Has DCFC jumped the shark? Or Why College Radio is just as bad as everything else.

THE STORY, SORT OF

Last year, I interviewed Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie after the show they played in Columbia. He was a very nice man, and what I am about to write is something that he probably doesn’t want to hear.

I think DCFC has jumped the shark. More importantly, I think their label knows it.

It makes perfect sense. First, about 5 years ago, wonder-band falls onto the scene, releases an album, tours, releases another album. Then, it hits. After We have the Facts and we’re voting yes, DCFC became the band in college radio. And for good reason.

We have the facts… was (is) one of my favorite records, personally. When we got it, it went nuts; straight to no. 2 on the charts. Around the country, people starting warming up to them. They toured America (stopping in Lawrence), and went into the studio to record another album.

Every critic in the land hailed We Have the facts as an emo classic, an angular rock gem, everything. It was emotional, but not like Braid. It wasn’t lo-fi, it wasn’t overproduced. It was sebadoh meeting pedro the lion.

They released another EP (the forbidden love) and another album, and that’s when it happened. They became a ‘high school band.’

(While we’re here, let’s define some terms. “Jumping the shark” is when something starts to decline, big time. A “high school band” is the kind of band that high schools like. Most poppy emo bands, almost every punk band (save the hardest and most influential ones) and many pop bands are “high school bands.” “Indie rock” is something college radio stations play, and it’s mainly nerdy kids who think they’re smarter than everyone else playing music)

It happened right before my eyes. I saw them DCFC 2000 in Lawrence; lots of KU people there. Lots of MU people there, too. Saw them a year and a half later: all high school kids.

Death cab certainly teeters the line. Because they are close to being an emo band, there is always the chance that they will make an emo record. And made an emo record, they did.

The Photo Album was angular, fast-paced and lacking maturity. It sounded like the slowest emo album that ever was. Ti was karate without Geoff Farina’s interesting lyrics and chords. IT was seam without the whisper. It was, well, high school.

It was cute to see Johnny 10th Grade and Jenny 10th Grade kissing and holding each other at the show. It was still sad. A band I loved so much became what I despised

WHAT HAPPENED?

Maybe my impression of the album and the show are tainted by that crowd. It’s very possible. But, the fact is this; people are now starting to forget about DCFC. Is it because their last album was a stinker? Was it because college kids have something better to do than listening to high school music?

Probably not. It’s probably because college radio is as fickle as anything else. We like to think that we’re all high and mighty and that we are all encompassing and so open and blah blah blah. Shit. Total, utter bullshit. College radio is just like everything else; trends come and go and few things stay the same.

Remember emo in its silliest, high school form? I do. All I heard on our station freshman year was the Promise Ring, American Football, Paris Texas, and the Get Up Kids. And I like those bands (sure, they’re high school bands, but they’re good high school bands) TPR released an album last year and barely made a dent on our charts, despite the fact that they played here during its time in our format. Why?

The strokes came along.

Somewhere in my college time, the ‘cool’ thing became garage music. The Mooney Suzuki is the sort of band that just defines the genre, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The Strokes, White Stripes and Oneida all come to mind as bands that do it well, and have for a while.

But, this new thing. Ick. Its just trend. No, the Blackouts are not the next big garage thing (and by the way, I liked all of these bands the first time, when they were called the Kinks!). And neither are the Sahara hotnights. Good bands, yes. Staying power? No.

The fact is; we are fickle. Unless you are an absolute heavyweight (like Yo La Tengo, Radiohead, Built to Spill, Beck, etc.), you’re not going to dent college radio for more than a few months.

SO, WHAT HAPPENED?

DCFC was one of those bands. Pedro the Lion, I guess, paved the way for bands like DCFC and Bright Eyes to make it, and they have had some staying power, but not much. While Bright Eyes is coming to play our birthday show, he’s not exactly the most popular thing around now (Sahara Hotnights are, basically). And lord knows DCFC’s new “rarities”: album (way to capitalize on the fleeting popularity, Barsuk) will probably do decently well, despite the inclusion of a Smiths cover on it.

- Ross J Gianfortune