Where does music go next?

Sorry for the considerable delay since my last post , unfortunately album reviews haven't really grabbed me as of yet but I finally have some inspiration for my next musically-concerned post which I will leave you all (or the very few of you reading) to bask in...

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Just under two weeks ago, Arctic Monkeys released their highly anticipated fourth album, Suck It and See. On my part, I've greatly enjoyed it, it draws on elements of the first two albums, bringing in that high tempo, zany and youthful guitar interplay while blending those songs with some mature, relaxed and laid-back sounds, with some truly brilliant, nonchalant lyrics (lyrics don't really grab me half the time but lines like "You're rarer than a can of dandelion and burdock" are excellent), reaffirming Alex Turner's status as one of the best lyricists of the current musical generation.

However, I recently watched a video blog reviewing the album, I have no qualms with what was said, music and opinion on it is obviously subjective and the guy in question provides an interesting viewpoint and enlightens me with decent music I haven't heard of, but one point he made particularly intrigued me and I have now drawn inspiration from for this blog post. The point being that Arctic Monkeys  have not really created something new with this, nor have they created a genre-crossing album, but at the same time they haven't harked back to a previous age. Instead, they've, in places, rehashed an Americana sound from before, which you can hear. 

Arctic Monkeys' debut album, released in 2006, blew everything out the water.

In this case, where does music really go next? What is the next step, what is the next genre, what will be the next sound? There's only a certain amount of combination of notes, so to speak. There is seemingly a dearth of new bands that are going to come out and break the mould with something completely new.

However, in the first place, is there a genre now that is suffering that can be completely be smashed apart? We had the Nirvana-inspired grunge era, which when it once became lethargic and uninspiring, along came the likes of blur, Oasis and Pulp under the Britpop banner who blew that out the way; albums such as Definitely Maybe, Parklife and The Great Escape being key to such success. Then we've seen the Strokes decimate anything in its path with Is This It before inspiring bands such as The Libertines and of course, the aforementioned Arctic Monkeys with their storming debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.

However, all this music infiltrated the mainstream as well, adding to its success, what do we have have there now in terms of actual conceptual genre music other than the dire electronic synth-pop production filth that is being lapped up by punters who think Scott Mills is best thing since sliced bread, acts such as "Lady Gaga" and "Example" to name but a few. Of course not everything that is in the charts is utter crap to put it bluntly, but there isn't a large representation of a genre outside such electronic pop to blow wide open.

Even then, underneath the mainstream. what is there? There is a large movement of previously guitar-centered bands moving towards the use of synths within their songs but no real massive bands using them, while other up-and-coming bands are harking back to the sounds of the bands of old, the comparison between some of The Vaccines' songs and the sounds of The Ramones is screamingly loud.

The real innovators in music over the last ten to twenty years, Radiohead, going from the critical success of OK Computer, then to the sounds of Kid A have continued to move forward both musically and in terms of marketing their music. However, this year, they released the King of Limbs, surprising their adoring fans and the musical spectrum, but seemingly the guitar has gone, the electronic sounds replacing them. Have Radiohead backed themselves into a corner? Where do they go next?

Maybe it's because I'm not a musician or I haven't really been seriously into music for a long time that perhaps I hold such a viewpoint, perhaps someone who plays an instrument, or is in a band can see where such bands would go next, but in my eyes there aren't very many bands out there or up-and-coming ones who could completely rip what's out there apart now and grab everyone's attention. The other big bands? Foo Fighters continue to roll along doing what they do, as brilliant and adrenaline rush-worthy as it is; Kings of Leon remain a band that will tour for what it's worth and probably won't leave their comfort zone for a few more years, you readers are more than welcome to give suggestions of course.

Everyone obviously knows my love for Arcade Fire but perhaps the stage is set for them, what can they bring to the table after such a brilliant, emotive, genre-crossing and critically acclaimed third album The Suburbs? They've said they're going for something more jazz sounding, we'll wait and see.

I'm certainly not saying music is dead, or it has nowhere to go, I'm just intrigued to see what it does next, what will blow the roof off and leave us all gasping in awe. All of us as music fans of course eagerly await that...

