Horizon seems clear of trends

If you are a musician and you think you have something that will reshape the landscape of popular music, now’s a good time to step forward. It’s a wide-open field.

That’s the consensus in an informal survey of A&R; executives -- the talent scouts charged with sniffing out the next big things and signing the potential breakthrough artists -- designed to get a bead on the state of rock in late 2004.

“There’s always great music out there, but I haven’t seen anything strikingly different or original or people trying to come up with a new amalgamation of what’s come before,” says Steve Ralbovsky, who as senior vice president of A&R; in the RCA Music Group signed the Strokes and Kings of Leon. “I don’t really see any big trends or fusions on the horizon.”

But rather than feeling despondent about that void, Ralbovsky and his colleagues are ecstatic not to be bound by trends and genres. On the rock side in particular, they’ve been emboldened by the success of Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand and the fade of nu-metal -- a cultural endorsement for music that is quirky yet accessible, without fitting readily into a niche.

With that in mind, one indie band’s name keeps coming up over and over in conversations with the executives: Arcade Fire.

The Montreal quartet, which will play at Spaceland on Dec. 7, was the clear hit of the recent CMJ Music Marathon showcase in New York, and its new debut album, “Funeral,” released by the small North Carolina label Merge Records, has captured the imagination of many tastemakers.

“It’s my favorite new band,” says Warner Bros. Records senior vice president of A&R; Perry Watts-Russell, whose recent signings have included Secret Machines and Damien Rice. “One can hear resonances immediately of Talking Heads, but for me the attraction was the combination of the emotional quality of the lyric combined with fantastic melodies and incorporation of elements that aren’t just the usual bass and guitars.”

The rise of such bands also is seen as proof that fans are becoming less dependent on radio and are more apt to discover artists through the Internet, creating their own eclectic playlists in iPods or other portable devices.

The catch, though, is that the process has also made some acts wonder if they need or want to be part of the major-label world. In fact, Arcade Fire has made it clear to inquiring A&R; executives that it intends to stick with Merge for now. It’s an attitude that even some major-label figures say could be good not just for the band but for the music world in general. Ron Lafitte, Capitol Records senior vice president of A&R;, sees a similar situation with Interpol, the New York neo-post-punk band that has just released the second album of a two-album deal with indie label Matador Records.

“My understanding is their most probable situation is to make another deal with Matador,” he says.

“As much as I’d like to sign them, I would understand them doing that. If they feel they’re in control and have developed a meaningful relationship with the fan base they’re in a good position.”

And many are keeping watch on how the deal Seattle indie veteran Death Cab for Cutie has made with Atlantic Records turns out.

Meanwhile, the emergence of Scotland’s Franz Ferdinand and its sound, recalling Joy Division, Gang of Four and other early-’80s angular acts, has opened a door for a new U.K. wave.

There has been much excitement about a new band called Nine Black Alps, which claims Elliott Smith and Sonic Youth as primary influences and has just signed to Interscope Records. The quirky Futureheads’ debut album, out through Sire Records in the U.S., also has a lot of interest.

Is TV again the big thing for bands?

If it is true that radio is losing its hold as the main way to gain an audience, another is emerging: television. And not appearances on MTV but exposure through song placement in hot shows. James Diener, senior vice president of A&R; and marketing for the RCA Music Group, cites the success of his signings Maroon 5 and Gavin Degraw as well as Phantom Planet, whose breakthrough came when its “California” was used as the theme song for “The OC.”

Such shows such have become notable for featuring songs that are specific recommendations from producers, writers and even cast members rather than the results of high-level deals. In one such case, Los Angeles-based Joe Purdy is drawing a lot of label interest after having a song featured in the new ABC hit “Lost,” set among survivors of a plane crash on an island.

“There’s not really a reason to have songs on the show given the setting, but the producers liked Joe’s music so much they wrote into the script that a CD player was found in the wreckage,” says Greg Sowders, senior vice president of A&R; at Warner/Chappell Music Publishing, who works with Purdy. “The next morning there was a lot of talk about it in chat rooms on the Internet, and bootleg copies of the song were being sent around. As a result, there are a lot of labels looking at him.”

On the urban front, music from two regions is at the top of people’s minds, with the Southern-based crunk explosion expected to continue in hip-hop and the rise of Caribbean-rooted reggae and dancehall styles accelerating, with the Puerto Rican reggaeton sound getting particular attention.

“This reggaeton is absolutely huge in the streets,” says Peter Edge, executive vice president of A&R; at RCA Music Group. “Listen to any of the New York DJs and they’re all playing sets of it, and recently a show with four artists filled Madison Square Garden.”

There is also a lot of interest in new soul performers, especially women, who can follow Alicia Keys. A New York showcase by a singer named Algerbra drew a lot of label interest recently.

And what is not drawing interest? On the whole, there is a feeling that emo-rock, one of the next big things of the last few years, may have peaked with only a few acts (Dashboard Confessional, Jimmy Eat World) still looking like stars. A recent big-money deal for the band Taking Back Sunday with Warner Bros. Records is being watched closely on that front.

There also seems to be diminishing interest in female singer-songwriters. Few beyond Norah Jones have shown sustained commercial appeal.