The 9's Have It: Historical Reasoning Why 2009 Will Be A Great Year for Music

by Pop Tarts Suck Toasted on Sat, 2009/01/03 - 4:35pm Post to Twitter

2008 was a shit year for music.

With the economy falling down around us, the music industry continued to crumble under the pressure of the internet…falling down, down, down and barely even pulling in a cent (or so they would like you to believe). Bands inspired by the few cash cows we have left aped and copied their way through records. Folks were led to believe that a band like Fleet Foxes made a better, more lasting impression with their record then say someone like Deerhunter did.

Folks, the music industry is in a crisis the likes of which it has never faced and it should be a daunting, foreboding omen of what is to come here in the new year. Yet for some reason, I am hopefully optimistic that 2009 will be a fantastic year. You might think I’m positively insane for such a belief but: a) I continue to do this writing thing so I kind of need for the music world to turn it around, and b) history is on my side. You see for as long as rock music and pop culture have been paired together, the last year of the decade has always served as the jumping off point for the next ten years. Albums of influence and substance have reigned in these years, preparing the blueprint of everything that is to come. Hopefully 2009 will prove to be no different then years gone by.

History books may omit it, but if you trace the evolution of rock music back through the ages, every year ending with a "9" has had a deep impact on the decade that follows. 1999, 1989, 1979, 1969, heck even if you went back to 1959 you could find the fingerprints of it all over what was to come. But you can’t just chart surf or rely on the year-end lists of bygone days. If you did that, you’d get stuck with Rage Against the Machine’s The Battle for Los Angeles as the trend setter for the naughts (and we all know that wasn’t the case). Dig deeper and you’ll unearth treasures that were both critical darlings and chart toppers. Take 1979 for example. That year The Clash’s London Calling and Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall were both released, obviously two of the most important records of the past 30-years, and influenced everyone from Nirvana to Kanye West. It would be coincidental if it only happened once, but each of these bookend years have their own unique stamps on the future of music, creating a trend that carries on from decade to decade.

The 1960’s took the rock albums of 1959 and built on them. Albums like Chuck Berry Is On Top and 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong paved the way for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys. With a pair of releases by Led Zeppelin and the self-titled release by The Stooges, 1969 helped pave the way for the music of the next 10-years. Countless bands emerged from their shadows, either copying them entirely or taking bits and pieces of what they had done and warping into a sound completely their own. Acts like Black Sabbath, The Clash, AC/DC, and The Ramones were all bred from this style. It didn’t matter if you were an American rock band or a European one because these bands touched them all.

With the release of Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II, Zeppelin successfully birthed what would become known as heavy metal. By fusing bits of the blues, rock and folk, they created a sonic signature that is unmistakable today. The heavy riffs of Jimmy Page, the wailing and urgent vocals of Robert Plant, the steady bass of John Paul Jones and the insanity of John Bonham’s drum skills still reign over all metal acts. And in the 1970’s, it was the root for all hard rock. They turned that loud, pummeling sound into a marketable and very profitable new sound, sold out concerts all over the world and became one of the primo bands of the decade. Everyone wanted to be Led Zeppelin, yet no one could do what they did during that time.

The Stooges influence on the decade is a little bit shakier then Zeppelin’s obvious impact. With only a few bands willing to walk in their path for the first few years of the 70’s, their true affect wouldn’t be seen until the punk explosion in 1977. But still there were small pockets that showed their influence throughout the decade. Bands like the New York Dolls and The Damned took after Iggy Pop and company and didn’t dare hide their adoration from anyone. But in ‘77, the real power of The Stooges was finally seen in a wave of punk bands that took over the rock world. The Ramones, The Clash, The Sex Pistols and more all aped their aggressive nature and fast paced songs that had long been The Stooges’ trademark. All of them adapted the sound a bit, but you could easily see the building blocks for the whole genre in The Stooges’ first record.

1979 is the finest example of this impact, with bands like Talking Heads and Blondie, Springsteen and Tom Petty, the Buzzcocks and Gang of Four all making their fingerprints over the 1980’s and well beyond. But two specific albums changed the course of music forever - Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and The Clash’s London Calling. On the surface, the two couldn’t be less similar; one an eclectic blend of styles that turned into the finest punk record ever and the other a cleanly produced pop masterpiece. Even today, they are still affecting the way people make music.

Before releasing Off the Wall, Michael Jackson had had an excellent career as a member of The Jackson 5 and as a solo artist, but nothing compared to what he would achieve with this record. He went from being the kid with the silky smooth voice to the King of Pop in only a couple of years, and it all dates to this album. With Quincy Jones at his side, Jackson departed from the Motown sound and began to experiment with funk, disco, jazz, and pop. Songs like "Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough" became hits and secured his place as a cultural landmark. From there, artists like Madonna and Prince were birthed, and created some of the most important and best selling music — not just of the 80’s, but of all-time!

In my personal opinion, there isn’t a more important record then The Clash’s London Calling. Prior to this release, The Clash were a perfectly solid punk rock band, making fantastic records and doing their part for the cultural revolution that was going on at the time. But nothing compares to London Calling. Bits of ska, reggae, punk, soul, rockabilly, and pop were all sewn together with songs of racism, drugs, and the politics to create a record that not only sent a statement, but rocked all at the same time. Of course this idea was nothing new — people had been using music as a political statement for a long time, but the aggression was unique. While in the 60’s, people passively opposed their government through folk and gentle singer-songwriter fare, The Clash violently threatened their opposition and got their fans to rise up behind their ideals. It was a powerful statement, the likes of which has rarely been seen since, and it led to similar ideas and sounds through the punk underground of the 80’s and well into the indie rock sound of the present. Bands like Black Flag and Husker Du wouldn’t have come to being without an album like London Calling. And its The Clash’s power and daring use of musical styles make it a vital record in the canon of rock history.

