HIPSTER RUNOFF

Recently, a lot of lamestream wannabe alts have asked me, "Carles, have u heard the song PUMPED UP KICKS by Foster the People?" I have listened to the song. It seems 'catchy', 'indie', 'trendy', 'lame', 'kewl', 'fun', and the type of song that you'd imagine a group of suburban girls driving around suburbia blasting while they pour vodka into their Sonic slushies. It is interesting to think about how a song that is 'catchy' in an 'indie' kind of way inspires resentment, as opposed 2 the 'we so excited' vibes that a song would have inspired 2-10 years ago.

Foster the People's song is a manufactured 'indie' masterpiece. Vocal FX on some cool sounding voice. Sweet 'dancey' bassline. Synthiness. Whistling. Such likable music that perfectly executes the trendy indie aesthetic that feels like it was created 2 be in some sort of car/beer commercial. We can just roll our eyes and think 'Oh God. One of these songs again? Go get a record deal from a mainstream record label already.'

Sorta want 2 reflect on the greatest bubblegum indie songs ever written. Many different artists brought bubblegum indie mp3s to market at different times. Sorta wonder how their careers would have turned out differently if they came around 3 years earlier/later...

What if MGMT's "KIDS" had come out in 2011? Would they be able to morph into an intriguing 'indie' buzzband. When analyzing their 'success' in the context of a bubblegum indie MP3 that propelled them to super-mindie stardom, it is easier to understand their 'drastic change in direction' for their second album, just to attempt to get rid of some of the entry-level fans who 'liked' them 4 the 'wrong reasons.'

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros hit song "Home" has become the anthem of numerous commercials. A great boy-girl duet with whistling, then u find out the band looks like some free-spirited hippie cult. Like many bubblegum indie mp3s, it is a great one to put on a mix CD for an entry-leveler that u r trying to date so that they can project 'personal meaning' on to the song.

Remember when Passion Pit's "Sleepyhead" brought found a way to turn sample-based, falsetto-wave music into bubblegum indie? I wonder what their next album is going to sound like. Hopefully they go more mainstream and P4k pans them just to maintain 'indie alt authenticity.' I am not familiar with Passion Pits formative years. Does n e 1 know where they came from?

Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks" is easily one of the greatest whistle-based songs ever written, even outside of the indie genre. Back in the day, even authentic alts got really excited abt bubble gum indie, because it represented 'perfect pop music.' We wondered why mainstreamers didn't listen to this perfect music... eventually they discovered it. They 'totally ruined it', so now we get to resent any indiesque song that is too bubblegummy.

I remember when the 'hipster song with the whistling' meme went moderately viral.

I guess maybe that's what mainstreamers searching 4... They are searching for 'new trendy music' that has 'alternative' and/or 'hipster' leanings... They are searching 4 a sound that embodies the spirit of the modern search for music now that 'online social music discovery' has steered them towards music-festival-wave indie music.

It was also interesting that the Arcade Fire opted 2 write their bubble gum indie anthem on their latest album. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" was a song that they didn't really need to write, but it probably helped them to win their Grammy, because it was the song that was easiest to 'identify with' for a mainstreamer. The Arcade Fire generally seem to want to try to build authentic, consistent aesthetics, but maybe some1 told them 'We need a whimsical pop song!' Oh Regine...

The concept of bubble gum indie isn't 'groundbreaking', 'new' or 'innovative. I just wonder what I would do if I started a buzzband. Would I try to get a debut on Gorilla Vs Bear, then attempt to get 'Best New Musicked' on Pitchfork, or would I just write a bubblegum indie mp3 that attracted major label interest? It seems like u would make more money with the Bubble Gum Indie hit route, and reach more ppl, but at the same time, u would basically exist as a parody of a buzzband, even if u got to go on tour and bang tons of entry-level alts on the road just the same. If ur band was 'too authentic', you would probably end up hooking up with more crusty-ish girls, if ur into that.

Do u <3 or h8 bubble gum indie?
What is the greatest bubblegum indie anthem of all time?
Do u feel disappointed when some1 who u thought was authentic listens 2 bubble gum indie and says it is 'good/buzzworthy'?
Are any bands 'guilty' of just writing bubblegum indie songs over and over again?
Do u feel bad when a band tries 2 write bubgumindie and they fail anyways?
Is a bubble gum indie hit the only way that chillwave/lofi can go mnstrm?

I think I'm just going 2 go giggle while I watch this video of Foster the People doing a super lame performance of "Pumped Up Kicks" at Lollapalooza while so many indiemainstreamers 'go crazie' 4 the song. They totally 'look like a buzzband' and 'sound like a buzzband', therefore, they 'must be a buzzband.' Right?

