The last several years have seen the resurgence of a veritable host of bands long imploded, dissolved, or otherwise no longer existent. Some have resurfaced for long overdue monetary reward - Gang of Four and Slint (I'm not hating, read on) Others have or are currently recording new work, some of which has been fantastic - viz. Mission of Burma, The Go-Betweens' new album, or the Pixies' iTunes-only single "Bam Thwok." Of course, Charles Thompson aka Black Francis aka Frank Black has openly described the band's reunion as a cash-in, while also promising a new album in the not too distant future, which suggests that the sell-out matrix is woefully innacurate here, which we knew already. The argument that these bands are "taking attention away" from newer innovators (can't find the link) only holds weight for me if these bands reunited are not producing new work but resting on their laurels. But fuck it, even then, why can't the pixies rest on their laurels a little bit? I've been obsessed with the Pixies since i heard this girl I had a huge crush on cover "Silver" a couple weeks after i turned 15. That was nine years ago. Getting the opportunity to see them was awesome, and i almost mean that literally. Mission of Burma play an incredible live show and put out one of the best records of last year. Sonic Youth admittedly never split up, but their last two CDs have been pretty great too. And I really don't think me listening to Murray Street or You Are The Quarry disenfranchises a Xiu Xiu, an MIA, a Lady Sovereign any more than me listening to Sister or Evol or The Queen Is Dead would. What i'm more angry about is the newer bands - like Interpol, The Killers, The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand, and even a Bloc Party or the Futureheads, who are so deeply towing the line laid down by Ian Curtis, Robert Smith, Andy Gill, and Tom Verlaine that their music seems to, to quote the Cool Hand Luke sample introducing Guns 'N' Roses' "Civil Wars," constitute a "failure to communicate." But maybe that's the point. I'll write more about Interpol specifically in a later post, and I'm neglecting the stronger of the two main critiques Sleater-Kinney make in "Entertain." I think it's possible for us to find new meanings in the work of reunited bands by listening in a very different context. And sometimes it isn't, and we want them to disband and go away. (cough. u2. cough.) I don't think you can blame Sonic Youth because Trail of Dead is derivative. I don't think musicians have to stop being 'relevant' after 35 or that a band that's dissolved can't still have something interesting to say.

Big Star's putting together their first new album in 27 years.