Bands like Jet or Hot Hot Heat or the White Stripes or the Vines… what is their music called? I’ve heard it called Hipster music, and I want to know what the consensus is out there in the rest of the world.
In any case, I’m glad it’s slowly replacing crap like Jimmy Eat World and Fountains of Wayne.
sorry, only a joke…
FWIW, I’ve heard both the White Stripes and the Vines classified as either “garage rock” or “indie punk” several times.
If you don’t know Jet, one of their songs is on an Ipod commercial. It starts out (paraphrased) “1,2,3 take my hand and come with me…you know you look so fine yeah I really wanna make you mine…”
Garage rock revival is a fitting name for most of those bands. But I could think of a few others as well. Hipster music (in the way that the word is used in 2003 not 1967) is an insulting name, given by snobs who don’t like it when sub-par and unoriginal bands get a lot of attention, while their own favorites – which these new and sexy bands often rip off – linger in obscurity.
Well, that’s my take on it anyhow.
That Jet song plagiarizes ‘Lust For Life’ in a way that is so blatantly obvious it’s embarrassing. How do they get away with it? They should pay royalties or something.
Hot Hot Heat is just plain indie rock, but many call it hipster music as well, most likely since they are starting to get popular.
Last year, people said the Strokes’ breakthrough single, “Last Nite,” also ripped off “Lust For Life.” Both “Last Nite” and the song by Jet are very similar, agreed, but I love all three and love the whole garage rock revival. And I’d love to see bands like the Strokes and White Stripes take some attention away from nu-metal and mall-punk for a while.
“Lust For Life” is one the most copied songs of all time. But very few has been as obnoxiously obvious as Jet, except for this Swedish dork called Håkan Hellström, who shamed his country more than Celine Dion ever did to Canada, with his super cheesy hit single: “Kom Igen Lena.”
But “Last Nite” didn’t as much rip off ‘‘Lust For Life,’’ as it did another song: ''American Girl" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. “NYC Cops” on the other hand ripped of “Lust For Life” big time.
Their new single, 12:51, rips of “My Valuable Hunting Knife” by Guided By Voices and “Just What I Needed” by The Cars (though this is debatable). Original, they are not. But very few rock bands are anyways.
So don’t get me wrong, I actually think The Strokes are swell dudes, especially since they featured my favorite band Guided By Voices in their video for “Someday.” I thought that was a really classy move. Still, it’s not a band I listen to on a regular basis; I don’t own any of their albums.
I totally agree with what you said about taking away the attention from mall punk and nu-metal. I’d rather hear a Strokes song on the radio on my buss ride home, than a Korn song.
I think the genre is called “overhyped crap.”
Thank you!
When that song came out, I had an overwhelming feeling that I’d heard it before, but couldn’t place it.
“Last Nite” doesn’t sound anything like “American Girl” to me. I’d have to listen to them both again to figure out what you mean. In any case, basic rock and roll is always the same 3 or 4 chords, and Tom Petty is hardly an innovator himself.
I’ve heard the same said about “Last Night.” Sure, you can sing “American Girl” over it, but I would never say it’s been copied…just has a familiar melody. With all the musical influences a songwriter is subjected to, it’s only to be expected that they subconsciouly enter his/her music.
As for the “Lust for Life”/“Last Night” connection…also sketchy at best. To me the rhythms are quite different…with Jet and Iggy, you do have more of a point, but that intro bass rhythm that screams “this song is Lust for Life” isn’t exactly original. I highly doubt that this is the first song to use that bass pattern.