Through the 1980’s, Jackson and The Clash played vital roles in the emergence of not only punk and pop, but hip-hop and the start of alternative/indie/college rock. But in 1989, it was time for something new. De La Soul and the Pixies would serve as benchmarks for the 90’s but no bands had a hand in what was to come like the Beastie Boys and Nirvana. Paul’s Boutique began to blur the line between commercially viable rap music and critically acclaimed hip-hop while Nirvana’s Bleach birthed an entire genre of music, inspiring copycats from far and wide for the decade to come.

Obviously Bleach did not have nearly the impact of Nirvana’s follow-up Nevermind, but it gave rise to an alternative sound that would be deemed grunge. Operating within the rules of the nascent Sub Pop label, Nirvana crafted an album of aggressive songs led by lyrics of teen angst and aggressive guitar play. Bleach suppressed a lot of Kurt Cobain’s affections towards pop music and forced him to be loud and abrasive. Those trademarks remained a part of Nirvana until Cobain’s early demise ended the band. It may not be the band’s most important record, but it certainly stands as an starting point for countless bands since. Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and Hole all based their sounds on the same tenets found on Bleach: fast paced, aggressive music that could deafen and enrage.

While Nirvana was helping to create grunge, the Beastie Boys were attempting to follow the commercial success of their debut record, License to Ill, with something a little more artistically creative. Unfortunately Paul’s Boutique was considered to be a commercial flop in comparison to the millions of records they had previously sold. It lacked the initial catch of a great single, but had a lasting appeal in their changes in production and lyrics. Rather then continue making rap music for frat boys, the Beasties started put some of their personal convictions into a personal piece of art, shifting the dynamics of rap. But more then the personal side of the record, the musical side really began to change what music would become. Estranged from Rick Rubin, the Beasties turned to the Dust Brothers for their extensive and creative use of sampling. Using pieces of 105 different records, the production team took sampling from a simple two-layered structure to a multi-layered non-stop array of recognizable sounds and beats. This alone makes Paul’s Boutique a revolutionary album, spawning the rap that became hits throughout the 90’s. It also extended the Beastie Boys’ career from just one hit wonders to legendary innovators. Artists far and wide have adopted the Dust Brothers production style and the Beastie Boys rhyme progressions for years, and let’s face it, listing all of them would take ages.

More then anything else, 1999 signified the beginning of the decline. The debut of Napster, chart success by manufactured boy bands and a general unwillingness to adapt to the times handcuffed the music business to a pair of cement blocks. But as much as the industry was preparing for its death knell, it was still producing a ton of artistically worthy music. Acts as varied as Eminem, The Magnetic Fields and The Flaming Lips all released albums that would impact the next decade (while bands like the Backstreet Boys and Rage Against the Machine drove the car into the wall). Looking back on the year-end lists of the time, you could see some of the short sightedness of the critics. But there were also promising additions like the Wilco and Eminem who would dictate the direction of the music for the foreseeable future.

It’s difficult to measure the full impact Wilco has had on the music world. The band is still recording music and making waves with their songs in the present day and their biggest impact was definitely 2002’s Yankee Foxtrot Hotel. But 1999’s Summerteeth is what began their decent to the impact of YFH. Eschewing their former recording style of using the full band, Wilco went into the studio and turned to ProTools for a more layered approach to the band’s signature sound. The result led to hurt egos and the eventual departure of band members, but it also pushed them. The record sounded full with a number of odd instruments. Mellotron, keyboards and synths all accompanied the standard bass, drum, guitar, vocals and created a shift - albeit a small shift - in their sound. That led to Yankee Foxtrot Hotel and eventually led to artists like The Decemberists, Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens being willing to experiment with sound, instruments, and textures.

Eminem is easier to quantify. In 1999, we were awash in rappers that all sounded the same. They relied on antiquated gangsta rap or club hop anthems to sell records but Eminem came in and defied all that. The Slim Shady LP balanced his unique wit with anger problems, mixing a perfectly produced sound with flow and rhymes that changed with each passing verse. It’s an impressive meld of the technical and the passionate aspects of hip-hop. Eminem blurred the lines between black and white, between commercial rap and underground rap, and between pop and hip-hop. He made himself into an icon in a time when few rappers were able to do so, all the while remaining artistically relevant. Since Eminem, artists like Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne have made similar leaps. But it was Eminem who pushed the boundaries to make some of the harshest, most controversial music ever and still selling millions of records.

Where music will go from here is anyone’s guess. 2009 could mark the final nail in the coffin or it could be a rebirth for the industry. Or it could find some middle ground. But already we’ve begun to feel the impact with highly anticipated albums from established artists like Jay-Z and Animal Collective. Even new artists like Dent May are starting to establish themselves ahead of their debuts. The industry itself has begun to adapt to the times with new revenue sources: increased ad and television placement and more ad-based streaming sites like imeem and MySpace Music. We can feel change beginning to take root within the music world and it may lead to yet another vital final year of decade. Of course, history tells us that’s what we should be looking for.