always missing deadlines

When it comes to creating music, there used to be an argument that got made a lot that really interested me only because it seemed so ridiculous. During this time I was a devout Interpol and Kings of Leon fan. Both of the those bands had a similar beginning trajectory. They had a debut record come out to moderate success, followed up shortly after by another moderately successful record. In the case of Kings of Leon, their sophomore record was released a year after their debut, and Interpol’s two years. For both bands, the debut and sophomore records were of extremely high quality. For me, it seemed like if the bands could keep producing at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before their catalogues matched some of the all time great recording artists. I was frequenting the message boards, trying to connect with other fans and sharing in the wonderment that was music of my generation.

Well, it was on those boards that I began to see people talk about how they thought the bands should take their time, not rush anything, and make sure the sound was exactly how they wanted, as if time was the most important factor when recording music. That advice appeared to have been taken as KOL and Interpol waited three years to release another record in 2007. Both of those records were sub par. I will caveat this and say that, of course, this is a personal opinion, although not one that is shared by me alone. The boards were flooded with disgruntled fans complaining about the music they had paid money to hear. Some of them argued that these records were, indeed good, and that all the fans would come around on them. I shared this opinion. I did not come around to those records, at least not like I did the first two. They were missing the magic that had captured me. Maybe I was just changing my personal tastes, maybe I fell victim to only liking the bands because they were so obscure back then, and now with a more broad public awareness, I was trying to hipster my way out of liking a perfectly good record. Or the records just weren’t as good.

After a three year hiatus, KOL and Interpol failed to deliver what I had promised myself would be delivered by them. The same old ideas kept popping up on the boards. Interpol should really take their time in the studio, connect with their roots and figure it all out. They did, and released a fourth record in 2010. For me, three years had been too long and I found myself so far removed from the me that fell in love with that band, that I never got around to listening to it. I have no idea whether or not time played any factor at all. I’m going to go ahead and guess it didn’t do them much good. For Kings of Leon, well, they released a fourth album in 2008 and became megastars. I did purchase that record, and enjoyed a song or two, but it just didn’t have the same bite. It sounded so polished and perfect, so unquestionably palatable that I didn’t know who this new band was. The band released a fifth record two years after their fourth and I have no idea how successful it was. Again, my interests had just changed too drastically.

I have come back to that take your time argument because I was so convinced it was wrong. If you look at groups like the Beatles, who released records and singles annually, it would appear that if you just keep on putting in the work, that if you are talented, all of what you do is going to be good or even great. I was so sure this was true that I would bemoan everyone who said that the bands should sit on their ideas and let them brew. It angered me to levels beyond rationality. But I’m not sure how ridiculous this argument really is. Sure, the three years between albums didn’t help Interpol. But I have no idea if their third record would have sounded any better had it come out in 2005. I also don’t know if KOL’s fourth record would sound any better if it came out this year. All I have, really, is two bands, with two amazing records. It’s just as plausible that all four of those records are only good because the bands had their entire lives to think things over prior to ever stepping foot inside a recording studio. Maybe you don’t need one or two years between records. Maybe you need twenty or thirty.

Unfortunately, I, and probably most fans, will have forgotten our favorite bands by then. Maybe all bands only actually have one great record in them. Out of all the groups I’ve listened to since my high school days, that certainly seems to be the case, but would absolutely love it if I was wrong.