Wonky Pop

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/story/0,,2277201,00.html

Guardian piece on the "Wonky Pop" tour (Alphabeat and some other people) making an assortment of points:

- Grass-roots pop is coming back
- A desire for pop stars to be individual eccentrics rather than production line stars
- Pop marketed to adults not kids
- Buyers and fans who grew up on Busted and who like performers writing their own material.
- An increased UK openness to European pop*

I get the impression the bulk of the community here are into this kind of thing, with some notable dissenters (of whom I might well be one). So what do we think - are thinks really looking up for pop?

*if you yourself are feeling open to European pop, go and VOTE in Europop 2008: France v Holland and Italy v Romania [/hype]

Comments

[datura800.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I can't really see Popjustice being overly fussed whether or not the acts it promotes are 'manufactured' or write their own material. And rightly so. Once we go down the route of 'Alphabeat are great because they are a REAL BAND' then we're steering very close to horrific muso territory. I find Alphabeat completely uninspiring and they are no more or less pop than Bis were. That article seems to have a very narrow, specific definition of 'pop' and it's not one I agree with.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yes, Popjustice's answer sounds like it was in response to a pretty leading question.

I think there is creative grass-roots music being made drawing inspiration from pop (I am happy to call this music pop, or indie, or whatever anyone likes, though "indie pop" has unfortunate jangly connotations).

But Alphabeat seems a really really weird band to hang this grass-roots 'return of new pop' idea off. I don't care who writes their material - they're a jolly retro Europop outfit. I happen not to like them, others enjoy them, but there's nothing staggeringly creative about them.

I think the idea that comes in right at the end - the commercial rehabilitation of European pop - is a more interesting one and deserves a better article than this to talk about it.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

not to get too deep into this kind of fight all over again but "horrific muso territory" is a very poor place-marker term for the actual issue here: there is NO pro-muso faction in this fight, in the sense of activists arguing for an understanding of musicianship AS MUSICIANS UNDERSTAND IT (as opposed to "as old Q lags understand it"?)

(the two biggest pro-musos ever to take up battle on ILM were arf arf -- an articulate and interesting mid-school jazzer -- and geir hongro, who is and remains geir hongro, alone far out on his own wing of the war)

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

I may take that as a challenge to write one - if anything is my area of expertise, that's it!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Can I just remind you for a Russia track too!

I think you'll quite like the Greek one you're up against. In fact I think you'll probably already know it!

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

I remember!

Aha, does it involve a woman talking in an American accent by any chance? If so I'm screwed. Then again, are people allowed to vote for a song they already know? Cos I think people would know that one.