The most over used phrase of the turn of the year is Millenials – the new marketing speak for Generation WHY. Everyone is talking about these chaps and even caricaturing them (as per above).
(Apparently) they live in an amazingly developed social network in which they are each an island of one. Does that make sense? We think it means they act as individuals most of the time, and connect themselves via social media. No need for real meetings actually. This allows them to worry a lot, and work harder than we ever have before. Among other things. They are hugely over researched but they show some interesting – and rather un-rock n’ roll tendencies - developments which maybe few people would expect in the wake of ever crazier footage of EDM parties and Facebook organised party crashing.
Rather contrary to the Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan expectation of “mad for it”
Millenials are actually Saffy’s. They are, to quote, not “driven by fun, they are driven by fear”.
Here’s a few UK facts to illustrate.
- The % of school kids who think its ok to try a cigarette DOWN from 54 to 31%
- The number of school kids who have tried smoking DOWN from 3/5 to 1/5
- Only two drugs are showing upwards use and they are both legal study aids (Ritalin and modafinil) (prescriptions UP 56%)
- Street prices of cannabis, cocaine and ecstacy DOWN by 2/3 in 20 years as supply outstrips demand
- Alcohol spend in under 30s DOWN
- Pensioners spend MORE on booze than teenagers
- STDs rising fastest amongst OVER 40s
- Teenagers more likely to have a mobile phone than a complete family unit
- Male/Female pay gap non-existent under 30s
- Women now majority of law and medicine graduates
- 18-24s evenly split 34%-34% between boredom and anger in reasons not to vote.
These are “the New Puritans” (copyright Mark E Smith – excuse for crazy dance footage) and they aim to get their experiences out of the way (often whilst they are still safe at home) and then get on with living sensibly in what they rightly consider a rather daunting world.
And we are told that their music use is “experiential” and “celebratory”.
The first refers to the fact that they like to do things once, tick them off as “done”, and not go back. This includes things like festivals, bungee jumping, back-packing and new bands. Once is plenty with lots of selfies to show its been done. Bad news for brand builders! And for Sophomore albums amongst cries of “last year is sooo over”. And maybe bad news for New Zealand (though who bungee jumps twice)!
And the second means that they like to avoid conflict in general and in their music choices and that music is a party or social occasion soundtrack rather than a forum to voice their opinions. It definitely isn’t something to argue over. I wasn’t sure that I understood what this meant in actual musical terms but as I considered I felt that maybe Bastille were the perfect millennial artist and that this track represents the idea:
with its slight appropriation of Eurodisco (Snap) into very slight rock, and its battery of social media marketing messages on YouTube. It works and its easy to see why but its hardly cutting edge, just as Imagine Dragons are hardly Foo Fighters let alone Nirvana (and arguably hardly even Rock at all).
As I thought about all this interesting new information I was listening to this:
And reflecting on the fact that 2013 was the 50th Anniversary of Bob Dylan’s genre defining “The Times They are A Changing” (and of the March On Washington).
Mobilisation General (translates “Mass Demonstration”) is a brilliant new French compilation of revolutionary music from the late 1960s and early 70s which provides an imaginary soundtrack to these scenes.
To remind those who don’t remember these are scenes from Paris ’68 rather than Cairo ’13 unlikely as it may seem nowadays.
The music is an eclectic collection from a time when the Art Ensemble of Chicago moved to France and “energised” the local scene with the spirit of free jazz & revolution. It’s the sort of thing compilations are made for, as (honestly) you’d never find this music however good your streaming service was without a little guidance. The music is perhaps more “in” than you might expect, but it bristles with urgency and menace and polemics. And what it doesn’t bristle with is any commerciality or any intention to “sell”. Here is a track by Michel Roques to give you the idea:
Anyway, back to my thoughts. On reflection it isn’t that I “prefer” that time to this but the music (and I extend this into the wider sense – away from French free jazz to the general music of the “counter culture”) seemed to be exciting, urgent, gripping, experimental and brimming with possibilities and newness. It’s like every record by Dylan and Miles challenged the Stones, Beatles, Hendrix and Donovan, and their efforts in turn challenged more avant-garde artists, and everyone was “interested” in new sounds and ideas and beliefs and trying to integrate them and “sermonise” on their behalf. Being intellectual was accepted and approved of and embraced and you were expected to have “serious” influences.
A lot of the music of the time doesn’t work but it’s all worth a listen.
And that’s in sharp contrast to the music of today which can seem flat and unchallenging (even if it is “celebratory”), and where commercial success seems the arbiter of value.
So is it that if it doesn’t sell it isn’t worth a listen?
I’m not sure.
And going back to my Millenials I couldn’t help but wondering if they are being short changed, or whether they themselves (and their attitudes) re the reason music is like it is. They are obsessed with newness and discovery, but they don’t want to nurture talent and let it grow. The historically difficult third album is now the second single, and that doesn’t allow risk and reward. I couldn’t help to wonder what direction music in 2014 would end up taking, and thinking (a little) to another famous protest song - Woody Guthrie’s famous battle cry “Which Side Are You On Boys?” (and girls, natch).
Is caring and trying what makes Bruce Springsteen seem so out of place now? As values they are just so .. yesterday.
-TH
