The Sweet Hereafter Feb. 7, 2006: Living up to the Hype

Hey everyone,

Good Tuesday afternoon to you. You may have heard by now but the Pledge Drive was a kickin' success. We exceeded our goals by at least 60%. Big, big thanks to all those of you who've made pledges by calling in or through the online form. While I may not be around next year, i'm happy to know that we've made a big step in ensuring that Kingston still has a great station to tune into.

Now onto some music talk. I'll be playing some Arctic Monkeys on the show. Why this is worth mentioning is because the Arctic Monkeys have ridden an amazing wave of hype in Great Britain to become the fastest selling artists beating out the likes of Oasis with their freshman release, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Having, euh, hmm, sampled some of the tracks from that album, I can safely say that it is good brit-pop music a la Libertines, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand and early Oasis. Nice to listen to, lots of hook-ladden songs, high energy, a bit of freshness, overall, very enjoyable. Is it going to be the best british album of all time as suggested by their record sales? Unlikely. In fact, I would like to put forth the guess that they will not be remembered as the best British band of all time, simply because they've peaked too early with their first release.

I have a theory (with co-authorship from my friend Jerome) that for a band to have long-lasting careers, it is the second album that is most critical. A lot of bands put out brilliant first albums but seem to fizzle afterwards, never capturing the magic of the first one. Hot Hot Heat and the Strokes immediately come to mind. The reason is that the first album contains inspired music that was created through an inspiration that was given the span of years to brew and to be nurtured. Putting out a greater second album is tough because there is more pressure to retain or improve on commercial success, and to grow musically and lyrically. This pressure increases with the success of the first album. Thus, bands that have put out a decent promising first album but really delivered on that promise on their second albums such as Coldplay and the White Stripes, well, we know where their position is in the music world don't we. So with that in mind, I truly hope that acts like the Arcade Fire, Feist and the Wolf Parade can top themselves on their next release and cement their places in the music consciousness.

Expect to hear today

Arctic Monkeys and songs from bands' first and second albums

Giveways

Tickets to see the ASUS Sunday Movie Night presentation of Pride and Prejudice featuring Keira Nightley. Hmm, I'm not inclined to see this movie but you and a friend might be so drop me a call (613-533-2372 or 613-533-CFRC).

Tuan