Wired Mesh

Another Brick in the Wall

One last first-day post before I head to Brother Holton's bachelor party...

Sasha Frere-Jones and NYTimes Mag editor Gerald Marzorati have been arguing heatedly all week over on Slate about the new Radiohead album. Today Sasha makes an interesting shift in the debate, pointing out "an overdeveloped and unfortunate correlation between a band's stock rising and that band increasing its store of avant foolishness."

He blames the Beatles for this: "I mean, before the Beatles, would anybody have even sat still for Sigur Rós?" I am more tempted to put the blame on Pink Floyd, but whoever you make the patsy for pretentiousness, there's no doubt that this is a discouraging development in rock and roll. Take Wilco as an example: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is one of the finest albums of the new mill, but how much better would it be if it weren't so muddied up by reverb and abient noise?

Or would it be better at all? Part of me wonders whether the electronic gussying up is worth more than Sasha gives it credit for, if (and only if) it serves to accentuate the beauty of the tunes underneath. I just want bands to be unafraid to make pretty music. Don't worry, kids. You won't turn into John Denver. Really.