I must concede that I have harped on about this sort of thing before, and although repetition may be preserve of the old, I take consolation in the thought that many of us have our pet theories, or notions that one is compelled to share. Even if this is to the detriment of the speaker, not that this speaker has ever been one to pay much heed to such things. But for me, I always look on with some dread to end of June and July, those months marking the mid-year, and the exciting chill of winter is beginning to wear thin, and; the cold morning dark marks only exhaustion and an exercise in willpower.
This may be a whinge from the Southern Hemisphere, as, of course, we know nothing of the extreme cold of the North, and for the most part, see little of snow, or other such things. Having said this, ours is a certain type of cold, and one which can often take one unawares, perhaps simply because it simply not anticipated. But, enough of this talk of the weather, as little less is of interest than such dullard speak. But, as an aside, I was highly entertained to read extracts from the early Americans (Benjamin Franklin amongst them) in which they bemoan that each progressive winter has been warmer than the last, attributable, in their opinion, to agriculture and human habitation. It gives one cause to think, whilst there may be truth, it is also a reflection on the human mind, and its tricks and foibles.
I have recently been bemoaning the lack of interesting releases to come forth - but, to interject, I fully admit to the petulance of a child, as I attribute my own sense of fatigue to other avenues, and I am very against this notion that we should expect artists to be walking karaoke machines, spewing forth songs every month or so. Artists must release as and when they are able to, as already we are asking much from punishing touring schedules, and as demanding fans, we seem to misunderstand how unique the creative process is. I shall mention no more of this, although, any indie artists that could find your way out into this part of the world - Australia is further to go - it would be greatly appreciated. With the furor of the World Cup departing our shores, this land is ripe for further international influx.
Admittedly, my blatant lack of focus is something of another present condition, but I have recently struggled to raise much enthusiasm for indie music of late. There was little being released that sparked much within me, and I found myself repetitively playing items that I could not really muster much interest for. And yet, for all these tarnished passions, it takes only one or two releases for a new momentum. I realise how dull it may be to refer to such things, but the new Broken Social Scene and the National were such albums for me. Admittedly, I am long time fans of both these bands, and I am always excited to hear of new work from either of them. But, I can hear the criticism now: where is my cutting edge verve, and ability to uncover the next big thing? The National are now "victims" of teen tv series and adulation that extends beyond the indie community. "Our lost sons". It is nonsense, as the debate rages on as to what a band "should" and "should not" do in the pursuit of their career.
As one should already be able to tell, I am completely in favour of bands doing whatever comes across their path, as how can it ever be a bad thing for a band to be promoted and get paid for it? I do not subscribe to the idea that indie fans should be entitled to ownership of the music - the hidden gem that is kept in the back of broom cupboard and let out only to some "select" few. Indie music is a niche market already, and it is nonsensical to further reduce the scene by evoking some sort of air of exclusivity. The National are one of my favourite bands, and even though I am aware that whatever remains of my paltry contributions is negligible by the time it reaches them, I am delighted that they have managed to remove themselves from the humdrum of a dayjob, all to pursue the production of such great music. And I scarcely need even mention Broken Social Scene, considering the juggernaut that they have now become.
But with this excitement, comes new gifts, as new albums, perhaps overlooked, or hastily discarded, warrant another listen. And there are other exciting releases, my absolute favourite of which has been the new album by Horse Feathers- Thistled Spring. It is a gorgeous, string drenched folk album, that stirs in me something like hearing Bon Iver for the first time. This is a beautiful, fragile album, that is, at the same time, bold and artfully crafted. It is one of my favourite releases of the year so far, and I cannot stop listening to it. And now, I start to pull out old favourites, bathing in the pure enjoyment from a beloved album, even if it is bittersweet, as I hear my adored copy of Weezer Blue, and bemoan what the band have become. I am an avowedly devout Wilco fan, although I have struggled to reignite my love for them in their last two albums (and their most recent has not been assisted by the most ridiculous price tag I have yet seen for a new album - a steal at over $49 / R380!) but, as I write this, the breezy 70's happiness of Sky Blue Sky, is suddenly starting to make sense, and once again, I am acutely aware as to why I am such a big fan of this band. And the words of Bill Fay rattle around my head, making me think of the cruelty of the music industry, with a soothsayer so blithely cast aside.
