In case you were wondering what acts to watch for in 2009, Buffalo News pop music critic Jeff Miers comes up with the goods today. I’m sure you haven’t heard of these guys, so go grab a piece of paper to write these down: Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, Santogold and Lady GaGa. If you’re already heard of these acts (somehow), just keep your mouth shut… Miers puts you into a group of “hipsters” who corner people in bars with pesky opinions and “already know everything.” Zing! [Buffalo News]
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For the love of God, this is the laziest article I’ve read in a long time. He uses the word “hipster” twice, with two distinct connotations. His whole section on Vampire Weekend enrages me, and I love the album (Their “esoteric blend of American indie-rock and African rhythms is unlike anything else being offered by the group’s peers”? Really?). Plus, he describes Santogold both in terms of Hip-Hop AND R&B! Didn’t this already get hashed out in… what, May of last year?
@Halfwit: …and THAT’S why he writes for the Buffalo News.
hahahawesome post
Dude, screw southern California. I’m moving to Buffalo, where I’ll be the coolest, hippest tastemaker EVER!! I’ll start by introducing the city to mash-ups.
The funniest thing about the article is that he’s the main music writer in buffalo’s paper and writes reviews of albums and concerts daily/weekly.
The simple fact is - he’s the one who obviously missed out on 2008 - since these are artists that he should have been writing about in the first place all year long…..and then to try and insinuate that people who know these artists already are just holier than thou people who should keep their mouths shut is just amateur shit.
@MayhemintheHood: this sounds like a cracking idea! let’s colonize the city!
Maybe, in tribute to the dying auto industry, he’s using their idea of a model year meaning the ‘09 models actually came out in ‘08.
…
Ok. I got nuthin.
@SabreFanCS: That seems to be one of the more tiresome trends of ’00s music criticism: the reactionary urge to try and compensate for the feeling of being left behind in the wake of an overwhelming flood of music and increasing micro-niche fragmentation by vilifying “hipsters” in an attempt to make people who actually do keep up with the latest trends look like superficial assholes. I’d be lying if I said I’ve never tried that approach on for size a couple times, but it’s grown kind of poisonous and prominent in mainstream circles over the last few years.
I want to give that guy a hug. I want to tell him, “you’re doing great!” and rustle his hair. I want to take him by the hand and introduce him to other music critics. I’ll say “music critic, this is Jeff Miers, and I’m proud of him.” And the music critic will smile, maybe pinch his cheek or slap him on the shoulder. Maybe the music critic will say “Awesome Jeff! What kind of music do you like?” and Jeff will say “Vampire Weekend! Watch out for them!” And the music critic will say “OK Jeff, I will!” Then the music critic will look up at me and say, “he’s cute.” And I’ll respond “he’ll be even cuter when he gets his braces off!”
@scott pgwp: Well now I know what the North American Music Bloggers Love Association meetings are like.
You guys better watch out for Animal Collective in 2010.
“Officer, I swear he told me he was a blogger!”
@Ned Raggett: I’m not sure if you’re the first to use that NAMBLA acronym, but if so, you’re a genius.
The biggest irony if this piece is that the tour/promotional cycle of FF, VW and S-Gold have all been completed in ‘08 which means most of ‘09 will probably be pretty quiet for them as they work on big record #2.
@MayhemintheHood: Too kind. (I’m not sure either but I condone turning it into a meme.)
I like the mention of local bands at the end. We are overdue for an alt-country band from Buffalo.
Reminds me of that Patton Oswalt bit about the local film critic in Sterling, Va.–the guy who pans “The Road Warrior” but gives “Three Men and a Baby” four stars.
@K-Rex: I think at least half the bands in Buffalo play alt-country.
Don’t you people know? Hipsters hang out at Starbucks! That’s where they all heard those records that you shouldn’t know about yet!
@2ironic4u: Haha! That’s totally true! Wow, this guy fails on every level.
I thought we only corner people in bars if we have 3G iPhones to back up our assertions via YouTube clips.
If there’s one thing I like to do, it’s corner people at bars. WATCH YOUR BACKS EVERYONE.
@Ned Raggett: Ha. God, that’s annoying.
Customer: What’s your problem?!
Barry: Do you even know your daughter? There’s no way she likes that song! Oh! oh! oh! Wait — is she in a coma?
Customer: Oh, okay buddy. I didn’t know it was Pick on the Middle-Aged Square Guy Day. My apologies. I’ll be on my way.
Barry: [sarcastically] Ta-ta!
Customer: Fuck you!
@Chris Molanphy:
Louis: You guys are snobs.
Dick: No, we’re not.
Louis: Yeah, seriously, you’re totally elitist. You feel like the unappreciated scholars, so you shit onto people who know less than you.
Rob, Barry, Dick: No!
Louis: Which is everybody…
Rob, Barry, Dick: Yeah…
Louis: That’s so sad.
I’m from Buffalo, and I was surprised to see the guy who normally writes *timely* pieces on the Stones and Zeppelin and never-let-go native appeal of The Goo Goo Dolls to do something actually “recent”. Seriously, this is the most up-to-date piece I’ve ever seen him written. Now you know how it feels to live in a crappy Rust Belt city who’s only distinction is the border crossing for bands on tour from Cleveland to Toronto.
Thanks for the BuffaLOVE shoutout Gibson!