Why So Many Pretentious Band Photos?

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So I recently agreed to review some of the albums that AbsolutePunk has mailed to their office, but don’t merit immediate staff attention. I was sent a long list of artists with links to their MySpace pages so that I could preview said artists and see if I’d want them to bother shipping any of these albums to my abode.

However, the thing that stood out while looking at all these pages was not the music (most of it being fairly mediocre), but the photos of the bands. It was a myriad of over-stylized, hyper-image conscious, horribly pretentious snapshots. I feel this is an unsettling trend. Now I know every group has an image that they’re going for, but it seems all subtly has been lost.

These photos come in all different varieties. There are the solo acts that does a little something odd to seem “eccentric,” such as wearing a single brightly color kids glove. There are the metal bands who are “badass” because they’re all in black t-shirts, look angry, and haven’t bathed in a couple day (featuring at least one guy with grossly long hair!). There are the “intelligent” indie bands with their corduroy vests, throwback hats, and glasses (perhaps sporting a pipe). There are the pop punkers in their hoodies with painstakingly styled hair and makeup. There are the electronic artists with dark sunglasses and neon backlighting. And of course, there’s lots of really, really bad “ironic” facial hair.

Is this really effective at all? Are there people who get into bands because of a picture they see (other than the moronic people who somehow like female pop singers’ music because they are hot)? I don’t get it.

I can count the bands I love that have a distinctly unique image on one hand (and The Hives are the only one that immediately come to mind). Many bands I like I can hardly even picture in my head.

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