I rlly, rlly resent any bubble gum indie song that was written after 2k_...

Photo via Brooklyn Vegan by Tim Griffin

Cheer up, Andrew VanWyngarden!
#itgetsbetter, I promise
I know ur still bummed about Congratulations
but it doesn't mean u have to get all mopey

U look cold and distant
U look dead on the inside
like u r 'totally over' the indie scene
like u don't care what the blogosphere thinks abt u
but maybe u do
maybe u don't
only the Indie God knows

Listen, maybe I was hard on u
Maybe the album isn't even that bad
maybe I finally 'get it'
maybe u were right
maybe it will be the album of the year
maybe

let's try to think about some positives to cheer u up
Remember ur album art? That was a pretty cool meme...

U have a major label record deal
U can make another album and u have our attention
That's not a bad thing

A lot of ppl will be waiting for u to fail
so maybe if u exceed their limited expectations
U will be perceived as a 'huge success'
'rebounding from a disaster'
'getting ur swag back'

Cheer up bro.
Ur depressing me, for real.

U don't have 2 play "KIDS" any more, okay?
We get it
u h8 that song
but don't just 'half ass it' on stage in a resentful way.
kinda harsh

Maybe u can 'rearrange' the song
make it all depressing + boring + unapproachable or something
I know it is difficult to write a perfect song
similar to the Eagle's "Hotel California"

Just want u 2 cheer up
Life's not too bad.
Don't give up
#it_gets_better

Loosen up, bro
Unbutton that top button
and just learn to <3 life again
learn to <3 the power of buzz

Some people would give anything 2 be where u r right now
Cheer up broski.
#itgtsbttr
Cheer up, Andy VanBroGarden!

Can MGMT 'revive' their careers?
Is Andrew VanWynGarden depressed?
Do u think MGMT is 'happy' or 'sad' on the inside?
Do u think KIDS.mp3 is the best indie song of all time?
What is next for MGMT?
Is Andy VanWyny a total QT?
Do u have any advice for depressed members of buzzbands?
Are depressed ppl in buzzbands 'effing spoiled'?
Would u ever be depressed if u were in an authentic/well-monetized buzzband?

Yesterday was a popular awards show called 'The Grammys.' From what I understand, this awards system is supposed to 'award' the best music of the year. It seems like it is some sort of 'system to perpetuate the popularity + album sales of the same artists/labels/bands/etc.'

As I have read alternative coverage of the Grammys/all mainstream award shows, it seems like these are the 'prevalent themes.'
Indie music 'has arrived.'
The Grammys aren't 'honoring' the 'best' indie music
Indie music has been 'stolen' from 'us' and
__________ (mnstrm artist) sux
The Grammys are 'irrelevant bullshit'

Phoenix won 'Best Alternative Music Album.' Not sure what that award title means/who was in the category. I feel like maybe the French bros in Phoenix didn't realize that Americans 'get dressed up' for our awards shows. Maybe they thought it was an MTV/Nickelodeon kidz award show.

Kings of Leon won 3 Grammys for their hit song "Use Somebody", confirming that it is the vulnerable mnstrm anthem of the year/decade/century. I think they are in the genre of rock, since their award titles were 'Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group', 'Best Rock Song' and the prestigious 'Record Of The Year'.

MGMT also went to the Grammys, but they were sort of just 'nominated' and probably just looked like a 'zany one hit wonder band' to mainstreamers.

I think they also gave Stephen Colbert a Grammy just to 'get more hits/coverage.'

Here is more coverage of 'mainstream pop culture' at the Grammys.

I think this is the broad from the popular MTV show 'Jersey Shore.' I am not sure if she won a Grammy, or if she is just there for being Macrofamous.

This is apparently her live-in boyfriend, The Situation. Wonder if that show was a 'mainstream hit' or just another 'micro-sensation' like The Office.

The middle Jonas brother tries 2 'look alt' by growing strategic facial scruff + putting on sillie framed glasses.

Apparently the post-tween Jonas Brother married a guidette after the 'Jersey Shore' wave of 2k9k10. Seems ill-advised, like the same as 'marrying a pog/beanie babie/digipet.'

Popular American Idol homosexual sensation Adam Lambert.

Unpopular American Idol nonsensation Justin Guarini.

I think this crazy African American man was there because he was created as an 'off beat' character by the popular Fox TV show American Idol. Sort of like the 'Negro William Hung.'

I think the Black Eyed Peas are the last remaining soldiers in the Electro War. Like a lost group of fighters who no1 told that the war is over, but they are still on the Battlefield.

