If you listened to rock radio at all this summer, chances are you heard the utterly brilliant poetry that was Wolfmother's "Woman." It was a song that had about eight lines, and revolved around the concept of the protagonist's affections, directed toward, yes, a woman. "Woman" marked a brilliant progression in modern rock, putting us firmly back in the year 1972. That's because the other hallmark of the song (and the band in general) was how much it sounded like a Classic Rock Dinosaur Band. The main riff was pure Zeppelin, with the vocals seemingly delivered by a Sabbath-era Ozzy. It even features a freakin' organ solo! And though the song was killed by massive overplay (an all too common cause of death these days), I still enjoyed it.
It would seem that this is all well and good, but that is not the case. Philosophically, I should not like this band or this song. There is an absolute lack of originality in any of the material, and that should pretty much kill any interest I have in the artist. If it's been done before, why not listen to the originals? You can still go down to your local record store and pick up a copy of Paranoid and find out for yourself what was so great about the music in the first place. Plus, there are bonuses to taking this approach: 1) It was probably better music anyway and 2) You look better to musical elites since you clearly know and appreciate your rock history. Not only that, you're helping out the small business merchant while stimulating the economy. Winners all around, and we're on our way to eliminating poverty!
I bring this point up because I use the originality argument all the time in dismissing terrible bands. I need to reconcile this conflict or else I come off like a hypocrite when I accept some bands but not others. For example, when people ask me why I cannot stand Jet, I explain to them that I cannot possibly appreciate a band that consistently rips off much better bands (sometimes multiple times in the same song) without bringing anything else to the table. "Cold Hard Bitch"? AC/DC without any of the wit or fire. "Look What You've Done"? A sappy ballad that Oasis wouldn't touch with a 49-and-a-half foot pole. And when their new single "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" came out, I could have sworn that I'd heard the same exact crappy pop song 30 years ago -- but at least that one wasn't attached to an annoying cell phone commercial. Even their one song which I tolerated, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," had this problem -- I initially thought it was a new White Stripes song in which Jack White was channeling Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life." All were pale imitations of something much better.
So where can I draw the line in determining which bands I can appreciate and for which bands I should show absolute disdain? Well, one factor could be the band's appreciation of the work of their forebears. With songs like "The Joker and the Thief" and choruses that talk about Purple Hazes, it's clear that Wolfmother has the proper respect. It shows that the band is self-aware, plus it gives something for music nerds to lord over other people, which they love ("Oh, you don't know that's a reference to 'All Along the Watchtower'? Has listening to Fall Out Boy damaged you that much?")
I've never heard anything like that from Jet, so they get no credit. The other great deciding factor should be attitude. While Wolfmother lacks the requisite cockiness for that style of music, and fails to scare anyone's parents, at least their passion for the music shows through. Jet, on the other hand, comes across as only a bunch of whiners.
The point is, originality matters, but it is not the be-all end-all in music. There are ways to pull off being unoriginal effectively; look at the Beatles. They parodied other bands' styles, including the Beach Boys in "Back in the USSR." So it is possible.
What I hope we've taken from this is that first and foremost, Jet sucks. And that yes, I can say this without being branded a total hypocrite.
