HIPSTER RUNOFF » indie

Might ‘get in shape’ using some indie fitness program.

Carles — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:03:49 +0000

Memehijack via videogum

Yall. Have been thinking about ‘getting in shape’ this summer so that I can wear sexie Am Appy tube tops instead of just 1 piece bathing suits to ‘cover up my beer bellie’ and ’show off my expanding symmetrical hip tattoos.’ Worried that I look like an alt-Beached_whale. I saw this cardio program that is apparently for indie rockers. It seems like I can ‘really get some results’ while not compromising my lifestyle/personal brand, and actually jam out to some kewl music.

I feel like I can really identify with ‘these tubby indie girls’ who bought their wardrobe at Hot Topic. I think that the moves that they use are ‘the exact same dance moves’ I use when nonchalantly swaying back and forth at an indie rock show, or when I ‘get my grind on’ at a Postal Service/AnCo show. Feel like this might be the perfect gift for the ‘overweight girl in high school’ who starts to have ‘indie tendencies’ after she ‘can’t fit in with mainstreamers.’ Then she’ll ‘lose some weight’ and ‘have a better self-image’ while posting Feist lyrics with no relevant context/life-application in her facebook profile.

Just want to create products that are marketed towards people who ‘don’t know

What sort of moves would yall put in an ‘indie rock’ fitness video?
What songs would yall use?
Are yall trying 2 lose weight?
“Please use the comments to share ur weight loss tips, stories, and goals.”

Amazon.com made a list of the 100 greatest indie albums of all time

Carles — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:07:31 +0000

Yall, I was searching Amazon.com for snuff films, and then I saw that People who Bought Snuff Films Also Purchased a lot of relevant indie albums. I think that Amazon.com put together this list as a promotion since a lot of people who listen to modern indie music just get their albums from rapidshare instead of amazon.com these days. Think that they are trying 2 sell more albums/mp3s to people who ’shop at amazon’ but still haven’t discovered that u can build a fulfilling online musical existence by visiting 3-7 sites on a monthly basis without spending much money.

Here is the list. Feel like I don’t know who most of these bands are. Maybe I’m not ‘as indie’ as I thought I was.