Apparently Lady Gaga had some performance with Sir Elton John.

It seems like you 'have to invite her' to any award show for the next 50 years, just to see her wear something zany.

Wonder how she transports her costumes. Suitcases? Rubermaid containers?

Popular Bro Comedy superstars from the Andy Samberg Lonely Island Viral Video Productions Centre.

I think Taylor Swift still thinks that 'awards are real.' She seems proud. As time moves forward, more people will 'sympathize' with Kanye West, sort of like the Kobe Vs. Shaq feud.

I think the Grammys is an opportunity for Cool Dads to bond with their kids.

Or for Cool Dads to just have a 'bros night out.'

Does n e 1 know if Musicians get Dental Insurance, or do they just cover their teeth with blingee jewels?

CONTINUE READING>>>>

Zooey Deschanel

Actor, Alternative Celebrity

Zooey Deschanel is an actress turned indie songstress in the mediocre buzzband She & Him.

Lists: QTs, mainstreamer, it girls, indie songstresses, bangs, actors in indie bands

Read more>>>>

MGMT

Buzzband

Lists: Members of MGMT, indie bands that debuted in the Billboard Top 10, 2k10 buzzbands

Read more>>>>

Kings of Leon

Buzzband

Lists:

Read more>>>>

Phoenix

Buzzband

Phoenix is a French pop band that has been around for a decade but went rlly mainstream after their album "Wolfgang Amadeus" was s0 p0ppy that no1 could h8 it.

Lists: mindie (mainstream indie), French, 2k9 buzzbands

Read more>>>>

I started listening 2 a lot of Talking Heads, because I want to get more in touch with the roots of conceptual pop music. Feel like I'll appreciate modern indie music if I travel back in time and listen to 'what was once cool'/'cutting edge'/'progressive.' Seems like things from the past influence things in the present, and the present becomes the past, influencing things in the future.

I recently saw a meme where some bro 'covered' the hit song "This Must Be the Place." I think that he might be 'trying to go viral' by 'ripping off' the American Psycho Club movie.

Not sure what attracts people to the 'Patrick Bateman' aesthetic. It seems like people just want to 'be rich' and 'kill sluts' or something. He might represent 'perfection', and we all think that 1 day we are going to move 2 NYC and 'be rich.' Not sure what AmPsychy has to do with the song though. Seems like a gimmick meme/something that mainstream film bros did to 'feel creative.'

Might decide to listen 2 more MGMT. If I were a tween indie kid, I would say that this is my fave cover of 'This Must Be the Place.' Saw this video of them when they were just a 'zany college campus band.' Sorta wish they were still 'this organic', instead of some sort of over-marketed, post-OfMontreal bloghouse indie jam band who will 'go hard' on the festival circuit for the next 15 years.

Kinda weird 2 see altcelebs before they were 'alt famous.' Can't believe these were the bros who wrote the transcendental masterpiece "KIDS." Can't believe they knew about the song 'This Must Be The Place' even though they were so young. Maybe their altParents made them listen 2 it in the car. Sorta wish I lived in the dormitory behind them, so I could say 'the MGMT played at my dorm.'

Think it might be the 'most authentic' to say that u prefer 'the original' version of the song, which is the Talking Heads 'covering' themselves. As u can see, they are a very conceptual band. It seems like they want the performance to be 'art' and not just 'some band playing a ditty.'

I'm not sure what the significance of this song is. Seems like it has some sort of lyrical relevance, but also might just be 'some babbling bro' with a 'simply structured pop song' underneath. Not sure if the Talking Heads are even 'that good.' I just know they have that one song about questioning your life, but I had always thought they were just some 'lame 80s band.' Sorta like how u thought Devo was 'just that band that sang WHIP IT' but then people are like 'those bros are really influential' or something.

Not sure if I like music. Feel like the music that is supposed to define me still hasn't been made yet. Will probably happen in 10-15 years.

MGMT

Buzzband

Lists: Members of MGMT, indie bands that debuted in the Billboard Top 10, 2k10 buzzbands

Read more>>>>

Might start typing 'keywords' about posts instead of 'writeups.'
Keywords: Tween, swoopy bangs, parent's backyard, MGMT, Kids, Pissing, Cumming, shitting on urself, dancing around, youtube sensations, opening up a t-shirt shop once u get enough hits on the internet, lil bro, kids who hear MGMT's "Kids" and totally relate, having a zany personal brand during ur tweenage year, bros who think they are pretty, water hoses, zany lil bro, kids who are inspired by Andy Samberg era humor as opposed to Tom Green era humor, FGGT, lil cunt, lil FGGT

I had a really rough day yesterday, and I said some things that I regret. I'm not ashamed of yall. Do u forgive me? Seriously feel like this is 'becoming a serious relationship.' I just know that I want to be with u. Sometimes I see something, and it just reminds me of u. like ur the 1st person I think about when I see a viral alt meme, and I'm not sure if I could keep living without this world of ppl who don't 'get' me.

