Rock is dead, or so they say: bands don’t top the charts or chart cultural trends any more; guitar is no longer the central focus of pop music. The reasons for this are myriad: the rise of hip-hop over the past 40 years has supplanted rock as the primary musical revolution, which in itself is slowly being supplanted by electronic music. The realities of the music industry and broader economy make it more difficult to support a group of musicians; it is much less expensive and easier to focus on one single person making music. Focus has shifted to producers and bedroom musicians, crafting every sound themselves in a home studio. These sonic morsels can be delivered directly to fans online, skipping the traditional need for label distribution.
Rock is, of course, very much NOT dead. (And long may it live!) It is just not front and center, which is perfectly alright. In fact, the entire music community has become more fragmented. If you are not a giant common denominator pop star like Lady Gaga, you are not going to be sitting atop the mainstream. The internet has allowed people to find the music that they want to listen to without the radio or mainstream media, which has contributed to the lack of monoculture within music. Everyone is part of their own scene, not connected to a geographical place but distributed across the world via the World Wide Web wherever sympathetic ears reside.
In this current moment, there may be no better home of pure unadulterated rock and roll than the Land Down Under. Throughout the history of rock, Australia has birthed a plethora of quality artists, but has especially been carrying the torch over the past 15 years. The biggest commercial success is psychedelic Perth outfit Tame Impala. Over the years, frontman Kevin Parker has moved to working with many big names across the music landscape, helping to install his sound firmly into the mainstream cultural zeitgeist.
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