2 posts tagged “alternative music”
Not too long ago, I remember seeing Garbage's Shirley Manson being interviewed on television and saying that her favorite band of the moment was Kings of Leon. She also insinuated that every twenty-something girl loved Kings of Leon.
Because of my mad respect for Manson (her band was heavily influenced by -- of all bands-- the Pretenders) and because I am a twenty-something girl, I decided to check out Kings of Leon.
I was disappointed. To me, they sounded like lite FM radio music. Caleb Followill who leads his band of brothers (all Followills!) on vocals sounds like Bruce Hornsby.
Now, I've never known a troop of twenty-something girls to follow around Bruce Hornsby. Plus, I simply can't take a band seriously when one of their song titles is "Sex on Fire."
Yet, everywhere I turn, I feel like people are always praising Kings of Leon. What is it about them that people like? What are they doing any different than Daughtry? How are they different than this?
I got to see Jenny Lewis in concert Sunday night, and she was simply amazing.
Lewis was one of the best performers I've ever seen, and I couldn't help but wonder why she was playing a smaller venue rather than to a pavillion or an arena (although naturally I prefer the more intimate setting). When the concert was first announced, I was taken aback that it was at a standing-room-only club. I suppose she's still growing in popularity as an artist, but in all seriousness -- why aren't more people in love with her?
Songs like "Carpetbaggers" and "Trying My Best to Love You" are catchy and poppy enough to get radio airplay, but they don't. She just as charismatic and lovely (if not more so) as Gwen Stefani and has a strong female fan base to boot, yet she's still hasn't reached household name status. I find this strange.
Don't get me wrong. I don't necessarily want to be seeing her from nose-bleed seats in section Z, but Jenny definitely needs some more recognition. Liz Phair once said that Madonna is the speedboat, and the rest of us are just the Go-Go's on waterskis. I think that music needs a new speedboat.
