Something said in the pub

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

by thenipper:

"I think Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse have killed Xenomania style pop, in the same way Britpop killed off Take That."

(I paraphrase)

Let's talk about....THE ZEITGEIST of BRITISH POP.

Comments

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

who said anything about "interesting"? dimensionality (as i'm using it) is just abt directions you can move in -- hence potential adaptivity -- but the directions could ALL be dull! (i seem to be invoking ASIA a lot today!)

i genuinely think solo artists have a lot less of this (everything is grist to the auteur-central mill): bowie is always bowie (tho unusually sensitive chemistry-wise to the right collaborators) (i think cz there's not much THERE there in terms of actual bowie personality, or anyway confience in persona), bjork always bjork (bowie caveats don't apply), early roxy music operated in a really unusual four-way tension of sensibilities (three once eno left)

(very large groups -- orchestras basically -- tend to have decided against this potential fissiparousness in the process of their formation: you join the orchestra bcz of the project...)

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Okay, I get it, if you have people pulling in different directions then you can head in different directions (at different times) while still keeping everyone's brand intact?

I picked Madness because it was the subject of an old ILX poll about "for which band is it the most obvious that they have multiple different songwriters writing songs (no not the Beatles, back, back you dogs!)?"

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It's really UNOBVIOUS with Madness!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

i think despite Allen's strong 'check it aht i love my dad's record collection more than them premiership pop bitchiz' thing making her seem rooted to certain sound aesthetic there's pretty flat out silly pop like 'Alfie' something like which could have been on 'Spiceworld' if they fancied it.

point about Bowie is v interesting.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

solo artists always seem to be versions of self, no matter how outré their artistic choices, and liable to fall flat if they move too far away from what they are (choice seems to be "being onself again and again" vs "trying on difft clothes which don't actually fit") - this can be a strength though! not always, and not usually over an extended period of time, but if the persona is compelling enough and malleable enough, it can be successful (Tori Amos is my example here but I don't have time right now to expand)

So I guess - the more chameleonic the better? This is why MADGE is so great!

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

everyone is assuming i am saying "adaptive = better quality-wise" but i'm not, i'm saying "adaptive =you are less likely to be er 'killed' by a switch in the taste majeure"

someone can be great and utterly one-dimensional -- they're unlikely to be POP for long though

[dickmalone.livejournal.com]

Yeah, part of Tori's public personality is that she can be whatever personality she wants to be because she's the alpha bitch etc.

[dickmalone.livejournal.com]

(i.e. her changing personas is an expression of her power and control rather than pandering or being indecisive)