A Town Press

The supergroup is no innovative concept. It’s a phrase that dates back to the sixties and was initially applied to rock bands. These supergroups consisted of members from already established groups who formed via label/marketing interests, their own random encounters and also previous friendships and bonds from other musical projects.

Historically, supergroups have tended to be short-lived and spur of the moment. Many musicians from popular music acts often break into their own solo careers and create their own brand independent of their groups.  However, with the landscape of the music business constantly shifting and breaking up, even that has changed. Now it appears as if supergroups are a more lucrative venture in the post iTunes/digital industry and solo acts are less prevalent. Here is a list of supergroups that have formed over just the last couple years:

• Them Crooked Vultures (features members of Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters)
• Dead Weather (White Stripes, the Kills, Raconteurs)
• Monsters of Folk (My Morning Jacket, M. Ward, Bright Eyes)
• The alleged Center Edge Territory (Jay Electronica, Mos Def, Curren$y)
• Scarlett Johannson and Pete Yorn
• She and Him (Zooey Deschanel, M. Ward)
• Broken Bells (Danger Mouse and James Mercer)
• Gayngs (Rhymesayers, Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, the Rosebuds)
• Slaughterhouse (Joe Budden, Royce da 5’9, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I)

Now the real question is: Will the supergroup become the new vehicle or cash cow for the music industry in the future?

There are clear advantages to forming or joining a supergroup. Of course, there’s increased visibility. The individual members are already visible stars, so why not add them all up and become even more popular? A supergroup can hopefully attain greater album sales considering the music listener/fan is not only getting one rock star, but several  for the price of one. And last, but not least, because the supergroup is comprised of multiple talents, companies may be more inclined to offer corporate sponsorships and deals to the entire group as opposed to just one member.

Nonetheless, many musicians are still pursuing the solo career route. Thom Yorke, Julian Casablancas, and Kele Okereke from Bloc Party have all gone solo and received a great deal of publicity and coverage. Thom Yorke has enlisted Flea to play in his touring band Atoms for Peace and they played to sold out crowds all over the United States just a couple months ago.

But the question still stands as to whether or not the “supergroup model” will supplant other economically viable business models in the entertainment industry. It’s hard for me to personally point out many flaws within this model, but time will tell. In the meantime, readers, please feel free to leave comments and opinions on supergroups. Is the supergroup the remedy to an ailing music business?

*FYI, this article was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend. Thanks for the great feedback Katie!

In an era when any band formed by Jack White is considered a super group, it’s a bit refreshing to call this line-up a super group – Dave Grohl leads Foo Fighters and played in an old band out of Seattle, Led Zeppelin had bassist John Paul Jones on bass, and Josh Homme fronts Queens [...]

Readers, I apologize for the lack of a super cool Best of 2009 logo. The entire graphic design department has taken an early vacation and left me completely bewildered in my WordPress cubicle.

Here are my favorite albums that 2009 produced. It was tough making this list, but ultimately I had to look at it this way – would I be willing to purchase this album over buying my own lunch for a day? And the answer is yes, I would be willing to buy all of the following albums and sacrifice my daily soup and sandwich in order to get them. The albums on the honorable mention list are great, but a well constructed veggie sub and soup at Quiznos beats them any day of the week.

1.  Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

This was clearly album of the year (at least on any indie music blog or magazine’s list). Animal Collective really pushed the boundaries with Strawberry Jam and proved they could wrap their complex and multi-dimensional vocal harmonies and experimental weirdness into pop song structure and format. However, Merriweather pushes things even further and proves the band can appeal to a wider audience. I feel they brought in a new demographic and generation of Animal Collective freaks with this album and I greatly applaud them for it.

2.  Doves – Kingdom of Rust

Kingdom of Rust is the sleeper record of the year made by most underrated band of the decade. When I first heard this record, I couldn’t put it down. Check out the song “Compulsion” and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

3.  Mastodon – Crack the Skye

Mastodon is the new Metallica and this is their Black Album. They make kick ass epic progressive metal records and they rep my city. I don’t need any more reasons to place them on the list.

4.  St. Vincent – Actor

I had never heard of St. Vincent before listening to this album. It’s a really great record full of big electronic sounds, lush orchestration and string arrangements, catchy vocal harmonies and great melodies. St. Vincent proved to me that she was a strong force to be reckoned with on this one.

5.  Q-Tip – Kamaal the Abstract

I’m a huge hip-hop and rap fan, but I noticed my list was gravitating more towards the rock spectrum. I like to keep things balanced so I searched hard for a rap album that could definitely be on my top 10 list. This is it and technically it’s not even a rap album. Kamaal the Abstract is more soul than rap and on songs like “Barely in Love,” Q-Tip even evokes a Beatles-esque feel. Nonetheless, this is a great album and it easily made the cut.

6. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures

I was completely averse to the concept of this supergroup when I first heard about it. That aversion lasted all of about ten minutes  – Josh Homme is just too good of a songwriter and musician for me to hate any of his projects and John Paul Jones contributing bass on anyone’s tracks is worth looking into. I could care less about Dave Grohl, but he played his part and was a good drummer in the back of the group.

This album was necessary for 2009. We needed something that would bring back the essence of rock n roll and extend the vitality of the genre.

7. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

Surprise, Grizzly Bear is on another best of 2009 list!

8. Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue

I heard about Bibio a few months after Ambivalence Avenue was released and I’m really digging this guy. I have a deep love and reverence for electronic music and Bibio is almost like the missing link between Boards of Canada, Prefuse 73 and Daedelus. If you enjoy any kind of electronic music, you must own this album.

9. Sonic Youth - The Eternal

Sonic Youth has definitely evolved over the past decade. They rely less on experimentalism and noise as crutches these days and they’re writing well structured and great songs. The noise and feedback are simply tools for various kinds of brush strokes and colors. The Eternal is proof that Sonic Youth has truly grown up and have reached a point where their maturity and life experiences as people are intriguing to outsiders and pulls them into the music and experience that is Sonic Youth.

10.  Japandroids – Post Nothing

Japandroids are on the list because No Age’s record came out last year and not this year.

All harsh jokes aside, I like the guitar textures on this album and it has a certain spatial quality that other records lack.

Honorable mention list:

Sunn o – Monoliths and Dimensions

Tortoise – Beacons of Ancestorship

Raekwon – Only Built for Cuban Linx pt. II

Beirut – March of the Zapotec

Mos Def – The Ecstatic

Dizzee Rascal – Tongue N Cheek

Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

Fabolous – Losos’s Way

Isis – Wavering Radiant

Currency – This Ain’t No Mixtape

Clipse – Til the Casket Drops

*Readers, please leave comments and list your favorite albums of the year