Is Garage Trendy?

[Axel Björnsson]

I see lot of bands out there claiming themself playing rock/pop with garage influence, the only problem is they don't sound garage/psych/rocknroll at all.

There are few "garage" bands playing at Iceland Airwaves this year (the biggest music festival in Iceland) Let's check them out..

 

Here we have this band called Weapons

 

Weapons is an indie/rock band from Reykjavík Iceland. Their music could be described as melody driven in your face indie rock influenced by good-feel indie, old-school garage and surf pop music.

 

ok lets take a look at one of their song. 

http://www.gogoyoko.com/song/3169

Yeah I hear Strokes, Maybe some Franz Ferdinand.. Surf Garage old school? 

 

 

Here is some old full grown band from Finland called 22 Pistepirkko. Very cool they're from Finland, hardcore people from Finland.

 

22-Pistepirkko are easily one of Northern Europe's most eccentric and evocative rock acts. The band's sound and diabolical dynamic is a luminous, surreal, guitar-based electro-pop and proto-garage-psychedelia blended with elements of acoustic folk and spaced-out bohemian blues-rock.

 

I get very exited when some band is coming playing music like this.. Wait they got a sound trial here. 

http://www.gogoyoko.com/song/228788

hmmm..????????????? What?

It's like they want to be more unique that they are. I just hear some cheasy advertisement pop going on here..

So what do you think is Garage trend? Is it "on" right know with the hip people? So what about these bands who are playing garage rock? What should we call them?

[kopper]

Hell yeah, it's trendy as fuck right now. And it's really annoying. I keep hearing or reading of "garage" sounds or influences in bands that sound NOTHING like garage rock (or "garage punk," for that matter). I think it's just the state of the music scene right now. Bands like the Hives, White Stripes, and Black Lips (amongst others) really put "garage rock" in the mainstream, and then you had labels like Vice Records jump on the bandwagon with lots of money to promote it with the help of corporations like Scion, and BOOM. It's the "next big thing." Problem is, too many of these bands are just plain BORING, and I bet most of 'em wouldn't know a Sonics or Oblivians tune if it hit 'em on their heads.

Oh, and by the way, I never could stand the Strokes. As far as I'm concerned they were the "Pearl Jam of Garage Rock," a fabricated band, totally fake, with crappy music that might be OK when compared with the rest of mainstream "rock music," but pales in comparison to most of the real garage rock/punk out there.

[kopper]

By the way, those embedded players in your post above don't seem to be working... at least not in my browser.

[Axel Björnsson]

Haha! "The pearl Jam" of garage rock is the best description I have heard...

[dying slowly]

the strokes arnt gone there latest album was realeased in feb and last nite is a top tune witha great solo

[Lachlan William Richardson]

Yeah it's a trend, it's almost as though it's following "indie" being a trend, perhaps they see it as helping differentiate themselves from the mass of "indie" ever so slightly to put "garage rock influenced" in their sound description. And "indie" too, remember when "indie" used to describe independent? Now I don't know what it means, seems to be more of an aesthetic than anything else these days, hopefully this is not the beginning of garage becoming the same thing but I fear that it is... And yeah, never liked the Strokes, bland and shit boring...

[Axel Björnsson]

Wow don't even start with indie. That description got killed in the 2000's... 

Strokes are coming with new record that's correct. but I think fans and recordcompanies don't give a shit. this band is dead. (was always dead)

Enough about Strokes.. I first noticed that "garage" was going to be trend when I saw this film Scott Pilgrim VS The World. Scott's band Sex O Bomb sounds very rough and with nice fuzz. I actually really like it. I think it's composed by Beck.. Black Lips got also tune in the film. I thought it was very cool at the time bringing the garage to the people who dosent search in music. But now I have other ideas when some new bands are using this word Garage" again again and playing stuff sounding like Artic Monkeys or Libertines.. Fuck off you killed the word "indie" don't kill "Garage"..

 

[Captain Galaxy]

When i spin records here in north germany, i can count the people who dig it on one hand. Most know the Sonics, but if i come with 'Back from the Grave' Stuff and others they never hearded before they are not that interested.

I think it's just lots of people do not know how to handle new impressions and are simply not interested to change because it is much easier to be as you where.

I actually try forcing them to listen to that kind of music because it's me who's the DJ :D But seriously i don't stop to spread Garage as i understand it till i'm rid of it! A man on a mission UAhhhhh!

...ah, jep i think it's not trendy around here :)

[Ruby Soleil]

The words "melody driven" always give it away.  Also describing a band as having a gazillion influences that are "blended" to produce a certain (insert adjective here) sound. Makes me hesitant to spend money on music fests, especially when there is not much to spare.

 

[Old School Hero]

I don't know man I feel like the biggest loser in the world when I tell people what I like. (Not that I care...) I tell people and I get the whole O_O look or the awkward, "Ooohhh''. Sometimes people even have the nerve to say they listen to it all the time and clearly don't. I definitely agree with Kop on what he said earlier. I think to a degree it is trendy for car comercials and stuff like that...and there are some bands that definitely improperly label themselves as Garage or whatever. I don't know why that is, but then again some people call Metal Rock 'n' Roll and I definitely couldn't agree less.

On a side note: I do think it could go big in a real and honest way. I think this because there are a ton of people who can't stand rap or techno..and that's all you have a choice to dance to these days. I find that pure Rock 'n Roll is quite dancable and could make a huge comeback if done by the right bands, with the right DJ's, and the right people starting it.

[TeenFink]

yeah, i'd almost rather talk politics or religion with the squares than try to get them to understand the music that i like...

Old School Hero said:

I don't know man I feel like the biggest loser in the world when I tell people what I like. (Not that I care...) I tell people and I get the whole O_O look or the awkward, "Ooohhh''. Sometimes people even have the nerve to say they listen to it all the time and clearly don't. I definitely agree with Kop on what he said earlier. I think to a degree it is trendy for car comercials and stuff like that...and there are some bands that definitely improperly label themselves as Garage or whatever. I don't know why that is, but then again some people call Metal Rock 'n' Roll and I definitely couldn't agree less.

On a side note: I do think it could go big in a real and honest way. I think this because there are a ton of people who can't stand rap or techno..and that's all you have a choice to dance to these days. I find that pure Rock 'n Roll is quite dancable and could make a huge comeback if done by the right bands, with the right DJ's, and the right people starting it.

[Kidango]

The false labeling is annoying, but imagine rock n roll music being played on the radio, at high school dances. Even if it becomes "main stream" it doesnt sound all that bad to me. But at the moment im showing all kinds of freinds my rock and roll, and they're digging it just fine, so again, i dont think its such a huge deal.

[Bone Voyage Recording Company]

for 22-piastepirkkko. according to this thread I see your point at first sight. but the description of the bands somehow says there's more then just "garage". and a soundsample was choosen, which is far from this part of the labeling. but nevertheless garage has always been an integral  part of the band's sound and heritage.

http://soundcloud.com/bone-voyage/22-pistepirkko-save-my-soul/
http://soundcloud.com/bone-voyage/22-pistepirkko-big-bed/
http://soundcloud.com/bone-voyage/22-pistepirkko
http://soundcloud.com/bone-voyage/22-pistepirkko-frankenstein

 

the band gonna play a off-venue show in reykjavik on 12.10.  at Bar 11, garage-style for sure. They are not hardcore, and are not the pure garage band you might be looking for. maybe at heart they are a quirky pop band. or homemade r'n'r. stubborn and  adventurous. it's not for everyone. 

rumble ouwee!