overanalyzingmainstream

[overanalyzingmainstream]

Anthropocene in mainstream music : ruined world and rebellion

An analysis of Maison by Dreamcatcher

In the summer of 2020, a movement of unbolting statues was at the center of a debate regarding western hegemony. Mainstream music has been a place to discuss the issue, because of its capacity to widely broadcasted productions about the current state of the world. “Zeitgeist” (meaning the spirit of a specific time) is often used to describe pop music, as it is representative of its time’s concern. In this analysis, I will not focus on counter-culture as a means for artists to speak a political truth but rather on the political awareness shown in mass media and more particularly in mainstream music. I will mainly analyze Dreamcatcher’s title track “Maison”, as it was the starting point of my reflection on the anthropocene. The music video came out on the 12th of April 2022 and showed at the beginning a chained and tagged statue in the middle of a ruined city. The sight felt like it was too powerful of an image to be a mere trivial scenery of a K-pop MV and that is precisely what sparked the idea for this analysis.

Dreamcatcher is relatively different from other K-pop groups, they don't belong to any successful south-korean record labels. It is actually the only group under their independent label, named Dreamcatcher Company. Dreamcatcher was reformed in 2017 after a commercial failure of their first concept “Minx”, hence the niche concept. For their new start, Dreamcatcher Company chose metal/rock sounds with horror coded music videos. Therefore, Dreamcatcher is in the mainstream system (K-pop) with a rather outer side production. “Maison” is the first part of a project about climate change, human greed and the consequences it has on the environment. In an interview, Dreamcatcher’s member Jiu explains the message as : “The story we told this time around is of environmental pollution. Because of human greed the earth is being destroyed.” As they were careful enough to count themselves as responsible as anyone else, the song is aimed to awaken some concern in all of us regarding the planet’s state. However, “Maison” isn’t only a campaign on recycling, the message goes further. Analyzing the music video, the production, the visual references and the lyrics will show why I think we should talk about anthropocene rather than ecology. Then, it will also help us consider the anthropocene and the difficulty of this debate when in the mainstream scene. 

Let’s start by pointing out that mainstream and anthropocene are more similar than it seems. Mainstream is the product of the cultural industries - which stand for the moment in time when art was broadcasted worldwide or nationwide through mass media (cf. Theodor W. Adorno’s (1903-1969) and Max Horkheimer’s (1895-1973) article Kulturindustrie). Thus mainstream culture depends on the market laws and rules. The Anthropocene refers to the geological era defined by human’s harmful impact on nature. In other words, it is a system based on the stranglehold humankind holds on the planet’s environment. I’ll explain more about the anthropocene later. If we can compare the two concepts, it is because the mainstream is also a dominant system. By definition, mainstream designates a certain production meant for a wide audience. It is an accessible culture. Of course, it is popular because it is aimed at a large scale, hence the sentiment we have that it is supposedly a culture that “everyone likes”. Only there is a problem in that conception. Considering a content to be “shared” by everyone would come down to saying it is “universal”. Yet, thinking something is “universal” is problematic in itself. If we do think something is “universal” it means that everyone without exception has experienced that thing, casting out people when they don’t. It equals demanding of a group of people to experience something or maybe live a certain way, following a forced idea of what is considered universal, therefore washing out the differences instead of giving value to them. What I mean by that is that mainstream culture can be a way to force people to experience what has been decided to be “common” but in reality is only the product of soft power. Not by any means a way to reunite different people because it erases their differences. It is because of this dominant aspect of mainstream that we can pair it with the anthropocene. Mainstream can be used for the same aim as the anthropocene : to establish hegemony. Be it by coercion (via hard power or what Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) called the “political society”) or by consent (soft power or “civil society”). Mainstream culture is guilty of following the dominant and globalizing logic of industries and capitalism, hence its share of responsibility on climate deregulation and pollution. In the case of mainstream music, it happens mainly through the disc and music industry. Mainstream culture also participates in social deregulation as it promotes overconsumption and neoliberalism, thus widening the gap between the higher and lower classes through normalizing wastes. 

I think it is important to define further what the anthropocene has to do with this theme. Anthropocene isn’t another greenwashing ideology. Etymologically, “anthro” stands for “human” in ancient Greek and “cene” is the “era”. The Anthropocene is an era caused by the rise of capitalism (also called capitalocene to explicit that link, it is often added to “anthropocene” to explain furthermore what holds the term. Cf. Donna Haraway (1944- ), “Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Plantationocene, Chthulucene: Making Kin”). It is also connected to the New World’s discovery and consequently the environmental disturbance caused by Europeans’ appropriation of America's resources (phenomenon also named plantationocene). 

My goal here isn’t to legitimize (or not) mainstream music, I want to analyze the representation of the debate regarding the anthropocene in mainstream music. How it was handled and why Dreamcatcher Company chose what they did in this particular system. The anthropocene is actually a rather popular subject in universities nowadays. Thinkers do educate ourselves with the discussion of its definition, but can mainstream music open a discussion on it? That is what I’m asking here. Is the mainstream scene the place to talk about our shared responsibility in the destruction of our world? 

