I stand as a soldier for the All –American Rejects. I have taken it upon myself to defend Tyson Ritter, Nick Wheeler, Mike Kennerty, and Chris Gaylor from the unjustified verbal assaults they face on the Internet from those who don’t appreciate their musical styling. The All –American Rejects have won 4 music awards, 2 of which were awarded for their incredible music videos. Two of their records have gone double platinum, despite the increasing popularity in the illegal downloading of music.
I received the band’s recent album, When the World Comes Down for my sixteenth birthday in January 2009. I have listened to AAR (most of the songs from When the World Comes Down) for more than 4,200 minutes. Though I have no way of really knowing how many times I played When the World Comes Down in the car, it was played so many times, that there is a part of the cd chipped off from repeated play, and the cd player made so many scratches from playing, the back of the cd looks like sandpaper. I’m not sure if it’s the sweet lyrics of the love songs, or the feeling of adventure that the upbeat songs evoke in me, but I feel connected to All-American Rejects’ music. It's as though the notes of every song are connected to my bones like tendons, holding the power to keep me up or make my knees quiver with emotion. Every song is laced with memories, probably because I listened to their cds in my car for half of my high school career- the most memory making years of my life thus far. AAR played when I road tripped with my friends for the first time, I listened to AAR when I was getting over a break up, I listened to it when I was doing the most reckless, mindless things of my life.The point is, I listen to A LOT of AAR. I know their music. I know the band. I listen to their songs that don’t necessarily make it to the radio. What does this say about me? Obsessiveness, maybe. Commitment? Definitely. The critics that claim AAR isn’t “alternative” music annoy me. An individual from sodapop.com said “Its sad to see them labeled Alternative. What are they Alternative to? Nothing. They're mainstream corporate produced shit. They're only in it for the money”. First off, all genres, be it music, film, art, etc are always going to be ambiguous. It is hard to label anything with absolute certainty, especially music. Also, whoever wrote that critique does not know the history of The All-American Rejects. If the critic had taken even a few minutes to read about the band, they’d know that they were formed in Stillwater, OK- not a music studio in Hollywood, CA. The band began with 2 best friends with a passion for music, 2 good demos, and a bit of good luck from a compassionate music studio intern. The All-American Rejects may seem average or mainstream to some people, but to me, they are the cornerstones of my teenage experience. During the most monumental times of my life, Tyson Ritter was singing in the background.
Hello Zoe M!
ReplyDeleteHere are some questions/thoughts about your blog:
-Why were you listening to AAR during so many vital moments in your life? Were you listening to them because you love them or do you love them because you happened to be listening to them during vital moments?
-Why do you feel the need to defend AAR? Obviously you really really like them but what do you think makes you hate the band's critics? What does your need to defend the say about your relationship to the band? Do you think because they've been there for you during hard times, you want to be there for them?
-Is it the memories connected w/ AAR or something else more particular to the band (like their sound, lyrics, story, etc) that makes the band so special to you?
This was great to read! I love AAR too (though definitely not as much :D ) -ZOE B
Sooo as much as I too have listened to All American Rejects, I must admit I too think they are mainstream. They have a lot of beats in common with other bands. Still, gotta love them. I enjoyed your blog to see a much more intense relationship with a band that I like as well. I wanted to know more about your relationship with the band. Do you have a favorite song, album, video? Do the lyrics every get old? Have you seen them in concert? After reading your blog I have come to realize that my thoughts on the band are not as opinionated as yours, and some have changed because of it. I always thought of All American Rejects as somewhat pop-y. They are upbeat with easily relatable topics. It was cool to see their genre in a different light. While I have listened to some songs over 100 times, it was crazy to see your passion for them in 4200+ minutes! Anyway, great blog, and keep listening!
ReplyDelete-Shelby
elaboration:
ReplyDelete"...not opinionated as yours, and some have changed because of it."
When i say some i mean that some of my opinions have changed about the band bc of the way you describe them and as non-mainstream. Now i feel that genre is more of point of view than a set in stone fact.
Zoe,
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to have a band named "The All-American Rejects" be so popular. Ironic, isn't it? I'm fascinated by the idea of proclaiming yourself a reject - and am really curious to know how a regular old "reject" is different from an "All-American" reject. I wonder if it was an intentionally ironic move on their part to boost their popularity? Is there something appealing to fans (and to you perhaps?) about being intensely invested in something that is self-proclaimed "alternative" and therefore not mainstream?
In my mind, 'alternative' as a label signifies that something lives (or believes it lives) just outside the mainstream, in the margins. And 'alternative' things don't necessarily have to share much in common except for the fact that they 'aren't mainstream.' But as soon as they become popular, they become more mainstream, don't they? And 'mainstream' doesn't haven't to mean 'trashy' does it? What do you think about all this? -Steph
Zoe M -
ReplyDeleteI can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure that you edited out some of the lists of how many minutes you've listened to them and replaced them with how you feel connected to AAR. (Am I wrong? If not then great job, I really like the new stuff you added in.)
Something about the line "I listened to it when I was doing the most reckless, mindless things of my life" makes me wonder if AAR's music or lyrics or anything influenced your decisions and experiences, or if they are just so close to you because they happened to be playing when these "reckless" things happened. In other words, did they influence you (maybe in a subconscious way,) or were they simply in the background and therefore bring back memories and feelings now?
I know you find AAR "alternative," and I agree that the line between what is and is not alternative is blurry, but I tend to see them as more of a mainstream band (just based off of their music itself, not how they formed, etc.) This however does not bring down the quality of their music to me. Do you tend to associate mainstream with bad music? Does a band being alternative make them that much more worth listening to?
This was an interesting blog and definitely made me think more about the music scene and its critics as well as how we latch-on (as I talk about with Jeff Buckley) to a specific band or artist, and why we get so defensive or protective of them.
- Rebecca
Zoe,
ReplyDeleteI must say I like AAR as well (though not as much as you) and I'm guilty of listening to their popular songs more than the other songs they release. I'd love to hear more from you about their other albums and how those relate to you. Also, if you could spend one day with them, what would you talk about, how would you spend your day, etc? To a cerain extent, are they your idols, and why?
Great post!
-Sana