Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and EMO
No one has ever gone broke underestimating the American teenager's capacity for angst--until now, perhaps, when, as Greenwald documents, the major commercial music purveyors pay scant attention to the youngsters buying hundreds of thousands of copies of albums by bands like Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard [Confessional], even though the rest of the music industry is in the doldrums. Those bands create a sort of personal music, low on bombast and the antithesis of overproduced; they aren't boy bands and Britney Spears knockoffs. Emo, as their music is known, combines the thoughtfulness of folk with the sensibilities and DIY ethos of punk. Emo bands appeal with introspective lyrics rather than the "see my clothes, see my butt" treacle major labels promote. Sailing under the hype radar, emo is the current manifestation of music that is perfect for the young; that is, unknown and inaccessible to adults. A valuable resource for young listeners and adults who want to know their music; get it before emo goes the corporate way of "alternative" rock.Mike TribbyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved