Self-Contained Party, No Audience Necessary

Update: Check out this NPR story on how Clap Your Hands built internet buzz. (via Snarkmarket)

I knew it was coming, but today I realised that I was listening to a whole lot of chanting. That and handclaps. Sometimes only chanting and handclaps. Put post-punk aside, what's clogging my iPod is a modern mix of folk, country, gospel, bluegrass, psychedelic, and 10 member bands where everyone is a singer. Sitting here in Toronto, currently an independent music hotspot, I can see the trend building strong.

If last year was reportedly the year of The Arcade Fire and "Freak Folk" in the independent music scene, this year is the year that these have become seriously influential. It's clearly part of the big trend of "re-humanization," where stress is put on tradition, craft, community and authenticity. You know when the now widely known Clap Your Hands Say Yeah make the topic of their single their "Yellow Country Teeth," a shift in the cultural aesthetic is happening. Even boomers are reliving folk dreams with ad nauseam Bob Dylan sentimentalism.

Everyone seems to love Sufjan Stevens. He's on a mission to write a record from the perspective of each U.S. state. How authentic is that?Bright Eyes dreams of taking their tour to every country in the world. And add to the list my faves the Akron/Family, about to tour college town USA. Check out their pictures. Boho-chic? No, hobo-chic.

But I really believe Toronto is worth watching. This scene is huge here. Broken Social Scene are the leaders; a rag-tag group of sometimes 17 members, and one of the most adored indie bands in the world. A lot of the buzz is going towards one band right now: Jon Rae and The River. Here's an apt description:

"The River's shows are like old-fashioned revivals. Seven people are official members of the band and most of them sing. It's not unusual to see members of any audience at their shows stretch their arms to the sky and cheer."

Along the same lines, bands like Henri Faberge and The Adorables (their slogan is the headline of this post), and We're Marching On are all incorporating the group participation thing a la The Arcade Fire.

This isn't going to replace 50 Cent or Holla Back Girls anytime soon, but there is no doubt it is part of a huge influence informing everything from fashion to magazines to iPod cases.

Note from Anastasia: To all Ypulse readers on Myspace - Chet has set up a Ypulse group. Check it out here.

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