About 20 years ago, Wired Magazine’s Chris Anderson foresaw a brave new future for recorded entertainment. The “long tail,” which I am about to dramatically oversimplify, suggested that advances in technology would democratize entire industries.
The threshold for entry into movies and music would become much lower. Indeed, you could make a feature film with nothing but your iPhone. Presentation would be similarly impacted. Record your latest song and slap it onto TikTok. Within minutes, the whole world could listen.
It worked, up to a point. And it worked better in music, which has always been more amenable to the DIY experience. It isn’t exactly hard to figure out why. Music is far cheaper to produce, both in terms of dollars and in terms of manpower.
But the long tail missed something crucial.
We continue to overlook sensational albums from obscure sources
Production and presentation are the two ends of an artistic process. Distribution – the middle part – may be the most important of all, at least in strictly business terms. The long tail does not affect distribution. In fact, by opening the playing field to everyone, the long tail actually may make it harder for one indie voice to be heard above the din.
In short, there is so much product flooding the market that only those with the massive dollars provided by industry bigwigs are likely to get enough oxygen. It doesn’t really matter if my cable service offers me 500 channels if 200 of them are showing We’re the Millers on a loop.
Of course, there are exceptions, and as mentioned above, there are more exceptions in music than in any other form of recorded entertainment. Still, each year, countless excellent recordings go unheard. They develop a small, loyal following but never get a whiff of the AMAs or Grammys.
Let’s turn the clock back just a few years to remember four albums that deserved a wider audience. They are all about ten years old, which may seem like an eternity to some, but it really was just about the time Sabrina Carpenter was introducing herself to the music world (with the backing of Disney.)
And in the spirit of the long tail, we’ll choose two albums from the harder side of the rock and roll spectrum and two others from the poppier shelves. A little something for everyone – all great music.
Our Hearts Beat Out Loud by Math and Physics Club (2013)
If you are stuck in a time warp where Seattle can only produce grunge, then this is your antidote. Sparkling indie pop from the northwest quartet (or trio if drummer Kevin Emerson is acting as a free agent, which he isn’t.)
The hits were “Long Drag” and “We’re Not Lost,” but each of the ten tracks has the same jangly beauty, full of hooky guitar riffs and Charles Bert’s effortless vocal delivery. “We Didn’t Run From Anyone” and “Road Carry Me Home” add just a touch of country into the pop mix. “Thank God I Met You” simply overflows with pop goodness.
To the best of my knowledge, Math and Physics Club still performs, though I don’t believe they have released new music since the tragic cancer-related death of founding guitarist James Werle in 2018. Werle left us with some irresistible guitar hooks. If you kind of, sort of like The Smiths but sometimes find them a wee bit pretentious. Math and Physics Club may be just what you need.
Only Come Out at Night by Sugar Stems (2015)
If you are looking for something that puts the emphasis on the “power” in power pop, Milwaukee’s Sugar Stems deliver on this 12-track gem. Husband and wife team Betsy (vocals) and Jon (drums) Heibler combined forces back in 2007. For Only Come Out at Night, they added keyboards to their quartet, and the sound grew even bigger.
Anthemic tracks like “I Know Where I’m Going” and “The One,” are classic power pop. But they can go softer on the acoustic closing track “Million Miles” without losing their edge. Andy Harris’ organ creates a genuine wall of sound that could rival any classic ‘60s girl group on “Some Might Say.” “Run Run Rabbit” and “Radio Heartthrob” delve into garage punk.
Within the broad spectrum of power pop, Sugar Stems can cover any base.
The band is still playing shows in Wisconsin, though they have not released an album since Only Come Out at Night. If we’re lucky, they are not done creating new music.
Gigantoid by Fu Manchu (2014)
Moving to the stoner metal side of 2014, veteran rockers Fu Manchu released one of the most easily accessible hard rock albums of the decade with Gigantoid. If that sounds like a backhanded compliment, I mean no disrespect.
A good part of Fu Manchu’s long career seemed determined to prove that a metal(ish) band could rock and shout, get all mysterious in their lyrics without requiring every song to threaten the seven-minute mark. Fu Manchu is by no means a punk band, but they come closer to that punk aesthetic of hitting hard and hitting fast and then slamming the door shut than most similar bands.
When they are playing fast, as on album opener “Dimension Shifter,” Fu Manchu is playing in the same sandbox as Hawkwind and Motorhead. When they get sludgier and slower, as on “Anxiety Reducer,” they can sound a bit more Sabbathy. On the hard-charging, 84-second “No Warning,” they sound just like Fu Manchu.
Gravitron by the Atomic Bitchwax (2015)
The Atomic Bitchwax opens their sixth album, Gravitron, with the overpowering drive of “Sexecutioner,” with Finn Ryan’s guitar running wild. They continue the pace on “No Way Man,” but there’s a sneaky little thread of Bowling For Soup-style indie pop seeping into the foundation, and that hints at the variety of styles Gravitron will display – all within the umbrella of heavy, riffed-out stoner rock.
“Coming in Hot” shows the whole spectrum, beginning as a pounding arena-rock staple before veering off into a new direction in the final minute. Vocalist Chris Kosnik shows off some funky bass on the breakneck instrumental “Down With the Swirl,” again allowing Ryan free rein. Album closer “Ice Age ‘Hey Baby’” could have been a hit … if the long tail lived up to its promise.
Of course, if you like the Atomic Bitchwax, you might want to put Monster Magnet’s Cobras and Fire, released the same year, on your list. The bands are Siamese twins, sharing personnel. MM is more dominated by its frontman, Dave Wyndorf, and I admit I prefer Bitchwax’s somewhat less ponderous attack.