And there is some movement towards a mid-90s revival. Pavement's records are getting nostalgic re-releases and ecstatic praise (justifiably). Unrest is getting back together for a Teenbeat 50th Anniversary gig or somesuch. And there's the Pixies. We'll always have the Pixies, a phrase that seems more true now than ever, and you can probably see them five times in the next month at your local arena.
None of this, however, makes me feel any younger. Oh, the grim melancholy of the aging indie kid. I feel it, let me tell you.
But there are a couple of things to be excited about in the restrained and weary way that befits our age:
Slowdive, Catch the Breeze [Sanctuary 2004]
Some creaky geezer at Pitchfork gives this retrospective a 9.5, for what it's worth. But what's important about Slowdive was just how wonderfully woozy they were, even within the shoegazer set. Fine, fine music to put on at 10:30 on a Sunday night. Download "Souvlaki Space Station"
Destroyer, Your Blues [Merge 2004]
I love this Destroyer record, flaws and all. It is meticulous operatic pop and I'm convinced that Daniel Bejar, at times, is channeling Pulp's Jarvis Cocker. It's eerie.
I'm also partial to "Destroyer." It's fragile, carefully constructed music--with a black-metal-sounding appellation. Tension!
A.C. Newman, The Slow Wonder [Matador 2004]
Another superb pop record from another New Pornographer. Do they have a factory somewhere?
Other things I'm looking forward to hearing (but haven't yet):
- The Owls, Our Hopes and Dreams [Magic Marker 2004]
Frausdots, Couture, Couture, Couture [Sub Pop 2004]
v/a, Rough Trade Shops: Indiepop Vol. 1 [Rough Trade 2004]
Jaga Jazzist, Magazine [Smalltown Supersound 2004]