There are others worth a mention, such as the new Junip EP, revealing another very exciting side to Jose Gonzalez (and available for free from his website), or the new release by my own little indulgence, the Gaslight Anthem. I admit that they are not the sort of band for everyone, nor are they going to be hipster fodder, but their blend of pop-punk and nostalgia is something that has always been a guilty pleasure to me. So there is once again much to speak of, and all is perhaps not unwell in the world of indie. There may be some worrying signs upon the horizon, such as this fixation on the 80's that I am yet to even begin to fathom, but I take comfort that the world of indie is a large one, more than capable of subsuming many of the stylistic tics that pass and fade over time.
Speaking of interesting things, I was intrigued to read a piece on the Freegans in the New York Times. It brought to mind the travelling minstrals, and the sort of harshness that is necessarily involved in such enterprises. The failed communes of the Sixties, although, admittedly, this is not to say that they did not, and cannot, work. Or the communal musicians of the 70's in the UK, or current artists such as Deleted Scenes. In my fug of late, I have even struggled to locate intriguing reading material, a very trying state of affairs, as the promise of a full work day with little hope of distraction is an astonishingly depressing thought. I was recently speaking to a friend on such alternative lifestyle choices, and I was encouraged to go and find out for myself. I am far too set in my ways - how would I fund my expensive musical indulgences otherwise? - but this is not to say that one cannot have questions. I take great solace in questions, as at least it allows me the comfort of knowing that I am awake, and curious. Or possibly just curious...haphazardly.
And yet, I see now a new column being posted called "Ask the Indie Professor"and whilst the premise seems quite interesting, it is also quite depressing to see the petulant arguments being bandied about. It seems to me that the central problem is that there is very little consensus on what indie is. There are some wise heads posting their views, and, rightly, pointing out that the notion of "cool", as it is commonly understood, has very little to do with anything at all. But, and I think this is a valid question, if you consider yourself to be a fan of indie music, does one have to draw a line in the sand as to what one will and will not listen to? The fact that it is not "cool" to listen to the National, or that one loathes shoegaze, translates to a sneer and a self-consoling immersion into noise-rock, or avante-garde twiddling? I happen to like all of it, given the right moment, or mood, but then that is me. I am happily amongst those bemoaning the lack of ingenuity of popular radio, and as a frivilous pastime, it is one that can be highly entertaining. But, in truth, I am sad only that almost without exception, these songs can mean so little to me. Music is great in that people can know what they like, and I am certainly amongst them, but at the same time, if one is a true fan of music, popularity should irrelevant. And yet, I find that much of current popular music stirs very little in me, and for the most part, I cannot even really muster the strength to care. And that is something that deeply saddens me.
It could yet be, on the strength of the comments posted on "Ask the Indie Professor" that we are in fact mired in a crisis for indie, in the sense that we no longer know what that means. No-one is ever a "hipster" or a "scenester" because they are worthly only of derision, and yet could it be that the statement smacks of the paradox of the metal kids proclaiming anarachy and yet dressing the same? It is a scenario of "that only ever happens to other people, never to me". Indie kids seem to often only be identifiable only by the plethora of flannel, skinny jeans or whatever else it happens to be, and yet, there remains a crisis of constitution. They know not what they proclaim, as there are those close followers of the "mainstream" indie, who suffer derision from those who demand the obscure. The irony, of course, that in the event of the obscure becoming known, form dictates that it be discarded and people should move on. With certain "indie" fads now starting up, there is a rallying cry, once more, for the weird to make a return - demanding, for example, the return of angular guitars, difficult timings, and innovative elocution. The Bright Eyes circa his bedroom and tapes, as opposed to the extremely polished country rock of Conor Oberst and his Mystic Valley Band. Surely the question is only what you like, without the trappings and derision of those around you? But then, that is a serious matter of discussion as to how one divorces taste from the judgment of the group.
Perhaps it will take the fall, as with all things that ebb and flow in culture, to allow people to start to move once again away from the scene, and back to the music. Indie kids may be just desperately clinging to the traditional air of exclusivity at the moment, trying only to mark their territory by bemoaning the lack of airplay or exposure, and yet deriding those that have become successful. And yet, they needn't worry really, as the true indie fans are just fans of music really. There is an immersion in knowledge that immediately marks the members of the club. They are, and remain, an exclusive group. Of course, we can become embroiled in an argument as to how much one should know, but, personally, does the answer lie only in as to how curious a person is? If the person does not know a huge amount, but is eager to learn, and wants to find out, surely that marks one of the brethren? But therein lies the exclusivity rub, and the arrogance often, sadly, associated therewith.
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