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Usually when I'm enchanted by some new musical discovery, I'll hop on over to this website and discover that MOGsters far more hip and astute than myself have already posted about said artist.
That is not the case with Devon Sproule, which is astonishing to me.
Devon Sproule rocks my world. If the Ditty Bops and Jolie Holland all got together and had a jazzy little baby who was, at birth, sprinkled with her own special Awesome Dust by the Fairy Queen of Folk and/or Americana music, she might grow up to make an album like Keep Your Silver Shined.
Jenny Owen Youngs is totally my current indie pop girlcrush. That is all.
Bad music is bad music is bad music. I mean, if we're going to be real, at least 25% of what you'll hear on Top 40 radio doesn't even qualify as music, and what is it doing to 12-year-olds when they listen to that crap?
And yet.
A few years ago, Hilary Duff, in her quest for World Tween Domination, released her first single, "So Yesterday," with these lyrics. Notable lines: Thank you - you made my mind up for me When you started to ignore me Do you see a single tear? It isn't gonna happen here
Not exactly great poetry. But flash back to when I was 12 years old, and one of my favorite songs was "I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me)" by Exposé, with these lyrics. Notable lines: I try to smile so the hurt won't show Tell everybody I was glad to see you go But the tears just won't go away Loneliness found me, looks like it's here to stay
Bad music is bad music is bad music, yeah. Or not even music at all. But there was a change somewhere in the dozen years or so between when these songs were written. I'm just saying - if your preteen daughter, or sister, or whatever, insisted on listening to crappy pop music, as so many of them will, which lyrics would you rather have her memorizing? Even if we're not selling better music to these girls, are we selling them better self-esteem? Sometimes, at least?
(There's another lesson here: I grew up listening to garbage like that, and my musical taste wasn't permanently destroyed. It's not irreversible.)
And I don't care what you say, those lines about how she's gonna keep his jeans and his old black hat 'cause they look good on her, and he's never gonna get them back? I want to go back in time to when I was 14 and be best friends with the girl in that song.
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Given that the music itself is pretty drecky, I think you're right that a good portion of today's pop music for girls is a lot healthier, in terms of its message, than (just one example, and a record I love) Skeeter Davis' "The End of the World." I'd put that Beyonce 'to the left..' song, and even Katherine McPhee's pretty dire "Over It," in the same category as the Duff track
I guess I see the point, I'm just really glad I don't have daughters to worry about it. As long as they grow up and get some real music, I'm cool. LOL.
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never heard of them before, but i like your description so i'll go check it out! Thanks