“LA Weekly” Tries To Kill Yuppie-Indie With Bare Hands, Weak Arguments

Writer Alec Bemis is apparently trying to get ahead of the curve, writing an obituary for the indie-rock boom–we can’t bring ourselves to use the term “yindie”–in this week’s LA Weekly. We were all ready to throw an Irish wake, but then we read Bemis’ postmortem:

Anecdotal evidence suggests we’re entering the tail end of the recent indie-rock boom, as defined by the yuppie roster of classic Seattle indie SubPop (Iron & Wine, the Postal Service, Wolf Parade). Reports from the label’s showcase at the CMJ Festival earlier this month were distinctly underwhelming. This year’s SubPop class is equally fey, and still features yindie’s signature vocal yelp. But Loney, Dear, Oxford Collapse, the Thermals, and CSS are too amateurish and rough-at-the-edges. They couldn’t generate the ardor of the night’s headliner, the Shins — the Natalie Portman-approved band that helped define the yindie sound. Rather, we’ve entered yindie’s cash-in phase, and the benefits are accruing to the entrepreneurs in close proximity to the boom. Last month, Slim Moon, founder of another iconic Pacific NW independent, Kill Rock Stars, announced that he’s leaving the label to join much respected Warner Bros. imprint Nonesuch as an A&R exec. Stranger still, indie culture’s blog of record, Stereogum.com, received a cash infusion from former MTV exec Bob Pittman.

Hmm? Now, we traffic in anecdotal evidence all the time, but labeling some suspect conclusions based on one CMJ showcase and a couple of hires as “anecdotal evidence” doesn’t mean that Bemis’ argument isn’t pretty weak. To wit:

· The Thermals and the scruffy Oxford Collapse certainly have yelpy tendencies, but “fey”? Please sample the below MP3s, then get back to us.
· Yes, Sub Pop’s roster this year wasn’t laden with Braff-approved soft rock. But if we’re entering indie’s “cash-in phase,” as Bemis puts it, wouldn’t a parade of Ben Gibbard soundalikes be the best way for the label to make money fast? If anything, we’d say that Sub Pop is re-embracing its old-school style with bands that are, as Bemis so disdainfully puts it, “rough-at-the-edges.”
· In the last few years, has Kill Rock Stars signed a band–aside from, maybe, the Decemberists–that fits the “yindie” archetype?
· As far as Bemis’ point on “indie [culture] blog of record” Stereogum cashing in serving as a leading indicator of the indie boom’s demise, he may have an argument–especially now that they’re wasting bandwidth on Hinder.

The Thermals – I Might Need For You To Kill [MP3, link expired]
Oxford Collapse – Please Visit Your National Parks [MP3, link expired]
Baby Bands, New-School Show Tunes and the Rise and Fall (!) of Yindie [LA Weekly, via Coolfer]