The Inauguration Post: Are You Listening?

To Whom It May Concern:

Deja entendu.
It's French for "already heard," and it's also the title of Brand New's brilliant second album released back in 2003. And it's a term that can still be applied to a lot of the music out there today.

Doesn't it seem like Nickelback has released and scored hits with songs that all sound the same? From their first big American hit ("How You Remind Me") to their 2008 release ("Gotta Be Somebody"), the band hasn't showed much maturity--even though the lead singer looks like he's pushing 60 and sounds like he's been downing whiskey longer than he's had that hairstyle and goatee.

Though pop music has some saving grace, you can pretty much group all of those "pop-tartlets" together--I'm looking at you, Miley Cyrus (actually, I'd rather not). None of those young pop stars are putting out music with longevity; they're just releasing organized noise that impressionable tweens are gonna waste their money on could make money. Vanessa Hudgens, I only have one word for you, even though it really should be two: "Sneakernight."

I can still respect and enjoy the music of artists like Pink and Kelly Clarkson. And even though Lady Gaga sounds like she's having a seizure in her hits "Just-just-just-just Dance" or "Po-po-poker Face," at least she's doing something different that sets her apart from the crowd. And I have to admit that she does what she does pretty well.

I was pleased to hear Jason Mraz's catchy-as-hell "I'm Yours" finally start to get some airplay last spring/summer. A demo of the song had been floating around and had been a fan favorite for years, so it was great that it finally made it out there. It was a great single. Mraz is a gifted and skillful artist with a lot of variety that deserved to top the charts. Maybe his (creepy?) habit of eating mostly raw foods and avocados are the secret to success many of us are missing.

But this blog will not be about them. This will probably be the last time that you'll recognize a lot of the bands and artists that I'll be writing about. Because truth is, there's a lot of great music out there that's not reaching a lot of people. And I suspect that if the radio wasn't so densely-filled with throw-away music, and if people can just be exposed to some alternatives to the Pussycat Dolls (they destroyed that awesome Slumdog Millionaire song), Jesse McCartney (he's been 12 years old for ten years now), and Nickelback (if we build a fence along the Canadian border, will they stop bothering us?), a lot more of these talented and unknown musicians will succeed in reaching a wider audience.

It's quitting time for now. But I'll be back soon enough with my first post about one unsigned band, a prime example of what this blog is all about, that has single-handedly taken over my iPod.