Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 5:25pm
...but this evening, at Hardback Cafe, while building all this month's services for the projections at my church, I heard what I thought sounded like Bon Iver, but a song I hadn't heard either on "For Emma", "Blood Bank", or anything he did with Volcano Choir. So I asked my friend Lauren who works at the cafe to tell me what we were listening to. She pulled out three CD's, one of which was the soundtrack to this god-awful Twilight movie. Disturbingly and shockingly, Bon Iver was listed on the album, and the song was actually a duet with St. Vincent (whose music I haven't actually heard since I happend to see her open for Midlake in 2006 or 2007.) Then, to my quiet disbelief, I noticed that a number of credible songwriters were also on this soundtrack!! This included:
Thom Yorke
Editors
(and the clincher) Grizzly Bear.
Appallingly, to some degree this makes me feel less inclined to enjoy some of my more recently liked artists. I'm actually most surprised that Yorke would sell out like that.
I guess the lesson we can all learn from this is that there are very few left who are truly not sellouts.
I hope the songs are at least good, and I hope that the artists mentioned have made a fair profit from them...but at what cost? You couldn't pay me enough to put my music on that soundtrack.
Or could you? There would be no way of knowing this unless I was actually given the opportunity.
Truly makes me wonder.
Apparently this series is really trying to go for this whole "indie" or rather "hipster" crowd, as some other artists on the soundtrack are:
DeathCab for Cutie
The Killers
Muse
Ok Go
I can't speak for the other artists, as I have not actually heard of them.
So what defines the Indie genre? It's apparently not the sound. What is it? Is it the style, look?
It's no longer defined by the original definition derived from the word "independent", as all of these artists, with the exception of Yorke, as far as I know are signed to major labels. (If you are defining it that way, then my little band Torgo! is "indie". But I'm not so sure anymore...)
So what is indie music?
Is it actually a specific genre now or are the lines currently just being blurred to indistinction between a truly independent artist (or at least one that started that way) and sellout, pop music excrement?
You tell me.
What pains me most, is that I foresee that someday, while in my late 30's, I will turn on the digital radio station in my (hopefully) electronic jeep and listen to the "classic 00's Indie" station, and be discouraged, because I just heard Midlake's Roscoe followed by Death Cab's "I Will Possess Your Heart".
Thom Yorke
Editors
(and the clincher) Grizzly Bear.
Appallingly, to some degree this makes me feel less inclined to enjoy some of my more recently liked artists. I'm actually most surprised that Yorke would sell out like that.
I guess the lesson we can all learn from this is that there are very few left who are truly not sellouts.
I hope the songs are at least good, and I hope that the artists mentioned have made a fair profit from them...but at what cost? You couldn't pay me enough to put my music on that soundtrack.
Or could you? There would be no way of knowing this unless I was actually given the opportunity.
Truly makes me wonder.
Apparently this series is really trying to go for this whole "indie" or rather "hipster" crowd, as some other artists on the soundtrack are:
DeathCab for Cutie
The Killers
Muse
Ok Go
I can't speak for the other artists, as I have not actually heard of them.
So what defines the Indie genre? It's apparently not the sound. What is it? Is it the style, look?
It's no longer defined by the original definition derived from the word "independent", as all of these artists, with the exception of Yorke, as far as I know are signed to major labels. (If you are defining it that way, then my little band Torgo! is "indie". But I'm not so sure anymore...)
So what is indie music?
Is it actually a specific genre now or are the lines currently just being blurred to indistinction between a truly independent artist (or at least one that started that way) and sellout, pop music excrement?
You tell me.
What pains me most, is that I foresee that someday, while in my late 30's, I will turn on the digital radio station in my (hopefully) electronic jeep and listen to the "classic 00's Indie" station, and be discouraged, because I just heard Midlake's Roscoe followed by Death Cab's "I Will Possess Your Heart".
