The End Of An Era

How was I supposed to know
That something wasn't right here?
--Britney

Let's start with something right off the top: I dislike Britney Spears. Not just the music, the ignorance, the attitude, the "role model" posture, but probably just everything about her. Every time she talks she puts Miss South Carolina to shame with her completely naive take on everything under the sun. 99% of her music is formulaic and uninteresting: her voice is/was completely molded by technology, while her sound is completed by top gun producers of the moment who produce the majority of the top ten artists at any given time. N.E.R.D., Timbaland and a herd of others have all served as Britney's enablers at the top of the charts, and this has made music poorer, as you may have noticed...

But I can appreciate certain things about her- in a way. Her song "Toxic" was a classic pop song, combining completely subversive lyrics with sweet melodies. The evidence of this popularity in the underground is in the multiple dj remixes of the song (as turntablists everywhere held their nose at playing a Spears song) including some a Nine Inch Nails mix that will remain spinning for some time.

I can also appreciate that she was more entertainer than singer. She didn't sing live but her dancing was top notch, somehow getting an edge above all the other dime a dozen beautiful dancers out there with endless energy and killer moves.

So where the hell am I going about this, mentioning some mindless diva on her way down the career drain at 3am when I have to be at work in 5 hours? Well, I can't sleep, but also....despite my love of the days when Muchmusic played more than 5 videos and radio wasn't the domain of endless Nickelback/Pop crap, I can't help but feel a little sorry for Britney. She gave rise to a new era of young female pop singers and she just now helped nail the coffin shut on that eras end. Yeah, Rihanna is still about and there are some others, but really, this is it for the next while. It's for the best, but....nonetheless it's over.

Here she is in top form, with her snake in 2001.

And here she is, killing the whole genre with one bloated spectacle...

What a sad contrast. To think Madonna would pass the torch to this unworthy successor. No, the long running dictator of female pop will need someone with staying power and work ethic. Like Oasis believing they could overtake the Beatles, you really have to put at least a successful decade behind you before you can even pretend to be on the same level as the masters.

Now that this is done, let's hope music and especially rock, will get its act together and come up with something brand new. I'm dreaming, but whatev. It could happen...