2011: Debuts, comebacks, and delicious music galore.

From any avid music fans perspective who doesn't pay any attention to mainstream chart music, 2011 for music is simply mouth-watering. It'll have its fair share of comebacks, both live and in terms of records, and debut albums from some hotly anticipated new bands, touted about by the musical press. So, here's a rundown of what you should be looking out for...

The boys are back in town.

Arguably a year where we see some of the biggest bands in the music industry step back into the light and release a new record or just make a comeback altogether. The biggest announcement of 2010 was probably that of Britpop band Pulp, who announced they were coming back and confirmed shows at Wireless in London, Primavera Festival and sub-headlining for Foo Fighters on the Saturday at Isle of Wight Festival. Is another UK festival on the cards? Will a new record be coming out? Will we be seeing the band playing across the country this year? All of this is yet to be confirmed but you'll be sure to hear hits like this over the coming few months.

However, it's not just all about Cocker and his gang making a comeback this summer as several other bands are returning with brand new records. Mentioned above, Foo Fighters have just announced they've completed recording a new album, in Dave Grohl's garage recording on tapes, and as well as Isle of Wight, they are also headlining Oxegen and T in The Park in Ireland and Scotland respectively. Speaking of Oxegen, Arctic Monkeys have also been confirmed as headliners for the festival, but very little information has been released about a possible new album, but fingers crossed we will receive some in due course.

One band that everyone eagerly awaits to return is The Strokes. Their last record, "First Impressions of the Earth" was released all the way back in 2006, and while solo projects from Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr. and Nikolai Fraiture, as well as a live return in the summer last year have helped to whet the appetite, a new record, a proper tour and some more festival appearances in summer 2011 would go down a storm.

Will we be seeing a return from Radiohead in the coming year? Work has been on-going on the follow-up album to "In Rainbows" but seems to have stalled over the past few months, but it'll be interesting to see what they can produce, and whether it'll be finished in time to make any live appearances this year. Unlike Radiohead, Elbow are well set to make a grand return this year, their fifth album "build a rocket boys!" is scheduled to be released on the 7th of March, and with an arena tour also taking place later in the month, Guy Garvey and co. say the new album is definitely sounding good for the big arena audiences. A video below is a live recording of one of the tracks off the new album, "Lippy Kids." Other notable mentions go to the likes of White Lies, Portishead, REM and many more.

Little fish enter the big pond.

2011 also looks an exciting year for new, up-and-coming acts, who either are set to release debut albums or make big strides in the music industry with massive tracks take will make a big splash in the music world. One band that has already been written about on here that have their debut album out at the end of January are Chapel Club. The London-based band's "Palace," which features The Shore, All the Eastern Girls and O Maybe I as well as an additional 4-track CD for a few extra quid hits shelves on January 31st, but for the meantime, enjoy their upcoming new single, "Surfacing," which will be out in the next few weeks for download/purchase.

BBC's Sound of 2011, NME and many other music publications have raved about the likes of The Vaccines (their debut album "What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?" will be out in March), Jamie Woon, Brother and MONA, but one artist  in particular looks set to have a bright future in James Blake. Despite finishing second in BBC's Sound of 2011, his song "Limit to Your Love" really does send shivers down the spine, a truly beautifully constructed record. With a brilliant soulful voice, Blake's self-titled debut album, which is out on February 7th, should be something every avid music fan should be looking out for.

Perhaps rap, hip-hop and the likes don't get enough attention, but artists like Jay Electronica will surely make a big splash in 2011. Originally spotted as a result of a 9:13 minute piece of music on MySpace called "Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)" using music from the soundtrack of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and changing the music and mood in each of the 5 segements whilst mixing in dialogue and rapping, it was no surprise he would soon be spotted, and unlike Jay-Z's recent signing of Cher Lloyd onto his record label Roc Nation, the critically acclaimed rapper surely must be onto a winner here. Songs like "Exhibit C," shown below, will have all music fans begging for more from the young star.

A massive year for music lies ahead...