After thinking about this week’s post, I was a little weary
of selecting another movie along the lines of The Royal Tenenbaums. Therefore,
while I could easily write about the unique role that music plays within indie
films such as The Kids Are Alright and Garden State, I wanted to switch it up
and look at a more recent cinematic interpretation; Pitch Perfect. While the
movie itself reflects upon American pop culture and the debate between
individualism vs. conformity, I can’t help but applaud its ability to perfectly
mesh a wide variety of musical genres. As
a result, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to the underrated artists who have
finally achieved the national recognition they deserve.
Wild Belle
Wild Belle, a brother/sister duo hailing from Chi-Town, are
a relatively new fixture on the indie scene, as their first album will be
hitting shelves in early March.
Featuring a psychedelic reggae vibe, their single “Keep You” endorses an
island beat that makes it difficult not to jam along. Although the song speaks mostly to the
cyclical, yet toxic relationships endorsed by a number of immature youth, it
also emphasizes a sense of struggle and distress. This relates directly to the film, as Beca
(like most young aspiring musicians) faces a significant amount of backlash
from those who discourage musical non-conformity. Plus, it features a sick saxophone solo, so
who would want to miss out on that!
High Highs
At first glance, “Open Season” by the High Highs may seen
like your typical easy-listening tune.
Yet while the song itself features a set of simple lyrics, it’s ability
to capitalize upon both it’s lead vocalist and a wide array of musical
instruments set’s it apart from the rest of it’s class. Therefore, no matter how your day is going, I
can guarantee that this song will pick up your mood in no time, and place you
in a state of complete liberation.
The Naked and Famous
If you hold an appreciation for oxymoron’s and
contradictions, then you will no doubt fall in love with The Naked and Famous’ hit,
“Punching in a Dream”. Similar to other
songs within its genre, the eclectic mix of synthesizers, basses, and guitars
provides a tune that is eerily reminiscent to a clone of MGMT, Mat and Kim, and
Passion Pit. At this point in the movie,
Beca is arriving at college, despite her dream to move to LA and become a music
producer. While it might seem as though
she’s punching in her dream, and “breathing into her nightmare” (her
disinterest in college life), she eventually realizes that one can find beauty among the in-between. As a result, we
should make an effort to avoid judgment and learn to take something meaningful
from every moment in our lives.
The Fratelli’s
Usually people look for songs that help them work out, help
them pregame for a party, or even assist in the completion of their
homework. While I usually have songs
that can be relegated to each one of these tasks individually, The Fratelli’s
“Chelsea Dagger” truly takes on the meaning of being ‘multi-purpose’. That’s quite the accomplishment; especially
considering the band achieved moderate success before their split in the late
2000’s. Therefore, if you can learn to
appreciate anything in the music world, it’s the difficulty for a song to
withstand the tests of time.
While I understand this post is much different from my
first, I thought it was important to show that even mainstream films can hold
positive implications for the indie music scene. Although Pitch
Perfect is merely a quirky, comedic entity, it holds the power to reach a
number of audiences across the world, thus allowing various types of music to
be recognized and appreciated.
Therefore, while you may or may not agree with the movie, you cannot
argue with the chance it presents to the smaller members of the musical
community.
Cool article - thanks for introducing me to Wild Belle, as a big fan of psychedelic and reggae music these guys might just turn out to be a perfect fit.
I love the Fratelli's. Glad they have finally been noticed