Tag: New Wave

Hey, Olivia Rodrigo, Wanna Change The World?


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I only write about this because I’m old and annoyed with modern music. The more I mull Olivia Rodrigo’s music in my mind, the more it seems just one or two ticks away from simply being New Wave. Now, Miley Cyrus has been dabbling in covering New Wave music, but she screams the songs at the top of her lungs, which kind of defeats the purpose.

Olivia Rodrigo / The Internet

The thing about Olivia Rodrigo is, her mental bolts seem to be on a lot more tighter than bonkers Ms. Cyrus, so I could easily see any number of big artists or producers from the late 70s or early 80s working with her to produce a literal New Wave album. Given how popular she is, it could potentially not only be a huge album, it could maybe be the thing to introduce Xenials to the “good music” of my youth.

Or not. No one listens to me.

Advice To Miley Cyrus


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Ok. Here’s the thing. I noticed that Ms. Cyrus covered the New Wave classic “Heart of Glass” recently. Which is great. But here’s what I would have done if I was, say, the producer involved.

First — New Wave is simply Punk for straight edges.

I would suggest she go to something a big more punkish like Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never.” Then, I would tell her not to belt out the song at the top of her lungs. She’s missing the point. She has a uniquely textured voice. No need to scream.

Once she was singing Never Say Never, I would figure out a way to fuse what people know — Adult Contemporary — with something that sounds like Neo-Pop Rock (Rona Rock.) Or, put another way, it needs a little bit of edge to it. It needs some bite.

To get that bite, you need a backbeat. A strong guitar. A strong “wall of sound” provided by someone thrashing around on the drums. Anyway, absolutely no one listens to me.

But the novel seems to be going well, which makes me happy.