Now I will be the first to admit that I'm not up on all the underground indie music. I will usually look at the lineup at Pitchfork and recognize about a quarter of the bands. But I do generally feel like I have a better grasp on what's happening in indie music than a majority of my peers, especially here at Wheaton. But in the fall, when the orchestra chaplain, who didn't surprise me with this choice, played "Sigh No More" by Mumford and Sons as a devotional in rehearsal and a majority of the orchestra murmured in recognition and excitement, I was taken aback. How do all these conservatory nerds know about Mumford and Sons? And then everybody and their mom knows about The Avett Brothers. Even before "I and Love and You" came out, there seemed to be an influx in knowledge about The Avett Brothers.
They are the only band that I can be confidently snobby about, so I'm going to go ahead and do it. I first heard about The Avett Brothers from my high school boyfriend, Nathan. He was a huge country and bluegrass fan and was in love with The Avett Brothers (who will henceforth be known as TAB because it's easier). I wasn't sold at first but we went to see them play live in Springfield, IL the closest gig they had to Chicago since they were still mostly playing in the south at this point. This was summer of 2007 and they played in this teeny tiny auditorium that was essentially a 500-seat lecture hall. When I saw them live, I fell in love. They were raw, exciting, and actually engaged me, a punk and ska fan, in their rock-style bluegrass. The next time I saw them was at the House of Blues in the Fall of 2007 and they were again incredible. But there were barely any people there. TAB were still super raw, with their roadie taking off each banjo and guitar after every song to change all the broken strings, and I got to meet Joe Kwan (the cellist) because he was just hanging out at the bar before the show. I saw TAB again the next summer, a few months before the "I and Love and You" EP came out and it wasn't as exciting. They just didn't have the same raw energy as before. I chalk this up to a few factors, one being that between those two concerts, Seth and Scott both got married (lame!) and the other being that they were working on their first real "studio" album. There were way more people at this show, also at the House of Blues, and this was when I began to have doubts about the direction they were going .
As soon as the "I and Love and You" EP came out, I bought it, of course, but was so disappointed. "Laundry Room" was excellent and I liked "I and Love and You" but as soon as I heard "Kick-Drum Heart" I knew that those record executives had taken away their edge. When the full-length album came out, I listened to it a few times and haven't since. I just don't care for their cleaned up studio sound. Their original draw was the raw emotional edge that really shined when they played live and that had all been taken out in this new album. Yet it was their most popular record by far.
Now look at the difference between early TAB, other bands like Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers, Iron and Wine, The Decemberists, and the really popular new TAB, and Mumford and Sons. There is a difference in (I can't think of a better way of saying this) cleanliness in these different bands. I'm sure anyone could come up with other reasons and different band examples but the general public wants something that's easy to listen to. And now more and more people know about Iron and Wine from Twilight and The Decemberists have had their fair share of popularity but the fact that Mumford and Sons and TAB played at The Grammys and people actually recognized them, as opposed to Arcade Fire, says something big. These bands are popular with the general public. It is a big deal that TAB is opening for John Mayer at stadium shows and that Mumford and Sons sells out every concert and is playing all the big festivals this summer.
I'm not exactly sure what this all means but it's part of a rising trend in which indie music is becoming more and more popular. Which then questions the title of indie. Granted, indie folk is probably the most accessible of all the indie genres (just wait for the day we see a duet of Coco Rosie and Antony and the Johnsons at The Grammys... Ha!) but that doesn't mean that indie music is becoming more popular. With the growing dissatisfaction with pop stars, including basically all the performances at the Super Bowl, and the musical growth that has resulted in the realization that all of Ke$ha, Katy Perry, and Enrique Iglesias songs sounding the same, no matter how catchy they may be, more and more people are turning to indie music to find satisfaction.
Thoughts?
PS (edit the day after...) I forgot to mention a key indicator in the rising popularity of Mumford and Sons and The Avett Brothers: Both of their albums are sold at Starbucks. Now the new Decemberists album was there for a short period of time but I only saw it one day at one of the Starbucks that I go to.
Enjoyed the post, Betsy. So, your rationale for their increased popularity is that their studio-imposed "cleanliness" and easy-to-listen-to nature appeal to people? I agree that TAB has been unfortunately tamed for appeal but their attractiveness has to be more than just this - something further. Perhaps it is because folk music doesn't just sound good melodically but also incorporates depth lyrically and instrumentally. It has substance and I think certain people are looking for more substance in their lives - this certainly makes sense in a post-modern world. Maybe most are just jumping on the bandwagon because it's "Starbucks approved cool" but I refuse to believe that and their cleanliness are the only reasons.
ReplyDeleteMy rationale for this indie folk being so popular as opposed to other indie folk is the "cleanliness" factor. Check out Andrew Jackson Jihad and you'll know what I mean about the grittiness being less popular.
ReplyDeleteI do find that the depth of the lyrics in these bands make them more appealing to the general public, who, especially our generation, is searching for something. But I find that older TAB has more to say about the depths of life than "I and Love and You."
True, older TAB has more to say, and often less refined music has more edge and therefore prophetic ability and value.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to comment that while I like some gritty sounding anti-folk, I've personally noticed that gritty does not necessarily mean more worth it (not that you're absolutely saying this). Neither acceptance by popular audiences or rejection by popular audiences makes something good. Less popular appeals to me - but I've caught myself being fake in this way. I can't always listen and approve - sometimes I must simply turn it off even if that means going with the crowd.
Lastly, there is indie/anti-folk which isn't popular or gritty - e.g. Horse Feathers, Because We Can (Australia), McCarthy Trenching, Fruit Bats.