FT5: Worst Trends In Indie Rock
So while recently looking back on our earliest days here at ATH, I skimmed over on an almost 2 year old post about our least favorite things in the music world. If you don’t care to read that old piece of journalism, it was more a focus on trends in the extremely popular media world. We ranted on myspace, the loudness of some new rock bands, and the decline of albums as an art form. Looking back, I’d say myspace is really on it’s way out, loudness is a declining trend and albums seem to be on the rise. We made a difference! For today, I’d like to focus on 5 things that really erk me about our little niche known as the “indie music world”. Of course with bands like Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, and Spoon topping the charts, these trends are slowly making the move from indie to popular. We must put a stop to them now! Follow the jump for more.
5. Electronica/Chillwave
Now let’s get it out of the way right now that I actually do like quite a few bands in this subgenre of the indie world. That being said, for every ONE band I like, you’ve got around maybe TWENTY or so that I can’t stand. For every Dakotafish, you’ve got littlerally hundreds of Animal Collective imitators. Speaking of Animal Collective… I guess I sort of respect that these guys set this new trend and the genre they helped to create is popular in the indie world…. BUT… I don’t get it. I never have and I doubt I ever will. Not to mention the Animal Collective off shoot known as Panda Bear. I guess I’m failing to see how this is considered music. If I handed you a guitar and asked you to strum a G chord… could you? Call me old fashioned, but I miss the days when people played real instruments.
4. RSVPs
Oh how well all love our fabulous SXSW week right? YES! And oh how we all love those awesome free RSVP parties with all those free goodies right? YES! And oh how we all really love those countless spam/PR emails that come our way after the festival right? WRONG! Come on people, I don’t even fucking live in New York, so I could care less about some hot party going on in the NYC. I get that you people want an RSVP list for your party to get a count, but please don’t start whoring out my email address to every PR person in the country. I get enough damn email on a daily basis. Also, why do I need to RSVP for cheaper/free entry? So you can violate my email address? Why can’t the damn show just be free or $5 without the email?!? Funny thing is, we had an RSVP list for our SXSW party but I guarantee not one of you got any emails from us.
3. The lo-fi Movement
Similar to my #5 choice, this is another style of music that’s really starting to get old. Just like the chillwave movement, I like some of these bands, but also have a countless number I can’t stand. I’ll give a holler to my local boys Strange Boys and even give a small nod to newish lady of lo-fi Best Coast for both being solid artists in the genre. Then I give a strong shake of my head to all you other bands who sound like you recorded your last album inside the back of a dump truck. I’ve made better sounding recordings in my bathroom at home. No seriously, I have. Back in the day I mentioned my negative feelings towards the “loudness war” that some popular rock bands were going through over the last few years. I love that the loudness movement is dying, but why did we have to go to the opposite end of the spectrum? Buy a damn condensor mic people!
2. Lack of Hygiene
Dude, you smell like shit. No seriously, you smell like a sock I’ve been wearing for a 90 minute soccer game. I totally understand that you want to be “green” and “Earth friendly” on your bicycles with jorts and excessive body hair. That’s cool man. Have you ever heard of a shower? Maybe even a shower in the sink at the bar? Brush your teeth much? Seriously, go walk into a bar on the east side, or Red River for that matter, and take a big ‘ol wiff of that nastiness. Most of those kids are “musicians” in bands around town who’ve forgotten the meaning of the words “lather, rinse, and repeat”. Ya know I also understand that you artists have maybe been on tour for awhile and showers are hard to come by on the road. I get all that, but you’ve got to be kidding me. Throw on some deodorant man, trim your facial hair, put on some clean clothes, and act like you want to be taken seriously. When did being smelly become the new black?
1. ADD
Here’s where I really lose it. I lose it because I’m part of the problem just as much as everyone reading this little article is part of the problem. Today we try to cram our thoughts on music into 160 words or less. Today we are so overly saturated with blogs, websites, and everyone else with an opinion that we skim over everything to get to the point. Today we respond to emails via our smart phones to industry people in a matter of seconds only to say “yes”. Today we discover a new band, love ’em for a month, and then throw them to the dogs. Today we truly have defined the idea of “5 minutes of fame” with bands hot one day and broken up the next. No one has patience anymore. It’s not just a problem in the music world, you see it everyday. You don’t respond to an email fast enough? BOOM, “check in” with them again. Sure I may sound like some old man with my “you kids these days attitude”, but can you really argue with me? No one listens anymore and no one has time anymore. Hell, when’s the last time you made a phone call? Who has time for that!? Take some Ritalin fools.