1. Ecologism : how to come back to a livable world ?

In April 2022, prior to “Maison”’s release, Dreamcatcher Company posted teasers such as photoshoots, lyrics, videos… on social media to give a preview of the new music. In one of those teasers, a little green plant was in the palm of the hands of a member, thereby introducing the theme of “Maison” : preserving the environment. The name of the title track of the album is significant for a song about ecology since eco (“oikos” in greek) means “home” or “house”. And “maison” is the french translation for house. It makes the intent of the song very clear : we must treat our planet like a house that protects and hosts its residents. With respect and kindness. The lyrics in the chorus seem to focus on the necessity to protect the less anthropized environments, as well as actively fighting for their retention. Indeed “save” becomes “fight” because we reached a point when protecting is not enough anymore. 

There is a traffic sign in the background of the MV, mostly present during the first chorus that indicates the direction to the Badlands in California. The Badlands are a non practical land, no good for farming for example. In other words, it is a place left with a rather wildlife and balanced ecosystem. It is interesting to realize that the place is only mentioned, not shown. I think it is an important aspect of the whole mv : nature isn’t present. The lack of organic life forces the viewer to uncomfortably realize how human’s greed ravaged the world. To add to the list, at 1:47, can be spotted working factories as well as antennas in the desert. Only one of the singers stands in the middle of the scene and is looking lost and saddened at the sight. The only presence of humans - apart from the singers and the military/government clones - is through their hold on the environment. Visually, seeing a mere tiny spot of grass and a traffic sign isn’t enough anymore. Maybe the sight of a damaged world became unbearable. 

2. Cultural hegemony and western symbolism. 

“Maison”’s universe is made of 3D western architectures’ styles such as a brutalist city, a gothic cathedral and antic colonnades. The choice behind this type of scenery reveals, in my opinion, two different meanings. Contradictory ones.  I think it can be understood as a criticism of western iconography's ubiquity. For it is, after all, a South Korean music video with only European references. The other possibility behind that stylistic choice is that maybe Dreamcatcher uses western symbolism for a more practical reason : for more people to understand their message. Which is by definition the goal of mainstream as we saw before. Except it becomes an issue from the moment it participates in the never ending vicious circle of dominating cultures. What I mean by that is that the music video has a critical view on power over the masses, yet, by using the specific language of the dominant, it only makes them more powerful. The same way soft power does on the side : erase cultures for a “superior” one (the one from the dominant class). It proves that universality as a means to force a bland culture is deeply rooted in our society. Consequently, as previously stated it makes the differences between cultures less noticeable until they completely disappear. I’m not trying to say a good K-pop MV should only use Korean imagery or traditions. Pop culture is the place of melting pot, of mixing genres and accidental meetings of origins… Let’s just point out that 2020 was a turning point in K-pop as Agust D (aka Suga from worldwide famous band BTS) released “Daechwita”. Using a traditional military Korean piece of music sampled, it opened a new trend for K-pop groups to affirm their cultural identity (for example Stray Kid’s “Thunderous”). Although it was trending to use traditional pieces of music, celebrating their culture is nothing new for K-pop as promoting Korean culture is the point of K-pop. It is a governmental decision to rebuild the country's economy after the 1997’s financial crisis using their soft power, also named Hallyu Wave. That is why K-pop is inherently paradoxal : it blends both the want to promote their unique culture (showing the differences) as well as economically aiming for wider audience outside of South-Korea and Asia (and so making it for “everyone” hence removing big gaps of culture that could alter a sense of identifying). 

Those specifically are consequences of the anthropocene. Globalizing cultures purposefully makes differences disappear in order to have a monopoly. The reason behind using only western artistic codes is ambiguous. That uncertainty lies also in the lyrics. Sure, “Maison” condemns human greed but whose? Who is Dreamcatcher addressing the song to? Who must fight for the planet? Well, all of us, really. Everyone. That is the obvious answer but also the less engaging one. Globalizing the receptor is the easy choice, it doesn’t cost much to say that everyone needs to do something but it avoids any type of responsibility. If they talk to “everyone”, it is easier for the listener to blame the neighbors than to rethink their lifestyle. Moreover, the last sentence of the chorus “Please someone fight for us” doesn’t designate someone in particular. It is completely impersonal. It ends up being an anonymous entity that nobody identifies with. As a matter of fact, “Maison” criticizes a certain attitude towards the state of the world, choosing to ignore the consequences of it (“Break your habit now”). It could be aimed at the ones who don't feel concerned. It seems more likely to point at the elites, conscious of the anthropocene but choosing to ignore it in order to keep their privileges. That is what the French writer Bruno Latour (1947-2022) explains in Down To Earth : Politics in the New Climatic Regime. 

 In other words, the ruling class keeps the cycle of abuse on the planet's resources and residents for their own interests. With that idea in mind, we realize that “Maison” is more of a critic than a lecture. Especially since Dreamcatcher stated they weren’t better than the rest of us, being as responsible than others. However, the way they point out how abusive the system is (even in an impersonal way) manifests a political view. 