"When I'm with u, I feel like I could die and that would be alright."
-my third eye is blind, yall

Previous examples of maintreamers enjoying MGMT
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2009/03/h8-when-memes-are-mrktng-gimmicks.html
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2009/02/great-moments-in-mainstreamers-embracing-alternative-songs-from-2-years-ago.html

Hey yall. As u know, I have teamed up with =w182= to bring u the most up to date news about =w182-. I would like to announce that Weezer has written a new synth pop electro song called "The Kids--We Are Here to Stay On Our Planet: Save It."

Please do not re-embed this video. Please link directly to this HRO Exclusive.

This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. I googled for the lyrics and I think that they are just plain beautiful.

You were a child
Crawling on your knees toward it
Making momma so proud
But your voice was too loud
We like to watch you laughing
Picking insects off of plants
No time to think of consequences

Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted to be haunted

I think that this says a lot about life. I feel like Rivers Cuomo really gets what life is all about. I feel like he can relate to 'the common man', just like me.

But seriously yall, this is big news. Two indie bands from different generations uniting to for a mega music meme.

This would be like Michael Jackson covering Justin Timberlake.
This would be like Marvin Gaye covering R Kelly.
This would be like Janis Joplin covering Jewel/Sheryl Crow.
This would be like the Beatles covering Coldplay.
This would be like Coldplay covering Metrostation.
This would be like Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails.
This would be like New Order covering Interpol.
This would be like Phil Spector covering Grizzly Bear.
This would be like the Beach Boys covering Animal Collective.
This would be like Giorgio Morodor covering Justice.
This would be like Depeche Mode covering Cut Copy.
This would be like ____________(old, transcedent artist) covering ___________(new, relevant artist).
This would be like Brit Spears covering the Hannah Montanas.
This would be like U2 covering U2.
This would be like Madonna covering Madonna.

I feel really lucky 2 be alive 2day.

Weezer

Buzzband

Weezer is some band of cool dads that still releases albums.

Lists: cool dads, mindie (mainstream indie)

Read more>>>>

Rivers Cuomo

Buzzband

Lists:

Read more>>>>

MGMT

Buzzband

Lists: Members of MGMT, indie bands that debuted in the Billboard Top 10, 2k10 buzzbands

Read more>>>>

I was browsing through pix of alternative ppl, and came across this 1 bro. He sort of reminded me of some1 famous, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it...Who the hell does he look like, yall?

Photo via Lookbook

This lil bro looks like
a) the lead singer of MGMT
b) Corey Feldman in the Goonies
c) Trace Cyrus
d) Julian Casablancas
e) Albie Hammie Jr
f) a guy in a trivial power pop band on MTV
g) Mark McGrath
h) The lead singer of Plain White T's
i) Just another troubled tween
j) Pete Simpson-Wentz
k) Choose.Your.Own.Response

ugh.
frustrated when I see some1 who looks EXACTLY like some1, but i still can't figure out who it is...

Andrew VanWyngarden

Andrew VanWyngarden is the lead singer of the Managements [via MGMT].

Lists: Members of MGMT, indie hunks, curly hair, college educated, Wesleyan University indie bands

Read more>>>>

I was recently browsing the internet, and I saw this meme being blogged/blurbed about in multiple outlets. In the video, a group of free-spirited moms without kids who formed a band instead play the song "Kids" by MGMT on multiple iPhone applications.

Is this just some sort of 'marketing gimmick'? Did some ad agency pick 'girls who look interesting' to promote Apple/applications/the band MGMT? Should MGMT sue these people for using their song without their consent? Am I supposed to think that this is 'cool' or that it is 'oddly entertaining'? Should part of me want to 'cum' with these broads because they are 'talented and beautiful'?

N e ways... their cover is pretty poopy. It sort of sounds like 8 year olds who just got a 3 octave keyboard 'learning that they love music and want to make it for the rest of their livez bc they did a cover of a popular song.' Makes me kinda sad. Just wish there wasn't this space on the internet where products could be showcased in what appears to be 'an organic cauldron of buzz', but it's really just people looking 2 sell u something.

Is "Kids" by MGMT going to be used for the next 200 years in the background of commercials that need 2 be 'upbeat'?

Previous MGMT mainstreamer moment
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2009/02/great-moments-in-mainstreamers-embracing-alternative-songs-from-2-years-ago.html

h8 our modern world.
I can't tell if videos like this are 'real moments of beauty' or just gimmick marketing.

