I think this dilemma is one of the reasons BOC...

[streamrunner]

stands out from the crowd.

this is a brilliantly written article. and so true.

http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html

[silo flame]

points are brought forth, some are made, but when all is said and done I call bullshit on that article.

[turquoise70]

yeah, i don't think this has anything to do with BoC but there are kernels of steely truth in the article, buried amidst some bias and particularities. to get -really- general about it, i have to agree that a lot of what's in vogue right now - things like hipsterdom, whatever on earth that really means, and on the internet the rising sensation of sites like 4chan, do seem to be really forboding developments. it does feel like the end of -something-. then again, i'm a pessimist.

[isawdrones]

Great article. Boc I believe has recently increasingly become a part of these empty "scenes" and "subcultures". I think most of this has been done via the internet through sites like last.fm and promotion on MySpace. Personally when I saw the boc ad on the front page of MySpace I thought I was living a nightmare. That kind of promotion is totally contradictory of what BoC were supposedly "about". I don't understand how anyone who really feels for and takes this music seriously can tolerate something like that.

"Mike: We'd much rather that people find our music by themselves, you know, so that it's something that feels like it belongs to them. If it was up to us there would be no promotion for our music at all."

So who is making these decisions? Warp or Boc?

Music of this caliber becomes something that really does belong to you, and when you see a BoC ad on the front page of MySpace its almost like your personal emotions are being mocked by a bunch of trend hungry teenagers.

Now you hear BoC being played by people in places that totally don't match the aesthetic and meaning of the music. They perceive it as "new age" or "chill-out".

These people are the the consumers brought in by these ads and the internet. To them, music is just some kind of fodder, just as disposable as their petty souls.

[mdg]

Great article. Boc I believe has recently increasingly become a part of these empty "scenes" and "subcultures". I think most of this has been done via the internet through sites like last.fm and promotion on MySpace. Personally when I saw the boc ad on the front page of MySpace I thought I was living a nightmare. That kind of promotion is totally contradictory of what BoC were supposedly "about". I don't understand how anyone who really feels for and takes this music seriously can tolerate something like that.

"Mike: We'd much rather that people find our music by themselves, you know, so that it's something that feels like it belongs to them. If it was up to us there would be no promotion for our music at all."

So who is making these decisions? Warp or Boc?

Music of this caliber becomes something that really does belong to you, and when you see a BoC ad on the front page of MySpace its almost like your personal emotions are being mocked by a bunch of trend hungry teenagers.

Now you hear BoC being played by people in places that totally don't match the aesthetic and meaning of the music. They perceive it as "new age" or "chill-out".

These people are the the consumers brought in by these ads and the internet. To them, music is just some kind of fodder, just as disposable as their petty souls.

FYI when mike and marcus found out about the MySpace promotion that you mention, they asked for it to be removed.

[isawdrones]

Great article. Boc I believe has recently increasingly become a part of these empty "scenes" and "subcultures". I think most of this has been done via the internet through sites like last.fm and promotion on MySpace. Personally when I saw the boc ad on the front page of MySpace I thought I was living a nightmare. That kind of promotion is totally contradictory of what BoC were supposedly "about". I don't understand how anyone who really feels for and takes this music seriously can tolerate something like that.

"Mike: We'd much rather that people find our music by themselves, you know, so that it's something that feels like it belongs to them. If it was up to us there would be no promotion for our music at all."

So who is making these decisions? Warp or Boc?

Music of this caliber becomes something that really does belong to you, and when you see a BoC ad on the front page of MySpace its almost like your personal emotions are being mocked by a bunch of trend hungry teenagers.

Now you hear BoC being played by people in places that totally don't match the aesthetic and meaning of the music. They perceive it as "new age" or "chill-out".

These people are the the consumers brought in by these ads and the internet. To them, music is just some kind of fodder, just as disposable as their petty souls.

FYI when mike and marcus found out about the MySpace promotion that you mention, they asked for it to be removed.

Well that's refreshing!

[Moebius]

stands out from the crowd.

this is a brilliantly written article. and so true.

http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html

yeah, good article, read it the other day link from Cex's excellent blog (lots of good stuff there, rjyan is a really thoughtful fellow). I hadn't realized fixies had become such a big status symbol these days, but man now that I pay attention, I see them everywhere...

[Treefingers]

It really scares me that these people make up such a large amount of the population.

[hills west]

theres hipsters in every scene from hardcore to death metal.....but alot of them just look a certain way and are labeled this..but all will deny they are a hipster.

[turquoise70]

On the positive side, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There have been vacuous emptyheaded followers since as long as there has been carbon based life.

[Treefingers]

I suppose that's true, but the popularity of the Internet today makes it worse.

[Cupz]

Great article. Boc I believe has recently increasingly become a part of these empty "scenes" and "subcultures". I think most of this has been done via the internet through sites like last.fm and promotion on MySpace. Personally when I saw the boc ad on the front page of MySpace I thought I was living a nightmare. That kind of promotion is totally contradictory of what BoC were supposedly "about". I don't understand how anyone who really feels for and takes this music seriously can tolerate something like that.

"Mike: We'd much rather that people find our music by themselves, you know, so that it's something that feels like it belongs to them. If it was up to us there would be no promotion for our music at all."

So who is making these decisions? Warp or Boc?

Music of this caliber becomes something that really does belong to you, and when you see a BoC ad on the front page of MySpace its almost like your personal emotions are being mocked by a bunch of trend hungry teenagers.

