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The Winter 2001 issue (3.1) of Devil in the Woods Magazine
(DIW) seems to have a particular focus in mind; interviews and
features deal mostly with artists' views on the pros and cons of indie
labels versus major labels. While it's a subject that can be interesting,
it wears a bit thin over the course of more than forty features/interviews.
Artists profiled or interviewed include Broadcast, Coldplay, Spoon, The
Danielson Famile, Sigur Ros, Stephen Malkmus (but of course), Death Cab for
Cutie (name-checked throughout the issue), Bright Eyes (also drooled over by
many an artist or profiled-label), Rainer Maria and Momus.
Virtually every interview begins with this question: "What are your opinions
on the current state of popular and independent music, and where do you feel
your band fits in?" The obvious answer creeps in, almost without fail -- "We
hate MTV and Britney Spears and nu-metal, but we like {insert indie label of
band-in-question here}."
Issue 3.1 is a "maga/zine" that seems to be at a crossroads of two
styles -- it has a zine feel in its black-and-white minimalism and independent
focus, but a certain CMJ lean in its recurring installments/sections and
glossy cover.
The most interesting articles/interviews are derived from likely
sources -- the most interesting bands. Spoon's bitter rally against Capitol
records is refreshing and honest. It's easy to tell why the band makes such
great music: they don't compromise their beliefs. The Danielson Famile
feature/interview by Jon Pruett is great a piece that deftly portrays the
band's interesting sonic and thematic attack, Pruett's own intense interest
in the band and frontman Daniel Smith's thoughts on the band's various
albums. The Creeper Lagoon feature can't help but potray the evils of major
label-dom; whether or not DIW planned it as such, the band's
nonchalant name-checking and luxury car dreams come off as repulsively
pompous. On the other end of the spectrum, Bright Eyes and Rainer Maria come
across as completely dedicated to their music.
In some places, it seems like a little more planning would have
helped. The features that open the magazine cover at least
four bands (there are twenty features in total) that most people have
probably never heard of; one has to guess which genres the bands even fall
under. On the other hand, The New Faces of Rock articles profile Creeper Lagoon and
Grandaddy. Why are they considered new faces when the earlier features are
newcomers? Creeper Lagoon and Grandaddy are both on major labels, already
well into their careers. The DVD Review section seems like an afterthought
as well. With the wealth of music-related DVD tiles being released these
days, five one-paragraph reviews don't make for a thorough DVD Review
section. The music reviews cover a broad spectrum of styles and labels, but
there are some questionable ratings. How Gwenmars and PJ Harvey can be considered
"great" when Ladytron is merely "good" and "Kid 606" rates as "okay" is
beyond me. For the most part, the reviews are pretty decent, if a bit
lacking in passion and a tad short--there are more than 100 reviews over
nine pages.
Jeremiah McNichols contributes a too-true piece, "Sunrise, Sunset", about
the crap reality of Frank Black and David Lowery's current existence. It's a
fun but short piece about indie idols gone sour. There are a hundred other
similar stories, so future installments would be a good idea. Mike Cloward's submission
to the ongoing "Rock 'N' Roll Moments" presents a number of laughs at the expense of
backwoods-festival-headliner Eddie Money.
The 13 Questions area features three short (hence the 13 Questions
moniker) interviews with Momus (funny and enlightening), Luna (boring...
zzzzzzz), and The Orange Peels (nice folks). You learn a great deal about
the bands when they answer question #8 (What happened on the best day of
your life?). Jill Pries from The Orange Peels answers "I pet a Tiger",
Luna's Dean Wareham says "I guess there's just no such thing" and Momus
takes the cake with "I spent it in the Hotel Floriacion in the Aoyama
district of Tokyo fucking some skinny girl sent from heaven." That's the
spirit, Momus. Somebody book a longer Momus interview next time around!
DIW #3.1 is worth a look, but it would be a better read for
music fans if it didn't focus so heavily on the business side of things.
With access to the wealth of bands they've assembled here, the prime focus
shouldn't be the state of indie-dom; it should be the music. With a tagline
of "Independent Thought on Independent Music," DIW should focus on
the music, not the business. Right now, it seems geared to the egos of
indie-label head honchos, and that's a relatively small audience. With a few
tweaks and trims, DIW Magazine will be on the road to...being an
entirely interesting "maga-zine" rather than a mostly-interesting
"maga-zine."
This Winter 2001 comes with a 7-inch with songs from some of the featured
bands (including former Pavement second chair Scott Kannberg's The Preston
School of Industry). The 7-inch goes to subscribers only and to those who
purchase it in "select" music stores. Our review copy did not come with the
7-inch.
-- Tim DiGravina
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