Music From The Underground

I’m a big fan of trip-hop, the musical style characterized by torchy female vocalists, multi-layered soundtracks, and heavy use of sampling. Think Portishead, Morcheeba, or Hooverphonic. Thanks to Metafilter, I discovered Splashdown, a Boston-based band with a similar sound whose major debut LP was never released by its record label. Which is a shame, because they’re actually quite good. Their entire catalog is available in MP3 format here and I have a fast-developing crush on the lead singer. Wouldn’t it be great if the internets one day made the RIAA and its spawn irrelevant? We’re already seeing artists release their music to fans via alternative channels like MySpace. And the slow death of digital rights management will gradually make more music available to more people at a lower cost. Besides, most acts make their big money from touring.

The other day, I was thinking how cool it would have been to have had the internet when I was a kid. Green Bay will always hold a special place in my heart, but it’s a hopelessly hick town. I listened to the same crappy Top 40 radio that everyone else listened to because that was available. The only books I read were the ones I could find at the crappy WaldenBooks in the mall. If the Web had been around back then, I might have more quickly evolved into the hip, urbane, sophisticated adult I am today. And I might have found other like-minded souls who shared my obsessions. Maybe I would have even scored the occasional date. Kids these days have it so good. Everyone has the opportunity to find their social niche within an accepting social community.

As for me, I turned out okay, but it was sometimes a lonely journey.