Put down your iphone and tell me your thoughts.
Yes.
Sent from my iPhone.
tl;dr
“WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!”
yes we did.
I think the lo-fi and loudness argument could even be related. The idea is they both sound as intended through shitty laptop speakers or earbuds. What do they have in common? They are both proof that nobody cares what music actually sounds like anymore.
David Cross says it all…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCumH8LRo1A
Great article. As I read this, I am in a living room where 2 of the three people here are on a computer (including myself) while the third is playing on an iPhone.
There is a HUGE difference between a dirty hipster and a clean hipster. You can look rugged and stylish AND have non-greasy hair. I promise.
Preach on Brother.
May I suggest that you voice these concerns on an actual soap box at the corner of 6th and Red River? Or is it that this digital soap box is more acceptable, or perhaps convenient?
Good Art will always be a visceral, face to face enterprise. You can try to replace it, but your gadgets will never replace your inborn senses of sound, site, feel, touch, and taste. Your iphone will never stimulate all of those simultaneously. And while smelly hipsters still demand that their sex remain hands on they’ve allowed their art to be hijacked and replaced by sound bites and blurbs.
– The Old Man of Manchaca
Well I agree with your point on the hygiene thing. I really can’t comprehend how hipsters can go so long without showering… surely they must realize they smell like ass, if asses smelled like soggy cigarette butts and shitty beer.
ANYWAYS, I wholeheartedly DO disagree though, with your points on lo-fi and electronica/chillwave (by the way, why’d you group electronica/chillwave together? that’s like grouping rock music and punk music together — they’re related but definitely not the same thing. One’s been around for decades and the other sprung up a year ago through hipster runoff as a joke.) And if you were even a decent music journalist, you would know that Panda Bear has been making albums way before Animal Collective got anywhere close to big and that the current incarnation of lo-fi isn’t a “movement” but instead something that’s preeeeetty much been going on for a solid 20 years with bands like Pavement and Smog in the 90s that paved the way for bands like WAVVES and No Age taking the helm today.
Listen, just give me your job. How much are you making for doing this sort of thing anyway?
Actually my young friend, you’ll find that the lo-fi of today is not anywhere near the lo-fi of the work of Bill Callahan or Pavement, as both of those grew into lo-fi out of necesesity, as did groups like Guided by Voices. But, now, with easier access to recording processes, groups are actively seeking to record in a lo-fi manor, so as to appeal to a whole new breed of people that look for shitty recording. Rayray was commenting on his appreciation for quality recording, which is in dire need of some revamping for some bands.
Also, Animal Collective and Panda Bear were two bands he clearly stated in the article were acceptable, as the orginators of that sort of sound. Our complaint, is the bullshit recorded by one douchebag on his laptop, then he sings over it with a microphone live. Really? You think thats acceptable?
But, if you want to write for us, you can be our electronica specialist. But, we don’t make money. This is all for kicks.
Oh Mr. Johnny Rottenseed where do I even begin….
When did I say that electronica/chillwave were the same thing? I put them together because they are popular now and both annoy me. Plus my point was more being annoyed with “electronic” music which is a lot of what “chillwave” is about. Let’s just say that it was my personal attack on Animal Collective and similar bands.
Panda Bear was making albums way before Animal Collective eh? The guy made ONE album before AC got started. And would you not agree that the huge popularity of Animal Collective brought more attention and fame to Panda Bear? Regardless, I think both bands are as overrated as they come so it matters little.
Sure lo-fi has been around for awhile, but it is extremely popular in the indie world topday. Sure Pavement, Smog, Guided by Voices, etc. have been doing it for a long time, but they currently have a million shitty imitators. You also just compared Wavves to Pavement so your comment is null and void.
aaaaaand you’re hired! It pays…. Nothing!
And Nathan is correct. Too many bands are trying to sound lo-fi to appeal to the taste of the indie world. It’s popular now.
Maybe Pavement will be the band that we love but also lead to shitty imitators? Just like Nirvana lead to Nickelback…
rayray and nathan
You guys schooled me, and I apologize for being belligerent and drunk last night. I really love your site, no joke. I think polarizing issues like what’s ‘lo-fi’ and what isn’t often really get my goat, but I’m glad *somebody* brought it up. Peace & love, my homies.
No worries at all JR, we just like to make sure we back up our points a little bit as well, otherwise we’d be hack writers, right? We’re always down to argue. Still, thanks for coming by our site.