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?

[THEE DIRTYBEATS]

I 100% agree: the term "garage" is far too trendy these days, overused and misused to the point that it's nearly useless as a name for the actual genre.  The labels "punk" and "americana" are similarly abused, but nowhere near the extent to which "garage" has been.  

At least part of the problem is that it's all too easy for bands and labels to tag their websites and MP3s with the label "garage", in the hopes that doing so will attract more interest.  

Often, though, it's just honest ignorance.  Many people -- even older musicians -- have no concept of garage as a genre, and think the term just refers either to a band that once played in a garage, or music created in a garage.  There are also some very sincere but confused folks who insist that garage is just a term for any primitively recorded rock music, not limited to but most especially recordings made on an iMac, using Apple GarageBand.  

Captain Galaxy said:

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 :)

[Last Night]

Nice from a guy who plays in Thee Genitals !!!  haha

Thee Genitals 4 said:

Keep playing with heart.

[Shtbird]

My god! Nothing makes me angrier than that '09 pitchfork "surf-revival". These lo-fi dream/pop reverb heavy bands may be surfers, but that does NOT make them surf.

Fritz said:

I beg to differ...... people are just as quick to toss around the "surf" label these days as "garage"..... read some reviews of indie rock bands like the Wavves, Best Coast, Surfer Blood, Sundelles, Beach Fossils..... just cuz a band uses reverb and has tunes about the beach doesn't make it "surf" music. ugh.

TeenFink said:

by the way, i totally get the joke about playing surf music. good one! it's ironic how garage & surf were so connected or intertwined and almost interchangeable 10-20 years ago, but now you rarely ever hear anyone talking about surf in the "garage scene" or whatever. surf got left out.

[Shtbird]

Real garage is raw, full of soul, and fun as hell. It pays homage to the passion of the late greats, keeps a solid rockin rhythm, and is immune to whatever bullshit wave of popular music is influencing the masses.

There IS danger, there IS passion, there IS an interactive and  dancing crowd because the music itself is addictively accessible. It's Rock 'n Roll, in it's purest, unrefined form. 

Just because you use a lot of distortion, just because you label yourself as garage... it doesn't make you garage. If the crowd ain't swingin with the beat, you just don't got it.

And fuck what the music critics say! The wankers are just trying to redefine genres because they're not creative enough to figure out something accurately descriptive. Garage rock is the essence of cool, but any attempts to capitalize on the art are missing the point. 

[Last Night]

Well said !

can i write a song with " genitals have heart too" as a title ??

Thee Genitals 4 said:

Hey, genitals have heart, too...

At least, mine do, and, dare I say, soul...

That's what it's all about. That's where the joy comes from.

[Last Night]

Well said !

Shtbird said:

Real garage is raw, full of soul, and fun as hell. It pays homage to the passion of the late greats, keeps a solid rockin rhythm, and is immune to whatever bullshit wave of popular music is influencing the masses.

There IS danger, there IS passion, there IS an interactive and  dancing crowd because the music itself is addictively accessible. It's Rock 'n Roll, in it's purest, unrefined form. 

Just because you use a lot of distortion, just because you label yourself as garage... it doesn't make you garage. If the crowd ain't swingin with the beat, you just don't got it.

And fuck what the music critics say! The wankers are just trying to redefine genres because they're not creative enough to figure out something accurately descriptive. Garage rock is the essence of cool, but any attempts to capitalize on the art are missing the point. 

[RJFait]

With digital home recording becoming commonplace, and websites like CD Baby and other pay-per-download outlets allowing bands to completely cut out the record companies, the definition of "garage" is becoming very blurred. The misconception that garage=lo-fi doesn't help. The sixties garage bands records were only  lo-fi because that's all they could afford. How much different would garage music be today if the bands of the sixties had the home recording opportunities that we have now? Just food for thought.