I Have Been Vindicated

By Caitlyn Hallman

If it would please the court, I would like to submit the following conversation as evidence. It took place on the evening of Saturday, April 29, 2000 in the kitchen of a student apartment in Flemingsburg, Sweden. A comrade of mine, a total Dead Head, expressed his sadness over the current music scene. "It's all bubble gum pop. Britney and Christina, N'Sync and Backstreet."

"Just wait it out," I said, "It will soon come around." I then went on to elaborate on my theory that just as history is cyclical, so is the music industry. The resurgence of teen pop that we were experiencing at the time was simply the back end of a cycle, which began at the end of the 1980s. If one remembers correctly, pop-light had a heyday then as well, with the likes of New Kids on the Block, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, and Vanilla Ice. However, their popularity was only fleeting and by 1992, musical tastes were changing. By then people had already begun to rock to Nirvana and Seattle Grunge. "So," I said, "it will come to pass that in 2002 a new music scene will be born."

Whether the court believes this testimony or not, the musical regeneration is here. For those of you who know what I am talking about, you can stop reading right here. I am only going to be going over things that you have already been made aware of. For those of you who are still shaking your heads in confusion, continue reading for a little longer. You just might learn something.

What is it? Some people describe this new momentum as punk oct II, others say it is the rebirth of rock and roll.

What does it sound like? Really stripped down: thrashing guitars, lots of drums, grabbled lyrics.

Where does it come from? Actually, it is strangely enough a worldwide movement, spanning from the American Midwest to NYC to (oddly enough) Sweden.

Who's doing it? So far the key players are The Strokes, The Hives, and The White Stripes.

What's the point? This is rock for Generation Why?. Unlike grunge, the baby of Generation X, this is not earnest music. Instead, it's ironic. Grunge was anti-fashion, whereas this is fashion and high style all the way. (The Strokes carefully groom themselves to beautiful slacker/punk perfection. The Hives wear black suits with white ties and refuse to be photographed in anything else. The White Stripes only wear red and white.) The practitioners are all clearly kids who have taken in post-modernism with their mother's milk. They don't take themselves too seriously (unless it's about their outfits), it's self-referential, and it's a mixture of a lot of different things (punk, classic rock, even a bit of rap). Most importantly, unlike grunge, it is NOT depressing and suicidal.

Why should you give it a listen? Above everything else, it sounds fresh. It is at once familiar and exotic. It's bursting with energy. It's alive, and makes you feel glad to be alive. It's emphatic without being angry. Like I said, it's the start of that something new.