Now you hear BoC being played by people in places that totally don't match the aesthetic and meaning of the music. They perceive it as "new age" or "chill-out".

These people are the the consumers brought in by these ads and the internet. To them, music is just some kind of fodder, just as disposable as their petty souls.

QFT

[streamrunner]

You know, there are a lot of "indie" bands that I used to like that I have just lost respect for. It's becoming more and more evident these bands that used to cater to the fringes of the music world have gone mainstream now just to make a buck. Take Wilco for instance, just saw a video of them singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during a Cubs 7th innning stretch. This is the same band that recorded "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"??? Or all of these bands that are supporting Obama. Obama has used the indie world well to push forward his agenda in the younger age groups. Seriously - Obama lovers Arcade Fire are one of the most overblow lame ass bands I've ever even seen. Neon Bible sucked my left testicle. Festivals like Coachella are selling Obama t-shirts. Bands of Horses allowed themselves to be sponsored by Wal-Mart for a time. And all of these bands like Sonic Youth, Built to Spill, Liz Phair, etc are touring and playing concerts based on the albums they recorded 10 - 15 years ago because they are themselves admitting through their actions that their earlier albums were more culturally relevant. Pretty soon bands like this will begin touring with Nickelback to get some more promotion. I have become less and less interested in music that I used to like, because the commercialism is becoming so evident it makes me want to projectile vomit. That's why things like Myspace are beginning to annoy the shit out of me. Any new music you check out is tracked so they will know how to advertise to you. Bands stalk your profile for key words to search so they can solicit their music to you. I have Daft Punk as one of my friends, so whenever I go to my home page I get solicited to buy Daft Punk ringtones. I HATE fucking ringtones. Websites like "Pitchfork Media" set the tone for what is cool in the indie market and what the best new albums are. Music reviews have become bloated, pretentious, and void of any real insight. You may think of yourself as an appreciater of music and an avid fan of true art. You may be a musician. But the way that the industry looks at you is as a consumer. None of this would exist without you, for you consume what they are dishing out. Or maybe it is consuming you.

[Moebius]

Arcade Fire are one of the most overblow lame ass bands I've ever even seen. Neon Bible sucked my left testicle.

Disagree.

[Infinite E]

Arcade Fire are one of the most overblow lame ass bands I've ever even seen. Neon Bible sucked my left testicle.

Disagree.

I also disagree. The post I'm quoting is the only one ive actually read though.

[hills west]

Arcade Fire are one of the most overblow lame ass bands I've ever even seen. Neon Bible sucked my left testicle.

Disagree.

I also disagree. The post I'm quoting is the only one ive actually read though.

"HEY!! US KIDS KNOW!! WHERE THE CARS GO!!"
blow it out your ass, they rock!!

[silo flame]

(sonic youth tastes fresh, because they are.)
one need only take a few large steps away from the internet world, and much of all this overanalyzation becomes tired and pointless. Pitchfork is alright, they keep it up with interviews, features and all that shit with the latest records and groups; whoever doesn't yet know how to read record reviews with a heaping of salt seems irrelevant to the great and constant push forward of originality and creativity, as well as reanimation of both, anyways. The internet is one big fucking billboard, so when one voluntarily enters it's realm of shit they shouldnt expect to see the world through the cleanest eyes. There is an endless stream of good, high quality, genunine, fresh creativity flowing through human culture; there always was, there always will be. Kids like to go out, they like to get wasted, they like to dance, to entertain, to adventure, to create, to look good, to explore originality, and so on and on. Sometimes, some bands rise a little above ground and get spotted by the capitalist machine; true, it may sting a little to see a personally meaningful artist be fucked like a cheap whore, but when push comes to shove it just doesnt matter. there is enough for everyone.

[kronox]

Festivals like Coachella are selling Obama t-shirts.

this is not true.

[Moebius]

(sonic youth tastes fresh, because they are.)
one need only take a few large steps away from the internet world, and much of all this overanalyzation becomes tired and pointless. Pitchfork is alright, they keep it up with interviews, features and all that shit with the latest records and groups; whoever doesn't yet know how to read record reviews with a heaping of salt seems irrelevant to the great and constant push forward of originality and creativity, as well as reanimation of both, anyways. The internet is one big fucking billboard, so when one voluntarily enters it's realm of shit they shouldnt expect to see the world through the cleanest eyes. There is an endless stream of good, high quality, genunine, fresh creativity flowing through human culture; there always was, there always will be. Kids like to go out, they like to get wasted, they like to dance, to entertain, to adventure, to create, to look good, to explore originality, and so on and on. Sometimes, some bands rise a little above ground and get spotted by the capitalist machine; true, it may sting a little to see a personally meaningful artist be fucked like a cheap whore, but when push comes to shove it just doesnt matter. there is enough for everyone.

well said. I read pitchfork as it's a well-run site that covers a lot of music I'm interested in but with a broad enough coverage to introduce me to thinks I wouldn't have seen. it's the first line of filtering; nothing should be taken at face value, they have some pretty glaring biases, but realize that and you can still get value out of their reviews. at the least, it gives me a few good pointers for things to follow up on further and evaluate on my own.

plus their news section is pretty good, lets me keep on top of the touring schedules of most things I'm into.

[streamrunner]

Arcade Fire are one of the most overblow lame ass bands I've ever even seen. Neon Bible sucked my left testicle.

Disagree.

I also disagree. The post I'm quoting is the only one ive actually read though.

"HEY!! US KIDS KNOW!! WHERE THE CARS GO!!"
blow it out your ass, they rock!!

they are a band for the sheep.