In order to understand the current commercial music climate we should first look back to the early '90s, and in particular the beginning of alternative music's commercial reign. The beginnings of alternative music can be traced back to a number of factors, the most important of them being the release of Nirvana's Nevermind and the subsequent popularity of grunge music. Business-savvy record labels saw the opportunity to use grunge's popularity as a catalyst to introduce audiences to other forms of guitar-based rock, most of which are very different from grunge, but all of which became classified under the broad category of alternative rock. Although it thrived for a few years on the radio and in CD sales, alternative ultimately proved to lack longevity, and by the late '90s, the same dance pop that dominated the charts before Nirvana was again the norm.
While music may continually update itself and progress, music trends have a tendency to follow a cycle, so it's of little surprise that the commercial landscape of the early 2000s has a lot in common with that of the early '90s. Another generation of youth who grew up surrounded by dance pop is again graduating to commercial rock and, in doing so, creating enough demand to sustain a second wave of alternative. This time around, however, the start of the movement can be traced to the unexpected popularity of The Strokes and other rock revival bands. Like grunge, labels are using the rock-revival as a transitory musical movement to reintroduce other rock sub-genres to the commercial forefront.
The co-headliners at this Friday's show at the Barrymore Theater, 2090 Atwood Ave. The Donnas and OK G0, are two prime examples of this trend. These bands play decidedly different music than the garage rock of The Strokes and The White Stripes. The Donnas gravitate towards simplistic pop-punk, while OK Go prefers overproduced power-pop. It is obvious that neither band would be on the commercial radar if not for the popularity of their rock-revival predecessors, and a little help from unnaturally large label-sponsored promotional campaigns.
When one also factors in the recent reappearances of Weezer, Billy Corgan and the Lollapalooza tour, all of which had disappeared by 1997, it becomes undeniable that alternative is on the brink of a comeback. Like the first wave of popular alternative, this second generation probably won't usher in a critically respected musical Renaissance, but it's nothing for those worried over the state of music to fret over. History dictates that it won't last very long anyway.
