By JACKSON SILVANIK, A&E Editor
As the door closes on 2008, it only makes sense to try and place the past year within the context of this decade. While the cultural value of 2008 cannot be questioned, its artistic output leaves something to be desired. Perhaps this will be a year that is remembered fondly when we reminisce several years from now, but as it stands, very few artists had a breakout year. Indeed, this year has seen the continuing rise of some disturbing trends in the artistic world, likely a backlash from several artistic advancements of recent years. The over-saturation of the music market and technological advances in recording have made for a generation of bland, faceless music that lacks to ability to survive the test of time.
In an interesting contrast, the film and literature industries have enjoyed a small revival of sorts, with a rise in the popularity of independent films and an increased appreciation for classic works of literature. Nevertheless, if 2008 needs something to hang its hat on, it would have to be the renewed respect for alreadyestablished musicians and the prominent role that music and the arts enjoyed in conjunction with the political climate of America. It is difficult to pin down exactly why music has experienced such an apparently contradictory set of circumstances. On one hand, the market has become inundated with bands of debatable quality, filling a niche in the youth market that places strict requirements on how a band must look and sound to be accepted in the mainstream. The industry has filled these nichemarkets well, with the continued success of bands such as Fall Out Boy revealing a trend for mass consumption regardless of relevance or stylistic individuality.
The increasing advancements in the realm of recording technology has made it even easier for bands to get their songs recorded, produced, and heard on a larger scale. While this is certainly beneficial for many independent musicians looking to get their work into the public eye, it also serves to render the recording process unimportant and devalues the experience of working to stand out in a crowded industry. Perhaps this is the reason for a resurgency in respect for the established musicians of decades past. While many have faded to irrelevance or novelty, some have maintained the degree of social influence that made them so important in their heydays. The powerful working-man’s messages of Bruce Springsteen ring even truer today because of the impending financial crisis. As a figure of reverence and influence, the aura that Springsteen exudes is easy to latch onto as a spokesman for American frustrations.
This return to prominence for rock icons centered itself around a Presidential election the likes of which this country has seen few of. The renewed presence of the youth led to a widespread participation in matters of cultural importance, with the arts community carving out its own niche in the realm of American politics. For the first time since the 1960s, politics was becoming cool again. Political rallies seemed more like rock concerts, with thousands of energetic youth, vendors hawking souveniers, and throngs of people clamoring for a view of the inspiring candidates. If change was typified during the election, it was seen in the new role of the arts in public opinion. For the first time in recent memory, well known artists were taking sides. Popular indie-rockers Wilco sold out a theatre in Chicago to host a rally for Barack Obama, while yet others used their concerts and position in the music community to get out the vote. A recent rally in Cincinnati featured prominent indie-rockers The National and an appearance by film star Natalie Portman. While the year may not have had the most memorable musical or artistic output, 2008 will be remembered for making the arts relevant again.
