Simon Reynolds - C or D

I feel like he's personally conflicted about the state of new music and his nostalgia for the old "new" (or NOW!) music of his youth. In Retromania he consistently talked about rave and post-punk as if it were an objective truth that those two genres were totally new or even the only totally new music of the past 30 years. And he did it seemingly without any self-awareness that his opinion was totally colored by personal nostalgia.

In that Hard Summer article he points out that the music doesn't sound that much different from the '90s but then in the end he describes all of the ways in which it sounds and feels new. It's like he's always on the verge of this revelation but he never quite connects the dots and realizes that something can borrow from the past and still be new, or that there can be subtle innovations and evolutions within a genre that are only noticeable to the people who are deeply involved with it. All throughout Retromania I felt like everyone he interviewed and everything he discussed throughout the book was leading up to this revelation. That he was just kind of trolling us and the book was actually going to illustrate the process of debunking the thesis he put forth in the beginning. I kept thinking he was surely going to make a 180 degree turn at the end and realize that he was wrong.

I disagree with the above, a bit - he uses rave and post-punk a lot b/c they were ~his genres~, but while

(a) I wasn't around for them (literally for post-punk, was < 11 when rave was happening); and
(b) I like new music plenty

I also think there's a big difference between the extent of musical possibilities opened up in a few short years in those eras, and the extent we've seen in the last ten years or so.

Like, you can agree that:

something can borrow from the past and still be new, or that there can be subtle innovations and evolutions within a genre that are only noticeable to the people who are deeply involved with it

while also saying "yes but the innovations and evolutions used to be a lot more sweeping than that, as a general rule."

I don't get doom and gloom about that, and I think that one needs to unpack the relationship b/w macro- and micro-transformations (or inter- and intra-) to appreciate that a lot of the time the former are just examples of the latter that were in the right place at the right time.

but I don't think his basic thesis is fundamentally incorrect.

the book definitely disproves itself despite itself!

funnily enough I'm reading totally wired atm and it's brilliant, twice the book rip it up is. Cause reynolds is pushing his thesis but the interviewees are pushing back.

don't hate this guy at all, I think he's cool although he says mindblowingly stupid shit sometimes

(xp)

i was identifying him as a popist which I guess he's not

while also saying "yes but the innovations and evolutions used to be a lot more sweeping than that, as a general rule."

Another problem with the book is that there was very little discussion of changing technology. Yes, there were a lot of new sounds in the '60s when things like multitracking, wah pedals, and moog synthesizers were new. And there were a lot of new sounds in the '70s and '80s when synthesizers became more widely available and drum machines and samplers were new. And there are some new sounds being made now although the technological changes aren't as radical on a surface, sonic level. But there was no discussion of any of that in the book from what I can remember, and now real exploration of micro editing, tuning, the ease of computer home recording, or the kind of digital sheen and hyper compression styles that he touches on in the Hard Summer article.

but I don't think his basic thesis is fundamentally incorrect.

He doesn't really give a shred of evidence to support it and he gives a ton of historical evidence that illustrates that "retromania" is nothing new! Nor does he ever give a convincing argument as to why the appearance of "newness" is actually a valuable element in art. And every artist he interviews in the book has more intelligent and interesting insights on the topic than Reynolds, but nothing they say seemed to influence his thinking at all.

There was a time when electric pianos were a new sound, and clavinets were a new sound, or hammond organs, spring reverbs, fender guitar amps, marshall stacks, analog synthesizers, 808 drum machines, analog string machines, etc. And now there's a time when all of those sounds can be fairly convincingly emulated on a laptop with the built-in samples and effects that come with a program like Logic. That is one of the truly radical recent advancements in music technology, and it's no surprise that musicians are therefore using all of those old sounds again. But I don't think he really approached the topic with any kind of curiosity. He had his mind made up going into the book and he stuck to it.

Gaaah, now I can't stop thinking about it. I guess I should take it to the retromania thread, but oh well, I'm here. There are a couple of other major things that bothered me.

He didn't talk about how much of the musical innovation throughout history came from different cultures being exposed to each other and their musical forms intermixing and emerging as new hybrid styles. With the rise of mass communication and recorded music during the 20th century, that cultural mixing reached an all time peak to the point where we arguably hit an almost total globalization of culture. That type of cross-cultural synthesis arguably won't happen to the same degree in the 21st century now that we're all culturally interconnected instantaneously.

I also thought he hit on an important point early in the book when he briefly mentioned retro porn that focuses on natural hair and breasts. But he seemed to dismiss the idea immediately and didn't entertain the possibility that different body shapes and body hair styles are an issue of personal taste and that it's the homogenization of body images in porn (universal implants and waxing) that leads people to seek out the "retro" stuff. Likewise, corporate consolidation, radio deregulation, clear channel, etc. has led to an increasing homogenization in mainstream music. But not everyone wants slick futuristic sounds all of the time, so some people logically look to the past to borrow sounds form other eras in music that were more sonically diverse.

the slick, futuristic sound of Adele

No seriously, everything you mention is relevant, and he downplays most of that too much, but from memory he also frames increasing retromania as in part a reaction to all of that stuff. Definitely technological changes have encouraged it.