Do yall know if this act of puberty is authentic, or just something designed by marketing firms?

///confused

"Control yalls selves
take only what yall need from yall." -the MGMT

So there I was. The party was winding down, but I felt like I still had a chance to get tugged 2nite. I was gonna stay around and keep nursing some beers, maybe nonchalantly working my way on to the impromptu dance floor if the right song came on. Tired of the group of people huddling around a laptop playing mainstream songs and rap songs. I needed some one to play a more obscure indie hit to prove to some one worth tugging me that I listened to alternative music. Then came on a song by a new buzzband called The MGMT - Kids.mp3. It was accessible, fun and danceable. I worked my way on to the dance floor, closed my eyes, and danced.

If my personal brand is strong enough, I have a chance to make tonight meaningful.

Will I get tuggled 2nite?

XX BONUS Great Moments in Festival Bros XX

[Seen left to right: Cargo Shorts Bro, Shirtless Festivalcore Bro, Tramp Stamp Bro]

Yall.. I didn't watch the Grammys cuz I'd rather just read reactions to it on the internet, then pretend that I watched it/was there/I am connected to the modern world. Seemed like a real celebration of things that are kinda mainstream but letting more alt artists in2 the show. Some of my favourite bands like MIA, Radiohead, and the Jonas Bros were on display. Maybe next year I'll be invited?

Question 1) When an alt artist wins a grammy, I feel
a) validated
b) like I accomplished something
c) a lil bit sad that I am losing a part of me
d) pissed off about my fave band selling out
e) just wanna 'get buzzed' and dance to bloghaus + ironic pop

Question 2) M.I.A. is

a) just a meme
b) pregant
c) should have stayed home
d) trying too hard 2 reach out 2 mainstream audiences
e) just taking care of herself/her career

Question 3: Deadmau5 will be remembered as

a) a zany masked DJ
b) just some weirdo at the Grammys
c) "what is that bro doing at our show?" -Taylor Swift
d) being responsible for bringing 'masked djs' to the mainstream
e) just a meme on the day after award shows

Question 4: This is a picture of

a) the coldplays
b) a band that steals songs
c) the writers of the rock album + song of the year
d) bros who need to retire their gimmick
e) Cool dads searching for meaning

Question 5: These bros are chilling at

a) the Grammys
b) A Cool Dad convention
c) A Kidz Health convention
d) A McDonalds playgrond
e) A liberal arts professor conference

Question 6: When I see this single, I think it is

a) Just another bloghouse mp3
b) just another crappy mp3 posted by a lame entrylevel blog on the hypemachine looking to get hits
c) worth a Grammy
d) the best Remix of all time
e) other

Question 7: Kanye West won a grammy for

a) Best frollet
b) Best blogger of the year
c) Worst black person of the year in America
d) JackOfAllTrades/Renaissance Man of the year
e) Best guy who sounds like a robot on his albums

Question 8: Who wore it better?

a) the broad on the left
b) the broad on the right
(this is a test 2 see if ur a racist)

Question 9: The Lonely Island Bros are

a) going to win a Grammy in 2k10
b) a gimmick for bros
c) comedy for bros
d) glorified bro Weird Al bullshit
e) really funnie
f) really progressive
g) going to make the Flight of the Conchords obsolete for bros
h) something for people who smoke weed and watch dvds/ funnie youtube vids

Question 10: This bro won a Grammy for

a) best assault of a broad
b) best knuckle sandwich 2 a broad's face
c) Best job of 'putting a woman in her place'
d) Most likely 2 be the next OJ Simpson
e) Future Ike TurnerBro
f) Strongest Pimp Hand
g) Artist of the Millennium who Hits Women
h) Bro Who is above the law
i) bro who is above society's norms

Question 11: Daft Punk won some Grammy because

a) they deserve it for this live album thingy
b) there are too many Awards categories
c) people only heard of them after Kanye West cobranded with them for that meaningful duet about becoming stronger on the inside

Question 12: Christian Bale won a grammy for

a) being Heath Ledger's BFF
b) being in Batman
c) becoming a viral meme on audio
d) pretending 'to get angry' as a marketing gimmick for the new Terminator film so that Entertainment Magazines will profile him as being 'complex' and 'deep' and 'really into his craft'
e) he sang a lot in Newsies

Question 13: The name of this band is

a) 3 Tweens and a Blind Black Man
b) Blind, Black, and Musical: The Band
c) Searching for Our Sexuality thru the blindness
d) Bro Circle Jerk in a room with a blindman
e) Guy Who Should be able to see + need Talent Managers who protect their brands a lil bit better
f) The Grammys: Where Legends go to Make Bad Decisions
g) Steve WonderBro
h) Tweens Who Might be GheyBros

Question 14: This band in this picture is

a) the Spice Girls
b) Paramore
c) Blink 182
d) Girls Aloud
e) The Pussy Cat Dolls
f) Aqua
g) Jen Aniston and the Skanky McSkankBroads
h) Chris Brown's "Pimp Hand"

Can't believe I missed the Grammys. Feel really 'out of the loop.' Just want to connect 2 'pop culture' since it is kind of the fabric of society that relates us all.

