Indie rock's place in musical history
musicismylife78
Posts: 6,116
Interesting question. One of the problems being, where does the scene start and when? Same problem occured with grunge, were there other grunge albums before Nevermind? Sure, but ask any person, and thats the birthplace of the scene. So where does indie rock start? Seems to me national attention started to focus in on it, around 2003/2004. You had Postal Service's classic released and Death Cab's Trans. And Modest Mouse's Good News. The Shins Chutes too Narrow. Garden State was released. Arcade Fire released Funeral.
So its now 2009. And the indie rock scene remains the dominant musical scene. Thats 5 or 6 years worth of a scene. Thats a long time. And usually scenes die out. This one seems to be only gaining momentum. Its not like in 2003 the love for indie bands was any more fanatic. Its more fanatic now.
Odd things: Unlike just about every single music scene I can think of, drugs and rampant "I am a golden god" type antics seem remarkably non existant. I am sure there are bands that use, but it sure doesnt seem that way. Look at the most beloved of the indie bands Vampire Weekend-who are these clean cut rich kid types, or The Shins, or Death Cab. These arent bands that are hanging out with groupies at the end of the show.
Whether you love the genre like I do, or loathe it, the impact of it, and the current popularity of it is undeniable. This is the current zeitgeist. Bright Eyes, Modest Mouse, Death Cab and the Shins all opening at Number 1. Tv Shows like Scrubs, Greys Anatomy and One Tree Hill soundtracking their shows with indie bands. Pitchfork and Stereogum are some of the most popular and powerful means of breaking new bands and have the power to make or break.
Commercials are being soundtracked with the likes of Band of Horses.
Ultimately the question is: Whats indie rock's importance? Seems to me, its the idea of bringing new musical ideas to a pop medium.
So its now 2009. And the indie rock scene remains the dominant musical scene. Thats 5 or 6 years worth of a scene. Thats a long time. And usually scenes die out. This one seems to be only gaining momentum. Its not like in 2003 the love for indie bands was any more fanatic. Its more fanatic now.
Odd things: Unlike just about every single music scene I can think of, drugs and rampant "I am a golden god" type antics seem remarkably non existant. I am sure there are bands that use, but it sure doesnt seem that way. Look at the most beloved of the indie bands Vampire Weekend-who are these clean cut rich kid types, or The Shins, or Death Cab. These arent bands that are hanging out with groupies at the end of the show.
Whether you love the genre like I do, or loathe it, the impact of it, and the current popularity of it is undeniable. This is the current zeitgeist. Bright Eyes, Modest Mouse, Death Cab and the Shins all opening at Number 1. Tv Shows like Scrubs, Greys Anatomy and One Tree Hill soundtracking their shows with indie bands. Pitchfork and Stereogum are some of the most popular and powerful means of breaking new bands and have the power to make or break.
Commercials are being soundtracked with the likes of Band of Horses.
Ultimately the question is: Whats indie rock's importance? Seems to me, its the idea of bringing new musical ideas to a pop medium.
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