Another problem with the book is that there was very little discussion of changing technology. Yes, there were a lot of new sounds in the '60s when things like multitracking, wah pedals, and moog synthesizers were new. And there were a lot of new sounds in the '70s and '80s when synthesizers became more widely available and drum machines and samplers were new. And there are some new sounds being made now although the technological changes aren't as radical on a surface, sonic level. But there was no discussion of any of that in the book from what I can remember

what happened to mark s's book anyway

i totally agree with wk, wonder if i went on about this on ilx already as much as i thought i did

mb the biggest problem is that his 'increasing tide of retromania' works for, like, dance music and pitchfork rock. but how does he deal with genres that have achieved some kind of formal stability -- i'm going to say metal, hardcore, jazz, all of which v arguable obv but like: there's not been a tide of 70s style heavy bands obliterating recent developments in the form, nor a second coming of trad jazz

i really want to work this argument around to calling him a racist but enhh

Genres heavily engaged with pop culture vs genres not

bullshit

Another problem with the book is that there was very little discussion of changing technology.

The chapter on YouTube is great imo re: technology and transformed engagements with music.

the chapter on youtube is the one where he has some quotes from lopatin and ends "and i guess these people have opened up interesting new affective possibilities but i'm just going to handwave about that for a bit", right

i feel like there are a lot of kinda retro sabbath type metal bands now tho

thomp went in hard on the retromania thread, I remember that, it was great

and I didn't dislike the book

the slick, futuristic sound of Adele

Well, right the alternative to "NOW!" sounds is to use sounds from the past, right?

Arguably every style of music that sounded radically new was created because of either new technology (electronic music), borrowing styles from other cultures (post-punk), borrowing overlooked styles or ideas from the past, or all of the above (psychedelic rock or hip hop). I would have liked to see more of an exploration of how that process actually works, and whether or not novelty has actually slowed down, or how art reacted to similar periods in the past.

the chapter on youtube is the one where he has some quotes from lopatin and ends "and i guess these people have opened up interesting new affective possibilities but i'm just going to handwave about that for a bit", right

Yeah, I thought the Lopatin interview quotes were the most interesting parts of the book and I was sure after that Reynolds was headed for a reassessment of his thesis.

bullshit

― i better not get any (thomp), Tuesday, 9 July 2013 9:38 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

how so? I admit that dichotomy is tossed off, but given retromania is a fairly-widespread (but not monopolising or universalising) tendential phenomenon it stands to reason that genres more beholden to generalised fashion trends / developments in social media technnology / developments in radio and music video trends / etc. are more likely to pick up on it.

Whereas genres whose contemporary critical dialogue is more internalised will not.

In dance music, for example, the more internalised/tribal/cut-off-from-the-broader-world a sub-genre is, then the less retro it is, as a general rule.

Arguably every style of music that sounded radically new was created because of either new technology (electronic music), borrowing styles from other cultures (post-punk), borrowing overlooked styles or ideas from the past, or all of the above (psychedelic rock or hip hop). I would have liked to see more of an exploration of how that process actually works, and whether or not novelty has actually slowed down, or how art reacted to similar periods in the past.

― wk, Tuesday, 9 July 2013 9:50 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Agree with this though. The biggest problem with the thesis is that it hypostasizes a particular type or manifestation of novelty as innovation. I think SR probably would acknowledge that's an issue but it's too determinative of his general worldview for him to effectively move past it.

yeah it's not really bullshit, i just didn't feel like articulating a proper argument /:

i guess i would probably point to hip hop as a space where things are way more complicated than 'increasing retroness' would allow. i spent way too much time arguing with this book in my head and getting annoyed at it/myself to be able to think about it much at a later date

Agree with this though. The biggest problem with the thesis is that it hypostasizes a particular type or manifestation of novelty as innovation. I think SR probably would acknowledge that's an issue but it's too determinative of his general worldview for him to effectively move past it.

yah on the book's thread i claimed something like this but in hokey jamesonian terms because i was doing that for some reason: "addiction to the novum, as an aesthetic mode, is as much a symptom of culture under capitalism as dependence on pastiche"

how so? I admit that dichotomy is tossed off, but given retromania is a fairly-widespread (but not monopolising or universalising) tendential phenomenon it stands to reason that genres more beholden to generalised fashion trends / developments in social media technnology / developments in radio and music video trends / etc. are more likely to pick up on it.

Whereas genres whose contemporary critical dialogue is more internalised will not.

