Slaves to synth // Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian 17-12-08

 

Every now and then pop music undergoes a dramatic shift, and if you believe the people who influence what we listen to, we're currently on the verge of just such a new-broom phase. Out, according to record labels, are the male guitar bands who have dominated the charts and airwaves for much of the decade; in are solo electropop artists who have arrived en masse from Planet Quirky. If things go to plan, they'll be leading a return to idiosyncratic, credible pop to an extent that hasn't been seen since the 80s. And this time the hottest prospects are women.

 

Thanks to artists such as Little Boots, La Roux, Ladyhawke and, tipped as the first early-2009 success story, Lady GaGa, electropop's image as the domain of the male technogeek is getting a makeover. These women, all in their early 20s, are of a generation who have been adept with computers since primary school; when they started writing songs, they turned to their laptops rather than picking up a guitar. They have pretty much nothing in common with the male guitar groups who are spending the final weeks of 2008 watching their much-anticipated new albums fail to sell.

 

The future, according to New Yorker Lady GaGa, is female and electro. "It's a good time now," she says, speaking on the phone from San Diego, where she is in the middle of a 23-day tour through 21 cities. "There's a big empty space that was waiting to be filled by women." GaGa - Joanne Germanotta to her parents - has already proved a controversial stage performer. She shows a lot of flesh and writes explicit lyrics ("I sing about oral sex in my underwear," as she puts it). This, she says, is part of an effort to produce memorable art. Her inspiration is Andy Warhol, "because of his ability to take commercial art and create an intellectual and artistic space where it was taken seriously. The idea is to make things - videos, fashion, performance art - which are innately significant and insignificant, that will cause argument: 'Is Lady GaGa valid or invalid?'"

 

Others before her, such as Berlin-based electropop act Peaches, have used a similar combination of a confrontational, sexualised image with a high-minded artistic vision; the difference is that GaGa sells records. Her album, The Fame, reached number 17 in America, and her single Just Dance has been nominated for a Grammy. Her sound is hard, modern, chrome-edged, but she hasn't forgotten to add choruses, as a listen to Just Dance proves. The track is diabolically catchy, and her label is crossing its fingers that it will hit No 1 when it's released here next month.

 

There is something of the young Madonna about GaGa: she's boundlessly ambitious ("I intend to have an installation at the Louvre and [New York's] Moma"), and is emphatically denies she is a record-company construct. "To be quite honest," she says, "the label had to tone me down. You'd think they were giving me tiny shorts to put on, but it was the other way around. When they met me, I was working in a nightclub in New York, half naked, but I had a big voice and they liked me. If anything, they put more clothes on me."

 

An encounter with GaGa is a bracing experience, and you come away heartened at the prospect of people like her in the charts. Iain Watt, who manages Mika and founded the Wonky Pop brand, which includes live events and a record label, sees genuine commercial potential in the likes of GaGa. "What these girls are doing is based on pop, and it may start out in a niche way," he says. "But because the songs are so good, it'll spread far beyond [that]." They'll also be helped along by the grim financial forecast, he contends. "Next year will be very heavily focused on pop because of the economic climate. People want a two-minute escape from their pressurised lives. It wouldn't surprise me if, out of economic drudgery, comes a creative force in pop music. There's no shortage of supply in terms of people who make interesting pop."

 

Watt could be describing GaGa or La Roux or Little Boots - all of whom, by the way, are among the 15 new artists tipped for success in this month's BBC Sound of 2009 poll. Compiled from the tips of 130 critics and broadcasters, it's worth pointing out that only two standard guitar bands (White Lies and The Temper Trap) made it into next year's 15; last year's list was nearly 50% guitar-based. It looks as if the classic male guitar group will have trouble finding a record deal in 2009, as labels concentrate their energies on chasing more GaGas and La Rouxs - credible solo talents they're banking on to infuse music with fresh energy.

 

Is this the end of the band? James Oldham, head of A&R at A&M Records, says: "All A&R departments have been saying to managers and lawyers, 'Don't give us any more bands, because we're not going to sign them, and they're not going to sell records.' So everything we've been put onto is electronic in nature. British guitar bands became characterised as meat-and-two-veg - dull, bland, thin gruel, whereas this is seen as sleek, modernist, exciting, a mish-mash of modern elements."

 

Oldham says the shift reminds him of "the pop music that happened post-punk, which was informed by radical ideals but put into a much more mainstream sound, like Adam Ant, ABC, Scritti Politti." It's also steeped in attitude. Since making electropop can be a solitary pursuit - all you need is a computer - it produces musicians who are used to getting their own way. Oldham remembers La Roux turning up to sign her recording contract "wearing a T-shirt that said 'I Am a c**t', which I thought showed a certain amount of chutzpah".

