Oh my goodness, here it is, I'm going to attempt to verbalize my love for Independent Rock Music. Or as it's better known: Indie. Indie is more than just a music, more than a sound. There is definitely a sound that you can Identify as Indie, usually low quality scratchy recording, but that is not the definition. It's more of a spirit, a movement almost, but it's a movement that tries its best to not be a movement. I think that's the first thing that you should all know, Indie is not out to conquer the world. It's not the British Invasion of the 60's, or the Punk movement, or Hip-Hop, all aimed to take things over. Indie is just fine where it's at, selling out concerts and thousands of tickets without most of America even noticing. It's about doing it yourself, not making corporate music, sometimes making bad music, but all in the name of Independence. Artists that wouldn't mind going big (being anti success isn't indie, that's Kurt Cobain) but are only going to do it on their own terms. Take Death Cab For Cutie, they've been accused of selling out, but if I have a problem with them, it's that they sound exactly like they did when they were underground. But every once in awhile even teenage girls accidentally listen to something good and you'll here DeathCab blared out of Jettas with Roxy stickers in the back window all across the nation. It may be sandwiched in between cheap pop like Katy Perry, Beyonce, and Dashboard Confessional (which is fake indie), but it has wormed its way into public consciousness.
Indie's effect is seen in ways that people don't recognize. You know that big glasses trend that's been in recently, completely Indie a few years ago, you won't see it as much anymore since it's gotten into the mainstream fashion world, but have no doubt, bands like Pavement and Of Montreal have been rocking those bad boys a lot longer than Brad Pitt has. Other places such as iTunes (which has been crucial in the mainstream success of indie) and Hot Topic (they just can't seem to make anyone happy) have picked up on the Aesthetic and made money off of it. Even rappers like Kanye West and Lil Wayne have sampled totally underground tracks in popular songs of theirs. (which have referenced King Crimson and The Shins respectively.)
I don't know what it is, maybe its my overdeveloped but underexpressed rebellious streak, (I have a secret love of Graffiti and Public Disturbances). Maybe it's my thickly sarcastic and thinly veiled music snobbery that makes me only enjoy music that couldn't be called normal. But when I see cheap christmas lights strung over a bass drum and the lead singer of the band comes on and tells everyone to go home before the show even starts, my blood gets going. When I here some strange dissonant chord ring out from a tinny guitar and an off time beat, it's beautiful to me. Seriously though, it's not a sound, whether it's Built to Spill's triple guitar attack, to the Shins laid back folk-pop, from Dntel's sharp electronica, to Mates of the State's Piano Balladry, the range is diverse but the vision is singular. Indie.
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