During the last couple of days I have been obsessively listening to the Pixies, one of the most important bands to come out of the 80s. From listening to their material, I have been amazed by how much they were able to accomplish so much with so little. Minimalism; the aesthetic Pixies perfected has been greatly influential. Creating art with a handful of tools is both challenging and exposing at the same time. It takes a special kind of talent and vision in order to pull it off without sounding repetitive and/or boring.
Pixies solved this issue by using the loud quiet loud structure; where the verses of the songs are quiet; simultaneously building tension which is released in the chorus. Or they could work inversely where the verses are loud and the choruses are quiet. This formula was used by countless bands in the nineties to the point that it was a tired cliché. Other post-punkish bands that made great use of minimalism are Wire, Spoon, Joy Division and Gang of Four. One common element that I noticed in these bands is that they all have a great dynamic rhythm sections. I guess all that I am trying to say is that minimalism is great, just make sure you have an amazing drummer and an awesome bassist in your band; some amazing melodies surely won’t hurt either.
Song of the Day is Pixies “Hey”
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