The lo-fi retro futurism of the Flaming Lips fantastic new album along with Wired's "Good Enough Revolution", and even the latest iPhone killer, with its allusions to Star Wars' futuristic dystopia, seems to be heralding a new aesthetic in our culture and music. This new aesthetic makes all the more sense when framed by these "tough economic times" we currently live in.
Call it a commentary on the materialism of the past decade. A decade that saw brand name/ designer awareness reach an all-time high. Think about it, when The Devil Wears Prada came out, no one asked for an elaboration on what exactly Prada was. Urban, which made a name for itself catering to grungy skateboarders, now sells $200 sunglasses out of a case by the front window.
Call it a commentary on the modernism of the past decade. Minimal modernism was everywhere-- Kompakt, futura, IKEA, even the White Strips saw a post millennium bounce. No doubt all this minimalism would experience some blow-back. But if minimalism were a stock, I'd short it.
Instantly transmitted cell phone video, tinny mp3s, twitter... What does this all mean for the future of music? The recent rise of lo-fi rock and glitchy techno might be more than passing fads. Will the blown out sounds of Times New Viking ever be used to sell Cadallacs? Will Sileni's micro-edited freakouts ever pack the dance floors on Chippewa? Highly doubtful, but don't be surprised to hear something like "No time, no hope" underneath a Mountain Dew commercial sometime in the crappy near future.
