Hipsters

[Salsaboy]

I like Kylie. Is that hip?

[titch juicy]

miga Wrote:

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> titch juicy Wrote:

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> > miga Wrote:

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> > > titch juicy Wrote:

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> > > > TV On The Radio- Brilliant

> > > > MGMT- first album very decent

> > > > Wavves- second album excellent

> > > > Decemberists - brilliant

> > > > Ariel Pink - massively underrated,

> > > misunderstood

> > > > genius

> > > > Beirut- hit and miss

> > > > Grizzly Bear- the best band in the world,

> > > recorded

> > > > and live

> > > > Bright Eyes- how can anyone hate Bright

> Eyes

> > > ffs?

> > > > Arcade Fire- gradually getting worse, but

> > > Funeral

> > > > is one of the albums of the last 20 years

> > > > Tune-Yards- genuinely exciting

> > > > Bon iver- two really solid albums

> > >

> > > I can ("how can anyone hate Bright Eyes

> ffs?").

> > > Perhaps not hate, it's a bit too strong an

> > emotion

> > > for this kind of junk, but I have a very low

> > > opinion of most of the above mentioned bands.

> > >

> > > I think this generic, festival-friendly

> > mainstream

> > > indie rock is the worst, most insipid,

> > > insubstantial type of pop music in existence,

> > with

> > > the possible exception of late 90's stadium

> emo

> > of

> > > Jimmy Eat World, Promise Ring, Get up Kids

> etc.

> > It

> > > is unsurprising to find it popular on this

> > forum,

> > > though, as it's the sort of music you can

> > really

> > > tune out at Topshop, or in a Starbucks. It's

> > > "brunch rock".

> >

> > which of the above bands are you talking about-

> i

> > can see it being levelled at mgmt, beirut and

> bon

> > iver possibly- but none of the others come

> close

> > to your description

>

> I'm talking about all of them as insipid, generic,

> festival-friendly brunch rock (in my opinion,

> obviously).

> Agreed some of them aren't popular enough to fill

> a very large venue, but at least half would hope

> to fill brixton academy or similar, surely? I

> bought that first tvotr ep way back in the dark

> mists of 2003, and thought it was ok, but really,

> it's go-nowhere music. Ariel pink needs to eat a

> steak, there are some songs waiting to come out,

> and he is clearly well versed in rock'n'roll

> history, but the whole "couldn't give two shits"

> attitude and irony laid on with a trowel leaves me

> cold. Beirut (and a hawk and hacksaw

> etc.)...what's the point when you can go to the

> source without the instagram filter of indie rock?

> I must admit that I hadn't heard tune yard until

> last night, and to be honest, I'm not left wanting

> to explore further - although I suppose using

> slightly different instrumentation and a loop

> pedal to produce the same old Kodak advert music

> deserves some credit.

>

> But look - if by chance I find myself in a Topshop

> or Starbucks, and this music comes on, I won't

> notice it, and it won't make me feel very violent,

> I'll just accept the beige aural massage without

> even noticing or listening to what's going, and

> carry on with my day.

>

> I perhaps slightly overreacted to your "how can

> anyone hate Bright Eyes ffs?" question.

>

> Music, serious business.

Apart from an early Tv on the radio EP it still doesn't sound like you've listened to any of it, I'm just seeing sneery generic soundbites.

As I said before - mgmt, Bon Iver and Beirut could be deemed a bit wet and insipid, but listen to the Yellow House or Veckatimest albums by Grizzly Bear and Funeral by Arcade Fire and Before Today, The Doldrums or Mature Themes by Ariel Pink or Hazards of Love by the Decemberists or Dear Science by TVOTR - these aren't 'brunch rock' (really?) bands.

You clearly listen to a lot of music. I like some of the stuff you mentioned further up- Total Control, The Fall, Caetono Veloso, David Byrne and suspect from stuff you've listed that our tastes probably overlap in other areas- Ty Segall, Wolf People, Thee Oh Sees, other Tropicalia, ? And have you heard The Fat White Family?- but if you've gone beyond the stage where a simple fun bit of pop music that doesn't demand too much attention gives you enjoyment I feel bad for you. There's an infinite amount of good music out there and in my opinion it doesn't always need to be dense, complex or cerebral to be enjoyable.

Music snobbery is so dull.

[maxxi]

titch juicy Wrote:

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> Music snobbery is so dull.

Disagree - it is a seminal album that was sadly misunderstood.

[Jah Lush]

titch juicy Wrote:

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And have you heard The Fat White Family?

Easily the best band I've seen and heard in the last 20 years. I love 'em. Great album and fanfeckingtastic live.

[titch juicy]

Certainly the best young British band around at the moment- of what I've heard anyway. Missed a couple of chances to catch them live but have tickets for electric ballroom gig in September. Sod's law, about the only festival they're not playing this summer is the one I'm going to.

Have you seen them at the Windmill Jah?

