By some accounts, it takes a full year beyond the one with the “zero” in it for a new decade to actually begin… or, depending on how you look at it, for the prior decade to actually end.
For lovers of Alternative and so-called “Indie” music, these last few days certainly have felt like the end of a decade, if not the end of a generation itself.
Following on the heels of The White Stripes‘ formal announcement of their break-up last Wednesday, both James Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem and Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz seem to be following suit. LCD’s announcement came by way of their main Web page over the weekend; the Gorillaz split, meanwhile, is more a rumor, and there have yet to be any official announcements. However, a recent article in the UK’s People – since picked up by Consequence of Sound – gives some fairly compelling assertions that the project is through, at least for the time being.
Any one of these would amount to a substantial gut-punch for the Coachella and Bonnaroo set, but combined, they amount to an all-out flogging. Just like that, three of the bands that defined the sound of their time appear to be history.
All I can say is this: Please keep it together Radiohead, Decemberists, and Arcade Fire.
Fans of LCD can still catch the band at a blowout final gig in New York’s Madison Square Garden on April 2nd. Fans of Gorillaz will probably have to be content with their memories for now, and the extensive alternate universe of animation the band has left in its wake.
*UPDATE*: Pitchfork has put the Gorillaz rumor to rest, receiving word from the band’s representatives that “Despite rumours to the contrary, Gorillaz are alive and well and misbehaving in London W10.” So, yay for that!