Kinda feel like this picture represents the state of modern music.
In this picture is everything that we want.
We want bloggable content with stars who attract viewers by saying zany things and being progressive enough to blurb about.

Did yall hear M.I.A. is pregnant?
Are yall excited about how twitter gives u such direct and instant access 2 ur fave celebs while they are at a meaningful event like the Grammys?

[via diplo's drunken memes during the Grammys blogspottwitter]

Whenever an Alternative Artist is on the Cover of a Mainstream Magazine, I quietly say to myself, "We Finally Did It.  We have arrived. The mainstreamers are starting to understand why we listen to better music than them. I have a dream that one day, blogs will be the radio stations of the world, and Pitchfork will be the iTunes of the world, and minidisc players will be the iPods of the world."

Part of me gets a lil bit upset that the mainstreamers are finding out about what I listened to 2+ years ago, but then I realize that I need to 'be the bigger person' and let them enjoy.

Did yall see Mathangi Arulpragasam on the cover of SPIN? (I call M.I.A. by her real name 2 sound more authentic.)

Remember when the Management was on the cover of SPIN?

Remember when hipsters were on the cover of BPM?

Remember when a Cool Dad made the cover of Us Weekly?

I was really proud when Crystal Castles were on the cover of NME.

"we are using sounds that no 1 else can get." -Crystal Castles

I remember when Britney Spears' sister sharted out a baby and landed on a magazine cover.

It was a big deal when some one as alt as Dustin Hoffman went mainstream and starred in "Hook."

I was proud of Thom Yorkee for being on the cover of AZN magazine.

It was also a big deal when I was TIME's person of the year just cuz I built a myspace profile. I showed my parents so they'd get off my back and let me chill on the myspace.

I kinda hope YALL are the Persons of the Year in 2k8.

(I am not proud of alt celebs when they r on the cover of altMagazines that I am not alt enough to recognize).

How do u feel when u see some1 on a magazine cover?
Is it a meme that u should be proud of and connect with?
Do u have 'pride' for 'being into' an artist/public figure before they were 'recognized by a magazine'?
Would u be honored m0re to be in a magazine, or be blggd abt at ur fave blog?
Which 1 means more in the current meme economy climate?

//// am I just a meme?
//// RAGE AGAINST THE MEME.

Yall. I saw this picture of the MANAGEMENT TEAM (MGMT) on Spin Magazine Printed Blog, and I couldn't help but think they had a similar personal brand to the 80s Teen Idols Corey Haim + Corey Feldman. They're both a little bit zany, but MGMTbros might be a little bit more organic/nature-weird.

Two Coreys (minus) shirts (plus) a [HIGHLY BLURBABLE] psychedelic aesthetic = MGMT

Should I make my personal aesthetic a little bit more LostBoyCore?

I haven't heard that many original MGMT songs beyond "Kids", "Electric Feel" and "Time To Pretend." Those songs are like 1000 blog years old, so it's pretty indicative of their mainstream success that they are getting rmxes by big remixers long-after the initial album buzz. I have heard the Justice & Soulwax remixes of their songs, which were generally underwhelming (sorry--maybe just a lil bit too conceptual 4 me).

However, I think the authentic-disco-remix-aesthetic does a great job of enhancing their song "Of Moons Birds and Monsters." While MGMT's 'psychedelic'/retro/southern-rock/however-they-have-been-marketed aesthetic has sort of led me to believe that they are sort of like 'the new Of Montreal' where you don't understand why they are GOOD, but a lot of people would tell you that they are GOOD/lots of people get over-excited about their concert/they eventually become a Top 10 'indie' band that music festivals MUST HAVE.

n e ways I like this RMX. <3 HOLY GHOST! <3 Are they the new MSTRKRFT cuz they can 'fix' n e song?

