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6-14-01 // 10.56 am anti-hipster league of america OK, so this morning I've spent a bit of time reading record reviews here. While they have some generally good insights & the writing itself is quite professional, their whole style and aesthetic simply irritates me. Why, you may ask? They're hipsters. They're "indie". And if you know anything at all about me, few things rub me more the wrong way than hipsters. So, in an attempt to help you, the reader, understand this sort of approach to appreciating music, let me offer a guide. Here are some of the rules: (1) progressive music may only be praised if it is called "post-rock" and is played by unkempt men in worn-out, 20 year old t-shirts & corduroy pants. points gained if the music is somehow "jazz-influenced" or creates a "soundscape". points off if the music is based on old-school progressive rock and/or Rush. [Gilmour Corollary: Pink Floyd is generally OK.] (2) do not talk too much about the actual sound of the songs on a record. instead, review albums by name-dropping & by making "this sounds like obscure group X meets even more obscure group Y" type comaparisons. (3) melody is acceptable and even encouraged, but only as long as it's half-mumbled over distored guitar riffs that sound like they were played by a drunken monkey. (4) it really helps if you're French and/or your music contains some sort of robot voice. (5) earnest music must be ridiculed at all cost, unless said music is made by a man who is extremely thin and/or wears thick glasses (preferrably for cosmetic reasons only). (6) smug irony is your friend. (7) nothing will ever be as good as the first Weezer album. Apparently. And before I get hate mail (does anyone read this that I would even get hate mail?), just let me say that I like a lot of indie rock & I can be quite guilty of being a "reviewer" myself. But that over-hipness stuff just totally turns me off. If you're looking for me later, you can probably find me up on my high horse. It's just past the soapbox, you can't miss it. Anyway...the air conditioning went out at our house overnight. And with the weather being typically hot/humid/hazy midwestern summer style, well let's just say I'm not a happy camper. I just hope & pray that the AC returns soon. Otherwise I will bake and simmer until I am no more. Ha! I've been mostly happy lately, which is good. Aside from the truly hellish weather, summer is agreeing with me. Long, peaceful evenings, a normal work pattern, weekends to do whatever I please. I'm enjoying myself, even if I don't always show it. I can't wait for the weekend.
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