Trevor Talley yeah it'll happen. the word got co-opted long ago by anyone who wanted to use it. there are a few sounds you could call indie b/c they think of themselves that way and they sound alike, like indie-pop n shit. but it definitely doesn't mean independent anymore.December 19, 2009 at 5:36pm
Blake Talley I would assume that Torgo! could be called Indie Prog? Dunno.December 19, 2009 at 5:38pm- Blake Talley p.s.
The other two CD's they had at Hardback were a Sinatra compilation, and Weezer's unfortunate new album, "Red", is it?December 19, 2009 at 5:39pm 
Ike Whitehead Raditude is their newest one. The Red album came out last year.December 19, 2009 at 9:00pm- Ike Whitehead And anything Thom Yorke hasn't been "indy" in fifteen years.December 19, 2009 at 9:57pm
- Blake Talley You say that, but they aren't even signed anymore, making them actually "independent".December 19, 2009 at 10:50pm
Carissa Wilson I know this is silly, but a big part of the reason alot of those groups were on the soundtrack is because the author - Stephenie Myers always gives the bands she listened to, while writing, thanks. (I realize this wasn't your point of this post, but thought I'd share.)December 19, 2009 at 11:47pm
Matt Horsley Genres are lame, and I mean that in the least pretentious way possible. Labeling music is unnecessary, if you like it great, but trying to categorize modern music is a waste of time in my book. Just my 2 cents :)December 20, 2009 at 3:16pm- Ike Whitehead Yep. It just comes down to whether you like the music or not. Anything else is peripheral. I don't think increasing exposure is a bad thing.December 21, 2009 at 1:10pm ·
- Blake TalleyThat's interesting about the author, Carissa.
Yeah Matt, that's a nice thought, really. Course, your taste is a lot more eclectic to a certain degree than mine; being an awesome DJ, you're exposed to a lot more popular music and different st...ylings that you mesh together.
But I think if genres didn't exist and all artists on the soon to be obsolete CD rack were just labeled alphabetically, it would get pretty confusing and a bit annoying...we'd see British Sea Power right next to Britney Spears...it would certainly taint my purchasing experience...actually, come to think of it, having to see Britney Spears albums (and the like) at the stores at all most likely contributes to the fact that I rarely even buy CD's.
I can't imagine a world without labeling, genre, or categorization, though.
I still can't decide if I would ever give in to allowing something I created and was proud of to be combined with something I really despised or didn't condone whatsoever...I'm trying to imagine an even worse case, i.e. writing/producing a song and allowing it to be in the soundtrack for Eli Roth's Cabin Fever, or worse, for a zak effron movie or something. I just don't think you could pay me enough to let that happen. I should hope that I wouldn't give in to that kind of degradation of my art, regardless of exposure. I
t's the integrity of the thing.
But I don't know. I would assume that you never know how much you truly love money until confronted with a large amount of it.See MoreDecember 22, 2009 at 3:12am - Blake TalleyAs a side note, (since I'm up at a ridiculous hour and for some reason thinking deeply about these things which will seem irrelevant and pointless in the morning) I might mention that I think my usage and acceptance of genre (speaking stric...tly about music) has grown in the past couple years. I'm not sure exactly why this is, which is why I'm wanting to speculate about genre in general in this note...but I do remember a time when I didn't want to have to label our music at all, so we all called it "Pirate infested cole-slaw whipping music as if Jupiter exploded into a thousand fragments of dwarves with battle axes", or something retarded to that effect.
It's just so much easier to say "indie".See MoreDecember 22, 2009 at 3:21am 
Kris Hounshell CollinsI also have tendencies to get irritated with bands who "sell out", I also have to think, well, maybe the world just likes their music and they are able to share it with everyone. Maybe a sell out - but good music is good music and it should... be shared. Even if it's shared through an idiotic movie.
Just my opinion. And what do I know? :)See MoreDecember 27, 2009 at 4:51pm ·
