X/Z Song Trader: "Expert in a Dying Field"

A Gen X Rocker Discusses Music With His Gen Z Daughter

May 14, 2024

About X/Z Song Trader: Steve is a music journalist, author and musician. Lucy is a diehard music fan and college student. They have always enjoyed a father/daughter bond over music. Each week one of them picks a song and they both share their perspectives. These are casual conversations based on musical connections. Opinions are their own. Keeping it positive.

After the first four weekly installments, we’re posting the next four every other week.

Steve’s Song Choice: “Expert in a Dying Field”

I spend a fair amount of time considering the emotional connections I’ve made with certain songs over the years.

I’m not necessarily talking about my “favorite songs,” although many of these tracks would fall into that category as well. This is more about examining why specific songs elicit such strong responses from me—even after countless listens.

I fell for music in the ‘80s and my world revolved around it throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s. So, songs like “Los Angeles” by X, “Unsatisfied” by The Replacements, “Gigantic” by Pixies, and “What You Do To Me” by Teenage Fanclub are core to my tastes. Same is true of other magical tracks I discovered along the way such as “I Only Have Eyes For You” by The Flamingos, “Waterloo Sunset” by The Kinks, “That’s Entertainment” by The Jam, and “Five Years” by David Bowie.

Over time I’ve found that developing deep bonds with new music takes a little more work, but every once in a while a track comes along that instantly casts a spell over me. “Expert in a Dying Field” by The Beths is one of those songs.

I realize the actual (and incredible!) lyrics are about the residue of a failed relationship, but that’s not necessarily how I experience this song.

Perhaps it’s the video, which takes a literal approach to the track’s title, but more likely it just unlocked some complicated feelings already swirling around my head. For me, the phrase “expert in a dying field” is all about rock music itself.

Weird, right? Or maybe not. I grew up in an era when rock was a dominant cultural force, starting with the British Invasion in the ‘60s and exploding into countless sub-genres over the decades. It’s a lifestyle that hooked me young and still dominates large parts of my heart and brain to this day.

But, in many ways, rock music itself is a “dying field” (it’s actually been declared dead so many times that I’ve lost count). So, it creates some internal dissonance when I hear a modern band like The Beths playing rock music so earnestly, expertly and unapologetically—but not getting the mainstream recognition I believe they deserve. (Don’t get me wrong, The Beths are doing great with or without my support.)

I suppose this is how sports fans feel about their favorite teams. And really, that’s not what indie rock is supposed to be about, maannnnn.

Still. I can’t help rooting for The Beths and other modern indie bands who are making some truly amazing music in a time when rock just isn’t a cultural focus. Which actually might be good since mainstream rock got a little bloated toward the back half of the ‘90s, which was probably when it last peaked.

But maybe an extended reset is exactly what rock music needed to get back in touch with it’s roots. Maybe, just maybe, bands like The Beths (and Alvvays, The Whiffs, Ratboys, Bully, Best Bets, The Lemon Twigs, The Speedways, boygenius, etc.) are a sign that it’s reemerging like some kind of glorious, guitar-wielding butterfly.

At least I hope so because that’s my niche and, for better or worse, I’m sticking with it.

Lucy’s Perspective

It’s so fun to know that your niche is something you are so deeply passionate about and something that holds deep meaning for you.

I love this song, though I have only heard it a couple of times. Elizabeth Stokes’ voice reminds me a lot of Lizzie McAlpine, with softer and more soulful tones. This type of rock music (driven mainly by female voices) is one of my favorite genres to listen to these days.

Songs like this remind me of being young and growing up with parents who have loved rock music since they were my age. I agree with you that The Beths put out music that is highly reminiscent of bands that you grew up loving.

While most people struggle to adapt to new forms of rock music as they get older, you have had no trouble discovering modern rock bands like The Beths, Bad Nerves, Uni Boys, and several other bands you have sent me over the years. I admire and appreciate your passion for a niche like this, and I strive to find that in my own musical interests.

I watched the music video for “Expert in a Dying Field” and I could immediately understand what you were talking about before.

I loved how it sort of represented, at least from my understanding, the dying art of rock and other forms of expression. It is such a fun and interactive-feeling way to emote to the audience how isolating it can feel to love something that doesn’t feel as widespread as it once was, even though that isn’t the direct meaning of the lyrics.

I love that you are rooting for a band to be stars instead of keeping them to yourself. I can relate because that’s how I’ve always felt about Taylor Swift. I have been a fan of her music since I was seven years old and first heard “Love Story.”

Though Taylor Swift certainly didn’t need my support in becoming a megastar, she has felt like my “niche” for the past decade and I have successfully converted many friends into major ‘Swifties.’

As a kid, I followed along with her, changing my musical focuses as she changed genres with each album. Starting with her deep country stuff, and working my way up to her more ‘indie’ music, which eventually led me into my fascination with bands such as Big Thief, boygenius and, of course, The Beths.

“Expert in a Dying Field” is exactly the type of song that I see myself not being able to escape until I’ve listened to it a hundred times, at least.

It has the perfect rock vibe and follows a fun storyline, which we know I love the most! The Beths, for you, are a symbol of the music you have loved all of your life; for me they are a reminder that music can hold meanings that are deeper than the surface level lyrics and melodies.

Most of all, The Beths remind me of the passion and love that my family—especially you—hold for music and how that has influenced my own love for it. Songs like this one make me wonder if one day I will be an “expert in a dying field” when I am old enough to have something substantial to look back on.