In Chapter Four of Simon Reynolds’ Retromania, Good Citations, the switch of bands’ influences is noted. Where bands used to cite books, films and movements, since the 80s bands have cited other bands and this then filtered into borrowed riffs, stolen lyrics, even lifting band names from their sources and idols.
I believe this has evolved even further into the niche of the list track.
Doing away with the interviewer entirely, it’s an elongated shout-out to peers, influences and idols, an audio version of what used to be done in the linear notes. The first occurrence I can think of is LFO’s Intro on Frequencies, then Daft Punk’s Teachers.
The most famous list track is LCD Soundsystem’s epochal Losing My Edge.
Perhaps a pastiche on the list track, it lists pretty much every cool band ever, illustrating the protagonist's supposed coolness and underlining his desperateness. Incidentally I’m certain the way James Murphy rolls “The Sssssssssslits”, made me pick up a copy of Cut in a sale at Virgin Megastore Cardiff way back when.
The reason I’m posting about the concept of the list track is not only because of Retromania but one of them popping up on an Odd Future mixtape (Ace's Fin).
Well it has been pretty hard to avoid them.
I’m not going to get deep into the debate around the pros and cons of Odd Future’s lyrics (for me they’re just another sound in the mix as I’ve got a total inability to remember words), but I think it’s interesting that they use one. I’m sure there’s a history of shout-outs on mixtapes and thus my ignorance highlights my general antipathy towards most hip-hop, but for a band angling itself as completely off the wall, they are conforming with the use of such a trope of modern music.
Or should that be postmodern music? Or pseudomodern?
Is it reductive? A defence mechanism against criticism? Are they directly helping fans find other music now that artwork has disappeared?
I should’ve probably thought of an answer before writing this…
[Right click and "Download Document" for mp3 of Fin by Ace]