 

La Roux, a 20-year-old south Londoner who was born Elly Jackson, is a cooler Sophie Ellis Bextor: her dance-pop tunes are infectious, she looks striking (her vertical red hairdo attracts frequent comments from strangers), and she says what she thinks. For instance: she believes that if women want to play an instrument on stage, only a synthesiser will do. "Girls look a bit stupid playing electric guitar and drums. It suits blokes better. But girls look wicked playing synths. When they play drums or whatever, it looks a bit butch. I hope that doesn't sound anti-feminist."

 

She is passionate about electronic music, citing the way "a dark synth" makes the perfect contrast to her thin, intense voice. "Synths make me feel warm and tingly," she says. And if you listen to her first single, Quicksand (out this month), you see what she's driving at. The emotive vocal and skittish, ping-ponging beat are reminiscent of the Eurythmics, and the effect is as warm and tingly as you could hope for.

 

"What I do is all about contrast," La Roux says. "There are elements of vulnerability [in my music], but I'm also trying not to be vulnerable. It's the story of my life - I'm a slave to my emotions." While the music is expressive and dramatic, she finds it difficult to explain what she's singing about. "It's issues I'm dealing with ... about being f***ed, basically. But when it comes to explaining them, I clam up. It's out there for thousands of people to hear, yet I can't talk about it."

 

Oldham believes that La Roux's instantly memorable songs and "bright, brash" videos will make her the biggest success of the electro-hopefuls. But the future feels just as promising for the others: their gigs are selling out, and their MySpace pages are chalking up millions of views. My top tip for 2009? I predict an electrogirl riot.

 

Are we really about to see a meteoric shift forward in the charts in 2009? Have Keane, Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs et al now essentially died-out? Thoughts? —

Let's hope so. But tbh, I only think Lady GaGa will be able to achieve huge success, not sure on the others.

It has been a mildly obvious shift for the past few months, but srsly THANK GOD. Maybe Radio 1 might bum something else for once now. 2009's looking like it will be a fantastic year for music (possibly the best this decade?) - although I can't help but wonder how exactly Wino/Duffy et al will fare now, seeing as the whole cod-60s thing is a bit 2007/early 08 now - although that said, I can't see the typical W/D et al buyers going for Boots/GaGa et al at all...

Oh yes, and for all intents and purposes, Razorlight and the Kaiser Chiefs are now dead. Keane will manage to last longer as they've actually had some degree of success this year...

It's really strange how brit-pop's fate is going the exact same way it did in the 90's! Only this time the record companies decided to take the "Indie" tag, strip it's identity and then use it as a "cool" tag instead! Just like last time the bands that'll survive will be the ones who started it all so the Blur and Oasis will be Arctic Monkeys (though I don't think their next one will sell as well as it'll be slightly different) and Bloc Party (yes their latest album hasn't sold so well but they're still very popular and one of the more creative bands) and it's lack of creativity because of record companies one again sanitising the market with bands that are intended to sound the same (see The Wombats and The Kooks for example) and also just like last time we'll be seeing a lot of these bands fall out of favour very quickly. (see Cast and Elastica from the 90's) Then you've got the obvious american acts who also have the "Indie" tag who will survive these being The Killers and Kings Of Leon. I see this shift as a very good thing for Indie can now take a backseat and regain an identity and then the bands that do break into the mainstream if they are an Indie band or a guitar band from a major label will actually have something to say rather than "my job is c**p", "my hometown is $h!te" or "I like getting drunk". But who knows? Maybe some of the other may survive (Kaisers actually have a few singles on their album this time) or maybe one of them will do an Ash and make a comeback to being a big selling act in a few years time..

 

Anyway female-fronted has needed some credibility in it for a long time and I'm sure quite a few people here still think that Goldfrapp is very underated despite having a little success nowadays. I'm liking Little Boots the most of all of those from what I've heard so far so it'll be interesting to see how this all pans out and it'll be very interesting to see how the Buzzjack crowd will like it. :P

 

And Tyron, Wino will of course survive as long she stays alive (oooh that rhymes!) but I don't think the others will. I wonder if any of them will be told by their record company to start sounding like Lady GaGa? :lol:

Yes! I have found the same old regurgitated indie pop we've had for the last 4 years or so to be very tiresome and repetitive. Bout time we had a new faze.

I hope this is the case, give me a solo female over Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs etc. any day. :D

 

It will be interesting to see how this goes. I can't really see this lot being album sellers, it's easy to sell Duffy/Winehouse albums in their thousands as they appeal to the adult audience and they're 'cool' at the same time. But, like Tyron said, I can't see this adult audience going for La Roux, Lady GaGa or Little Boots. I can see their singles selling enough but not as many albums as these bands could shift.

