Wednesday, February 24, 2010

New Column: Defending My Indie Cred

People will often ask me how I keep up with all the new music coming out each week. The short answer is, I don't, at least not to the level I'd like. There are very good bands making very good albums that slip by me all the time, and I discover them later, with an embarrassed look on my face. But what can I do? There's so much music, it's often difficult to decide how to focus my meager resources.

The insane levels of hype surrounding every new band that emerges only makes the task more difficult. I spend a good chunk of my time trying to discern whether the buzz I am hearing is real or manufactured, whether the acolytes of a band or musician are genuinely impressed or just concerned with being ahead of the curve at any cost. That hype is the subject of this week's column at tm3am.com, and if I come off sounding like a grumpy old man here and there, well, writing it made me feel like one.

It's not all grousing - I use the indie hype framework to review new albums from Hot Chip, Yeasayer, Beach House and Local Natives. And I reveal the #14 album of the 2000s. Sound good? Click on over to read it, then come back here to leave me a comment. Even if it's just to tell me what a crotchety old bastard I've become.

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