In a think piece for the Guardian, music critic Simon Reynolds claims that the 00s were about the loss of concensus music because there was so much and it was so good that nobody could agree upon anything the way we had agreed about Arcade Fire’s Funeral.
In the 2000s cheap technology and cheap distribution has made everybody a mogul but the unintended effect is a lack of a center -the music is so difused it is impossible to maintain a handle on the situation. The music business is floating in space.
But if you take a look at so many of the major rock decade lists the sounds like a center because dance and hip hop are being ignored. If, as Eye Alaska recently noted on this blog, rock no longer exists, than we ar all, really, popular music critics, and as popular music critics, some bands and people of varying talents, have been very, very popular.
How can reynolds claim a free floating scene when he doesn’t consider Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift -hugely popular acts. Or Justin Timberlake for that matter. Or Timbaland who just collaborated with Miley.
Reynolds sees no center but I see a worldwide concensus about one thing this year: Black Eyed Peas were HUGE EVERYWHERE. And I see another, David Guetta, the French producer, emerged out of the techno lab.
And finally, if hip hop is dead why are hip hop products like Solange Knowles and Kid Cudi merging with indie rock to make some of the most exciting music out there. Isn’t that the definition of consensus?
Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space protected by gravity: the pull of the best stuff remains.