<\/a>The last year or so has seen a number of legacy bands returning, whether they were making new albums and EPs or just going on tour. The Pixies<\/a>. Boards of Canada<\/a>. Mazzy Star<\/a>. My Bloody Valentine<\/a>. David Bowie<\/a>. Neutral Milk Hotel<\/a>. The Breeders<\/a>. Not even necessarily confined to indie rock, both Wu Tang Clan<\/a> and Lauryn Hill<\/a> returned to the forefront of the musical scene in some form. OutKast<\/a> seems like the latest duo to join the ranks of reawakening and there’s more than I’ve even mentioned here. The return of these legendary acts felt exciting at first, then a little overwhelming, and finally, predictable. We watched them struggle to adapt to the digital world of Twitter and Youtube streams, festival headlining slots and internet backlash. It felt disorienting to see a band like The Pixies\u2014who most already consider an established part of the indie rock canon\u2014go through petty band changes and lackluster EPs. Certainly not all of the artists disappointed in their return, but often the question went deeper than whether the new album, song or tour was successful or not. Rather, the reemergence begs the question: why now? What is the intent? Do these artists really feel they are adding to their legacies, or are these returns based on financial concerns? In some cases, it seems that the latter might be the primary motivation.<\/p>\n

Some music attains critical and commercial success in one fell swoop, setting a bar for the sound of an era, and decisively changing music itself. Artists like David Bowie and My Bloody Valentine certainly fit this mold, as do Wu Tang, The Pixies and Mazzy Star. It\u2019s not just that these artists were great and beloved by their fans, it\u2019s that their effects are being seen, felt and heard, even now a decade or more later. The impeachable nature of a band like My Bloody Valentine feels precarious when a new album comes out\u2014will it hold up? Will they maintain the myth? The ways in which legacy artists challenge their own reputation by releasing new material is fascinating, especially given the factors that have changed the way we consume music. For example, mbv<\/em> wasn\u2019t eligible for the Mercury Prize<\/a> because the group chose to put it out independently\u2014James Blake\u2019s album garnered the award. Or, how about the fact that David Bowie\u2019s album elicited barely a scratch from critical pens, while Arcade Fire\u2019s triumphant Reflektor<\/i> can be found in the top tier of nearly every year-end list? When The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill<\/em> came out, there was no Tink <\/a>or Rapsody<\/a>\u2014and no Nicki Minaj or rhyme-spitting Yonc\u00e9\u00a0either. These newer artists might just interest us more at this point, partially because they’ve built on the foundation that Hill herself laid. In a way, she’s fallen behind these emerging artists due to the doors she herself opened, and where newer artists have gone from there.<\/p>\n