100 Dangerous Magical Noise – The Dirtbombs /// Never heard of them. might be a 90s band.
99 Passover – The Black Angels /// Think they must be ‘jews’ or something
98 To Survive – Joan As Police Woman /// Not sure who this is. Feel uninformed
97 Ultimate Alternative Wavers – Built To Spill /// Think that this band was big in the early 00s, but sound like they are from the ass crack of the 90s [via Modest Mouse aesthetic]
96 Trans Am – Trans Am /// Think that this band is about a car.
95 The Discovery Of A World Inside… – The Apples In Stereo /// Name sounds familiar. Will probs never listen 2 them.
94 Waiter: ‘You Vultures!’ – Portugal The Man /// Starting 2 feel ‘less indie’ than ever. Not recognizing any of these.
93 Alligator – The National /// Think this is a recent ‘good band.’ Never heard them, though. Will probably release another album that goes even mainstreamer.
92 Horses In The Sky – Silver Mt. Zion /// Sounds like they have beards and sing songs about what it would be like to live in the wilderness and have ‘faith in God’.
91 Gallowsbird’s Bark – The Fiery Furnaces /// Sounds familiar. Have probably heard 1 song by them in a commercial.
90 Louden Up Now – (!!! Chk Chik Chick) /// Think they were only selected because of their interesting name.
89 The Milk-Eyed Mender – Joanna Newsom /// She is pretty ‘popular’ but not sure if she was ever really ‘that good.’ Just had an interesting voice.
88 The Power Out – Electrelane /// Probably only picked this to get ‘more women’ on this list. Don’t want 2 isolate female shoppers.
87 Cure For Pain – Morphine /// Sounds like an ‘emo’ album.
86 Worn Copy – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti /// Pretty authentic decision not 2 pick his ‘mainstream album.’
85 Vivian Girls – Vivian Girls /// Haven’t they only been around for like 2 weeks. Think amazon.com just has too many copies of this in their warehouse and are looking 2 sell.
84 Hearts Of Oak – Ted Leo/Pharmacists /// Think that this bro will probably ‘be around forever’. Probably has a group of fans who will ‘always love him.’
83 Save Yourself – Make Up /// Never heard of them. Think this was a song by Stabbing Westward [via mainstream rock]
82 The Last Match – The Aislers Set /// Damn. Wish I knew this band. Sound like they really thought about their name.
81 The Sea and the Bells – Rachel’s /// Damn. Sounds like a cafe/diner or something.
80 The Ugly Organ – Cursive /// Isn’t this a ‘hardcore’ band? Confused about this list. What is ‘indie’?
79 De Stijl – The White Stripes /// Not sure if they are ‘indie.’ Feel weird when bands ‘used to be authentic indie’ from the early indie era, but were actually just ‘plugged into the marketing machine.’
78 Nothing Feels Good – The Promise Ring /// Is this an emo band?
77 The Smell Of Our Own – The Hidden Cameras /// Don’t know this band
76 Jane From Occupied Europe – Swell Maps /// Don’t know this band either. Sad.
75 Furnace Room Lullaby – Neko Case /// Think she is ’still around.’ Wonder if she sounds like Feist (the only female solo artist I ever listened to besides Alanis Morisette [via Canada]).
74 The Curtain Hits The Cast – Low /// Feel like bands with 1 name should be ‘hardcore.’
73 The R&B Of Membership – The Delta 72 /// Not sure who this is.
72 II & III – Camper Van Beethoven /// Think this band is like ‘authentic 90s rock’ or something. Not sure. Too young to ‘get’ it.
71 Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating… – Spiritualized /// Sounds like a southern rock indie tribute band that didn’t make the KingsOfLeon decision to ’sell out’ and ‘write arena rock songs’.
70 The Fawn – The Sea And Cake /// Remember life before the Postal Service? Me neither, yall.
69 Feast of Wire – Calexico /// Sounds familiar but haven’t listened.
68 Oh, Inverted World – The Shins /// Glad that Garden State made sure that I know about this band.
67 Will You Find Me – Ida /// Sounds like something that some1 would recommend.
66 Milk Man – Deerhoof /// Just some band about deers.
65 Coquelicot Asleep In The Poppies… – Of Montreal /// I wonder if this is one of their early albums where they ‘weren’t so zany’
64 Rejoicing in The Hands – Devendra Banhart /// Heard that this bro dated Natalie Portman. Wonder if he is more famous 4 that than this album.
63 Destroyer’s Rubies – Destroyer /// Think that this band is ‘authentic’ and saw them on blogs and sites.
62 TNT – Tortoise /// Need 2 listen 2 more music.
61 Neon Golden – The Notwist /// Reminds me of looking for something that ‘kinda sounds like the postal service’
60 Daddy’s Highway – The Bats /// Sounds like they are probably some ‘bad sounding, overrated’ band.
59 Set Yourself On Fire – Stars /// Glad Broken Social Scene replaced Stars. Back then any 1 would automatically ‘like’ cutesy music
58 Fabulous Muscles – Xiu Xiu /// Think they were the first band to have a name with the ____(x2) structure.
57 Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes – TV On The Radio /// Not even sure what the difference between their albums is.
56 The Decline And Fall Of Heavenly – Heavenly /// Sound like they are not very good based on their name.
55 The Mysterious Production of Eggs – Andrew Bird /// I heard he sold more albums than Animal Collective, and he was in the band ‘Cherry Poppin Daddies’
54 Pussy-Whipped – Bikini Kill /// Think people have tried to get me to listen to them.
53 Sing No Evil – Half Japanese /// Would listen if their name was ‘Half AZN.’
52 Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express – The Go Betweens /// Never heard of them.
51 Emperor Tomato Ketchup – Stereolab /// Think they were a progressive electronic band a while ago, but now probably a lot of stuff sounds like them.
50 And Don’t The Kids Just Love It – Television Personalities /// srsly need 2 listen 2 more music. feel ‘dumb and stupid.’
49 Wild Love – Smog /// Think some weird girl sent me this album a while ago, and it was ‘okay.’
48 Agaetis Byrjun – Sigur Ros /// Hard 2 tell the difference between some of their albums.
