UPDATE:  Due to the tremendous amount of traffic and response this post has generated, I”ve decided to add a quick introduction/interpretation.  The purpose of this entry was to complain about the lack of scope that other music sites seem to be exhibiting.  It was prompted by reading an article on Grizzly Bear’s favorite emoticons on a website that will remain nameless.  There have been a zillion great albums released this year and there are som many signed and unsigned bands out there that are compelling and who need the publicity.  My own lack of interest in the Grizzly Bear album, doesn’t indicate that it’s not without merit; it’s just not my cup of tea.  The following article was intended to “shock” people into thinking about their tendancy to blindly follow music websites who don’t make an effort to cover new and exciting music.  And with that…

I want to like the new Grizzly Bear.  It’s certainly part of the “if you’re a blogger, you must like this album” newsletter.  TDOA has developed quite a following and I’m thrilled with our daily traffic, the musicians that follow us and the ease with which we’re able to get interviews.  Is it commercial suicide to hate on the album that most people will put in their top 10?  Or is it worse to pretend to like an album that you hate?

Definition of MOR via Wikipedia: “MOR (Middle of the Road) music is a commercial radio format.  Conceived as a format that would include music of almost universal appeal due to its… gently inoffensive sentimentality, it is often the format of choice for doctors’ offices, waiting rooms, department stores, and other public and semi-public places of business. The combination of the music’s largely unchallenging, decorous quality and its association with being piped in to places one is compelled to remain has drawn the format its detractors.  The term “middle of the road” is used pejoratively by genre-specific music aficionados to describe musicians who avoid “edgy” (innovative) material, and who calibrate their musical appeal to blandness.  These are people who probably also like… singers who avoid the sexual tug of the blues, and the glorious noises of rock and hip-hop in favor of tremulous expressions of chaste emotion”.

Since our inception, we’ve questioned why people become make less adventurous musical choices as they get older.  The consensus from musicians and writers we’ve interviewed seems to be that as our lives become more complex, we prefer music that doesn’t challenge us.  It’s easier to listen to music we’re already familiar with or to ‘bland’ music devoid of strong emotion.  Our brains are taxed with the pressures of life and the last thing we want to do is listen to music that expresses anxiety or requires deep concentration or contemplation.

Music blogs have redefined the music industry and should be proud that they have provided an invaluable  resource for people who are interested in music.  But what happens when the bloggers get older and less adventurous?  Stereogum, Large Hearted Boy, Pitchfork and a few of the other “cool kid” blogs have been running for a few years now.  Think about their musical choices over the past year while you read the definition of MOR.

Stereogum’s review of the new Grizzly Bear album included this line: “At its heart, it’s an album about the space and place between loved ones, which the band alludes to quite literally: “In the end you’ll never find … Will I return to you, will you return to me” (on the opening “Southern Point”); “I told you I would stay” (“Two Weeks”); “I can’t get out of what I’m into with you” (“All We Ask”); “If it’s all or nothing, then let me go” (“Fine For Now”); “They’ll try to keep us apart” (“I Live With You”); and on.“  Lyrics like this would have been fodder for some great zingers on Pitchfork a few years ago.  Now they quietly sip a cup of tea and tell you that this is the best record of this year.  Grizzly Band are great musicians, but so was Steely Dan.  Some of the most emotional, challenging records in history have been made by bands who freely admitted to just learning to play their instruments.  We frequently talk about bands losing the trail after they become ‘fat’ from success and make boring and bland records.  Veckatimest would be perfectly happy playing in your dentist office, barely noticed.  The repetitive phrasings, the sugary ‘ooow waaah’ background vocals remind me of Tears For Fears.

Why are we prasing this band as experimental or innovative?  Well, it’s because the cool kids are getting old.  I’m sure Grizzly Bear are nice people, but personally I don’t like cold oatmeal.  Challenge me.  Make me cry.  Make me think.