Little Boots does some have some balladish slower songs in her arsenal. Quite Kate Bush-ish...

Little Boots does some have some balladish slower songs in her arsenal. Quite Kate Bush-ish...

I've only heard 5 songs of hers, but after seeing her performances on Jools Holland I did think she probably has more potential as an album seller than GaGa. I can't really comment on La Roux as I've only heard 'Quicksand' and I wasn't very impressed, I guess she could be the 'controversial' character like Lily Allen, she is touring with her after all.

Everyone has already said what i wanted to say :( :lol: . But thanks for posting, very good article

I've only heard 5 songs of hers, but after seeing her performances on Jools Holland I did think she probably has more potential as an album seller than GaGa. I can't really comment on La Roux as I've only heard 'Quicksand' and I wasn't very impressed, I guess she could be the 'controversial' character like Lily Allen, she is touring with her after all.

La Roux will never sell masses of albums. She's too left-field. Her hope lies with touring I'd say.

Lady GaGa just screams of being overrated IMO, Just Dance is good but of everything else i'v heard from her bar except Papprazzi it's just not as good. Cant stand anything i've heard from Little Boots but Ladyhawke is bearable i guess.

On the other hand, i hope some of the decent Rock/Indie bands don't flop. Kasabien aren't really creative but they are brilliant. A flop is on the cards for them next year before we've even heard the lead single. :cry: Same goes for Franz Ferdinand really.

Bring it on!

 

It’s tempting to say that when Nickelback and Kid Rock have the biggest guitar hits of the year – you know it’s over!

 

Although Kings Of Leon and The Killers have never been stronger so there’s plenty of import action!

 

The death of male guitar bands was foretold in the late 90’s, dance was going to take over… DJ’s were the next rock stars… and we all know how that ended.

 

Male guitar bands are seemingly falling out of vogue for now but they’ll undoubtedly make a comeback sooner rather than later.

but take in consideration that The Killers are sounding more electropop than ever.

 

Dance did take over, and dj's have become superstars. But music goes in cycles so eventually in the mid00s it went downhill. Let's hope it returns.

I'll be incredibly happy if Indie dies out. The genre is boring and uninspired.

 

Personally I don't even think it was electro-pop that killed it, given that it was thrash-metal that beat Glasvegas to No. 1 (Metallica with Death Magnetic) and hard-rock (AC/DC with Black Ice) that beat The Kaiser Chiefs!

 

Disappointed but not too surprised that The Killers beat GNR though. The Killers have turned into a mainstream synth-pop band anyway, there's nothing indie or rock about them anymore.

Edited December 17, 200816 yr by ags_rule

^^I think they're talking about the singles chart.

Bring it on!

 

It’s tempting to say that when Nickelback and Kid Rock have the biggest guitar hits of the year – you know it’s over!

 

Although Kings Of Leon and The Killers have never been stronger so there’s plenty of import action!

 

The death of male guitar bands was foretold in the late 90’s, dance was going to take over… DJ’s were the next rock stars… and we all know how that ended.

 

Male guitar bands are seemingly falling out of vogue for now but they’ll undoubtedly make a comeback sooner rather than later.

To be fair as far as singles goes this year, bizzarely, has been about the biggest for guitar based bands or songs. Kid Rock, Coldplay and Kings of Leon all went to number one and The Killers and Nickelback have also had huge hits. This hasn't happened at all in recent years.

 

Ok the lasting popularity of them (espcially Kid Rock) won't be as big as stuff like 'Take Me Out', 'Chelsea Dagger' or 'Mr Brightside' but none of those songs really took the singles chart by storm.

 

Music goes in cycles anyway, it always has done and always will. Only a few bands can actually have a long career because they lack ideas after a while, Kaiser Chiefs, The View, The Fratellis, Razorlight, Snow Patrol, The Feeling, Pigeon Detectives probably don't have much life left in them. Compated to their debuts, their recent albums have by and large lacked ideas and focus. They're c**p, really!

 

It's probably easier for a pop act to stay around longer tbh, they always have people writing songs for them whereas these guitar bands write songs themselves. It soon sorts out the men from the boys!

I can see myself getting sick of electro in 18 months and wanting "classic" 4 piece guitar bands back then.

 

I think some of the older, less established singer-songwriters will suffer. I think Lily Allen and Duffy will be around for years, Kate Nash might be able hang around if she "adapts". Sandi Thom and Adele will fade away, i think.

Well Oasis and U2 have finished the new LP's hoping to be big but the former won't be out for the long time.

Edited December 17, 200816 yr by paulakin