47 Red House Painters I – Red House Painters /// Sounds like they live on a farm or something.
46 Advisory Committee – Mirah /// Think I listened 2 her. probably has ‘a unique voice’ or something.
45 How Memory Works – Joan Of Arc /// Vaguely remembers when music sounded like this.
44 On Fire – Galaxie 500 /// Sound like a ’sillie’ band. Not even sure. Feel like this post is boring, and proving that I don’t know anything about music. Worried about my future as ‘a music blog.’
43 On – Imperial Teen /// Wish it was ‘imperial tweens’ then I would listen.
42 Mass Romantic [Remastered] – The New Pornographers /// I think people ‘like them’ or something. srsly haven’t listened 2 them.
41 Gulag Orkestar – Beirut /// Think they are recent, and write ‘grandiose’ songs. Probs never gonna listen 2 them.
40 This Nation’s Saving Grace – The Fall /// Sounds like ‘fall out boys’.
39 You Forgot It In People – Broken Social Scene /// This albums was pretty ‘meaningful’, but more importantly ‘approachable.’
38 I Am A Bird Now – Antony & The Johnsons /// Isn’t that the Hercules and Bro Affair bro?
37 When Your Heartstrings Break – Beulah /// This was a band for free-spirited post-teen girls.
36 Our Endless Numbered Days – Iron & Wine /// Heard he covered the Postal Services.
35 Person Pitch – Panda Bear /// Damn. Feel sad that this isn’t higher. Feel like I am supposed 2 think it is the greatest album ever.
34 Let’s Get Out of This Country – Camera Obscura /// I think I read that they are a ‘poor man’s version’ of Belle and Sebby.
33 Merriweather Post Pavilion – Animal Collective /// Not their best album. Shoulda picked a more authentic ‘early’ album. Maybe Sung Tongs or ‘Here Comes the Indian.’
32 Let It Be [Expanded Edition] – The Replacements /// Think that this band was like ‘alternative country’ or some genre like that.
31 Repeater + 3 Songs – Fugazi /// Reminds me of people who wear t-shirts of bands, but I don’t really know what they sound like.
30 Zen Arcade – Hüsker Dü /// I think the Bob Mould guy in this band was authentic, or something. Still haven’t heard them. Heard Ryan Adams talk about how they invented the D-chord or something like that.
29 24 Hour Revenge Therapy – Jawbreaker /// Think there was a movie called ‘Jawbreaker’ once. Also a popular candy in the pre-JollyRancher era.
28 Lift Your Skinny Fists… – godspeed you black emperor! /// I think they were the first band with a “!” in it. Think they are conceptual.
27 Yellow House – Grizzly Bear /// Haven’t heard it. Kinda weird how bands theoretically ‘get better’ but we will hold on to a lasting snapshot of ’simpler times’ when it comes to bands. So while a newer album might be ‘the best thing they have ever written’, we will choose to hold on to something that reminds us of the world/scene we used 2 live in, and how we used 2 perceive the world.
26 The Glow Pt. 2 – The Microphones /// Think that this album is lofi authentic. Kinda deep. Listened 2 it at night once. Thought about life.
25 Black Candy – Beat Happening /// Kinda wish it was Glass Candy
24 Funeral – Arcade Fire /// Should probably be ‘#1′ if they are trying 2 sell some albums.
23 Moon Pix – Cat Power /// Not even sure what to think of her. Wish she was still ‘crazy’ and had meltdowns instead of playing boring-ish, overrated ‘well-written’ songs. Maybe it’s ‘a girl thing.’
22 Diary – Sunny Day Real Estate /// Think that people ‘used to love them’ or something.
21 Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil… – Bright Eyes /// Feel weird when people tell me that they ‘were really into Bright Eyes.’ Feel like it exploited emotional uncertainty for a certain demographic of alts, but completely missed a lot of other demographics.
20 I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One – Yo La Tengo /// Think that they are probably ‘good’ but seem ‘old.’ Was probably ‘cooler’ to like them 8 years ago.
19 Kill the Moonlight – Spoon /// Pretty memorable album. Reminds me of idealizing the concept of growing up into an adult who listens 2 indie music.
18 Give Up – The Postal Service /// Probs needs 2 be top 10. S000 important 2 who I am. This is what <3 sounds like.
17 Dig Me Out – Sleater-Kinney /// Have heard of them, but not sure what they sound like exactly.
16 No Pocky for Kitty – Superchunk /// Probably not good.
15 I See A Darkness – Bonnie “Prince” Billy /// Feel like bros like this bro are pretty replaceable/imitable. Not too special.
14 We Have The Facts and We’re Voting Yes – Death Cab For Cutie /// Couldn’t name more than 2.5 songs off each Deathcab album. Think it is easier to say u ‘like their early albums’ because back then people only owned a few of their best mp3s without listening to the aimless, boring-er tracks.
13 Michigan – Sufjan Stevens /// <3 u Sufjy. All things go, all things go [via Little Miss Sunshine]
12 Daydream Nation – Sonic Youth /// Feel like this is the album that every1 says that they like just to sound authentic. It is ‘good’ but feel questionable about people who ‘talk about it too much.’
11 69 Love Songs Volume 1 – The Magnetic Fields /// Think that this was a ‘gimmick’ that ‘got popular’ since there were so many songs.
10 Bakesale – Sebadoh /// Sounds like it might be a singerbro like IronAndWine
09 Either/Or – Elliott Smith /// Wonder if this would still be #9 if he was still alive, or if he would have written a ‘bad ass-er’ album.
08 Surfer Rosa – Pixies /// Does this have the FIGHT CLUB song on it?
07 If You’re Feeling Sinister – Belle & Sebastian /// Miss the days when simple pop was ‘in.’
06 Slanted & Enchanted – Pavement /// Heard that they are good from some douchebag.
05 Imperial f.f.r.r. (Deluxe Edition) – Unrest /// Sad that I don’t know this.
04 Exile In Guyville – Liz Phair /// Thought she was a mainstream broad.
03 Spiderland – Slint /// sounds like it probably sucks and has ugly cover art.
02 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel /// Pretty sure I tried 2 listen 2 this once but it sucked.
01 Bee Thousand – Guided by Voices /// Haven’t heard them but they sound like they are harmonic.

