WRMC 91.1 FM On Rotation

Author: Melissa Marshall

Every Saturday night, the Middlebury student population convenes in a sweaty mass in one of the social houses, or better yet, in a suite in Gifford meant only to hold fifteen people, to shake off the stress of the work-week. And the theme to these nights of decadence and toasts of Keystone Light? - The eighties. Night after night, party after party, the campus gathers together to pay homage to a decade of music distinguished by its bubble-gum beats and inoffensive lyrics, reliving a time when hairspray and Converse were king. However, the feel-good message of the eighties is not completely six feet under. Absurdly large sunglasses and chunky jewelry aren't the only remnants of that less-than tumultuous decade present in our culture: rock music is also starting to reverberate that classic eighties vibe.

Long gone is the cry for reform and protest found in the lyrics of Bobby Dylan, the sonorous murmur of Jim Morrison's voice, or the twang of Hendrix's guitar. Buried are the heart-wrenching, guttural cries of Cobain and Vedder. Even the more subdued, eloquent complainings of Brand New and Dashboard have faded away in favor of the new, infectious pop-punk of Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the Disco. The modern indie rock wave is here, and it won't change your life, it won't send you on a rollercoaster of emotions, propelling you on a melancholy meander down memory lane, but it may just get you out of your desk and dancing around the room when you're roomie is at the dining hall. Wolf Parade, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand are the ring-leaders of this increasingly-popular brand of innocuous rock, their albums vying over the covetous spots of mention in online blogs such as Xanga or Myspace.

Wolf Parade's late September full-length debut, Apologies to Queen Mary which was produced by Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse fame, is a solid effort with some stand-out tracks such as "Fancy Claps" and "You are a Runner," while Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are enjoying great success thanks to the internet and their darn catchy beats. Both bands have the irritating, yet somewhat admirable ability to remind you of every other artist that has dominated college radio over the last several months, while still incorporating a distinct sound that makes you want to hear the next track. Maybe it's the wavering vocals and sharp yelps which have become so marketable in the last couple of years thanks to the slightly more veteran efforts of British rockers Bloc Party and Glasgow's famed quartet, Franz Ferdinand. Unfortunately, the fact still remains that even if such awesome tracks as "Banquet", "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" or even "In this Home of Ice" crop up during shuffle sessions on your iPod, the new direction of indie rock music is becoming safe, predictable and sadly unoriginal.

Even indie-pop heroes Death Cab for Cutie have fallen into some of the genre pitfalls. Although their latest release, Plans, has such stellar tracks as "I Will Follow You into the Dark" and "Soul Meets Body", missing is the raw emotional intensity present in We Have the Facts and The Photo Album. Plans plays more like a series of tired ballads while their former albums were triumphs of human sensations.

The industry, as well as its fans, will just have to wait and see if 2006 will continue with whimpers instead of bangs, and whether some ground-breaking musicianship will emerge. However, they shouldn't be too worried. The spirit of creativity is still alive and well (as is demonstrated every weekend night by those poor unfortunates not on the guest lists as they shimmey up fire-escapes and devise eloquent stories explaining the absence of their names), even if the current albums climbing up that charts show that today's youth are less concerned with reform and more passionate about their killer dance moves.