Wednesday, July 23, 2003
(2:03 PM) | Anonymous:
The Suck Matrix: Reloaded
A lot of fuss is being made in the music world over this new hit-making production crew calling themselves "The Matrix" The story goes like this:
Avril Lavigne was sent to them to be made into the next Faith Hill, but she didn't want to do country, so they helped her change her image and then sent her to the hotel and wrote her album for her. Of course, that cd came out of nowhere and has 3 #1 hits to this date. Due to this, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE is now having The Matrix write their albums. People as wide ranging as Britney Spears and Ricky Martin to David Bowie and Jason Mraz have gone to them to get their hit songs. Heck, even indie-folk hero Liz Phair went to the matrix when she wanted to put out a "radio album" so she could afford her new lifestyle since moving to L.A. And the thing is...it works.
I don't really have a problem with big "do it yourself" stars like Bowie and Phair grabbing some of the money 13 year olds are begging to steal from their parents and give to "follow the leader" artists...heck, if they choose to mix a few formulaic and repetitive songs that sound like Avril Lavigne into their sets for the rest of their earthen lives in order to make untold millions, I think they've deserved that after years in the business. If I needed money and the solution was so very simple, I'd do the same thing. I'm not concerned about them "selling out" or whatever.
What I am concerned about is this seeming merger of the world's music. It was bad enough when The Neptunes took over rap, and basically completely made hit albums for Nelly, Justin timberlake, Busta Rhymes, P. Diddy, Mystikal, Jay-Z, Britney Spears (again), Snoop, Beenie Man and their own group N.E.R.D. That's half of what is played on popular radio today made up by the same sort of R&B wanna-be rap (with a few exceptions in the above group) with a patented "oh, man..Michael Jackson was definitely the greatest innovator in music of all time" response for all of the 2 million VH1's "Top 50" or "Top 100" specials they are asked to comment on, all wrapped in one at first infectious but exceedinly more and more disgustingly nauseating beat carried through a whole song.
No, now from the other side we will get non-stop songs featuring that "I'm a rebel with a sweet melody and a world-winning smile through my kool-aid colored hair" type song with programmed hooks strewn everywhere in the verses rather than the chorus that was originally, admittedly, a little refreshing with "Complicated" but now is becoming the norm.
There. I've admitted it. The first time I heard "Complicated", I enjoyed it thouroughly. It seemed somewhat different from the rest of everything put on the radio, and the verse was surprisingly just as catchy as the chorus. It was good times. It was new.
And this is the thing, it's no longer just people trying to be like other artists that have made it big. It's no imitation. It's the exact same thing written by the exact same people! There's no room for any individual spin to be given to an old idea. It's a matter of monopolizing every song that "the kids" will ever hear into being written by two sets of people with a different face out front.
Oh well, I guess we'll still have that third although seemingly forlorned brand of song/artist, the "I have so many issues and am so pained, can't you tell through my overstrained voice on this SO dramatic chorus? The words I am saying are about as based in reality and relevant as that guy living on/in the cup who used to be featured on Sesame Street stop-motion animation features in the 80s"
(Okay, maybe it wasn't Sesame Street..I have scowered the internet for more information on these brief little 3-4 minute "shorts" that used to be on some children's program, because they absolutely fascinated me. I think it was called The Cups or something like that, if you have any information, please email me at the address to the left.)
(Crap, I just made the guy from The Cups somewhat relevant and thus defeated the purpose of mentioning him in the first place. Sorry)
Anyways, God Bless YOU Linkin Park, Nickelback, Saliva and all the rest of you amazing non-working class heroes, because at least YOUR songs are written and produced by several hit making producers rather than just one, and most of them live over in Sweden, or Belgium..or Jotunheim..or some other mythical place.
-Robb