Yall. I don’t know why, but I just always feel like the best music is the most recent music I listened to. Everything just seems ’so hyped.’ I feel as boring as people who say that their favourite book is ‘the last 1 I read.’

Not sure if I need to explore all of these ‘old-sounding’ albums that I don’t know, or move forward in search of music that is more progressive and conceptual than everything on this list. What do yall think I should do? Feels weird to think about ‘what I wanted out of music’ in the past, and ‘what I want from it now.’ Think I just want good mp3s for free, and don’t really demand an entire album that is asking me to consider it ‘the greatest of all time.’

WHAT IS THE BEST INDIE ALBUM OF ALL TIME?

WTF is ‘indie’?

What album do u feel like u r ’supposed 2 think’ is the best album of All Time?

I love music videos that are supposed 2 look indie for MTV/VH1 audiences

Carles — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:52:56 +0000

[video may not be viewable in your RSS reader]

How many ‘indie music video’ gimmicks can u count in this music video?

I was watching this video by the Matt and Kims for the song “Daylight.” I feel like this video is the perfect execution of the ‘indie aesthetic for people who like things that look earnestly quirky are meaningful.’ (These people were created after NappyDynamite Fever.) The song structure is baffling enough for people to not know if it is good or bad, enabling them to decide on the quality of product based on ‘how it looks’ in relation to ’stuff they’ve seen in the past.’

Since it is a mashup of indie/meaningfulcore aesthetics, the product is approachable, and most entry level alts are able to assign meaning to it in a deliberately arbitrary way.