3. “I Can’t Breathe” : iconoclasm and protests.

“Maison” takes notice of the destroyed climatic state of the world but the message goes further than that. That is why I think the word anthropocene is better than ecology regarding this piece. There is a constant relationship between environmental and political conditions. For example in the lyrics, climate warming is compared to someone’s lack of conscience : “It’s weirdly hot, right? The laws of this planet are just the same as your drying conscience”. Also in the MV, the most impactful and politically charged image is the vandalized statue. It indicates that a rebellion against repression had taken place. That moment in the MV when we’re facing that image is accompanied by the song’s lyrics “Someone who got used to it”. Another translation can be found : “Someone got comfortable”. In the first one, it can be understood as the person being oppressed got used to the fate and won’t stop against the abusive authority anymore. Against “This crumbling place’s obvious dead sign”. The second translation makes it obvious that the statue is a symbol of a settler who took control of a place that doesn’t belong to them. Being symbols of power, oppression, conquest, pioneering, colonialism and slavery, statues often represent historical figures or allegories all being the epitome of western domination. Those statues were recently controversial, as people started questioning their legitimacy and meaning in today’s society, since they celebrate and endorse a certain history our modern society may not relate to anymore. 

It is important to explain the political context prior to Maison’s release. In 2020, the Afro-American George Floyd was killed by policemen from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States of America. He died in a violent arrest, as a police officer knelt on his neck for minutes despite George Floyd’s complaint that he couldn’t breathe anymore. Hence his last words “I can’t breathe” became since the emblem of the Black Lives Matter. This event has been the starting point of numerous protests against police violence aimed at the black community. Those protests were joined by an iconoclast movement of destroying symbols of power, domination and especially linked to slavery. 

The vandalized statue in Dreamcatcher’s music video is way too impactful to not remind us of George Floyd’s protests. It is a way to show that rebellion can be an answer to oppression. I am aware that Dreamcatcher never talked about 2020’s riots or anything remotely political in their interviews to promote the song. Although it was never addressed, the music video doesn’t hide its engagement. Every reference is explicit enough to gather a clear political stance. The first sentence of the song “I can’t breathe” even if sung in Korean is exactly what George Floyd said before dying. The second sentence “Tomorrow disappears into the distance” explains how hard it is to imagine a future if nothing changes. It literally becomes harder to breathe because of global warming and other consequences of the anthropocene. It also means that we can’t keep on living in an unfair society governed by power and domination. The first sentences of the song have a double meaning as the fight is both environmental and social. 

Now, let’s talk about change. “Maison”’s music video shows all seven members of Dreamcatcher fighting against authority figures in a post-apocalyptic world. The message of “Maison” is to end the tyrannic dominant system. As a matter of fact a dictator is represented in the MV with diabolic goat attributes (often used to portray the antichrist) in a luxurious place, surrounded by clones. The music video ends on that figure defeated and a possible new peaceful era. It is clear that “Maison” criticizes the indifference towards the current state of the world, and as said before, it aims to awaken a political awareness. If not, at least it manifests how power rules over to the point where it poisons its planet and the people living on it. 

As a last aspect to analyze, I want to talk about the ending of the MV and more particularly how it evokes a return to a golden age. It seems, in my opinion, misplaced for a critic about cultural hegemony, since once again it uses only ancient symbols and western art forms. The superhero aesthetic (whose values are more cliché than engaged) winning against the bad guy in a dystopian world might discredit the seriousness of the subject. However the oversimplification of a fight between good and evil is balanced by strong references and politically charged symbols to the current situation. We can recognize the simplification as a symptom of mainstream as well as the anonymous use of “you”. If the goal is to be enjoyed by everyone then it is in the creator’s best interest to not offend anyone. Hence a politically correct way of delivering an engaged message. All those examples of clumsy associations and attempts to provide a critical opinion while still respecting restricting mainstream rules can be seen as a sort of intersectionality. In the way that all fights rejoin around equality and respect. In so many ways, the very fact that they want to spread such a message (also criticizing mainstream media) while in the mainstream can be contradictory. I think that no mainstream piece of art or culture can gather all conditions to be as impactful and critical towards the very system it is in as it should be, because the problem lies in that system itself and not necessarily in the said product. I also believe that it still holds the possibility to awaken some sort of political consciousness even if buried under layers of standardized and pre-made sentences. I don’t think the lack of sharpness to the delivery discredit the message because if it does, it would mean we can only talk about serious matters in “serious” media. Consequently limiting the message to an “elite” class. Opening a debate on mainstream within the mainstream scene is important. 

In conclusion, “Maison”’s aim is to remind us all how capable we can all be at restoring peace in our world by fighting against domination. Through union and respect. Bruno Latour explains in his book Down To Earth that “the [...] elites [...] have taken the threat seriously ; they have concluded that their dominance was threatened and have decided to dismantle the ideology of a planet shared by all”. “Maison” reminds us of this ideology and invites us to rethink our planet as a shared house. One that needs care.

Mcp

instagram.com/mcstormi