[Jah Lush]

I've seen them at the Queen's Head in Brixton a few times and also recently at a private gig at the Buffalo Bar in Islington. I'm going to the Electric Ballroom show too. Saw their offshoot band The Fat White Manson Family at The Windmill recently too. They're a great bunch of loveable lunatics.

[titch juicy]

do they still live about the queen's head do you know? I hope i've not left it to late to catch them playing places like that

[Jah Lush]

No. Most of 'em live in Peckham.

[Jeremy]

I've tried listening to arcade fire, I really have. But I just find the songs so boring. They might be good at making original sounding stuff, but that doesn't do it for me.

Death Cab... Photo Album is one of my all time favourites but later stuff is elevator music really.

[????]

Talking of musical snobbery or something similar,

The Eagles, on paper, I hate them, everything I hate about rock music encapsulated in that band...

Watched the Eagles documentary on BBC4 last night(very good btw), spent the whole night going actually that track's ok, mmm, forgotten that one it's not bad, etc etc........a band whose sum of their parts is less than their parts maybe!

The two main creative blokes (i dunno any names of any of them, sorry) - Fooking egos the size of southern California

Still not going to buy any of their stuff

[Jah Lush]

Excellent post Quids. I've always hated the Eagles with a passion.

[Seabag]

This maybe a sub genre of hipster-ism

But it's happening at Tobacco dock today

Biker/tattoos/streetfood/custom/chops/bikes/beards and much more, all under one roof

http://thebikeshed.cc/2014/03/19/bsmc-iii-2014/

[miga]

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[Otta]

My favourite recent(ish) "pop" album is "King Con" by Alex Winstone. Bloody catchy as hell.

[LadyDeliah]

red devil Wrote:

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> 'revealing vulnerability' = crotchless panties...

PMSL

[maxxi]

red devil Wrote:

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(really) 'revealing vulnerability' = crotchless panties (on a bloke)

or is that what you meant? - sorry, been a long day

[RosieH]

Sneery sneery sneery. First hipster I ever knew - massive Steely Dan fan.

Hipsterism is in the eye of the embittered, joyless beholder.

[maxxi]

RosieH Wrote:

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> Sneery sneery sneery.

One of their B sides surely? Steely Dan or Steeleye Span? - always got those two mixed up.

[LadyDeliah]

RosieH Wrote:

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> Sneery sneery sneery. First hipster I ever knew -

> massive Steely Dan fan.

>

> Hipsterism is in the eye of the embittered,

> joyless beholder.

Yup, I agree.

[Otta]

Isn't someone following a hipster trend, by definition not a hipster?

[RosieH]

Exactly Otta - when they're playing / selling it in Top Shop, it stopped being hipster some time since and is decidedly mainstream.

Incidentally, I saw NMH the day after you, they were awesome and the crowd was going mad (myself included). Next weekend I will be going to a mate's band on Friday night, Arcade Fire on Saturday and Shonen Knife on Sunday and I'll be dancing all the while. And I'll still be dancing when I see Conor Oberst next month (Conor tout seul, Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos - all bloody marvellous).

I don't know what gigs people are going to where no one moves, but it's not something I've ever seen. Choosing the wrong gigs, or standing right at the back maybe..?

This slating of hipsters nonsense bugs the shit out of me. "Hipster" seems to have become a generic term for "anyone more fashionable than me". Frankly, while occasionally the outfits are preposterous, I would take that every day of the week over a sea of self-righteous greige and finger wagging. The joy of wearing something bonkers is not to be underestimated. Nor is the pleasure of having fun, being daft and watching Adventure Time.

You don't need to thank the hipsters for rooftop campari bars, pop up restaurants and secret cinema, but try to be a little less hackneyed and find a more worthy target for your ire.

Incidentally, beards - the hipsters gift to middle aged men - covering, as they do, both a distinct lack AND an overabundance of chin.

[Jah Lush]

How to launch a hipster restaurant - a simple guide.

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2014/05/27/how-to-launch-a-hipster-restaurant-a-simple-guide/

[Otta]

I've been covering my overabundance of chin with a beard for years.

When I saw NMH we were stuck at the back so I can't be absolutely sure of what the crowd at the front were doing, but I definitely had the impression the crowd were a bit dead We were jumping around but it didn't catch on.

[miga]

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[titch juicy]

Just returned from the Hipster Mecca, Primavera Sound in Barcelona. Where people go to listen to great music and look good doing it.

Enjoyed over the weekend (not all full sets because of clashes);

Real Estate

Midlake

Antibalas

Neutral Milk Hotel (half their set)

Future Islands (half their set- damned clashes)

Arcade Fire

John Grant

Speedy Ortiz

Sharon Van Etten

Dr John & The Nite Trippers

Pixies

The National

!!!

Jonathan Wilson

Television

Caetono Veloso

Volcano Choir

Kendrick Lamaar

Seun Kuti & The Egypt 80

Ty Segall

Fourth year running now and my enthusiasm for the best music festival around is undimmed. And Barcelona is such a great city.