BUT SRSLY…if I lived my life in stop-motion, would it be more meaningful?
///Just want to exist where soul meets body//////////////

XX BONUS LACKLUSTER PERFORMANCE BY A BUZZBAND at CMJ XX
NSFW if you work in a work environment that doesn’t allow ‘dancey female lead singers’ who ’sway to-and-fro with the sounds of an indie ballad.’

“I tried to do handstands for yall.”
- Chairlift (a.k.a. Apple Buzzband version 4.6) [commercial]

Remember when the Arcade Fire changed the way we valued music?

Carles — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 01:14:42 +0000

I’d give anything to go back to the days when music was allowed to be meaningful.
I’d give anything to go back to the days when music was meant to inspire medium-sized clubs of people.
I’d give anything to go back to the days when I ‘just wanted a moderately cute+indie GF’, even if she was the ‘a little bit too chubby’ type who ‘coloured her hair’ and ‘took her trivial position at a college radio station seriously.’

I’d give anything to go back to the pre-Blog era and really just take a moment to ‘appreciate it.’ Back before there was ‘hipster’, and blog centuries before the ‘alts.’ We were just ourselves, searching for a way to represent our complex outlook on life.

I’d give anything to go back in time, and appreciate chorus-driven indie rock. The collective voices were the sound of my angsty soul that was unsure of my alternative future. They were calling out for a little bit of direction in an uncertain time. Would we ever find the authenticity that we were looking for?
Wake Up – The Arcade Fire

“Who Has the Most Authentic AltPenis?” – some FGGT

Carles — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:11:04 +0000

YaLL!
Just wonderin’ which popular alternative indie rock front man has the most authentic peen?

Is it Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes’s penis?

While some artists get ‘nude’ ‘in the name of art’, we can all agree that Kevin Barnes gets n00d in the name of ‘zaniness.’

Or is it Devendra Barnhart’s penis?

“Watch out with that knife! h8 it when people slice my peen in halfsies (hotdog style cut)”

Did Devendra Barnhart steal the ‘natural’ peen aesthetic from John Lennon? Are you sad that Natalie Portman dumped him so that they couldn’t pose 2gether n00d? (wonder if she would have ‘grown out’ her ass to match Yoko Ono’s ploppy caboose)

Am I ghey for looking at other guys’s peens/johnsons/rods/zuneshafts/cobrasnakes?
Have yall seen any other altCeleb nude pix lately?

Yall, what’s the future of ‘music journalism’?

Carles — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:05:00 +0000

Yall, I just watched this series on IFC.com about ‘the future of the music industry.’ They talked about a lot about the future, and answered a lot of important questions that keep me awake at night.

Will we ever find out what ‘indie’ means?
Are blogs bad 4 music?
Are bloggers dummies?
Are traditional music journalists going to be executed in public?
Will Pitchfork purchase the Hype Machine?
Is the Hype Machine the only authentic ‘music service’ on the internet?
Did the Hype Machine create a terrible place for artists to lose money, and crappy bloggers to get more hits than they deserve per day?
Do artists deserve 2 make money?
Are bands just memes?
Is the guy who made Pitchfork more of an altBro, a cool dad, an AuthenticAlt (altPro), or a mainstreamer capitalizing off alts, or just ‘a guy who likes music a lot’?
Do people want a music service like ‘muxtapey’ or are they satisfied with myspace music?
Should the government deregulate the music industry kinda like the airline industry?
When will we get tired of remixes and take artists seriously if they ‘think remixes are bad for their product’?

I know all of yall read a lot of music blogs, so u like feeling important when people talk about u being on the cutting edge of culture.

/////THE FUTURE OF MUSIC JOURNALISM//////
Part 1

Part 2

Music blogs are okay, but at this point, they aren’t terribly important on their own. The Hype Machine is important. However, each individual crappy blog isn’t THAT important, unless they have been blogging for 2+ years, then you can make a case. I think the point of ‘ur personal mp3 blog’ is to create an authentic content stream without any sort of outside influence.

