I’ve been thinking about this question especially after seeing this commercial:
So, after years of relishing as an out-of-the-limelight element, the recent commercial indie explosion has really gotten me thinking. Indie is known for being hard-to-find, different, and underrated–the type of stuff that mainstream just doesn’t have time for…at least until now.
This commercial has all the hallmarks of an Indie ballad: Low-fi tones bordering on boring, monotone/dressed-down singing, and acoustic simplicity…I mean, it possesses the indie essence, but is there such thing as “commercial” indie, or is that a contradiction of terms?
My hunch is that while we Indie fans have been tired of mainstream carbon-copy music, the rest of the world is catching up…My only fear is that commercial Indie may lead to carbon-copy Indie, diluting the genrea and destroying its integrity…
Filed under: Eclectic Epiphanies, Indie-ana Smith
[...] Indie Part II Posted on April 20, 2009 by B.G. Smith I’ve blogged on this before…so I’ll forgo the previous question I posed and pose two new [...]
Honestly, I think the main problem with the question is considering indie to be a particular sound. I mean even if that was the case it would mean that indie has changed so much over time it’s hard to pick out, (although you were brilliant at pointing out what makes people think something sounds “indie”).
I would say that indie is not a genre it is a distinction that should be made between whether someone does their business with large conglomerates or not. I mean their are some great musicians out there who’s albums i don’t buy because i know my money is going down the crapper.
While there are some really [crappy] bands that parade their indieness around that won’t get my money because …..well because they’re crap.
INDIE is not a genre!
Well-said Rai-mon. I think you hit it on the head.