The Return West

I just finished listening to the new Danger Mouse album, "Rome". It paints a great atmosphere, harkening back to the sound tracks of old spaghetti-westerns. Needless to say, it is a well executed album. But, what interested me more is the vindication this album represents in the return of interest in westerns.

While various new alt-country artists, like the Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, Jose Gonzalez/Junip have been blazing a trail up the charts, this album is created by an established Hip-Hop and RnB producer! It shows that intest is broadening beyond the core audience, out into the mainstream.

It seems, to me, that the writing is on the wall for us to see a resurgence of this once prolific genre; not only in music, but also in movies, like True Grit, and video games, like Red Dead Redemption. Time will tell, but I have a feeling if the register bells keep ringing to the sound of the wild west, publishers will be quick to react, and the the next big thing won't be a zombie or a vampire, but a cowboy.