All bloggers get the same emails from the same marketing companies who are getting paid to let me know about krappy new indie bands. I think the difficult part about ‘creating a good blog’ is a blogger being able to ask himself ‘Do I REALLY care about this band/newsbit/mp3 or do I feel pressure to blog about it because I think it’s what people want to hear about?’

You can call this theory the ‘Popular Artists on HypeMachine’ theory. When entry level bloggers see that ‘a lot of people are downloading radiohead’, they think that their blog becomes a more valuable resource if they reBlog a popular song to increase their traffic. At the same time, entry level alts see that Radiohead is #1 and feel like ‘I am supposed to appreciate this band/music because a lot of other people are appreciating it.’ Is Radiohead GENUINELY buzzworthy, or is it just too many content sources caught in a cycle of ‘letting people know about news that they thought they were supposed to know about but didn’t know why.’

While I think blogging about ‘what you think uninteresting people need to hear about’ is good for news source type blogs, I think the best blogs for ‘pure tastemaking’ are just ‘authentic content streams’ that people can cultivate their personality from [via MP3s]. There is a traffic ceiling for these types of blogs ‘but at least u get 2 b respected/perceived as authentic.’

Another issue is that ‘mp3 blogs’ turn into mp3 blogs because they derive their value from ‘posting mp3s.’ This doesn’t always make your blog more valuable. It usually just makes the hypemachine more valuable. If u really ‘care about music’, I think more bloggers should focus on creating ‘music blogs’ instead of ‘mp3 blogs.’ Does n e 1 else hate those crappy blogs that post a video/picture and only an mp3? I guess I’m just a [HIGHLY SKILLED] blurber, so maybe I should try 2 b a little bit more compassionate.

I also wonder what my blogging goals should be? How authentic can HRO be? Should I just try to drive traffic and report news even if ‘it’s not that interesting’/capitalizing on the demographic of ‘people who feel like they are supposed to know about stuff like Kanye being arrested.’

Yall! Blogs are gonna die after they invent _________.

I read on a tech blog that Hypemachine is gonna start aggregating MP3s from my local radio station, since they started playing indie music like “Paper Planes.”

*****************
Watch more panels with important people in the altMusic Industry (various cool Dads)
http://www.ifc.com/video/music/music-panels/1791637224
Topics include “Entrepreneurial Sites” (like the hypemachine & muxtapey), “The Music Video bein’ killed by websites/TV”, and answering the question “What is Indie Music?”

Yall, what’s the future of ‘music journalism’?

Carles — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:05:00 +0000

I know all of yall read a lot of music blogs, so u like feeling important when people talk about u being on the cutting edge of culture.

/////THE FUTURE OF MUSIC JOURNALISM//////
Part 1

Part 2

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Carles — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:20:00 +0000

Happy MLK Day, from polaroid takers every where.

While you might think MLK Day only matters in America, Martin Luther King had an impact on YOU. Minorities are prevalent in your local scenes, and in your favourite bands.

Let’s take a moment to reflect upon great minorities in the world of indie.

The guy from Bloc Party!

M.I.A.

Dizzee Rascal

Easter Egg (he’s AZN)

The Cool Kids

The OTHER dude from Chromeo

80% of TV on the Radio

Waldo Faldo from Kill to Win

Dorian from the Teenagers

Lightspeed Champion: The weird looking dude who makes music that sounds like emo circa 2001

Did I forget any great minorities?
Please feel free to comment.

Blogville: Where Colour Doesn’t Matter

Interpol

Carles — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 01:21:00 +0000

Interpol’s new album sounds more Interpol-y than ever. While every one will always love “Turn On The Bright Lights,” we all have had to readjust our tastebuds to try to appreciate “Antics” and “Our Love to Admire.”

I’ve listened to “Our Love to Admire” a few times the whole way through, and it gets pretty good. So while you might want to say “Interpol sucks!” you should probably just re-evaluate the context of the music scene in 2007 vs 2004, or whenever you looooved Interpol.

Buy Our Love To Admire at Amazon.

MP3: Interpol – Rest My Chemistry MODERATELY recommended.
MP3: Interpol – Song Seven