New Scene, New Kids

So i'm old hat in the alternative scene. no more jnco's and airwalks. wearing all black everyday isn't nearly as common and bondage pants are just comical now. and resistance comes strong. old alt. kids (like myself) see a lot of tight pants and bright colors as a bad sign. like the new wave missed out on the fruits of the late 90's (if they can be duly called "fruits"). But why are we so resistant? i guess people are resistant to tidal waves in their cultural associations. i mean super baggy to skinny jeans is quite a change, or is it? don't they still represent the same culture, even the same music? the most trash talk towards the new breed comes from the old. aren't they like our cultural offspring though? what we did, listened to, and acted like helped create what we see today.

and frankly it's still extremely conformist. as the alt. scene was in the late 90's early 2000's. but i feel like the reigns have been loosened a bit on this new crowd. flexibility is key. they can like a variant of things and actually wear colors without being considered a poser (however i'm not sure how well a pair of new balance tennis shoes would go over.) However, this is the real weakness of the new alt.s. their flaw....the music. the bands coming out of this new scene are lackluster and non-iconic. How could this happen with the host of amazing influences predating these bands? They've all heard Minor Threat, Rite of Spring, and the rest of the D.C. high quality scene. So why are they putting out horribly similar and bland alt./punk rock? Even in the late 90's when pop punk reached its peak, legitimate claims were made about certain bands and their credible influences. who influence this bland and creativity deprived new round of alt. rockers?

So two essential things have changed in my time: the bands lost their depth and the scene gained some openness. Maybe these two things are very much related. The rejection that aging alt. minded kids felt towards ultra-conformism in the late 90's as they grew resulted in a branching out. but they didn't go too far. moving into more dissonant punk as well as hitting up the indie scene as well as host of malls and shopping centers, modern bases for alt. fashion. this branching out helped to open up the fashion and acceptance scale experienced in alternate crowds. this is double edged cause all these new influences seep into the music and the mindset. it becomes watered down.

thus the catch 22. stay conformist and pure....keep the music
open up and lose some key battle but breed a culture that generally begins embodying acceptance and praise....

which one is better

Why I Search for New Sounds (Blink-182)

Isn't it just the excitement? Finding something new and interest? I've spent so much time milling through countless web pages with words from fans...praising and explaining. It's very communal in this sense. unlike in person alternative scenes, internet ones seem to hold the water of the ideology better. but now i enter this realm of spreading the word and the message. I just hope someone hears it....more i hope they feel it. I like a wide variety of sounds. pop or not..i don't wanna discriminate. as long as it's not generic and weak. and if it is then it at least makes me feel good. Like Blink-182. How can you deny these guys. Have you ever been in love? Have you ever had fun with your friends? then how the fuck can you not love this band. Everything they right is moving. In a different way. in a way it's more interesting then even tool or saetia's form of moving. It seems common to hang on darkness and drear to move people. But doing it with common language, quick riffs and unique pop drumming is something special altogether. Serious when was a pop band last considered legit? The Police? Blink moves you with a type of joy, but a very very relatable joy. I've felt those things...in those words even.
SO GET MOVED

Check-Blink-182's s/t-n/t 2003 release. Say what you ant but this is the band at their creative best. Make sure you get the bonus track Not Now though. it is a perfect song. really. passion and emotion and drive...meshed...brilliantly (even though the riff is strangely similar to alkaline trio's "For Your Lungs Only")

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=r8sgflka

And the 90's punk sound dies in shame...AFI's Crash Love

Does anyone remember 90's punk revival? The boom that the end of hair metal created? yeah me neither. And obviously AFI forgets too. The once hailed mid-stream punk/alt. group at least at one time resembled punk influences. But now, they're 2009 release "Crash Love" slaps you in the face. You recover and you realize that...the punk rock you once loved died with the decade. The once titans of 90's punk have either fizzled out, broke up, or went on to destroy their fan base with new and horrible records. Even once hailed punk trio Propagandhi released a slew of terrible records after bassist John Samson left. Often time I consider Propagandhi as only consisting of "How to Clean Everything," "Less Talk, More Rock," and "Where Quality/Quantity are Job #1." So how did this happen to our beloved sound? Maybe these bands just didn't know when to quit. Perhaps if Orchid, Pg. 99, or Saetia would have continued I'd be saying the same about them. But I'm not. Those bands burnt out into the early 2000's leaving the last traces of respectable hardcore and punk with that oh so controversial emo tinge.

So is all hope lost? is the open minded and varied punk listener without hope? Eh for now maybe things look grim. But how about digging back into the genre. Off shoot starters of sub genres are always great listening. They develop new sounds and generally have short lived, yet impressive careers. Sooo....

Music suggestions:
Active Band: Comadre... these cali. guys are doing true punk rock. all types wrapped into one. you'll hear traditional punk with shouty vocals. Strummy folk stuff with quick hit beats and a very accessible sound. check these guys out..."Burn Your Bones" is a great start

Anytime/reason Band:Orchid. What is there to be say about Orchid? My favorite hardcore band of all time. Great always and under any circumstances. Quick hard songs. The expression and passion is on a new level. This music is the beauty of a car crash. some type of black beauty.Check "Chaos Is Me" or "Totality"