In dance music, for example, the more internalised/tribal/cut-off-from-the-broader-world a sub-genre is, then the less retro it is, as a general rule.

That doesn't ring true to me at all. There are insular niche genres that have remained almost completely stagnant for 20 or 30 years including large swaths of metal, punk, hardcore, and dance music. Or they have undergone subtle evolutions that are not perceptible to outsiders but are very important to aficionados. Plus there are many niche genres that are completely absorbed in nostalgia and pastiche. And on the other hand, contemporary pop music seems to still be primarily focused on all that is shiny and new. But you seem to be saying that retromania is in fact something new and therefore music that is focused on changing fashions is currently steeped in retromania. Which seems to be the conflict at the heart of the book that Reynolds can't quite reconcile.

Simon Reynolds - C or D

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pointing out the number of messages in a thread is kinda retro

And on the other hand, contemporary pop music seems to still be primarily focused on all that is shiny and new. But you seem to be saying that retromania is in fact something new and therefore music that is focused on changing fashions is currently steeped in retromania.

1. I don't think "retro" and "shiny and new" are necessary opposed. A lot of SR's writing since the book has come out focuses on the intertwining of these dynamics in current pop music and while I don't agree with all of it I hardly think Ke$ha somehow disproves retromania.

2. Never said retromania is something new. Again, the idea that something may be an increasingly prominent quality in current popular culture and the idea that it's been with us for a very long time are not necessarily opposed.

I'm really only taking SR's side here b/c these days I try to avoid adopting a totalising view with these sorts of arguments where if I can find 20% of stuff that is inconsistent with it I proudly proclaim the entire idea to be bogus.

where's the fun in that

There are insular niche genres that have remained almost completely stagnant for 20 or 30 years including large swaths of metal, punk, hardcore, and dance music. Or they have undergone subtle evolutions that are not perceptible to outsiders but are very important to aficionados.

Haha how do you even propose to distinguish between these.

Plus there are many niche genres that are completely absorbed in nostalgia and pastiche.

Right, and my previous comment should be subject to the caveat that some niches explicitly define themselves as revivalist. I was talking more about the dynamic of genres which don't self-identify as retro at the outset. So, for example, in the internal-mainstream of middlebrow contemporary dance music, the fondness for early 90s US garage has been on the rise for several years, but not as part of some explicit early 90s garage revivalist scene. That's just what (for a lot of people) house happens to be in 2013.

1. I don't think "retro" and "shiny and new" are necessary opposed.

Neither do I. Is Adele retro or something new? I think she's both really. That's the core of the problem I have with Reynolds' thesis. Doing a slightly different spin on something old is one of the primary ways that art evolves into new forms.

A lot of SR's writing since the book has come out focuses on the intertwining of these dynamics in current pop music

I'm just getting around to commenting on the book itself so that probably shows how closely I've been following his writing since then.

2. Never said retromania is something new. Again, the idea that something may be an increasingly prominent quality in current popular culture and the idea that it's been with us for a very long time are not necessarily opposed.

I guess that describes the weakness at the heart of the book to me. Reynolds acknowledges that revivalism is nothing new but he thinks that it's currently reached a degree that makes it notable. So in order to strengthen his thesis he downplays how prevalent it was throughout the history of art imo. And I guess that blurry line between something being new and something being old but reaching such a degree of popularity that the surge in popularity becomes essentially new is exactly what happens in the music too.

xp

Haha how do you even propose to distinguish between these.

I don't. That's the point. Stagnation, innovation, and "retro" are all far more relative and subjective than Reynolds lets on. There might be just as much difference between a "garage rock" band from 2013, '03, '93, '83, or '65 as there is between say house music from '13, '03, '93, or '83.

So, for example, in the internal-mainstream of middlebrow contemporary dance music, the fondness for early 90s US garage has been on the rise for several years, but not as part of some explicit early 90s garage revivalist scene. That's just what (for a lot of people) house happens to be in 2013.

haha, so how do you distinguish which is retro? an interest in 20 year old music isn't retro, it's just where that music "happens to be"? Why can't another form of music happen to be in a mode that looks back 40 or 50 years?

I guess it's the difference between a continuous tradition vs. a revival of something that was lost or forgotten. But to me the latter is actually more interesting and holds more possibilities for coming across as something genuinely new, while the former often feels like stagnation.

I think an important point is that NOW!ism doesn't only relate to whether or not the sounds are new. When I've been to an EDM-concert, the NOWish feelings come a lot from the structural lack of patience, the incessant dropes, at least 70 per hour, which keeps everyone forgetting about what happened more than five seconds ago.

Funnily enough, I sorta get the same feeling from the hipster-black scene. A complete lack of deference for the past, and a focus on constant dynamic bliss.

