So Retromania’s central conceit is a tired one-the idea that maybe our best music is behind us, which is a version of retromania itself-but his attempts to rationalize it are well worth reading. Reynolds’ writing pulses with energy when he describes how punk rock was intended as a return to the 50s’ rocknroll roots how Belbury Poly and DJ Shadow reframe the past using modern technology or how Daniel Lopatin turns YouTube into both a medium and a message-he himself is demonstrably excited by the music he claims to be mad at. But he also spends a substantial amount of the book illustrating that recycling music can be just as innovative as the rock’n’roll, punk, hip-hop and rave “revolutions” he adores. Reynolds begins and ends Retromania by reprimanding the artists using sampling, YouTube, and the internet’s celestial jukebox (among other things) to twist old music into new commodities. Before Simon Reynolds tried to argue that the last decade’s worth of music has lacked innovation, he should have realized what any scientist could tell you: You can’t prove a negative.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |