Factory Records founder Tony Wilson has an article about the demise of record stores and the reasons for their descent into obscurity–crappy packaging and greedy executives, of course, being at the forefront. It’s a good piece, but then he shoots it all to hell by turning it into an ad for the emo-rave rave-screamo we-don’t-know-because-we’re-too-old outfit Enter Shikari:
I was thinking about the best band in the world the other night. They’re these young kids from St Albans just north of London and they are quite simply the best band in the world today. (By a fucking mile; and the last time I was wrong was when I gave Harvest a bad review in my university newspaper, which I regretted two weeks later and have agonised over ever since). I have not got an art judgement wrong since so you can believe me. I saw Enter Shikari live last October, before I got ill with cancer, and the sight of these boys on stage with 200 fifteen year old kids with glow-sticks and glow rings going fucking berserk was the most exciting thing I’ve seen since the early Sex Pistols gigs back in ’76/7.
And as with any band who capture a new generational spirit, God has given them the gift of melody. I never understand how that comes about, but that’s a different essay. This is about the return of the object, the creation of something that gives you your little bit of the group, “to have and to hold, from this day forth.”
Someone in the UK has released a single on a USB and I was thinking about it. OK so you’ll put a nice graphic on the USB, but can you go further?
I texted Ian, Enter Shikari’ s manager, and suggested a release of the album on USB, but having the USB as a glow stick. I’d buy that for a dollar. I felt pleased with the idea and Ian said he’s going to look into it.
Yes, that’s right: Glow-stick USB drives. Whether or not they suffer the same fate as the Factory Egg Timer remains to be seen–perhaps if the glow sticks take off, Wilson can figure out a way to slap a USB drive on Linder Sterling’s design and parlay that into some sort of licensing deal with The Cycles Page?
“Oh Lord, Leave Me Record Shops” By Tony Wilson [The Tripwire; HT Philebrity]
Earlier: The Joy Division Sneaker: For When You Want To Walk Away…In Silence
I’m not saying I approve of glow sticks or USB drives, but. . . that actaully sounds kind of amazing.
Trance/hardcore punk.
yuck. Tony Wilson, get back together with Chynna Phillips and put out a new album, no more commentary from you.
But can you really make a USB drive single for a dollar (or even close to that)? I know very little about these “computing machines,” but it seems like they’d do just as well digitally encoding singles on faberge eggs.
emo-rave
rave-screamo
scrave?
raemo?
Whatever you call it, look for NME to introduce it as “The next new rave” by the end of the week.