I figure noir (and hardboiled) as a label long ago reached
the same status as rock 'n' roll, so inclusive as to be
nearly useless -- any term that encompasses both the Stooges
and the Cowsills (and rap has now been inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame) is not very helpful. And just as new
rock bands are studiously trying to channel older bands, say
Interpol with Joy Division, they are so intent on aping the
surface style and production that they forget about the core.
This is not to say there aren't still a lot of worthy
practicers in both genres, it just take some looking. And
frankly, hasn't it always? Every age later labeled golden,
also contained a lot of crap that has been left by the
wayside and forgotten.
Mark
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