So, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately (and yes, I spare no time for petty hellos). What defines independent music? Or indie as those young young people call it. Indie music is oh- so common and famous these days but are they indie? Is indie now a genre? IS INDIE FROM INDIA? Okay, that wasn't funny...
But anyway, way way back when I used to listen to this so called "indie" genre, they were ultimately independent. Running along without a proper label or management. Self funding their releases. Independent financially, hence the coined term, indie. So, I was listening to indie. 5 YEARS AGO.
I was on Facebook the other day and I saw a post, "Any good indie music recommendations?" A girl told him to listen to Vampire Weekend's Giving Up The Gun. VAMPIRE WEEKEND IS INDIE NOW?! Blame Wikipedia. Blame Allmusic. Sure. After all, Vampire Weekend is still under XL (independent music label in the UK, quite massive, they spawned Adele!) in the UK.
All those so called indie musicians are now mainstream regardless whether the masses want to acknowledge the fact or not. They're all signed to huge labels like Virgin, Mercury or little tiny labels (to mask their mainstreamness) that are a part of a huge corporate operation. So how now brown cow? All you "cool hipsters" who listen to Foster the People. They're not indie... Alternative? Sure! Indie? Hell no.
And then, there's the whole Hipster Issue. Malaysians vs. the World. Malaysian hipsters are so weird and the least cool of the world's hipsters. People regard those Supra wearing, DSLR slinging teens loitering in Bukit Bintang hipsters. What?! While the rest of the world has pretty blue- blond girls with tribal printed tank tops and cute boys in TOMS, slinging analogue Leicas .
Click the illustration! Read the post!
Okay, so I admit, I think they're cute and I kind of adore them but hey, I'm more hippie than hipster. I want to camp in a teepee during Coachella or Leeds Festival. I want to drink organic green tea while inhaling the scent of vanilla incense sticks. And no it's not the same as drinking organic coffee.
Current location: in a teepee during Coachella with Ezra Koenig
Current mood: happeyh
Current music: Dilettante- St. Vincent
Come to think of it, Johann just called me hipster versi pencinta jejaka Amerika jiwang yang berjambang lebat i.e. Bon Iver, Iron and Wine. His new mutant hipster creation. Hahahahaha.