I think the drop-dynamic is fundamentally different from the attack/decay/sustain/release-dynamic, but admittedly I get most of my knowledge of dance-dynamics from Simian Mobile Disco-covers.

hipster-black?

not just parenthesizing a racially loaded term but wondering what music is being referred to

Neither do I. Is Adele retro or something new? I think she's both really. That's the core of the problem I have with Reynolds' thesis. Doing a slightly different spin on something old is one of the primary ways that art evolves into new forms.

He doesn't disagree with you. Perhaps one way to frame the debate is whether as a matter of probability the first slightly different spin on something old is more apt to give rise to new forms than the twentieth, esp. if that twentieth is also informed by spins two through nineteen?

One of the issues here is precisely the other factors you raise: the availability of new technology or potentially untried genre fusions to enliven and render unfamiliar the "something old" component.

These intervening factors don't break the causal connection though, because I always get the impression that SR sees increasing retromania as partly responsive to those factors.

haha, so how do you distinguish which is retro? an interest in 20 year old music isn't retro, it's just where that music "happens to be"? Why can't another form of music happen to be in a mode that looks back 40 or 50 years?

No, I'm saying it is retro, and consciously so, but this is not part of some scene-wide decision to abandon the present in favour of a particular moment in the past. Next year the same DJs / dancers may be interested in something that doesn't sound remotely like US garage or the early 90s for that matter. So that's what makes it a really good example of what SR is referring to: the fact that here is a scene where people are listening and dancing to sets full of tunes from 20 years ago and contemporary tunes that have been recorded specifically to sound like they're from 20 years ago, while those people may not even be committed genre-revivalists per se.

I don't. That's the point. Stagnation, innovation, and "retro" are all far more relative and subjective than Reynolds lets on. There might be just as much difference between a "garage rock" band from 2013, '03, '93, '83, or '65 as there is between say house music from '13, '03, '93, or '83.

Sure. And? I think Reynolds would agree with you.

I guess it's the difference between a continuous tradition vs. a revival of something that was lost or forgotten. But to me the latter is actually more interesting and holds more possibilities for coming across as something genuinely new, while the former often feels like stagnation.

Isn't that the basic reason SR offers for the attractiveness of the past as a source for potential innovation/newness? The issue then becomes how much possibility is inherent in repeated revivalism of a particular idea. And there's never gonna be a hard and fast rule, never a moment where we can say "that's it, garage rock or straightforward house music will never surprise us again". But I would hazard a guess that it becomes harder to pull off over time.

In general terms I think you're punishing SR for not being able to isolate some pure retro-gene which can be distinguished from newness or nowness or whatever, whereas to my mind he's not even remotely trying to do that.

xp

skrillex is the musical analogue of the transformers films - except much better - so, yeah

nobody got irremediable brain injuries in the making of a skrillex lp

well idk, ray manzarek didn't last long

Perhaps one way to frame the debate is whether as a matter of probability the first slightly different spin on something old is more apt to give rise to new forms than the twentieth, esp. if that twentieth is also informed by spins two through nineteen?...

The issue then becomes how much possibility is inherent in repeated revivalism of a particular idea. And there's never gonna be a hard and fast rule, never a moment where we can say "that's it, garage rock or straightforward house music will never surprise us again". But I would hazard a guess that it becomes harder to pull off over time.

I think it's the other way around. It takes time for new forms of music to evolve and emerge. The idea of overnight revolutions is a fiction manufactured by the music press. I think it's possible that music that's currently being written off by some critics as being too retro is going to evolve into distinctly new genres that will become unrecognizable from their roots. Look at the evolution from the blues revival into Hendrix/Cream/Zeppelin style electric blues, and then the subtle shift into heavy metal with Sabbath and then trace that lineage all the way to something like black metal. It was a slow and continuous evolution that led to a result with no discernible connection to its blues revival roots. The critics who wrote off Sabbath in the '70s couldn't anticipate how influential they would become.

In general terms I think you're punishing SR for not being able to isolate some pure retro-gene which can be distinguished from newness or nowness or whatever, whereas to my mind he's not even remotely trying to do that.

No I'm annoyed by the fact that he takes all of these processes that are totally natural and even necessary to the creative process and gives them the dismissive label "retromania." I'm not the one trying to reduce everything down to some kind of retro-gene.

hipster-black?

― the most promising US ilxor has thrown the TOWEL IN (Nilmar Honorato da Silva), 10. juli 2013 01:24 (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Metal. As in Liturgy and such. The most nowish concerts I've been to lately has been with EDM and BM. But yeah, hipster-black was way too vague a term, especially in this discussion.

http://www.factmag.com/2013/07/11/filmmaker-and-massive-attack-collaborator-adam-curtis-on-why-music-may-be-dying-and-why-need-a-new-radicalism/

this adam curtis interview could be simon reynolds speaking. i wonder if hes read retromania. or maybe its reynolds whos read adam curtis.