Indy Little Secret:
Big kudos to my buddy Josh Benton for pointing out Pitchfork’s Media’s Top 50 Singles of the Year and how the list isn’t top heavy with white indie bands who all look and sound like a 3-day coffee hangover [simile mine]. Pitchfork attributes this to the ease of buying songs from services like Apple Music and the ubiquity of file sharing. Music fans are now able to dip their toes in different styles and genres without the prohibitive financial commitment of a $17 CD attached.
This is wonderful news. I think the dirty little secret of services that claim to be arbitors of musical taste and outlets like much of the nation’s college radio stations is that, in the name of promoting independent, non-corporatized music, they skew almost unfailingly toward all white, guitar-based bands. Funny, I thought musicial diversity was the whole point. It’s also only gotten worse since these days, much of pop music is rooted in the acendency of hip hop to mass culture. As I’ve said before, the latent racism behind the whole “Rock is Back!” movement of the last few years can best be described as “Thank God we don’t have to listen to all that black music anymore.”
So bravo to Mr. Benton and sites like Pitchfork and Epitonic for embracing music beyond the narrow confines of “indy” or “alternative.” Since I’m in the middle of overhauling my own catalogs, it’s nice to know I’m not alone.
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6 Replies to “Indy Little Secret:”
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Well put!
If you are looking to expand your horizons, the Soul Jazz (http://www.soundsoftheuniverse.com/) compilations are great introductions to genres that indie rock fans might not be familiar – for example, the New Orleans Funk and Saturday Night Fish Fry comps are fantastic introductions to classic New Orlenas funk, and similar comps do the same for British funk/disco, New York no-wave (the real deal, not the latest rehashing), classic reggae, dub, etc. collect a lot of impossible to find classics on CD. They are expensive (imports) but well worth it. They can also be tough to find, but I think Other Music (othermusic.com) has them, or Amoeba in SF probably.
Also, the term ‘indie’ gets a bit abused in that the term is automatically associated with white kids – there’s also a huge indie hiphop scene. Check out Viktor Vaughn’s Vaudeville Villian album if this sort of thing is up your alley.
Well put!
If you are looking to expand your horizons, the Soul Jazz (http://www.soundsoftheuniverse.com/) compilations are great introductions to genres that indie rock fans might not be familiar – for example, the New Orleans Funk and Saturday Night Fish Fry comps are fantastic introductions to classic New Orlenas funk, and similar comps do the same for British funk/disco, New York no-wave (the real deal, not the latest rehashing), classic reggae, dub, etc. collect a lot of impossible to find classics on CD. They are expensive (imports) but well worth it. They can also be tough to find, but I think Other Music (othermusic.com) has them, or Amoeba in SF probably.
Also, the term ‘indie’ gets a bit abused in that the term is automatically associated with white kids – there’s also a huge indie hiphop scene. Check out Viktor Vaughn’s Vaudeville Villian album if this sort of thing is up your alley.
Thanks for the link — the best description of a song I’ve ever read (re: Junior Senior at #5):
“But let’s get one thing straight: This song is not about being cool, it’s about ramming a Fred Schneider/KC & The Sunshine Band hybrid down your groove hole and taking that square peg like a man.”
Thanks for the link — the best description of a song I’ve ever read (re: Junior Senior at #5):
“But let’s get one thing straight: This song is not about being cool, it’s about ramming a Fred Schneider/KC & The Sunshine Band hybrid down your groove hole and taking that square peg like a man.”
Man that is good.
Man that is good.