DWIGHT YOAKAM

“The Old Rugged Cross”

1980s

Basquiat

1996

Benicio del Toro explains the business of art to Jeffrey Wright.

VHS OR BETA

“Can’t Believe a Single Word”

Bring on the Comets

(Louisville, KY 2007)

High-speed culture has a lot of advantages: you can watch English Premier League football live on TV in Los Angeles, you can listen to Kenny “The Snake” Stabler offer color commentary for the Alabama Crimson Tide every Saturday on Sirius Radio and eBay users all over the world will pay ridiculous amounts of money for your Counting Crows vinyl.

Unfortunately, the modern world has really screwed things up for rock bands.

VHS Or Beta are getting hammered for doing what the best bands always do. After releasing an instrumental debut EP in 2003, they went on the road, played a lot of shows and found out what they really wanted to sound like.

Their new album Bring on the Comets accomplished two things: the band sounds relaxed and confident plus there are at least five songs that should be all over the radio. I wouldn’t tell you this is better than LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver, but you’d do well to have both records in the same collection.

What’s the problem here?

“First.”

High-speed culture not only demands instant evaluation of every record (before) the day it’s released, it insists that every band arrive with its shtick/creative vision (take your pick) intact.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s first album showed up with creative intact and the internet went wild. Except they hadn’t really played any shows and the second album suffered from pressure to recreate the moment. The record’s not terrible (if you like the first one) but the pack got bored and moved on to something else.

VHS Or Beta got punished for changing their sound. Never mind that the changes made them a better band, the cultural gatekeepers decided the band had betrayed the Daft-Punk-goes-rock sound that got them attention in the first place.

I think Google’s the real problem here. Everyone reads what everyone else wrote before they hear a record and almost no one wants to be the dissenting opinion. Disagree too many times and people stop linking to your site.

That’s why reading about new music online is a waste of time. If all the people bitching about the new album heard “Can’t Believe a Single Word” on the radio or on the jukebox down at the bar, they’d wonder what that cool song was.

I’d like to read a music magazine that only wrote about records that came out at least six months ago. No matter how smart your editors or critics might be, you’re writing in a vacuum before the music actually gets out into the world and real people have a chance to respond. An editor who dared add a little context and perspective to music writing would be incredibly disruptive.

Fortunately, there’s real radio play on the single and the band are on tour. All those wrongheaded reviews will still be searchable, but most people who buy tickets & t-shirts don’t pay attention to the internet anyway.

• Watch a higher quality stream of the video here.
• Get VHS Or Beta tour dates from their Myspace.

PORTER WAGONER

“Trouble in the Amen Corner”

JIMMY MARTIN & THE SUNNY MOUNTAIN BOYS

“When the Savior Reached Down His Hand for Me”

Early 1970s.

Check out Jimmy’s white shoes and the ruffles on those tuxedo shirts. Definitely early 70s.

DIXIE HUMMINGBIRDS

“Christian Automobile”

Newport 1966

LORETTA LYNN

“If You Miss Heaven (You’ll Miss It All)”

1960s