally Robert Plant. Current album: White Blood Cells The Hives Five zany Swedes who rock it like the Kinks and a frontman who could teach a class on Mick Jagger stage moves. The most energetic of all bands. Famous for legendary live shows. Sound: A little bit of everything. Some Kinks, Seeds, 50;s love songs, and all energy. Vocals: Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs mated with the old Mickster. Current album: Veni Vidi Vicious The Vines Two Australians and one crazed pot-smoking lead vocalist. Their single "Get Free" is climbing the charts. Lead singer/songwriter Craig Nichols is imfamous for holing up in rest rooms and walking away during interviews (did I mention that hes crazed and pot smoking). Sound: A band who knows they can outdo their influences: Nirvana, Oasis, The Kinks. Vocals: On some tracks a vinegar rasp on others a ballady Liam Gallagher croon. Current album: Highly Evolved Yeah Yeah Yeah's Not quite technically stars but singer Karen O is the only female to take up the torch as the 1st woman of garage rock. Karen O, a female Iggy is backed by a 2-chord steam roller of a band. Sound: A boy's worst nightmare Vocals: A boy's crush on top of a worst nightmare. Current album: Self-titled E.P. The Semi-Stars The Liars Knob tweeking guitar freak out kings. All garage all weird. They like The White Stripes and The Strokes are orginal in approach. Current album: They Threw Us All In A Trench & Threw A Monument On Top The Shins Cheery and melancoly folk rock. They did the great song "New Slang". Current album: Oh Inverted World Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Shoegazer rock mixed with greaser attitude. They wrote the great anthem of the scene "Whatever Happened To My Rock n' Roll?" Current album: Self-titled The Mooney Suzuki Garage-rock, soul-loving punks who can belt out a rocker like "Electric Sweat" and yet can still croon out an Otis Redding-ish "Everytime". Current album: Electric Sweat The Pattern More hardcore than the rest with a heavy Kinks influence. They are of lesser importance. Current album: Real Feelness The Elder Statesmen Here are the ones who were doing it before all of 'em. Guided By Voices Bob Pollard's great indie legacy. Garage rock and Beatlesque pop mixed into a perfect unision. Current album: Universal Truth and Cycles The Make-Up K Records now legendary 90's garage soul band politcal band. Screaming soul and 60's hardcore Wilson Pickett wannabes. Gotta love 'em. Current album: Save Yourself The Anomalies Here are the bands who came up with the scene yet don't really fit the sound of the scene. Interpol New York's finest goth-garage rockers. Reminiscent of early Joy Division with Idiot-era Iggy vocals. Current album: Turn On The Bright Lights The Walkmen New York's finest? Well, they are acquired taste actually. Vocals sound like a drunken Bono possessed by a 1940's lounge singer backed by avant-garde guitar and eerie Raymond Scott-like piano compositions. Current album: Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone The above guide should give you a good idea of the scene and what albums are currently out. The Digital Divide will, in parts 2 & 3 of this special feature, review three new releases and three previous releases you may have missed out on. What---you're not sure if you like this new rock? Well, get used to it. It will probably, ten years from now, be more laughable than grunge. But let's face it, The Hives dressed like The Kinks (in suit and tie), and doing Mick Jagger impressions is exactly the kind of bizarre image we need in a Hip-Hop world. In its own way, it is shocking and bizarre and that is what Rock n' Roll is all about. The songs are short, uncomplicated and quirky and the bands dress like 60's garage-rock wannabes (and that means Super-8 film is back). Will it last? Who knows, but who gives a f@#ck. Enjoy it in the here and now while it lasts. The new rock, Is This It? Damn straight it is. Welcome to the modern age.