[MP3]
MGMT - Of Moons Birds and Monsters (Holy Ghost! Remix) [mediafire]

Heisted from these Blogs
http://untzuntzbergen.blogspot.com/2008/10/exclusive-mgmt-of-moons-birds-and.html
http://discoattack.blogspot.com/2008/10/mgmt-holy-ghost.html

Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/holyghostnyc
http://www.myspace.com/mgmt

Have yall read about how America doesn't have any good artists n e more, and how we have to import our culture from France/the UK/Australia/Jappy-an/Scandinavia/Estonia in order to stay on the cutting edge of global alt status?

Fortunately, NME compiled a list of bands that have kept America c00l.

According to NME, these r 25 bands that r 'making America cool again.' I think they got some of them wrong.

HRO [EXCLUSIVE] BREAKDOWN
1 Vampire Weekend - is it Alt to hate them? or is it alt-er to transcend 'hating them'? or is it alt-est to pretend you don't really know who they are?
2 Lil Wayne - filling the quarterly demand for a rapper that it is [highly regarded] as being historically significant by white people who like to pretend that pop-rap is an important reflection on the social evolution of African Americans that they feel tolerant about 'identifying with'
3 Glass Candy - a band making your electroblog authentic again/ 1 band with the #1 MILF in alt music
4 Kings Of Leon - I have heard 1.5 of their songs. They will probably be around forever and I will never give them a chance.
5 MGMT - Please direct your attention to this post about why uninteresting people think they are supposed to like MGMT.
6 Spank Rock - 1 post-post-ironic sex-core think-piece rapper. If I were a black person, I would h8 him for 'making fun of us and thinking he is s00 smart/artsy.'
7 TV On The Radio - I think they would choose to be from another country if they had the opportunity, since it would make them 'more authentic.'

8 Boy Crisis - with a name like that, they are probably going after the market of people who like to say 'GIRL TALK'. But SRSLY...who is that?
9 Black Kids - 1 band that I will never learn the difference between them + The Cool Kids
10 Holy Ghost Revival -Is this HOLY GHOST! or some different band?
11 The Hold Steady - for some reason I think this band is from the emo-era of 2k0
12 Fleet Foxes - Am I not a good American if I haven't bothered to look into finding a way to appreciate them? Does n e 1 know if they are meaningful? Or are they one of those post-2k8 semi-meaningful-authentic bands that probably should have come around in 2005 so they wouldn't be cannibalized by blogs. (Being cannibalized by bl0gs only works for electro-ish artists, but they aren't expecting to get paid.)
13 Amazing Baby - Have they been blggd abt? They might as well be a local band that I ignore.
14 Jay Reatard - He has an interesting name, but otherwise, I shouldn't know who he is. Does n e 1 know if he is retarded IRL? Is that his stage gimmick?
15 HEALTH - I wonder what these concept bros are up to. Is there a HEALTH backlash after 2 many remixes?
16 The Cool Kids - 1 band that I will never learn the difference between them + The Black Kids
17 Black Lips - Do they sing the song about Hurricane Katrina? Are they one of those bands like NO AGE that sux, but 'people appreciate them'?
18 Yo Majesty - With that kind of name, they are either an overweight black rapper, or a UK 'highly regarded' retro-ish band
19 White Denim - another band that high-end alts acclimate themselves to since GVB enjoys them. I <3 the power of the gorillvsbear. It's cool because I have been GVBed, therefore, I am significant.
20 Telepathe - Sounds like they are from France.
21 Iglu & Hartly - Huh? They must have gone to high school with the magazine editor.
22 Chester French -Who?
23 Girl Talk - I wonder if he'd be bigger if he was from France/Japan? Based on the fact that he is on this list, it means that he is America's #1 DJ. R u comfortable with that? I'd rather have him representing us in the DJ Olympics instead of some guido/eurotrash d-bag playing tacky thump-house music.
24 The Death Set - they probably have a ghey logo/ gheyer fans
25 Grace Jones - Is that the woman who looks like she is made out of plastic/used to be a mummy?

If NME really wanted to help rebuild America's image, they should have written an article that declared 'all other countries bl0w/r full of inauthentic 'fggts'.'

I don't even believe in 'countries' any more, yall. Borders = s0 2k7. I feel like we're all just citizens of Blogville in the United States of the Alt-Internet. It doesn't matter where n e 1 is even from... I just want a free mp3 and I want to see 'the next big band' more than 6 months before they are 'big.'

America is fine. We just need to find a way to make sure that ________ ends up as the President. I heard he is going to lower the legal ______ age for entry level alts/lil alts. He will also pass an electro-tax that is meant to give money to myspace bands. They are also in talks to distribute a copy of Ableton Live to every single child in a public school.

