CORRECT MUSIC

Pale Saints, “True Coming Dream,” The Comforts of Madness (1990)

Pale Saints’ debut album is classified as shoegaze but was released a full year and a half before the monolith that is My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. As such, it’s not trying to be anything other than itself. Though the production leaves much to be desired, The Comforts of Madness holds up as nothing less than a dream-pop masterpiece. Merging indie pop songwriting with avant-garde noise a la Sonic Youth, Pale Saints created a record that is not quite accessible to the average shoegazer, but which all fans of the genre ought to appreciate. Innovative in its own time, this record still surprises and holds possibilities that have yet to be followed up on.

The Wedding Present, “Brassneck,” Bizarro (1989)

Another definitive statement of post-Smiths British indie, Bizarro still astounds. Not since the Buzzcocks had a British band combined melodic pop songwriting and punk aggression so effectively. In a way, The Wedding Present are the culmination of everything good in melodic British post-punk music. David Gedge alternately recalls Morrissey and Ian Curtis, bassist Keith Gregory evokes Wire’s Graham Lewis, and the songs are unmistakably in the tradition of The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, and “C-86” pop, but with the volume and distortion turned way up. Their follow-up, Seamonsters, would be recorded by Steve Albini and is even more aggressive. The Wedding Present are the band that allowed British indie to appear palatable for the first time to fans of bands such as Flipper and Hüsker Dü, who would have instantly averted their eyes at the sight of a Smiths record. A considerable achievement. “Brassneck” endures as The Wedding Present’s most memorable song.

The La’s, “There She Goes,” The La’s (1990)

Speaking of 1990, this song was an immediate classic upon its release. Though The La’s never released another record, their sole album endures as a defining statement of post-Smiths British indie. Truly wondrous.

Teenage Fanclub, “Everything Flows,” A Catholic Education (1990)

For obvious reasons, 1991 was a watershed year in the history of rock music. But 1990 is not to be ignored. If you were into music at the time, you could sense that things were moving away from the punk, post-hardcore, and “college rock” of the eighties. Sub Pop Records was in full swing by this point, eclipsing SST as the premier label for aggressive rock music and heralding, for better or worse, a return to unapologetically blues-based rock. Industrial music was at its peak. Shoegaze was well underway. And a new kind of melodic rock music was being articulated: indie rock. Scotland’s Teenage Fanclub were one of many bands at this time pointing the way out of the jangle doldrums. Though 1991’s Bandwagonesque is the record most cited, this track from their grungier debut album ranks among the greatest specimens of classic indie rock.

Galaxie 500, “Snowstorm,” On Fire (1989)

Though clearly influenced by The Velvet Underground and Joy Division, Galaxie 500 were nevertheless quite original in their own right. They are credited with pioneering a new sound called “slowcore,” characterized by simple chord progressions, a repetitive melodic framework, slow tempos and an overall melancholia. It was a sound that had to wait for grunge to abate before being further refined in the mid-nineties by other great artists such as Low and Bedhead. Though they have many great songs, “Snowstorm” is perhaps their finest moment. 

What Is Correct Music?

So you ask.

Cliché though it may sound, correct music stands the test of time. It is not “timeless,” because even the best music of any era still reflects that era in some way. Untimely is a better word to describe it. In other words, it possesses an undeniable, often ephemeral quality that makes it stand out from other, more ordinary music produced in its era and also succeeding eras. Many artists are “relevant” in their own time, but few persist as truly essential. Relevancy fades; correctness is forever.

Music that is correct reflects a knowledge of the music that preceded it and made it possible, while also expanding upon its predecessors to the end of articulating something new. It is inspired by the great music of the past, but is innovative and self-aware.

Lastly, correct music is influential. Its greatness is such that others are inspired to traverse in its wake. (Bad, “incorrect” music can also be influential, but that’s for another essay.)

These are the criteria that spring to mind. With some notable exceptions, I think it takes at least ten years for the buzz to settle and the truly correct music to show itself as obvious. For this reason, I don’t see myself blogging about current music all that much. Who knows what of “chillwave” will be highly regarded in 2021? It’s too early to tell. No one could have predicted in 1991 that Slowdive would evolve to become the touchstone they are today, transcending ordinary “shoegaze.” But from time to time, I may post about “music that is likely to be deemed correct.”

Dispense with everything but the truly essential. Don’t concern yourself with what is merely buzzworthy. Attune yourself to what is correct, in music and in everything.

Clip: The Velvet Underground, “Rock and Roll,” Loaded (1970)

The Slits, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” (cover)

There will be a longer post about The Slits at some point, but for now let it be said that The Slits’ cover of this Motown classic is a candidate for the greatest cover of anything, ever. RIP, Ari Up.

ESG, ”Dance,” Come Away With ESG (1983)

Another band associated with the ultra-hip early 80s New York No Wave scene. Four African-American sisters from the South Bronx with little musical training and no hipster pedigree to speak of decide to start a band. They figure writing their own songs is a good move because people won’t be able to hear if they’ve made mistakes. And then they make music like this. Amazing. And punk as all fuck. 

This is minimal, spooky dance music that has no antecedents, but which somehow fits with what was going on in New York at that time. Clearly there was something special in the air. Or water. Dance!