New Nostalgia: The 90’s

By Shane W. | RM 64

So, I was talking with a friend the other day who expressed his excitement for the latest Oasis record, Dig Out Your Soul. He says it’s a return to the old Oasis, the 90’s Oasis that was so infectious and dominating. This is debatable. I mean there is no “Supersonic or “Champagne Supernova” on this record, but he REALLY wants to believe this is a return to form for Oasis. It got me thinking. This desire people have for new things to remind them of old…oh, wait…that’s called nostalgia. But is 10 years long enough to be considered nostalgic? The answer is yes. It’s called “New Nostalgia”, and it’s the reason the 90’s are making a comeback. Just like my generation was nostalgic about everything 80’s, the kids are nostalgic about everything 90’s…

Britney is more popular than ever as she tries to recapture the body and look that made her famous in the 90’s, Kid Rock had one of the biggest selling and longest charting records of the year (and still does, without iTunes.), Weezer sounds more like their Blue Album-selves than they ever have, and Rage Against The Machine and Stone Temple Pilots are making stupid money playing the same songs that made them uber-popular in the 90’s.

People just want music they can relate to, and if it means re-visiting artists and sounds that are already familiar, then that’s what will happen. Lately, I’ve been discovering a swarm of unsigned artists that remind me of the 90’s and responses from colleagues have echoed that sentiment. People are becoming nostalgic about things that seemed to only happen a few years ago, in a simpler time when major labels were king and file sharing was dominated by porn. “New Nostalgia” is a new trend of which we should take notice, because often times, trends are only defined in hindsight. Doc Martens and flannel shirts are cool again. The Batman franchise is going 3 deep (ugggh, with Eddie Murphy as the Riddler?) and hell, even New Kids On The Block have made a comeback. Huh? Lord help us if Kevin Smith tries to remake Singles.

At this point, I wouldn’t even discount rap-rock seeping back into the mainstream, although on a smaller scale than last time. I mean the supposed “New” Linkin Park released a rap-rock song as their second single off “Minutes To Midnight”, and Flobots had a massive Modern Rock hit in “Handlebars”. If we can spot trends before they “happen”, then we know where to begin looking for new, unsigned talent. Just for kicks, go out and try to find a decent cookie monster rap rock band. They are out there; believe me (mostly in Ohio). But it’s obviously finding the quality amidst the crap that makes all the difference, and being able to discern what is quality and what is crap in the “cookie monster” genre is definitely a true talent. Oh, Limp Bizkit, how I miss hating the fact that you sold millions and millions of albums.

Check out The Knees, from Brooklyn. Picture Courtney Love or Liz Phair singing for a really stoned Weezer. They love the 90’s and so do you!

http://www.myspace.com/thekneesrock
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lindsay-mannering/so-out-its-in-the-90s-are_b_148880.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lindsay-mannering/the-return-of-the-90s-par_b_150573.html