If NME wants to help America get a better image, they need to start at the ground level. They need to get kids portable hypemachine players to replace their iPods/satellite radios. Our generation is lost. We just need to work for the future, and focus on alt-lectro education. That's the only way to win THE WAR ON lofi/garage/cockrock/fggtcore/meaningfulcore/underwhelming-indie TERROR.

'The only way to save our world is to Americanize it. Especially the brown-ish countries that believe in 2ManyGods.'
-HIPSTER RUNOFFS

Remember that time that weirdBro lead singer of MGMT put on Apocalypto tribal war paint as a tribute to the altGods so that they would grant his mediocre & generally overrated band worldwide success?

Is alternative war paint catching on?

BUT SRSLY... did some1 just play a game of alternative tic-tac-toe on her body?
[Photo by Laperolog]

Just saw these pix of the guy in MGMT.
I think it's important to talk about people with weird personal brands.

I don't hold it against them for being weird, but I just think it's okay to talk about them seeming weird bc that's who they are, and they have learned to accept it & capitalize off it. Kind of like that guy in Of Montreal and that <a href="
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2007/11/crazy-dudes-with-beards-vol-1.html">Devendra Barharty guy.

He has a good body. Maybe his record label can encourage him to transition into a 'sex symbol', and convert their music to the meaningful-core genre. He will probably just end up growing a 'crazy person beard' for their next album.

I don't think he's from an underworld. Probably just the same place that NELL was from. You know, that Jodie Foster movie where she has lived in the wilderness, and made up her own language, and eventually taught mainstream society that it is okay to be an alt-weirdo.

Or maybe he is from the same village as the bros in Apocalypto.

but srsly. is that a gang symbol? Is there any1 who know what this means, and can find a way to overhype why it is offensive? Like, 'this is the war paint of a tribe that held AZNs hostage in internment/death camps during World War II.'

Has any one heard of this band THOSE DANCING DAYS ?
They look like an all-alt-girl band that was assembled by a coalition of alternative retail executives.

They 'look rlly kute' and 'sound okay.' And by 'sound okay' means that 'I would never listen to it, but I could understand why a mass market could pretend that it is good music.' I wonder if they are big in other parts of the world? When am I going to be ambushed by remixes of them?

Another band that I think 'looks kute' and 'sound interesting to uninteresting people who like to be into alt music' is MGMT. They're pretty decent for the most part, but overall, pretty gimmicky. But I don't think they're trying to be gimmicky, I think they're just weirdos, and their weirdo-ness is being exploited in a gimmicky way.

For example, there's this new video for "Electric Feel" that got cleaned up because it looks like they wanted it to be on VH1 or something.

I think they should have hired the visionaries behind the OK GO 'walking on treadmills' gimmick, because this song could have been soo random/viral.

Remember the old video for "Electric Feel"?

At least they were adamant about relaying their image of 'being weird/psychedelic', involving underworlds with creatures, and utilizing green screens. I wonder if Columbia Records told them 'that looks waaay too Dan Deacony.'
<3 when artists stand up for their visions <3

"This band looks interesting, and if I ever had a conversation about them, I could relate their look and sound to a time in the past where a lot of stuff sounded like them." -music fan who reads stereogum once a week and thinks he is s00 underground

Are there any other bands that look and sound kute/interesting/'different'/'revivalist' who could be considered underwhelming products? I feel like the whole glue behind these types of bands/products is that they are inoffensive and accessible, which can sometimes be a good thing, but can also lead to 'being overexposed by rcrd lbls who market stuff to people.'

Also, there's the I-Think-I-Am-A-Good-Person-bc-I-See-the-Big-Picture argument that 'this music is good compared to what most people are exposed to, so it's good that people get really into stuff. Just bc u listen to way too much music doesn't mean u r better than every1.'

I don't really have a problem with 'bands that sound okay' and 'look kute', but I guess it's easy to get burnt out on them when people confuse them with meaningful-core bands and/or highly-bloggable gimmick bands.

I'm not sure how long these songs have been up, but there's some new Cut Copy songs streaming at their myspace. It sounds like this new album is going to be just the right sound to capitalize on the both the electro-niche and the newly formed 'we're sort of tribute rock, like MGMT, so you should appreciate us or else you don't appreciate music' niche.

The songs are definitely good enough to change your myspace profile song to, so you can say, "Yeah. That was my profile song like 6 months ago" in 4 months.

Stream Cut Copy
http://www.myspace.com/cutcopy

Download a Myspace Ripped MP3 if you're into that kind of thing here:
http://www.wavesatnight.com/2008/03/16/ghost-colours-update/

Cut Copy

Buzzband

Timeless Australian electro band Cut Copy

Lists: Members of Cut Copy, Australians, 2k11 buzzbands

Read more>>>>